Latest news with #DrDanielGordon
Daily Mail
13-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Top allergy expert reveals ultimate guide to managing hay fever - and why jabs are never the answer
Suffering from a blocked nose, itchy eyes and a scratchy throat suddenly? Sounds like you may have hay fever. While for many people, it's just a common allergy that bothers them for a few days of spring and summer each year, there is a significant number of people for whom it's a real problem, and has a massive impact on their quality of life. So what's the best way to treat it? Professor Adam Fox, one of the UK's leading allergy experts, sat down with Dr Daniel Gordon on his YouTube channel, The Health Perspective, to discuss what actually works when it comes to managing hay fever symptoms. @drdanielgordon I asked one of the UK's leading allergy specialists @dradamfox exactly what he recommends to patients who feel like nothing is working when it comes to Hay Fever. When to start treatment, what to prioritise, what actually makes a difference… he laid it all out. And honestly, I learnt more in this episode than I think I have known in a lifetime! If you're relying on antihistamines alone, or considering more drastic options, this is a must watch. Full episode on YouTube. #HayFever #TheHealthPerspective #AllergySeason #AdamFox #SpringAllergies #Pollen #NasalSpray #allergy ♬ original sound - Dr Daniel Gordon | GP - Dr Daniel Gordon | GP Start by getting the right antihistamines The first step, for people whose hay fever is a mild irritation, is to visit your pharmacy and ask for the right antihistamines. 'Make sure it's a long-acting, non-sedating antihistamine, because one of the common problems – and frustratingly sometimes this is the advice from the pharmacy – is to use a short-acting, sedating antihistamine, which can make you feel worse and doesn't really do that much for your hay fever,' explains Dr Fox. 'So, avoid Piriton – or chlorphenamine, which is the medical name – and go for cetirizine, loratadine or fexofenadine.' If you know you're going to need antihistamines all season, Dr Fox recommends buying them in bulk from online pharmacists. 'It's really cheap compared to buying the colourful-packet, branded stuff.' Pair with non-medical solutions While antihistamines offer a medical solution for treating hay fever, Dr Fox also shares a few non-medical tips that will help to alleviate your allergy symptoms. Salt water nasal sprays are surprisingly good – they just rinse all the allergen out and also have a bit of an anti-inflammatory effect. Putting a bit of pollen balm or Vaseline around your nostrils will stop the pollen going up. Washing your hair before bedtime will prevent the pollen that's collected in your hair from rubbing on your pillow and rubbing on your nose overnight. Avoid drying your clothes outside on days when the pollen count is high. 'All of those things are only going to have a small effect, but if your hay fever is mild, you don't need to get more medical than that,' he advises. Steroid nasal sprays are the next step If, however, you've got proper hay fever symptoms and the antihistamines aren't doing the job, then the next step is a nasal steroid. For adults, these are over-the-counter; for kids, these are on prescription. 'They're very safe,' reassures Dr Fox. 'They've been around for a very long time and the dose is very small. It stays locally rather than being absorbed into your system. As long as you stick to the regular doses, you shouldn't have to worry about things like growth.' 'He also mentions that nasal steroids work better when you start using them before the season's kicked off. 'So if you know you've got hay fever and you know that every mid to late April your symptoms from the grass pollen season are going to kick off, then in late March/early April, start your regular nasal spray and that'll make a real difference.' 'There's no value in starting antihistamines in advance, you can just take those as and when you need them,' he adds. If all else fails: double dose According to Dr Fox, most people can treat hay fever if they start using their nasal steroid spray early, use it regularly throughout the season, and take extra doses of antihistamine when they suffer from breakthrough symptoms. If they have particular eye symptoms, they might also want to get eye drops. If all of that isn't working together, he recommends having a chat with your pharmacist or doctor, because usually you can double up all of those medicines. 'Over-the-counter doses are pretty conservative because they're for over-the-counter use – you can certainly do better than that.' There is, however, a small group of patients – probably around 15 per cent of hay fever sufferers – for whom, even though they're doing all of that, it's still a problem. 'That's when we'll start to talk to them about the other options,' says Dr Fox. Steroid injections are never a solution That said, no matter how bad your hay fever gets, you should never use steroid injections to alleviate your symptoms, warns Dr Fox. 'It's a hard position to take because there's no point pretending – they do work. And the way they work is that a huge dose of steroid gets injected into your bum and is very gradually and slowly released over the course of a couple of months.' 'The frustration is that people aren't properly counselled on what the longer term side effects are, and the longer term steroid risks of bone fractures, poor bone density, glaucoma, cataracts – things that aren't going to affect you just after the injection. 'And if you keep doing this year on year, your risk gets really, really significantly higher.' 'The truth is that most people are getting it because it's a quick fix, and they're not aware there are other ways of managing hay fever that will be harder work, but will have similar outcomes and not have any of those risks.'
Telegraph
08-05-2025
- Health
- Telegraph
Doctor paralysed by bike ‘breaking in two' awarded £4.5m
A doctor who fractured his spine when his new £2,300 bike 'sheared in two' has won £4.5 million damages Dr Daniel Gordon, 31, was travelling at around 15mph when his new all-terrain gravel bike collapsed beneath him, throwing him to the ground. The accident in Inverness in August 2020 left Dr Gordon with no use of his lower body despite spinal surgery and months of rehabilitation. Dr Gordon was seeking £10million in compensation from the insurers behind Planet X, the Yorkshire-based bike company, but settled for a reduced sum before a five-day hearing was due to start this week. The agreement includes provision for Dr Gordon, who is represented by Stewarts, a London law firm, to return to court for increased damages if further injuries are caused by a spinal cyst. 'Despite a catastrophic and life-changing injury, I've been fortunate enough to be supported by Stewarts in pursuing a claim against Planet X's insurers, the result of which means my future care and accommodation needs can be met,' said Dr Gordon. 'I hope now to be able to move forwards and show that despite this injury, life can still be rewarding and fulfilling.' Dr Gordon was working as a junior doctor at Raigmore Hospital, Inverness, when the front forks of a Planet X Tempest SRAM Force 1 titanium bike sheared in two on a grass slope. His compensation claim was initially against Planet X as the seller of the bike, but after the company was declared insolvent in 2023, his lawyers pursued the claim against its insurers, Arch Insurance (UK) Limited and Chubb European Group SE, who initially rejected the doctor's claim. Planet X marketed the expensive gravel bike as a 'go-anywhere' bicycle, adding that 'the only thing Tempest doesn't have is limits'. The defendants claimed this was 'marketing puff' and should not have been relied upon by Dr Gordon. They also claimed the bike was subject to a US standard of classification for bikes, which meant it should not be ridden over any jumps or drops of more than 15cm. However, there was no mention of this on the company's website or in the manual for the bike. During previous proceedings, it emerged that testing by the parties' respective experts found that the carbon fibre forks on Dr Gordon's bike were materially thinner and weaker than two exemplar forks provided by the manufacturer. Since the incident, Dr Gordon has managed to return to his medical career with NHS Scotland and works four days a week as a specialist registrar in respiratory medicine. Last year, he married his fiancée, Laura Colacino, also a doctor, and honeymooned in Peru. He has taken up hand cycling and completed this year's London Marathon.
Daily Mail
07-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Doctor paralysed after breaking spine when his bike 'sheared in two' awarded £4.5million
A doctor who broke his spine and became paralysed after his brand new bike fell apart while going down a hill has won £4.5million in compensation. Dr Daniel Gordon, 31, suffered life-changing injuries when the forks of his £2,300 all-terrain gravel bike 'sheared in two' in Inverness in August 2020. Dr Gordon, who was working as a junior doctor at Raigmore Hospital, was only travelling at around 15mph before the bike collapsed beneath him, throwing him to the ground. He underwent spinal surgery and then months of rehabilitation, but the extensive injuries have left him with no use of his lower body and reliant on a wheelchair. Dr Gordon initially launched a bid for £10million in compensation from the insurers behind Yorkshire-based bike company Planet X. But ahead of a five day hearing set to start this week, it was agreed that Dr Gordon should receive a settlement in the sum of £4.5million. The sum was agreed following negotiations between the parties and includes provision for Dr Gordon to return to court for further damages if further injuries are caused by a spinal cyst. Dr Gordon sustained the life-changing spinal cord injury when the front forks of a Planet X Tempest SRAM Force 1 titanium bike sheared in two on a grass slope. He brought his claim initially against the seller of the bicycle, Planet X. But after the company was declared insolvent in 2023, his lawyers pursued the claim against its insurers, Arch Insurance (UK) Limited and Chubb European Group SE, who initially rejected the doctor's claims. Planet X described the £2,300 gravel bike purchased by Dr Gordon in 2020 as a 'go-anywhere' bicycle, adding that 'the only thing Tempest doesn't have is limits'. The defendants claimed this was 'marketing puff' and should not have been relied upon by Dr Gordon. They also claimed the bike was subject to an American standard of classification for bikes, which meant it should not be ridden over any jumps or drops of more than 15 centimetres. However, there was no mention of this on the company's website or in the manual for the bike. During previous proceedings, it emerged that testing by the parties' respective experts found that the carbon fibre forks on Dr Gordon's bike were materially thinner and weaker than two exemplar forks provided by the manufacturer. Since the incident, Dr Gordon has taken up hand cycling, completing the hand cycling tour of Mallorca in 2022 and the London Marathon in 2025. Last year, he married his fiancée, Dr Laura Colacino and went on honeymoon to Peru, which included a visit to the historic ruin site of Machu Picchu. His claim was supported by law firm Stewarts. Dr Gordon said: 'Despite a catastrophic and life-changing injury, I've been fortunate enough to be supported by Stewarts in pursuing a claim against Planet X's insurers, the result of which means my future care and accommodation needs can be met. 'Stewarts have been exceptionally proficient, compassionate and offered me clear guidance through an incredibly difficult, complex and personally challenging time. 'I also have to thank Ewan Stirling, a friend and coach who first noticed the unusual way in which the fork sheared, without whom I would likely not have taken any action. 'I hope now to be able to move forwards and show that despite this injury, life can still be rewarding and fulfilling.' Stewarts International Injury partner Julian Chamberlayne said: 'It has been a privilege to represent Danny Gordon and to achieve this settlement, which will help him fund his needs following his spinal injury. 'He has shown huge strength of character in not allowed this life changing injury to stop him from returning to work with the NHS, and in his determination to continue cycling, now using a hand bike. 'This case has highlighted that the regulation, testing and manufacture of gravel bikes warrants closer attention, to ensure they are safe for the adventurous use that is shown in their advertising and expected by purchasers.'
BBC News
07-05-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Doctor paralysed in Inverness bike crash wins £4.5m settlement
Doctor paralysed in bike crash wins £4.5m settlement 11 minutes ago Share Save Steven McKenzie BBC Scotland Highlands and Islands reporter Share Save Dr Daniel Gordon Dr Daniel Gordon has taken up hand cycling following his crash in 2020 A doctor left paralysed from the waist down after the front forks of his new bike broke in half has won a £4.5m settlement. Dr Daniel Gordon was travelling at about 15mph on a grassy slope in Inverness when the bike components failed and he crashed. He suffered life-changing spinal cord injuries in the August 2020 incident and is now dependent on a wheelchair. The manufacturers' insurers have settled the case ahead of the start of a five-day high court trial in England. Dr Gordon, who was working at Raigmore Hospital in Inverness, at the time of the crash, had sought £10m in damages. Planet X, the makers of the bike, had gone bust but Dr Gordon's lawyers Stewarts brought proceedings against the firm's insurers. Following negotiations, it was agreed that Dr Gordon should receive a £4.5m settlement. It includes a provision for Dr Gordon to return to court and seek further damages in the event he experiences a rare but serious and untreatable deterioration caused by a spinal cyst. Dr Gordon has returned to work with the NHS in Scotland as a specialist respiratory registrar. He was an experienced cyclist before his injury and has now taken up hand cycling. Dr Gordon completed a hand cycling tour of Mallorca in 2022 and this year's London Marathon. Dr Daniel Gordon Dr Gordon has thanked his friend and coach Ewan Stirling for his support Dr Gordon said he suffered "catastrophic injuries". He thanked his legal firm for its support and said the settlement secured his future care and accommodation needs. He added: "I also have to thank Ewan Stirling, a friend and coach who first noticed the unusual way in which the fork sheared, without whom I would likely not have taken any action. "I hope now to be able to move forwards and show that despite this injury, life can still be rewarding and fulfilling." His lawyer Julian Chamberlayne said: "It has been a privilege to represent Danny Gordon and to achieve this settlement, which will help him fund his needs following his spinal injury. "He has shown huge strength of character in not allowing this life-changing injury to stop him from returning to work with the NHS, and in his determination to continue cycling, now using a hand bike."
