DR Jeff Foster is The Sun on Sunday’s resident doctor and is here to help YOU.
Dr Jeff, 43, splits his time between working as a GP in Leamington Spa, Warks, and running his clinic, H3 Health, which is the first of its kind in the UK to look at hormonal issues for both men and women.
See h3health.co.uk and email at drjeff@the-sun.co.uk.
Q) I’M a 45-year-old man and quite prone to catching colds and sickness bugs.
Is it true I will be healthier if I eat gut-friendly bacteria and take probiotics? Is there any advice on avoiding illness if this isn’t true, please?
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Gordon Green, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion
A) In recent years, there has been a lot of research and interest in probiotics, friendly bacteria and the gut microbiome.
The concept is that what we eat can directly and indirectly affect our health by altering the types of bacteria in our intestines.
Eating a broad range of different foods introduces different bacteria into our digestive tract and helps keep the lining of our intestines healthy. By that we mean that the gut does not become “leaky”, and unhealthy bacteria are unable to get into our system and cause unwanted inflammation and inappropriate activation of our immune system.
There are other benefits of having a healthy gut microbiome, but the main idea of probiotics is to improve the balance of good bacteria in our guts.
There is good evidence that having a good diet, high in healthy bacteria, can improve our immune system. But that does not translate to buying probiotic foods.
Studies suggest you should have a well-rounded diet, with plenty of fruit and vegetables, to provide the healthy bacteria and balance of nutrients you need.
Q) I’M a 51-year-old man and, for the past six weeks, I’ve had a dull pain in my left arm, with numbness and pins and needles in my little finger and ring finger.
Should I be worried? I take 2.5mg Ramipril for high blood pressure.
George Jones Rochester, Kent
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A) Often, people with pins and needles in the left arm think of their heart. For most, this is not the case – and it’s important to obtain a good history.
In your case, the key point is the distribution of the pain. As our nerves leave the neck, they pass through our shoulder into the brachial plexus, which then splits the nerves of our arms up into the median, radial and ulnar nerves.
Each of these three nerves is responsible for a different area of skin sensation, pain and function. The ulnar nerve, also known as our “funny bone”, passes along the inside of our arm and down into our hand, affecting only the ring and little finger.
If a patient has pain matching that distribution, it is likely to originate from the nerve. See your doctor, as any symptoms lasting six weeks need to be investigated. The nerve could be trapped or you might have a problem with your neck, shoulder or elbow. While not impossible, it is unlikely this is a heart-related issue.
