Your health: Girl’s best friend

With Doctor Arabella Onslow

QI get terribly itchy eyes whenever I go to my nan’s house because of her dog, and antihistamines take a while to make them feel better. Is there anything I can do to prevent them reacting?

AIf you have a predictable reaction to your nan’s dog, you should take the antihistamines a couple of days up to and during the visit to really keep the symptoms under control. And use cold compresses on your eyes, they’re soothing and can help.

How can I keep my cholesterol down?

QMy family has a history of high cholesterol and most of them are on statins, but I’m not keen. I eat healthily, exercise regularly and don’t smoke or drink – is this not enough?

AThese are all crucial ways to reduce your risk of heart disease, but you should check whether it will be enough to bring your cholesterol down to normal levels. If not, statins are the next thing to try and they’re very effective.

Avoiding antibiotics

QI get frequent water infections and the doctor has suggested I take regular antibiotics, but I’m worried about the effects of taking them all the time. Is this the only option? Jessica, Ribble Valley

AIf you don’t want to take regular daily antibiotics to manage recurrent urine infections, you could try patient-initiated antibiotics – a standing prescription from your GP, ready to take only when you have symptoms. Talk to your doctor about this.