Body signs

By Dr Sarah Brewer

Sometimes, annoying health niggles may be your body's way of telling you something is not quite how it should be. Dr Sarah Brewer explores 12 body signs to be aware of.

Sore throat

A sore throat usually heals itself and can ease off within around four days. If it lasts longer, tell your GP - never ignore a sore throat or hoarseness that lasts more than three weeks.

Causes of stubborn sore throats include bacterial infections, low immunity or blood disorders that need treatment. Hoarseness - even without a sore throat - should also be investigated to rule out a warty growth on the vocal chords or even the possibility of cancer. Dentists can now detect most non-symptomatic mouth cancers - an excellent reason for regular check-ups.

Coughs

Nothing is more annoying this time of year than a nagging cough. Usually, this is simply an irritation of the airways, but if it persists for more than a week or so, it needs checking out. Act quickly if you experience chest pain or cough up blood or mucky phlegm.

There are a number of possible causes of persistent coughs, including undiagnosed asthma, chest infections, chronic bronchitis, emphysema (dilated air sacs) and other lung diseases.

Heart failure and lung cancer are some of the more serious conditions of which coughing is a symptom.

Tender breasts

Aching breasts is a direct result of it being that time of the month (cyclical breast pain). It is part of your menstrual pangs, and is triggered by hormone imbalances in the body. The discomfort we know all too well is often described as dull and aching, and breast tissue may also be swollen and lumpy.

Cutting down on fat in the diet, taking simple painkillers, such as paracetamol or ibuprofen, and wearing a good fitting support bra, can ease sore breasts. Evening primrose supplements have proved helpful to many sufferers.

Non-cyclical breast pain, on the other hand, is often described as a sharp, stabbing or burning sensation, and may be due to cramping of muscles in the chest wall, a trapped nerve, infection or inflammation.

Once infection has been ruled out, localised non-cyclical breast pain may be eased by the injection of a local anaesthetic or steroid into the painful area. If the pain is over a wider area, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen normally help.

Breast pain is not usually a sign of breast cancer, but medical examination is important to rule this out, especially when the pain is one-sided and localised.

However, it's also good to remember that sore breasts can also be a sign of pregnancy.

Lumps or bumps

While most lumps are not usually serious, you should tell your GP if you notice an unusual lump anywhere on your body. It is difficult for even a doctor to differentiate between lumps, and you may need a biopsy to examine the lump under a microscope for accurate diagnosis.

Bowel habits

You may be embarrassed to discuss your bowels, but a change in your bowel habits, i.e. going to the toilet more or less frequently than usual could mean there's something wrong with your intestines. If this continues for more than a week or so, seek medical advice - earlier, if you develop abdominal pain or notice blood or slime in your motions. Try not to feel embarrassed - your doctor is used to dealing with problems like these!

Possible causes needing treatment include irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or an infection. Some more serious conditions include inflammatory bowel disease and bowel cancer.

Dandruff

Even people with healthy, non-itchy, non-scaly skin on their scalps are providing a cosy home for several types of yeast, the most common of which is malassezia. Once the level of this yeast starts to rise, the symptoms of dandruff - dryness, scaling, flaking, itch and greasiness - set in.

Inflammation linked with excess scalp yeasts can be reduced by increasing intakes of essential fatty acids. Do this by eating more oily fish, nuts and seeds, and by taking evening primrose, flaxseed or omega-3 fish oil supplements.

Dry, scaly skin is sometimes linked with lack of certain vitamins and minerals, especially vitamins A, B2, B3 and C, biotin, and also the minerals iodine, manganese, selenium and zinc. A shampoo containing the anti-fungal agent, ketoconazole, will help keep yeasts under control.

Mouth ulcers

They are a real pain, but recurrent mouth ulcers are common and can be linked with stress, herpes simplex viral infection or hypersensitivity to a common mouth bacterium called haemolytic streptococcus.

Mouth ulcers have also been linked with lack of the vitamins B2, B3, B6, B12, folic acid, C and iron. Recurrent mouth ulcers are sometimes a sign of coeliac condition (sensitivity to gluten in the diet), inflammatory bowel diseases or other immune problems.

Applying aloe vera gel can boost healing, as can Gengigel (an oral gel available from chemists). According to some researchers, avoiding toothpastes containing the detergent sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS) may help.

It is therefore important to seek medical advice if ulcers keep coming back or last more than 3 weeks - mainly because mouth cancer is becoming more common.

Aching feet

We have all experienced aching feet after a long day in heels, but continual discomfort in the soles of the feet can have a number of different causes such as:

Flat feet Arthritis
Tarsal tunnel syndrome - the foot version of carpal tunnel syndrome
Plantar fasciitis or policeman's foot, where pain occurs under the heel and in the midline
Erythromelalgia or burning feet syndrome
Metatarsalgia - where pain is mainly in the ball of the foot
Neuropathy - nerve transmission

Occasionally, burning feet are due to lack of B group vitamins. More traditional treatments of foot conditions often involve wearing heel pads, shoes and insoles, physiotherapy, and sometimes corticosteroid injections.

Floaters

You are not just seeing things - floaters occur when the clear, gelatinous fluid inside an eye starts to thicken (or shrink) and form clumps that cast a shadow on the retina. They are more common in people over the age of 40 who are either shortsighted or have had eye operations in the past. In the majority of cases, though, floaters are of no significance.

Once formed, floaters are difficult to treat, but they tend to become less annoying with time. Antioxidant supplements such as vitamins A, C, E, selenium, bilberry, grape seed extracts or pycnogenol (extracts from French maritime pine bark) may help. Supplements designed to improve the quality and quantity of synovial fluid in the joints (like omega 3 essential fatty acids) may improve floaters, too.

Always seek urgent advice if there is a sudden change in the number or size of floaters, or if you experience flashing lights, as this can be a sign of a detached retina, which needs urgent treatment.

Sudden weight loss

Although many people are happy to lose weight through sensible dieting, unexplained weight loss should never be ignored, especially when we can't put it down to a relationship break-up or stress at work.

It can sometimes be a sign of a long-term undiagnosed serious illness like an eating disorder, over-active thyroid gland, hidden infection, malabsorption - where nutrients are not taken up from the intestines properly - or, at the very worst, a stomach tumour.

Skin blemishes

Check out any blemishes that seem to be changing. While in many cases, lesions will turn out to be harmless, it can be difficult for even a doctor to know until the patch has been examined under a microscope.

If diagnosed early, the majority of skin cancers can be removed and the problem cured. Look out for typical signs like the mark growing larger, darker, scaly, itching, weeping, crusting, scabbing or developing a raised, rolled edge.

Check any ulcer or sore that gets worse or fails to heal within three weeks

Pain that keeps coming back

Most people suffer from aches and pains every now and then. But if you notice a pain that keeps coming back, such as a headache, indigestion, abdominal or chest pain, you should tell your doctor. This is especially important if you also have any other symptoms, such as weight loss, tiredness, lethargy, stiffness or a change in bowel habit.