Being March, we may all be thinking of longer days, getting out and about, and possibly enjoying country walks as spring is surely on its way.  By no means trying to put anyone off such honourable pursuits, I do, however, remember that towards the end of last year, a case was presented of a late … [Read more...] about Tick, tick, tick…

At the end of November of last year, the British Medical Journal wrote a Clinical Review on the ‘Diagnosis and management of hyperhidrosis.’  [Benson RA, Palin, R, Holt PJE et al.  Diagnosis and management of hyperhidrosis.  BMJ 2013; 347: f6800.] Now, hyperhidrosis is the medical term for excess … [Read more...] about Super-sweating

 I have written about food allergies before but the British Medical Journal published a clinical review on how to manage cows’ milk allergy in children in September of last year.    [Ludman S, Shah N, Fox AT.  Managing cows’ milk allergy in children.  BMJ 2013; 347: 28-32.] This is a very … [Read more...] about Cows’ milk protein allergy in children

We’ve acquired a puppy this year, which has been very exciting for us.  However, owning a pet is not a new thing to us.  We’ve had pets in our family even before we had children and we feel our children benefit from having animals around them in many ways.  Has anyone heard of the Hygiene … [Read more...] about Puppies aren’t just for Christmas – they can be good for you!

All of a sudden, I seem to know a whole load of pregnant people.  There must be something in the water in this part of Kent!  However, on a professional level, we have also had quite a few referrals for pregnancy-related rashes recently and I have realized that this is one area that I have not … [Read more...] about Itchy, scratchy pregnant tummies.

Every year, we try to hold out against switching on the central heating but definitely, by the end of October, we will have succumbed and on it will go; there are only so many jumpers, socks and quilts you can pile on in the evenings!  However, we are not the only ones who thrive once the central … [Read more...] about House dust mites and eczema

 A paper was published in the BMJ Open in March of this year that must have struck a blow to the heart of every balding man, quite literally.  [Yamada T, Hara K, Umermatsu H et al.  Male pattern baldness and its association with coronary heart disease: a meta-analysis.  BMJ Open 2013; 3: … [Read more...] about Male pattern baldness and cardiovascular risk

 There have been recent major advances in the understanding of what causes eczema and it all concerns a molecule called filaggrin. [Brown SJ and McLean WHI.  One remarkable molecule: Filaggrin.  J Invest Dermatol 2012; 132(3 Pt 2): 751-762.]   Now, there is a common dry skin disorder called … [Read more...] about Do you have the genes for eczema?

There are safe ways to tan, aren't there? I had one patient recently who told me that she was ‘safe’ in the sun.  She applied a sunscreen of SpF 20 and sunbathed for 40 minutes on one side and then rotated for 40 minutes on the other side.  She liked the nice nutty brown colour her skin had become … [Read more...] about What lies beneath…

We are in the midst of hayfever season.  This typically spans March to September when all the tree and grass pollens are in the air.  Many hayfever sufferers are allergic to one or more tree and grass pollens and this time of year can be particularly problematic for them.   So why do they have … [Read more...] about Do you have hayfever and trouble eating apples?