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?

Is this even English? No, not at all.  Charles Arthur in the Guardian on March 27th  2013 writes that the Language Council of Sweden (who are responsible for the addition of official new words to the Swedish lexicon or language) had noted the increase in use of the term ‘conversesjukan’ or Converse … [Read more...] about Do you have ‘conversesjukan’?

A friend recently asked my opinion about water softeners as he was thinking of purchasing and installing a water softener in his home.  His family, bar himself, suffered with eczema which had worsened in recent months.  This is actually a not uncommon question.   What evidence is there for water … [Read more...] about The role of water softeners in eczema

Vitamin D is all the rage currently; everyone seems to be asking if vitamin D has a role in this disease or that disease.  Only last week, I was asked if vitamin D had a role to play in eczema; as far as I am aware, there have been no large, good quality studies that have investigated this nor shown … [Read more...] about The role of Vitamin D in melanoma