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Is your body trying to tell you something?

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

• Sore throats
• Coughs
• Tender breasts
• Lumps and bumps
• Bowel habits
• Dandruff
• Mouth ulcers
• Aching feet
• Floaters
• Sudden weight loss
• Skin blemishes
• Pain that keeps coming back

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.

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