COVID-19 Osteoporasis information for public   What is Osteoporosis? Osteoporosis is the term used to describe bones when they become ‘porous’, when the struts which make up the mesh-like structure within bone start to disappear. This leads to a reduction in bone strength and an increased risk of fracture after injuries such as a low impact fall. These broken bones or ‘fragility fractures’ can occur in different parts of the body, although the wrist, hip and spine are most commonly affected. Osteoporosis is thought to affect 1 in 3 women and 1 in 7 men during their lifetime. It is…

Skin to skin Extensive research tells us the many benefits of skin to skin immediately after baby is born. It helps to regulate baby’s heartrate, breathing and temperature, reduces their stress levels, aids with their first feed, as well as enhancing your milk supply.   It has also been shown to have beneficial effects for the mother if they have experienced a traumatic birth.    A minimum of an hour skin to skin and offering baby their first feed during this time can help to realise these benefits.  However, there is no limit, as baby grows, skin to skin can…

When you are on biologic drugs (or biosimilar) you are more likely to get food poisoning, because part of your body’s immune system is being altered. In order to avoid the risk of salmonella, listeria and e.coli you shouldn’t eat the following foods: Unpasteurised milk and dairy products, e.g. cheese made from unpasteurised milk. Mould ripened soft cheeses (e.g. Brie and Camembert) and blue cheeses (whether pasteurised or not), feta and goats cheeses. Raw eggs, or foods containing uncooked egg (e.g. home-made mayonnaise). Raw or undercooked meat (e.g. rare steak) and fish. Cooked rice over 24 hours old and not…

Herefordshire Tuberculosis Service

When you have your pregnancy booking appointment your midwife will ask to take some blood samples, one of these will be to find out your blood group.  It will determine whether you are a positive or negative blood group.  If it is found that you have a negative blood group you will be offered Anti-D at different points in your pregnancy.  Anti D is derived from plasma collected from donors, it is a concentrated form of antibodies. A new test is now offered to all women who are Rhesus Negative at 16 weeks gestation.  The blood test will determine whether…

An instrumental birth refers to the use of either forceps or ventouse (suction cup). An instrumental birth happens for 1 in every 8 births.   Forceps are metal instruments which fit together around your baby’s head to speed up the process of baby being born during the pushing phase.  The doctor will pull the forceps as you also push down during a contraction. Ventouse is a suction cup which is placed on baby’s head firmly and also pulled by the doctor while you push.   The choice of instrument will depend on the situation, how many weeks pregnant you are…

Pre-eclampsia usually isn’t diagnosed until at least 20 weeks of pregnancy, but it actually starts early on.  If the blood vessels in your placenta don’t embed properly into your womb, it means the blood flow from the placenta to baby isn’t as optimal as usual.  Your body tries to compensate for this by tightening all the blood vessels in your body, in order to send more blood to your baby.  This in turn increases your blood pressure and eventually the blood vessel walls will start to become damaged, creating small holes.  These holes let some fluids from your bloodstream leak…

Pelvic girdle pain (PGP) is when you experience pain in your lower back, around your symphysis pubic area, between your perineum and vagina and/or down into your thighs. It can feel worse when you are doing activities such as walking, climbing the stairs, stepping out of the car, stepping into the bath, turning over in bed, getting dressed or having sexual intercourse.  The pain can feel like grinding or clicking and can impede your daily activities.  The symptoms usually become worse as baby grows due to the additional weight in your uterus and the increase of the hormone ‘relaxin’ being…

Inform the dental team of your Rheumatology condition and any medication that you may be taking. This is important as it can affect the choice of treatment or how it is carried out. If you are having an invasive dental procedure you will need to stop your biologic medication before and after the procedure under the advice of the Rheumatology team. Please seek advice from the Rheumatology Advice Line on how to do this, as different biologic medications have different time frames to stop. NRAS – Oral Health - https://nras.org.uk/resource/oral-health/

What we do Children’s Physiotherapy is a specialist community physiotherapy service for babies, children and young people living in Herefordshire.  Children’s physiotherapists have additional knowledge and experience of child development and childhood disabilities.  Children’s physiotherapists are responsible for the assessment and physical rehabilitation of children and young people who are identified as having difficulties with the development of gross motor skills and mobility as a result of accident, injury, disease or disability.  They also see children with specific conditions such as Cystic Fibrosis, Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, gait anomalies and life-limiting conditions.  Children’s’ physiotherapists use a variety of…