Health Advice
- Weight Management
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- Leukaemia, acute lymphoblastic
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- Addiction
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- Alexander technique
- Rhinitis, allergic
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- Alzheimer's disease
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- Vitamin B12 or folate deficiency anaemia
- Anaesthesia
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- Dog bites
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- Antacid medicines
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- Bird flu
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- Weaning
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- Septic arthritis
- Halitosis (bad breath)
- Weight loss surgery
- Barium enema
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- Bedbugs
- Nocturnal enuresis
- Behçet’s disease
- Facial paralysis
- Tongue pain or soreness
- Prostate enlargement
- Beta-blockers
- Bicarbonate test
- Binge eating
- Biopsy
- Bipolar disorder
- Spider bite
- Eye, black
- Bladder cancer
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- Blood donation
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- Blood groups
- Coughing up blood
- Semen, bloody
- Urine, blood in the
- Vomiting blood
- Septicaemia
- Hypertension
- Low blood pressure
- Blood tests
- Blood transfusion
- Blushing
- Bromhidrosis (body odour)
- Bone cyst
- DXA scan
- Bone marrow donation
- Stem cell transplant
- Borderline personality disorder
- Bottle feeding
- Botulism
- Rectal cancer
- Polyps, bowel
- Leaky gut syndrome
- Orthodontics
- Brain abscess
- Head injury, severe
- Brain tumour, benign (non-cancerous)
- Brain tumour, malignant (cancerous)
- Brain tumours
- Breast abscess
- Breast cancer
- Male breast cancer
- Screening for breast cancer
- Nipple discharge
- Mastitis
- Breast lump
- Breastfeeding
- Shortness of breath
- Osteoporosis
- Fractured collarbone
- Hip fracture
- Leg, broken
- Fractured nose
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- Toe, broken
- Tooth, broken or knocked out
- Smelly feet (bromodosis)
- Bronchitis
- Teeth grinding
- Thyroid eye disease
- Bulimia
- Burns and scalds
- Heart bypass
- Caesarean section
- Food poisoning
- Cancer
- Thrush
- Thrush, men
- Thrush, oral - adults
- Thrush, oral - babies
- Carbon monoxide poisoning
- Cardiovascular disease
- Cartilage damage
- Nasal congestion
- Rib, cervical
- Smear test
- Sore lips
- Chemotherapy
- Chest infection, adult
- Chest pain
- Herpes zoster virus
- Statins
- Kidney disease, chronic
- Leukaemia, chronic lymphocytic
- Leukaemia, chronic myeloid
- Cirrhosis
- Claustrophobia
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- White coated tongue
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- Herpes simplex virus
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- Coma
- Combined contraceptive pill
- Pneumonia
- CT scan
- Concussion
- Hole in the heart
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- Conjunctivitis
- Constipation
- Contact dermatitis
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- Coronary heart disease
- Vegetative state
- Topical corticosteroids
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- Cough
- Counselling
- Leg cramps
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- Undescended testicles
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- Cystic fibrosis
- Psoriatic arthritis
- Dandruff
- Date rape drugs
- Thyroiditis
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- Dehydration
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- Teething
- Tooth decay
- Fluoride
- False teeth (dentures)
- Depression
- Dyspraxia in children
- Diabetes insipidus
- Diabetes
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- Dialysis
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- Nutrition
- Rectal examination
- Double vision
- Nummular eczema
- Shoulder dislocation
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- Lightheadedness
- Down's syndrome
- Dry eye syndrome
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- Periods, painful
- Indigestion
- Swallowing problems
- Dyspraxia (adults)
- Swimmer's ear
- Earache
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- Ebola virus disease
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- Endoscopy
- Threadworms
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- Epidural
- Epilepsy
- Watering eyes
- Nosebleed
- Impotence
- Tremor (essential)
- Ocular cancer
- Eye injuries
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- Falls
- Family planning
- Fever, childhood
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- Wind
- Seasonal flu
- Nail patella syndrome
- Food allergy
- Foot pain
- Frostbite
- Gallstones
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- General anaesthetic
- Genetics
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- Iron overload disorder
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- Haemophilus influenzae type b
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- Ingrown hairs
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- Hallucinations
- Hamstring injury
- Hand pain
- Tendon repair, hand
- Hand, foot and mouth disease
- Hangover
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- Head and neck cancer
- Head injury, minor
- Nits
- Headaches
- Hearing and vision tests for children
- Myocardial infarction
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- Heart transplant
- Heart-lung transplant
- Heat exhaustion and heatstroke
- Sweat rash
- Periods, heavy
- Hepatitis A
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- Hepatitis
- Herbal medicines
- Hernia, femoral
- Hiatus hernia
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- Herpes simplex eye infections
- Hip pain in adults
- Hip replacement
- HIV and AIDS
- Welts
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- Homeopathy
- Hormone replacement therapy (HRT)
- Huntington's disease
- Rabies
- Hyperglycaemia
- Sweating, excessive (hyperhidrosis)
- Joint hypermobility
- Sleepiness in the day (severe and unexplained)
- Thyroid, overactive
- Hypnotherapy
- Testosterone deficiency (hypogonadism)
- Underactive thyroid
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Painkillers, ibuprofen
- Shoulder tendon, trapped
- Urinary incontinence
- Infertility
- Inflammatory bowel disease
- Ingrown toenail
- Inquest
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- Type 1 diabetes
- Intensive care
- IVF
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- Jaundice
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- Jet lag
- Joint pain
- Kidney stones
- knee-pain
- Knee replacement
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- Laxatives
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- Liver transplant
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- Tetanus
- Loss of libido
- Sperm count, low
- Lumbar puncture
- Swelling or lump
- Lung cancer
- Lung transplant
- Lyme disease
- Non-Hodgkin lymphoma
- Lymphoma
- Magnesium test
- MRI scan
- Malaria
- Male contraceptive pill
- Malnutrition
- Mastectomy
- Rubeola
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- Meningitis
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- Moles
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- Multiple system atrophy
- Mumps
- Muscular dystrophy
- Selective mutism
- Short-sightedness
- Nose and sinus cancer
- Polyps, nose
- Nasopharyngeal cancer
- Natural family planning
- Nausea and vomiting in pregnancy
- Peripheral neuropathy
- Night sweats
- Nightmares
- Rhinitis, non-allergic
- Type 2 diabetes
- Winter vomiting disease
- Obesity
- OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder)
- Sleep apnoea
- Occupational therapy
- Swollen ankles
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- Periods, irregular
- Organ donation
- Orthopaedics (orthopaedic surgery)
- Osteoarthritis
- Rickets
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- Pacemaker implantation
- Shoulder pain
- Paracetamol
- Ulcerative colitis
- Pancreas transplant
- Pancreatic cancer
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- Panic disorder
- Pins and needles
- Paralysis
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- Pelvic pain
- Ulcer, peptic
- Ruptured eardrum
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- Periods
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- Personality disorder
- Whooping cough
- Strep throat
- Phobias
- Physiotherapy
- Pilonidal sinus
- Plastic surgery
- Pleurisy
- Pneumococcal infections
- Poisoning
- Reflux in babies
- Potassium test
- Pre-eclampsia
- Slipped disc
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- Prostate disease
- Prostatitis
- Psoriasis
- Puberty
- Radiation
- Radiotherapy
- Red blood cell count
- Rheumatic fever
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Root canal treatment
- Roundworm
- Seasonal affective disorder (SAD)
- Salivary stones
- Salmonella infection
- Scabies
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- Scars
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- Scoliosis
- Scurvy
- Self-harm
- Septic shock
- Sexual health clinics
- STIs
- Shingles
- Social anxiety disorder (social phobia)
- Vomiting in children and babies
- Sinus headache
- Sinusitis
- Skin rashes in children
- Sleep paralysis
- Sleepwalking
- Urine, smelly
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- Spina bifida
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- Squint
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- Stroke
- Stye
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- Swollen glands
- Syphilis
- Tuberculosis (TB)
- Tension-type headaches
- Testicular cancer
- Testicular lumps and swellings
- Thyroid cancer
- Tics
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- Tongue-tie
- Tonsillitis
- Toothache
- Total iron-binding capacity (TIBC or transferrin) test
- Total protein test
- Tourette's syndrome
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- Traction
- Travel vaccines
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- Urinary tract infection, children
- Urinary tract infection
- Vaginitis
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- Varicose eczema
- Varicose veins
- Warts and verrucas
- Vertigo
- Vitamins, minerals and supplements
- Vomiting in adults
- Warfarin
- Weight loss (unexpected and unplanned)
- Whiplash
- Wisdom tooth removal
- X-ray
- Yellow fever
- Bowel cancer screening
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Read moreNHS Choices - Living with psoriasis
(10/09/2014)
Although psoriasis is just a minor irritation for some people, the condition can have a significant impact on your life.
If you have psoriasis, you may find the following advice helpful.
Self care
Self care is an essential part of your daily life. It involves taking responsibility for your own health and wellbeing with support from those involved in your care. Self care includes staying fit and maintaining good physical and mental health, preventing illness or accidents and caring more effectively for minor illnesses and long-term conditions.
People with long-term conditions can benefit enormously from self care. They can live longer, have less pain, anxiety, depression and fatigue, a better quality of life, and be more active and independent. Having a care plan will help you manage your treatment so it fits your lifestyle.
Want to know more?
- Your health, your way: self care and care plans
- PAPAA: The Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis Alliance: self help
Keep up your treatment
It is important to use your treatment as prescribed, even if your psoriasis improves. Continuous treatment can help prevent flare-ups. If you have any questions or concerns about your treatment or any side effects, talk to your GP or healthcare team.
Regular reviews
Because psoriasis is usually a long-term condition, you may be in regular contact with your healthcare team. Discuss your symptoms or concerns with them as the more the team knows, the more they can help you.
Help with health costs
If you regularly pay for more than three prescriptions a month, you may save money with a prescription prepayment certificate (PPC). To check the cost of a PPC, call 0845 850 0030 or check leaflet HC12 (available in some pharmacies or GP surgeries).
Want to know more?
- Help with health costs: prescription costs
- Common Health Questions: where can I get a prepayment certificate?
- Money Advice Service
Healthy eating and exercise
People with psoriasis have a slightly higher risk of developing diabetes and cardiovascular disease, although it is not known why. Regular exercise and a healthy diet are recommended for everyone, not just people with psoriasis, because they can help prevent many of these conditions.
Eating a healthy, balanced diet and exercising regularly can also relieve stress, which may help improve your psoriasis.
Want to know more?
- PAPAA: psoriasis and the heart
- PAPAA: psoriasis and smoking
Emotional impact of psoriasis
Due to the unpleasant effects that psoriasis can have on physical appearance, low self-esteem and anxiety are common among people with the condition. This can lead to depression, especially if the psoriasis gets worse.
Your GP or dermatologist will understand the psychological and emotional impact of psoriasis, so talk to them about your concerns or anxieties. If necessary, they can discuss the different treatment options available.
Want to know more?
Psoriatic arthritis
Some people with psoriasis develop psoriatic arthritis. This causes tenderness, pain and swelling in the joints and connective tissue,as well as stiffness. It commonly affects the ends of the fingers and toes. In some people, it affects the lower back, neck and knees. Most people develop psoriatic arthritis after the onset of psoriasis, but about 20% develop it before they are diagnosed with psoriasis.
There is no single test for psoriatic arthritis. It is normally diagnosed using a combination of methods, including looking at your medical history, physical examinations, blood tests, X-rays and MRI scans. If you have psoriasis, you will usually have an annual assessment to look for signs of psoriatic arthritis.
If your doctor suspects you have psoriatic arthritis, you will usually be referred to a specialist called a rheumatologist so you can be treated with anti-inflammatory or anti-rheumatic medicines.
Want to know more?
- The Psoriasis Association: psoriatic arthritis
- PAPAA: psoriatic arthritis
Pregnancy
Psoriasis does not affect fertility and women with psoriasis can have a normal pregnancy and a healthy baby. Some women find their psoriasis improves during pregnancy, but for others it gets worse.
Talk to your healthcare team if you are thinking of having a baby. Some treatments for psoriasis can be harmful to a developing baby, so use contraception while taking them. This can apply to both men and women, depending on the medication. Your healthcare team can suggest the best ways to control your psoriasis before you start trying for a family.
Want to know more?
Talk to others
Many people with psoriasis have found that getting involved in support groups helps. Support groups can increase your self-confidence, reduce feelings of isolation, and give you practical advice about living with the condition.
Want to know more?
- The Psoriasis Association: call the helpline on 0845 676 0076, Mon-Thurs 9am-5pm and Fri 9am-4:30pm (calls are charged at local rate)
- The Psoriasis Association: patient podcasts