Health and Beauty

At any time of the year it is difficult to get a doctor’s appointment and so many decide to descend upon A&E. If you have done this then you know you will have a long wait and possibly feel there surely must be a better option available.

Many will think of this as the same as that offered by Withings the company taken over by Nokia last year, there are some changes but these are mostly on the cosmetic side such as different straps being options with the unit and wider availability of the 40mm option.

Most people hold their new items and Xmas Showcase in July, not sadly Holland & Barrett, they chose the start of the cold weather -preamble version- when to be fair some of their products on view would help the numerous coughs, colds and sniffles in the less than warm environment.

It’s over a year since I told you about the indoor version and here at last is the promised outdoor version, it seems CE compliance takes longer than everyone thought. So here the camera that can work between -25c and +45c and it has no wired connection.

A lot of homes need a Dehumidifier as there is too much moisture in the air or even the walls of a property but almost as nasty is having a too dry atmosphere especially if you have frail people, by trying to keep a home warm you could also make it too dry.

A cutthroat shave from a barber is a treat that will probably take a long time especially with a hot towel treatment. Now this kit gives you chance to do it for yourself at home - certainly not something to try after a night out.

Still quite a new idea, I have reviewed one such item previously a thermometer that you move across your forehead, it then gives a near instant reading. It can be used by the whole family as when the reading is taken you scroll through all the names and highlight yours; the reading is then transferred to your SmartPhone via Wi-Fi.

While never small this Backpack can quickly become cavernous so not only most Notebooks and all the extra bits that come it as well as a spare shirt pants and socks to facilitate an overnight stay can all be accommodated in this Backpack from Riut.

The words ‘mobile’ and ‘blood pressure’ in the same statement seemed strange to me so I asked to see this device from what is now Nokia but they are perhaps better known as Withings who have been making these sort of health devices for years.

Having looked at a water purifying bottle, and a Charcoal stick water bottle earlier this year I was a little sceptical about what this one could offer but the fruit infusion side got my attention and I asked to see what it had to offer.

Something I have heard of previously but until now I have never tried a water bottle filled with tap water and then left for various periods with a stick of charcoal in it. Recently I reviewed a water bottle with a filter to remove impurities for use when no clean water is around, this item is intended to improve the taste of pure tap water.

Philips are a trusted name in electronics, the panel division is based Europe, I have reviewed a number of items for the home medical and health division, here something from another division home grooming which they do for both men and women.

While better known as the developer of mobile phones, Nokia is also active in the area of Health equipment. One such product is the Nokia Body. Not to be confused with an Australian supermodel, the Nokia Body is a weighing machine. It has Body Mass Index features plus rain and weather forecasting capabilities along with its weighing capability.

A while ago I was sent some Nespresso compatible pods from a London company named Volcano my Nespresso machine failed to work – no fault of the pods – so now with another machine I can test these as well as pods from Aldi and Dualit.

Having had a rather good fan in my office for some of the hottest part of the summer now a slightly different device this one from Philips aimed at those who may struggle without better air quality so here the Philips Air Purifier.

One thing any person trying to lose – or gain – weight requires is an accurate scale. Here the latest offering from Terraillon is stated to be the thinnest on the market and because it is metal it’s solid and also very easy to keep clean.

On a recent visit to London during the rounds of Xmas In July I saw a rather nice coffee machine – reviewed 1st September – an electric scooter - sorry no review – and this water bottle. The contents come out as a clear liquid even if they are put in with colour, no it’s not a magic trick but the secret is in the filter inside of what is otherwise like a quality padded standard water bottle.

Glancing through a recent brochure of suggested Christmas gifts available from Philips, I noted six different shaving products. One of these products is the Philips Shaver Series 9000 which is the subject of this next review.

As a walking repository of various medical ailments, I am always on the look out for health offerings such as this next product.

With the tag line of “Effort Rewarded”, this next product reports back on how your heart copes during various activities.

This is a food scale which when use with an App might help you to lose weight, that is you have the willpower to keep it up and above all NO SNACKING BETWEEN MEALS the last directive is perhaps the most important thing of all.

Until recently apart from trips to hospitals the only thermometers that I have used were the glass ones with mercury in them that went under the tongue. Then last year in a roundup of medical devices one that went in the ear so much quicker, but still not perfect, here something that takes only a second to use and will work even with a wriggling child.

This is the latest item from Gillette which can make shaving, beard trimming and sideburn tidying up simple and because it’s all battery driven the shaving head or the blades do the work you just point it in the direction required to do the work.

This is the latest electric shaver from Braun. As with most of their recent offering it can be used as a standard dry electric shaver or when the skin is wet as you would with a traditional blade based razor giving you the best of both worlds.

Socks for me perform two purposes, to keep your feet warm and to absorb sweat. The pair I was sent also does another task and they can become a talking point as well as the two things I mentioned above they are – I think – a design statement.

I was sent a ‘Fitness Pack’ which comprises a bathroom scale which seems to be called ‘Webcoach Prime’ and a wrist strap called ‘Activ It’ band, like all such bands it can tell the time, how far you have walked and other information.

A new name to me so I asked to see a couple of their products to tell you about, first a rather nice extra-large sweater that looks expensive a has a ‘plus’, second a pair of warm socks that double as a pair of slippers for indoor wear.

Providing features such as air monitoring and pollution charts, this next product offers to act as “your good air guru”.

We all feel so much better when we are woken by bright sunlight, of course there are exceptions like if your alarm has failed to go off and you are already late for work and the boss has previously had a go at you for lateness.

This is the last of the five recently launched Health items from Philips. In fact for most the words should be ‘unhealthy items’ but that would infer that the items are unhealthy when in fact it’s the user who has the health issues. ‘Unhealth’ should perhaps be the word, when we go to see our doctor most visits will be to a ‘Health’ centre when surely it should be ‘Unhealth’ centre but that word gives my spell checker palpitations.