MY sister told me that aspirin is better than paracetamol for relieving period pain. I've never taken aspirin before, should I be worried about taking it?

Although paracetamol may help reduce pain to some degree, research has shown that it doesn't reduce pain as effectively as ibuprofen or aspirin.

Both aspirin and ibuprofen are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) painkillers, which work differently to a regular painkiller like paracetamol.

For most people, aspirin and ibuprofen is generally safe to take. However, you should be careful when taking ibuprofen or aspirin if you have asthma, stomach problems, kidney problems or liver problems. To stay safe, please seek advice from your GP before consuming aspiring or ibuprofen, they will be able to advise what painkiller and dosage is best for you. Also, it's important to remember that aspirin isn't suitable for anyone under the age of 16.

I'VE recently adopted a vegan diet, how can I make sure I'm getting all the nutrients my body needs?

First of all, with some forward thinking and careful planning, vegan diets can be healthy and balanced. Following the Eatwell Guide can be a great help in making sure you get the essential nutrients you needs. This can be done by making sure you are having at least 5 portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables every day, basing meals around potatoes, bread, rice, pasta and other starchy carbohydrates - choosing wholegrain varieties where possible, including some lower fat and lower sugar dairy alternatives in your diet, such as almond or soya milk.

It is also a good idea to eat beans, pulses and soya products for protein, choose unsaturated oils and spreads in small amounts and drink 6 to 8 glasses of fluid per day to stay hydrated.

The hardest vitamin to get on a vegan diet is Vitamin B12. Sometimes known as folate, Vitamin B12 is naturally occurring in animal products such as eggs, cheese and fish. A deficiency in vitamin B12, can result in anaemia. Vegan sources of Vitamin B12 can be found in plant milk alternatives (such as almond, soya and coconut milk) vegan spreads, nutritional yeast extracts and fortified breakfast cereals. These products should be consumed twice a day for a daily intake of at least 3mcg. To help you get started, it may be worthwhile speaking to a nutritionist to work out some meal plans.

What is a Hookworm infection?

The hookworm larvae are found in soil that's been contaminated with animal or human faeces. The larvae can infect people if their skin comes into contact with the soil.

Most people infected with hookworm don't show any real symptoms. The skin of those infected with animal hookworm can display a slow moving red line but this is painless and typically doesn't cause any harm. However, those infected with human hookworm can experience a red, itchy rash and respiratory symptoms such as coughing and wheezing. In more severe cases, abdominal pain, diarrhoea, loss of appetite, weight loss and fatigue may be experienced.

Hookworm infections can be diagnosed by inspecting a stool sample under a microscope in a laboratory.

Hookworm infections can be successfully treated by anti-worm medications that can be prescribed by your GP. These medications typically have few side effects and will need to be taken for one to three days.