Home Health DR ELLIE CANNON: I’m losing weight and I don’t know why. How can I get it back?

DR ELLIE CANNON: I’m losing weight and I don’t know why. How can I get it back?

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To gain weight, a dietician may recommend increasing the amount of protein and carbohydrates with each meal, as well as adding high-calorie foods like cheese or cream to recipes (File Image)

In each of the last two years I have lost around a stone in weight. I am eating healthy food, with lots of fruits and vegetables, chicken, fish and eggs. A few years ago I was a little overweight, but I really don’t want to lose more, but there is never any advice for people who need to gain weight. I am almost 80 years old. You can help?

“Healthy foods” is an interesting term with no real definition.

For someone who needs to reduce their risk of heart disease or has diabetes, it would mean a diet that helps them maintain a healthy weight, low in sugar and high in fiber from fresh vegetables. But this might not be “healthy” for everyone. For example, people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) should avoid certain fruits and vegetables. And people with diverticulitis (a painful but common intestinal problem) should avoid certain fibers. If someone needs to gain weight, fruits and vegetables won’t do much good.

As people age, they may experience weight loss due to reduced muscle mass, and older people generally have less appetite.

To gain weight, a dietitian may recommend increasing the amount of protein and carbohydrates at each meal, as well as adding high-calorie foods such as cheese or cream to recipes.

To gain weight, a dietician may recommend increasing the amount of protein and carbohydrates with each meal, as well as adding high-calorie foods like cheese or cream to recipes (File Image)

To gain weight, a dietician may recommend increasing the amount of protein and carbohydrates with each meal, as well as adding high-calorie foods like cheese or cream to recipes (File Image)

If you have difficulty eating, you can buy fortified drinks that have a fairly small volume (about the size of a carton of fruit juice) but contain a large number of calories.

It is not always possible to see an NHS dietitian for this reason, but it is worth asking your GP for a referral. Unintentional weight loss is always a red flag for a doctor, especially in the elderly, as it can be a warning sign of cancer.

Typically, a doctor will want to perform an examination and some tests to rule out any sinister causes of the weight loss. This could include blood tests along with stool tests and perhaps even an ultrasound.

From time to time I suffer excruciating pain that goes from the back of my throat to my chest. I can go months without an episode and then it can happen two or three times in a row. The pain is so intense (it feels like I’m trying to swallow a tennis ball) that I’m stuck in place and can’t move. What is it?

It may be surprising, but a sore throat in women can originate in the heart.

The symptoms of a type of heart condition known as angina predominantly cause chest pain, but women may also experience pain in the neck, jaw, and throat.

As people age, they may lose weight due to reduced muscle mass, and older people generally have less appetite (File Image)

As people age, they may lose weight due to reduced muscle mass, and older people generally have less appetite (File Image)

As people age, they may lose weight due to reduced muscle mass, and older people generally have less appetite (File Image)

These warning signs often go unnoticed until a full-blown heart attack occurs, so a severe sore throat should always warrant a visit to the GP for testing.

With heart disease ruled out, acid reflux is worth considering. This occurs when acid from inside the stomach returns to the throat, which can occur after a large meal or in certain positions. This can irritate the throat and cause some pain. It should resolve very easily with an over the counter antacid. There are less common causes of this pain, such as a side effect of cancer treatment, thrush, and, rarely, blood diseases.

Pain in the back of the throat and into the chest can even be a side effect of medications or a large thyroid gland pressing on the throat. A camera test called nasoendoscopy, performed by an otolaryngologist to look at the throat, voice box, and surrounding structures, may also be considered.

A year ago I was diagnosed with a Baker’s cyst behind my right knee. It’s very painful, but my GP said nothing would be done to treat it unless it became infected. Is there anything else I can do since the discomfort is always there?

A baker’s cyst, also called a popliteal cyst, is a small fluid-filled lump that forms on the back of the knee. They may be related to arthritis in old age or simply occur spontaneously.

Symptoms of a type of heart condition known as angina predominantly cause chest pain, but women can also experience pain in the neck, jaw and throat (File Image)

Symptoms of a type of heart condition known as angina predominantly cause chest pain, but women can also experience pain in the neck, jaw and throat (File Image)

Symptoms of a type of heart condition known as angina predominantly cause chest pain, but women can also experience pain in the neck, jaw and throat (File Image)

Swelling at the back of the knee should always be evaluated by a doctor to rule out serious conditions. This can include a deep vein thrombosis, which is a blood clot in the veins of the legs.

In most people, a Baker’s cyst does not cause problems, so no treatment is needed, but they can be painful. They can also increase the risk of blood clots due to the pressure they put on the rest of the leg.

If someone is in pain, physical therapy and over-the-counter pain relievers are often recommended. A GP or pharmacist should be able to advise you. But if this has not helped, a specialist orthopedic surgeon or community musculoskeletal team may offer aspiration of the cyst, removing the fluid and then injecting steroids.

Surgery to remove the cyst is usually only used in someone with significant pain or lack of movement, as in many cases, after going under the knife, the cyst comes back.

A sweet way to combat a bad cough

The results of my reader survey on what to use to relieve irritating coughs are in, and it’s good news for those with a sweet tooth, as several of you praised eating chocolate.

Health chiefs earlier this month moved to ban codeine linctus, an effective cough syrup that is sadly widely abused by addicts. I understand why, but I was wondering what else you could suggest to patients.

And I’m happy to reveal that there is some scientific backing for chocolate as relief. Studies suggest that theobromine, a cocoa derivative, may be more effective than codeine in relieving cough symptoms. In the research, volunteers took capsules containing 300 mg of theobromine, the equivalent of a couple of squares of very dark chocolate.

But the studies were small, so those who tried this approach might not be successful. And yet, I can’t think of a better way to contribute to ongoing research…

Health chiefs earlier this month moved to ban codeine linctus, an effective cough syrup that is sadly widely abused by addicts. I understand why, but I was wondering what else you could suggest to patients (File Image)

Health chiefs earlier this month moved to ban codeine linctus, an effective cough syrup that is sadly widely abused by addicts. I understand why, but I was wondering what else you could suggest to patients (File Image)

Health chiefs earlier this month moved to ban codeine linctus, an effective cough syrup that is sadly widely abused by addicts. I understand why, but I was wondering what else you could suggest to patients (File Image)

Let’s stop describing HRT as something essential for menopause

When I raised concerns two years ago that the ‘menopause revolution’ – backed by TV presenter Davina McCall and broadcaster Mariella Frostrup, above – was scaring women into taking HRT they didn’t need, I was accused of belittling women’s life experiences. Naturally, this is rubbish.

My point was that medications are great IF you need them. But most of the problems faced during menopause are not due to hormones, so HRT is not a cure.

The scaremongering seemed to emanate from private doctors and celebrities who benefit financially from the problem.

That’s why I was interested to read articles in the medical journal The Lancet that said the same thing as me. Leading health experts criticize the “over-medicalization” of menopause that appears to falsely label it as a disease.

They follow an approach where HRT is not considered a panacea, and I couldn’t agree more.

Do you have a question for Dr. Ellie Cannon? Email DrEllie@mailonsunday.co.uk

Dr. Cannon cannot engage in personal correspondence and her responses should be taken in a general context.

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