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 »

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 »

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 »

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 »

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 »

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 »

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 »

23/09/2011 by admin.

We are pleased to announce the details of the Autumn 2011 Littmann stethoscopes Student Promotion.

This year as an authorised littmann distributor we are able to offer the CARDIAC AUSCULTATION CD as a FREE gift with:

·        Littmann Classic II SE stethoscope 

·        The Cardiac Auscultation CD has proved to be a very popular educational tool, and is unique in its field as it combines heart sounds with MRI scans. This is an ideal gift for all medical students.

The Classic II SE is still the stethoscope of choice for most 1^st year medical students, having both a ‘bell and diaphragm’

Posted in 2011 Littmann stethoscopes Student Promotion., medical student stethoscope, Medical student supplies discount, Littmann Classic 11 Se Colours, Medical Student Supplies, Medical Student, Littmann Classic 11 SE, Littmann Classic II SE, Medical Students | Print | 1 Comment »

20/09/2011 by admin.

We have a 10% discount coupon active at www.valuemed.co.uk and www.accessdiagnostics.co.uk until the end of September 2011

The coupon code is AM10

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

08/09/2011 by admin.

Yes it’s September again and we are being asked this question by lots of students embarking on a career in medicine. With many medical schools now incorporating clinical training at a much earlier stage than they used to, many 1st year medical students are now buying their own stethoscopes for use in their clinical training and so they can practice on their friends & family.

When I did my medical training we do not see a live patient for the 1st 18 months and were not taught to use a stethoscope until we entered our clinical training after passing the 2nd MB. Now at many universities (though not all) this has changed and the clinical training is incorporated into the theory training at a much earlier stage and the students are encouraged to practice their clinical skills early by practicing on simulators, volunteers and each other.

Which stethoscope should I choose ?

The first thing to say is congratulations on getting into medical school. This is a very exciting time for you.

When deciding which stethoscope to purchase you need to go for a traditional high quality acoustic stethoscope that has both a bell (for listening to heart sounds) and a diaphragm (used mainly for listening to the chest, taking blood pressure and listening to bowel sounds)

Do not be tempted to buy an electronic stethocope at this stage as all medical students need to first aquire their skills on an acoustic stethoscope, as this is the kind of stethoscope that you will use for most of your medical career, and that you will be required to use in clinical exams.

Their is a huge choice available however in our opinion the Littmann Classic 11 SE still remains the best choice for a medical students 1st stethoscope. It is a high quality, simple to use use robust stethoscope that is ideal for medical students. It also offers great value for money and should last you very well. I still have the original Littmann Classic stethoscope that I purchased as a  medical student over 25 years ago, and it is still in good working order !

The Littmann Classic now also comes in an array of gorgeous tube colours & bell finishes including metallic  (pink perl finish is shown above) so you really can stand out from the crowd if you want to or you can opt for the original classic black tubes which now also comes in a very cool all black option (Littmann classic 11 se black tube, black bell & black headset) see picture below.

As you can probably gather from this blog post we love the Littmann Classic 11 Se Stethoscope and it is our top recommendation for medical students for the following reasons:

• high quality dual head stethoscope
• reliable & robust in every day clinical use
• trusted manufacturer
• the original & in our opinion the best
• every UK doctor uses a Littmann Classic stethoscope at some time in their career
• long estabalished Littmann brand
• great value for money
• lots of great colours and finishes to choose from

If you like it as much as we do then use this coupon code ADSUM before the end of this September to save 5% on your Littmann Classic 11 SE at www.valuemed.co.uk

Posted in Littmann Classic 11 Se Colours, Littmann Classic II SE Rainbow Edition, Medical Student Supplies, littmann black on black, medical student blogs, Littmann Stethoscope reviews, Medical student supplies discount, medical student stethoscope, Best stethoscope for medical student, 2011 Littmann stethoscopes Student Promotion., Littmann Black Edition Stethoscope, Littmann black edition, Littmann Stethoscopes, Littmann Classic, Medical Student, Medical Students, Littmann Classic 11 SE, Littmann Classic II SE, Littmann colored stethoscope, Littmann stethoscope colours, littmann classic ii se best price, Best stethoscope, Stethoscope for medical student | Print | 1 Comment »

15/08/2011 by admin.

A recent introduction to the Littmann range (shown above in Ceil blue) and already proving very popular with the nurses & nursing students is the new Littmann Lightweight 11 SE nurses stethsocope which is currently retailing at just £24.95 (net VAT)

This general-purpose, entry-level Littmann stethoscope is an excellent, affordable choice for blood-pressure and patient assessment. Littmann quality is apparent from the soft-sealing eartips to the combination bell/diaphragm chestpiece

Designed to be extremely comfortable to use, the Lightweight II SE features an ovoid chestpiece with offset bell for better orientation around blood-pressure cuffs and body contours.

3M™ Littmann® Snap Tight Soft-Sealing Eartips offer an excellent acoustic seal, and a tunable diaphragm allows for easy low- and high-frequency monitoring.

It is currently available in the following tube colours:

• black
• burgundy
• ceil blue

We really love the Ceil blue & are hoping that Littmann will introduce it in some more tube colours in the near future-maybe rasberry & pink would be popular. Perl pink is another of our personal favourite Littmann tube colours from the Littmann highlights range.

Please do let us know what you think of the latest Littmann nurses stethoscope and also what you think of the the new Littmann stethoscope tube colours by posting in comments

Posted in Nurses stethoscope, Littmann® Lightweight II SE Nurses Stethoscope, Nursing Equpment, Nurses | Print | 1 Comment »

20/07/2011 by admin.

According to recent research conducted by Oxford university & funded by Cancer Research, obesity is now the a leading modifiable factor that can affect a womens chance of developing breat cancer. Alcohol consumption and smoking are other modifiable risk factors that were identified after obesity. The research was published in the Journal of Cancer.

Dr Julie Sharp, Cancer Research UK’s senior science information manager, said: “There’s already strong evidence that drinking alcohol and being overweight can increase the risk of breast cancer but it’s important to understand why these links exist. This is an important study as it helps to show how alcohol and weight can influence hormone levels. Understanding their role in breast cancer is vital and this analysis sheds light on how they could affect breast cancer risk.

“We know that the risk of the disease can be affected by family history and getting older, but there are also things women can do help reduce the risk of the disease. Maintaining a healthy body weight and reducing alcohol consumption are key to reducing breast cancer risk.”

Visit cancer research’s website to read full information http://info.cancerresearchuk.org/news/archive/pressrelease/2011-07-20-weight-strongest%20influence-on-post-menopausal-breast-cancer?view=rss

Posted in Obesity, Cancer research, Breast cancer | Print | 1 Comment »

18/07/2011 by admin.

We have a 10% discount coupon code VMED which is active for the next 24 hours at our medical supply website Valuemed, and also at our fertility supplies website Access Diagnostics Fertility

The 10% discount coupon is active until midnight on Tuesday 19th July 2011 

Use at www.valuemed.co.uk

10% discount coupon code is: VMED

It can also be used at our fertility website www.accessdiagnostics.co.uk 

• One coupon code per order
• Discount coupon can be used on any item including Littmann stethoscopes
• Coupon code can be used multiple times
• Discount can be used on any products
• To use coupon code enter the code exactly as it is typed above and then click update. Please feel free to pass the coupon on to friends, family, colleagues etc

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

05/07/2011 by admin.

Adult onset or type 2 Diabetes has been in the news a lot recently. Rates of development of type 2 Diabetes are on the increase in the western world. This is thought to be due to our increasingly sedentary lifestyle and are high calorie diets leading to increasing levels of obesity.

What are the risk factors for developing Type 2 Diabetes:

• family history-do you have a close blood relative who has type 2 diabetes ?
• weight-are you overweight ?
• age-are you over 40 ?
• do you carry your excess weight around your middle ?
• lack of regular physical exercise
• ethnic group-if you are Asian or African-Caribbean your risk is much higher (up to 5x) nd you may develop it at an earlier age
• did you develop gestational diabetes in pregnancy ? (women only)
• do you have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome  ?(PCOS) (women only)

Posted in risk factors for diabetes type 2, Type 2 daibetes, Diabetes | Print | 3 Comments »

04/07/2011 by admin.

Value-med is currently promoting the special edition and standard tube colours available on the Littmann dual iii cardiology stethoscope models. Littmann cardiology iii remains the international market leader in high end cardiology auscultation offering superior sound quality and manufacturing standards.

New colour options include red,  plum, burgandy, caribbean blue and classic black tube variants. All options are UK stock lines available for immediate dispatch and the offer includes Free UK expedited delivery on this model. Prices start from £110.00 excluding VAT for more details see site littmann cardiology iii section

Posted in Littmann Cardiology 3, Littmann Cardiology iii, Littmann Cardiology Stethoscopes | Print | 1 Comment »

28/06/2011 by admin.

With all the lovely new colours available now in the Littmann stethoscopes we thought it would be interesting to take a poll on which colours you like best.

Let us know which colours you like best by e-mailing us, or leaving a comment here

Send us your Littmann stethoscope reviews and we will publish them here on our medical blog

Click here to see all our Littmann stethoscope colours

Posted in littmann black on black, Littmann Master Classic, Littmann Black Edition Stethoscope, Littman black edition, Littmann black edition, Littmann master classic ii, Littmann Classic II SE Rainbow Edition, Littmann Colours, Littmann Stethoscope reviews, Littmann Cardiology 3, Littmann Cardiology iii, Littmann Classic 11 Se Colours, Littmann colored stethoscope, Littmann Copper Stethoscope, Littmann Classic 11 SE, Littmann Classic II SE, Littmann Stethoscopes, Littmann Classic, Littmann, Littmann 3M Model 3200 Stethoscope, Littmann Cardiology Stethoscopes, Littmann Copper, Littmann Brass, Littmann stethoscope colours, littmann classic ii se best price, Littmann 3M | Print | 4 Comments »

27/06/2011 by admin.

MDF instruments is one of the largest and best regarded manufacturing brand in North America, The MDF instrument range includes not only a comprehensive range of stethoscopes but other diagnostic testing and medical equipment including sphygmomanometers, reflex hammers and other clinic diagnostics.

The manufacturing quality and design of the MDF medical equipment range is second to none within the price range of the model line up. A basic single tube lite stethoscope such as the MDF 727 stethoscope range are compact models commonly found on wards and clinic as stock items for general use. The tube thickness of these smaller units is considerably thinner than the comparable MDF 747 stethoscope or MDF 777 stethoscope which are much better suited to clinical auscultation of heart and respiratory sounds. The head sets are also smaller on 727 stethoscopes and the ear tips are firm and non fitting. This is fine for general clinic use including BP ausculation as the sound quality is perfectly adequate and the stethoscopes are not going to be worn for long periods. The firm vinyl ear tips can also be sterilised when in general use.

For Doctors and nurse practitioners requiring a better quality but still pocket size stethoscope then the entry level should be the MDF 747XP stethoscope.

Not full size but with great quality tubing and full size adult chest piece and head set the 747XP stethoscope is superb value for money and will remain perfectly adequate for most hospital doctor and GP general examination needs. The construction is first rate and the stethoscope is available in a wide range of tube colours and comes with name tags and spares included.

Next up in the mdf range is the MDF 777 stethoscope, full size doctors stethoscope.

The manufacturing and finish are superb as is the presentation of the full retail box packaging. The MDF 777 stethoscope is the staple ER room choice in the states and is every bit as good as its comparable leading stethoscope brands such as the Littmann Classic II SE and Spirit AW stethoscope

Posted in MDF 747 stethoscope, MDF 777 stethoscope, mdf stethoscope review, mdf stethoscope, MDF | Print | 1 Comment »

21/06/2011 by admin.

The latest innovation in near patient testing available via Value-Med medical supplies  & home testing kits is the Mission Hb Haemoglobin testing system for detecting anaemia for monitoring haemoglobin levels without the need for a full laboratory blood sample and test.

The Mission digital anaemia meter starter packs come complete with everything needed to complete a series of 25 tests.

 Refill tests strips, capillary transfer tubes and lancets are available for the digital Hb meters which come with full instructions, batteries and a soft pouch storage case.

The meter requires just 10ul blood sample from a capillary finger prick, the same sampling method used for diabetic testing, and the lancets can be automated using the auto lancing device, spring loaded lancet holders with a pre-set depth setting for low pain, minimum trauma sampling.

Refill test strips are available in packs of 50 and each pack is supplied with a unique code chip which is fitted to the meter when the new test strips are first used. The Mission HB Haemoglobin Test meter system gives reliable fast test results and is CE and FDA certified as both a self test and professional diagnostic test product. This makes the Mission HB Haemoglobin Test meter suitable for individuals needing a home test kit system for Hb levels and also clinic and surgery use where an instant Hb result can aid in diagnosis and treatment of anaemia.

Posted in anaemia test home, anaemia test kit, Anaemia meter | Print | 2 Comments »