UTIs

Really common, really annoying, and occasionally really dangerous. Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are more frequent in women because they have shorter urethras (the tube from bladder to the outside) and so bacteria have less distance to travel before causing trouble....

TMJ Pain

Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) pain is one of the most common causes of face pain in adults. Typically, the pain occurs right in front of the ear on one or both sides (sometimes it can be confused with ear pains etc) which is worse with chewing or opening the mouth...

Blepharitis

This month’s topic is blepharitis – or inflammation of the eyelid margins. Doctors and optometrists will commonly refer to two different types of blepharitis, inner versus outer eyelid margin inflammation, however they often occur together and involve the little oil...

Wry neck

Wry neck is also known as acute torticollis (‘twisted column’ in Latin) which to me sounds a bit like the name of animal found in the dungeons of a castle. Just as you would expect from a dungeon creature, it attacks quickly and is very unpleasant. It is a severe...

Planning for a pregnancy

Many people are surprised to know that the ideal time to start planning for a healthy pregnancy is well prior to actually falling pregnant (and of course using reliable contraception beforehand!). It’s best to visit your GP for a pre-conception consult at least 3-6...

Medical info from the internet

The internet is great, but sometimes it can be difficult to sort the ‘wheat from the chaff’ in terms of quality information. Here are a few of the better websites I commonly refer to: Kids Health – The Royal Children’s Hospital (also has its own app)...