Going to the gym has never been on my radar. In fact, the nearest I’ve ever got to exercising has been pushing my late son Nigel’s wheelchair. So never…
Health
Why it’s vital for women of all ages to be breast aware
Mum and I live within about a mile of one another in South East London and she’s always been an amazing support to me. I’m a single working parent to…
12 things your brain wants you to say
1. I’ll walk, thanks Or run, dance, climb stairs – or just keep moving. Regular exercise stimulates your brain’s oxygen supply, nourishing nerve cells and dilating arteries, which can protect…
Could you have thyroid problems?
We don’t usually notice the butterfly-shaped thyroid gland at the front of our necks.But it’s the body’s pacemaker, producing thyroid hormone (thyroxine) to regulate the activity of every body cell-…
15 things your dentist wants you to do differently
We reveal 15 things your dentist would encourage you do take note of to improve your oral health. 1. Watch out for fruit teas They might appear healthy, but did…
Piles and incontinence plus 6 symptoms you shouldn’t ignore
Piles are common (up to a third of us have them), but pain and bleeding from the anus and rectum may even be early signs of cancer, so don’t ignore…
Painkillers: What you need to know about taking them
Pain’s job is to warn and protect us, but it sometimes feels more like the enemy. As well as producing unpleasant sensations (musculoskeletal, dull or cramping internal organ pain and…
Want to quit smoking? Vaping might help
With the right tactics, you can become an ex-smoker. Smoking rates have fallen by a quarter in the past 10 years, although almost one in five of us still lights…
Keep healthy all year round with our top health tips
MARCH – Plan your sleep routine The clocks go forward this month, and losing an hour’s sleep can affect your body clock. To help adjust, Lisa Artis of The Sleep…
Are you getting too much sun – or not enough?
Many of us are sun-avoiders because of our lifestyles and/or warnings linking the sun to skin cancer. But we get most of our vitamin D from the action of sunshine…
Fight your foggy brain
We all know that feeling – as though your brain is in a cloud, waiting for the sun to break through. Names and other words elude you, you lose your…
Cut your risk of a blood clot
Venous thromboembolism (VTE) includes deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE), and affects two people per 1,000 each year. In DVT, a blood clot develops in a deep vein…
What to do when part of your body changes colour?
We quickly notice sudden colour changes in ourselves or others, but it can take longer when they’re subtle, develop slowly, or are hidden by clothes. There’s often a simple reason…
Healthy nails: How to keep yours in good condition
Our fingernails grow at around 3mm a month, but toenails can take up to a year to grow out. A healthy balanced diet usually provides all the mineral and vitamins…
Sense of smell: Are you losing it?
Smell gives us pleasure (or not!), and is important for tasting food, detecting dangers (smoke, gone-off food), and even sexual attraction. Around 12 million receptors inside our noses send signals…
Alzheimer’s: Cut your risk by looking after your heart and brain
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…
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…