How often do you need to get vaccinated against tetanus?

The UK has a vaccination programme against tetanus. A full course of tetanus vaccination consists of five doses of the vaccine. This should be enough to give you long-term protection from tetanus. However, if you're not sure how many doses you've received, you may need a booster dose after an injury that breaks your skin.

If you've definitely received five doses of the tetanus vaccine, you are fully vaccinated and don't need a booster dose.

I'm getting worried that I am drinking too much. Is there a "healthy" level of drinking alcohol and when does it become unhealthy?

Drinking too much alcohol can cause a variety of health problems, including high blood pressure (hypertension), alcohol poisoning and cirrhosis of the liver. It can also lead to destructive behaviour, such as drink driving. Drinking alcohol also affects judgement. To prevent developing alcohol-related health problems, the NHS advises not drinking more than your recommended daily amount of alcohol.

You should avoid regularly drinking more than three to four units a day if you're a man and two to three units a day if you're a woman

It's a good idea to have at least a few alcohol-free days a week. However, don't store up your units and then binge drink at the weekends. Binge drinking is defined as:

€¢ drinking more than eight units a day if you're a man

€¢ drinking more than six units a day if you're a woman

Binge drinking can affect your personal safety and put you at risk of developing serious health problems.

You may have a drinking problem if you:

€¢ feel your social life revolves around alcohol

€¢ drink alone or in the morning

€¢ can't stop drinking once you start

€¢

Go to see your GP if you think you have a drinking problem. They'll be able to give you information and advice and, if necessary, refer you for further specialist help and support. As well as your health, there are also legal ramifications of drinking as well. The Scottish Government has recently lowered the legal drink-drive limit. The changes, which came into effect in early December 2014, have reduced the legal alcohol limit from 80mg to 50mg in every 100ml of blood.

What is frostbite?

Frostbite is localised damage to skin and tissue ,usually of extremities caused by exposure to freezing temperatures - Frostbite can affect any part of your body. However, the extremities, such as the hands, feet, ears, nose and lips, are most likely to be affected.

The symptoms of frostbite usually begin with the affected parts feeling cold and painful. If exposure to the cold continues, you may feel pins and needles before the area becomes numb as the tissues freeze.

It is important that a person with frostbite is taken to a warm environment as soon as it is safe to do so. This is to limit the effects of the frostbite injury and because they are also likely to have hypothermia. Do not put pressure on the frostbitten area.

The affected area should be warmed up by a medical professional. This is usually done by immersing it in warm (but not hot) water.This process may be very painful and large amounts of painkillers are often required.

It is important not to re-warm the affected area if there is a chance of it freezing again, as this can lead to further tissue damage.

In severe cases of frostbite, there may be tissue loss, which requires surgery .In severe cases it may be necessary to amputate all or part of an affected area