Your HEALTH
Got a medical problem or need health advice? Ask GP Dr Philippa Kaye
Q I am in my late 40s and have recently started getting migraines, which are worse when I have red wine. Are there any other foods I should avoid? I’m also having really bad hot flushes – can I still have HRT if I have migraines?
A Migraines are common and tend to follow the same pattern: a premonitory stage where people might feel tired, have food cravings or be irritable, followed by the ‘attack’. About one third of people will also have aura before the headache, which can include disturbances to vision or hearing, pins and needles or numbness. The pain is throbbing, and often associated with nausea or vomiting. Sleep can often help end an attack, which is then followed by a recovery phase.
Around one in 10 people with migraines have food and drink triggers, for example, excessive caffeine use, red wine, cheese, or being hungry or dehydrated. Chocolate is thought of as a trigger, but is more likely to be a food craving in the earliest phase. The good news? A recent study suggested that a diet high in oily fish rich in omega-3 oils, such as salmon, can help reduce migraines.
As for migraines and HRT, this is commonly asked, as migraines with aura are a contraindication for the combined oral contraceptive pill
(but not for the progesterone-only pill and other forms of contraception). However, you can have HRT if you have migraines, so if you are struggling with symptoms of the perimenopause or menopause, see your GP.
Q I enjoy running, as it makes me feel better. I’m overweight and I have a strong family history of cancer. Would exercising more lower my risk of the disease?
A Exercise can give a wealth of benefits for both physical and mental health. If you have a strong family history of cancer there may be a genetic component involved, but there is evidence to suggest that exercise can reduce the risk of some cancers, such as bowel cancer.
Recent research suggests that exercise can also slow down how quickly a cancer develops and progresses. This is thought to be because exercise releases certain substances into the blood, and it’s these that then slow down how quickly cancer cells are growing. Exercise is also thought to help boost the immune system, which is involved in preventing cancer developing and growing.
Being overweight or having obesity does increase your risk of getting certain cancers, such as breast cancer. However, the positive impact of exercise on not developing cancer remains the same irrespective of your weight, according to research. Exercise is beneficial. Running is great, but it doesn’t have to be that – find what you enjoy and keep doing it!
Q I’ve had pain in my left shoulder for a few months now and my shoulder seems to be getting stiffer and stiffer. I can’t do my bra up at the back any more, and even reaching up to get something down from a high shelf is not possible. What’s going on?
A It sounds like you might have a frozen shoulder, or adhesive capsulitis of the shoulder. Here, the shoulder becomes stiff and painful, so you can’t move it as fully as normal.
It isn’t clear why frozen shoulder develops – it tends to start with a ‘freezing painful’ phase, which lasts somewhere between two and nine months, and starts with pain before stiffness starts.
The second ‘frozen’ phase lasts four to 12 months, where the pain resolves, but the reduction in movement and stiffness continues or may even worsen.
The final ‘thawing’ phase is when the pain and stiffness gradually resolve and improve.
The pain and decrease in movements can really have an impact on your life. Although it can take time, in most cases, the shoulder returns to normal.
Treatments can include taking painkillers, exercises to try to keep the shoulder mobile, steroid injections and physiotherapy.