Health and wellbeing – Page 46 – The NEN

Emma celebrates graduation after overcoming shock seizure ordeal

The Business Management student has graduated from Edinburgh Napier with first class honours

A new Edinburgh Napier University (ENU) graduate feels as though she has achieved the impossible by graduating with first class honours – after a series of frightening seizures left her studies in doubt.

Business Management student Emma Sullivan suddenly began experiencing convulsive episodes in the summer of 2022, which became increasingly intense and unpredictable. Months of tests and appointments revealed a diagnosis of Functional Neurological Disorder.

After carefully balancing the condition with her studies, Emma has now been formally presented with her degree at the Usher Hall – where she paid tribute to her family for their support.

The 22-year-old from Edinburgh said: “The weekend before starting second year I experienced two out of control ‘episodes’, which I didn’t know were seizures at the time. Me and my parents went to A&E as we could tell something was wrong.

“After undergoing a couple of tests they were unable to detect any abnormalities, and it was put down to stress. I left the hospital feeling more confused than when I went in, as though I had wasted their time.

“I continued to have these ‘episodes’ every few weeks. They were becoming more intense, and I would be very disoriented before and after them.

“It took around seven months to finally have an explanation of what I was going through. I was referred to a neurologist who diagnosed me with Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) and explained that I was having functional seizures.”

FND affects how the brain processes signals, with symptoms including seizures, fatigue and pain. Treatments focus on managing and improving the condition through rehabilitation therapy.

For Emma, this meant carefully balancing her everyday life. She left her part-time job to focus on her health and her studies.

She added: “Once I had the diagnosis it helped to give some clarity, but I still had to learn how to adapt to this new reality. Other things in my life needed to take a back seat.

“During flare ups I was having multiple seizures a day, which was both physically and mentally exhausting. Through neuropsychology appointments I learned that pacing myself was extremely important, and this has really helped me to continue my studies.

“It was a constant concern whenever I was out of the house that I might have a seizure, which added an extra layer of stress to everyday activities.

“Alongside the seizures I would also experience limb and muscle weakness, muscle spasms, chronic pain, fatigue and dissociation.

“Two months before the first seizures I was also diagnosed with autism. So alongside navigating this new, massive health change, I was also coming to terms with what the autism diagnosis meant for me.

“It has been a lot to process during the past few years.”

Now that she has achieved her degree, Emma hopes to raise awareness of conditions like hers, while championing disability advocacy and support.

Her dissertation focused on the impact working from home can have on autistic employees – and she shared her findings at the Edinburgh Napier’s ENclusion conference in May.

She said: “There were many times during the past couple years that the thought of graduating and finishing my studies seemed absolutely impossible.

“I am extremely proud of myself for getting to the stage, but I absolutely could not have done it without the love of my family. My mum and dad have been an incredible support and have been with me every step of this journey.

“Although it has been incredibly difficult and challenging at times, these experiences have also helped me to grow in resilience, determination and strength.

“Planning for the future can be very difficult due to the unpredictability of my health, but I remain passionate about raising awareness about both chronic illnesses and autism.

“I would love to be part of a movement that drives positive change and supports others facing similar challenges, and helps to build a more inclusive, understanding society.”

Mental Health Foundation: Grounding Techniques

Grounding techniques can help us when we’re feeling out of touch with our body and surroundings. They can help us reconnect to the present moment.

This might be because we’re experiencing difficult emotions, like fear, anxiety or anger. You can also use grounding techniques if you’re experiencing a panic attack.

This technique uses all 5 senses, and can be used any time.

#GroundingTechiques

#MentalHealth

Consultation: Shaping our Strategy and the future of Scotland’s health

PUBLIC HEALTH SCOTLAND

Stakeholders across Scotland are invited to support the development of Public Health Scotland’s new strategy for 2025-2035.

As Scotland’s national public health body, we work to protect, improve, and sustain the health of Scotland’s people. We provide leadership for population health protection and improvement, supply trusted and evidence-informed advice, curate Scotland’s health data, and collaborate across all sectors turning policy into action.

Our vision remains simple but ambitious: a Scotland where everybody thrives. Within the next ten years, our aim is to boost average life expectancy by at least a year and reduce inequalities in life expectancy.

Scotland’s Population Health and Service Renewal Frameworks provide the ambition and direction for how Scotland will achieve this, through the core principles of preventing ill health, improving access and strengthening service quality.

Our strategy will define our role: what we will do and how we will lead and work with partners to deliver these plans for Scotland’s health.

We invite stakeholders from across Scotland to contribute their views to shape our strategy and to help us understand how we can achieve these goals in collaboration with partners.

We will proactively contact and engage with a diverse range of stakeholders based on Shaping our Strategy, however we would also like to hear from other individuals and organisations.

To support this process, several questions are provided. The closing date for submissions is Friday 29 August 2025. Feedback should be emailed to phs.strategicdevelopment@phs.scot.

These submissions will inform our strategy which we will publish later this year.

Find more information, including how to submit a consultation response, by viewing Shaping our Strategy.

Go to the Scottish Government’s Population Health and Service Renewal Frameworks

Read a blog from Paul Johnston, Chief Executive of Public Health Scotland, where he discusses the new Frameworks

NHS 24: Sun Safety Tips

It’s set to be a scorcher over much of Scotland this weekend If you’re planning to be outdoors follow our sun safety tips:

Taps aff? Slap the sun cream on!

Don’t be stingy, slather on a minimum of SPF 30 (but SPF 50 is even better!) over any exposed skin.

Hydrate, hydrate, HYDRATE!

Don’t wait till your gaspin’. Drink regularly throughout the day – water and diluted juice are good choices, but ice poles and ice lollies count too. It might be tempting to crack out the beers when it is hot, but remember alcohol is a diuretic meaning it can cause dehydration. Alternate any alcoholic drinks with water or just juice.

Hide during the hottest temperatures

The sun is at it’s sassiest between 11am and 3pm and UV levels are at their highest. Try to keep in the shade as much as possible during these times.

Cover up those pasty bits!

You might want to shed some clothing when it’s roastin’, but your skin will thank you if it’s kept covered up. Think loose, cool fabrics like cotton, your fave pair of sunnies , and a big hat to keep the lugs, face and neck protected.

Mind those that need some extra help

Wee tots shouldn’t be in any direct sunlight for any length of time. Babies and bairns can get overheated quickly, so keep a close eye and make sure they are dressed properly for the hot weather.

Keep a check on the auld yins and anyone who has a long-term medical condition too

For more guidance and advice on how to stay safe in hot weather check out our page on #NHSinform

Mental Health Foundation: Alcohol and Depression

It’s important to be aware of how alcohol affects your mental health, particularly if you have a mental health problem.

People drink for many reasons – from celebrating to commiserating, relaxing, to feeling more confident.

And while the short-term effects might deliver – this quickly wears off.

The chemical changes in your brain caused by alcohol can soon lead to negative feelings, including depression, anxiety and anger.

And for those already struggling with depression, it can make those symptoms worse.

Find out more about alcohol and mental health: https://bit.ly/46J2mtf

Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh launches The People’s Dispensary Website

Edinburgh patient experiences from the 1700s revealed

The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh is delighted to announce the launch of a new website, The People’s Dispensary:

https://www.rcpe.ac.uk/peoplesdispensary

At its core, The People’s Dispensary features a digitised and transcribed collection of 18th century case notes of the Edinburgh Public Dispensary from its foundation in 1776. Located in Edinburgh’s Old Town, it provided free diagnosis and medicines to the city’s sick. Users of the website will be able to search these digitised and transcribed records which feature fascinating details about the diseases, treatments and experiences of poor patients in 1700s Edinburgh.

The digitised and transcribed 18th century patient case notes feature over 10,000 pages of patient records. It is a unique resource as the only surviving collection of 18th century dispensary patient case notes in Britain and contains 1,372 patients, 174 medical practitioners and 900 diseases and treatments.

Daisy Cunynghame, Heritage Manager & Librarian, says: “We are excited to bring this collection to the public eye and very proud of the efforts of colleagues and volunteers that were involved in creating this web resource.

“These records contain amazing insight into the experiences of poor patients in 1700s Edinburgh. So often when stories are told of medicine and sickness in Georgian Britain, they focus on people who wrote letters and kept diaries – people who were middle and upper class.

“Through this new website we can share details of the experiences of the less well-off who relied on charitable medicine.

“The case notes are really remarkable – we find out about a woman who swallowed two pistol bullets as a folk remedy for her constipation.

“Our hope is that the website will encourage our audiences to learn about and reflect on what life was like for ordinary people in historic Scotland”.

Professor Mark Strachan, Heritage Trustee, says: “Although modern medical treatments bear little relation to those prescribed in the Edinburgh Public Dispensary, we can still see many parallels between past and present practice.

“The need to balance potential side effects of the treatment against the consequences of not treating an illness, the adverse health consequences of certain occupations and the challenge for women in having symptoms of illness believed by doctors were as common in Georgian Britain as they are today.”

Some interesting points:

• One of the recommended treatments was sea bathing. But there was a risk attached. In the case of Margaret Gray, a patient admitted to the Edinburgh dispensary in the winter of 1781 with a diagnosis of hysteria, it was recommend that she bathe in a tub or ‘form of shower bath’ rather than sea bathing, because ‘in deep water fatal consequences in the way of drowning have sometimes happened’

• Dispensary physicians recorded the home remedies that patients had already tried, including a remedy provided by a ‘benevolent lady, the widow of a Clergyman’. Sometimes the physicians did not approve, including in one case where an individual applied burnt butter to their child’s head, as a treatment for a fungal infection, ‘by the advice of some officious neighbours’

• The case notes record the occupations of many of the patients, and the impact that their diagnosis had on their health. This included street hawkers, labourers and servants. Two very Edinburgh-specific occupations were water carrier and chairman. The water carriers’ job was to collect water from the well and then deliver it to individual homes across the city. Chairmen – the carriers of sedan chairs – were also much more common in Edinburgh than other cities. Because of the Old Town’s narrow and winding streets, it wasn’t possible to travel around much of the city in a horse and cart, so chairmen were employed instead to carry their employers throughout the city. And a lot of the medical problems of both carriers and chairmen were admitted into the dispensary for were clearly related to their line of work – particularly chronic back pain and rheumatism.

• Dispensary physicians would regularly record their concern that female patients were faking their medical conditions in order to be prescribed medicines which would bring about an abortion.

Web link: https://www.rcpe.ac.uk/peoplesdispensary

Springboard into diving

Edinburgh Leisure is on the hunt for the next generation of divers

For those who have been inspired by divers such as Jack Laugher, Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix (daughter of Fred!) and Tom Daley, Edinburgh Leisure is offering the opportunity for children to come and try diving with our experienced coaches at the Royal Commonwealth Pool to see if they have a talent for the sport.

Children should be between 5 and 16 years old, able to swim 10 metres unaided, confident in deep water and submerge in water without

r without googles. No experience in necessary as they will be learning basic skills but those interested in gymnastics, trampolining, acrobatics or similar sports might enjoy this opportunity to try a new sport.

Priced at just £3, the diving taster sessions at the Royal Commonwealth Pool are offered on:

Monday 4 – Friday 8 August at 17.10 – 17.40

To secure a place, interested people should visit the Edinburgh Leisure website – https://shorturl.at/uLDKw

Edinburgh Leisure offers a world class diving programme at the Royal Commonwealth Pool, complete with a dedicated Dry Dive Area with trampolines and harnesses, which enables more experienced divers to practice the twists and turns before trying them out on the boards.

Their diving programme follows the National Diving Award Scheme right through to competitive level.

Athletes training at the Royal Commonwealth Pool include local Edinburgh boy, James Heatly (GB); Yona Knight-Wisdom (Jamaica) and Grace Reid, who grew up in the capital, are amongst other Olympians who have previously trained at the Commie.

For more information:

https://www.edinburghleisure.co.uk/coaching-activities/diving/

NHSGGC Urges Sun Safety Ahead of TRNSMT and Warm Weekend

Members of the public are being encouraged to stay safe in the sun as warm weather is expected this weekend.

Thousands will be attending TRNSMT, and NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) is asking festivalgoers to ensure they are protected from the sun, stay hydrated, and look after both themselves and others.

Common health conditions during nicer weather can include sunburn, food poisoning, bites or stings.

For those heading to TRNSMT, travel-sized sunscreen and collapsible water bottles (500ml or smaller) are permitted.

Medication is also allowed but must be clearly labelled in its original packaging and limited to a one-day supply. Sunglasses and a hat or cap also protect against the sun.

At the festival there are first aid points, a wellbeing area, welfare spaces, and a Welfare Team.

For more information about TRNSMT and keeping yourself and others safe, visit their website at: https://trnsmtfest.com/info-item/essential-information.

For those also planning to enjoy the weather outside, NHSGGC also emphasised the importance of keeping essential items, such as over-the-counter medicines, a first aid kit, and an ice pack to help manage minor cuts, bruises, sprains, and strains.

If you’re planning a barbecue, take care to avoid food poisoning by ensuring food is cooked thoroughly and hygienically.

NHSGGC’s Top Tips for the Weekend:

Sunburn and sunstroke – Always cover up in the sun to protect yourself and your family from burns and heat exhaustion. This includes wearing a high-factor sunscreen, appropriate clothing, and spending time in the shade.
Medicines – Ensure you have over-the-counter medicines available for common illnesses, including paracetamol or ibuprofen, remedies for bites and stings, and antihistamines for allergies.
First aid – Keep a first aid kit in your home with plasters, bandages, and antiseptic wipes for cuts, as well as an ice pack for minor strains or sprains.
Food poisoning – Barbecuing can lead to food poisoning if it is not done correctly. Ensure meat is cooked thoroughly and evenly and keep cooked and raw food separate.

For those requiring support or medical treatment for non-life-threatening conditions, there is a range of services available to help, and NHSGGC continues to ask people to ‘think ABC’ before attending A&E:

Ask yourself: Do I need to go out? For information on keeping yourself well and treating minor illnesses and injuries from home, visit the NHS Inform website or download the NHS24 app.
Be aware: There is help for many conditions right on your doorstep. Your local GP, pharmacy, dentist or optician offer a range of services. This could include directing you to a Minor Injuries Unit or arranging an appointment for you with NHSGGC’s Virtual A&E Flow Navigation Centre.
Call 111: If it’s urgent, or you’re not sure, call NHS 24 on 111. They’ll make sure you get the help you need.

If you believe your condition or injury is urgent or life-threatening, please call 999 or attend A&E immediately.

For more information on accessing the care you need, please go to: Right Care, Right Place – NHSGGC.

Dr Emilia Crighton, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde’s Director of Public Health, said: “This weekend is looking like a great time to get outside for warmer weather.

“No matter what you’re doing, please enjoy the good weather safely by protecting yourself when in the sun, staying hydrated, and having common medicines to hand.

“We know tens of thousands of people will be heading to TRSNMT, and we hope everyone has a fantastic time. We ask festivalgoers to look after themselves and others so everyone can enjoy the event safely.

“For those who do require medical support this weekend, we want people to be aware that there are many services available to them other than emergency departments.

“By using NHS 24’s digital resources and through 111, people who need care can be seen by the most appropriate staff in the most appropriate setting.

“We ask everyone to think ABC before A&E. This will ensure you get the right care in the right place, will help reduce waiting times, and free up capacity for those who need it most.”

Time poor Scots too busy to maintain health, according to new research

Most common missed health checks include eye appointments, dental exams and GP visits.
Most cite work commitments, difficulties getting an appointment and simply forgetting to book a check-up reasons why.
An expert is urging Scots not to put health on the back burner: “Not all conditions have obvious symptoms.”

More than a quarter (27%) Scots are often too busy to stay on top of their health and almost half (46%) have missed or delayed a health appointment, according to new research.

Dental exams (17%), eye checks (16%) and GP visits (19%) were the most missed or delayed appointments, with ‘work commitments’ as the most cited reason why (38%). Others referenced difficulty getting an appointment (37%) or simply forgetting to book one (24%).

Now an expert is urging the public not to put health on the back burner.

Giles Edmonds, Clinical Services Director at Specsavers, commented: “When life gets hectic, it’s all too easy to push check-ups to the bottom of your list, but your health should never be ignored, including your eyesight.

“Not all conditions have obvious symptoms, so seeing the optician or dentist only when you’re experiencing changes won’t enable these to be identified and treated early.

“Glaucoma, for example, can develop slowly over time without any obvious symptoms, meaning many people don’t realise there’s a problem until irreversible damage to their vision has already been done.

“That’s why regular eye checks are so important – they’re not just about checking your vision; they’re a vital part of catching conditions like glaucoma early.”

Despite glaucoma being one of the most common eye conditions, people know little about the condition. More than half (51%) vaguely knew the signs and symptoms, while over a quarter (27%) knew almost nothing about the condition at all.

The research, commissioned by Specsavers, also revealed that almost two-thirds have a health problem they’ve not yet checked out – including mobility or joint pain (19%), weight or fitness levels (19%) and dental health (16%).

Despite this, more than one in ten (13%) haven’t had a dental exam and or eye check (11%) in over five years, while 7% of those surveyed have never had one.

The research also uncovered other areas adults skip over because they’ve been short of time, which included drinking enough water (33%) and getting a full night’s sleep (32%).

Of those who don’t prioritise their own health, over a third (39%) admit putting their work or job commitments first, while a third (33%) say put their family’s health needs first.

Nearly half (42%) say easier booking systems would help them make their health more of a priority, while a further 32% are simply wishing for ‘more hours in the day’.

Giles Edmonds added: “It’s easy to let health checks slide when you’re juggling a busy schedule, but looking after your eyesight is something you simply can’t afford to ignore.

“A quick and simple eye check every couple of years – or more often if you’re at higher risk – could protect you from serious long-term consequences such as avoidable vision loss.

“Your vision is one of your most precious senses, and it deserves your attention.”

To book an eye check, visit www.specsavers.co.uk.

Experience Edinburgh’s Sporting Heritage at Pop Up Exhibition at St James Quarter

As part of the city-wide Edinburgh 900 celebrations, a new exhibition celebrating Edinburgh’s rich sporting legacy opens tomorrow (Wednesday) at St James Quarter.

Free and open to all, the exhibition invites visitors to explore Edinburgh Leisure’s proud history of leisure and sport through engaging displays and stories.

Located in a dedicated Edinburgh 900 pop-up on Leith Street, next to Mor Bakery, the exhibition showcases the “City of Leisure” theme and features highlights from three captivating Edinburgh Leisure displays.

Great Lengths & Your Health is for Life

Discover Edinburgh Leisure’s 27-year commitment to promoting active lifestyles and delve into the fascinating history of the city’s Victorian swimming pools, including the iconic Royal Commonwealth Pool.

Teeing Off Through Time

Celebrate Edinburgh’s prestigious golfing heritage designed to be displayed at the 125th Edinburgh Evening News Dispatch Trophy, held at Braid Hills Golf Course in May.

Learn about the city’s pivotal role in golf’s origins, explore Edinburgh Leisure’s six scenic golf courses, and uncover the stories behind historic tournaments like the Dispatch Trophy and Gibson Cup, which have shaped local golfing traditions for over 130 years.

Whether you’re a sports enthusiast, history buff, leisure enthusiast or simply curious, this exhibition offers a unique opportunity to experience Edinburgh’s sporting spirit – all under one roof.

Admission is free, and no booking is required. If you missed the exhibition at the Royal Commonwealth Pool last autumn, now’s your chance to catch it in the heart of the city.

You can learn about Edinburgh Leisure’s Active Communities programmes, which support over 12,500 people affected by health conditions, disabilities, inequalities, and poverty to get active; membership options including their 4-week summer pass, available now; fundraising initiatives, and volunteering opportunities too.