en Latest RSM media releases http://www.rsm.ac.uk/media/ The Royal Society of Medicine The Royal Society of Medicine http://www.rsm.ac.uk/images/googlelogo.gif http://www.rsm.ac.uk Allergic disease costs NHS Scotland £130 million a year and is "worse than in England" http://www.rsm.ac.uk/media/pr281.php The most comprehensive and detailed review of the burden posed by allergic disease in Scotland concludes that one in three of the Scottish population are affected by allergies at some point in their lives - higher than in England. examdoctor has all the questions for MDU members http://www.rsm.ac.uk/media/pr280.php Doctors and medical students who are facing examinations in the next few months can get extra help with their revision thanks to an online resource called examdoctor which is now available to MDU members with an exclusive discount of 33 per cent. One Wimpole Street is Number One for Sustainability http://www.rsm.ac.uk/media/pr279.php One Wimpole Street, the events and conferencing arm of the Royal Society of Medicine, is the first venue in the country to be issued with a certificate for BS 8901- the British Standard for a sustainable event management system. Obesity problems begin before conception http://www.rsm.ac.uk/media/pr278.php Government anti-obesity campaigns should be focussing on women of child-bearing age, say leading clinicians. Sneezing induced by sexual thought http://www.rsm.ac.uk/media/pr277.php A paper in this month's issue of the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine highlights an under-reported but possibly not uncommon phenomenon - sneezing in response to sexual excitement. Leading health bodies unite to stop discrimination against people with a learning disability in NHS care http://www.rsm.ac.uk/media/pr276.php Leading health bodies, including the Royal College of Nursing and the Royal Society of Medicine, have joined forces with Mencap to produce a best practice guide for health professionals on improving healthcare for people with a learning disability. Palm reading and conjuring on the NHS http://www.rsm.ac.uk/media/pr275.php Here are two papers from the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine. Click on the links to see the papers in full. "The NHS number you have dialled is busy. Please die later." http://www.rsm.ac.uk/media/pr274.php Nearly two thirds of NHS acute hospital switchboards fail to answer incoming calls within twenty seconds. The longest wait was 18 minutes. The average answering time across all switchboards was 45 seconds, and fifty hospitals took more than a minute on average. RSM Press launches examdoctor http://www.rsm.ac.uk/media/pr273.php The Royal Society of Medicine Press has just launched examdoctor, a new interactive revision site for trainee doctors. RSM Press has sourced knowledge and experience from expert authors to produce the best possible preparation resource for Royal College and specialist assessments. The formula for the 21st century dad - more nurture: less nature http://www.rsm.ac.uk/media/pr272.php Being the genetic father of a child should not necessarily entitle men to parenting rights according to a new study published in the journal Clinical Ethics by researchers from the University of Birmingham. Making a fist of blood taking - and ending up in casualty http://www.rsm.ac.uk/media/pr271.php A paper in the latest issue of the Annals of Clinical Biochemistry shows how the manner in which blood is collected from patients for some blood tests alters the results of those tests when it comes to analysis. Another reason not to go in to work? http://www.rsm.ac.uk/media/pr270.php TThe risk of developing blood clots with prolonged sitting at work or at home has been highlighted in a study published in the latest issue of Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine.  Government's prejudicial health policies treat elderly as a 'lossleader' http://www.rsm.ac.uk/media/pr268.php The care of older people should be a central priority in the NHS but too often it is marginalised, neglected and plays second fiddle to initiatives or targets designed to appeal to younger voters, says a paper in this month’s Journal of the Royal Medical Society. One venue to cure your conference blues http://www.rsm.ac.uk/media/pr267.php The Royal Society of Medicine has re-launched its newly-refurbished conference, hospitality and meetings facilities as One Wimpole Street. PTSD rare among British peacekeepers http://www.rsm.ac.uk/media/pr269.php The care of older people should be a central priority in the NHS but too often it is marginalised, neglected and plays second fiddle to initiatives or targets designed to appeal to younger voters, says a paper in this month's Journal of the Royal Medical Society. Junior doctors 'don't understand lab tests' http://www.rsm.ac.uk/media/pr266.php The elimination of pathology and laboratory medicine from the curriculum in many medical schools and consequent lack of knowledge of basic science among junior doctors is jeopardising patient safety, says a report in the Annals of Clinical Biochemistry. Home diagnostic kits misleading patients http://www.rsm.ac.uk/media/pr265.php Home diagnostic tests sold over the internet are offering unsatisfactory product information which could be misleading consumers, warns a paper published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine. Female hospital consultants are ‘20% less productive than their male colleagues’ http://www.rsm.ac.uk/media/pr264.php Female consultants working in the NHS are responsible for fewer patient episodes each year than their male counterparts, according to new research published in the current issue of the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine.