Dear Doctor,
I understand that you must have hypochondriacs visit you frequently. Perhaps that annoys you, maybe you feel like they’re wasting your time. Perhaps you’ve been fortunate enough to never experience health anxiety and can’t understand things from their point of view.
If you’ve been following my blog and social media accounts, you’ll remember that I went to the press launch of This Morning Live at the ITV Studios in London last month. With home, garden and lifestyle stands, we were excited to go to the show in Birmingham. There were just two things standing in our way…a teething baby and a 150 mile journey in torrential rain!
My husband suffers from trichotillomania. It is a little known mental health condition, which consists of the impulsive pulling of hair, which can be from anywhere on the body. This can result in bald patches and feelings of guilt and embarrassment. I’ve interviewed my husband on his experience of trichotillomania, in an effort to help raise awareness. I have only read stories of women having it online, so I’m hoping that it may help some people to read about a man with the condition.
On Monday morning, I was alarmed to read an article that said Medway Council were closing their Sure Start Children’s Centres. I was even more disgruntled to read that it was so that they could save £60,000 to fund a party and fireworks! Those who know me well will know that despite being introverted, I am one to stand my ground. My mind instantly started buzzing with thoughts about petitions and protests…
Contains sponsored links¦ It has been estimated that around 16 million people in the UK suffer with hay fever. That’s at least 1 in 4 people! That means that a quarter of the population spend seasons of the year, often summer, with unpleasant symptoms. These can range from annoying to a level where they affect everyday life.
Unfortunately, the number of sufferers is rising, particularly in those who are middle aged. In fact, it has been predicted by Allergy UK that there could be as many as 30 million hay fever sufferers in the UK by 2030.
Thankfully, there are things you can do to help.