Health Blog

Spring in the Northern hemisphere can bring misery to the many who suffer from hay fever.  Allergy season can last from late March to as long as September when those allergens - especially tree pollen, grasses and weeds - are most prevalent in the natural environment and leading to sneezing, watery eyes and itchy noses.

This year on March 15th, it was World Sleep Day - an annual event organized by the World Sleep Day Committee of the World Sleep Society (formerly World Association of Sleep Medicine) since 2008.

The goal of World Sleep Day is to celebrate the benefits of good and healthy sleep and to draw society's attention to the burden of sleep problems and their medical, educational and social aspects while promoting the prevention and management of sleep disorders.

It was estimated in 2019 that sleep deprivation cost the US over $400 billion a year with other first world countries also recording losses.  

We share some suggestions from Scandinavia on how to help improve our quality of sleep...

Certain times of the year can mean hay fever. This is an affliction for many and, with climate change, in some places this has led to milder winters and longer pollen seasons so the numbers suffering could well rise.

But are there natural ways to combat this problem?

Now more than ever it has become important to encourage our young children to use their imaginations to keep them entertained and happy instead of relying on electronic devices.

Fortunately, there are "play experts" who can share their knowledge and expertise to help parents with this important work...

While warts are more common in children than adults, they can occur at any age. 

We share the symptoms of different types of warts and what can be done to help prevent or tackle these in your child...

Nail biting is a surprisingly common habit that usually starts in childhood, usually around the age of ten.  While some children will soon grow out of this habit, others will carry on with this distressing habit into adulthood.

Officially known as onychophagia, it is what psychologists call a body focused repetitive behavior or BFRB.

Find out more about this habit and what can be done to kick it.

If you have been diagnosed with the skin condition known as psoriasis, you need to be aware that you are at risk of developing psoriatic arthritis.  

In fact, an estimated thirty percent of those with psoriasis can go on to develop this further condition which is a chronic and progressive form of inflammatory arthritis, causing joint pain, stiffness and swelling. These symptoms can come and go - depending on how severe the condition is in a particular case.

However, there is some good news in that if it can be diagnosed early, this helps to reduce the risk of any permanent bone or joint damage.

I wonder how often you wash your towels?  There is a big debate going on about this subject especially as you may well think that as towels are only used to dry clean bodies (straight after a shower or a bath) or clean hands (after they have been washed, do they need to be washed that often?

But it is not as simple as that..

Many of us will think that if we have an glass of fresh orange juice from time to time, that will provide us with sufficient vitamin to keep us safe from colds and flu especially during the winter months.

But that occasional glass will probably be insufficient to provide us with enough vitamin C - and keeping us safe from colds and flu is just one small aspect of the importance of vitamin C.

We share information on all the other benefits of taking vitamin C...