Get moving Exercising for at least 150 minutes a week is the amount recommended to keep your heart healthy, says Lucy Wilkinson, Senior Cardiac Nurse at the British Heart Foundation…
Health
Could your circulation problems be Raynaud’s?
Raynaud’s is a blood-vessel disorder which affects around 10 million of us in the UK and produces a sudden reduction in blood flow to the hands and other extremities, which…
Living with tinnitus plus 5 ways to protect your ears
Tinnitus means ringing in the ears – hissing, whistling, buzzing, humming, music, or any sounds that come from inside our bodies. And while there’s rarely a serious cause, it can…
Your balance: 6 ways to improve it
We need healthy brain inputs and outputs in order to balance. Sensory signals from our muscles, joints, skin and gravity provide constantly updated feedback about our body’s position, which our…
When your kidneys stop working
Acute kidney injury (sudden damage/AKI) usually develops during serious illness or in older people with long-term medical problems. Around one in five of those admitted to hospital has AKI, but…
Problems with your pituitary
Our pea-sized pituitary glands are located deep behind the bridge of our noses at the base of our brains. They produce nine different hormones that control various body functions; these…
How to stop snoring
Snoring doesn’t just affect overweight, middle-aged men – women, and even children may snore, too. But obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA/blocked breathing during sleep) tends to be under diagnosed in women,…
Prostate cancer: Is he at risk?
Prostate enlargement commonly starts around the age of 50 and symptoms (see below) affect three-quarters of men in their seventies. Most cases are benign (BPH), but one in eight men…
Why a good rest can be bad for you
Our bodies are designed to move – and strange things start happening after just 24 hours of immobility. Longer-term, regular exercise helps to ward off heart disease, diabetes, dementia, many…
Vitamin D supplements: Should you be taking them?
Up to half of us in the UK have lowish vitamin D levels (scientists are still debating what’s ‘normal’), although we may not actually have deficiency symptoms. But our lack…
Fits, faints and feeling funny
Feeling a bit dizzy is quite common but if it soon passes, we may be tempted to ignore it. However, dizziness comes in many forms, and some have serious causes.…
Neurostimulation: A new way to treat pain
Our brain controls what we feel, how we move and behind-the-scenes activities, such as hormone production, as well as how we think and react. Body areas are represented in the…
The surprising things that age you – and how to beat them
The sweet stuff Research shows a direct link between the amount of sugar circulating in your blood and how old you look. ‘Sugar causes ‘glycation’ damage in the skin,’ says…
Five-minute health fixes
Do some eye yoga Relax and refresh tired eyes with this simple routine. Keep your head still throughout the moves and close your eyes for five seconds after each one:…
Four life-saving health tests
Many people avoid tests that they think will hurt, be embarrassing or have scary results, but this can delay valuable treatment or reassurance. Doctors and nurses understand our fears and…
How to control anger: Manage your mood
Everyone seems more angry these days – in public, on the internet and often in private, too. Anger is a normal emotion and helps to protect us, but, unrestrained, it…
Sudden death: Is your family at risk
Many people are unaware they have a condition called cardiomyopathy, that affects more than one in 500 of us. It can cause sudden death at any age, and is a…
How to hardwire your happiness
Being a happy person or a sad person is not set in stone. We can change the way we feel by altering our brain chemistry. ‘When you feel good, your…
What you need to know about blisters
We all get blisters from time to time, usually on our feet or hands; our skin reacts to friction, pressure, burns or scalds by producing a painful swelling filled with…
Top summer health tips
Eat better Broad beans Broad beans are definitely underrated. ‘As well as providing a source of protein, fibre, vitamins A, B6 and C, potassium, manganese, folate and iron, they also…