Have Your Say

• Doctors’ appointments – a waste of time?

  The Health of the Nation survey, commissioned by Aviva Health, reveals that GPs are spending most of their time dealing with patients who do not really need their attention.
  
  In the poll of 208 GPs across Britain, 93 per cent said they spent a quarter of their time dealing with problems that a practice nurse could handle. 88 per cent spent the same proportion of time dealing with minor medical issues that the patient could have managed by themselves.
  
  77 per cent of doctors said they only spent a quarter of their time dealing with medical issues that really needed their attention.
  
   
  
  • Are patients wasting GPs' time?
  
  
  • How can GPs' time be used more productively?
  
  
  

• How much water should you be drinking?

  In an article for the BMJ, Glasgow-based GP Margaret McCartney said that NHS advice to drink six to eight glasses of water a day to prevent dehydration is ‘thoroughly debunked nonsense'.
  
  Dr McCartney said that that there was no high quality published evidence backing up claims that drinking so much was necessary to prevent dehydration.
  
  Furthermore, she argued that the benefits are often exaggerated by ‘organisations with vested interests’ such as bottled water brands.
  
  A Department of Health spokesperson said: ‘Our advice is based on the best available evidence. We will assess any new information as it becomes available.'
  
   
  
  • How much fluid do you drink a day?
  
  
  • Do you suffer from dehydration?
  
  
  
  

• 14-day old sandwiches – Will you buy one?

  A leading food wholesaler has developed a new range of sandwiches with a 14-day shelf life. Booker, which supplies thousands of corner shops and convenience stores, say that flavours will include chicken and bacon, tuna mayonnaise, chicken tikka and cheese and onion, at a retail price of ?1.49.
  
  They claim that the process of gas flushing, where the oxygen in the packaging is replaced by CO2 and nitrogen, together with the usage of carefully selected ingredients like a slightly acidic mayonnaise and oatmeal bread, ensure that the sandwiches stay fresh for 2 weeks. Highly perishable foods such as lettuce and tomato are not used as they tend to go soggy.
  
  "The product is as good on day 14 and it is on day one," said food technologist Ray Boggiano, who has spent almost a year developing the sandwich.
  
   
  
  • What do you eat for lunch?
  
  • Will you be trying the sandwiches?