13/05/2012 by admin.

• 5% coupon is save5
• Coupon can be used at any of our websites and is active until end of June 2012

• Free UK Delivery offer when you spend over £75 on goods net VAT 

• Free UK Mainland Courier Delivery when you spend over £250 on goods net VAT

• Latest Special Offers at Valuemed
• All the latest Home Health Tests

• You can now open your own online account when you place your order & track your order online

Posted in Valuemed voucher code, Valuemed Coupon Code | Print | 1 Comment »

30/04/2012 by admin.

Valuemed have a range of both home and professional pregnancy tests that are available at wholesale prices to trade buyers, NHS clinics, GP surgeries. etc. They are available in either a pregnancy test strip, pregnancy test cassette or midstream pregnancy test kit.

They can be purchased in small wholesale volumes through Access Diagnostics Tests wholesale website

If you require home or professional pregnancy tests in larger wholesale volumes the please e-mail trade@adtuk.co.uk or telephone 01623 883 830 for a quote during office hours.

If you require more info on purchasing wholesale pregnancy tests for NHS visit our NHS wholesale pages http://www.valuemed.co.uk/acatalog/NHS_Purchasing.html

Posted in Wholesale pregnancy test strips, Wholesale pregnancy tests | Print | 1 Comment »

24/04/2012 by admin.

Just a quick update on what’s happening this month

The Royal Mail has increased the postal costs for packets & parcels recently and they are due to go up again on 30/4/12. To help ease this we have a low cost 2nd class parcel delivery option at just £1.95, free when you spend over £25 on goods net VAT until the end of April 2012. 1st class UK delivery is just £2.95, also free when you spend over £75 on goods net until end of April 2012.

Use online coupon code save5 to save 5% when you shop at any of our websites this month including www.valuemed.co.uk and www.accessdiagnostics.co.uk

Feel free to pass the coupon on to friends, family , colleagues, chat groups etc. Coupon sp5 is active until end of June 2012 and may be used multiple times. Only one coupon is applied per order.

Open an online account with us 

 You now have the option to open an online account when you place your order at most of our sites. Having an online acccount makes shopping with us quicker and easier.

‘This months special offers’.

Click here to see our current special offers

Click here to see our current special offers on Littmann stethoscopes

Breathalyzer Kits for France

The new french legislation recently passed means that all drivers in France will be required to single use carry breathalyzer kits in their cars from 1st July 2012. This will apply to British drivers travelling in France. If you are on a normal driving license you french limit is 0.05% BAC which is significantly lower than the UK limit of 0.08% BAC.

Click here to see disposable 0.05% BAC breathalyzer kits

Professional Pregnancy Tests

We have an extensive range of high accuracy professional pregnancy tests for clinic, NHS, GP’s and other end users.

Click here to see our range of professional pregnancy tests for clinics, NHS , GP’s etc

Littmann Stethosopes

We have an extensive range of Littmann stethoscopes for sale including the new range of colours, models and finishes.

Click here to see Littmann stethoscope range

Posted in voucher code, access diagnostics coupon code 2011, Valuemed voucher code, Access Diagnostics Coupon, Discount Code, Discount Littmann, Valuemed Coupon Code | Print | 1 Comment »

20/04/2012 by Akshay.

Hi guys, Akshay here. I have not posted in a while as I was caught up with my university admissions paperwork but am more free nowadays and hope to actively contribute to this blog. Personally, I have developed a keen interest in Cancer and endocrinology and my posts would predominantly be focused on the issues surrounding these branches of medicine. My interest stems from my A-level Biology days when I found the topics of cancer and specifically the pancreas particularly interesting. I expanded on my interest by reading books such as ‘The Emperor of All Maladies’ which I found to be intellectually stimulating. I would be posting articles on the scientific basis of cancer and endocrinology as I really like the pathology and biochemistry behind these. However, I do acknowledge that I may not be aware of all the scientific minutiae involved and your comments will be greatly appreciated in refining my knowledge.

Posted in Medical school application, Medical school, Guestblogging, Guest blogger | Print | 1 Comment »

18/04/2012 by admin.

Valuemed UK Medical Supplies offers student discounts to medical, paramedical, physiotherapy & nursing students on our complete range of medical equipment & medical supplies.

If you are a student & would like a discount code for your university or college please send an e-mail to customerservices@accessdiagnostics.co.uk with the name of your college or university and we will set an online discount code up for you and e-mail you the details.

In the meantime you may use discount code save5 which is active until the end of June 2012 and gives a 5% discount on goods.

Posted in Medical student supplies discount, Medical student discounts, Medical school, Medical Student Supplies, Medical Student, Student Discounts, Medical Students | Print | 1 Comment »

09/04/2012 by admin.

Fecal Occult blood test kits are now available in the UK in Mission 50 test packs from Valuemed and Access Diagnostic Tests UK Ltd.

Mission FOB 50 strip Fecal Occult Blood Strips

CE marked for professional end use, the Mission product packs contain everything required to complete screening on 50 stool samples for the presence of fecal occult blood

Highly accurate, with full professional data and procedure inserts the pack contains 50 extraction tubes and buffer reagent sufficient for the 50 test strips included in the standard pack. The FOB kits do not require any automation or special preparation of the samples, which can be collected in standard universal containers.

FOB test kit packs are suitable for NHS clinic and lab use as well as research and clinical study projects.

All mission products are CE marked for EU import and end use to IVDD standards expected by modern European diagnostic end users within the professional healthcare service.

Posted in fecal occult blood test, FOB test, faecal Occult Blood Test | Print | 1 Comment »

27/03/2012 by admin.

I was recently listening to a medical podcast from 2011 (a BMJ one I think )  in which they discussed some recent research that suggested that chocolate may be good for our health possibly because of the anti-oxidants-although they were cautious about the findings and said more research was need.

Today I heard via BBC health the wonderful news that ” Chocolate may help keep people slim”

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-17511011

On reading the article caution is once again advised-this is not an excuse to go on a chocolate binge. It is probably similar to the benefits from red wine. Small quantities in moderation have health benefits however over indulgence has more negative consequences than positive as chocolate is also high in sugar & fat.

As a chocolate lover myself I have decided to stop depriving myself and to indulge in a small amount of high quality dark cholcolate more frequently. The higher quality darker chocolate such as Green and Blacks contains higher quantities of the antioxidants.

Find out more about chocolate & health research here http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-14679497

Oops cant believe I just published a post about chocolate immediately after the article on cholesterol tests

Posted in Chocolate, Health news | Print | 1 Comment »

27/03/2012 by Valuemed.

Cholesterol test kits have now been available for home cholesterol testing for over 10 years. All cholesterol home tests involve testing a blood sample, for home cholesterol testing this is obtained using a lancet, or finger prick needle. This makes home cholesterol testing a problem for anyone who is squeemish or has a needle phobia as most kits only supply a single lancet.

Cholesterol is an ever changing component of blood and real time levels are affected by diet to a great degree. Put simply, cholesterol blood levels can be greatly affected by what you have eaten in the last few hours. For this reason all first time cholesterol screening home tests should ideally be done when you have not eaten for the last 8 hrs, ie first thing in the morning before breakfast. This ensures you are measuring the base line or background total cholesterol levels for your body and not just the fat content of the last fatty meal you digested.

If you are testing for the first time and are seeking the re-assurance of a normal cholesterol level, then the simplest and cheapest kits just test for a single total cholesterol level. These kits are easier to complete than the dual measure tests for total and HDL cholesterol levels. These more complex cholesterol tests are better if a raised cholesterol total level has been detected or is suspected, as they differentiate between the good (HDL) and bad total cholesterol, and show what the ratio is at the time of testing. Most first time home cholesterol testers do not need to know this if the total cholesterol level is healthy. The simple total cholesterol test kits available are simple to complete proceedurally by following the user instructions included in the pack, and most people can handle the finger prick to obtain an adequate blood drop sample to complete the total cholesterol test with a clear and accurate result. Talking of accuracy, the manufacturers have to be able to prove that the test gives accurate results in the vast majority of test samples to obtain the CE mark for the test to be sold in Europe. This means if you follow the test instructions you should be able to get a result which is close in accuracy to a laboratory analysed sample result.

If you have detected a raised cholesterol blood level on a home cholesterol test kit using a fasting blood sample then a differential test to split the LDL and HDL levels will help assess the risk factors to health and future action plan. LDL (low density lipoprotein) is the cholesterol which clogs arteries and you want to reduce. HDL (high density) is the good stuff that’s required to build cells and repair the body, you want more of this. Home cholesterol test kits such as the cholestin pack will give a result for both LDL and HDL. these cholesterol home tests are a little more expensive and are more complex to complete but come with good clear instructions and the majority of self testers complet the test with both results obtained reliably. A key tip is to ensure you can use the lancets with confidence to obtain a sufficient blood sample droplet(s) to complet both elements of the test.

For people in treatment for elevated cholesterol levels there are also electronic test monitors which are available with test strips which are read by the monitor to give a digital level. This is cost effective if you are expecting to test regularly, and gets the cost of home testing for cholesterol down to around £5 per test if you allow for depreciation on the electronic monitor.

Click here for more information ot to buy home cholesterol test kits & monitors http://www.valuemed.co.uk/acatalog/Cholesterol_Tests.html

Posted in Cholesterol test kit, home cholesterol test kit, Cholesterol testing kit, Cholesterol test, Home test kit, Home testing kits | Print | 1 Comment »

23/03/2012 by admin.

I like many others welcome the move to have a minimum price for alcohol that was announced today, but I can’t help but think there may be better ways to do this, and that we should be going further on this.

Excess alcohol consumption in this country poses a massive health risk and costs the country in both healthcare consequences and days lost from work, as well as crime and accidents related to alcohol. The increased in problem teenage drinking may also be a consequence of the low alcohol prices and the wide availibility of alcohol.

What I don’t fully understand is why the government did not put up tax on alcohol in the budget yesterday. This would have the effect of putting the prices of alcohol in the shops up, and the money generated through this increased taxation on alcohol would go to help pay off the budget deficit. Would seem to be a win win to me.

Posted in Alcohol Prices | Print | 2 Comments »

20/03/2012 by admin.

Did you know that you may be able to get a free chlamydia test kit to use at home , under the government screening programme for Chlamydia.

The Chlamydia screening programme has been running for several years in the UK and provides free home Chlamydia test kits by post to sexually active under 25 year olds in UK. Home tests for Chlamydia have been available commercially now for several years and have proved effective and reliable.

Chlamydia is a very common sexually transmitted infection affecting about 1 in 12 young people . Chlamydia often causes no symptoms in the early stages and is often transmitted to a sexual partner before the person knows that they are infected. Diagnosis and treatment are fairly easy, and the Chlamydia test can be performed at home using a swab or urine sample.

The purpose of the campaign is to raise awareness amongst teenagers and young people about Chlamydia and to increase the uptake of Chlamydia testing & treatment when it is offered to young people. Untreated Chalmydia can have serious health consequences such as infertility, ectopic pregnancy, orchiditis, urethritis etc.

For more info on the Free Chlamydia Test by Post for under 25’s visit http://freetest.me.uk/

If you are not under 25 years of age and would like to get a Chlamydia test by post they can be purchased online here http://www.valuemed.co.uk/acatalog/Chlamydia_Tests.html

Posted in chlamydia test free, chlamydia test buy, chlamydia test for men, Chlamydia Test Kit, Chlamydia Screening, Chlamydia home test, Chlamydia test | Print | 1 Comment »

20/03/2012 by Akshay.

Hi guys, my name is Akshay, I’m from Singapore and I’m a new guest blogger. I have completed my A levels and am planning to apply to UK for medicine during my gap year. I first came to know about this provision of writing for Valuemed from a medical student who previously wrote for Valuemed. I was immediately keen on writing as a guest blogger not only for the purpose of gaining a deeper insight into medicine but also to keep up to date with the latest news in the medical world. I would like to thank Kate for giving me this opportunity and will write more on medical news in the near future. Cheers

Posted in Guestblogging, Applying for medical school, Guest blogger | Print | 2 Comments »

14/03/2012 by admin.

A new home prostate test kit is now available from NanoRepro called ProstaQUICK.

The Prostate test kit is a complete home blood test for the detection of elevated PSA levels. PSA is Prostate-specific Antigen, a chemical detectable in blood. Elevated levels of PSA are associated with prostate disease and particularly prostate cancer, a common form of cancer affecting men over the age of 60.

The ProstaQUICK test not only detects elevated levels of PSA above the 4ng/ml considered significant but also will show if the level is above 10ng/ml. The advantage of this dual result will be apparent to men who are under medical periodic review for an elevated level of PSA, had investigations which are normal and are advised to “keep and eye on the psa level” every 6 months. If the level increases to over 10ng/ml further investigations are normally undertaken.

The ProstaQUICK home prostate test is certified as 97% reliable and the proceedure for completing the test is very well described in the instructions. An auto lancing devise is included for the finger prick blood sample which is needed for each test.

Posted in prostate tests, PSA test kit, prostate testing kits, prostate test kit, PSA tests, Prostate test, prostate disease | Print | 1 Comment »

10/03/2012 by admin.

Scottish based biotech company Burdica, the manufactures of Zestica Lubricant  have announced a new Canadian deal which will see its fertility lubricant and moisture lubricants available in Canada during 2012. The deal with “Shoppers” chain, a similar retailer to “Boots” here in the UK will see the products in over 200 stroes accross Canada. Two other Canadian firms have now also signed deals with Burdica.

Sales of Zestica have grown over 400% in 2011. The product is already available across most or Europe with deals in place now in Switzerland adding to agreements in Austria and Germany.

Zestica is the only one of the fertility lubricants to be formulated with HA (hyaluronic acid) the naturally occuring molecule found around the egg which promotes sperm motility.

Thousands of women have now tried Zestica, finding it both great to use and easy to apply. Zestica fertility lubricants are recommended for couples trying to conceive in preference to other non fertility personal lubricants which can obstruct sperm motility and even reduce the chances of conception is some cases.

Posted in Fertility Lubricant, Zestica reviews, Zestica Fertility | Print | 1 Comment »

01/03/2012 by admin.

Just had an e-mail through with some interesting reading from Menopause Matters.

Here is the e-mail:

Much debate and controversy surrounds the issue of risks and benefits of Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT). In the past, many women took HRT in the belief that, while accepting that all medicines, and indeed many non-medicines, carry some risk, overall for most women the benefits appeared to outweigh the risks. All this changed in 2002 when a large American trial, the Women’s health Initiative trial, (WHI) showed that the use of HRT increased the risks of breast cancer, heart disease, stroke and blood clot. Following swiftly on came the British Million Women study which emphasisied the risks of breast cancer with HRT. Understandably, women in their millions stopped taking HRT and many doctors stopped prescribing it.
Were these concerns and huge change in use of HRT justified?
The WHI trial has since been reanalysed and in fact, heart disease and stroke were only increased in women who were 20 or 10 years post menopause respectively and were starting HRT just for the purpose of the trial. Women in the trial taking HRT who were under the age of 60 were shown to have a reduced risk of heart disease. A small increased risk of blood clot is found in women taking tablet form of HRT in the first year of use, but not if taking transdermal (patch or gel). The risk of breast cancer in WHI was in fact NOT demonsrtated in women taking estrogen only HRT, and in women taking combined estrogen and progestogen HRT, was only increased if HRT was taken before the trial and then continued for the 5 years of the trial. The level of increased risk shown is less than the associated breast cancer risk with 2 or more units of alcohol per day, or with being overweight after the menopause.
Further, a recent publication has shown that the Million Women study was in fact flawed and did not prove an increased breast cancer risk with HRT.
So where are we now? A very comprehensive review of the facts has now been published in the British Medical Journal and shows that we have almost come a whole circle, in that we have conclusive evidence that HRT is still the most effective treatment for menopausal symptoms, reduces the risk of osteoporotic fracture, reduces the risk of diabetes and colon cancer and, if used early in the menopausal years may well reduce the risk of heart disease. The association with long term use of HRT after the age of 50 and breast cancer risk is of concern but all medicines carry some risk and it seems once again, that overall for most women the benefits appeared to outweigh the risks.
Full report, menopause news, personal stories, healthy recipes, fashion and exercise tips in our magazine, issue 27 due out this month. See details www.menopausematters.co.uk/magazine.php
Regards,
Dr Heather Currie
Menopause Matters

Menopause Matters magazine, is the ONLY magazine of its kind, specifically written for women who are approaching or experiencing the menopause.

You can read the current edition of Menopause Matterse magazine online for FREE. Just register

http://www.menopausematters.co.uk/magazine.php

Posted in HRT Risks, HRT Research, HRT News, HRT, MENOPAUSE | Print | 1 Comment »

01/03/2012 by Retired Lady Doctor.

I am a new guest blogger. As a retired doctor, I am now experiencing the medical profession from the other side of the desk, and it has given me reason to think about what in my opinion makes a good doctor and what we as patients want from our doctors.

Here are my thoughts:

• We want our doctors to be available-by this I mean I want to be able to get an appointment easily and be able to get through on the phone to the surgery to book one
• We want our doctor to listen
• We want our doctors to be empathic.
• We like our doctor to be running reasonably on time-waiting in a doctors waiting room is very stressful. You often bump into neighbours who you might not wish to discuss your medical conditions with and worry that you might catch flu or something off another patient. Strangely when I was a young doctor seeing sick patients constantly this thought never concerned me but as I have got older a bout of flu can be truly nasty. Anyway I digress-back to the list.
• We want our doctor to have good up to date knowledge and clinical skills
• We want our doctors to recognise when we are really worried about our health or ill
• We want our doctor to give us choices and discuss the options with us
• We want our doctors to be enthusiastic, even dare I say passionate, about patient care
• We want our doctors to refer us for specialist advice /care when appropriate
• We want our doctors to be able to consider all the possibilities, and to question their diagnosis
• We want our doctors to be able to admit if they make a mistake, to say sorry and to rectify it
• We want our doctor to keep their skills up to date and to be abreast of changes & developments in medicine

Anyway these are my thoughts on this subject in the order of priority that I gave them. Let me know yours in comments.

Posted in What makes a good doctor | Print | 3 Comments »

28/02/2012 by Futuremedic1.

Coronary heart disease (CHD) is one of the most common diseases to affect the heart. It is usually caused by atherosclerosis, which is a build up of fatty materials within the walls of the arteries.

There are many known risks of coronary heart disease. Although some of these factors are out of your control (age, gender and family history of CHD), there are some that you CAN control. These include:

• High blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels (triglyceride is a type of fat found in the blood).
• High blood pressure
• Diabetes
• Being overweight or obese
• Smoking
• Lack of physical exercise
• Unhealthy diet
• Stress

Many people have at least one CHD risk factor. Your risk of CHD and heart attack increases with the number of risk factors you have and their severity. Additionally, some risk factors will put you at greater risk of CHD and heart attack than others. Smoking and diabetes are prime examples of such factors.

Many CHD risk factors start during childhood. This is becoming more and more common nowadays because many children are overweight due to an unbalanced diet and lack of exercise.

Coronary heart disease is the biggest killer in the UK, causing approximately 94,000 deaths every year. On average, people at low risk of CHD live nearly ten years longer than people at high risk of CHD.
However, there are ways that you can reduce the risk of developing CHD. These approaches include:

1. Not smoking
2. Maintaining a healthy weight
3. Lowering/controlling your cholesterol
4. Exercising regularly,
5. Eating less saturated fat, more fibre and avoiding trans fats
6. Managing stress effectively

If you already have CHD, adopting some of these approaches might well reduce the severity of your symptoms.

Posted in CHD, Risk factors for coronary heart disease, Coronary Heart Disease, Guest blogger | Print | 5 Comments »

28/02/2012 by Medschool2013.

As part of my preperation for applying to medical school this coming year, I have been researching the differences between benign and malignant tumours, and this is what I have found.

Malignant tumors are invasive. They tend to invade and start growing in surrounding tissues . They can be very fast growing and can kill. They may also spread to other parts of the body (metastasis) through the blood stream & the lymphatic system. A common example of  a malignant or cancerous tumour is breast cancer. If a malignant tumor has spread and cannot be completely removed by surgery, then chemotherapy or radiotherapy, or a combination of both is often required. Chemotherapy & radiotherapy may also be used where the malignant tumour appears to have been removed completely to prevent recurrence at the same site or spread to other parts of the body.

Radiation therapy can last from 3-6 weeks and is used to kill the cancer cells and so reduces the size of the tumor. The genetic material of the cell is destroyed making it impossible for that cell to divide. However, this can cause short or long term effects. Skin soreness, nausea and tiredness may be caused, and long term effects may be shrinking of breasts and tiny broken blood vessels may leave marks on the skin.

Chemotherapy is used to damage the DNA of the cell and affects therefore the growth and the proliferation of the cell. Chemotherapy slows down the growth of any tumour cells. Chemotherapy drugs attack rapidly growing cells, however this might not just be cancer, the drugs can interfere with normal dividing cells too, such as cells in the blood, nails, hair and nose. The normal cells can repair themselves after treatment.

Benign tumors are not invasive. They have well defined boundaries and therefore do not invade surrounding tissues. They are slow growing and will not usually kill. Benign tumors can often be left where they are as long as they are in a safe place and are not affecting the function of surrounding organs, however otherwise they can be removed surgically and the patient should then recover.

Posted in Malignant Tumours, Benign Tumours, Chemotherapy, Radiotherapy, Breast cancer, Guest blogger | Print | 3 Comments »

20/02/2012 by admin.

Screening for faecal occult blood (FOB) is an established method of population screening for bowel cancers and pre-cancerous conditions such as polyps and inflamation. It is important to understand the test is not specific for cancer diagnosis. Screening tests must have a high specificity and sensitivity to offer accurate indicators for further diagnostic investigation. The FOB test kit is designed to screen asymptomatic populations for bowel cancer. Those with symptoms should consult their doctor.

The faecal occult blood tests work by detection minute amounts of blood present in the stool as a consequence of the underlying condition, which would not normally be evident on routine examination or be apparent to the patient.  The traces can be detected well before other symptoms become apparent, making faecal occult blood screening a useful tool in well person population screening.

Bowel cancer is the third most common cancer in the UK and the 2nd commonest cause of cancer deaths, affecting up to 1:20 of the general population and 37, 000 patients a year in the UK. Recently population faecal occult blood screening services have started to be offered by the NHS  to 60-69 year olds every 2 years via GP community services. The FOB screening test is also commonly included in private health screeing programmes on a 2 yearly basis and is also available in home / self test kit formats

Pick up rates in the 60-69 year age band stand at approximately 2% per year, and confirmed positive results are referred for specialist colonoscopy investigation and diagnosis, of these half are normal, 40% will have polyps which can be treated during colonoscopy and 10% will have a cancer diagnosis and require specialist management. The FOB tests are not 100% accurate, but population faecal occult blood screening has been proved effective at reducing mortality (death) rates in the 60-69 year age band, if performed every 2 years.

The latest Laboratory point of care Faecal Occult Blood Tests incorporate test membranes that meet exacting CE IVDD quality standards for professional diagnostic biotech products such as the Mission FOB 50 test packs. These offer professional test kits accurate, highly cost effective, faecal occult blood screening.

Click here for more information on Mission professional clinic packs of FOB tests for faecal occult blood screening

Click here for more information on the Instalert professional clinic FOB test kits

Click here for more information on home faecal occult blood test kits

Click here for information on the NHS bowel cancer screening programme for over 60 year olds

Posted in Bowel cancer screening, Faecal Occult Blood Screening, FOB test, faecal Occult Blood Test | Print | 1 Comment »

20/02/2012 by Medschool2013.

Hi I am a new blogger to this site and will be known as medschool2013.

 I am currently studying for my A-Levels and a prospective medical student applying in October 2012. I have a huge passion for medicine with particular interests currently being in the branch of cardiology. This interest was ignited during my work experience placement shadowing doctors in a cardiology department. Since then i have pursued my interest by undertaking an Open University module ‘Understanding Cardiovascular Diseases’. As well as this I try to play an active role in my local hospital as I am a member of the NHS youth council.

I hope my blogs will be interesting, engaging and intriguing to everyone and I will appreciate any feedback/suggestions.

Posted in Medical school application, Medical news, medical blogs, Guest blogger | Print | 2 Comments »

10/02/2012 by Access Diagnostics Fertility.

Ovulation

Ovulation is the release of an egg from the ovary. The egg then travels into the fallopian tube where it is ready to be fertilized. In order for conception to occur, the egg must be fertilized by sperm within approximately 24 hours of its release from the ovary. This is quite a short window of time and is known as the ‘fertile time’.

The LH surge

Immediately prior to ovulation,  the body produces a large amount of luteinizing hormone (LH) which triggers the release of a ripened egg from the ovary. This “LH surge” usually takes place in the middle of the menstrual cycle. Ovulation prediction kits or OPK’s as they are known for short detect the LH surge in urine, signalling that ovulation is likely to occur in the next 24-36 hours. Ovulation prediction tests help you predict the time of ovulation, and peak fertility.  It is during this fertile time that conception is most likely to occur.

Posted in Ovulation, LH surge, Ovulation tests, Ovulation test, Ovulation Microscope, Ovulation Prediction | Print | 1 Comment »

07/02/2012 by Futuremedic1.

Hi everyone it’s Futuremedic1 here!

I am a new guest blogger on this site and I thought I’d tell you all a little about myself. I’m a prospective medical student who is hoping to go to medical school next year (2013). My current interests in medicine lie in the fields of oncology and cardiology, although of course that is liable to change as I explore other branches of medicine. As for work experience, I have undertaken a couple of weeks in my local hospital and have also spent time at a scientific research lab. I hope that you will read and enjoy my posts, and please feel free to ask me any questions.

Posted in Medical school application, Medical school, Guestblogging, Blogs medical, Guest blogger | Print | 3 Comments »

02/02/2012 by Access Diagnostics Fertility.

We have a range of home and professional pregnancy test strips that are available in bulk packs for our wholesale , trade & NHS customers.

Click here for information on on trade, NHS & wholesale pregnancy tests

Click here to view a selection of wholesale bulk packs of pregnancy tests trips available to buy online in UK

To see our full range of home pregnancy tests click here

If you require larger volumes than you see online or the rpoduct you require is not available in a bulk pack then please e-mail us for pricing

Posted in Wholesale pregnancy test strips, Wholesale pregnancy tests, Professional Pregnancy Tests | Print | 1 Comment »

31/01/2012 by admin.

We are currently looking for guest bloggers on our medical blog.

Are you a doctor, medical student, prospective medical student, nurse, healthcare worker or an expert in a particular medical or health field or do you have personal experience of a medical condition. Are you applying for university in 2013 to study medicine or a medical related subject ?

If so please do get in touch-we would love to hear from you. You can write about anything health & medicine related that you think our readers may be interested in & post links to other relevant medical or health websites if you wish. You can even write about the ups and downs of applying for medicine & share your experiences. You can do this anonymously if you prefer.

If you would like to be a guest medical blogger please do get in touch by e-mail to kate@valuemed.co.uk or by posting in comments and we will contact you. Any e-mail address that you post in comments is kept private and will not appear on the blog.

Posted in Guestblogging, medical blogs, Guest blogger | Print | 1 Comment »

20/01/2012 by admin.

Earlier this month the french president announced coming legislation that will require all drivers in France to carry a breathalyzer kit in their car.

The new legislation is planned to come into force spring 2012 and is a move by the french president Nicolas Sarkozy to cut the high numbers of serious accidents & deaths on french roads, many attributable to alcohol.

The idea behind the move is that it should mean that more drivers will think before they drive.  Am I fit to drive?

 The presence of the alcohol breath test kit in the car will make them more likely to test themsleves, and then knowing that they are over the limit will reduce the numbers of drivers drink driving.

Evidence suggests that many drivers do not knowingly break the drink driving laws. They think that they are ok to drive. This new move should take the ambiguity out of the situation.

It is important to know that the french drink driving prosecution levels for normal drivers (0.05 BAC for all EU countries ) are lower than the UK’s (0.08 BAC) and this can catch british drivers out when they are travelling abroad. This means that a blood alcohol level that would be below the prosecution levels for UK may well be above the prosecution level in France or rest of EU.

This new legislation is important for anyone travelling to France to be aware of. The french police will be given powers to stop drivers and drivers found to be without breathalyzer kit in their car will face fines. Of course if you are found to be over the limit you will face prosecution.

It will be interesting to see if this new move reduces levels of drink driving. My gut feeling is that it will. If drivers breathalyse themselves and find that they are over the limit most will I think, wait, have a coffee and let their alcohol levels come down. Some may choose to leave the car and get a taxi, a bus or a lift. Most drivers will not wish to risk the terrible consequences of drink driving.

The french move raises some interesting questions;

•  Are the current UK drink driving prosecution levels set too high ?
• Should the UK drink driving prosecution levels be brought down in line with rest of EU ?
• Would similar legislation in UK regarding drivers having personal breathalyzer kits in their gloves boxes help reduce drink driving levels in the UK and cut the number of serious accidents & deaths on the roads ?

Let us know your thoughts in comments.

Click here for more info about breathalyzer kits including those suitable for use in France (look at the 0.05 BAC kits)

Posted in Breathalyser france, Breathalyzer kits France, Breathalysers | Print | 3 Comments »

18/01/2012 by admin.

Just a quick reminder that we have a 5% discount coupon aut5 active at www.valuemed.co.uk until the end of this month. 1st class UK Delivery at Valuemed is free when you spend over £25 until the end of this month

The 5% discount coupon code aut5 can also be used at:

our fertility website www.accessdiagnostics.co.uk

our drug testing website www.ukdrugtesting.co.uk

and our breathalyser website www.value-breathalysers.co.uk

Posted in Valuemed voucher code, voucher code, access diagnostics coupon code 2011, Access Diagnostics Coupon, Discount Littmann, Valuemed Coupon Code, Discount Code, Uncategorized | Print | 1 Comment »

15/11/2011 by admin.

The DA8000 digital breathalyzer is in our opinion the best value for money fuel cell breathalyzer in the UK to buy in 2011.

The DA-8000 is a digital breathalyzer with a professional fuel cell sensor.
This means that the DA 8000 offers fuel cell accuracy & precision, reliability and stability over a long period

Why choose the DA8000 breathalyzer

Fuel Cell Sensor
Largest detection range from 0.00 to 5.00% BAC
Best Accuracy Available +/- 0.005%BAC @ 0.1%BAC
4 Digit Display
Large & Bright LCD Baclit display
Automatic Power Off
Low Battery Indicator
Total test counter
Displays %BAC (blood alcohol concentration)

Click here to buy the DA8000 fuel cell breathalyzer

Posted in Best breathalyzer to buy, Fuel cell breathalyzer, Best Breathalyzer, Da8000 breathalyzer, Breathalysers | Print | 1 Comment »

08/11/2011 by Valuemed.

We have a 10% discount coupon that is active until midnight on Monday 15/11/11

The coupon code is ADT10

• minimum spend £5
• one coupon per order
• voucher ADT10 may be used multiple times
• feel free to pass the coupon on to friends, colleagues and family
• active until midnight on Monday 14/11/11
• use at www.valuemed.co.uk
• or our fertility website www.accessdiagnostics.co.uk

and standard UK delivery is free when you spend over £25

Posted in voucher code, access diagnostics coupon code 2011, Valuemed voucher code, Access Diagnostics Coupon, Discount Code, Discount Littmann, Valuemed Coupon Code | Print | 1 Comment »

11/10/2011 by admin.

For the last 2 years I have paid to have a flu jab at a local pharmacy. This is a fairly recent service that some pharmacies have been offering and I welcomed it initially, having had a particularly bad bout of flu several years ago which left me ill on the sofa for a good week and took several weeks to fully recover from.

Having worked previously in the NHS for many years I had been eligible for flu vaccination through my occupational health service or my local GP. When I changed jobs this was no longer part of the package and I went for several years with no flu vaccination. I had asked at my local GP surgery if I could pay to have a flu vaccine, but this was not a service that they were offering.

I was very excited last year when I spotted a pharmacy in a nearby town offering the service so I went along and booked an appointment to have the jab later that day. The young pharmacist was very nervous and had clearly not done many of these (I later found out I was his first paying customer ) He encountered a problem getting the air bubble out of the syringe and after trying several pre-loaded flu vaccine syringes he advised me he would be unable to do the flu vaccination, and that I would have to come back another day when they had more of the pre-loaded syringes in. I returned several weeks later  as I thought by this time he would have gained in expertise, but he was still very nervous, but did thankfully manage to successfully give me the vaccination. He later told me that I was his second successful flu vaccine paying customer as the uptake had been very poor in the area. He had been on a training course to learn injection techniques but I wonder how much practice he had had on live humans (it is very different to injecting an orange or dummy)

This year I saw another local pharmacy was offering the flu vaccination service and decided to give it another go, as last year I did not succumb to flu. I booked an appointment and yesterday I had my vaccination. It was a very different experience but unfortunately not in a good way. The pharmacist rushed the injection and in fact injected me with a fairly large amount of air which alarmed both her and me (although I did not let on to her that I knew what she had done & she worryingly did not admit it to me) She then repeatedly asked me if i was ok and if I felt faint. I felt quite anxious following the experience but thankfully it is now 24 hours later and I am fine-touch wood apart from a large bruise & egg sized swelling on my upper arm ! (not usual after a flu injection)

This experience set me to thinking & concluding the following;

• I wish that I had not gone to the pharmacy for the injection. I do not feel the staff that I dealt with this year or last year were competent enough at performing the injections unsupervised
• I wish that GP’s would offer this service to their patients for a fee-the nurses at the local surgery are fully trained & are great at giving injections (they get plenty of practice)
• I have had many injections over the years and these 2 were by far the worse experiences that I have had, and have put me off going to a pharmacy again for an injection
• What training does a pharmacist have before they are allowed to administer injections to the public ?
• Do the pharmacists feel competenet to be doing the vaccines or is it something they are being pressured in to by the company ?

If you do decide to have a flu shot at your local pharmacy it may be worth asking the pharmacist who is going to administer the shot the following:

• How many vaccines they have given this year ?
• How much training did they receive on live patients ?
• How many flu vaccines have they given this autumn 2011 ?
• Would they have a vaccine in a pharmacy or would they rather go to a practice nurse ?

I welcome your comments

Posted in flu shot uk, flu jab, pharmacy flu vaccine, flu vaccine pharmacy, flu vaccine 2011, Uncategorized | Print | 5 Comments »

11/10/2011 by admin.

I have just broken down on my own drive (actually half way up the shared drive-embaressing but at least I was home) and the reason for this-my petrol tank is empty !

How could this happen I ask myself ? This has never happened before in 23 years of driving. What has been different this week ? How did I forget to fill up ?

I started to think about health & these thoughts prompted me to write a blog post & think further about

• how often do we run our bodies on empty ?
• what are the signs that we are running on empty ?
• how do we fill our bodies tank up when we feel like we are running on empty ?
• how does it affect our health ?
• how does it effect our families ?

Fortunately my lack of petrol is fairly easily solved, but that is not always the case with our bodies, health & relationships . How often do we take our health & relationships for granted and forget to fill up our ‘fuel tanks’ ?

I welcome your comments & ideas.

Posted in Running on empty, Stress | Print | 1 Comment »

06/10/2011 by admin.

We thought you may find this 5% discount coupon aut5 helpful

• Valid until end of January 2012
• Can be used multiple times
• One coupon per order
• Can be used at www.valuemed.co.uk and www.accessdiagnostics.co.uk

Posted in voucher code, access diagnostics coupon code 2011, Valuemed voucher code, Access Diagnostics Coupon, Discount Code, Discount Littmann, Valuemed Coupon Code | Print | 1 Comment »