Keep Mobile Calls To A Minimum to minimise radiation risk

It is a rare person these days who does not have a mobile – if only for emergencies – and among the young they are practically an extended limb. The health risks of mobiles has been flagged up before, but a new study raises new concerns, particularly related to the length of time you are on the phone.

For several years, doctors, scientists and activists have been raising concerns about the possible connection between cell phones and brain cancer and recent research by scientists at NIH and the U.S. Department of Energy conclusively determined that a cell phone’s electromagnetic field can indeed cause changes in brain activity – and not in a good way.

Brain activity means that the cells are using glucose to create energy and a test group of 45 individuals who were on their mobile phones for 50 minutes had ‘significantly higher’ brain activity in the area closest to the telephone antenna. After this period the emitted radiation from the phone increases the activity in your brain cells and causes biological changes. The study has also raised the concern that if acute cell phone radiation is impacting glucose in the brain, an established marker of brain activity, might it also be impacting neurotransmitters and other brain biochemistry?

We know that increased glucose also occurs with infections and other inflammatory processes, and leads to the production of potentially damaging reactive oxygen radicals that can alter the ways that cells and genes work. The researchers called for a better understanding of how radiofrequency radiation might contribute to increased risk for brain tumours as well as other alterations in brain functions.

How to minimise radiation from your phone:
There are some very simple ways to reduce your exposure to cell phone radiation:

1 Use a wired headset instead of holding the phone to your ear or use the loudspeaker as both these will keep the antenna far away from your skull.

2 Get used to texting as also keeps the handset away from your brain, reducing the radiation risk.

3 Don’t use your cell phone as an alarm clock or ‘reminder’ as you will probably need to keep it close to your head and even when it’s not taking calls there’s still radiation being emitted.

4 Don’t carry your phone in your pocket as there’s preliminary research to indicate that men who carry a phone in their pocket all day could be putting their fertility at risk,

5 Use a radiation-blocking case

6 Use a radiation protector that can be fitted directly to your phone as a shield

If all these methods are employed you can reduce cell phone radiation by two-thirds.

The Benefits of Controlling Humidity to Control Viruses

This time of year I seem to be surrounded by people coughing and sneezing, to say nothing of the alerts over swine flu, so it seemed timely that I came across a new study by researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health which shows that, by controlling humidity indoors, humidifiers have a potential positive impact in reducing the survival of influenza viruses in the home.

Maintaining indoor humidity at a level of 40 to 60 % actually reduces the risk of transmission of influenza viruses. Unfortunately, during winter, indoor air can have a humidity level as low as 10%, posing a risk factor particularly for the elderly and very young.

Humidifiers not only regulate the level of humidity in indoor air, but are also recommended by doctors when someone suffers a cold. They help loosen congestion and soothe a sore throat. This is especially important for children, since their smaller nostrils get bunged up more easily.

I can remember when central heating first became popular (don’t’ work out my age from that please) it was common to find bowls of water laid down in the hearth or dotted strategically round the room to put some more moisture into the air, but happily technology has caught up.

I was sent a humidifier to try that has been recommended by Vick’s, and that brings back other childhood memories of red flannel and very cold winters, but I digress again. It is a first resort for helping a bunged up nose and the VH5000 Cool Mist Mini-Ultrasonic Humidifier will help to reduce the survival of flu viruses and ease conditions such as a dry nose, throat, eyes and skin discomfort.

It is certainly small, quiet, and inconspicuous which is a big plus in its favour for me and runs for up to eight hours, so ideal in a bedroom. It gives out a cool mist, so is suitable to use around children and it can also be used with Vicks menthol scent VapoPads that also help relieve congestion and cold symptoms – and you needn’t wear the red flannel unless you want to. I didn’t have a cold, but I found that it helped me sleep better as the Vick menthol helped prevent a stuffy nose, which can sometimes keep me awake. The cat sleeping on my head probably doesn’t help either!

If you want to improve the air quality of your home, and have the best conditions for avoiding colds and flu then you will find the VH5000 Cool Mist Mini-Ultrasonic humidifier in pharmacies and stores such as Boots.

The Practical Benefits of Tai Chi for Health and Circulation

The latest guidelines for preventing falls in the elderly in the USA have urged health professionals to look at interventions including exercise such as Tai Chi for balance, gait and strength training. With NHS treatment costs for falls coming in at £4.6m a day it could certainly save precious resources, and you could improve your own health in a very enjoyable way. I have often mentioned various health benefits of Tai Chi, and these usually come from research sources, so I thought it would be more helpful to hear from a practitioner on what they see as the real gains.

Jon Wallwork had suffered a spinal injury and was left with painful sciatica. Regular, dedicated practice over several months saw the sciatica diminish and within a year the condition had normalised (much to the surprise of the orthopaedic surgeon). He teaches in London and for P&O on some of their cruises and he is convinced of the health gains that can come from Tai Chi – whatever your age.

“It’s a very common perception that the practice of Tai Chi will lead you through moving meditation to this state of nirvana, this freedom from suffering. Well, dependent on your intention, attitude and goals it may do but there are real, practical benefits that have a more immediate relevance for anyone interested in maintaining a degree of good health and fitness whatever their age.

• Good posture arises in the lower back and spreads downwards to the legs through the pelvis and upwards to the head, through the spine and shoulders. Good posture depends upon good muscle tone in the centre of your body and exercises in Tai Chi training will help you develop such muscle tone and improve your posture.

• Mobility is the measure of the range of motion in the joints and good mobility aids agility and reduces the risk of injury. The range of movement found in Tai Chi forms combined with stretching exercise will considerably improve mobility.

• Co-ordination and agility can be enhanced through activity involving closely focused movements, balance and interaction with other people or equipment. Both solo and partner work in Tai Chi provides this.

Natural Help for Poor Circulation:
Tai Chi is also very helpful for improving circulation, but if you feel you need some extra help then an excellent supplement is Kiwiherb’s Organic Ginger & Kawakawa Syrup. The stimulating combination of these two herbs literally warms the body from the inside out and helps to increase blood flow around the body and especially to the extremities, such as the fingers and toes, which often suffer most.

Ginger helps energise the senses, boost vitality and increase overall circulation, and also possesses antiviral, anti-inflammatory and immune-boosting properties. Kawakawa is one of the most widely used herbs in traditional Maori medicine to improve circulatory problems and the syrup also contains antibacterial Manuka Honey

Especially useful if you suffer from chilblains or Raynaud’s disease and, as an added bonus, this organic herbal syrup also helps improve circulation to the brain, which in turn helps awaken the mind if feeling lacklustre and mentally weary.

Passive Smoking – Still A Real Danger to Children says W.H.O.

Smoking is now so restricted, you would think the issue of passive smoking had gone away – but it certainly has not. It causes 1% of all deaths globally – 603,000 a year – of which about 165,000 are in children, according to a study, from the World Health Organization’s Tobacco-Free Initiative in Geneva.

This is the first assessment made of passive smoking’s impact worldwide and is based on data analyses from 192 countries. They found that worldwide, 40% of children, 33% of male non-smokers and 35% of female non-smokers were subjected to passive smoking and the deaths related to that are not insignificant. They estimated that that one year this caused:

• 379,000 deaths from ischemic heart disease
• 165,000 deaths from lower respiratory infections
• 36,900 deaths from asthma
• 21,400 deaths from lung cancer

Almost half (48%) of all passive smoking deaths were in women and more than a quarter (28%) in children, with only 26% in men because research showed that men are more likely to be active smokers themselves.

Most deaths in children caused by passive smoking occurred in low- or middle-income but adult deaths from passive smoking were fairly evenly spread across all countries, irrespective of income. Children suffer heavier exposure to second-hand smoke than any other age-group, and are also the group for which there is strongest evidence of harm from passive smoking.

Although much has been done to cut smoking in public places such as bars and restaurants there is still the problem of smoking in the home, or around children outdoors. There are currently estimated to be around 1.2 billion smokers in the world and they are exposing billions of non-smokers to second-hand smoke. I know giving up can be hard, but if you are spending time around children, please do think about it.

Jet Lag Is Not All In The Mind – Though It Does Affect It!

Returning from a long flight can leave you feeling tired and disoriented and this disturbance to your internal body clock and disruption of circadian rhythms can cause you to feel out of sorts and often means an upset stomach because the body’s hunger cycle is out of sync with meal times.

It usually also means your memory is less than reliable which most of us put down to the combination of the time zone shift and the tiredness, but it seems that chronic jet lag alters the brain in ways that cause memory and learning problems long after you get back. Knowing how this can affect your body can help you plan your recovery time and reduce the level of stress and anxiety that you might be subject to as you forget to order the milk or even what your own last name is.

Each of us has an internal, 24-hour clock that drives our circadian rhythm, which is reset every day by small amounts. When a person enters a time zone that is not synched with his or her internal clock, it takes much longer to reset this daily rhythm, causing jet lag until the internal clock gets re-synched.

If you are a frequent flyer then, unlike occasional travellers who recover in a few days, the risks are much greater and include decreased reaction times, higher incidences of diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, cancer, and reduced fertility. The World Health Organization actually lists shift work as a carcinogen so knowing that it pays to be proactive about your health care and reduce all other known cancer risks as well.

Research by psychologists at the University of California, Berkeley studied the effects of continuous jet lag by exposing female Syrian hamsters to six-hour time shifts — the equivalent of a New York-to-Paris airplane flight. If you are wondering (and why not) why female and Syrian, then it is because their bodily rhythms are so precise that they will produce eggs, or ovulate, every 96 hours to within a window of a few minutes.

Nice to know hamsters at least have a reliable monthly pattern, but why they didn’t just ask frequent flyer air crews is a mystery, but then I am not a scientist – thank goodness.

During the last two weeks of jet lag and a month after recovery from it, the hamsters’ performance on learning and memory tasks was measured and, as expected, during the jet lag period they had trouble learning simple tasks that the hamsters in the control group had no difficulty with.

What did surprise the researchers was that these deficits persisted for a month after the hamsters returned to a regular day-night schedule.

The real discovery was that the jet lag caused persistent changes in the brain, specifically within the hippocampus, a part of the brain that plays an intricate role in memory processing. Compared to the hamsters in the control group, the jet-lagged hamsters had only half the number of new neurons in the hippocampus following the month long exposure to jet lag.

This is important because new neurons are constantly being added to the adult hippocampus and are thought to be important for specific types of learning, and memory problems are associated with a drop in cell maturation and atrophy.

This study shows directly that jet lag decreases neurogenesis in the hippocampus and so this effect means that when you experience jet lag it has a profound effect on brain and memory function, and cognitive function is impaired at that time and for up to a month afterwards.

Anyone experiencing sleep pattern disturbance, whether from jet lag or a working schedule that means repeated disruption of circadian rhythms such as those who undertake shift work, like hospital doctors or call centre operators then they are likely to have a long-term impact on their cognitive behaviour and function.”

A Simple Regime to Help You Cope With Jet Lag:
If you suffer from jet lag, then you are going to be operating under par and a few simple techniques can help you avoid it. The worst effects seem to occur during eastward travel and in general you should allow one day of recovery for every one-hour time zone shift.

These ideas might help too:

1) Melatonin – a hormone secreted by the pineal gland in the brain and one of its key jobs is controlling the body’s circadian rhythm. — Melatonin supplements are thought to help the body quickly adjust to the new surroundings and a low dosage is recommended of 0.5 mg a night for three nights, one hour before a normal bedtime – not before, once you get to your destination.

2) Adjust your watch – so it reflefts your destination time the day before you travel as that can psychologically help you adjust.

3) Homeopathy – a popular homeopathic remedy for Jet Lag is Cocculus Indicus and it can be taken every twelve hours starting two days before the flight until three days after the flight. This is not generally available but can be supplied by any homoepathic chemist. These are more commonly on sale for specific aspects of jet lag:

* Arnica – sleeplessness and restlessness when over-tired

* Bellis perennis – waking mid-sleep and sleep interruptions

* Chamomilla – emotional and mental stress, sleeplessness, impatience, intolerance and disorientation

* Ipecacuanha – intense and constant nausea

* Lycopodium – anxiety, anticipatory fears, apprehension, inability to adapt to new surroundings, digestive problems, especially bloating and gas

4) Valerian – is a natural sleep aid and can help you adjust to new time zones by helping people fall asleep at their desired time. Valerian is not addictive and will not cause grogginess the next morning.

5) Diet – the usual suspects; avoid excess alcohol or caffeine, drink plenty of water, and eat light meals. A new development on this is to start 3 days before departure and on day 1 eat a very high protein breakfast to help stimulate the body’s production of dopamine and then a high-carbohydrate dinner to stimulate the body to produce melatonin. Avoid stimulants like coffee, tea, chocolate and energy drinks.

On day 2 stick to light salads and soups and then on day 3 repeat day 1’s menu.

On day 4, repeat day 2 and get as much sleep as you can until it is breakfast time at your destination. Then have a protein-heavy breakfast without coffee, turn on the overhead reading light and then stay as active as you can afterwards. If this doesn’t fit in with the airline’s scheduled meal delivery, take your own with you in the form of protein bars.
WARNING – this is not a suitable diet plan for anyone with diabetes or eating disorders.

6) Bedtime – when you finally do get to your own bed make sure the room is completely dark and noise free to allow your body to adjust and get a decent amount of sleep.

Fit Flops Sneak Into Winter

You may have noticed, as I did over the summer, an increasing number of women striding out in flip flops – except they weren’t. Unlike conventional flips there is a new development called a Fit Flop which has been biomechanically engineered to help tone and tighten your leg muscles while you walk.
Also, more importantly to me, they absorb more shock than a normal shoe so you feel less ache in your hips and knees, help realign ground force reaction closer to your joints and reduce foot pressure.

Studies at the Centre for Human Performance at London South Bank University showed that normal walking in FitFlop sandal can help with all those which is presumably why they were such a big hit over the summer, but striding out in bare feet in winter just doesn’t do it.

With this in mind the company has developed a range of boots and a sneaker called the FF Supertone™ described as a muscle-toning, energizing and shock-absorbing. This apparently took a year in engineering to develop with something they rather endearingly call Microwobbleboard™ technology so you get all the benefits of the FitFlop with the all-weather wearability of a classically-shaped leather sneaker.
It looks smart enough that no one knows you are getting a workout, but the idea of incorporating the word wobble into something to tone you up doesn’t strike me as immediately reassuring but presumably they know what they are doing.

Given the approval of by the American Podiatric Medical Association, the Microwobbleboard™ technology was independently tested at Salford University in Manchester and now you can stride out in all weathers and get the full benefit.

If you can’t find FitFlops near you, then visit their website at www.fitflop.com

Why Men Are At Greater Risk of Gum Disease – And What To Do About It

Though possibly not the sort of sex that immediately springs to mind, it seems that men’s sex hormones may be the biological reason why they are at greater risk than women for a particular kind of gum disease.

Researchers at the University of Maryland Dental School have found that destructive periodontitis, an infection of the gums, is more common in men than women and their gum disease tends to be worse. Periodontitis is a condition in which the gums, deeper supporting tissue, and potentially the bone surrounding teeth become infected and inflamed.

Gum disease starts with plaque, a sticky white substance that coats teeth and which is formed when bacteria in the mouth mixes with saliva and residues from starchy foods and sugar in your diet. If plaque isn’t properly removed by brushing and flossing, it accumulates and hardens underneath the gum line into tartar. Once tartar builds up, it’s much more difficult to remove than plaque and, over time, it can lead to inflamed gums, or gingivitis. This is a mild form of gum disease and one of the most common symptoms is darker red gums that bleed with brushing or flossing.

Until now it has not been certain why men are more susceptible to gum disease, but this research has revealed that it is down to the male sex steroids. These affect the immune system regulation of inflammation, which when not working well leads to the development of infection.

Another competing hypothesis in the dental world for the fact that men are known to suffer more gum disease is the environmental one. Just as men visit doctors less frequently than women, they also don’t go to the dentist as often and apparently are more likely to have worse oral hygiene and compliance with treatment and aftercare than women.

Natural Remedies for Gum Disease:
Apart from good oral hygiene, regular flossing and visits to the dentist, there are some simple things a man can do to guard against future gum disease. Natural helpers are:

1) Vitamin C
Scurvy is something we associate with 18th century sailors, and they got it because their diet was so poor in vitamin C and they had bleeding gums as a result. Today, research indicates that people with low intakes of vitamin C have higher rates of periodontal disease (ie less than 60mg a day). It also helps to prevent gum disease because vitamin C is an antioxidant which is needed to repair connective tissue and accelerate bone regeneration.

Vitamin C rich foods include grapefruit, oranges, kiwi fruit, mango, papaya, strawberry, red pepper, broccoli, brussels sprouts, and cantaloupe melon.

2) Vitamin D
Vitamin D has been found to have anti-inflammatory effects and may reduce susceptibility to gum disease. Vitamin D comes from sunlight, so sensible and limited exposure will boost your levels and if you want to take a supplement as part of a multivitamin you would be looking for at least 200 IU.
3) Stress levels
Keeping your stress levels low is healthy for everyone, but particularly here as stress increases plaque accumulation. Vitamins C and B complex are the stress vitamins to boost, so increase your intake and find something that helps you stay relaxed and cut down on stimulants such as caffeine and alcohol.
4) Coenzyme Q10
Low levels have been linked to gum disease and it is essential as coenzyme Q10 is needed to properly repair gum tissue. It is produced naturally in the body and also found in meat and fish.
5) Tea tree oil
Tea tree has so many uses I believe every medicine cabinet should have a bottle but in this particular instance tea tree toothpaste will do the job. It has proven antibiotic properties and a study on people with severe chronic gingivitis who used the toothpaste for 4-8 weeks were found to have a significant reduction in the degree of gingivitis and bleeding.
6) Change your toothbrush
A Dutch study found that the use of electric toothbrushes with oscillating, rotating heads for 3 months reduced gingivitis compared to manual brushing with a regular toothbrush. There was also some reduction in plaque, although it was not statistically significant.

Acupressure for your – and your pet’s – health

When most people think about acupressure they tend to think only about the benefits it can have for people. However, acupressure can also provide great benefits for dogs and other pets, particularly as they become elderly. Dogs, for example, love to be touched, petted and massaged, and they respond very well to this type of therapy. Used alone or in conjunction with alternative remedies, acupressure may result in significant improvement in your pet’s health.

Acupressure is acupuncture without the needles and many people find it very beneficial. Based on the same principles of acupuncture, it is the application of pressure on certain energy points of the body. In a gentle and non-invasive way, this pressure balances and releases the flow of blocked energy, enhancing health and mental stability.

Acupressure helps to improve the quality of life in elderly dogs suffering from hip dysplasia, arthritis, as well as every day aches and pains. At the same time, it can calm a new puppy and help ease the transition period when the puppy is brought into a new home.

Although acupressure is most commonly used to relieve pain and discomfort, it has many more benefits including strengthening the immune system, strengthening, muscles, tendons, joints, and bones, alleviates inflammation and swelling and releasing endorphins which calm and relieve pain as well as helping with behavioural issues.

Once you hve learned the necessary points, which you can do by first having a session with an therapist so they can show you where they are. Applying acupressure to your pet is actually a very simple technique. The most important thing to remember is that there must be a loving, calming, and trusting atmosphere. Acupressure is not a difficult process. It can be applied in the position that your pet likes best: standing, sitting, or lying down.

You can of course do this yourself, but you need to know where those points are so I would suggest an initial consultation with an accupressure therapist and say why you want the session to make sure they do work with animals or there is a website that will give you an idea of what you need to be looking for which I think is equally applicable to other household pets. You will see a tab at the top of the page to click on at at www.luckydoghealth.com.

Always begin a session by slowly petting and massaging your pet and then when they are in a relaxed state, you can move to the pressure points that you need to focus on. Once you have located the point, apply steady gentle pressure with your thumb or index finger. As you do this, visualize an even flow of energy going through that point into the body. The purpose of this visualization technique is to help you focus and not make any sudden movements that may distract the pet.

With a steady and gentle hand, increase the pressure and release it after five to fifteen seconds, always paying close attention to your pet’s body language. If they feel uncomfortable, release the pressure. However, please note that the maximum amount of time to hold the pressure is fifteen seconds. If you come across a tender spot, simply massage the tender area and as the pet relaxes, then slowly apply pressure to that point.

I have personal experience of using it when one of my cats had what seemed to be a stroke in the middle of the night. I did what we most naturally do for an animal in distress, I held and stroked and soothed and used my hands to relieve her discomfort by using the pressure points I knew. The following day she was lethargic but alert and has continued to improve, of course I checked with the vet as well but it seemed that simple contact and pressure did have a beneficial effect. The key is to make these sessions an enjoyable activity and many pets look forward to this activity while experiencing improvement in health

Forget brain training – This simple exercise can work wonders for your memory

If you think the Internet is a lot of fluff and nonsense — or full of useless trivia — then this piece of information might change your mind. CBS News in Los Angeles featured an unusual exercise to improve mental health and acuity that has created positive results for learning disabled and autistic children as well as older Alzheimer’s victims and the rest of us whose memory can occasionally leave home and leave us wondering why we are standing in the middle of the spare room.

The exercise was introduced by pranic healing Master Koa Chok Sui’s book SuperBrain Yoga and taught by him personally on lecture tours. Prana is another word for Chi, the subtle life force energy that surrounds and permeates the body and the basis of Eastern medicine and practices such as Qi Gong and yoga.

If you still think that’s fluff then you will be surprised to learn it has been endorsed by doctors, a Yale neurobiologist, an occupational therapist, educators, and parents and has gone viral on the internet.. It is a simple routine, and useful for any kind of brain fog or dullness, even emotional instability, and might even make you laugh as well.

It can improve memory and focus, and it’s even made some a little smarter – memo to self, forward this on to the Houses of Parliament, and it seems to work for everyone regardless of mental condition (second reminder to self re the above).

Here’s how to do it
This exercise is suitable for any age but please monitor and respect your own personal level of fitness.

With your feet pointing straight ahead, spread them apart about shoulder width. Grab your right earlobe with the thumb and finger of your left hand. Cross over your left arm and do the same using your right hand on the left earlobe.

Then squat as fully as you can, breathing in. That’s a little counter intuitive, as well as making you feel ridiculous, but that’s apparently what you do.

The breathing needs to be synchronized with the squats, so breathe in as you squat and breathe out as you stand. The instruction is to do this on a loop for three minutes, though I suspect that most of us will start out with one minute and work up. On bad days it might even be 30 seconds, but you can apparently continue for as long as five minutes if you wish to — and your thighs can hold out.

You keep doing this every day until you can feel that mental fog drifting away and certainly you will be able see an improvement in your final sort!

How It Works
According to Los Angeles physician Dr. Eric Robins, the brain cells and neurons are energized with this simple exercise and he certainly has seen good results from his own patients. He gives the example of a youngster doing poorly in school who was given the exercise to do and went on to become an A student.

If you are wondering what the earlobes had to do with it than this explanation from Yale neurobiologist Dr. Eugenius Ang might help. The earlobes grabbed are acupuncture points that stimulate neural pathways in the brain. The brain’s hemispheres are in opposite sides of the earlobes and using opposite hands for pinching the earlobes may have something to do with the way our subtle energies are arranged.

Still too new age and fluffy for you? Well, Ang showed that the results from EEG readings after doing this exercise indicate the right and left hemispheres of the brain had become synchronized. EEG readings measure the neuron firings in the brain via electrodes on the scalp, and are used to determine brain wave normalcies and abnormalities.

Apparently this is the same effect that subliminal sound recordings (as in many new-age CDs) have attempted to do by producing subliminal sounds to the brain attached to audible sounds through a headset. Dr. Ang believes firmly that this exercise really does achieve the brain being actually lateralized, which is apparently an ideal hemispheric arrangement.

What’s more he performs the exercise daily, so if it’s good enough for Yale, then surely it’s worth giving it a try? If you do, I would love to hear how you have got on with it.

Help for Bad Backs and Knees and Clean Floors!

I don’t know what it is about getting older, but the knees are definitely not quite as flexible as they used to be and I know from my young relatives that pregnancy also makes getting down to the floor more of a problem. If you just want a quick clear up and don’t want to have to do drag out the Hoover — and you certainly don’t want to get out the dustpan and brush — then I have been trying out something that you might find helpful. It’s a cordless Power sweeper that is rechargeable and also seems to be very helpful for a friend with arthritis in her hands who has also been trying it for me.

I always like to see British design and the Gtech Cordless Power Sweeper is based in Worcestershire and is apparently selling well to pregnant women and those of us for whom the floor has got rather farther away than it used to be. Lifting heavy items whether you are pregnant, or have a bad back, is not advised and sadly many household vacuum cleaners are fairly heavy.

The Gtech has the advantage of weighing only 1.6kg and is fully rechargeable so you are not trailing any flex either. It will not replace your vacuum cleaner as it has only a small slide out drawer to collect dust and debris, but it is invaluable for day-to-day light use and the manufacturers claim that it will even pick up glass — which happily I never had to put to the test.

What certainly surprised me is that having invested in a specific (and very expensive) cleaner for dealing with pet hair this small sweeper actually pulled up more hair out of the carpet and is much more efficient than I would have expected.

It will be useful for anyone with problems with their back, or bending, but the telescopic handle has a very unconventional shape – like a large firm loop -which makes it very comfortable to hold for anyone who has problems with their hands and its swivels easily to make the sweeper of a flexible in use. The friend with arthritis who used it certainly found it much easier to use and more comfortable than the conventional handle on a vacuum cleaner.

You should find it in most high street retailers including Argos, Comet, Currys, Lakeland and Robert Dyas but in case of difficulty go to their website at www.gtechonline.co.uk

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