Yoga is an ancient, spiritual and traditional form of exercise that enhances strength, flexibility and breathing. The practice of yoga originated in India and dates back 5,000 years, when it was traditionally used for spiritual and physical well-being. There are many different types of yoga, including Ashtanga, Iyengar and Sivananda, which focus on different body areas, such as breathing or posture. No style is necessarily better than the other, and you may have developed your own yoga practice depending on your needs. Together, these can help strengthen physical and mental well-being, especially when practised regularly.

An X-ray is a type of scan that uses very small amounts of radiation to create a 2D black and white image of the inside of your body. X-rays send small amounts of radiation energy through the body and detect the amount that has passed through to the other side. Different tissues block or absorb different amounts of the X-rays depending on how dense they are. The more dense the matter, the more radiation it will block and the lighter it will appear. For example, bone shows up as white as it blocks a large amount of the radiation, whereas, air in the lungs allows more to pass through and shows up as much darker.

Genetic conditions can be passed on from either the mother’s line or the father’s. We each inherit two chromosomes, from our mother and father, that determine our sex – women have XX chromosomes and men have XY. A female has two X’s, so if one has a genetic disease, she may not show the characteristics as she can rely on the healthy X chromosome. She can, however, pass the disease on to the next generation. She is known as a carrier. A male, on the other hand, only has one X chromosome – if this is faulty, he will display characteristics of certain syndromes or conditions. He is known as a sufferer. The two sex hormones are just one pair of 23 chromosome pairs. Genetic conditions can be inherited from any of these and may be unrelated as to whether it’s your mother or father who has a disease.

Children get ill from time to time – they pick up diarrhoea and vomiting bugs at nursery, and the coughs, colds and sore throats roll in at the start of every autumn term. Sharing their germs with each other is essential to strengthen their immune systems, and this doesn’t usually need medication or a doctor’s opinion. Which may leave you wondering, at what point should you worry? You’ve heard that dehydration is to be avoided, but how can you tell if they’re dehydrated? You know fevers are common, but when should this concern you? As practising family doctors here at Healthwords, we’ll take you through what we’re looking for in sick children and when there’s cause for concern.

Having a tooth out can be an anxiety-inducing experience. Here Healthwords walks you through the best ways to recover from the process of having a tooth out, and why so many people need to have their wisdom teeth removed. Wisdom teeth are the last teeth to grow through your gums, located at the very back of your molars. There are four wisdom teeth (one in each corner of the mouth) and usually begin to erupt between the age of 17 and 21. Many people do not have room in their mouth for these extra teeth and so when they begin to come out, they can often push against your other teeth, come out at a wrong angle or even not come out at all. When a tooth fails to erupt because it is growing in the wrong direction, it is referred to as "impaction" and usually requires removal to prevent decay. However, they are also removed if they are causing pain, inflammation or infection. This usually happens due to food being trapped in pockets created around the tooth as it erupts, or the tooth is simply pushing against the other teeth. Wisdom teeth are the most commonly removed tooth in adults and can have a longer recovery period than others due to their size and location.

Here’s why you should use healthwords.ai as your go-to platform for booking video consultations. Who we work with healthwords.ai connects you to doctors based at CQC-registered (Care Quality Commission) medical practices. This means the clinics we work with meet strict UK healthcare standards set by an independent government body that regularly inspects and monitors quality of care, safety, and cleanliness. This is the same level of oversight you’d expect from an in-person GP surgery. GMC-Registered UK Doctors – specialists you can rely on   Every doctor available through healthwords.ai is: GMC-registered (General Medical Council), which means they are legally licensed and professionally accountable in the UK. UK-qualified – trained and educated within the UK’s respected medical system. Specialists in their field – from general practitioners to experienced clinicians in specific areas like dermatology, women’s health, mental health, and more. They’ve all worked within the UK healthcare system and bring years of hands-on experience, so you’re not just seeing any doctor – you’re seeing a trusted UK professional who knows their field inside and out.

If you’ve tried over-the-counter pharmacy products and you’re not getting on top of your symptoms, book an appointment with your doctor. They will assess your symptoms and what you’ve tried already, and work out the best solution for you. They may prescribe a stronger antihistamine tablet or steroid nasal spray. You should also see your doctor if you’ve been on antihistamine tablets for three months or more – they may advise you to change the brand or try another treatment.

As the days get shorter and the temperature cools, it can be tempting to curl up on the sofa with some comfort food and a binge-worthy box set. But we are not naturally hibernating animals, so it’s important to understand why your energy levels may dip while your appetite increases, and address it with healthy choices. The doctors at Healthwords will always encourage a healthy balanced diet over and above taking supplements, and the more colourful and varied your meals, the more nourishing nutrients you are getting. But there are times that supplements may be helpful or even vital. There is less choice of fresh foods over winter, and less sunshine to naturally make vitamin D, plus fighting off colds and flu means our immunity needs to be in tip-top condition. Let's talk you through the challenges of winter and how to counter them to keep you healthy in mind and body.

All children get unwell from time to time, and they may need time off school to recover. For certain illnesses your child may be required to take a set time period off. This is particularly if they have something contagious, such as chickenpox, in order to protect other children as well as letting them rest up and get better. Schools can be strict on absences, to avoid disrupting your child’s education and this is set in UK law. We’ve set out some guidance for instances that are acceptable and appropriate to keep your child from the classroom, although do bear in mind that every school will lay out their own policy. It’s always important to liaise and discuss with your child's school as early as possible. As a general rule of thumb, if your child is unwell or feverish for whatever reason, they should stay at home to recover.

You may see someone collapse in the street, or a loved one or neighbour at home. Without knowing why they have collapsed, actions within the first few seconds and minutes may save their life, so it’s worth being prepared. First things first, look after yourself, make sure the area around them is safe for you to walk into – live electric wires, noxious chemicals, fire. If it’s unsafe, you should avoid being another casualty, and instead dial 999 for an ambulance. Second, check for signs of life. This can be done by calling their name to see if they respond and by gently shaking their shoulders. If there is still no response, you can check for signs of breathing by tilting their head back and look for their chest rising or by placing your cheek near their mouth and feeling for their breath. You can listen for a pulse if you feel confident doing this – it's most accurate to find one of the carotid arteries on the neck – but don’t waste time if you haven’t been trained. If you do not think that they are breathing, you or someone nearby should call for an ambulance immediately. The next thing you need to do is start chest compressions – this is CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation). These are given with hands interlocked and using the palm of the hand to push firmly down the middle of the chest and then release. This is done at a regular rate and fast rate, to encourage blood to pump around the body and keep the most vital organs alive. Don't over-think it, just get stuck in.

Cuts, scrapes and grazes are common, especially in children. But anyone can injure themselves, so it’s a good idea to know what to do if you’re nearby, and when you should worry. Let’s talk you through it. We've assumed in this article that you know the person you're treating, but if you're a bystander and helping a stranger, contact with blood carries risk of disease. We would advise caution in this case, wearing single-use gloves if available or helping them to a medical facility instead. This article is also only suitable for treating non-superficial cuts.

Choking is where an object blocks the airway, either fully or partially, preventing someone being able to breathe properly. Whether it’s a loved one or a stranger in a restaurant, your first instinct is usually to help someone with choking. Everyone always thinks of the manoeuvre where you squeeze someone from behind – it's a favourite in many films – but few people know the specifics. So let’s take you through what to do first and then come on to how to perform abdominal thrusts effectively, otherwise known as the Heimlich manoeuvre. This advice is for adults. It’s a similar sequence for children and babies, but as their bodies are much smaller, we’ve written about the technique for them separately.