Lifestyle

10 secret health hacks doctors tell friends – and it's advice more people should know


Medical experts give us their Top 10 pieces of advice they think we should know.

1. BLOOD PRESSURE: If your doctor wants to prescribe medication to reduce blood pressure, ask for Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring (ABPM) where blood pressure is measured at intervals over 24 hours at home first, advises Professor Gareth Beevers, from Blood Pressure UK (bloodpressureuk.org).

This is the ‘gold standard’ of blood pressure measuring and gives far more accurate readings than a single measurement at the GP’s.

The next best option is to buy your own monitor (from £15-20) and check your blood pressure at regular intervals at home – writing down the results.

Make sure the machine is endorsed by the British and Irish Hypertension Society and ask your practice nurse or pharmacist for guidance on using it correctly.

From a simple chest check with a stethoscope to blood tests, your GP can be a lifesaver

An older woman using a blood pressure monitor to test herself at home
If you have your own monitor you can keep tabs on your blood pressure at home

2. FEET: Treat them like your face, says podiatrist Heena Patel (heenapatelpodiatry.com).

Invest in a rich foot moisturiser and use it every day. Cracked heels can be painful, and infections can enter the body through cracks in the feet, especially if you have diabetes.

And remember drinking water helps maintain the elasticity of the skin on the feet as well as your face.

3. TEETH: Don’t replace amalgam fillings because you don’t like the look of them or because you worry about mercury, warns Sally Rayment, restorative dentist at the Implant Centre Hove (Theimplantcentre.com). Replacing them can trigger problems if the nerve becomes compromised.

Look after your teeth and they’ll look after you!

4. PSYCHOTHERAPY: Don’t take unnecessary medication, advises Dr Mike Dow, psychotherapist and author of The Brain Fog Fix: Reclaim Your Focus, Memory And Joy In Just 3 Weeks (Hay House, £12.99).

Many of us take over-the-counter drugs – including aspirin, antibiotics, asthma medications, ibuprofen, and steroids – that we don’t need. They can deplete B vitamins (essential for boosting mood and energy) and may increase inflammation in the brain, causing it to age more rapidly and think less clearly.

5. VARICOSE VEINS: ‘Don’t ignore aching legs,’ warns Professor Mark Whiteley, Consultant Surgeon and Clinical Director of the Whiteley Clinic (hewhiteleyclinic.co.uk).

Around 30% of adults have varicose vein problems in their legs – but only half of them can see varicose veins on the surface.

The other half have ‘hidden varicose veins’ deeper beneath the skin which they aren’t aware of until they get aching legs, swollen ankles, phlebitis, eczema, red or brown stains on the ankles, or leg ulcers. And no doctor or nurse can say you don’t have ‘hidden varicose veins’ until you have had a duplex ultrasound scan.

These varicose veins are clearly visible – but some are hidden

6. GASTROENTEROLOGY: Try new foods, says Dr Anton Emmanuel, Consultant Gastroenterologist at University College Hospital and Medical Director for Guts UK (gutscharity.org.uk).

Some 60% of Brits eat the same foods every day. However healthy the foods, that’s not good for our gut. The digestive system needs a range of food to absorb the wide variety of nutrients and minerals we need.

7. TABLETS: Don’t pay up to 10 times more for a pack of brand-name painkillers, says Sunil K. Kochhar, Consultant Pharmacist for dearpharmacist.info.

There’s the notion that named brand products are better or ‘you get what you pay for’. In fact, you’re usually paying more for the colour and style of packaging (though big brands do come in a choice of formulations).

All products, branded or generic, have to be manufactured by law to the same minimum standard.

Generic tablets are far cheaper – but only take them if you need them

8. SEPSIS: Consider sepsis, says Dr Ron Daniels BEM, intensive care consultant and Chief Executive of the UK Sepsis Trust (sepsistrust.org).

If you (or a loved one) have the symptoms of an infection and feel worse than you have ever felt before, ask your GP or hospital doctor if it could be sepsis.

Or, if you’re at home, dial 999 and get to A&E. A difference of just one hour in receiving treatment can mean the difference between life and death.

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9. BONES: Don’t run, advises Garry Trainer (garrytrainer.com). The human body is designed to walk – and to run occasionally when the ‘fight or flight’ mechanism kicks in. The compressive force and wear and tear on the lower spine and joints simply wears everything out faster.

To get your heart rate up, have intervals of building up from a fast walk to a light jog then a slow run and back again.

10. NUTRITION: Ignore any claim on the front of the packet, says Health Coach, Olly Leicester (ollyleicester.co.uk). Phrases like ‘sugar-free’, ‘vegan’, ‘gluten-free’ only tell you what is NOT in the product, not what IS. The ingredients list on the back of the packet is what you need to read.

My mantra is, ‘If your food is wrong, medicine is of no use. If your food is right, medicine is of no need.’





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