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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

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

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

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

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

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

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