Is there any kind of exercise I can do to stop becoming round shouldered?

 

A large percentage of the population has poor posture. Rounded shoulders can be caused by sitting at a desk or leaning forward for long periods of time. Getting up and walking around, or shifting to a different position, can help. Pressing the head forward, leads to an excessive curve in the neck and can cause dowager's hump.

Sitting at home or in a car is no different than sitting at work. Anyone who sits for long periods with their arms out in front of them are prone to hunched shoulders.

Rounded shoulders can be improved by remembering to pull your shoulders back and by performing back strengthening exercises. The best place to start is with posture exercises that focus on the core or abdominal area and the muscles of the upper and middle back.

Your core helps to support your spine in an upright position. When the core muscles are weak the spine collapses and you end up slouching.

There are simple back exercises that you can do that can help with posture and maintain mobility. Ask your GP or practice nurse for further information.

I was told early this year that my stomach is full of gallstones yet there has been no move to remove them despite several hospital appointments. Can you advise to ease my worries?

Many of the risk factors for gallstones, such as age and gender, are fixed and cannot be prevented. However, from the limited evidence available, the most effective way of preventing gallstones is to make lifestyle changes, such as changes to your diet and losing weight (if you are obese)

In many cases of gallstones, a policy of 'watchful waiting' is recommended. This means that you will receive no immediate treatment, but you should look out for any worsening of your condition and report any symptoms to your GP.

As a general rule, the longer you go without experiencing any symptoms, the less likely it is that your condition will worsen.

The treatment plan for uncomplicated gallstone disease will depend on the frequency and severity of your symptoms, and the effect they have on your quality of life.

If your symptoms are mild and infrequent, and your quality of life is largely unaffected, surgery is not usually recommended. Believe it or not finding gallstones often occurs out of the blue when a test is being done for an entirely different reason. In these patients they will have never had any symptoms or any idea they were there. As long as you are not experiencing any symptoms nothing needs be done.

What is dysentry?

Dysentery is an infection of the intestines that causes diarrhoea and stomach cramps. Most people who get dysentery in the UK have only mild symptoms, such as diarrhoea and nausea. They may not need to see a GP because the condition can clear up within a few days.

Treatment is often not needed, although it is important to drink plenty of fluids to replace any that have been lost through diarrhoea.

Dysentery is a notifiable disease, which means that if a doctor diagnoses dysentery, they must tell the local authority.

There are two main types:

€¢ Bacillary dysentery, which is caused by a bacterium called Shigella. This is the most common type of dysentery in the UK.

€¢ Amoebic dysentery, also known as amoebiasis. This is caused by an amoeba (a single-celled parasite) called Entamoeba histolytica. It is found mainly in tropical areas, so this type of dysentery is picked up abroad.

Both types are commonly passed on through poor hygiene, and people often become infected by eating contaminated food.

Amoebic dysentery is more serious than bacillary dysentery and is sometimes fatal if not treated. Outbreaks of bacillary dysentery are common and there are between 2,000 and 10,000 incidents reported each year in the UK. Many more cases are not reported.

Amoebic dysentery is rare in the UK. You are most likely to become infected when travelling in parts of the world where the disease is common, such as Africa, South America, India and Southeast Asia.