How can I look after my family over Christmas and New Year when GP surgeries can be closed over the holidays?

How can I look after my family over Christmas and New Year when GP surgeries can be closed over the holidays?

Make sure you are prepared by knowing the opening times of your GP surgery and local pharmacies. This year many GP surgeries will be closed for four days at Christmas and four days again at New Year. If you are unlucky enough to get a cough, cold or flu, buying over the counter medicine, staying at home and keeping warm will make you feel much better. Your local pharmacy is a good source of safe, reliable advice. Make sure you have a well stocked medicine cabinet with over the counter medicines, such as

€¢ paracetamol and ibuprofen for pain relief,

€¢ anti-histamines for allergies and runny noses,

€¢ anti-diarrhoeals and oral rehydration sachets for diarrhoea

€¢ indigestion remedies such as an antacid

€¢ a first aid kit.

If you have been putting off making an appointment with your GP to discuss a health matter, it may be a good idea to make a routine appointment before the festive period. There are also lots of tips on staying healthy this winter, as part of Be Health-Wise this Winter campaign, available at www.nhsinform.co.uk

My partner gets depressed when he is drinking. I am worried that he will be worse over Christmas when we have a lot of parties and socialising to do.

Alcohol helps us to forget our problems for a while. It can help us to relax and overcome any shyness. It can make talking easier and more fun, whether in the pub, a club or at a party.

If you are depressed and lacking in energy, it can be tempting to use alcohol to help you keep going and cope with life. The problem is that it is easy to slip into drinking regularly, using it like a medication. The benefits soon wear off, the drinking becomes part of a routine, and you have to keep drinking more to get the same effect.

We know there is a connection between depression and alcohol. Evidence shows that:

€¢ If you drink too much, too regularly, you are more likely to become depressed. There is evidence that alcohol changes the chemistry of the brain and that this increases the risk of depression.

€¢ Hangovers create a cycle of waking up feeling ill, anxious, jittery and guilty.

€¢ Regular drinking can lead to family arguments, poor performance at work, an unreliable memory and sexual problems.

€¢ If we drink alcohol to relieve anxiety or depression we can worsen those symptoms.

I would suggest that you speak to your partner about your worries and urge them to make an appointment with their GP to discuss in more detail.

What is Mastalgia?

Cyclical breast pain is also sometimes known as cyclical mastalgia. It refers to pain in the upper outer area of the breast, which can extend to the armpits.

Cyclical breast pain only affects pre-menopausal women because it is connected to the menstrual cycle.

In the UK, cyclical breast pain affects up to two-thirds of women, with around one in 10 women having moderate to severe pain.

Cyclical breast pain is a condition rather than a symptom of one. It is not related to breast cancer or any other serious breast conditions.