menu
FR | EN
Medical assistance
Certified Medical Tourism ProfessionalBest Medical Travel Agency 2015Best use of technology in Medical Travel 2017

News

12 results
Mental Health Check-ups: Caring for Your Mind and Body

20/11/2023

Caring for your overall well-being extends beyond physical health; it encompasses mental health as an integral part of a balanced and fulfilling life. Mental health check-ups are crucial in maintaining a harmonious relationship between the mind and body, ensuring a holistic approach to one's health. Often overlooked or stigmatized, mental health check-ups play a pivotal role in identifying, managing, and preventing psychological concerns. When we consider healthcare, it's essential to view mental health with the same gravity as physical health. Mental health check-ups involve assessments by professionals trained to recognize signs of stress, anxiety, depression, or other psychological conditions. These check-ups provide an opportunity for individuals to express their thoughts and feelings in a safe, supportive environment, enabling early detection of potential issues. One of the significant advantages of mental health check-ups lies in their ability to detect problems at their nascent stages. Addressing mental health concerns early on can prevent these issues from escalating into more severe conditions that may require intensive treatment or hospitalization. Through routine check-ups, individuals can access timely interventions, which may include therapy, counseling, or medication if necessary. Moreover, mental health check-ups contribute to destigmatizing mental health concerns. By normalizing discussions around mental well-being, these check-ups encourage open conversations and awareness about mental health, fostering a more compassionate and understanding society. They create a platform where individuals feel comfortable seeking help without fear of judgment or discrimination. Caring for your mind is intricately linked to caring for your body. Mental health significantly influences physical health outcomes. Chronic stress, for example, can manifest in various physical ailments, including cardiovascular issues, gastrointestinal problems, and weakened immune responses. Therefore, regular mental health check-ups contribute not only to emotional stability but also to better physical health outcomes. Just as we schedule routine physical check-ups, incorporating mental health check-ups into our healthcare regimen is equally vital. It's a proactive approach to maintaining a healthy mind, akin to exercising or eating a balanced diet for physical well-being. These check-ups serve as a preventative measure, helping individuals develop coping strategies and resilience to manage life's challenges effectively. Ultimately, mental health check-ups are about nurturing a positive relationship with oneself. They empower individuals to take control of their mental well-being, promoting self-awareness and self-care. By recognizing the importance of mental health check-ups and embracing them as a fundamental aspect of healthcare, individuals pave the way for a more fulfilling, balanced, and resilient life—one where the mind and body work in harmony toward optimal health and happiness. To find out more about the health check-up services we offer, visit our check-up center. *Photo by cottonbro studio via Pexels

Could the 'love hormone' oxytocin be responsible for life satisfaction?

04/05/2022

Oxytocin – also known as the “love hormone” – is a neurochemical that acts on organs in the body and as a chemical messenger in the brain, controlling not just key functions of the reproductive system, but also aspects of human behaviour. Now, new research has revealed how people whose brains produce more oxytocin are kinder to others and live more satisfied lives. In addition, the research also discovered that as we age we produce more oxytocin, which could provide clues as to why older individuals are often more caring and more content with life than their younger peers. For the research, more than 100 people were recruited and asked to watch an empathy-invoking video about a father and his child with terminal cancer. At the end of the video, the participants were given a financial reward and asked if they wanted to donate any of it to charity. Oxytocin levels were measured before and after these steps. “The findings of our study are consistent with many religions and philosophies, where satisfaction with one’s life is enhanced by helping others,” reported first author Dr Paul J Zak of Claremont Graduate University. “People who released the most oxytocin in the experiment were not only more generous to charity, but also performed many other helping behaviors. This is the first time a distinct change in oxytocin has been related to past prosocial behaviors,” reported Zak. The findings of the study are published in the journal Frontier in Behavioral Neuroscience. *image courtesy of Tristan Le via pexels.com

Pandemic got you stressed? A dog could be the answer...

21/12/2021

The unprecedented events of the last two years have certainly taken their toll on people's mental health. An ongoing health pandemic, disrupted lives and sporadic lockdowns have led to heightened levels of stress and anxiety. Now, new research reveals how owning a dog can has been beneficial to many people's mental health during the COVID-19 outbreak. According to the study by a team of researchers from Nestlé Purina Research in Saint-Louis in Missouri, United States, dog owners reported less depression and felt they had more social support compared with a control group during the COVID-19 pandemic. Speaking with Medical News Today, Dr. Francois Martin, lead author and section leader of the Behavior and Welfare Group at Nestlé Purina Research, said: “The context of the COVID-19 pandemic offered a unique opportunity to better understand how dogs may provide social support for their owners, buffer heightened symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression, and contribute to happiness.” The researchers say their study shows that owning a dog helped protect pet owners from some of the negative psychological impacts of the pandemic. They also say that it adds to the scientific evidence that dogs provide positive support to their owners during hard times. “We also found that dog owners had significantly lower depression scores than potential dog owners, but the two groups had similar anxiety and happiness scores,” Dr. Martin added. The results from this observational study appear in the journal PLOS ONE. *Image by Sven Lachmann from Pixabay

Blue Monday: What is it and how did it come about?

22/01/2019

The third Monday in January (yesterday) is widely referred to as Blue Monday; so-called because it’s when Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and general winter blues are thought to be at their peak. But despite catching the popular imagination, is there any scientific or medical proof to support Blue Monday being the most depressing day of the year? In a nutshell, no, there isn’t. Blue Monday was actually invented by psychologist Cliff Arnall in 2005. It is said that Arnall came up with the idea of Blue Monday as part of a marketing campaign for British travel company Sky Travel (now defunct). Arnall used a mathematical equation that took into account a variety of factors to determine which was the saddest day of the year. One factor included was Northern Hemisphere weather data and Sky Travel used Arnall’s findings to persuade people that the only way to beat the winter blues on Blue Monday was by heading south of the equator. So, Blue Monday is nothing more than an elaborate marketing tool really, designed to encourage people to go on holiday. But that hasn’t stopped it becoming a phenomenon that’s talked about every year mid-January. In an interview with The Telegraph back in 2010, Arnall said people should ignore the most depressing day of the year label and try to be cheerful. “I was originally asked to come up with what I thought was the best day to book a summer holiday, but when I started thinking about the motives for booking a holiday, reflecting on what thousands had told me during stress management or happiness workshops, there were these factors that pointed to the third Monday in January as being particularly depressing," said Arnall. How did you feel yesterday? Any bluer than usual?  

A third of UK women too embarrassed to have a smear test, survey finds

23/01/2018

Smear tests can prevent 75% of cervical cancers, yet young women in Britain are avoiding having them done because they are too embarrassed, a survey suggests. According to the Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust survey of 2,017 British women, one-third delay having a smear test because they are too embarrassed. Of those women, 38% are concerned about smell, 35% are embarrassed about their body shape and 34% about the appearance of their vulva. A third of women surveyed also admitted they wouldn’t go for a smear test if they hadn’t waxed or shaved their bikini area. Worryingly, one in six (16%) women would rather miss a smear test appointment than a gym class and one in seven (14%) a waxing appointment. Robert Music, of Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust, said: "Please don't let unhappiness or uncertainty about your body stop you from attending what could be a life-saving test. "Nurses are professionals who carry out millions of tests every year, they can play a big part in ensuring women are comfortable." Every year, five million women in the UK are invited for a cervical smear test. One in four do not attend, despite cervical cancer being the most common type of cancer in women under 35. In fact, approximately 5,000 women’s lives are saved by cervical screening in the UK each year – a reality that highlights just how important these tests are. In Britain alone each year, a total of 220,000 women are diagnosed with cervical abnormalities, which can be a sign of the existence of pre-cancerous cells.  

Study reveals that anger and hatred can make people feel happier

15/08/2017

An international study has found that people are happier when they are able to feel the emotions they desire, even if those emotions are anger and hatred. The study suggests that happiness is much "more than simply feeling pleasure and avoiding pain". For the research, participants were asked what emotions they desired and felt. Their answers were then compared to how they rated their overall happiness or life satisfaction. It was discovered that while people generally wanted to experience pleasant emotions, they felt happiest when they were able to feel the emotions they desired. The bottom line, according to lead researcher Dr Maya Tamir, from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, is "If you feel emotions you want to feel, even if they're unpleasant, then you're better off". Dr Tamir went on to say that "Someone who feels no anger when reading about child abuse might think they should be angrier about the plight of abused children, so want to feel more anger than they actually do in that moment”. Interestingly, the study also found that 11% of people wanted to feel less positive emotions, such as love and empathy, while 10% of people wanted to feel more negative emotions, such as hatred and anger.

Generosity makes you happier, study confirms

18/07/2017

We all know that acts of generosity towards other people make you feel good and provide a happiness boost, but while previous scientific studies have confirmed a link between selflessness and happiness, none have analysed the mechanical link between the two, until now. For their study, Professor Phillipe Tobler and Professor Ernst Fehr, both from the Department of Economics at the University of Zurich (UZH) in Switzerland, split participants into two groups – one that was made up of people who promised to spend money on others (the experimental group) and one that promised to spend money on themselves (the control group). At the end of the four-week study, the researchers found that those individuals in the experimental group reported increased happiness compared to their counterparts in the control group. Going one step further, the researchers used functional magnetic resonance imaging to analyse the brain mechanisms that link generous behaviour with increased happiness. They saw that generous decisions activated an area of the brain linked to happiness and the reward cycle. Talking about the findings of the study, Professor Tobler said: “You don’t need to become a self-sacrificing martyr to feel happier. Just being a little more generous will suffice.”

France Surgery wins again at IMTJ Medical Travel Awards

27/05/2016

France Surgery was extremely proud and pleased to be named 'Medical Travel Agency of the Year' in 2015 at the International Medical Travel Journal's (IMTJ, www.imtj.com) annual awards ceremony. This year's IMTJ Medical Travel Awards recently took place at the Hotel Melia Avenida America in Madrid, and coincided with the larger IMTJ Medical Travel Summit. France Surgery was competing this year in the 'Best Marketing Initiative' category, so a small team made the short journey to Madrid to attend the awards ceremony. The Best Marketing Initiative category recognises companies that use marketing to effectively promote medical tourism to prospective medical travellers. France Surgery was being judged on its latest initiative “Your Recovery Path", and it's with much happiness that we can reveal we were 'highly commended' in the category (first runners up). It's a fantastic achievement, which highlights all the hard work that everyone here has undertaken over the past year, and being recognised by such a prestigious organisation is reward enough for us.

New study finds being happy can break your heart

03/03/2016

A new study from Switzerland suggests that chest pains and breathlessness caused by emotional stress do not only occur as a result of being angry, fearful or grief stricken and also happen when we are happy. It's a discovery that has led many to question the "broken heart syndrome" moniker that is often associated with takotsubo cardiomyopathy. Characterised by shortness of breath and difficulty breathing, takotsubo cardiomyopathy occurs when the heart's left ventricle changes shape and can sometimes be fatal. The Swiss research, which was conducted by the University Hospital Zurich, found that while three-quarters of cases are caused by stress, around one in 20 is caused by joy. Luckily, the condition is normally only temporary and people tend to be generally fine afterwards. The study of 1,750 individuals found that takotsubo cardiomyopathy was caused by an array of different occasions, including a birthday party; a son's wedding; becoming a grandmother; meeting a friend after 50 years and winning a casino jackpot. Dr Jelena Ghadri, who was involved in the study, said: "We have shown that the triggers for takotsubo syndrome can be more varied than previously thought. "A takotsubo syndrome patient is no longer the classic 'broken-hearted' patient, and the disease can be preceded by positive emotions too." Don't worry too much though. The medical director of the British Heart Foundation, Prof Peter Weissberg, said: "Takotsubo syndrome is a rare event" and in only a very few cases is it triggered by a sudden happiness.

Being Unhappy or Stressed Does Not Cause Ill Health, Mortality

11/12/2015

People have long thought that being unhappy could be bad for your health – especially your heart – but a new decade-long study has revealed that previous research may have confused cause and effect. The study, which was led by Dr. Bette Liu of the University of South Wales in Australia and published in The Lancet, found that unhappiness is not a direct cause of ill health and increased mortality. Known as the UK’s Million Women Study, the research team analysed 719, 671 women who had a median age of 59 to discover whether happiness detrimental changes in stress hormones or the immune system resulted in a higher risk of death. One of the research team’s conclusions was that previous studies had failed to deal with reverse causality, in other words, that people who are ill tend to not be happy. For the research, female participants were asked to regularly rate their health, stress levels and happiness. The bottom line was that whether people were “never”, “usually” or “mostly” happy had no bearing on their odds of dying during the course of the study. Dr Liu said: "Illness makes you unhappy, but unhappiness itself doesn't make you ill. "We found no direct effect of unhappiness or stress on mortality, even in a 10-year study of a million women." The research did find, however, that light smokers were twice as likely to die during the study period and regular smokers three times. Reinforcing the reality that smoking is seriously bad for your health. Unhappiness, on the other hand, doesn’t necessarily seem to be.  

Study: Yoga has Potential to Boost Quality of Life for Prostate Cancer Patients

26/11/2015

Here at France Surgery, we’re all about promoting health and wellbeing. Eating right, exercising regularly and maintaining a healthy mind, by practising yoga or meditating, for example, are all things we encourage our patients and worldwide followers to do. But now a new study has found that yoga, in particular, could benefit male prostate cancer patients who are undergoing radiation therapy. More often than not, male prostate cancer patients experience a range of side effects while receiving radiation therapy, including fatigue, urinary incontinence, erectile dysfunction and a general decline in their overall quality of life. The new study, however, despite being small, showed found that men who attended a 75-minute yoga class twice a week experienced a stable quality of life throughout. Furthermore, their side effects also remained stable over the same period. In a press release, Dr. Neha Vapiwala, an associate professor in the radiation oncology department of the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, said: "Data have consistently shown declines in these important measures among prostate cancer patients undergoing cancer therapy without any structured fitness interventions, so the stable scores seen with our yoga program are really good news." The researchers suggest that regular yoga strengthens pelvic floor muscles and increases blood flow, which could have a positive impact on erectile dysfunction and urinary incontinence. Moreover, the satisfaction and general happiness that patients get from participating in a group fitness activity further boost their quality of life. With nearly 240,000 American men each year diagnosed with prostate cancer, according to the American Cancer Society, which funded the study, research such as this has the ability to vastly improve the quality of life of male prostate cancer patients going forward.

Recover from Surgery in Beziers

13/09/2013

Beziers is one of the oldest cities in France and is located in the South, in Languedoc. The southern French climate makes Beziers a fantastic choose to recover from surgery. If you are contemplating traveling abroad for whatever surgery you need then Beziers has a lot to offer.  If you are travelling to France for major surgery and will need a lot of rest and relaxation then you may want to plan your trip so that it does not coincide with the Feria de Beziers, a bullfighting festival. During the middle of August this festival takes place every year and lasts for four days. If you are recovering from surgery it is advisable that you avoid this festival, however, if you are travelling to France for minor surgery or you plan in advance so that you are fully recovered you could stay an extra few days and experience the festival atmosphere. It’s still probably not wise to take part! This is not all Beziers has to offer a person recovering from surgery. The warm climate and location close to the Mediterranean Sea promotes happiness and health, whilst there is a wealth of sights to take in while your recovery progresses. Whether you wish to experience the Cathedrale St-Nazaire, the Musee des Beaux Arts or fancy a walk around the Plateau des Poètes containing numerous monuments and statutes. Whatever you stage of recovery there is something to do. Photo Credits: Flickr

expand_less