Question My husband has pitting oedema and the doctor says there is no cure. Is this the case, and is it safe for him to take a long flight with this condition? Linda Webb, by email. Answer Oedema is the medical term for swelling that’s caused by fluid retention. Pitting oedema means that if you … Read more
I was prescribed statins to lower my cholesterol but, after a couple of months, my hair is starting to thin. I want to lower my cholesterol but not lose my hair. Mrs P. Nicholson, Hornchurch, Essex. Hair loss, technically described as alopecia, has been reported as a rare side-effect of all statins. Many other drugs … Read more
Will I ever be able to bend my thumb again? DR MARTIN SCURR answers your health questions By Martin Scurr for the Daily Mail Published: 00:16 BST, 16 June 2020 | Updated: 00:18 BST, 16 June 2020 QUESTION: Recently I woke to find that I couldn’t bend my right thumb. My middle finger was slightly … Read more
Has a tooth infection caused my heart to race? DR MARTIN SCURR explains the possible causes of heart palpitations By Martin Scurr for the Daily Mail Published: 22:21 BST, 25 May 2020 | Updated: 22:21 BST, 25 May 2020 I have impacted wisdom teeth and recently had one removed because it caused an infection. I … Read more
Will I ever be able to eat without bad heartburn? DR MARTIN SCURR answers your health questions By Martin Scurr for the Daily Mail Published: 22:46 BST, 4 May 2020 | Updated: 23:22 BST, 4 May 2020 Q I have had persistent heartburn for some time, and was recently diagnosed with Barrett’s oesophagus. I take … Read more
While many mysteries remain about the coronavirus, one thing we know for sure is that older people are at greater risk of serious complications, or even death, should they be infected. And where do we have a high proportion of older people? Why, in care homes, of course. So you would think, would you not, … Read more
Yet another sign of the impact the Covid-19 crisis has had on us is how much talk there is, even among the public, about the number of ventilators at the NHS‘s disposal. At the time of writing we have 8,000 to 10,000, but the race is on to get more. Even the Trump administration in … Read more
Just imagine going to war against an enemy of unknown scale — and not knowing the number of armed forces personnel at your disposal. It would make it almost impossible to determine a battle plan. But that is the situation we now find ourselves in as we try to contend with coronavirus. We have no … Read more