ASK DR ZOE
I’ve got a horrible rash on my groin – I’ve tried 7 creams but don’t know what to do. Help!
Dr Zoe also helps a reader with terrible throat pain
CHANCES are you’ve heard about the new vaping legislation that’s coming.
By next summer, disposable vapes will be outlawed.
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And a flat rate of tax will be applied to all vaping liquid – designed for reusable devices – from October 2026, the Government says.
Though it’s become a topic regularly debated in the Commons, vaping certainly is a health matter.
You may be confused, given the NHS recommends that smokers switch to vaping for the sake of their health.
Using an e-cigarette for nicotine is better for a smoker’s health than tobacco, which contains harmful toxins that can cause cancer, lung disease, heart disease, strokes and more.
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But the issue in the UK now is that non-smokers, including children, are also taking up vaping.
We don’t know the extent of vaping on short and long-term health just yet, but experts say that it’s unlikely to be risk-free.
And if there’s something we can do to prevent young people starting a potentially harmful habit, that’s going to be a good thing.
Will the new restrictions tempt vapers back to smoking? It’s hard to say, but vaping will still be cheaper than tobacco if cost is a key concern.
Most read in Health
Meanwhile, here is a selection of what readers have asked me this week . . .
Cytisine: Smokers ‘twice as likely to quit’ with new wonder pill available in the UK in weeks
TWO-YEAR RASH IS SUCH A MYSTERY
Q) I AM a 77-year-old man. Since November 2022, I have had a rash in my groin.
I first saw a nurse who gave me Betnovate, which did nothing to help.
After a few weeks I saw a dermatologist. She gave me a different cream and took a scrape, which came back clear.
She referred me to dermatology at the hospital and since then I have had seven different creams, a scrub for bathing, a special talc, and another biopsy, which came back inconclusive.
I don’t know what to do.
A) Your question is a really tricky one for me because you have seen a dermatologist who has the benefit of a physical examination, a full history and a biopsy.
So in terms of what the problem is, I don’t have the amount of information your specialist has, but my advice would be that if it’s still just as bad as you say, and it’s really having an impact on your life, then you should probably request to be seen by a dermatologist again.
It might sound like a long-winded way of doing things, but as you have done everything you’ve been advised and you’ve used every treatment you’ve been given, I would suggest going back to the beginning.
A skin scraping usually just checks for fungal infection on the surface of the skin, whereas a skin biopsy examines the full depth and thickness of the skin.
For rashes, it’s usually a punch biopsy – a special instrument punches a small hole in the skin to obtain a skin sample.
A dermatologist may need to take another biopsy from a slightly different area, this time to diagnose the rash itself.
I hope you can find the diagnosis and get this rash treated optimally as soon as possible.
Tip of the week
OATS are being touted as “nature’s Ozempic”.
Studies suggest they contain a type of fibre that can trigger the release of the same appetite-suppressing hormone that is used to make the weight-loss jabs.
Porridge is not only good for your health but it tastes great so is a brilliant way to start the day!
THROAT PAIN IS SO BAD I ALMOST FAINT
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Q) SOMETIMES when I eat I get a pain in my throat. It can be so painful I feel like I’m going to pass out.
I am 88 and for many years now, when I laugh, my breathing can cut out and again I feel like I will pass out.
How serious is this and should I see a doctor?
I also have angina, diabetes, arthritis, emphysema and lumber (lower back) pain.
I am also on amlodipine, atorvastatin, candesartan, nitromin spray, Ventolin and aspirin.
A) The fact that this is causing pain severe enough to make you feel like you are going to pass out, means it shouldn’t be ignored.
It could be a laryngospasm – which occurs when the vocal cords spasm, or close – making it hard to breathe or speak.
Symptoms include a choking sensation, sudden difficulty breathing, and a feeling of tightness in the throat.
That’s assuming that the sensation is in the region of the voice box.
The word “throat” can sometimes be used to describe other areas too.
If the pain is higher up, it could be something to do with your ears or your tonsils.
But, if it’s the oesophagus (gullet) and food is also getting stuck, that’s something that should be seen pretty urgently because there are some dangerous causes of that, such as oesophageal or stomach cancer.
So to answer your question of whether you ought to see a doctor – absolutely yes you should.
You can put a lot of information into an online consultation form.
If you can’t fill one in yourself, then you should call your GP surgery and someone on reception wil be able to do so on your behalf.
Then, if you can, and if you can, take someone with you to your appointment.
CONSTANT COUGH
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Q) FOR many months I have had a constant cough, like whooping cough. I also have no energy.
I am 53. I’ve been prescribed carbocisteine which doesn’t seem to work and I’ve had a chest X-ray.
The cough comes with intermittent sickness and now, due to having it for many months, bladder weakness.
This causes embarrassment at work as I have to change my trousers at least once during my shift.
I would be grateful for anything you can recommend.
A) It’s possible that this could actually be whooping cough.
It’s a lot more common than people think.
Whooping cough tends to be known as the “100-day cough” because it quite commonly lasts that long – but it can go on for longer.
Anyone can get it.
We vaccinate young children because it can make them more severely unwell.
In adults, it tends to not cause as severe an illness.
But it can be extremely irritating to be coughing for that amount of time, especially if there are added complications on top like those that you have described.
Other complications of persistent coughing include hernias, burst blood vessels and sore ribs.
Antibiotics work well for whooping cough if it’s caught early (within the first two weeks) but you are well past the window where they would be effective.
Unfortunately, there are no effective treatments that have been shown to work to soothe or prevent these coughing bouts.
Carbocisteine is a type of medicine called a mucolytic.
It helps you cough up phlegm by making your phlegm less thick and sticky.
The good news though, if it is in fact whooping cough, is that you will recover eventually.
My advice would be to make an appointment with your GP, update them and let them listen to your chest thoroughly.
Then they will be in a position to advise whether you need another chest X-ray or any further investigation.
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There are other causes for chronic cough to be considered.
For any readers with a cough lasting more than three weeks, please see the GP because it is one of the main symptoms of lung cancer.
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