April is IBS Awareness Month, but did you know that IBS is significantly more common in women than in men, with two out of every three IBS sufferers being female?

As with most things related to IBS, the exact cause of this is not yet known, but one theory is that it is hormone-related as oestrogen has been shown to affect the movement of food through the digestive tract, as well as impacting pain in the pelvic and abdominal organs. This could also explain the link between IBS and certain gynaecological conditions.

What is IBS?

IBS stands for Irritable Bowel Syndrome, which is a condition affecting up to 20% of the population. It is a long-term digestive condition, symptoms of which include diarrhoea, bloating, stomach cramps and constipation.

As IBS affects everyone differently, it can be difficult to diagnose and to treat. Generally, IBS is diagnosed once other, more life threatening, bowel conditions have been ruled out.

What causes IBS?

The exact cause is unknown, and may well be different for each individual case, but some of the possible causes posited are:

• Inflammation of the gut
• An over-active or under-active immune system
• Bacterial imbalances in the gut biome
• Problems with the nerves controlling the digestive system
• Hormonal changes (including the contraceptive pill)
• Psychological factors like stress and anxiety

How does IBS affect women differently?

Whilst almost all IBS sufferers report bloating and cramps, with either constipation, diarrhoea, or an alternating pattern between the two, women often report additional symptoms, rarely seen in men. These include:

• Back pain
• Fatigue
• Difficulty sleeping
• Extra sensitivity to certain foods around their period

How can IBS be linked to gynaecological conditions?

There is a high correlation between incidence of IBS and of certain gynaecological conditions – 50% of women with IBS also present with gynaecological symptoms, and 42% of women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) also suffer from IBS.

The gynaecological conditions most commonly linked to IBS are:

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)

One of the most common gynaecological conditions affecting women, symptoms of PCOS can include hirsutism (hairiness) and acne, as well as irregular periods. The link with IBS is unclear, but  PCOS is linked to chronic inflammation, which could trigger IBS symptoms.

Chronic pelvic pain

There is a distinct similarity between the symptoms of Chronic pelvic pain and IBS, and so the two conditions often appear together. In fact, it is not yet fully understood whether they are two separate conditions.

Painful sex/decreased sex drive

Although this is not often talked about, IBS is frequently linked to a low sex drive, or pain during sexual intercourse.

Endometriosis

Endometriosis is a condition where uterine tissue grows outside the womb, which can lead to inflammation and the formation of scar tissue. Symptoms of IBS and endometriosis can be very similar, which is one reason why endometriosis is so difficult to diagnose. IBS and endometriosis often seem to go hand in hand, which is unfortunate although, happily, treatment for one condition often helps to ameliorate the other as well.

If you have any concerns regarding IBS, or any of the gynaecological conditions mentioned here, why not book a consultation with one of our friendly, all-female GP team, who can listen to your concerns in full confidentiality before deciding on the best treatment plan, if any. Call +44 (0)20 4580 1152 to arrange an appointment.

Today is World Sleep Day and, as we’re all beginning to emerge from winter’s semi-hibernation into the hopefulness of spring, this seems the perfect time to nip any sleep issues in the bud.

To a certain extent, it’s normal to feel more tired as you go through your adult life, as responsibilities increase, and free time dwindles. However, if you find yourself waking up exhausted every day and staying that way, it might be wise to investigate that further, just to rule out any underlying conditions that could be affecting your energy levels.

To provide some food for thought, here are five reasons you might be struggling to stay awake all day:

1. Thyroid disease

Most common in women, thyroid disease can affect anyone of any age, and it can occur fairly suddenly. Your thyroid gland is responsible for producing the hormones that control your metabolism, so it’s perhaps not surprising that when that goes wrong it can have an impact on your energy levels.

Hyperthyroidism (too much hormone) speeds up the metabolism, causing unexplained weight loss, muscle fatigue and weakness, while hypothyroidism (too little hormone) leads to fatigue, weight gain and an inability to concentrate, among other things. Thyroid disease can be detected through blood tests and is easily controlled through medication, so it’s a good thing to rule out if you’re suffering from fatigue.

2. Anaemia

Anaemia is most commonly caused by iron deficiency, and can lead to extreme fatigue, due to a lack of red blood cells carrying oxygen around your body. Again, it is more common in women than in men, and is often linked to unusually heavy menstruation, pregnancy and childbirth.

Other symptoms include difficulty sleeping (which only serves to increase the fatigue), inability to concentrate, chest pains, rapid heartbeat and headache. It can be diagnosed through blood tests and a thorough health check, and treatment will depend on the underlying cause, but is likely to involve iron tablets and a change in diet.

3. Insomnia

No blood tests are necessary to test for this one – if you’re suffering from insomnia, you are most likely very well aware of it. Treatment will again depend on the underlying reasons behind the insomnia; many people find relaxation techniques and bedtime rituals to be helpful, while others have more success with prescribed sleep aids.

If you are struggling to sleep, it can help to keep a diary, noting down what you eat and drink during the day, how much physical activity and fresh air you get, to see if there is any clear link between what you do in the day and how much sleep you get at night. If necessary, we can refer you to specialists offering insomnia treatment including CBTi.

4. Depression

Sadly, depression and insomnia often go hand in hand, but even if you’re sleeping like a log, if you’re depressed you are likely to feel tired and listless all the time. There is a difference between feeling a bit down and being clinically depressed, but if you’re struggling to get out of bed in the mornings and face the day ahead, it might be time to seek medical help.

Treatment for depression will vary from person to person, and can involve prescription medication, talking therapy, or even prescribed physical activity.

5. Stress

Like depression, stress can cause insomnia, but happily it is generally more easily treated. Again, the best treatment for you will depend on the reasons for your stress – if you are able to reduce your workload, or delegate some of the tasks that are causing you to feel stressed, then that can be a major help. If not, then you may need to investigate ways to help you deal with the stress – options include yoga, meditation, counselling and much more.

If you are concerned about your energy levels and would like to find out more, our specialist team can help.

Get in touch to arrange a consultation with our doctors. We can assess whether there are any underlying causes for your fatigue, provide invaluable lifestyle advice to alleviate the problem, or refer you to our network of health specialists if required.

February is National Heart Month, so with that in mind we wanted to offer some practical advice on what you can do to protect heart health at any age, whether you are just entering into middle age, or perhaps starting to come out the other side.

Whatever your age, it is never too late to take up new, healthier habits and while all of these suggestions are made with your heart health in mind, you will be surprised what a positive effect they have on your general wellbeing, too.

Heart-healthy tips for your 40s

This is the age to start preparing your body for whatever the future may hold. While many of us at this stage of life are busy with young families, careers and even perhaps starting to care for ageing parents, taking a bit of time to look after your own physical and mental health is important – both to help you cope with the stresses of daily life right now, and to ensure your body – and your heart – is fighting fit for the years to come. Small changes can make a big difference.

• Eat well – if you’ve got young kids, you probably spend a lot of time worrying about their diet, but make sure you consider your own, too. Home-cooked meals with plenty of fruit and veg, low in saturated fats and refined carbohydrates, will help to keep your cholesterol in check, and ensure that you know exactly what is going into your body.
• Move more – many office jobs can be inherently sedentary, and it is not unusual to get to 5pm and find you have barely moved from your desk all day. Try to ensure you make time in your day to get some exercise, even if it’s just a quick walk around the block, as inactivity is one of the major causes of heart disease.
• Avoid toxins – when life is busy and stressful, ‘self medication’ with alcohol, nicotine or other substances can be appealing, but all of these things will put additional stress on your heart over time. Try killing two birds by taking an exercise class to lift your mood, or relax with meditation.

Stay heart-aware in your 50s…

Your 50s are all about building on the good work you started in your 40s – if you’re already eating a balanced diet, exercising and avoiding cigarettes and alcohol, then the good news is you don’t need to make any major lifestyle changes at this point. However, there are some things you can do to ensure no nasty surprises:

• Learn the symptoms associates with the major heart-related issues, such as heart attack and stroke. This allows you to recognise the signs in yourself, but also in others around you, which can save lives.
• Keep an eye on your sleep patterns – if you are waking regularly in the night, or find you wake up tired every morning, you could be suffering from sleep apnoea, which is linked to heart disease.
• Keep talking to your GP – if you notice any unusual symptoms – even if they don’t immediately seem to be heart-related, do report them to your doctor. Muscle cramps, nausea and excessive tiredness can all be signs of heart problems.

Be heart happy in your 60s and beyond

If you made all those healthy lifestyle changes in your 40s and kept them up through your 50s, you have given your heart the best possible chance, however sadly time will always take its toll, and now is the time you might be needing to consider preventative medication.

• Talk to your GP about your risk factors – at this stage of life, your doctor should be keeping a close eye on things like your blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar etc, all of which can be key indicators for your risk of heart attack or stroke. If your doctor has any concerns at all, they may suggest treatment or medication to reduce this risk.
• Add some weights into your exercise regime – you don’t need to enter any body-building competitions, but introducing some gentle weight bearing exercises can really help to reduce heart stress, by improving the way that muscles take oxygen from the blood.
• Stay connected – research shows that staying socially engaged is not only good for your emotional well-being, but is also good for your heart with poor social engagement in older age associated with cardiovascular disease, such as myocardial infarction and stroke.

If you have any heart-related concerns you would like to discuss in confidence or advice on heart health at any age, our specialist team can help.

Call +44 (0)20 4580 1152 or email [email protected] to discuss our consultation and treatment options in more detail.

 

It’s that time of the year again when we have all vowed to turn over a new leaf and become a better, more productive, fitter, healthier person in the year ahead.

Most of these resolutions are laudable, but the problem is that while everybody goes into January determined to drink less, eat better and exercise more, most of us have given up before we’ve even got to February. In fact, a recent survey shows that only 8% of New Year’s resolutions are kept up for the full year.

So how can we make our aims more achievable in 2025, and still see the benefit? It’s all about making big changes to your health with small steps:

Move more

You don’t have to plan to run a marathon or get up at the crack of dawn every day to hit the gym. Just increasing the amount you move on a daily basis by a tiny bit can make a real difference in the long term, and it’s very easy to keep up.

If you already run regularly, you could increase your distance by 0.5km – small enough to feel achievable, but if you’re running twice a week that’s an extra 52km over a year. Or if your lifestyle is more sedentary, you could consider resolving to always take the stairs instead of the lift, or to get off the bus one stop earlier than usual.

Embrace mindful drinking

If drinking water isn’t your thing, then sinking the recommended two litres a day, every day, might not be the most realistic of goals. But why not keep a small glass of water by your bed, and commit to drinking that every morning before you get up?

When it comes to the drinks we should be having less of, like caffeine and alcohol, the temptation might be to go cold turkey – and of course for some people that is the right choice – but if you’re just trying to lead a healthier lifestyle, why not aim to cut down by just one caffeinated drink a day?

And if Dry January feels a bit much, then consider Damp January. Could you allow yourself one glass of wine on a Friday night? Or to go alongside a long, lazy Sunday lunch? If you usually drink more regularly, it won’t take long to see the physical and mental benefits of this, without feeling like you’re denying yourself completely.

Eat more fruit and veg

Rather than focusing on the things you shouldn’t be consuming, why not aim to eat more of the things you should? This could mean replacing some less healthy choices with fruit or vegetables, or it could just mean making sure there is a vegetable component to every meal you eat – a side salad with your pizza, for example.

Studies have shown that the more times you eat something, the more likely you are to develop a taste for it so, you never know, you might just end up choosing to eat the salad over the pizza.

Lifestyle medicine is the cornerstone of our practice This innovative approach focuses on how simple yet powerful changes to diet, movement, sleep, and stress management can transform your well-being.

Call +44 (0)20 4580 1152 or email [email protected] to arrange a consultation with one of our doctors.

This Winter is predicted to be colder than average, and currently, there’s a ‘quad-demic’ of viruses circulating in the UK.

In previous years, Covid and influenza were our primary concerns, and this year we’ve already seen a 353% increase in the number of people hospitalised with flu compared to the same time in 2023. Worryingly, though, we’ve also seen a rapid growth in Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) and Norovirus cases.

We are always at our most susceptible during the colder months, as we spend more time indoors together in centrally heated environments or on public transport. Lower levels of vitamin D can weaken the immune system.

It has also been suggested that there is an ongoing legacy from the Covid pandemic, as we may have less viral immunity due to the period of enforced lockdown.

What to watch out for this Winter

Many people are asymptomatic, and when symptoms do occur, they are often similar. So, which virus could you have?

Influenza

Flu causes sudden fever, body aches and headaches, fatigue, dry cough, sore throat, loss of appetite, stomach pain, and nausea. It is usually distinguished by how bad it makes the sufferer feel. Flu can be a serious illness for vulnerable groups, such as the elderly, pregnant women, and young babies.

Covid

Covid symptoms have evolved since the early days of the pandemic. Most only experience cold-like symptoms, but you may experience fever, continuous cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, aches, sore throat, blocked nose, loss of appetite, nausea or diarrhoea. A change in taste or smell is one of the most well-known symptoms, but this can occur with other respiratory viruses.

Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV)

The symptoms of RSV commonly include cough, wheezing, shortness of breath, tiredness, and fever. For most, the symptoms are mild, but in babies, they can develop into a serious chest infection.

Norovirus

Unlike the other viruses, norovirus, also known as the winter vomiting bug, has distinct symptoms. It causes vomiting, diarrhoea, stomach pain and cramping, a high temperature and aching limbs.

Looking after yourself over the Winter months

One of the most important things you can do to protect yourself during the colder months is to take advantage of the vaccinations available. Health officials recently warned that fewer people came forward for their flu vaccine last year and there are concerns if this trend continues.

Flu, COVID, and RSV vaccines are free to those who meet NHS eligibility criteria. Other steps include practicing good hygiene, including regular handwashing, particularly when visiting friends and family over the festive season. Stay home if you’re unwell, though!

Call +44 (0)20 4580 1152 to arrange a GP consultation if your symptoms persist or worsen.