Doctor Dawn Harper answers all your questions
DAWN HARPER
MY STOOLS ARE LOOSE
Q Recently, I had food poisoning, which gave me rampant diarrhoea and made me feel very unwell. I’m over the worst of it now, but still have very loose stools. My GP says I’m no longer infectious and that this will settle, but is there anything I can do to speed up my recovery?
A Our gut contains trillions of good bacteria, which help us digest our food. This is called the microbiome. When bad bacteria that cause food poisoning enter our gut, the body reacts by expelling them in diarrhoea but, of course, that also means we lose some of the good bacteria resulting in ongoing loose stools. Try topping up your microbiome with a good quality daily probiotic.
What can help meno migraines?
Q I have suffered with migraine all my adult life. It was particularly bad in my 20s, and I remember my GP at the time was going to prescribe me something to take every day to prevent them even starting. Things have been manageable until I started the menopause, and now they are back with a vengeance. Should I ask my GP for something other than the sumatriptan, which I take at the start of an attack?
A Generally speaking, if your migraines are occurring once a week or more, despite addressing your triggers with lifestyle changes, it is worth considering taking a daily medication to prevent them. We have a variety of very effective options so, if this is you, speak to your GP who will be able to prescribe something for you.
EATING YOUR WAY TO LOWER CHOLESTEROL
Q At a recent health check-up, I was told that my chol
