At the first hint of sunshine the sun beds and deckchairs come for an airing and many people spends hours bathing in the heat and the suns rays.

You look bronzed and healthy and feel wonderful, but do you realise that the suns UV rays are the cause of many skin cancers.

It is ironic really that the things we most enjoy can do us the most harm. The sun can cause skin cancer. Smoking can lead to lung cancer and breathing difficulties. Chocolate causes us to put on weight along with all the goodies we enjoy and so can cause health problems. Drinking alcohol to excess can lead to alcoholism.

Of course you know all this but why should you worry?

You could be crossing the road tomorrow and have a fatal accident, or you could develop a life threatening illness which is happening to people every day. But on the other hand you could be one of those people who live to a ripe old age.

Your life is a maze of uncertainty but if we were to dwell on that fact we would never go anywhere or do anything.

The simple facts of life are this, don’t do anything to excess. If you don’t want to develop skin cancer limit your sun bathing time to short periods, gradual is better than excess.

You can see the harm it does to your skin when your week’s holiday turns into a race against time to get a quick tan to impress people when you go home. A short while after your return your skin starts to itch and peel off, your top layer of skin has been damaged beyond repair, but how deep have those UV rays gone.

We all know the damage smoking does so I won’t dwell on that, but chocolate and alcohol in moderation will not do you any harm. They are all different types of addiction but some you can control and others need extreme willpower to cut down or completely stop.

There are many causes of itching, some are minor and can be easily dealt with, but other causes may be quite serious.

Itching can be caused by a reaction to a medicine, or an allergy to many things, including cosmetics or fabrics, contact with certain metals or contact with poisonous or stinging plants.

The itchy red welts of hives on the surface of the skin are usually an allergic reaction to certain foods or medicine.

Certain types of washing powders or liquids could be the reason, try changing the type of powder or liquid you use. Even certain types of soap can cause a reaction so stick to the one you know.

Itching can drive you mad in a literal sense, but try your best not to scratch as it only makes it worse.

Try adding a little bicarbonate of soda to your bath water or soak your scalp or feet in warm water with baking soda if they are itchy.

Another remedy is to add 2 cups of rolled oats secured in a sock to your bath water it will help to relieve the itching.

Calamine lotion is also good it cools the skin and stops the itching, you can use this quite often.

Avoid wearing any clothes that can cause irritation, such as wool and some man- made fabrics. Wear cotton if possible and use cool, light, loose bedclothes.

Anti histamines can help taken orally they can be bought over the counter, or you can visit your doctor if the need is great.

Every one is searching for miracle drug that will really do what it says it will and reduce there weight drastically.

Fortunes are spent every year on this and that diet and slimming drugs, and the majority of them rarely work, or if they do a few months later you are back where you started.

A new drug has hit the headlines and it is guaranteed to take the nation by storm, its weight reduction properties are real and already some obese patients are taking this drug and losing weight.

Reductil works by suppressing the appetite. It increases the speed at which the body feels full and this encourages weight loss.

Reductil comes in the form of a tablet and it can be prescribed by your GP for overweight people.
Your health should be your first priority and losing weight means a longer and healthier life so ask your GP to put you on a course of Reductil and become a new healthier you.

Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition which causes widespread pain in your muscles, ligaments and tendons, you may also suffer from fatigue and multiple tender points that cause pain when any pressure is applied.

Fibromyalgia is more prominent in women than in men.

Although you may feel better at times it is a condition that may never disappear completely but it is not a progressive illness and it is not life threatening.

The pain can persist for many months at a time and it is often accompanied by stiffness, areas affected are mainly upper back, neck, upper chest, elbows, elbows, hips and knees. It can also include the back of your head.
Fatigue and tiredness even though you seem to have lots of sleep are also a symptom.

Night time muscle spasms and restless legs syndrome may also be associated with Fibromyyalgia.

An injury or trauma, particularly in the upper spinal region could trigger the development of fibromyalgia in some people.

You should visit your doctor if you experience general aching or widespread pain that lasts several months and is accompanied by fatigue. Many of the symptoms of fibromyalgia are similar to those of other diseases, such as low thyroid hormone production (hypothyroidism), polymyalgia rheumatica, neuropathies, lupus, multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis. Your doctor can help determine if one of these other conditions may be causing your symptoms.

No one knows what causes fibromyalgia. Anyone can get it, but it is most common in middle-aged women. People with rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune diseases are particularly likely to develop fibromyalgia. There is no cure for fibromyalgia, but medicines can help you manage your symptoms. Getting enough sleep and exercising may also help.

Tetanus is caused by bacteria (germs) that gets into the body through a cut possibly while gardening or through a bite from an animal.

If the cut or wound is deep you are at more risk of developing tetanus if it gets dirty with soil or manure, even a thorn prick can allow bacteria to get into your body it then releases a poison that causes tetanus.

The first signs that you have tetanus are a spasm of the muscles closest to the infected cut. But once the poison gets into your bloodstream then other symptoms start to occur, usually in the face. Spasms of the chewing muscles occur which make it hard to open your mouth, following those spasms in the throat muscles make it hard to swallow. This can be followed by spasms in the facial muscles which give you the look of grinning. Breathing can become difficult as the spasms spread to other parts of the body, Other symptoms include extreme sensitivity to touch, high fever, sore throat, rapid heartbeat, difficulty breathing, headache, bleeding into the bowels, and diarrhoea.
If untreated tetanus causes death in about 60% of people..

The only way to prevent tetanus is to be immunised. A full course of tetanus immunisation consists of five doses of vaccine. This vaccine enables your body to create antibodies against the tetanus toxin, which then protects you from the illness if you were to become infected with the bacteria.

A more common name for tetanus is lockjaw.

I am talking about things that come up in your life and cause pain or irritation for a short time.

Nothing serious of course but at the time they can cause you pain or discomfort and even make your life a misery for a while.

Itchy skin is one; it can drive you mad if you can’t get to scratch it. This can be caused by your skin being dry or insect bites. My remedy for that including the insect bites is Vaseline. It may seem slightly old fashioned with all the new and modern treatments and creams on the market today, but it works a treat and cost a fraction of those creams and tubes you buy.

Vaseline soothes the skin and it is great for dry lips as well, it is even mild enough for baby so put a jar in your medicine cupboard and forget those expensive creams and salves.

Toothache is something else that comes on suddenly, the pain can be imaginable. Always keep a bottle of tincture of cloves in your cupboard for this emergency. Another trick that is useful for toothache if your tooth has a hole which is usually the case, use chewing gum to block it until you can get to the dentist. It is air that causes the pain so if it is blocked off your tooth will be fine for short while.

Earache can be serious so a visit to the doctors is needed in a lot of cases, but if it happens during the night then close off the ear with a small piece of cotton wool dabbed with warm olive oil. A hot water bottle held against the ear can also be a comfort.

Burns are really painful and the only way to get rid of the burning sensation is to soak the burn area in cold water and keep it there for a while. This of course is intended for minor burns usually on the hands, otherwise keep soaking a flannel in cold water for other areas.

If you have bad indigestion and you have run out of tablets try a few mouthfuls of cold water, it often does the trick, otherwise if you have bicarbonate of soda in the food cupboard just put a teaspoon in hot water and drink, it tastes horrible but always works.

If you suffer with back ache or pain in your arms or legs etc, then visit Lloyds chemists, they sell a small machine called TENS. It consists of two small pads attached to a convenient small box affair that contains a battery. The pads are placed on the painful area and they omit electrodes that do ease the pain or stop it. I was a bit sceptical when I saw them and found it hard to believe that it would work, but I was surprised and pleased when I found it does the job.

Thy cost £14.99 initially but after that just £4.99 for the new pads, these will last for a month or more or until the adhesive loses its hold.

Age spots can be annoying to people who worry about their skin, try this to get rid of them. Mix equal parts of onion juice and vinegar just dab it on and use it daily. It will take a few weeks to work but it is just as good as those expensive creams from the store which don’t work instantly either.

Food is the biggest problem, of course we all have to eat to live, but the problem is not how much we eat, but what we eat.

These days, healthy eating is pushed to the forefront of our minds by all the posters and television programs demanding we eat more fruit and vegetables which is what we should be eating, but too many people in this day and age live on fast food and easy to prepare menu’s that usually contain too much fat and salt.

Like many other things food can become an addiction or an obsession, especially if you feel depressed, lonely or just plain bored.
At the start you eat because it’s the easiest thing to do, sweets, chocolate, cakes, sandwiches, in fact anything that you feel will make you feel better. That is when the weight starts piling on because you are so busy eating you can’t be bothered to exercise, unless it is just to go to your local shop for more food or chocolate.

One day you wake up and find you are not just overweight but just plain fat and that makes you more depressed and miserable.

You are what you eat.

Its quite true, you are what you eat and any fleeting thoughts you had about healthy eating go out of the window when you start shovelling the food down.

Healthy eating is not just to keep you slim it is also to keep you healthy as well. Apart from becoming overweight the risk of chronic diseases attacking you is much higher, those vitamins that fruit and vegetables contain are not even thought about as you snack away on unhealthy and fattening foods.

You are on your way to obesity and all the chronic diseases like heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis and certain cancers that love an unhealthy body.

If you have just started on the slippery slope of piling the pounds on, stop right now. If eating is the only thing that consoles you then look at what you are eating. If you are into sandwiches then change over to wholemeal bread, get a low fat spread and think twice about what you are putting on your sandwiches.

This is your body and the only one you will ever have in this lifetime so look after it.

Do some soul searching and get rid of the demons in your mind, if its boyfriend trouble then the old saying is quite true. There’s plenty more fish in the sea. And if you have money worries work out ways to solve the problem, and remember all the worrying in the world won’t help one single bit, so stop worrying and use your energies to work out ways to get over it.

Effects suffered can be numbness, weakness, or paralysis of the face, arm, or leg, typically on one side of the body. Vision problems can also occur in one or both eyes, such as dimness, blurring, double vision, or loss of vision.

Confusion, trouble speaking or understanding is other forms that affect the patient. Symptoms vary depending on whether the stroke is caused by a clot or bleeding. The location of the blood clot or bleeding and the extent of brain damage can also affect symptoms.

In Washington US, a new device has been brought out it is called Penumbra, It is a newly approved device and the latest in a series of inside the artery attempts to boost recovery from a stroke which is the nations No 3 killer.

Penumbra is like a tiny vacuum cleaner for the brain: it suctions out clogged arteries in the hope of stopping the brain attack before it does permanent harm. It is a new treatment for stroke victims.

Penumbra is an option for patients who miss out on the early care care, it can be tried up to eight hours after a stroke strikes or if standard TPA treatment fails.

Penumbra is a tiny tube, the specialist thread the tube inside a blood vessel at the groin and push it up the body until it reaches the point where the blood vessel is clogged. It sucks up the clot bit by bit to restore the blood flow. It works just like a vacuum cleaner.

This treatment is still being studied by doctors and it depends on the seriousness of the stroke on whether it can be used. It is a learning curve at present although good results have been shown and the Californian based Penumbra Inc received a surprise speedy approval from the Food and Drug Administration in late December.

Although they are not usually life threatening they still make you feel ill and listless and also thoroughly miserable.

Norovirus which has been sweeping the country is a stomach bug that causes sudden vomiting and diarrhoea, most people recover from this within one or two days, however, the very old and very young risk becoming dehydrated and may require hospital treatment.

There is no known treatment for this illness except to let it run its course.

The way to try and combat these illnesses and many others is to try and keep our immune system as healthy as possible.

The immune system, which is made up of special cells, proteins, tissues, and organs, defends people against germs and micro organisms every day. In most cases, the immune system does a great job of keeping people healthy and preventing infections. But sometimes problems with the immune system can lead to illness and infection.

One way to protect your small infant is by breast feeding. Over the years this has become less and less as women have turned to the easier option of bottle feeding.

The antibodies in a mother’s breast milk provide an infant with temporary immunity to diseases that the mother has been exposed to. This can help protect the infant against infection during the early years of childhood.

Once the years pile on our immune system often needs some help, staying healthy and fit is of course the natural way, but often especially in the winter months some help may be needed.

This may be in the form of supplements or tablets especially to boost the immune system.

Here are some of the products that can help protect your immune system and hopefully keep those nasty bugs at bay.

Glucasan contains specific 1-3, 1-6 Beta-Glucans that prime the innate immune system, this is the part which reacts to disease-causing bacteria and other micro-organisms to keep us healthy. It is a favourite at Stamford Bridge, where Chelsea footballers are said to swear by it.

V beauty Body Care Green tea antioxidants which are only £4.99 for 60 tablets are designed to provide benefit from within by nourishing from the inside. There are six different food supplements in the range, three specifically for skincare, and three for body care. V beauty Body care Green tea antioxidants contain a powerful mixture of antioxidants that help boost your immune system and neutralise free radicals in your body, these are available from your nearest Tesco stores.

Sambucol Original, and Sambucol Original for Children syrups contain black elderberry, which has long been used as a natural remedy for common ailments such as coughs and colds. Sambucol is a black elderberry extract that supports the immune system. It is also packed full of anthocyanins, the flavonoids present in dark berries that are among the most potent, naturally occurring antioxidants available. These high antioxidant levels also protects cells from damage from free radicals. These are available from Boots Chemists.

Immunecare Lactoferrin which is much dearer at £29.99 for 60 tablets, It is a super supplement’ capable of preventing vicious viruses including HIV, CMV, herpes, hepatitis C and glandular fever. Lactoferrin stops viruses binding to the body’s healthy cells and so halts the viral infection before it can, literally, take hold. Lactoferrin is absorbed into the bloodstream where it binds to and inactivates unwanted antigens (damaging cells) that commonly cause bacterial and viral infections.

There are many other pills and tonics on the market if you want to make a search and see what you find, they may not be 100% protection but they will help to make your life easier.

HIV continually changes and can become resistant to treatment, leading to a continuing search for new drugs.

A new class of drug for people with HIV is being introduced in Britain today, which researchers describe as a huge step in treating the deadly infection.

The new drug is named Raltegravir and it is available in tablets form which is to be taken twice a day. It is approved for use with other antiretroviral drugs to treat HIV in about one in ten patients whose therapy has stopped working.
Raltegravir is likely to be available on the NHS for all infected patients as raltegravir is considered cost-effective because of their potential to prolong life by many years.
It is believed by doctors that the drug could become standard treatment, potentially preventing HIV progressing into full-blown Aids. It is claimed that three quarters of patients on the trials showed a significant reduction in viral load – the prevalance of the virus in their bloodstream – compared with 40 per cent taking current medication. Some patients showed such marked improvement that at some points levels of the virus were undetectable.

Raltegravir is the first in a new class of HIV treatments called integrase inhibitors, it is hoped this will avoid the risks of heart attack and cancer associated with existing medication. It works by blocking integrase, an enzyme that HIV relies on to replicate itself. It affects the ability of the virus to infect other cells, thus reducing the blood’s viral load. While raltegravir is not a ‘cure’ for HIV it does suppress the virus to where it is virtually undetectable. The approved dose of raltegravir is 400mg twice daily. Side-effects include diarrhoea, nausea, and headache. Raltegravir is being made available to UK patients. The drug received formal EU marketing approval in late December.