Stop moisturising and ditch your weekend lie-in… here’s unexpected advice from doctors from wearing high heels, ditching cream to eating early meals
Doctors share their well being secrets - here's some tips that might just give your health a boost
DIG out your high heels, start getting up early at weekends and don’t ever brush your teeth straight after breakfast.
Britain’s female doctors have a whole host of quirky but brilliant advice that might just give your health a boost.
This week in Me, a few of them share their wellbeing secrets with MATTHEW BARBOUR.
Dust off heels
“MANY women worry about bunions and blame stilettos,” says orthopaedic surgeon Ros Miller, from the London Orthopaedic Centre.
“But I encourage them to follow my lead and wear high heels as often as possible.
“Not only do they make your legs look more shapely, as a foot and ankle surgeon I know that bunions are 99 per cent hereditary so you may as well enjoy your shoes.
“I spend five minutes a day stretching my Achilles tendons. A tight Achilles is the root-cause of foot problems and can make a flat foot much flatter.
“If you stand on the stairs and let your heels drop down, you can feel the stretch. It really is worth doing daily.”
DON'T EAT LATE
IT’S fine to make an exception for the occasional dinner party, but Dr Rachel Cooney, a consultant gastroenterologist at Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust, says it’s best not to eat after 8pm.
“Eating at night raises your risk of acid reflux,” she says. “You produce more stomach acid after a meal. So if you’re lying down relatively soon afterwards, acid is more likely to get into your gullet.
“As well as being uncomfortable in the short term, there are problems associated with long-term acid reflux, namely oesophageal cancer.
“Ideally, eat your evening meal at least four hours before going to bed.”
Brush first
WE all know we should brush our teeth at least twice a day, but there’s a lot more to dental health than just that.
Dr Sara Kayat, GP and adviser to medical helpline Dr Morton’s, says that how you brush your teeth is just as important.
She explains: “You shouldn’t brush your teeth straight after meals and drinks, especially if they are acidic, because this can soften your tooth enamel, accelerating the decay process.
“To avoid erosion, wait at least 60 minutes before brushing, ensuring you don’t do it too hard. Also, don’t rinse your mouth after brushing – instead, let that toothpaste residue stay there.”
STOP DOUCHING
AFTER Gwyneth Paltrow recently encouraged the process of vaginal steaming, you could be forgiven for thinking that your vagina requires a cleansing regime of its own.
But that’s not necessarily the case, according to Dr Suzy Elneil, a consultant in urogynaecology at University College Hospital, London.
She says: “Douching upsets the natural balance of bacteria in the vagina, which makes the environment more favourable for the growth of bacteria that cause infection.
“Studies have found that women who stopped douching were less likely to have bacterial vaginosis, STDs and even pre-term labour.”
Avoid ear buds
TOO many people think a wax-free ear is “clean” – but wax is not dirty and has nothing to do with poor hygiene.
In fact, it’s just the body’s way of shielding the delicate inner workings of the ear and protecting your precious hearing.
Sarah Little, consultant ENT surgeon at St George’s NHS Trust in London, says: “Most people seem determined to dig out wax from their ears, using everything from pens to paperclips and cotton buds, which often end up pushing the wax deeper into the ear canal.
“We see far more problems from over-aggressive attempts to clean wax than we see from having an accumulation of wax. Stick to using a warm, clean flannel instead.”