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Showing posts from May, 2013

Health notes: Stop thrush taking over your life, the low-yeast, low-sugar diet and deodorant for teens

17 shares 0 View comments How can I prevent candida taking over? Q: I have thrush quite often and also tend to get wind and a bloated stomach. My dietician says I should go on a Fodmap regime. Can you explain what it is, how it works and if there are any alternatives? A: The Fodmap diet originated in Australia and involves restricting certain foods (see below) that are highly fermentable in the large intestine. ‘This is supposed to reduce digestive symptoms that are common with IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) including bloating, flatulence, cramping and diarrhoea,’ explains nutritionist Marilyn Glenville (marilynglenville.com). But the Fodmap diet does not restrict sugar or aspartame (artificial sweetener). Many nutritional experts advise patients with your symptoms to avoid sugar in any form until they recover. Your symptoms suggest that the problem is caused by candida, a yeast that occurs naturally on the skin, in the mouth, vagina and digestive system. In a healt

Health Notes: How to ease travel sickness, Cataracts in young people and stopping smoking for good

19 shares 0 View comments Hello sunshine! Cataracts affect much younger people nowadays due to UV damage. One glamorous tip is always to wear big sunglasses with wide arms on bright days – and ensure children do, too. Cataracts affects younger and younger people   How to ease travel sickness Q: My 13-year-old granddaughter suffers badly from travel sickness when flying. What can be done to prevent it? A: About two thirds of us suffer nausea, vomiting and dizziness, even cold sweats, at some point when travelling. The symptoms are probably caused by conflicting messages to your brain from your inner ear, which senses movement, while your eyes report you are sitting still. There are several practical things you can do: Choose a window seat near the front of the plane or beside a wing. There is less motion in these areas and she can focus on the horizon when there is light.  She should not read but listen to music or an audiobook with her eyes closed (a thick ma

Health notes: No laughing matter, go with the grain and website of the week

55 shares 1 View comments Pelvic Floor Secrets, Jenni Russell This is no laughing matter… I’m in my late 30s and have two children. I am beginning to have ‘accidents’. It’s occasional – mostly when I exercise or laugh – but I am terrified it will get worse. What can I do? Between 30 and 40 per cent of women in their 30s wet themselves when they sneeze, cough, exercise, laugh or dance, but hardly anyone talks about it, according to Jenni Russell, personal trainer and expert in pelvic floor conditioning (jennirussell.com). ‘Incontinence is not only embarrassing – I know from my clients that it also affects their emotional state, body image and sexuality,’ she says. This medical condition has a range of possible causes, including being overweight, carrying more than one child or having a low-lying pregnancy, trauma in labour, surgery, menopause and age, or prolapsed organs. ‘Many women think it is a normal consequence of childbirth or ageing, but it does not have to

Health Notes: Delicious gluten free food, the life span of suncream and give your wardrobe a workout

21 shares 0 View comments Free from and fabulous At least one in every 100 people suffers from the serious autoimmune condition coeliac disease At least one in every 100 people suffers from the serious autoimmune condition coeliac disease and must eliminate gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley and rye, from their diet as it damages the lining of the small intestine (coeliac.org.uk). A significant number of coeliacs are also intolerant of lactose, a type of sugar mainly found in milk and dairy products. Add to this a range of other food allergies and sensitivities and an estimated 17 per cent of us are discovering that we feel better if we avoid some common food ingredients, mainly gluten and dairy products. Of course, that restricts what you can eat and  drink, but take heart! The FreeFrom Food Awards will be announced this Tuesday, giving details of all sorts of comestibles rigorously trialled by a panel of judges recruited by Foods Matter, the leading al

Health notes: Emma Forbes reveals her health history, the truth about hand sanitisers and uncommunicative children

97 shares 2 View comments Have a girls’ night in for a good cause Here’s a heartwarming idea: this coming Friday, invite your girlfriends round for A Really Good Night In and donate what you would have spent on going out to Macmillan Cancer Support. Give each other a manicure, eat something delicious, catch up on gossip and support this fantastic charity. More details on macmillan.org.uk.   My health: Emma Forbes, 47, TV presenter and lifestyle blogger Emma Forbes I was diagnosed with endometriosis in my early 30s when my husband [banker Graham Clempson, left] and I wanted to start a family. A scan revealed a cyst on my right ovary. I had never heard of endometriosis, where the cells that line the womb migrate to other parts of the body and cause pain, inflammation, the formation of scar tissue and sometimes ovarian cysts [further information from endometriosis-uk.org]. Endometriosis affects more than 1.5 million women in the UK but it’s difficult to diagno

Health Notes: Alzheimer's need to know, preventing dry eyes and ridding yourself of rosacea

35 shares 1 View comments Is Alzheimer's disease the same as dementia? Q: My grandma has been diagnosed with dementia but it is not Alzheimer’s disease. I am confused as I thought they were the same? A: There are several types of dementia (much on our minds because of Mrs Thatcher), including Alzheimer’s disease (AD), vascular dementia, frontal lobe dementia, and dementia with Lewy bodies. Not everyone has all the symptoms of one particular type – some people are diagnosed as having mixed dementia – and they affect individuals to different degrees and progress at different rates. I suggest you ask your grandma’s doctor if there is a specific diagnosis in her case. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common. It is thought to be due to plaques and tangles in the brain causing brain cells to die faster than they would in normal ageing. The first signs are usually forgetting recent events, repetition, confusing things or getting lost. People may also become depressed an

Health Notes: Karren Brady on life after a stroke, relief for kids from chicken pox and relieving facial tension

12 shares 1 View comments Karren Brady Why Karren supports life after stroke As vice-chairman of West Ham United, Karren Brady (right), 44, is a legend in footie circles. What’s less well-known is that she has recently become the patron of the Stroke Association’s annual Life After Stroke Awards, which celebrate the achievements of stroke survivors and their carers.  Although Karren has not suffered a stroke, in 2006 she discovered she had a cerebral (brain) aneurysm, which put her at high risk of a brain haemorrhage or stroke. The aneurysm was revealed in a routine MRI scan, part of a comprehensive medical screening at the Preventicum Clinic in West London. ‘An aneurysm is a swelling in the wall of an artery. A cerebral aneurysm occurs on one of the small blood vessels supplying the brain with oxygen,’ comments Dr Garry Savin, now the medical director of Preventicum. ‘Cerebral aneurysms can develop over time without any symptoms. If an aneurysm ruptures, it cau

Gwyneth Paltrow's novel way to beat PMS; plus the best parenting advice app, and coping with loss of vision

34 shares 0 View comments Food can  be an effective way of treating PMS and other everyday ailments, says award-winning chef and nutritionist Gurpareet Bains, whose fans include Goldie Hawn and Gwyneth Paltrow When you have PMS symptoms such as tiredness, low mood, headaches and cramping, eating usually involves grabbing the sort of carb- and/or caffeine-laden goodies that give you a fleeting comfort hit but can often make you feel worse. Food can, however, be an effective way of treating PMS and other everyday ailments, says award-winning chef and nutritionist Gurpareet Bains, whose fans include Goldie Hawn and Gwyneth Paltrow. The answer is to use spices and herbs in abundance, as he explains in his book Indian Superspices, which offers recipes to help with PMS, colds, hangovers, allergies and insomnia. The recipes are described as ‘lab-inspired’ because the beneficial effects of the ingredients have been verified by research. For example, fennel: in a study

Bamboo rayon muslins for premature babies, barre-based pilates, courtesy of actress Sarah Parish

66 shares 1 View comments Soft as a baby’s… Mimi Swandoodle muslins Premature babies at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle, and Queen’s and King George’s Hospitals, Essex, are snug in super-soft bamboo rayon, which is ideal for their sensitive skin. The special care baby units are using Mini Swandoodle muslins by Cuski. Premature babies are prone to posseting and vomiting and placing these antibacterial moisture-wicking cloths under their heads avoids the need for frequent bedding changes. These multitaskers are great for all babies, serving as winding cloths, bibs and breastfeeding covers. A pack of four costs £19.99, from cuskishop.co.uk. Free p&p for YOU readers: enter the code YOU2 at the checkout. My health: Sarah Parish, 44, Actress Sarah Parish loves the toning effect at Barretoned I never go on the scales: doing the right exercise and eating good food is the key to being in great shape. I fell in love with barre exercise classes in Vancouve

Derek Lawrenson: Why I tip Ian Poulter to cause a storm in the majors

3 View comments No play in Hawaii for the first three days of the first tournament of the year - and the world’s best golfer says he might stay at home when his sport re-enters the Olympics at Rio 2016. It has not exactly been the cheeriest start to the new year, has it? Let’s look forward instead to what promises to be another bountiful campaign with five wishes for the new season. 1. Ian Poulter sticks to his new year resolution... Over the Christmas period, Poults entertained us on Twitter with photos of everything from cutting the turkey to the inside of his son’s mouth. Three days of the new season was all it took for him to pick a fight with the  commentator he loves to hate, Johnny Miller (see Quote of the Week). Fresh: Ryder Cup hero Poulter will play just three tournaments before the Masters at Augusta But the tweet that raised my spirits was the one revealing his early-season schedule, with only three tournaments between now and Augusta. Some players have

Don't insult Paul McGinley by recalling Colin Montgomerie for Ryder Cup at Gleneagles - Derek Lawrenson

2 shares 3 View comments Surely history can't be about to repeat itself in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday evening. Surely the siren call won't go out for Colin Montgomerie to be Ryder Cup captain once more. Four years ago it was an inspired move. The dithering of first choice Jose Maria Olazabal had created a vacuum and eloquent Swede Henrik Stenson duly filled it by saying to his fellow Tournament Players’ Committee members, who decide on the post: ‘Why not Monty?’ Now it is Darren Clarke in Ollie’s shoes. Like the Spaniard he is plagued by the nagging feeling he could still make one more team as a player. Outstanding candidate: Paul McGinley has a big supporter in new Nike superstar Rory McIlroy (bottom left), but the committee may still hand Colin Montgomerie (bottom right) a second crack at the Americans Two months ago, he was being urged by fellow committee members to stand and believed the captaincy was his if he wanted it. But what point is a

Is gold headed for anarchy over club rules? - Derek Lawrenson

7 View comments Bellyache: Mark King says putters like Adam Scott's are here to stay Is the Royal and Ancient sport headed for revolution and anarchy? It’s the only conclusion to be drawn if the feelings of the executive director of one of the most influential club manufacturers are widely felt. Fed up with all the restrictions that prevent his company from  making drivers that propel the ball 600 yards, and the proposed ban that would effectively be the death knell for long putters, the long putter-using CEO has got his own solution: let’s get rid of the rule makers instead. ‘What needs to happen is the industry needs to come together without the USGA. Leave them out,’ said Mark King, head of TaylorMade. The USGA is the United States Golf Association, the governing body in America for more than a century. Presumably, King would also leave out the Royal and Ancient, who lay down the rules for the rest of the world. Now we all have our own opinions about golf’s l

Vijay Singh saga shows golf needs to send message over drugs - Derek Lawrenson

13 shares 3 View comments Complacency is the enemy within that lurks in every sport. In golf it takes the form of an attitude towards drug taking that snuggles up alarmingly close to apathy. How many times do we hear the mantra: where are the drugs that will help make you a better golfer? Through the generations when the model for the perfect golf swing was based around balance and tempo, the dismissiveness was understandable. Can the same be said today? Now, when virtually every player in the world’s top 50 has embraced the culture of the gym and body shapes are changing before our eyes in search of more swing speed, the mantra smacks not only of naivety but foolishness. Pleading ignorance: Vijay Singh confessed to using a spray containing a banned substance Server Issue An exception occurred processing JSP page /WEB-INF/jsp/channel-items/standardMod.jsp at line 56 53: </c:when> 54: <c:otherwise> 55:

Brandt Snedeker inspired by Luke Donald's blueprint for success - Derek Lawrenson's World of Golf

20 shares 0 View comments Luke Donald can be permitted a wry smile as he returns to the game this week after a three-month winter break. The Englishman lost two years of his career believing he had to think big and hit the ball like Dustin Johnson. Now he’s back to discover that the best player in the world on current form got to the mountain top by trying to be like . . . well, Luke Donald actually. On form: Brandt Snedeker won the Pebble Beach pro-am after two second-place PGA Tour finishes in a row       More from Derek Lawrenson...   DEREK LAWRENSON: Plucky Pepperell is well worth his salt after stellar show at Wentworth 27/05/13   World of Golf: Proof that the Rory rumour mill can drive any journalist mad... 20/05/13   Derek Lawrenson: Taming Sa