IT’S well known that eating lots of fruit and veg, exercising, and getting enough sleep can boost health.
But what everyday things should we be avoiding? We asked the experts.
From not taking a break on the combined pill to buying their kids a trampoline, medics tell us what their experiences have taught them to steer clear of.
“I would always avoid sleeping tablets,” Dr Sarah, who is clinical director at patient.info, tells Sun Health.
“In recent years, it has become more and more clear that sleeping tablets carry a real risk of addiction within a very short space of time.
“What’s more, they stop working quite quickly. And people who take them don’t sleep better than those not on them.
“I am very reluctant to prescribe them, but my patients get very cross, regardless of how I explain the risks.
“They seem to think I’m trying to punish them when, in fact, it’s the opposite- addiction is such a horrible, distressing condition.”
Addiction isn’t the only concern when it comes to sleeping pills.
“There are also loads of side effects, like drowsiness, increased risk of falling over,” Dr Sarah explains.
One study, highlighted in BMJ Open found the drugs can increase your risk of death.
The American study compared 10,500 patients taking prescribed sleeping pills with 23,000 patients not on sleep medication.
Although the absolute risk of death remained quite low, it was four times higher in those taking sleeping tablets.
For years, women and girls have been told they should take a seven-day break each month while on the combined pill.
But there is “absolutely” no need to do this if you don’t want to”, says Dr Fran, from women’s health review platform, The Lowdown.
“The 21 days on and seven days off [method] was devised to make the contraceptive pill more palatable to the Catholic Church,” she explains.
The practice of pausing the pill persists to this day, although research shows this is worse for women in terms of both side effects and reliability.
“If you take a 7-day break and forget to take the pill on the 8th day, your ovaries start waking up and could release an egg and put you at risk of pregnancy,” Dr Fran says.
“I’d take the combined pill continuously without any breaks.
“There’s no need for the break or bleed at all. It’s not a real period; it’s a withdrawal bleed and serves no purpose.”
But if you’re experiencing some breakthrough bleeding while on the pill, Dr Fran says you can try a four-day break.
If you only have a four-day break, it gives you three more days to remember to start the next packet – essentially making pregnancy less likely than if you risked waiting seven days, which allows no room for error.
In a world where we seem to have medicines for almost every ailment, it can sometimes become easy to become reliant on drugs to fix us.
“But you really shouldn’t ever rely on medicines alone,” Thorrun says.
“As a pharmacist, see the limits of medicines and how making lifestyle changes can be just as important,” she explains.
“For example, you can’t just rely on pills regarding weight loss.
“Although these might work for a short period, making healthy changes to your diet and lifestyle is the only way to keep the weight off in the long term.”
If you’re worried about your weight, your GP can advise you about losing weight safely by eating a healthy, balanced diet and regular physical activity.
“As an orthopaedic surgeon, I choose not to participate in marathons due to the significant stress they can place on joints,” Prof Paul tells Sun Health.
Running is not bad for your knees per se; however, running with poor form over running too often – which many people do – is bad for your knees.
Whether that’s ramping up your training schedule too quickly or not resting enough between runs, running too many miles before your muscles, bones, joints, and cartilage are ready for more can increase your risk of injury.
“However, I have immense respect and admiration for marathon runners,” he adds.
“It takes remarkable mental tenacity and discipline to train for and complete a marathon, qualities that are commendable and inspiring.
“My stance is purely from a professional perspective concerning joint health.”
“As a GP, I’d never drink energy drinks.
“I see lots of people with side effects like palpitations and nausea from drinking energy drinks with high doses of caffeine in them,” Dr Rachel, of the Woodlands Medical Centre in Didcot, tells Sun Health.
Scientists have previously warned that guzzling just an energy drink is enough to cause heart problems – with effects kicking in after just 90 minutes.
Experts found that drinking Red Bull and Monster could cause your blood vessels to narrow, which increases the risk of blockages and cause heart attacks and strokes.
“These sorts of drinks also frequently contain lots of sugars and additives, making them unhealthy drinks, which people can become reliant on to kick start the day.”
Dr Rachel also says she would also “never” buy her kids a trampoline.
“I see so many children who have injured themselves on trampolines in their garden – from broken bones to dislocations.
“I also receive multiple letters about more severe trampoline injuries from my A&E colleagues. It’s a definite no for me.”
In fact, half of all childhood injury A&E admissions globally are because of trampolining accidents, research suggests.
Lots of skincare products are touted as ‘miracle cures’.
But you don’t need many products or spa treatments to look after your skin, Dr Firaz tells Sun Health.
“Skincare is literally just ‘care’ for the skin, rather than some magical cure-all treatment it’s sometimes made out to be.
“It cares for the skin, but the medicinal effects are limited, and people need more reasonable expectations.
“As a dermatologist, I wouldn’t waste my money on expensive skincare or spa treatments.
“Instead, I’d stick to a good basic moisturiser, suncream, to protect the skin and retinol, which can help repair the skin.”
