At Home with Dr Christian Jessen - 110

| MEDICAL S.O.S|
pressure on a nerve - for example,
when you cross your legs or fall
asleep on your arm - nerve
compression, as in carpal tunnel
syndrome, or a more serious
condition, such as multiple sclerosis
(MS), tumour or stroke. If the
sensation is accompanied by muscle
wasting, it could indicate nerve
damage, caused by injury, infection,
repetitive stress or diabetes.
MANAGE AT HOME: Loosen any
tight clothing or shoes and change
your sitting position. You might ﬁnd
it helpful to rub or massage the
affected area, to bring blood and
sensation back, and consider yoga
or Pilates, to improve your posture.
BOOK AN APPOINTMENT: See
your doctor soon if you lose strength
or sensation in part of your body or
you have difﬁculty walking, as you
could have a neurological condition.
You should also see your GP if the
problem keeps recurring, has no
obvious cause or doesn't fully resolve
within a few minutes.
If the problem is causing other
issues, such as making you lose your
balance or restricting the use of
your hands, get it checked.
SEEK IMMEDIATE MEDICAL HELP:

Numbness or pins and needles in
the groin and/or legs and feet,
accompanied by loss of bowel or
urinary sensation and function,
could be a sign of cauda equina
syndrome, where the nerve roots in
your spine are compressed. This is a
medical emergency and needs urgent
treatment. Also dial 999, if the
numbness is along one side of the
body, as it could be a sign of a stroke.

5

Depression

From low self-esteem and
feelings of hopelessness to
physical symptoms such as difﬁculty
sleeping, over- or under-eating and
exhaustion, depression shows itself
in many ways. Speciﬁc forms of
depression include seasonal affective
disorder (SAD), bipolar disorder
(characterised by extreme mood
swings - from despair to euphoria)
and post-natal depression. In
its most extreme form, a
depressed person may develop
imaginary beliefs, hear voices
or become suicidal.
MANAGE AT HOME:

Although you may not feel like
it, mental health charity Mind
(www.mind.org.uk)
recommends taking part in
physical activities, even if just
110 | MARCH 2015

for 20 minutes a day. Exercising in
nature has been shown to boost
mood, and swimming or team sports
can also help shift how you feel.
When you're feeling low, even this
can be a challenge, so set yourself
small, achievable goals.
Medical opinion is divided on the
relationship between mood and
food, but always eating breakfast
and having regular meals will help
maintain healthy blood sugar levels,
and eating plenty of omega-3-rich
foods such as oily ﬁsh, ﬂaxseeds and
hemp seeds are key to brain health.
BOOK AN APPOINTMENT: There
are many treatments available for
depression, so speak to your GP if
you can't manage on your own.
Drug treatments include antidepressants, tranquillisers and
sleeping pills, or you may ﬁnd
talking therapy or cognitive
behaviour therapy, which teaches
you to change negative thinking
patterns, could be helpful for you.
An important thing to realise is
that you're not alone, and there are
areas of support. Find a registered
counsellor at www.bacp.co.uk
SEEK IMMEDIATE MEDICAL HELP:

If you or someone you know is
feeling suicidal, the Samaritans run
a 24-hour help line (08457 909090)
and are trained to support people
at risk of taking their own life.
Alternatively, book a GP
appointment, call NHS 111.

6

Back pain

This is another extremely
common problem, with
four out of ﬁve Brits experiencing
the condition at some point in their
lives. Around 15 million work days
were lost in 2013 due to back
problems, but they weren't just down
to injury; back pain can also be
a result of poor posture or lack
of exercise. Other causes include
sciatica (when the sciatic nerve
becomes irritated), age-related

RECOGNISE THE
SYMPTOMS OF STROKE

A stroke occurs when a blood clot blocks
blood ﬂow to the brain, usually as a result
of atherosclerosis, when arteries narrow due
to a build up of fatty deposits. It's always a
medical emergency, so make sure you know
the symptoms. The key is to act FAST:
FACE - the mouth, eye or face of someone with
a suspected stroke may be drooping on one side,
and they may not be able to smile
ARMS - they may not be able to hold their arms
over their head due to weakness or numbness
SPEECH - their speech may be garbled or
slurred, or they may not be able to speak at all
TIME - if ANY these symptoms are present, it's
time to dial 999 immediately

changes to spinal discs, osteoarthritis and
spinal stenosis, which occurs when the
canal that houses the spinal cord
narrows, placing pressure on the nerves.
Strengthening your back by walking,
swimming, yoga or Pilates can help
prevent future problems. Care when
lifting heavy objects will also help
prevent injury. Squat down to pick
something up, rather than bend
forwards - that way your legs and pelvis
take the strain, rather than your back
- and avoid twisting your spine.
MANAGE AT HOME: Use a cold
compress in the ﬁrst 24-48 hours.
Initially, heat will encourage the
inﬂammatory process, so wait a couple
of days before switching to heat. You
may not feel like it, but it's important
to keep mobile for a quicker recovery.
BOOK AN APPOINTMENT: Visit your
GP if you are worried about your back
or are ﬁnding it difﬁcult to cope with
the pain. He will be able to diagnose the
cause, refer you for further investigations
or book you into a pain management
clinic. You could also consider seeing
an osteopath, recommended by the
National Institute for Health and Care
Excellence (NICE) as a treatment
for low back pain.
SEEK IMMEDIATE MEDICAL HELP:

If your temperature reaches 38oC or
above, or if you have swelling in your
back, loss of bladder or bowel
control, or numbness around your
genitals, buttocks or back passage,
it's important to see a medical
practitioner urgently. These could
signal something more serious is
wrong, such as cancer or cauda
equina syndrome (extreme
pressure and swelling of the nerves
at the end of the spinal cord).
http://www.bacp.co.uk http://www.mind.org.uk
At Home with Dr Christian Jessen

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