IllustratIon
Joy Gosney
Your he althtHIsMontH...•Lookingafteryoureyes•Dealing with
post-menopause loss of libido•Excess windGot a medical problem orneed health advice?Ask GP Dr Rosemary LeonardA
Theaverageperson
generatesbetween0.6and
1.8litresofgaseveryday,from
twosources.someis fromswallowed
air,sotrytoavoidfizzydrinks,andto
eatmoreslowly.However,themajority
ofgascomesfromthetrillionsof
bacterialivingin thelargeintestine,
and they are important in digestingQ
Isit truethatstaringat
a computerscreenallday
is badforyoureyes?Andwhat
about reading in dim light?A
staringata computerscreen
alldaylongcanputstrainon
themusclesthatkeepyour
eyesfocused,makingthemfeeltired.
Readingin dimlightingcanhavethe
sameeffect.youarealsolikelyto
blinklessoftenwhenlookingata
screen,makingyoureyesfeeldryand
uncomfortable.Butneitherlookingat
a screenorreadingin lowlightwill
leadtoanypermanentdamagetoyour
eyes,orincreasetheneedforstronger
prescriptionglasses.However,tohelp
preventeyestrain,whenreading,have
a lightshiningdirectlyonthepage
(not over your shoulder), and whenlookingata screen,lookawayandrest
youreyesbrieflyevery 20 minutes.
Adjustthelightingsoit doesn’tcreate
a glareonthescreen,andmakea
consciousefforttoblinkmoresothat
your eyes stay well lubricated.Q
Mysexdrivehasgone- howcanI resolve
this?I’m52,andmyperiods
stoppedaroundtwoyears
ago.I’vebeenanxious
recentlyandmylibidohas
fallenthroughthefloor.My
daughteris awaytravelling,
andmyfatheris ill,both
ofwhicharen’thelping
mymood.MyGPhas
suggestedI havea low-dose
antidepressant,butwouldn’t
HRT be better at my age?
A
Attwoyearson,your
ovarieswillnowwelland
trulyhavestoppedworking,
andcertainlylowlibidocouldbe
duetoverylowoestrogenlevels.
GoingonHRTmayhelp,butit’s
unlikelytogiveyouthesexdrive
youhadwhenyouwereyounger.
Boostingoestrogenlevelsmayalso
helpyouranxietya bit.However,
HRTis linkedwitha slightly
increasedriskofgettingbreast
cancer,especiallyif youtakeboth
oestrogenandprogesteronefor
morethanfiveyears,afterthe
ageof50,andstoppingit can
bedifficult,asit cantriggerhot
flushesandsweats.Asyouadmit,
otherfactorsin yourlifemaybe
contributingtoyouranxiety,anda
low-doseantidepressant,combined
withsomecounselling,mightbe
a moreeffectiveremedyforyour
anxietyanddisturbednights,and
therefore may improve your libido.food.sometypesofbacteriacan
produceseveralsulphur-containing
compoundsthatarethemainodour
culprits,andtheythriveespeciallyon
foodsthatcontaincarbohydratesthat
areresistanttobeingbrokendown
in thestomachandsmallbowel.The
bacteriathengettoworkonthem
in thelargebowel,producingsmelly
gasin theprocess.Themainculprits
arepulses,butpeas,broccoli,
cabbage,parsnips,raisinsandprunes
canhavethesameeffect.Altering
yourdietmayhelpbutmakesure
youeatenoughfibresoyoudon’t
becomeconstipated,whichcanalso
makethetendencytosmellywind
worse.youmayfindit helpfultotry
andalterthebalanceofbacteriain
yourgutbyeatingfermentedfoods,
suchassauerkraut,ortakinga
probiotic such as symprove.Q
Mygasis embarrassing!
I’mawareI oftenproduce
reallysmellywind– whatwas
called“silentandviolent”in my
youth.It’sreallyembarrassing.
I don’thaveanypainorbloating,
butI’mawareI’moftenreally
antisocial. Any suggestions?woman&home IT’s ALL ABouT you! 135