The AnswerBank Articles

Why do I put on a two or three pounds a day and lose it again through the night

asks modge:A. The reason for your weight changes is water. There is an amount of water in your system and it fluctuates over a 24-hour period. Q. It can't weigh that much surely A. You'd be00:00 Mon 01st Apr 2002

Is it really necessary for children to use cycle helmets Do they make a difference

asks Sporty:A. Yes, they do. In fact, official figures show that thousands of children are taken to hospital each year after cycle accidents on the roads, often with head injuries, and safety00:00 Mon 25th Mar 2002

Are there any benefits to exercising outdoors as opposed to in a gym

asks ursula: A. Lots. To begin with, we spend between 80% and 90% of our time indoors, on average, and that alone can encourage ill health. A study by Harvard University found that people who worked00:00 Mon 25th Mar 2002

What is a manic depressive

asks artisan:A. Someone who suffers from manic depression, or bipolar affective disorder. He or she will have extreme mood swings, but how long they last varies on the individual. In the depressive00:00 Mon 25th Mar 2002

Is it true that taking St John's Wort means the pill doesn't work

asks Mayastar:A. You're talking about a recent report from Sweden where two women who were on the Pill became pregnant after taking St John's Wort for mild depression. There have been similar reports00:00 Wed 28th Aug 2002

Does anyone know any sensible home remedies for headaches other than taking tablets

asks angiecashen:A. First, do you know what is causing your headaches For example, they might be related to an allergy. If you have other allergies, such as hay fever, this is quite possible. Then it00:00 Mon 18th Mar 2002

Is there any evidence that prayer affects your health

asks pathfinder: A. Yes, there is. There have been quite few clinical trials to test the power of intercessory prayer or distant healing - where other people pray for someone's wellbeing - and the00:00 Mon 18th Mar 2002

How can you tell if you have prostate cancer rather than an enlarged prostate

asks tonyb: A. Prostate cancer is the commonest male cancer in the UK. About one man in 20 will develop prostate cancer - usually when they're over 65. Benign prostatic hyperplasia (benign enlargement00:00 Mon 11th Mar 2002

Is Zyban safe I've tried everything thing else and I'm desperate to stop smoking.

asks ursula: A. Zyban (Bupropion) is a non-nicotine treatment which reduces cravings and withdrawal symptoms by acting on the part of the brain that deals with nicotine addiction, but is it not fully00:00 Mon 11th Mar 2002

Is there a new cure for baldness

asks adryley:A. Yes. A prescription-only drug, called Propecia, which tackles male hair loss, has just been launched in the UK. It has been used in the US since 1998. Q. What is it A. It's a00:00 Mon 11th Mar 2002

I've read that black cohosh is good for menopausal symptoms - what is it

asks Susmith:A. Black cohosh, also known as black snake root, bugbane and Cimicifuga racemosa, is the root of Actaea racemosa, a perennial herb from North America and a member of the buttercup00:00 Mon 04th Mar 2002

My lips are always cracked and dry - in summer as well as winter. Lip salves don't help. Is there anything I can do

asks Sporty:A. One of the main reasons lips become dehydrated and crack is that they are constantly exposed to the climate. Extremes of hot and cold are particularly bad for this, drying out the00:00 Mon 04th Mar 2002

My mother has a hiatus hernia - what is that

asks Ursula:A. It's when part of the stomach bulges up through an opening (hiatus) in the diaphragm into the chest cavity. The diaphragm is the muscle at the bottom of the rib cage and separates the00:00 Mon 04th Mar 2002

With so many scare stories and AIDS and STDs, are teenagers having less sex than they used to

asks Ursula:A. Not at all. The most recent UK survey - The National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles 1999-2001 - questioned 11,000 people over two years and came up with some interesting00:00 Mon 18th Feb 2002

Does counting sheep really help you sleep

asks MScott:A. Apparently not. New research from Oxford University found that imagining a relaxing scene was more useful. Q. Why A. Some people find that distracting their thoughts helps them to00:00 Mon 18th Feb 2002

Is there a cure for labyrinthitis

asks awol: A. Labyrinthitis is an unpleasant infection, which strikes suddenly, without warning. You suddenly feel dizzy and rooms spin in front of you. You feel sick, nauseous, sweaty, and need to00:00 Mon 18th Feb 2002

How can I tell if my teenage son is drinking lots of alcohol, as I suspect

asks adryley:A. All children try alcohol once in a while - it's estimated that 94% of kids in the UK have tried it by the age of 16. However, it's important you know whether it's just normal teenage00:00 Thu 11th Apr 2002

What is the nuchal test

asks Ursula:A. The nuchal translucency scan is a relatively new antenatal screening test. Q. How does it work A. Virtually all pergnant women are given routine ultrasound scans to detect00:00 Mon 11th Feb 2002

What do experts think about the the Schwarzbein Principle diet system

asks aadenny: A. The Schwarzbein Principle is based on the work of Dr Diana Schwarzbein, a Californian endocrinologist. She was seeing people who suffered from type II diabetes, or late onset00:00 Mon 11th Feb 2002

Is it best to be honest or tell white lies in a relationship

asks Ursula:A. Good question. Everybody wants their partner to be honest with them, but do we really want to know the truth Reader's Digest carried out a MORI poll on honesty in marriage in the UK,00:00 Mon 04th Feb 2002