Latest news with #LooseDoctors
Scottish Sun
2 days ago
- Health
- Scottish Sun
Why does my pee smell so foul? It's the worst smell ever!
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A YEAR ago I had a health scare that landed me in hospital – and I spoke about it last week on Loose Doctors, a one-off Loose Women special on ITV. On a weekend trip with friends, after a swim in the sea, I noticed my heart rate was really fast. 4 Dr Zoe Williams helps Sun readers with their health concerns Credit: Olivia West It eased a little for a few hours before another attack in the evening, and I was taken to A&E. For the first time in my life, I thought I could die. My heart rate reached 300 beats per minute (compared to a normal of 60 to 100) due to something called atrial flutter, which can lead to a stroke or heart attack. I was just unlucky because my heart is healthy. But it gave me a new perspective on what matters and I'm even kinder to my body. We think of heart issues as a male problem, but it's a leading killer of women. It's important to be vigilant about your health. Make sure you take the free NHS health check offered every five years from the age of 40, which can spot risky conditions. Meanwhile, here's a selection of what readers asked me this week . . . WHY DOES MY PEE STINK? Life-saving NHS health checks to spot killer diseases will be carried out at work Q: I'M a 73-year-old man and my urine must be the worst smell ever. It's so foul. I have a dodgy kidney that works at only half the rate it's meant to and I've suffered with numerous urine infections. They clear up with antibiotics but, after a few weeks, come back along with the foul smell. I've also been clear of prostate cancer for five years. A: It sounds like you've really been through a lot, health-wise. I'm glad to hear that your prostate cancer is now in remission, but I do understand how frustrating and worrying these ongoing urinary issues must be. A very foul-smelling urine can be an indicator of an underlying health issue. It can be caused by infection, kidney problems or issues with waste product build-up in the body. Your history of a dodgy kidney that functions at half its capacity is a key piece of information. Some types of kidney problems can increase the risk of UTIs, especially those that interrupt the normal flow of urine from the kidney to the bladder, such as kidney stones which can lead to stagnant urine in the system, where bacteria is more able to grow. Have you had a recent scan to assess your kidneys, and have you been assessed by either a urologist or nephrologist (kidney specialist)? This is important, as it is crucial to find out if there are any potential blockages. An enlarged prostate gland can also stagnate the flow of urine as it leaves the bladder, and some of the treatments for prostate cancer can also cause issues. It's important to keep treating each infection, and to stay well hydrated and not delay passing urine when you get the urge (as much as possible). But if these measures alone are not working, then there are also treatments to prevent further infections that you should explore with your specialist team. Prophylactic antibiotics are a daily low dose of medication that can reduce UTIs. Methenamine hippurate is an alternative to daily antibiotic prophylaxis for recurrent UTI in men, which has quite recently been added to the NICE guidelines. I hope this helps to guide your conversations with your healthcare team – and please do let me know how you get on. TIP OF THE WEEK WE increasingly need insect repellent when travelling abroad, owing to the threat of mosquitos spreading diseases, including in European destinations. You can grab a bottle for just a few pounds at the pharmacy or the airport, and this will protect you and your family from bites. IS PREDIABETES CAUSE OF FOOT PAIN? Q: CAN you tell me what is causing the pain in the soles of my feet after walking for about two hours? Could it be because I was diagnosed with prediabetes? 4 Dr Zoe helps a reader who has pain in the soles of their feet Credit: Getty A: This could be caused by several factors and, while prediabetes can be related, it's not the most likely cause in this scenario – when pain comes on after a significant amount of walking. Higher up the list would be footwear issues, plantar fasciitis or muscle fatigue. Worn-out or unsupportive shoes can lead to poor shock absorption and pressure on foot muscles and ligaments, so opt for shoes or trainers that are well-cushioned and supportive. Flat feet or high arches can exacerbate the issue. So if you have either of these you may benefit from being assessed by a podiatrist, for orthopaedic insoles for long walks. Plantar fasciitis typically causes sharp heel or arch pain that is made worse by prolonged standing or walking. It's caused by overuse or strain of the plantar fascia (a ligament on the sole of the foot). Walking for more than two hours, especially on hard surfaces, can cause muscular fatigue in the feet, particularly if you're not used to that level of activity. So if the walking is a new activity for you, you may need to scale back initially. But I hate advising people to do less activity, so try to increase the pace of the walking you do. Essentially, a shorter but faster walk, and then build distance gradually as the muscles in your feet get stronger. Do some stretching and strengthening exercises for your feet – there are good NHS videos on YouTube for this. It is possible to get nerve damage with prediabetes – this is called 'impaired glucose tolerance neuropathy', which is damage that can begin even before full-blown diabetes. But this would typically be described as tingling, burning, numbness or pins-and-needles. Also, it is often worse at night-time, rather than after activity. BOOK A MIDWIFE ONLINE PREGNANT women can now see a midwife 'at the touch of a button', it was announced today. They can book their first midwifery appointment via bypassing the GP. 4 Pregnant women can now book their first midwifery appointment via Credit: Getty Traditionally, expectant mothers would see their GP to tell them they are pregnant before a referral to midwifery services. But only 62 per cent of the first 'vital' appointments happen within the first ten weeks of pregnancy, health officials say. NHS England said it is estimated the new service could lead to 180,000 fewer calls to GPs and up to 30,000 fewer GP appointments each year. Officials stressed that women can still go in to see a doctor if they would like, for example, to discuss management of a long-term health condition. Kate Brintworth, NHS chief midwife, said: 'Making this process simpler at the touch of a button is a vital step in empowering women to take control of their pregnancy journey right from the very start and improving access to timely, personalised care.' Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said: 'Early pregnancy should be about joy and excitement – not wrestling with NHS bureaucracy to book a midwife appointment. 'That's why we've overhauled the online referral system. "No more endless phone calls or form-filling. "Just a simple online service that lets you book those crucial first appointments with a few clicks.' SOUNDS LIKE CANCER… THE early signs of cancer could be detected from your voice, scientists say. Using AI, subtle changes in vocal acoustics helped pick up lesions in people diagnosed with voice box cancer. Researchers believe AI could be trained to hear these changes within a 'couple of years'. There are around 2,000 new cases of voice box (laryngeal) cancer in the UK each year. A hoarse voice for more than three weeks can be a key symptom, and should be investigated by a GP. Using AI for diagnosis could spell the end of uncomfortable tests, such as a biopsy or nasendoscopy, in which a thin tube with a camera is passed through the nose down the back of the throat. The US team, part of the Bridge2AI-Voice project, gathered voice recordings of 300 patients, some of whom had voice box cancer. They study, published in the journal Frontiers In Digital Health, found 'marked' differences between men with and without cancer or a voice box disorder, such as nodules or polyps, specifically with the harmonic-to-noise ratio. It's possible the same will be found for women, with a larger data set. Dr Philip Jenkins, of Oregon Health & Science University, co-authored the study. He said: 'Voice-based health tools are already being piloted. 'I estimate that with larger data sets and clinical validation, similar tools to detect vocal fold lesions might enter pilot testing in the next couple of years.' Q: HAD a total knee replacement nearly seven years ago and have been in constant pain since. At my last consultant appointment, it was suggested that I have steroid injections in my knee. 4 Dr Zoe helps a reader whose been in constant pain since their knee replacement Credit: Getty But as I had a complete knee replacement, what would they inject into? I feel like I'm just being messed around. A: I'm really sorry to hear you're still in pain. It's understandable to feel frustrated and even suspicious when treatments don't make sense. When you have a total knee replacement, the joint surfaces are replaced with metal and plastic components, so there's technically no longer any cartilage or traditional joint space like in a natural knee. There are still soft tissues which can be inflamed, but you are right to question the approach of steroid injections as they are not standard practice when a knee joint has been replaced with an implant. This is partly due to a higher rate of complications, such as infection. If you haven't had recent imaging (such as X-rays, a bone scan or MRI with metal artifact reduction), that should come first, looking for any evidence the pain is due to the implant failing or being loose, infected or malpositioned. Some of the other common causes of pain following a total knee replacement include scar tissue, soft-tissue inflammation, nerve entrapment or complex reg-ional pain syndrome. I'd advise you to ask some specific questions before having a steroid injection, such as, 'What is the specific diagnosis for my pain?' or, 'Is this pain mechanical, inflammatory, neuropathic or possibly related to implant failure?' and, 'What exactly are you injecting, and into what structure?'. Don't accept vague answers, such as talk of generalised inflammation. I'd advise asking to be referred back to the team who did your operation, or consider getting a second opinion from a revision knee specialist (an orthopaedic surgeon who focuses on failed joint replacements). There may well be long wait times, but this does not mean you shouldn't get referred. Advocate for yourself or bring someone with you to help ask the hard questions.
Daily Record
7 days ago
- Health
- Daily Record
ITV star recalls 'dark and difficult times' after young son's cancer diagnosis
The star appeared on Loose Women and bravely shared her young son's diagnosis. An ITV star has shared a poignant account of her young son's struggle with liver cancer during an emotional segment. On Wednesday's edition of Loose Women, the usual hosts like Ruth Langsford and Nadia Sawalha stepped aside for a special panel of television doctors. The show, rebranded as Loose Doctors for the day, featured familiar faces such as Dr Hilary Jones, Dr Zoe Williams, Dr Amir Khan, and Dr Nighat Arif, who are known for their segments on Lorraine and This Morning but took centre stage to run the entire programme. In a series of moving conversations, which included Dr Hilary discussing his hip replacement recovery and Dr Amir opening up about his mother's brain tumour, Dr Nighat courageously disclosed her son's health condition. She started by saying: "It's taken me a very long time to openly talk about it and discuss it because it was so personal for such a long time," reports the Mirror. Revealing the challenges they faced, she explained: "When my second son was born, he had a rare liver condition, liver cirrhosis, and that rare liver condition meant that his liver just stopped working." Dr Nighat then recounted the harrowing prognosis given to her: "I was told that he was going to have a 50% chance of getting liver cancer and that if we don't make it in time then he's not going to have a good outcome at the end of this or he'd go on a transplant list." Continuing her story, she said, "We were talking about Googling symptoms, I became Mama Bear. I knew nothing about liver disease - even though I'm a doctor - I knew very little about the transplant world or about this rare condition that he had, so I was that mum Googling away. "So I have such great empathy for people that when they're told something, the first thing they want to do is go and have a look at it and find out, and that's where I found other families who were going through a similar situation to me and that authenticity really resonated with me at that time. "My son unfortunately, being from a Black and Asian community, at that time, we were told we'd wait five times longer on the transplant list." Fighting back tears, Dr Nighat continued: "He did unfortunately get liver cancer, he got hepatocellular carcinoma, and then we were waiting and waiting and waiting for the transplant, and I was then telling the whole family to get tested, I was ready to be donating myself as a family member, and then unfortunately up in Leeds there was a little boy, they don't tell you the details, all we know about the donor family is that he fell off his bike, hit the back of his head and had a clean brain stem injury. "His parents, these incredible heroes of ours who I have no idea who they are, they donated their child's organs and one of them was my son, so he's a recipient of the liver. "Afterwards, he ended up having eight operations, six rounds of chemo, three hickman line operations, three hospital stays, I totally was not the clinician I am today for about three years, and now he's ten years old. "He swims for Swim England on the dive team, the donor family are our heroes but also the time when I really was able to empathise with our patients." Dr Nighat disclosed that during this challenging period, she "didn't cry", maintaining her composure for her family as the sole Doctor. "They were really dark and difficult times," she further acknowledged.
Daily Mirror
7 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mirror
ITV star emotional as she details young son's liver cancer battle
The TV star opened up about the "dark and difficult" times her family went through An ITV star has emotionally opened up about her young son's liver cancer battle in a heartfelt discussion. The regular panellists such as Ruth Langsford and Nadia Sawalha were replaced on Wednesday's Loose Women with a selection of TV doctors. The likes of Dr Hilary Jones, Dr Zoe Williams, Dr Amir Khan and Dr Nighat Arif had made regular appearances on Lorraine and This Morning for various segments, but ran the whole show on Loose Women today, retitled Loose Doctors. Among heartfelt chats, including Dr Hilary talking about his hip replacement recovery and Dr Amir candidly opening up about his mum's brain tumour, Dr Nighat bravely shared her son's diagnosis. 'It's taken me a very long time to openly talk about it and discuss it because it was so personal for such a long time,' she began. 'When my second son was born, he had a rare liver condition, liver cirrhosis, and that rare liver condition meant that his liver just stopped working. 'I was told that he was going to have a 50% chance of getting liver cancer and that if we don't make it in time then he's not going to have a good outcome at the end of this or he'd go on a transplant list.' She went on: 'We were talking about Googling symptoms, I became Mama Bear. I knew nothing about liver disease - even though I'm a doctor - I knew very little about the transplant world or about this rare condition that he had, so I was that mum Googling away. 'So I have such great empathy for people that when they're told something, the first thing they want to do is go and have a look at it and find out, and that's where I found other families who were going through a similar situation to me and that authenticity really resonated with me at that time. 'My son unfortunately, being from a Black and Asian community, at that time, we were told we'd wait five times longer on the transplant list.' Holding back tears, Dr Nighat went on: 'He did unfortunately get liver cancer, he got hepatocellular carcinoma, and then we were waiting and waiting and waiting for the transplant, and I was then telling the whole family to get tested, I was ready to be donating myself as a family member, and then unfortunately up in Leeds there was a little boy, they don't tell you the details, all we know about the donor family is that he fell off his bike, hit the back of his head and had a clean brain stem injury. 'His parents, these incredible heroes of ours who I have no idea who they are, they donated their child's organs and one of them was my son, so he's a recipient of the liver. 'Afterwards, he ended up having eight operations, six rounds of chemo, three hickman line operations, three hospital stays, I totally was not the clinician I am today for about three years, and now he's ten years old. 'He swims for Swim England on the dive team, the donor family are our heroes but also the time when I really was able to empathise with our patients.' Dr Nighat revealed that while she was going through such a difficult time in her life, she 'didn't cry', and was trying to stay strong for her family as the only Doctor. 'They were really dark and difficult times,' she added. Loose Women airs weekdays from 12.30pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
Daily Mail
04-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Loose Women set for major cast shake-up as ITV plan to replace the entire panel for one week only
Loose Women fans are in for a treat this week as the show is set for a one-off 'Loose Doctors' special. The hit ITV daytime show will change up their panel this Wednesday with a different array of faces, including Dr Amir Khan, Dr Zoe Williams, Dr Hilary Jones and Dr Nighat Arif. The medics will examine the health issues that matter most to viewers, as well as explaining how we can all improve our own wellbeing. The special follows on from other one-off versions of the programme including Loose Men panels on International Men's Day. Excited about the new prospect, Dr Amir said to The Mirror: 'This is the first time four of ITV's Daytime doctors will be on the panel together to look at the health issues that affect us all. 'We'll be sharing our expert medical advice and having some very candid conversations about the things that our patients are often too embarrassed to talk about, but shouldn't be, and hopefully giving them the confidence to make the most of their appointments. 'I'm really looking forward to the episode and hope that viewers will enjoy it, as well as learning some important and potentially life saving tips too.' Meanwhile, Dr Hilary, who works closely with Lorraine Kelly on screen, said: 'I think viewers are going to love the first-ever Loose Doctors episode. 'You'll see four of ITV's Daytime doctors open up about their personal journeys whilst offering some of our tips to look after you and your family. I hope that viewers will learn a lot and be entertained at the same time as we open the Loose Doctors doors for the first time.' It comes after panelist Linda Robson shared her fears as she ' prays' for the future of the ITV programme after huge budget cuts. It was revealed back in May the show has been axed for half the year and Lorraine's runtime has been slashed by 30 minutes, as Daytime bosses announced cuts with job losses in excess of 220. According to insiders, once ITV's budget cuts come into effect in January, Loose Women will no longer have A-list guests in the studio, and the broadcast is planned to only consist of the panel debating newsworthy topics from the week. Speaking at National Reality TV Awards in London, Linda said: 'We are all rallying together. It will be very sad if we can't have guests. 'It's a shame people are losing their jobs. We're all like a family. We've been together through births, marriages, deaths. It's been very hard. Everyone's worried about the show. 'We're just trying to stay positive and hope for the best. But hopefully it's not going be as bad as it already is,' The Mirror reports. Recently Loose lady Janet Street-Porter revealed which stars are at risk from brutal cost-saving cuts by ITV - and which panelists are safe. The 78-year-old has shed light on the reality behind the looming cuts proposed by the broadcaster, which are set to impact several daytime shows. Janet appears certain that the 'older' Loose Women stars are not likely to be cut, given they appeal more directly to the show's target demographic. But she warns that newcomers, younger stars or those with less experience could be at risk. 'There are no plans to get rid of the older women despite what some people have said,' Janet said.
Daily Mirror
03-08-2025
- Health
- Daily Mirror
Loose Women announces huge panel shake-up with brand new line up this week
Loose Women has had one off specials before and this week there will be another change to their panel amid ITV cost cutting exercises Loose Women will change up their panel for the first-ever Loose Doctors special on Wednesday. Dr Amir Khan, Dr Zoe Williams, Dr Hilary Jones and Dr Nighat Arif will examine the health issues that matter most to viewers and explain how we can all improve our own wellbeing. During the lunchtime show, the four ITV Daytime doctors will tackle the taboo topics that people are often afraid to ask about and share their top tips for living a longer and happier life. And it comes after ITV fans accuse Alan Titchmarsh of 'ruining' garden as foster parents were left sobbing Ahead of the episode, Dr Amir, who often works on Good Morning Britain, said: 'This is the first time four of ITV's Daytime doctors will be on the panel together to look at the health issues that affect us all. "We'll be sharing our expert medical advice and having some very candid conversations about the things that our patients are often too embarrassed to talk about, but shouldn't be, and hopefully giving them the confidence to make the most of their appointments. I'm really looking forward to the episode and hope that viewers will enjoy it, as well as learning some important and potentially life saving tips too.' This Morning star Dr Nighat added: 'I couldn't be happier sharing a panel with some dear colleagues and friends for this special episode. We will be opening up on some of our own heartfelt health stories and having a number of important conversations about how viewers can look after themselves, as well as sharing our top self-examination tips. "As doctors, we are also humans and hope that by sharing a little part of our own lives, our patients and viewers know that they're not alone and sometimes, we're going through similar things to them.' The special follows on from other one-off versions of the programme including Loose Men panels on International Men's Day. Dr Zoe said: 'I'm so excited for this episode of Loose Doctors. While the four of us know each other well, we'll be sharing some of our own stories and experiences, just as our patients bravely share theirs with us. We hope this offers viewers the chance to get to know us better and helps people feel more comfortable opening up. We're going to be tackling some of the taboo topics people might not always want to discuss, to empower you to feel confident in understanding and checking your own body, and knowing when to seek help." And Dr Hilary, well known for working with Lorraine Kelly on screen, said: 'I think viewers are going to love the first-ever Loose Doctors episode. "You'll see four of ITV's Daytime doctors open up about their personal journeys whilst offering some of our tips to look after you and your family. I hope that viewers will learn a lot and be entertained at the same time as we open the Loose Doctors doors for the first time.' Loose Women has been on ITV since 1999 and normally sees a rotating panel comprised of women discussing issues from a their perspectives, from politics and current affairs to all the latest gossip. It is one of a number of daytime shows at ITV facing cuts and the daytime panel show will be down to 30 weeks a year in 2026. It means some of the panelists are likely to lose their jobs. * Loose Doctors airs on Wednesday 6th August, from 12:30pm on ITV1, ITVX, STV and STV Player.
