FOOD poisoning can seem like a one-off, even if miserable at the time – and summer BBQs are a key risk factor.
But its seriousness is often underestimated.
In the short term, dehydration is the biggest concern, especially for young children and older adults.
Long-term, campylobacter, the most common bacterial cause of gastroenteritis in the UK, is a well-known trigger for Guillain-Barré syndrome, an autoimmune condition that can cause paralysis.
Salmonella infections may lead to reactive arthritis, a painful joint condition – and irritable bowel syndrome, affecting around one in five Brits, can sometimes link back to severe episodes of food poisoning.
Some E.coli strains can damage the kidneys.
I don’t mean to scare you – instead, to flag why protective measures are important.
These include always cooking meat all the way through, washing your hands often and not eating food that has been left out of the fridge.
Here’s a selection of what readers have asked me this week . . .
Mystery burning feeling on palms
Q: FOR eight weeks, both my palms have had a burning sensation as if they have been in contact with a corrosive substance.
The skin on the tips of my fingers feels like it has hardened, with a little bit of itchiness but no rash.
My doctor is baffled. Steroid cream gave me only short-term relief.
I have type 2 diabetes, which is well controlled.
What tests can I ask my doctor to carry out?
A: Burning sensations in the palms – sometimes referred to as palmar dysesthesia or neuropathic pain – can have several causes.
And your steroid cream only gave temporary relief, which would suggest something beyond just local skin inflammation.
Even if diabetes is well controlled, you can develop diabetic neuropathy, a long-term complication of diabetes.
Over time, high blood-glucose levels can damage the small blood vessels that supply the nerves in your body.
This stops essential nutrients from reaching the nerves, which means nerve fibres can become damaged, and they may disappear.
This can then cause problems in many different parts of your body, depending on the type of nerve that is being affected.
Burning, tingling and hard/rough skin sensations on the hands or feet are all classic symptoms of diabetic peripheral neuropathy.
It is worth asking your GP to do a blood test to check for nutritional deficiencies or hormonal issues because these can mimic neuropathy.
Key are vitamin B12, folate, vitamin D, thyroid function (TSH, Free T4), electrolytes (especially calcium, magnesium, potassium), kidney and liver function.
You provided a medication list, and it’s worth reviewing this with your doctor or pharmacist to check if the tingling isn’t a side effect of the meds.
BIPOLAR DOGS MY SON
Q: I have a son, 42, who has suffered his whole life from bipolar, which has got worse.
I am a retired police officer, 85 years old, and very worried.
My son sees a psychiatrist and has had electrostimulation therapy, which has had various degrees of success.
But they keep changing his medication, which has caused more harm than good lately.
He has had lots of time off work and spends a long time in his bedroom, but assures me he is not suicidal. What can we do?
A: Thank you for sharing this with me, and I can hear how much you care for your son.
Finding the right balance of medication in bipolar disorder (BPD) can take time, especially if the illness has been progressing, and it sometimes feels like trial and error.
If you feel the frequent changes are destabilising him, you could ask to speak with his psychiatrist to explain your observations, or see if your son would allow you to attend his next appointment with him.
When it comes to mental-health conditions, doctors find it extremely helpful to hear the account and experiences of a loved one, as long as the patient is happy with that.
A good next step might be a second opinion from another psychiatrist or a referral to a specialist bipolar clinic (some NHS trusts have dedicated mood-disorder services).
Has your son had psychological therapies, such as CBT for bipolar or psychoeducation programmes?
If not, perhaps ask if it is possible to also explore these.
We sometimes forget the importance of life-style measures for severe mental illness. Studies show exercise can help combat depressive symptoms, and improve functioning and quality of life for those with BPD.
Perhaps a daily walk is something you might be able to do together?
BPD often worsens when routine breaks, so encouraging gentle daily structure – walks, cooking, volunteering or light exercise – can be stabilising, even if in small steps.
Finally, help for both of you in the form of support groups could be very positive– look into Bipolar UK, Mind, and Rethink Mental Illness, for resources.
You can also ask your son’s care team whether you could have a Carer’s Assessment – this would be done by your local authority and look at your needs as his primary supporter.
Tip of the week
WHEN you feel a cold or flu coming on, don’t just try to push through it.
Instead, prioritise rest and hydration from the start, for a swift recovery.
Bugs are often rife at this time of the year – and can spread more easily when schools go back in the coming weeks.
So be ready when they strike.
Q: I READ your column weekly because there is a lot of good advice, but the [weight loss] jabs are not good advice.
If you diet sensibly, then you will keep weight off.
I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes 12 years ago and have since slimmed from 26st to 12st – no gyms, no drugs, just walking and a change of diet.
A: Great to hear from you and it’s wonderful that you’ve managed to get yourself to a healthy place with life-style changes.
This is achievable for some people – an example of someone who may succeed would be a person who has perhaps not dieted much in the past, enjoyed large portions of high- calorie foods and naturally led quite an inactive life.
This person has the opportunity to significantly alter the food they eat, address portion sizes and increase daily activity.
Over time they may see a slow, gradual loss of weight and an associated im- provement in health, which are all highly motivating for keeping up the healthy ways.
But in contrast, many people diet and exercise their whole lives – and their willpower is not enough.
They have a naturally larger appetite – down to genetics – and have been trying restrictive diets for decades.
They fight hunger with huge amounts of willpower for months at a time and lose weight in the short term, but regain it once that primal human instinct to satisfy their hunger takes control again.
The truth is that you can’t, with just willpower alone, manage overriding hunger in the long run – it goes against hormonal signals that regulate appetite, leading to intense cravings and a cycle of overeating.
Add an unhealthy psychological relationship with food – seeing it as the enemy, but also rewarding oneself with it – and a guilt cycle can happen.
You can start to see, then, how weight loss can be more complex for one person than another – obesity is a complex issue.
So, GLP-1 medication does provide an excellent tool for some people.
Anyone taking GLP-1s should use the opportunity, of having a break from the food “noise”, and hunger, to really focus on establishing healthier long-term eating and activity habits.
GROUNDBREAKING SURGERY SHOWS HOW PIGS’ ORGANS COULD SAVE OUR BACON
by Isabel Shaw
A PIG’S lung has been transplanted into a human for the first time.
The “milestone” surgery, carried out by scientists in China , could one day help tackle the global shortage of donor organs, experts say.
The operation was performed on a 39-year-old brain-dead patient in May last year.
This meant no one was put at risk while experts studied how long the animal organ would survive inside the body.
The lung was from a pig specially bred and genetically altered six times to make its organs more human-friendly.
It was transplanted at Guangzhou Medical University and the lung stayed “alive” for nine days, according to a summary of the procedure published in Nature Medicine.
But within 24 hours, doctors had noticed swelling as well as signs of rejection later in the week.
Beatriz Domínguez-Gil, director of Spain’s National Transplant Organisation, said: “This study marks a milestone in translational medicine.
“For the first time, a genetically modified pig lung has been implanted in a brain-dead human.
“The challenge is enormous, but this opens up an unprecedented avenue towards new alternatives to the critical shortage of lungs for transplantation.”
Last year, 8,236 lung transplants were carried out worldwide, but thousands were left on waiting lists.
More than 200 patients in the EU died before getting a donor organ.
Prof Iván Fernández Vega, from Spain’s University of Oviedo, called the study “pioneering, highly relevant and well-executed”.
He added: “This is the first human evidence in the lung and confirms the technical feasibility, although challenges remain in terms of oedema, rejection and infection.”
The authors said the work “provides hope” for the future, but stressed “further research” is needed before pig lungs can be transplanted into living patients.
