Scottish girls take second place in the female rankings, with almost 33 per cent overweight. English girls are fourth, with 29.3 per cent too heavy for their height.
The heaviest girls are in Portugal (34.3 per cent), while the slimmest are in Latvia and Lithuania (3.5 per cent overweight).
Among the boys, Scotland was again second, with almost 35 per cent too heavy for their height. Only Spanish boys are heavier.
English boys are in sixth place at 29 per cent - compared to the lean lads of Lithuania, where only 8 per cent are overweight.
Obesity experts said the results could be partly explained by a couch potato lifestyle, in which TV dinners have replaced family meals and computer games are preferred to outdoor play.
Dr Tim Lobstein, of the International Association for the Study of Obesity, said: "There is a big industry selling us more TV to watch, more computer games to play, more DVDs to sit and watch.
"There is a big industry promoting screen watching which is a sedentary behaviour and you just get fatter while you do it."
The figures, which were compiled by the IASO from government and scientific studies, come as British doctors warn they are treating children as young as two for obesity.
Drastic stomach surgery, including gastric banding, is being carried out on children as a last resort.
Type 2 diabetes, which was once a problem for overweight middle aged adults, is being diagnosed in teenagers, and chubby children are being equipped with masks to ensure they do not suffocate in their sleep.
Dr Steve Ryan, medical director of Alder Hey children's hospital in Liverpool, said: "There are more and more of these children and significant numbers are obese from two or three years old.
"When I was a paediatrician starting out in 1991, there were very few children overweight but that has changed and we are starting to see complications resulting from this.
"It is here and we are having to deal with it."
But while British youngsters totter near the top of the heavyweight league, children in other countries are starting to lose weight.
New data shows rates of childhood obesity are stabilising in France and falling in Switzerland.
Restrictions on the advertising of junk food to children, the banning of vending machines in schools and national healthy eating drives may all have played a role in the change, the European Congress on Obesity heard yesterday.
Obesity experts welcomed the figures but warned the situation is still bleak - particularly in the UK, where rates of child obesity have quadrupled since 1984.
Dr Lobstein, director of the IASO's childhood obesity programme, said: "It is encouraging that there may be some signs this tidal wave of obesity is easing but it is not really subsiding, it is only stopping at a high level.
"The tide has come in but it is not going out. And in Britain, it is still coming in and is rising. The old picture of a jolly fat person couldn't be further from the truth.
"Although some fat people might indeed be jolly, the majority don't enjoy their condition and wish they were slim."
Dr Ian Campbell, medical director of the charity Weight Concern, said childhood obesity could only be tackled by parents, schools and government working together.
Safe, accessible exercise facilities and nourishing and affordable meals should be a priority, he said.
• Cash is the most effective way to get children to lose weight, according to a study.
More than 100 families were given either a low carbohydrate diet, a low energy diet or support in the form of a weekly motivational letter.
The final option was giving children a cash bonus each time they improved their body mass index. The congress heard that cash was the best motivator for children.
For adults it was a combination of all four methods.
17 Mayıs 2008 Cumartesi
Health ? Pregnant Man ?
Medically, it's do-able. Morally, it's debatable. But on a purely emotional level, the very idea of male pregnancy is difficult to accept. Why would a man want to be pregnant? And is 'the world's first pregnant man' all that he seems? William Leith reports
Last week, Oprah Winfrey introduced her studio audience to Thomas Beatie, perhaps her strangest guest ever. 'Thomas,' she said, 'is... a... pregnant... man.' Then she blinked, as if stunned by the whole thing. 'Come on out, Thomas,' said Oprah. People in the audience clapped, as they usually do. But some didn't. Some couldn't bring themselves to clap. They sat, motionless, not knowing where to look. You should have seen the looks on their faces.
The thing is, that's exactly how I felt. I found the whole concept deeply disturbing. Lots of people do. The other day, commenting on this case, a gay comedian said, 'I'm not saying it's weird, but even the stork threw up.' That was, more or less, how I felt. A pregnant man? Dear God.
I thought it might be a hoax. I hoped it was a hoax. But why? What was my reaction based on?
Beatie, 34, from Oregon, looked like a chirpy chap with a light beard. Much to my relief, it turned out that he'd started life as a girl, but felt that he was actually a man trapped in a girl's body. So he, or she, took a course of testosterone and had an operation to remove his, or her, breasts. Having dragged himself across the threshold of maleness, he got married to a woman. She'd had a hysterectomy. They wanted a baby, so he was doing the decent thing.Wasn't he?
There were clips of Beatie flexing his muscles, looking like the sort of guy who might be interested in skateboarding. Then there was a clip of him showing off his neat bump. 'I'm a pregnant person,' he told Oprah. He said that getting pregnant hadn't made him feel suddenly more feminine - it hadn't, for instance, made him want to shave his legs.
advertisementOprah felt Beatie's bump. She commented on the fact that, for somebody who was six months pregnant, it was a neat bump.
'I'm a man,' said Beatie. 'I just happen to be a pregnant man.'
Watching all this, I began to have a certain amount of sympathy for him. But I still hoped it was a hoax. I thought of James Frey, who had also been a guest on Oprah when he wrote about his addictions to alcohol and crack. Frey, it turned out, had written stuff that wasn't strictly true. Later, he made another appearance on the Oprah show, this time to apologise. News headlines about Beatie's case invariably included a couple of queasily sceptical quote marks - as in ' "Pregnant" man appears on Oprah'.
No offence to Beatie, but those quote marks should actually be around the word 'man'. His female reproductive organs are still intact; legally he's a man, but biologically, in many ways that count, he's still very much a woman. And he's not even the first transgender male to become pregnant - that honour belongs to Matt Califia-Rice, who gave birth to a baby boy back in 1999. Despite the headlines, the world is still waiting for the first true male pregnancy.
But why was my instinct not to trust Beatie? Partly because the last time I read something about a pregnant man, the fellow in question, Lee Mingwei, turned out to be a character invented by the performance artist Virgil Wong. He was doing what all performance artists do - trying to attract attention to himself by doing something weird. And there aren't many things weirder than being a pregnant man.
For the past 10 years Wong's character Mingwei has appeared on a website, telling us what was supposedly happening to him - he was a man, he was pregnant, this was technically possible using cutting-edge medical techniques, and so on. In the real world, he began walking the streets of New York wearing a fake belly ('no one ever looked at me twice - maybe they thought I was fat'). But then he didn't post anything about the actual birth. There was no actual birth. After a while, it became apparent that Wong was having a laugh. And also, possibly, making a serious point or two. In any case, he'd got our attention. (A little too much attention, in fact - he had to move home following death threats from Christian groups.)
There was, of course, Arnold Schwarzenegger's film Junior, in which the future governor of California played the part of Dr Alex Hesse, a pumped-up scientist working on a wonder drug, Expectane, that helped women get pregnant. When his research funding dried up, Hesse took the drug himself and got pregnant. Ludicrous, of course, one would think. But the film was based on actual research recounted in a 1985 article in the American magazine Omni. The author was a scientist called Dick Teresi. 'You don't need a science fiction drug,' he later wrote.' You may not need any kind of drug at all. We have all the technology we need right now to make a man pregnant.' We'll come back to that.
Last week, Oprah Winfrey introduced her studio audience to Thomas Beatie, perhaps her strangest guest ever. 'Thomas,' she said, 'is... a... pregnant... man.' Then she blinked, as if stunned by the whole thing. 'Come on out, Thomas,' said Oprah. People in the audience clapped, as they usually do. But some didn't. Some couldn't bring themselves to clap. They sat, motionless, not knowing where to look. You should have seen the looks on their faces.
The thing is, that's exactly how I felt. I found the whole concept deeply disturbing. Lots of people do. The other day, commenting on this case, a gay comedian said, 'I'm not saying it's weird, but even the stork threw up.' That was, more or less, how I felt. A pregnant man? Dear God.
I thought it might be a hoax. I hoped it was a hoax. But why? What was my reaction based on?
Beatie, 34, from Oregon, looked like a chirpy chap with a light beard. Much to my relief, it turned out that he'd started life as a girl, but felt that he was actually a man trapped in a girl's body. So he, or she, took a course of testosterone and had an operation to remove his, or her, breasts. Having dragged himself across the threshold of maleness, he got married to a woman. She'd had a hysterectomy. They wanted a baby, so he was doing the decent thing.Wasn't he?
There were clips of Beatie flexing his muscles, looking like the sort of guy who might be interested in skateboarding. Then there was a clip of him showing off his neat bump. 'I'm a pregnant person,' he told Oprah. He said that getting pregnant hadn't made him feel suddenly more feminine - it hadn't, for instance, made him want to shave his legs.
advertisementOprah felt Beatie's bump. She commented on the fact that, for somebody who was six months pregnant, it was a neat bump.
'I'm a man,' said Beatie. 'I just happen to be a pregnant man.'
Watching all this, I began to have a certain amount of sympathy for him. But I still hoped it was a hoax. I thought of James Frey, who had also been a guest on Oprah when he wrote about his addictions to alcohol and crack. Frey, it turned out, had written stuff that wasn't strictly true. Later, he made another appearance on the Oprah show, this time to apologise. News headlines about Beatie's case invariably included a couple of queasily sceptical quote marks - as in ' "Pregnant" man appears on Oprah'.
No offence to Beatie, but those quote marks should actually be around the word 'man'. His female reproductive organs are still intact; legally he's a man, but biologically, in many ways that count, he's still very much a woman. And he's not even the first transgender male to become pregnant - that honour belongs to Matt Califia-Rice, who gave birth to a baby boy back in 1999. Despite the headlines, the world is still waiting for the first true male pregnancy.
But why was my instinct not to trust Beatie? Partly because the last time I read something about a pregnant man, the fellow in question, Lee Mingwei, turned out to be a character invented by the performance artist Virgil Wong. He was doing what all performance artists do - trying to attract attention to himself by doing something weird. And there aren't many things weirder than being a pregnant man.
For the past 10 years Wong's character Mingwei has appeared on a website, telling us what was supposedly happening to him - he was a man, he was pregnant, this was technically possible using cutting-edge medical techniques, and so on. In the real world, he began walking the streets of New York wearing a fake belly ('no one ever looked at me twice - maybe they thought I was fat'). But then he didn't post anything about the actual birth. There was no actual birth. After a while, it became apparent that Wong was having a laugh. And also, possibly, making a serious point or two. In any case, he'd got our attention. (A little too much attention, in fact - he had to move home following death threats from Christian groups.)
There was, of course, Arnold Schwarzenegger's film Junior, in which the future governor of California played the part of Dr Alex Hesse, a pumped-up scientist working on a wonder drug, Expectane, that helped women get pregnant. When his research funding dried up, Hesse took the drug himself and got pregnant. Ludicrous, of course, one would think. But the film was based on actual research recounted in a 1985 article in the American magazine Omni. The author was a scientist called Dick Teresi. 'You don't need a science fiction drug,' he later wrote.' You may not need any kind of drug at all. We have all the technology we need right now to make a man pregnant.' We'll come back to that.
Heart Attack
His father died of a heart attack, so Dr Lawrence Seymour decided to try to protect himself from the same fate
Shortly before I qualified as a doctor, I drew up a personal 10-year health plan. In it, I speculated that, come my 35th birthday, I would opt for taking statins - cholesterol- lowering drugs - as a preventative measure against coronary artery disease.
Prevention: statins are a safeguard against the all-important first heart attack
Let me explain. My father, a Master in the Merchant Navy, succumbed to the cardiac "widow maker" - a massive heart attack that strikes without warning in middle age. He was 52 and died bringing his ship alongside in Galveston, Texas. A crewman on the bridge described how he crashed to the deck, smashing his glasses. He never regained consciousness, despite cardiac massage by fellow officers.
It was 1982, and none of the early intervention procedures that are now routine were in place. Today, defibrillators are increasingly available in public places; some paramedics liaise with emergency departments to administer clot-busting agents at the scene; and medics aim to do the same within seven minutes of a victim's arrival at hospital - the "door to needle time", in ER-speak.
Furthermore, we now have access to statins, a safeguard against the all-important first heart attack (myocardial infarction) and in arresting progression of heart disease. Public awareness of the drugs is high: they have been available in the UK without prescription since 2004. It is estimated that up to three million Britons take them, and government plans announced last week for health checks for every person aged 40 to 74 could see that number double, with dramatic impact on the NHS drugs budget. Critics say the drugs have limited effectiveness. Well, I, for one, will take the chance.
From the 1970s, coronary artery disease cut a swathe through a generation of overweight middle-aged men. In my early teens, I remember finding my father's post-mortem report in a wardrobe. It was brutally concise: there was "diffuse atheroma" (fatty streaks) throughout the blood vessels of his heart.
advertisementAngina (chest pain on exertion) and myocardial infarction were rare before 1900, yet within 80 years heart disease was causing a third of all deaths in the West.
In the postwar/post-ration era, millions of men unwittingly smoked and ate their way to an early grave, unwilling participants in an evolutionary cull - where being predisposed to high blood pressure (hypertension) and an inability to deal with fatty/salty foods resulted in premature death. In Darwinian terms, they were not fit, they didn't survive and the consequences were tragic for families like mine.
My family history suggested a predisposition to early hypertension - my paternal grandfather had died at 48 from the consequences of uncontrolled hypertension. So from early adulthood, I was a self-perceived "cardiac event" waiting to happen.
At medical school, off-the-cuff comments by lecturers seemed to be made for my benefit alone, and were scribbled down and memorised. One cardiologist explained that most of us would develop atheroma in our arteries. In his opinion, the lesions were of two types. The first comprised fibrous, calcified strips, which he compared to "polo mint-like" narrowings within the vessel walls. They were typically seen in older people who knew that, on walking 50 yards, they would experience angina due to the reduced blood supply to the heart. Even though these lesions often blocked up to 90 per cent of the vessel, the angina sufferer could go on for years with the odd spray of nitrate puffer under the tongue to get them up the next incline.
The second type of lesion my tutor compared to cholesterol-filled "scabs", which caused relatively minor narrowings but were prone to rupture and bleeding. A clot forming on the "scab" could rapidly block the vessel, bringing the heart to a standstill as the victim fell to the floor. "What you want, fellas, is polo mints, not scabs," he told us.
The case of Sir Ranulph Fiennes, the Polar explorer, is a perfect illustration of what he meant - and of remarkable advances in the way emergency services have adapted to the pandemic of coronary heart disease. In June 2003, Sir Ranulph had just boarded a plane when one of his coronary "scabs" ruptured, causing arrest. Luckily for him, a nearby fire crew, with the equipment and training, were at hand to apply a shock across his chest and restore life. His heart stopped a further five times in the next two hours before he received cardiac bypass surgery.
The patient in this case was an endurance athlete, for whom an average day would be a marathon in the Scottish Highlands. He had been able to perform vigorous exercise, without symptoms, yet his arteries became dangerously diseased. Happily, Sir Ranulph recovered, and once his vessels were replumbed, went on to do seven marathons on seven continents in seven days.
My mid-30s MOT showed my cholesterol profile to be reasonable, with a total count of less than five, as recommended by NICE (National Institute for Clinical Excellence). My "bad" LDL cholesterol was 2.7 (the goal is less than three) and my "good" HDL cholesterol was 1.4 (more than one is a healthy reading for men; above 1.3 is right for women). However, a chat with a colleague in the lipid clinic swayed me towards my original plan of statins as a proactive measure. "With your family history," he said, ''why would you not?"
The millions of prescriptions written worldwide confirm that statins are safe to take. The most significant side-effect is a reversible inflammation of muscle tissues, seen in less than 0.01 per cent of recipients. As with any drug, extreme side effects are occasionally reported: in the case of statins, these are fatalities due to renal failure, with an incident of 0.15 cases per million prescriptions. Similarly, abnormalities reported in liver function are rarely significant and almost always reversible on cessation of the tablet. This favourable risk-benefit analysis of the disease that kills more middle-aged men than all other diseases together has led some to compare statins with antibiotics in their ability to reduce the burden of disease worldwide.
No doubt, there will be some reading this who will be suspicious of this medic's enthusiasm for statins. Well, on a shelf in my office is a coffee mug bearing the name of a particular brand. That is the only support I have received from a statins manufacturer and, for the record, I am not on the payroll of any pharmaceutical organisation.
The benefits of statins in high-risk groups are indisputable; it's the use of cholesterol-lowering agents in patients without clear-cut risk factors that is controversial. Most doctors, myself included, would be unwilling to expose patients to side effects when the presence of disease is uncertain. But we commonly see heart disease in people with normal cholesterol, and evidence suggests this group still benefit from statins following a heart attack.
After 10 years working with the hospital crash team, I decided to reverse the risk factors I could control. I have increased my intake of fresh fruit, vegetables, oily fish and red wine, and I'm training for a half-marathon.
In addition, despite a normal cholesterol profile, I have opted for statins in the belief that for me - and I stress this is a personal decision - the benefits outweigh the risks. In the words of my old teacher, what I'm aiming for are "polo mints, not scabs". I hope my two brothers are reading this.
Shortly before I qualified as a doctor, I drew up a personal 10-year health plan. In it, I speculated that, come my 35th birthday, I would opt for taking statins - cholesterol- lowering drugs - as a preventative measure against coronary artery disease.
Prevention: statins are a safeguard against the all-important first heart attack
Let me explain. My father, a Master in the Merchant Navy, succumbed to the cardiac "widow maker" - a massive heart attack that strikes without warning in middle age. He was 52 and died bringing his ship alongside in Galveston, Texas. A crewman on the bridge described how he crashed to the deck, smashing his glasses. He never regained consciousness, despite cardiac massage by fellow officers.
It was 1982, and none of the early intervention procedures that are now routine were in place. Today, defibrillators are increasingly available in public places; some paramedics liaise with emergency departments to administer clot-busting agents at the scene; and medics aim to do the same within seven minutes of a victim's arrival at hospital - the "door to needle time", in ER-speak.
Furthermore, we now have access to statins, a safeguard against the all-important first heart attack (myocardial infarction) and in arresting progression of heart disease. Public awareness of the drugs is high: they have been available in the UK without prescription since 2004. It is estimated that up to three million Britons take them, and government plans announced last week for health checks for every person aged 40 to 74 could see that number double, with dramatic impact on the NHS drugs budget. Critics say the drugs have limited effectiveness. Well, I, for one, will take the chance.
From the 1970s, coronary artery disease cut a swathe through a generation of overweight middle-aged men. In my early teens, I remember finding my father's post-mortem report in a wardrobe. It was brutally concise: there was "diffuse atheroma" (fatty streaks) throughout the blood vessels of his heart.
advertisementAngina (chest pain on exertion) and myocardial infarction were rare before 1900, yet within 80 years heart disease was causing a third of all deaths in the West.
In the postwar/post-ration era, millions of men unwittingly smoked and ate their way to an early grave, unwilling participants in an evolutionary cull - where being predisposed to high blood pressure (hypertension) and an inability to deal with fatty/salty foods resulted in premature death. In Darwinian terms, they were not fit, they didn't survive and the consequences were tragic for families like mine.
My family history suggested a predisposition to early hypertension - my paternal grandfather had died at 48 from the consequences of uncontrolled hypertension. So from early adulthood, I was a self-perceived "cardiac event" waiting to happen.
At medical school, off-the-cuff comments by lecturers seemed to be made for my benefit alone, and were scribbled down and memorised. One cardiologist explained that most of us would develop atheroma in our arteries. In his opinion, the lesions were of two types. The first comprised fibrous, calcified strips, which he compared to "polo mint-like" narrowings within the vessel walls. They were typically seen in older people who knew that, on walking 50 yards, they would experience angina due to the reduced blood supply to the heart. Even though these lesions often blocked up to 90 per cent of the vessel, the angina sufferer could go on for years with the odd spray of nitrate puffer under the tongue to get them up the next incline.
The second type of lesion my tutor compared to cholesterol-filled "scabs", which caused relatively minor narrowings but were prone to rupture and bleeding. A clot forming on the "scab" could rapidly block the vessel, bringing the heart to a standstill as the victim fell to the floor. "What you want, fellas, is polo mints, not scabs," he told us.
The case of Sir Ranulph Fiennes, the Polar explorer, is a perfect illustration of what he meant - and of remarkable advances in the way emergency services have adapted to the pandemic of coronary heart disease. In June 2003, Sir Ranulph had just boarded a plane when one of his coronary "scabs" ruptured, causing arrest. Luckily for him, a nearby fire crew, with the equipment and training, were at hand to apply a shock across his chest and restore life. His heart stopped a further five times in the next two hours before he received cardiac bypass surgery.
The patient in this case was an endurance athlete, for whom an average day would be a marathon in the Scottish Highlands. He had been able to perform vigorous exercise, without symptoms, yet his arteries became dangerously diseased. Happily, Sir Ranulph recovered, and once his vessels were replumbed, went on to do seven marathons on seven continents in seven days.
My mid-30s MOT showed my cholesterol profile to be reasonable, with a total count of less than five, as recommended by NICE (National Institute for Clinical Excellence). My "bad" LDL cholesterol was 2.7 (the goal is less than three) and my "good" HDL cholesterol was 1.4 (more than one is a healthy reading for men; above 1.3 is right for women). However, a chat with a colleague in the lipid clinic swayed me towards my original plan of statins as a proactive measure. "With your family history," he said, ''why would you not?"
The millions of prescriptions written worldwide confirm that statins are safe to take. The most significant side-effect is a reversible inflammation of muscle tissues, seen in less than 0.01 per cent of recipients. As with any drug, extreme side effects are occasionally reported: in the case of statins, these are fatalities due to renal failure, with an incident of 0.15 cases per million prescriptions. Similarly, abnormalities reported in liver function are rarely significant and almost always reversible on cessation of the tablet. This favourable risk-benefit analysis of the disease that kills more middle-aged men than all other diseases together has led some to compare statins with antibiotics in their ability to reduce the burden of disease worldwide.
No doubt, there will be some reading this who will be suspicious of this medic's enthusiasm for statins. Well, on a shelf in my office is a coffee mug bearing the name of a particular brand. That is the only support I have received from a statins manufacturer and, for the record, I am not on the payroll of any pharmaceutical organisation.
The benefits of statins in high-risk groups are indisputable; it's the use of cholesterol-lowering agents in patients without clear-cut risk factors that is controversial. Most doctors, myself included, would be unwilling to expose patients to side effects when the presence of disease is uncertain. But we commonly see heart disease in people with normal cholesterol, and evidence suggests this group still benefit from statins following a heart attack.
After 10 years working with the hospital crash team, I decided to reverse the risk factors I could control. I have increased my intake of fresh fruit, vegetables, oily fish and red wine, and I'm training for a half-marathon.
In addition, despite a normal cholesterol profile, I have opted for statins in the belief that for me - and I stress this is a personal decision - the benefits outweigh the risks. In the words of my old teacher, what I'm aiming for are "polo mints, not scabs". I hope my two brothers are reading this.
A Spa Review
The menu arrives; time to choose.
A massage with hot stones is deeper than a normal massage
First that familiar indecision, getting sucked in by one glowing sell after another. Then the resolve not to follow the crowd – be an individual, don’t choose the chicken.
They come to take my order and all of a sudden I am sure.
Narrowly beaten by the back and neck massage, I’ll have the hot stones, please.
Turns out though that from the Matfen Hall spa this is the equivalent of ordering the chicken. Damn it.
But those people have been choosing with very good reason. For the hot stones massage is exceptional.
First, large hot smoothed basalt stones are placed on my back wrapped in a towel. The weightiness is reassuring. Then therapist Louise makes hot ‘flicks’ with stones up my legs, to get my skin used to the idea of the heat.
Following that, swift effleurages (stroking massage movements) are made with the stones. It feels like heat is somehow floating over my body.
The overall result is a zombie-like sleepy state that lasts for two days. The effect of the heat means a massage five times deeper than normal. Good choice.
As a starter, the Lushly Hands and Feet treatment was good, if bizarre – my legs were wrapped in bandages that had been soaked in body oil. And the facial deserves any stars going.
For before or after treatments there is a small pool, sauna, steam room, salt grotto (smelly!) and ice/tropical showers to play around in. These were quite busy. Children are allowed at certain times. There is also a relaxation room with water, a platter of fruit and magazines.
Touch of history: the print room restaurant at Matfen Hall
The rest of Matfen Hall does not let the spa down.
The Country House Hotel, set near Corbridge, Northumberland, was built in 1832 by Sir Edward Blackett. In 1999 (still in the Blackett family) it was opened as a hotel.
The original nooks and crannies have been incorporated into the bedrooms in the grander, older part of the hotel, giving plenty of extra mini-rooms.
The grandeur is most evident in the staircase in the Great Hall, down which brides enter for (very popular) Matfen Hall weddings. It is a stunning Gothic setting.
Another ‘back in time’ room is the drawing room, looking out onto a 27 hole golf course, and beyond to the Northumbrian countryside. Not far away are sections of Hadrian’s wall – fun to walk for a day trip. Having golf plus spa provides an (albeit stereotypical) his and hers lure.
And after all that?
The restaurant – awarded 2 AA Rosettes for using local produce – is set in a library. The freshness of the food (for example, lamb from Matfen Home Farm down the road) shines through in taste. We had a well-cooked meal from an imaginative menu. We particularly took to the idea of ‘beef three ways’.
Breakfast was also good. The restaurant was busy and lively, with hen nights and wedding parties, and still the service was excellent.
Above all else it is the friendliness of the staff that sets Matfen Hall apart.
People are happy working there. People are happy visiting there. People choose it again and again.
Matfen Hall is pricey, but with it, you get as far as you can, a guarantee of a good stay.
I would wager that such a good experience is not a chef’s special, but there for the taking every day of the year.
Factbox
A massage with hot stones is deeper than a normal massage
First that familiar indecision, getting sucked in by one glowing sell after another. Then the resolve not to follow the crowd – be an individual, don’t choose the chicken.
They come to take my order and all of a sudden I am sure.
Narrowly beaten by the back and neck massage, I’ll have the hot stones, please.
Turns out though that from the Matfen Hall spa this is the equivalent of ordering the chicken. Damn it.
But those people have been choosing with very good reason. For the hot stones massage is exceptional.
First, large hot smoothed basalt stones are placed on my back wrapped in a towel. The weightiness is reassuring. Then therapist Louise makes hot ‘flicks’ with stones up my legs, to get my skin used to the idea of the heat.
Following that, swift effleurages (stroking massage movements) are made with the stones. It feels like heat is somehow floating over my body.
The overall result is a zombie-like sleepy state that lasts for two days. The effect of the heat means a massage five times deeper than normal. Good choice.
As a starter, the Lushly Hands and Feet treatment was good, if bizarre – my legs were wrapped in bandages that had been soaked in body oil. And the facial deserves any stars going.
For before or after treatments there is a small pool, sauna, steam room, salt grotto (smelly!) and ice/tropical showers to play around in. These were quite busy. Children are allowed at certain times. There is also a relaxation room with water, a platter of fruit and magazines.
Touch of history: the print room restaurant at Matfen Hall
The rest of Matfen Hall does not let the spa down.
The Country House Hotel, set near Corbridge, Northumberland, was built in 1832 by Sir Edward Blackett. In 1999 (still in the Blackett family) it was opened as a hotel.
The original nooks and crannies have been incorporated into the bedrooms in the grander, older part of the hotel, giving plenty of extra mini-rooms.
The grandeur is most evident in the staircase in the Great Hall, down which brides enter for (very popular) Matfen Hall weddings. It is a stunning Gothic setting.
Another ‘back in time’ room is the drawing room, looking out onto a 27 hole golf course, and beyond to the Northumbrian countryside. Not far away are sections of Hadrian’s wall – fun to walk for a day trip. Having golf plus spa provides an (albeit stereotypical) his and hers lure.
And after all that?
The restaurant – awarded 2 AA Rosettes for using local produce – is set in a library. The freshness of the food (for example, lamb from Matfen Home Farm down the road) shines through in taste. We had a well-cooked meal from an imaginative menu. We particularly took to the idea of ‘beef three ways’.
Breakfast was also good. The restaurant was busy and lively, with hen nights and wedding parties, and still the service was excellent.
Above all else it is the friendliness of the staff that sets Matfen Hall apart.
People are happy working there. People are happy visiting there. People choose it again and again.
Matfen Hall is pricey, but with it, you get as far as you can, a guarantee of a good stay.
I would wager that such a good experience is not a chef’s special, but there for the taking every day of the year.
Factbox
4 Health Comminucate
'Most tumours, even large ones, caused by Nf are benign and remain benign,' say the NNNF. 'However, in rare cases they become malignant.' Because of this, it's important for anyone with Nf to have regular check-ups and watch out for any tumour growth, as well as sudden pain, numbness or tingling. Additionally, some lumps can grow in awkward places, so it's important to keep an eye on tumours and see a doctor regularly to check they're not becoming dangerous. If they are, then they may need to be operated on and surgically removed.
Whilst most signs of Nf1 appear during childhood or adolescence, and signs of Nf2 appear during the 20s, it is possible for both forms to remain undetected until older ages. Discovering you, or someone you know, has got Nf can be a bit of a shock, but there is help and support available for Nf sufferers in the UK.
Organisations such as the Neurofibromatosis Association (see help and info) offer a good starting point for the newly diagnosed, as well as those who've been living with Nf for longer, and they can provide help and information about the condition.
Whether you've got Nf or not, it can be alarming to find a tumour. There's no point worrying in silence, so check out any changes with your doctor and, remember, many tumours turn out to be benign and harmless.
help and info
Channel 4 is not responsible for the content of third party sites.
organisations
CancerBACUP
3 Bath Place
Rivington Street
London EC2A 3JR
Helpline: 0808 800 1234 or 020 7739 2280 (Mon-Fri 9am-8pm)
Tel: 020 7696 9003 (Mon-Fri 9am-5.30pm)
Website: www.cancerbacup.org.uk
Provides up-to-date information on every type of cancer as well as advice and support to cancer patients, their families and friends on all aspects of cancer and its treatment. The helpline, above, is staffed by specialist cancer nurses.
Cancer Research UK
PO Box 123
Lincoln's Inn Fields
London WC2A 3PX
Tel: 020 7061 8355 or freephone 0808 800 4040 (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm cancer information nurses)
Textphone: 020 7061 8484 (cancer information nurses)
Tel: 020 7242 0200 (switchboard)
E-mail: cancer.info@cancer.org.uk
Website: www.cancerresearchuk.org
Patient information site: www.cancerhelp.org.uk
Charity dedicated to research on the causes, treatment and prevention of cancer. Website has lots of information about cancer, and details of events in local areas.
Neurofibromatosis Association
Quayside House
38 High Street
Kingston on Thames
Surrey KT1 1HL
Tel: 020 8439 1234
Minicom: 020 8481 0492
E-mail: info@nfauk.org
Website: www.nfauk.org
Provides support and information to those affected by either form of neurofibromatosis, their families and professionals, by employing a team of hospital-based professional Neurofibromatosis Specialist Advisors as well as encouraging the establishment of local groups and volunteers throughout the UK. Also funds research into both types of neurofibromatosis and provides activity holidays and breaks for children and adults with either form of neurofibromatosis. They also raise awareness through fundraising activities.
Whilst most signs of Nf1 appear during childhood or adolescence, and signs of Nf2 appear during the 20s, it is possible for both forms to remain undetected until older ages. Discovering you, or someone you know, has got Nf can be a bit of a shock, but there is help and support available for Nf sufferers in the UK.
Organisations such as the Neurofibromatosis Association (see help and info) offer a good starting point for the newly diagnosed, as well as those who've been living with Nf for longer, and they can provide help and information about the condition.
Whether you've got Nf or not, it can be alarming to find a tumour. There's no point worrying in silence, so check out any changes with your doctor and, remember, many tumours turn out to be benign and harmless.
help and info
Channel 4 is not responsible for the content of third party sites.
organisations
CancerBACUP
3 Bath Place
Rivington Street
London EC2A 3JR
Helpline: 0808 800 1234 or 020 7739 2280 (Mon-Fri 9am-8pm)
Tel: 020 7696 9003 (Mon-Fri 9am-5.30pm)
Website: www.cancerbacup.org.uk
Provides up-to-date information on every type of cancer as well as advice and support to cancer patients, their families and friends on all aspects of cancer and its treatment. The helpline, above, is staffed by specialist cancer nurses.
Cancer Research UK
PO Box 123
Lincoln's Inn Fields
London WC2A 3PX
Tel: 020 7061 8355 or freephone 0808 800 4040 (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm cancer information nurses)
Textphone: 020 7061 8484 (cancer information nurses)
Tel: 020 7242 0200 (switchboard)
E-mail: cancer.info@cancer.org.uk
Website: www.cancerresearchuk.org
Patient information site: www.cancerhelp.org.uk
Charity dedicated to research on the causes, treatment and prevention of cancer. Website has lots of information about cancer, and details of events in local areas.
Neurofibromatosis Association
Quayside House
38 High Street
Kingston on Thames
Surrey KT1 1HL
Tel: 020 8439 1234
Minicom: 020 8481 0492
E-mail: info@nfauk.org
Website: www.nfauk.org
Provides support and information to those affected by either form of neurofibromatosis, their families and professionals, by employing a team of hospital-based professional Neurofibromatosis Specialist Advisors as well as encouraging the establishment of local groups and volunteers throughout the UK. Also funds research into both types of neurofibromatosis and provides activity holidays and breaks for children and adults with either form of neurofibromatosis. They also raise awareness through fundraising activities.
Diet & Fitness
Our new resident nutritionist eased her own aches and pains by following a rejuvenating regime - most of the time. She tells Cassandra Jardine how we can do the same
Like most people, Julia Fitzgerald began to pay attention to what she ate and drank only after she became ill. Ten years ago, aged 22, she suffered whiplash following a car crash.
Eat right: add more fruit, veg and oily fish
A year later, when she was still in pain and taking medication that made it hard for her to concentrate on her work as a geophysicist, devising computer programs, she was finally diagnosed with fibromyalgia (chronic muscle pain) but the only treatment she was offered was antidepressants.
"That's when I started to take an interest in my diet," she says. "Until then I hadn't been eating badly - but I wasn't getting my five fruit and veg a day. I was drinking large amounts of coffee, but not much water. And I didn't have much oily fish, which has an anti-inflammatory effect. After I became more careful about what I ate and drank, I soon found that I didn't need the painkillers."
The huge improvement in her wellbeing inspired her to retrain in nutritional therapy at the University of Westminster, a three-year degree course including 300 hours of clinical practice. Since completing it, she has been in private practice in Devon advising others on how to maximise their health. "You may not be sick now but that doesn't mean your diet isn't harming you," she says. "It could be increasing your chances of getting a range of degenerative conditions, including diabetes, dementia and cardiovascular disease. For example, boosting your calcium intake will reduce your long?term risk of osteoporosis."
In private practice she tailors diets to individuals: clients may want to lose weight, deal with irritable bowel syndrome, give themselves an edge in a sport or tackle depression - all areas in which she believes good nutrition can have an impact. She also takes group sessions at FitFarms, a residential programme that kickstarts people into a healthier way of life. "Many of those I see drink regularly because it has become part of their lives. They don't realise how much damage they are doing to their livers."
advertisementRecognising bad habits is the first step to change, so she asks clients to keep a three-day food diary. Then she discusses changes such as adding protein to their breakfast or increasing variety. Moderation is her watchword so, although she is concerned about the prevalence of processed foods, chemicals and refined carbohydrates in the modern diet, she doesn't ban anything.
"If you do that, you feel deprived and cheat," she explains. "A lot of people eat too much wheat and feel better if they reduce it, but I don't tell them to cut it out. I used to eat a lot of pasta myself; now I have it occasionally. Many people are also intolerant of the lactose in milk and find a large latte indigestible, but are fine with a yogurt or cheese. Eating wheat and dairy is still relatively new for our bodies, as agriculture only has a 12,000-year history and we are still getting used to those foods."
She advocates three meals a day, interspersed with healthy snacks such as nuts, dried fruit or hummus and sticks of raw vegetables. She also advises restricting carbohydrates to the early part of the day and adding in more fruit, veg and oily fish rather than taking other foods out.
"And rather than telling people to cut out alcohol, I suggest they try elderflower or lime and soda a couple of evenings a week. Nor is there any need to drink two litres of water a day, as is frequently recommended, as long as your urine is pale."
Fitzgerald advocates the 80/20 rule: eat as well as you can for most of the time and don't chastise yourself when you lapse - which you inevitably will. This avoids the unhealthy blow-out.
One of her main concerns is that some nutritionists go to extremes, putting women who suffer from bloating on long-term anti-candida diets, for example. "There is evidence that a low-carbohydrate diet for a couple of months, in combination with anti-fungal pills [candida is a fungal infection], does inhibit the bug. But some people stay on that diet permanently, which isn't good, and candida is also often blamed for a whole range of infections and conditions that cause similar symptoms."
And the recent flurry of debate over whether taking antioxidants such as vitamins A or E can actually shorten lives by interfering with the body's natural defences may also be overstated, she believes. "The trials cited involved large amounts of single nutrients. Nutritionists use smaller doses in combination, in keeping with how nutrients occur naturally."
But most of all, she urges people to understand the nutritional approach to health is not a quick fix. It takes time, money and effort: "It's not about miracle cures but about reducing risk and, in the process, suffering fewer niggling pains, skin problems, and hormonal swings while having more energy and a clearer brain," she warns. "My fibromyalgia isn't cured, but it isn't nearly such a burden to me these days."
Five ways to improve your nutrition
1 Concentrate on what you need to add (fibre, five fruit and vegetables a day, good fats) rather than what you need to take away.
2 Stick to the 80/20 rule: eat healthily 80 per cent of the time and don’t worry when you lapse.
3 Eat more slowly and chew food properly to assist digestion.
4 Note symptoms such as constipation, diarrhoea or bloating: make changes to your diet before, not after, you become ill.
5 Stop thinking of food as fuel: take an interest in where it comes from, new ingredients and new styles of cooking.
Like most people, Julia Fitzgerald began to pay attention to what she ate and drank only after she became ill. Ten years ago, aged 22, she suffered whiplash following a car crash.
Eat right: add more fruit, veg and oily fish
A year later, when she was still in pain and taking medication that made it hard for her to concentrate on her work as a geophysicist, devising computer programs, she was finally diagnosed with fibromyalgia (chronic muscle pain) but the only treatment she was offered was antidepressants.
"That's when I started to take an interest in my diet," she says. "Until then I hadn't been eating badly - but I wasn't getting my five fruit and veg a day. I was drinking large amounts of coffee, but not much water. And I didn't have much oily fish, which has an anti-inflammatory effect. After I became more careful about what I ate and drank, I soon found that I didn't need the painkillers."
The huge improvement in her wellbeing inspired her to retrain in nutritional therapy at the University of Westminster, a three-year degree course including 300 hours of clinical practice. Since completing it, she has been in private practice in Devon advising others on how to maximise their health. "You may not be sick now but that doesn't mean your diet isn't harming you," she says. "It could be increasing your chances of getting a range of degenerative conditions, including diabetes, dementia and cardiovascular disease. For example, boosting your calcium intake will reduce your long?term risk of osteoporosis."
In private practice she tailors diets to individuals: clients may want to lose weight, deal with irritable bowel syndrome, give themselves an edge in a sport or tackle depression - all areas in which she believes good nutrition can have an impact. She also takes group sessions at FitFarms, a residential programme that kickstarts people into a healthier way of life. "Many of those I see drink regularly because it has become part of their lives. They don't realise how much damage they are doing to their livers."
advertisementRecognising bad habits is the first step to change, so she asks clients to keep a three-day food diary. Then she discusses changes such as adding protein to their breakfast or increasing variety. Moderation is her watchword so, although she is concerned about the prevalence of processed foods, chemicals and refined carbohydrates in the modern diet, she doesn't ban anything.
"If you do that, you feel deprived and cheat," she explains. "A lot of people eat too much wheat and feel better if they reduce it, but I don't tell them to cut it out. I used to eat a lot of pasta myself; now I have it occasionally. Many people are also intolerant of the lactose in milk and find a large latte indigestible, but are fine with a yogurt or cheese. Eating wheat and dairy is still relatively new for our bodies, as agriculture only has a 12,000-year history and we are still getting used to those foods."
She advocates three meals a day, interspersed with healthy snacks such as nuts, dried fruit or hummus and sticks of raw vegetables. She also advises restricting carbohydrates to the early part of the day and adding in more fruit, veg and oily fish rather than taking other foods out.
"And rather than telling people to cut out alcohol, I suggest they try elderflower or lime and soda a couple of evenings a week. Nor is there any need to drink two litres of water a day, as is frequently recommended, as long as your urine is pale."
Fitzgerald advocates the 80/20 rule: eat as well as you can for most of the time and don't chastise yourself when you lapse - which you inevitably will. This avoids the unhealthy blow-out.
One of her main concerns is that some nutritionists go to extremes, putting women who suffer from bloating on long-term anti-candida diets, for example. "There is evidence that a low-carbohydrate diet for a couple of months, in combination with anti-fungal pills [candida is a fungal infection], does inhibit the bug. But some people stay on that diet permanently, which isn't good, and candida is also often blamed for a whole range of infections and conditions that cause similar symptoms."
And the recent flurry of debate over whether taking antioxidants such as vitamins A or E can actually shorten lives by interfering with the body's natural defences may also be overstated, she believes. "The trials cited involved large amounts of single nutrients. Nutritionists use smaller doses in combination, in keeping with how nutrients occur naturally."
But most of all, she urges people to understand the nutritional approach to health is not a quick fix. It takes time, money and effort: "It's not about miracle cures but about reducing risk and, in the process, suffering fewer niggling pains, skin problems, and hormonal swings while having more energy and a clearer brain," she warns. "My fibromyalgia isn't cured, but it isn't nearly such a burden to me these days."
Five ways to improve your nutrition
1 Concentrate on what you need to add (fibre, five fruit and vegetables a day, good fats) rather than what you need to take away.
2 Stick to the 80/20 rule: eat healthily 80 per cent of the time and don’t worry when you lapse.
3 Eat more slowly and chew food properly to assist digestion.
4 Note symptoms such as constipation, diarrhoea or bloating: make changes to your diet before, not after, you become ill.
5 Stop thinking of food as fuel: take an interest in where it comes from, new ingredients and new styles of cooking.
Understand Tumours
The mere thought of a tumour can strike fear in our minds, but not all tumours necessarily mean cancer. Many people experience benign tumours, such as moles, during their lifetime, but for those with the condition neurofibromatosis (Nf), the likelihood of tumours suddenly appearing is much higher. What's more, in a few Nf cases tumour growth is rapid, resulting in added worry and complications.
© iStockphoto
A tumour is a lump or growth of tissue that can form in various parts of the body and there are two main types, benign and malignant. Benign tumours are usually totally harmless, they're not cancerous, and they grow slowly and don't spread or invade other healthy tissue. Quite often they can be happily left where they are without the need for removal.
In contrast, malignant tumours are cancerous. Compared to benign tumours, they grow quickly, invade other tissues and organs in the body and can be very damaging. Malignant tumours spread easily and often result in secondary tumours on other parts of the body, which in turn, spread and spread and they need to be removed.
Finding a lump can be a really scary experience – it's normal to panic and worry that it might be cancerous, and to feel embarrassed if it's on a breast or testicle. But although you might want to ignore it and pretend it's not there, getting it checked out is crucial. 'If you find a lump or notice changes, for example in your breast, then see a doctor straight away, without delay,' advises Dr Lesley Walker from Cancer Research UK (CRUK).
In many cases, and especially in younger people, lumps turn out to be benign and harmless, but knowing that will at least put your mind at rest. If a lump does turn out to be malignant or cancerous, the chances of it being successfully treated are improved if it's caught early, making getting it seen quickly even more important.
troublesome benign lumps
There are hundreds of different types of benign and malignant lumps, but in most cases a benign lump is safe and won't turn into cancer. Sometimes, though, benign lumps can become troublesome and need attention. 'If they grow bigger, become uncomfortable or unsightly or start to press on vital body organs, then it's often better to have them removed,' explains Dr Walker.
There are also some occasions where it's hard for a doctor to tell if a lump is definitely benign, or if it may have the potential to become malignant. In this case it's important to keep an eye on the lump and watch for any changes, as well as see a doctor regularly to have it checked. For example, moles are one of the most common forms of benign lumps but, CRUK warn, 'If a mole develops a ragged edge, becomes inflamed, bleeds, crusts over, oozes, has different colours, feels funny, itches or gets much bigger than your other moles, see a doctor immediately.'
neurofibromatosis
For people with neurofibromatosis, tumours are a much more common occurrence. Neurofibromatosis (Nf) is a type of genetic disorder that causes tumours, mostly benign, to grow on all types of nerves in the body. There are two forms of Nf, called Nf1 and Nf2, of which the most common is Nf1, which affects about 1 in 4000 births worldwide.
Some of the characteristics of Nf1 are the appearance of a group of light brown spots – often referred to as 'café-au-lait spots' – on the skin, pea-sized bumps on or under the skin (neurofibromas) and enlarged areas on the skin. The Nf2 form is much rarer, affecting about 1 in 40,000 people, and involves the development of multiple tumours on the head and spinal nerves. Tumours often also affect the ears and sufferers can frequently experience some loss of hearing.
'In fifty per cent of cases Nf is inherited from a parent, and in the remaining cases, it occurs as a result of a new or spontaneous change in the sperm or egg cell,' explained a spokesperson for the US National Neurofibromatosis Foundation (NNNF).
With Nf as a whole, there's a fault in the gene that regulates cell division, resulting in cells starting to divide out of control. This causes benign tumours called neurofibromas to grow on the nerves. Mostly these tumours are quite small, but on occasions they can grow large.
In the case of Romanian woman Lucica Bunghez, seen in Channel 4's Megatumour, her Nf tumour grew at an astonishing rate of about 3lb per month, eventually resulting in a massive 11 stone tumour. By that stage, it was feeding off her body like a parasite and would have killed her if it hadn't been removed. As scary as it sounds, Lucica's case is thankfully pretty rare, as the majority of Nf tumours don't grow so huge.
help and support for Nf sufferers
© iStockphoto
A tumour is a lump or growth of tissue that can form in various parts of the body and there are two main types, benign and malignant. Benign tumours are usually totally harmless, they're not cancerous, and they grow slowly and don't spread or invade other healthy tissue. Quite often they can be happily left where they are without the need for removal.
In contrast, malignant tumours are cancerous. Compared to benign tumours, they grow quickly, invade other tissues and organs in the body and can be very damaging. Malignant tumours spread easily and often result in secondary tumours on other parts of the body, which in turn, spread and spread and they need to be removed.
Finding a lump can be a really scary experience – it's normal to panic and worry that it might be cancerous, and to feel embarrassed if it's on a breast or testicle. But although you might want to ignore it and pretend it's not there, getting it checked out is crucial. 'If you find a lump or notice changes, for example in your breast, then see a doctor straight away, without delay,' advises Dr Lesley Walker from Cancer Research UK (CRUK).
In many cases, and especially in younger people, lumps turn out to be benign and harmless, but knowing that will at least put your mind at rest. If a lump does turn out to be malignant or cancerous, the chances of it being successfully treated are improved if it's caught early, making getting it seen quickly even more important.
troublesome benign lumps
There are hundreds of different types of benign and malignant lumps, but in most cases a benign lump is safe and won't turn into cancer. Sometimes, though, benign lumps can become troublesome and need attention. 'If they grow bigger, become uncomfortable or unsightly or start to press on vital body organs, then it's often better to have them removed,' explains Dr Walker.
There are also some occasions where it's hard for a doctor to tell if a lump is definitely benign, or if it may have the potential to become malignant. In this case it's important to keep an eye on the lump and watch for any changes, as well as see a doctor regularly to have it checked. For example, moles are one of the most common forms of benign lumps but, CRUK warn, 'If a mole develops a ragged edge, becomes inflamed, bleeds, crusts over, oozes, has different colours, feels funny, itches or gets much bigger than your other moles, see a doctor immediately.'
neurofibromatosis
For people with neurofibromatosis, tumours are a much more common occurrence. Neurofibromatosis (Nf) is a type of genetic disorder that causes tumours, mostly benign, to grow on all types of nerves in the body. There are two forms of Nf, called Nf1 and Nf2, of which the most common is Nf1, which affects about 1 in 4000 births worldwide.
Some of the characteristics of Nf1 are the appearance of a group of light brown spots – often referred to as 'café-au-lait spots' – on the skin, pea-sized bumps on or under the skin (neurofibromas) and enlarged areas on the skin. The Nf2 form is much rarer, affecting about 1 in 40,000 people, and involves the development of multiple tumours on the head and spinal nerves. Tumours often also affect the ears and sufferers can frequently experience some loss of hearing.
'In fifty per cent of cases Nf is inherited from a parent, and in the remaining cases, it occurs as a result of a new or spontaneous change in the sperm or egg cell,' explained a spokesperson for the US National Neurofibromatosis Foundation (NNNF).
With Nf as a whole, there's a fault in the gene that regulates cell division, resulting in cells starting to divide out of control. This causes benign tumours called neurofibromas to grow on the nerves. Mostly these tumours are quite small, but on occasions they can grow large.
In the case of Romanian woman Lucica Bunghez, seen in Channel 4's Megatumour, her Nf tumour grew at an astonishing rate of about 3lb per month, eventually resulting in a massive 11 stone tumour. By that stage, it was feeding off her body like a parasite and would have killed her if it hadn't been removed. As scary as it sounds, Lucica's case is thankfully pretty rare, as the majority of Nf tumours don't grow so huge.
help and support for Nf sufferers
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