Your HEALTH
Got a medical problem or need health advice? Ask GP Dr Philippa Kaye
Q I know you can tell if you are a healthy weight by calculating your body mass index (BMI), but I have also been told it’s good to measure your waist. Which is the most accurate?
A That’s a great question! And it’s complicated. Neither are perfect nor calculate your health, which is, in itself, complicated to define.
BMI is a ratio of your height and weight, and is calculated by dividing your weight in kilos by your height in metres squared. A BMI of about 20-25 is considered ‘healthy’, but this measurement isn’t ideal, as it doesn’t take body fat into consideration. For example, it will be incorrect in people with a high amount of muscle mass, such as rugby players. In fact, the National Institute for Health and
Care Excellence (NICE) has recently recommended that lower BMI thresholds should be used for people from Asian, Chinese and black backgrounds, as these groups are more likely to carry weight around the tummy.
There have also been new recommendations to use waist and height measurements, with the aim of keeping your waist circumference less than half of your height. This is because storing more fat around the tummy is associated with an increased risk of some conditions, including heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes. But weight does not automatically equate to health, so whatever your dress size, it is important to eat a varied, balanced diet, and to make sure that you exercise.
Q When I get aches or pains, I always feel better when I listen to a piece of music that reminds me of dancing in the living room with my siblings as a child. When I told my husband what I do, he said it was nonsense. Who is right?
A I should know better than to step into a marital debate, but there may be some evidence in your favour! A recent study from the Chinese Academy of Sciences found that nostalgia can act as a painkiller. So those fond memories of dancing round your living room with your siblings, which are triggered by listening to a particular song, may well be helpful.
The research was a small study of only 34 people but used MRI scans to assess brain activity while a source of pain (a three-second heat pulse) was applied to their arm.
They then looked at a picture aimed to induce nostalgia, such as a cartoon, and were asked to assess the level of pain they felt. Looking at the nostalgic stimuli seemed to change the brain activity and involved areas of pain perception. Therefore, listening to music, looking at old photos or watching a favoured childhood film may well help with pain and seems very unlikely to do any harm. So, why not?
Q I saw on the news a few weeks ago that Viagra can cause eye problems. My husband regularly takes the tablet – is it safe for him to do so?
A This story has been in the news recently. Researchers from the USA investigating medications such as sildenafil (Viagra) and other similar drugs used for erectile dysfunction found that men who take the pills were more likely to develop serious eye conditions. This includes retinal detachment, blood clots in the retina and ischaemic optic neuropathy, which is a condition where there’s damage to the blood supply to the optic nerve. It’s important to state that these conditions are rare, but they are serious, as they can lead to sight loss.
However, while taking these medications seems to be associated with an increased risk of these conditions, it’s not the same as saying that they cause them. Instead, it’s important to consider the potential causes of erectile dysfunction, which may themselves be increasing the risk of these eye conditions. For example, high blood pressure and diabetes can lead to erectile problems and increase the risk of ischaemic optic neuropathy.
Your husband will need to talk to his GP, who will know his medical history, to see whether taking Viagra is safe for him. If he develops any new eye symptoms, he should seek urgent medical advice.