Chris Steele (doctor)
Encyclopedia
Dr. Chris Steele, MBE
, is a British
medical doctor well known for his many media appearances.
He is the resident doctor on ITV
's This Morning daytime magazine show. He appeared on the very first show in 1988 and still appears on the show every week.
Steele attended St Aidan's Catholic School. He qualified as a doctor in 1968 and has worked as a general practitioner
in South Manchester
ever since.
and nicotine addiction. He has lectured on this subject in over 27 countries around the world, making many media appearances.
(Nicorette
) for smokers who wanted help in giving up their cigarettes. At that time in the UK, nicotine gum was a prescription only medicine (a POM
). It was in fact the only POM amongst thousands that could not be prescribed at NHS
expense, in other words it was not reimbursable under the socialised medicine system that was in effect at that time in the UK.
A Department of Health
committee, known as the Advisory Committee on Borderline Substances recommended that Nicorette should not be allowed on NHS prescription, because it decreed that "Anti smoking preparations are not regarded as drugs." Dr Steele regarded that nicotine was most certainly a drug and a powerful one at that, and so prescribed nicotine gum on NHS prescriptions for those motivated smokers who wanted to give up smoking. As a result of "breaking the rules", Steele faced various disciplinary hearings eventually having to present his case to a Tribunal of Independent Referees.
At that tribunal a statement for the Secretary of State for Health
read as follows: "Smoking is a habit it is not a disease or condition even though It may be a contributary cause of, or may aggravate, a disease or condition such as bronchitis, carcinoma of the lung, arteriosclerosis and so on." The tribunal's conclusions to "Is tobacco dependency a disease?", dated 6 July 1984, which Steele's supporters regarded as a vindication, were as follows:
's daytime magazine show This Morning
since its first ever episode in 1988 and has remained the resident health expert since then.
He also developed skin cancer on his cheek; the procedure to remove this was also done live on air.
However this has caused controversy in the UK media as YouTube now rates these videos as "suitable for over 18s only"
This was covered by the The Sun tabloid newspaper.
, is an international athlete competing in the 400m for Great Britain
.
MBE
MBE can stand for:* Mail Boxes Etc.* Management by exception* Master of Bioethics* Master of Bioscience Enterprise* Master of Business Engineering* Master of Business Economics* Mean Biased Error...
, is a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
medical doctor well known for his many media appearances.
He is the resident doctor on ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
's This Morning daytime magazine show. He appeared on the very first show in 1988 and still appears on the show every week.
Steele attended St Aidan's Catholic School. He qualified as a doctor in 1968 and has worked as a general practitioner
General practitioner
A general practitioner is a medical practitioner who treats acute and chronic illnesses and provides preventive care and health education for all ages and both sexes. They have particular skills in treating people with multiple health issues and comorbidities...
in South Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
ever since.
Work on nicotine addiction
He became interested in treating his patients who smoked in the early 1970s and is now recognised as an international expert in smoking cessationSmoking cessation
Smoking cessation is the process of discontinuing the practice of inhaling a smoked substance. This article focuses exclusively on cessation of tobacco smoking; however, the methods described may apply to cessation of smoking other substances that can be difficult to stop using due to the...
and nicotine addiction. He has lectured on this subject in over 27 countries around the world, making many media appearances.
Fight to have nicotine gum prescriptions paid by NHS
In 1984, the he was faced with a dilemma regarding the prescribing of nicotine gumNicotine gum
Nicotine gum is a type of chewing gum that delivers nicotine to the body. It is used as an aid in nicotine replacement therapy , a process for smoking cessation and quitting smokeless tobacco. The nicotine is delivered to the bloodstream via absorption by the tissues of the mouth.It is currently...
(Nicorette
Nicorette
Nicorette is the brand name of a pharmaceutical preparation that contains nicotine for the treatment of tobacco dependence. Nicorette was the first medicinal preparation to facilitate smoking cessation....
) for smokers who wanted help in giving up their cigarettes. At that time in the UK, nicotine gum was a prescription only medicine (a POM
Pom
- Business :* Pepco Holdings, the stock symbol for Pepco Holdings, Inc.* Production and Operations Management- Food and beverages :* POM Wonderful, a brand of pomegranate juice* Pom , a taro like root based oven dish native to Suriname- Astronomy :...
). It was in fact the only POM amongst thousands that could not be prescribed at NHS
National Health Service
The National Health Service is the shared name of three of the four publicly funded healthcare systems in the United Kingdom. They provide a comprehensive range of health services, the vast majority of which are free at the point of use to residents of the United Kingdom...
expense, in other words it was not reimbursable under the socialised medicine system that was in effect at that time in the UK.
A Department of Health
Department of Health (United Kingdom)
The Department of Health is a department of the United Kingdom government with responsibility for government policy for health and social care matters and for the National Health Service in England along with a few elements of the same matters which are not otherwise devolved to the Scottish,...
committee, known as the Advisory Committee on Borderline Substances recommended that Nicorette should not be allowed on NHS prescription, because it decreed that "Anti smoking preparations are not regarded as drugs." Dr Steele regarded that nicotine was most certainly a drug and a powerful one at that, and so prescribed nicotine gum on NHS prescriptions for those motivated smokers who wanted to give up smoking. As a result of "breaking the rules", Steele faced various disciplinary hearings eventually having to present his case to a Tribunal of Independent Referees.
At that tribunal a statement for the Secretary of State for Health
Secretary of State for Health
Secretary of State for Health is a UK cabinet position responsible for the Department of Health.The first Boards of Health were created by Orders in Council dated 21 June, 14 November, and 21 November 1831. In 1848 a General Board of Health was created with the First Commissioner of Woods and...
read as follows: "Smoking is a habit it is not a disease or condition even though It may be a contributary cause of, or may aggravate, a disease or condition such as bronchitis, carcinoma of the lung, arteriosclerosis and so on." The tribunal's conclusions to "Is tobacco dependency a disease?", dated 6 July 1984, which Steele's supporters regarded as a vindication, were as follows:
- We find it ought to be so considered.
- We find that nicotine prescribed for this purpose has both a pharmacological and a therapeutic effect.
- We find that this method of treatment is the most effective that has so far been evolved.
Work on ITVs This Morning
Dr Steele has appeared on ITVITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
's daytime magazine show This Morning
This Morning (TV series)
This Morning is a British daytime television programme broadcast on ITV. As of September 2011, its main presenters are Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby, and Ruth Langsford and Eamonn Holmes, with various other presenters standing in for illness or contributing to sections of the programme.The...
since its first ever episode in 1988 and has remained the resident health expert since then.
Notable events
He has notably pioneered the use of the TV medium to inform and educate the public in health matters. He showed live on air:- Self examination of testicles, January 1999 (claimed to be a "TV first")
- Live vasectomyVasectomyVasectomy is a surgical procedure for male sterilization and/or permanent birth control. During the procedure, the vasa deferentia of a man are severed, and then tied/sealed in a manner such to prevent sperm from entering into the seminal stream...
procedure, 28 September 2005 (surgery done by Dr. Tim Black of the Marie Stopes InternationalMarie Stopes InternationalMarie Stopes International is an International Non-Governmental Organisation working on Sexual and Reproductive Health with headquarters in London, UK. It is named after Marie Stopes, a Scottish author, campaigner for eugenics, women's rights, and a pioneer in the field of family planning...
) - Live Cervical Smear, 20 October 2005
He also developed skin cancer on his cheek; the procedure to remove this was also done live on air.
YouTube controversy
Subsequently Dr Steele has pioneered the use of the Internet to raise awareness of important health issues. He has posted videos to youtube.com such as a self-examination video, Live breast self-examination video and a live testicular self-examination video.However this has caused controversy in the UK media as YouTube now rates these videos as "suitable for over 18s only"
This was covered by the The Sun tabloid newspaper.
Weight Loss
Dr Steele produced a weight loss system for This Morning in 1989. This proved very popular with viewers, with over 150,000 viewers requesting details. This resulted in Dr Steele being approached by a friend of Charlie Walduck in 2004 who at that time weighed over 44st, and was unable to walk alone. Over the next year Walduck lost over 20st in weight, a record in the UK. Walduck reportedly now weighs less than 16st as of January 2011 He ran the London Marathon in 2006 and has now completed 5 Great North Runs and works in community radio.Family
Dr Chris Steele's son, Andrew SteeleAndrew Steele
Andrew Steele is a British 400 metres and 4x400 m relay runner in athletics.He was educated at St. Bede's College, Manchester, UK. He is the son of Dr. Chris Steele MBE, the resident health expert on ITV's This Morning.In 2008 Andrew competed in his first Olympic Games – Beijing 2008...
, is an international athlete competing in the 400m for Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
.
External links
- This Morning at itv.comItv.comitv.com is the main website of ITV plc, the UK's largest commercial television broadcaster which operates 11 out of 15 regions on the ITV network under the ITV1 brand. The website offers on-line streaming, ITV archive, news, sport, entertainment, games, soaps, lifestyle, drama and an interactive TV...