Health

Asthma is a long-term condition that affects your airways – the tubes that carry air in and out of your lungs. You could say that someone with asthma has ‘sensitive’ airways that are inflamed and ready to react when they come into contact with something they don’t like. Asthma tends to run in families, especially […]

Study gives strongest link yet between blood pressure and diabetes. At first glance these might be considered two unconnected conditions, but research over the years has led to diabetes being classified as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Researchers looked at data on more than 4 million people in the UK who were free of

1. Beat stress to ease tummy troubles You may have noticed a feeling of unease in your stomach during times of stress. That’s because anxiety and worry can upset the delicate balance of digestion. In some people stress slows down digestion, causing bloating, pain and constipation, while in others it speeds it up causing diarrhoea

It is a fatty substance necessary for the functioning of the body. It is part of the membrane of our cells and necessary to produce some vitamins, hormones and bile acids.We acquired it with the intake of some foods, but our body also creates it. For that reason, when cholesterol levels rise above normal values, deposits

What is high blood pressure (HBP)? It is a chronic disease characterized by an increase in the pressure exerted by the blood against the walls of the arteries, as the heart beats. It is one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality especially in developed countries. When checking blood pressure two numbers are given, the first

Flu vaccination is available every year on the NHS to help protect adults and children at risk of flu and its complications. Flu can be unpleasant, but if you are otherwise healthy it will usually clear up on its own within a week. However, flu can be more severe in certain people, such as: ·

Allergies – what should we know? What is an allergy? Allergies are hypersensitivity reactions to particles or substances (allergens) which, if inhaled, ingested or touched, produce various symptoms. The predominant allergens in our environment are pollens – which cause hay fever – and dust mites, followed by drugs and food. Currently, between 30% and 40% of the

“We should ‘eat breakfast like a king’ to fight obesity, scientists claim,” the Daily Mirror reports. The headline was prompted by a new review into “chrono-nutrition”, which involves seeing if when we eat is as important as what we eat. The review suggests eating more of our total daily food intake in the evening –

“One-fifth of adults worldwide will be obese by 2025,” The Guardian reports, while The Sun warns that the “UK’s population to be fattest in Europe” by the same date. These are just some of the conclusions of a major modelling study of global obesity trends. The study used data covering 19.2 million adults in 186

Yes. Breathing in someone else’s cigarette smoke (passive smoking or secondhand smoking) can increase your risk of cancer and other health problems. It is also particularly harmful for children. Smoke stays in the air When someone smokes a cigarette, the smoke from the burning tip is released into the air. So is the smoke they