The Times has completed an article today on the brain being tricked in to feeling pain and the methods being undertaken to try and reverse the process.

This assumption is based on the findings of Mr Craig Murray, a neuroscientist based at Lancaster University. He discusses ‘phantom limb’ syndrome. This, as the name suggests, is where amputees are still able to experience sensations such as clenching a fist or swinging a leg, despite no longer possessing that body part.

This weird phenomenon has traditionally been explained by the suggestion that nerve endings, traumatised due to injury or the amputation, must be misfiring and sending the wrong signals to the brain. However, Mr Murray has found in his studies that the pain or sensations felt by victims of accidents are often related to accidents prior to the trauma which caused their amputation and may be psychological in origin.
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According to the BBC, Jayden Bloomer and his mother Jackie Bloomer were hit by a Rover when it crashed in Water Street, Accrington, on Tuesday afternoon.

The driver of the car, an 89-year-old man, also died. Ms Bloomer, 30, suffered multiple injuries and is critically ill in hospital.

Lancashire Police are investigating the cause of the accident.
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According to the BBC, an investigation is underway in to how Mr Phillip Carsley, from Thurnscoe, South Yorkshire, died.

An ambulance was called to the scene of the accident but Mr Carsley was pronounced dead at the scene. The incident is being looked in to by both the Health and Safety Executive and Hampshire police.

Mr Carsley’s family said in a statement that his sudden death had left them “shocked and numb”.
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According to the BBC, those wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan are to receive are to be the beneficiaries of a more generous compensation scheme.

Under the old rules a soldier was only compensated for the worst three injuries from any one incident. The new rules will take in to account all injuries suffered, with compensation awarded on a sliding scale.

Those who suffer from post traumatic stress will also benefit from more generous awards and a rise in the annual amount given to soldiers for their loss of earnings.
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Gordon Brown has today provided more details of plans to ensure that everyone in England who suffers from cancer receives dedicated one on one specialist nursing.

According to the BBC, the Prime Minister stated that the move would transform the experience of patients.  In his speech at the health research charity, The Kings Fund, he stated regarding the proposals that “We must push forward with new and ever more stretching guarantees to secure for every family the right to get the best possible personalised health care when and where they need it”. In addition to this Mr Brown confirmed that the guarantees given would be legally enforceable.

These proposals would include the right for anyone with suspected cancer to see a specialist within two weeks of diagnosis and a commitment to ensure all cancer tests will be completed and results given in one week. Additionally Mr Brown said that one to one specialist care at home for cancer sufferers could “transform their experience” and would benefit £1.6million people.
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There are to be further improvements made in the care of premature babies in the East Midlands, health bosses have announced.

According to the BBC, £1.7 million has been invested in a new specialist transport service so babies can be quickly and safely transported to the appropriate unit after a review of the nine primary care trusts in the East Midlands identified areas for improvement.

Around 5,500 premature and sick babies require special attention and this investment will ensure that not only are the specialist hospitals at the Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham and Leicester Royal Infirmary able to maintain their high standards of care, it will also mean that other neonatal units in the region are able to care for babies according to their needs and that the children can be moved from unit to unit much more easily, depending on the severity of their condition.
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According to the BBC, the proposals came after eight people died on Italian ski slopes last weekend.

The law could be in place by the end of the ski season and would also include a fine of €5000 for anyone caught ignoring warnings and skiing off-piste.

Off-piste skiing is where people ski away from or between designated trails and is becoming increasingly popular. The areas are often dangerous and unstable and this has resulted in an increased number of deaths.
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A 65 year old man has died after he was hit by a bus when it mounted a pavement.

According to the BBC, the incident occurred in Albany Road, Walworth, South London and involved the number 42 bus. It happened at approximately 10.30am on 30^th January 2010.

Mr Newell Lewis suffered multiple injuries and died at King’s College Hospital.

Police stated that the bus hit several items of street furniture before hitting Mr Lewis but they have appealed for further information regarding the incident, Metropolitan Police Sergeant Paul Sanders stating that the police “…still need to hear from anyone who saw what happened that day”.
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According to the BBC, the report conducted by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) indicates that the British Airways Boeing 777 lost power due to both engines due to restricted fuel flow.

It said that the crash was probably caused by a build up of ice in the fuel system. The ice is said to have formed within the fuel system from water that occurred naturally in the fuel when a particular temperature range would cause the ice crystals to stick.

The report states that “Certification requirements, with which the aircraft and engine fuel system had to comply, did not take account of this phenomenon as this risk was unrecognised at that time”
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Mrs Anita Claim: What is all this “No Win, No Fee” stuff that I keep hearing about on the telly?

It is exactly what it says. Basically, if your solicitor offers to run your claim under a “No win, no fee” agreement then, if they are unsuccessful with your claim they won’t charge you for the hours that they have spent in handling your claim.

Therefore they will in effect will have worked handled your case for free. Is there a greater motivation for them to win your claim than knowing that they will not be paid if they lose?
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