Dr. Max Knight

I had an interesting case this week which was a young man suffering from breathlessness. We ran the usual tests which all came back clean and we ran even more tests which revealed nothing. We decided to explore some environmental factors and eventually discovered that the only things to change in the last few weeks were the introduction of a protein shake, a chocolate flavoured protein and carbohydrates shake designed to help the user build muscle.

I’d never come across this type of problem before and we haven’t tested to see if there is a definite connection, however it seems likely. We haven’t ruled out shortness of breath through anxiety or stress. We stopped the protein shakes and the patient went on a small holiday and symptoms appeared to be restored after 14 days.

If you have similar symptoms, make sure you seek professional advice as quickly as possible and tell your health care provider everything – especially if you’ve recently started on protein shakes.

For people suffering from thrush, short term and long term – I feel for you. Many many people suffer from this ailment and are forced to endure unbearable itching, funny coloured discharge and more.

Im sure by now you have tried most things to get rid of the disease. If not, then read on as we might uncover a treatment for thrush you hadn’t thought of.

Yakult. This is a live yoghurt that balances the bacteria in your body, or should I say re-balances. This is often a very effective way of significantly reducing symptoms, if not rid them completely. The great thing about this method is the lack of any painful and difficult syringing.

Healthy dieting. The imbalanced bacteria within your body could have been caused by a poor diet and so getting this back on track could potentially see you cured. This takes dedication and commitment but if you try and remember why you are doing it in and think of the benefits – this should help.

For more information on thrush and other yeast infection cures, click here.

Acne – no matter what age you are – is a stressful and downgrading condition to deal with. So here are some quick fixes to help you reduce your spots and get rid of them for good.

Drink plenty of water – and when I say plenty, I mean plenty! You need at least 2 litres of water a day to help keep your body free of unnecessary toxins.

Big spot? Use the old fashion tooth-paste remedy. Simply apply a small dab of tooth paste to the affected area, allow it to dry (similar to a face mask), and wash off with warm water. Pat your face dry with a clean towel.

Get some more sleep! Lack of sleep is scientifically proven to increase the levels of sebum in your pores – so sleep for at least 8 hours. Not only will this improve your skin, but you’ll feel better all round for it too!

Insomnia – lots of us fall victim to it at some stage in our lives, so if you’re suffering from a bout of insomnia, what could you do to make sure you get your 40 winks.

Well, there are plenty of sleeping tablets, but these can often lead to complications (such as addiction/reliance on them in order to get to sleep), so here are a few natural ways you can cure your sleeping problem.

Go for a brisk walk 30 minutes before you go to bed. Even if you walk briskly around your garden, the fresh air and intensity of your walk will tell your body it needs rest.

Make sure the environment you are sleeping in is completely dark. Any light whatsoever will mean your brain cannot secrete a chemical called melatonin – which regulates your body’s sleeping patterns. The more light there is, the more melatonin there is in your blood – and that will keep you awake.

So, the darker it is, the better the chance you have of getting to sleep.

Excessive thirst is quite rare, but at some point in our lives, most of us come up against it. Basically, no matter what you are drinking, you just can’t seem to quench your thirst. This can be an absolute nightmare!

Not to fear though – just turn to our trusted friends… water and herbal tea.

Drink as much water as you possible can to flush out any toxins in your body, then drink herbal tea only – about 5 cups per day should quench your thirst.

Of course, thirst can be caused by consuming too much salty foods, or too much garlic (two components often found in takeaway food).

The main thing here is to keep calm, reduce excessive exercise until you are better, and just drink plenty of water and herbal tea.

Stress strikes us all down from time to time, and it can have a real impact on our health when it does.

Don’t worry though, because stress is easily dealt with – and here’s how you could tame your stress the next time it tries to rear its ugly head.

Take some time away from the situation, distance yourself from everything and disassociate yourself with all things to do with whatever is making you stressed.

Head outside and find a quiet place and just enjoy the scenery – even if it’s raining! Just take some time to breathe deeply and clear your mind. Stretch your arms out, stretch your shoulders and just breathe deeply.

The key thing here is to distance yourself from whatever is making you stressed. You’ll be able to handle it much better once you taken a few minutes away from it and calmed down.

If you keep waking up with what feels like sticky eyes, don’t worry, because it happens to everyone!

What’s basically happening is the ‘sleep’ your eyes are producing is being produced at a high-rate, and is effectively sealing your eyes shut overnight.

To prevent this, you should give your eyes a bath before you go to sleep. Unfortunately, there is no avoiding buying something here – as you will have to go out and buy an eye bathing kit.

Use this kit as advised on the box, and you’ll find your eyes won’t stick together anymore when you wake up.

Excessive sweating can be an embarrassing ailment – particularly at work or on a date. There are ways, however, of preventing excessive sweating using some products you will find at home.

First of all, you could rub some weak alcohol under your armpits before you go to sleep at night. This will help to close the pores, cleaning them of any impurities that may cause sweating.

Secondly, you could dust your armpits with some baby powder. This will provide a protective layer against perspiration, and should help to keep your armpits dry.

Of course, if neither of these methods work, you should talk to your local GP. They should be able to help you with some medical advice.

Headaches, no matter how weak or strong, are a real annoyance. They can be caused by a variety of things – bad lighting, for example, high air-pressure, or just a lack of sleep.

There are, however, a few useful ways of getting rid of your headache without taking some shop-bought pain killers (which won’t stop the headache, they’ll just numb the pain).

First of all, you should get yourself some fresh air. Clear your head, clear your thoughts and just take some really deep breaths. This will help to relax you. Now you’ve done this, sip about 300ml of ice-cold water, taking deep breaths as you do this.

As you are doing this, you should be sat somewhere with no noise, and should not be looking at any electrical equipment/reading anything.

It may take a few goes of doing this, but once your headache subsides, it will be worth it. The techniques discussed here can also be used for relaxation.

Trapped wind can ruin your day, it can pretty much stop you from doing anything. Shooting pains, stomach cramps – both of them are very painful and can really put you down.

However, it needn’t be this way, because trapped wind isn’t hard to get rid of. In fact, it’s pretty simple. Just drink three or four cups of herbal tea throughout the day until your discomfort has subsided. The wind may be caused by indigestion, or heartburn – but whatever is causing it, you’ll want to get rid of it fast!

So, a couple of cups of herbal tea, and you’ll have a happy tummy again!