Health Fitness

Health stories from around the world this week include a new handheld ultrasound device that can help to diagnose illnesses. Also a breakthrough U.S. study which has discovered garlic oil can help combat warts, and a new spray foam which can help prevent major blood loss.

Mobile that can tell if you're ill

A futuristic scanner the size of a mobile phone is being used to diagnose hidden health problems.

The pocket-sized device, which is undergoing trials, is held over the body and relies on ultrasound to produce images of damaged internal tissue.

Ultrasound has a wide range of uses, from monitoring babies' health in the womb to diagnosing gallstones.

But most machines are too big to be portable. The new device, called Vscan, will change that. Despite its size, it is almost as powerful as the bulky ultrasound machines in hospitals.

It has a wand-like attachment that is held next to the skin - the information it picks up is transmitted instantly as an image to the Vscan screen.


This instant feedback means doctors or paramedics don't have to send patients to hospital for a scan.

Developed by GE Healthcare, it is the closest scientists have come to a ' tricorder', the high-tech instrument used by Star Trek's Dr McCoy to diagnose and treat illness on the Starship Enterprise.

Warts? Try rubbing on a little garlic oil

Garlic could be a fast-acting treatment for warts. A U.S. study has found that a rubon extract of the spice removed all trace of warts within two weeks.

It's thought sulphur compounds in garlic have antibiotic and anti-viral benefits.

Warts are caused by a viral infection in the skin's top layer. Though harmless, they are highly contagious.

Conventional treatment includes ointments containing salicylic acid (burning the wart to destroy tissue), but these can take months to be effective.

Cryosurgery (freezing) is quicker, but can be painful, especially for children, who are most likely to suffer from warts.

In the study, 23 people applied the oily garlic extract twice a day. After one to two weeks, all were wart-free, though side-effects included redness and burning.

Traditional wart remedies include a compress of freshly crushed garlic over the area at night (though this carries the risk of the same side effects as the oil).

How a spray can stop bleeding

A foam squirted from a can just like shaving cream stops major blood loss and could save many lives.

Once it's sprayed into a wound, the high-tech foam expands and sticks to tissue, instantly halting bleeding.

Heavy blood loss is a major cause of death in severely injured people. Many wounds can't be stitched and medics often struggle to halt bleeding.

The foam, which is being tested by Remedium Technologies Inc, uses chitosan, a substance commonly found in the shells of crabs and shrimp, to act as a coagulant and stop bleeding. It also has anti-bacterial properties, which reduce the risk of infection.

The foam could also be used in surgery. The initial aim is to use it for road traffic accident victims and injured soldiers. One in ten deaths on the battlefield is due to haemorrhaging from damaged limbs.

Paramedics will also be able to use it to stem bleeding while patients are rushed to hospital.