For each of the past two years I actually have lost a couple of stone in weight. I’m maintaining a healthy diet food, with loads of fruit and vegetables, chicken, fish and eggs. I used to be a bit obese a couple of years back but I actually don’t desire to lose more – but there’s never any advice for individuals who have to put weight on. I’m nearly 80. Can you help?
‘Healthy food’ is an interesting term with none real definition.
For anyone who needs to scale back their risk of heart disease or has diabetes, it might mean a food regimen that helped maintain a healthy weight that is low in sugar, with loads of fibre from fresh veg. But this won’t be ‘healthy’ for everybody. For instance, individuals with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) have to avoid certain fruit and vegetables. And individuals with diverticulitis – a painful yet common bowel problem – have to avoid certain fibres. If anyone needs to realize weight, fruit and veg is not going to do much.
As people age they will suffer weight reduction as a result of a discount in muscle, and customarily older people do have less of an appetite.
To put weight on a dietician may recommend increasing the quantity of protein and carbohydrates with each meal, alongside adding higher-calorie foods resembling cheese or cream into recipes.
To put weight on a dietician may recommend increasing the quantity of protein and carbohydrates with each meal, alongside adding higher-calorie foods resembling cheese or cream into recipes (Stock Image)
If you struggle to eat you possibly can buy fortified drinks which can be quite a small volume – roughly the dimensions of a carton of fruit juice – but contain a high variety of calories.
It isn’t all the time possible to see a dietician on the NHS because of this, but it surely is value asking the GP for a referral. Unintentional weight reduction is all the time a red flag to a health care provider, particularly within the elderly as it may possibly be a warning sign of cancer.
A health care provider would normally wish to perform an examination and run some tests to rule out any sinister causes of weight reduction. This might include blood tests alongside stool examinations and maybe even an ultrasound scan.
I suffer from excruciating pain now and again which passes from the back of my throat to my chest. I can go months without an episode after which it may possibly occur two or thrice in succession. The pain is so severe – it appears like I’m attempting to swallow a tennis ball – that I’m rooted to the spot and might’t move. What is it?
It could also be surprising but throat pain in women can originate from the center.
The symptoms of a sort of heart condition often called angina cause chest pain predominantly, but women also can suffer neck, jaw and throat pain.
As people age they will suffer weight reduction as a result of a discount in muscle, and customarily older people do have less of an appetite (Stock Image)
These warning signs are sometimes missed until there is a full-blown heart attack, so severe throat pain should all the time warrant a visit to the GP for tests.
Once heart disease is ruled out, it’s value considering acid reflux disorder. This is when acid from throughout the stomach travels back up the gullet, which might occur after a heavy meal or in certain postures. This can irritate the throat and will cause some pain. It should settle very easily with an over-the-counter antacid. There are less common causes of this pain, resembling a side effect of cancer treatment, the yeast infection candida and, seldom, blood diseases.
Pain throughout the back of the throat and all the way down to the chest may even be a side effect of medicines or a big thyroid gland pressing on the throat. A camera test called a nasoendoscopy, performed by an ENT specialist to view the throat, larynx and structures around them, may also be considered.
A 12 months ago I used to be diagnosed as having a Baker’s cyst behind my right knee. It’s very painful but my GP said that nothing could be done to treat it unless it became infected. Is there anything more I can do because the discomfort is all the time there.
A baker’s cyst, also called a popliteal cyst, is a small fluid-filled lump that forms in the back of the knee. They could be related to arthritis in older age or simply occur spontaneously.
The symptoms of a sort of heart condition often called angina cause chest pain predominantly, but women also can suffer neck, jaw and throat pain (Stock Image)
A swelling behind the knee should all the time be assessed by a health care provider to rule out serious conditions. This may include a deep vein thrombosis, which is a blood clot within the leg veins.
In most individuals a Baker’s cyst doesn’t cause problems, so no treatment is required – but they could be painful. They also can increase the chance of blood clots due to pressure they placed on the remaining of the leg.
If someone does suffer pain, then physiotherapy and over-the-counter painkillers are inclined to be beneficial. A GP or pharmacist should give you the chance to advise. But if this has not helped, a specialist orthopaedic surgeon or community musculoskeletal team may give you the chance to supply aspiration of the cyst – drawing out the fluid after which injecting steroids.
Surgery to remove the cyst is normally only utilized in someone with significant pain or poor movement, as in lots of cases after going under the knife the cyst comes back again.
A sweet approach to beat a foul cough
The results are in from my reader survey on what you employ to assuage an irritating cough – and it’s excellent news for those with a sweet tooth as a lot of you lauded eating chocolate.
Health chiefs earlier this month moved to ban codeine linctus, an efficient cough syrup that sadly became highly abused by addicts. I understand the motive, but wondered what else I could suggest to patients.
And I’m pleased to disclose that there’s some scientific backing for chocolate as a relief. Studies suggest that theobromine, a derivative of cocoa, might be more practical than codeine in easing cough symptoms. In the research, volunteers took capsules containing 300mg of theobromine – the reminiscent of a few squares of very dark chocolate.
But the studies were small, so those trying this approach won’t achieve success. And yet I am unable to consider a greater approach to contribute to ongoing research…
Health chiefs earlier this month moved to ban codeine linctus, an efficient cough syrup that sadly became highly abused by addicts. I understand the motive, but wondered what else I could suggest to patients (Stock Image)
Stop branding HRT as a menopause must-have
When I raised concerns two years ago that the ‘menopause revolution’ – backed by TV’s Davina McCall and broadcaster Mariella Frostrup, above – was frightening women into taking HRT they didn’t need, I used to be accused of belittling women’s life experiences. Naturally, that is rubbish.
My point was that medication is great IF you wish it. But nearly all of problems faced throughout the menopause aren’t as a result of hormones – and so HRT is not a cure.
The scare-mongering looked as if it would emanate from private doctors and celebs who profit financially from the problem.
So I used to be interested to read articles in medical journal The Lancet saying the identical thing as me. Top female health experts hit out on the ‘over-medicalisation’ of the menopause that appear to falsely brand it a disease.
They pursue an approach during which HRT isn’t seen as a panacea – and I could not agree more.
Do you’ve got a matter for Dr Ellie Cannon? Email DrEllie@mailonsunday.co.uk
Dr Cannon cannot enter into personal correspondence and her replies ought to be taken in a general context.