Dr Le Fanu's online health clinic, Friday 1st November 2013 I am sure I did not have chicken pox as a child and I did not catch it when my own children had it. Would you recommend that I have it anyway ? Yours Mrs. V.T. Dear Mrs V T, Thanks for your most interesting query. There can't be many people who escaped the scourge of chickenpox but if you are one of the lucky ones there is no need for you to have the shingles vaccination for the reasons you mention. I suggest that Mr. LH from Lancaster's tooth twinges might also be attributed to plums (in the Autumn) and rhubarb, in the Spring. It might be the acid acting as an electrolyte between metal fillings, setting up an electric current which irritates the nerve. Felicitations - Ray M Dear Ray M, Thanks for that most ingenious explanation for seasonally related toothache. I look forward to passing it on. Best wishes. Dear Dr le Fanu I am trying to trace a recent article in the Telegraph about new research into a disease that may be transferred during birth from mother to child. As my daughter has suffered poor health and is now seeing a specialist for an auto-immune condition, I wonder if you could let me have the details of the article as I did not keep the paper and it is now gone to recycling. I noted that it appeared to be a "fit" with my daughter's symptoms. I hope you can help. I would appreciate complete confidence in this matter. Many thanks. Dear Anon, Thanks for your query. I do not know the article to which you refer. Perhaps you could provide more details about your daughter's illness and why you think it could be linked to some medical problem you experienced during childbirth. Dear Dr. Le Fanu, Last week Sarah W wrote to you about splits on the ends of her fingers in cold weather. I have these too, and have found that Manicure Cream All-in-One Cleanser, Moisturiser, Whitener by Nailoid is the best preventative and healer for them. Used daily it will prevent them. I hope you print this and that she will read it. They really are infuriating as they are so painful yet so tiny. Many thanks for your always interesting column. Thanks so much for passing on your experience of these various treatments for preventing the painful "hacks." I look forward to mentioning them in the column. Dear Dr Le Fanu Could you please advise me regarding a chronic problem with my lower lip? A "blood blister" appeared on my lower lip some ten years ago, it varies in size from day to day from about 5 to 10mm. To remove it my doctor suggested laser treatment but the specialists cannot guarantee what the site would look like after removal so I feel I might exchange one nuisance with another slightly different one. No discomfort is caused it's just that I've got fed up with looking at the object in the mirror. Could you suggest a less radical treatment, I assume the problem is caused by cell walls collapsing to create a reservoir on the lip. Any advice would be much appreciated. I did try self-medication some time ago, I sterilised a needle and pricked the blister which drained out but then filled up again in a few minutes! Thanks for your query and my sympathies for this recurrent blood blister on the lip. The type you describe is presumably related to some localised defect of the blood vessels and I do not know of any other treatments other than the laser procedure mentioned by your specialist. I am 75, reasonably fit -I play regular golf - but have an ongoing problem which has defied explanation from GP or specialists. I can be in the gym, gardening or walking uphill or stairs when without any warning my stomach goes into freefall-churning temporarily raised heartbeat (nothing dramatic - maybe 80 when normally 55 or so) and need to rest. It is if someone has flipped a switch when I have been steadily and comfortably exercising for some time. The "trigger" can be a modest increase in effort - eg putting a little extra into a golf swing and is totally unpredictable. It can also be an isolated event such as opening a difficult jar or lifting grandchildren. The really frustrating thing is that once triggered my stomach stays in churning mode for the rest of the day with with general "hyperactive" feeling and needing a sleeping pill to sleep. Usually things settle down the next day-though occasionally it may take a day or two. Any thoughts from you or your readers would be welcome. Thanks for your account of these puzzling symptoms. The combination of churning stomach and increased heart rate would suggest some temporary disturbance of the "autonomic" nerves involved in both functions. The observation that the symptoms are brought on by "a modest increase in effort" raises the possibility it might be brought on by acid reflux - and if so the episodes will be prevented by taking acid-suppressant drugs such as Omeprazole. I hope to mention this in the Monday column in anticipation it might prompt other possible explanations. Dear Dr Le Fanu, I have a file full of your articles. Sound advice and such helpful wisdom on so many subjects, especially statins. I wish to thank you very much for putting my mind at ease so many times and the cure for night cramps, where you pinch your top lip, works every time Gratefully, Hazel M. P Dear Hazel M P, Thanks for your kind comments about the column I am delighted that the lip pinch remedy for cramp works for you. Following on from your article today regarding cold sores. From the age of about 12 I have suffered regular recurrences of cold sores and after it became available used Zovirax cream and latterly Aciclovir tablets. I am now almost 65. Two months ago I read about Lysine which is an amino acid sold by health food shops. It supposedly works by preventing the virus from absorbing Arginine which the virus needs to replicate. I took one 1000mg dose per day when the next episode of infection began and the sore disappeared. Since then I have felt the 'itch' precursor to an episode and took one 1000mg dose for 4 days and nothing developed. There appear to have been very limited trials which indicated some success if a dosage of more than 1000mg was consumed but not if less than 500 mg was used. Co-incidentally, various aches and pains from slight arthritis disappear when I am taking the tablets and slowly reappear when they are stopped. There are some warnings that they may cause gallstones if taken for prolonged periods. The cost per tablet is less than10p. Might it be worth enquiring of your readers if they have had any experience of this remedy? John G Dear John G, Thanks for being in touch I confess to be unaware of the Lysine cure for cold sores . I note it shares the mechanism for action "competitive inhibition" as several very effective drugs. I look forward to mentioning it in the column. I'm scared to go to my own GP for advice , I have always been rather overweight and since stopping smoking 40 cigarettes a day I have gained about 3 stones. this has made my BMI go up to 45. i'm breathless and can't walk as far as i used to, my lower back aches when i walk, but I think it's a urine infection I've had for years. I'm simply not sure, I'm a 48 year old woman and to top it all I think i'm beginning the change. If i went to my doctor and asked for help, what would he most likely do?? I would have thought that these low back aches that you describe are certainly biomechanical brought on by your weight gain putting an increased strain on the vertebrae at the base of the spine. I would advise you discuss with your doctor an appropriate exercise regime to improve the mobility of the lower spine. This problem is likely to disappear were you to lose weight and I wonder if you have heard of the 5:2 Diet which several of my acquaintances have found very effective. I have been suffering from a skin condition for approx. two and half years called Granuloma. The consultant I was referred to has prescribed steroid creams, used liquid nitrogen on some patches but to date there does not seem to be a great deal of improvement. I have not yet tried UV light as has been suggested. Is there any other treatment that you could recommend. The areas affected are rear thighs, under both arms and two patches on each upper hand. Regards Susan P H Dear Susan P H, Thanks for being in touch and my sympathies for this skin condition of Granuloma which in your case sounds quite widespread. The further treatment option as you say is UV light though I note that the immunosuppressant drug Tacrolimus is also recommended. I am concerned that my almost 12 year old grandson has recurring mouth ulcers. He is a keen runner enjoys football and is very slender. His mother cooks proper food, but she also has ulcers. Is it a genetic problem ? What is the remedy . Caring nan Dear J W, Thanks for your query and my sympathies for your grandson's mouth ulcers. The early age of onset and family history would suggest, as you surmise, that it is almost certainly genetic which accounts for 40% of cases. It may be that you need quite potent drugs to control these ulcers but in addition the toothpastes containing the chemical sodium lauryl sulphate may be an exacerbating factor and are probably best avoided. Spider bite With all the recent publicity you may well have been inundated with descriptions of victims of the steatoda nobilis ~ false widow spider, if so I apologise for adding to them. The false widow spider (Alamy) Three weeks ago last Saturday at 2pmish I answered the phone, as I lifted it to my ear I felt a very distinct sensation of being prodded with a tapestry needle, (tapestry needle as they're blunt) on the side of my torso an inch or so from my right breast. It hurt a bit and caused some irritation ~ I continued with the conversation giving the location a bit of a feel and a scratch Looking around to see what could have caused the prod I saw (what a 'google' later told me was the steatoda nobilis) making its way up the side of the window behind me. When I put phone down I used a mirror to inspect my 'injury.' There was a tiny raised pimple with an almost imperceptible scratch in the centre. As it didn't hurt much I thought little more about it, only mentioning it to my husband about an hour later. By around 4pm I began to feel rather odd, slightly dizzy, and mildly nauseous. A couple of hours later I began to shiver and feel a bit grim ~ suspecting my temperature had gone up ~ I found the thermometer, took temperature, it had gone up to 101f, checked it again later during the night and it had reached a touch over 102f, where it remained for all of the following day. Also I had a raging thirst, and a consequent frequent need to pee. Mercifully the next day the thirst was no longer raging, the fever sank to 101f, where it remained for the next two days, by midday on Thursday it had returned to my normal (a little less than 98f). Found eating difficult as more than a couple of bites at whatever and I felt nauseous ~ this gradually abated and by the following weekend I felt pretty much ok. It didn't seem worth seeking medical attention as I couldn't honestly see what they were going to do about it, the only 'treatment' I gave myself was to swallow a couple of Anadin every 4 - 6/8 hours. I have had no problems at the site of the bite, in fact there is almost no sign that I was ever 'attacked.' The only reason for the bite was because the creature must have let itself down via its silk from the ceiling and as I lifted the phone to my ear, causing my elbow and upper arm to come to my side I squished spider, and it responded defensively. Fortunately I have no particular fear of spiders ~ guess I wouldn't last long in Australia. Would never pick one up with unprotected hand (not fond of scrabbling leg sensation) have a method of insect removal with an old plastic 'glass' and a stout piece of card to slide underneath said creature, only if is in a bath or is a bee, moth, butterfly which need to be released outside. So there you are ~ an experience of an elderly person who was bitten by the latest terror of the countryside. Am not that elderly ~ am 66, and for all intents and purposes in not bad nick except for 4 badly slipped discs, which make standing or walking for any distance and exercise in appalling agony. South Wales isn't a good place to live if you have anything seriously wrong with the bones in your back ~ or anywhere else ~ there was an announcement a day or so ago that all orthopaedic operations over Christmas and into New Year were no longer going to be carried out, since first announcement there have been several Assembly ministerial spluttered contradictions and denials. In my case I've been waiting to see a consultant for over 2 years! ~ so I don't suppose I count in this latest NHS policy. One last thing apropos the 'old wives tale' remedies, I conquered a veruca with that (duck? duct?) tape stuff ~ persevered with it for a couple of months ~ it worked like magic ~ with no return of the offending excrescence. Sincerely, Anna K Dear Anna K, Thanks for being in touch with that cautionary tale about being bitten by the false widow spider and the really quite severe feverish illness it caused. I am really quite astonished (shocked) to hear you have been waiting to see a consultant for two years to sort out your back pain and wonder whether your family doctor might be able to refer you somewhere else through the Choose and Book Scheme. Theoretically there is no reason why you shouldn't, for example, go to Bristol or even London to have this sorted out. My husband aged 82 years was due to have a total hip replacement in August but at his assessment, although very fit for his age, it was found he had a discoloured big toe nail which was later confirmed as a fungal infection. He has now been taking terbinafine tablets on prescription from the doctor for over three months but the infection is slow to clear. Unfortunately during that time his hip has become considerably worse and from being able to walk for half an hour he can now barely get out of the house. How serious would it be to have the operation with just one nail infected? Would we be being sensible to push for it? We just feel the worse his hip condition gets the less likely it will be for a good recovery. We would really appreciate your advice. Many thanks, Barbara U Dear Barbara U, I would have thought that this fungal infection would have cleared up after three months of Terbinafine, even though the toenail may appear discoloured . Your husband might discuss with your family doctor expediting the operation given the marked deterioration in pain and mobility that you describe.