Woman UK – 22 July 2019

3

ALCOHOLAND

ANTIBIOTICS

Q

Iamonlong-termantibiotics,

butitismydaughter’swedding

comingup– whichantibiotics

can I have a drink on?

I CAN’TGETRID OF

THE WORMS!

Q

Mygrandkidswerestayingwith

usandunfortunatelyoneof

themhadthreadwormsandI

caughtit.I tookthemedicinebutam

stillitchingandsawthe worms –

what is going on?

TakeupHIIT

Researchfromthe

Universityof Maryland

foundone30-minute

workoutcanboost

activityin keyregions

ofthebrainand

improveseniors’

memory.Exercisecanprotect

braincellsandevenencourage

newonestodevelop– soa

quickhigh-intensityinterval

training(HIIT)sessiona week

can make all the difference!

Sleepeasier

...withBotanicsPeaceful

NightPillowMist

(£5.99,Boots).This

aromatherapymist

willrelaxandsoothe

themindandgetyou

readyfora peaceful

night’ssleepthankstothe

calmingblendoflavender

andsweetmarjoramoils.Just

spritza littleonyourpillow

beforebed,lieback, breathe

in and drift off...

Changingmycontraception aftersurgery

WAYS TO

BOOSTYOUR

HEALTH THIS WEEK

Ask DR PHILIPPA

Woman’s GP Dr Philippa Kaye answers your questions

Philippasays

A

Threadwormsaretiny

parasites.Theylooklike

piecesofcottonthreadin the

stoolandareextremelycommon

inchildren.Theyarealso

extremelycontagious!Theworms

comeoutatnightandlaytheir

eggsaroundtheanus,which

causesitching,youthenscratch

(oftenunconsciouslyatnight)and

theeggsgettransferredtoyour

fingersandunderyournails.

Whenyouthenputyourhands

inyourmouththecyclestarts

again.Takeanotherdoseofthe

medicationandtrythefollowing:

washallbedding,wearunderwear

atnightfortwoweeks,washyour

handsandwholeselffirstthing

inthemorning,washyourhands

carefullybeforeeatingandpop

yourtoothbrushina cupboardto

keepit awayfromanyeggsthat

maygointotheaironwiping.

Aftertwoweeksyoumayneeda

furtherdose.If thisdoesn’t work,

please see your GP.

Gettingovermy

biggestfear to help

my health

Q

IamduetohaveanMRIscanbutam

quiteliterallyterrifiedofenclosed

spaces.WhatshouldI do?

Philippasays

A

First,discusswithyourdoctor

aboutwhichpartofthebodyis

beingscannedandthereforehow

muchofyouwillbeinsidetheMRI

chamber– youmayfeelOKif,for

example,yourlegsaren’tinside.An

MRItakesabout 30 to 40 minutes.

Youwillbegivenheadphones,sothe

operatorcantalktoyouwhenyou’re

inthemachine,anda panicbuttonto

hold– if youfeeloverwhelmedpress

thebuttonandtheywilltakeyouout.

If anMRIis absolutelynecessaryand

youdefinitelycannotgoin,your

doctormaybeabletoreferyoutoa

clinicwithanopenMRIscanner,which

does not involve an enclosed space.

Philippasays

A

Itreallydependswhich

antibioticsyou’retaking.If

youareonthemtotryto

preventrecurrenturineinfections,

forexample,ortotreatrosacea,

yourdoctororpharmacistcan

discusswhetherornotyoucan

drinkonthem.Manyantibiotics

willnotinteractwithalcohol,an

exceptionbeingmetronidazole.

If youdrinkwhentakingthisone

youwillgeta reactionprettyfast,

withfacialflushing,a pounding

headache,palpitations,nausea

and vomiting – all best avoided!

Q

Ihadweightlosssurgerya fewmonths

agoandthingsaregoingwell.I was

takingtheminipillbutmy doctor now

wantsmetochange.Why?

Philippasays

A

Afterweightloss(bariatric)

surgery,yourdoctorwill

recommendyouchangefroman

oralformofcontraception,suchasthe

combined oral contraceptive pill or

theprogesteroneonly‘mini’pill,to

a non-oralform.Thisis because,

althoughthepillsmaybesafe,theyare

muchlesslikelytobeeffectiveafter

bariatricsurgeryastheywon’tbe

absorbedthroughthedigestivesystem

asnormal.Yourdoctorwillrecommend

analternative,suchasinjections,an

implantora coil– boththehormone-

containingcoil(IUS)ora coppercoil

would be suitable. Good luck!

Ditchfizzydrinks

Thosewhooptforlow-calorie

fizzydrinkscouldendup

eating 200 extracaloriesa

dayin snacks,researchat

GeorgeWashington

Universityshows.

Thisis believed to

bebecause

people’sbrains

expecttheenergy

theywouldgetfrom

a full-sugardrink,so

look for it elsewhere.

Thescientistshavespoken!
Trytheseeasywaystoachieve
a happier, healthier life...
WORDS: EMILY JEFFERIES. PHOTOS (HIIT POSED BY MODEL): GETTY