What it feels like to... have Bell's palsy 

Chrissie RussellI remember being out with a friend and seeing people whispering and looking over at me. 'Oh my God, what happened to her face?' 'What's wrong with her?' It was the usual stuff, nothing terrible and probably not even anything meant with malice, but when you're self-conscious already…

Dear Dr Nina: How to manage painful periods when playing sport 

My 13-year-old daughter has just got her period and suffers from a lot of pain for two days each month. It is really interfering with her playing sports.

Pawesome power of a furry friend 

Poor Romy, I have the paws walked off her, but I'm pretty sure she's not complaining. Up with the larks, we are out there most mornings by 7am in the summer to make the most of the morning light, which has been truly stunning for the last few months. You really should try it.

Dear Dr Nina: Ever since my first child, I leak urine when I laugh 

I am a 56-year-old woman and ever since I had my first child at 28, I have suffered from incontinence. It started off fairly mild but after another four children and the passage of time, it has got fairly bad, to the extent that I wear incontinence pads daily. It hits at...

Recession worries: why men no longer stand for hair loss 

What a hair-raising figure Britain's Prince William cut last week as he brought his family on a state visit to Poland.

Call of the wild: 'When you are in the sea, it can be a great leveller' 

For those who love it, swimming - with its delicious weightlessness and steady rhythms - offers a true sense of calm.

Dear Dr Nina: My brother is making my elderly parents' life a misery 

Q. I am worried about my elderly parents. My older brother, in his forties, has recently moved back home after what he describes as a nervous breakdown and he is making their lives a misery. He hangs about the house all day expecting my parents, who are in their...

How to beat the post-40 energy slump 

As we age, our health and fitness often gets neglected due to work commitments and family life.

Why (SPF) 50 is the new 30 

When was the last time you applied sun protection? Despite all the literature on the importance of wearing SPF daily to fend off skin cancer and premature ageing, most of us are guilty of skipping this skincare step, unless we're relaxing on a beach.

An end to allergies - the game changing treatment 

Teacher Cat Kennedy was happily overseeing the activities of her pupils on school sports day - until she had to be rushed to hospital after being overcome by hay fever.

Addicted to fast: when busyness takes control 

Do you feel like there's never enough time in the day?

Dear Dr Nina: Should I take action for an ingrown toenail? 

My eight-year-old was diagnosed by our GP with ingrown toenails - which run in the family. When we finally got a hospital consultation five months ago, we were told her toes were fine. However, six months on and she is suffering considerable pain and swelling,...

What your stressed skin is trying to tell you 

When Sarah Kugelman was in her early 30s, she was severely stressed. Her high-powered job in the beauty industry in Columbus, Ohio, meant she was working long hours, travelling regularly - and neglecting her health.

From injury to addiction: Ant McParlin and Tiger Woods aren't the only ones struggling 

'If it can happen to someone like me, it can happen to anyone.' That was the message from Anthony McPartlin, one half of the TV presenting duo Ant and Dec, when he revealed last weekend that he had become addicted to prescription drugs.

The Menopause... what you need to know 

It gets more hits than any other topic on Dublin's Well Woman Clinic website and can present with a long and often terrible list of symptoms.

Dear Dr Nina: I need help getting to grips with menopause & HRT? 

I am 52 years of age, menopausal and about to start taking HRT.

Living with Motor Neurone Disease 

When people first meet Michael Clancy, they often mistake him for being drunk due to his slurred speech and unsteady gait. What they tend to not be aware of is that he is not drunk but simply ill.

Dear Dr Nina: What's the best way to treat lumps and bumps? 

I have a sebaceous cyst in the centre of my chest, just below my collar bone. I have had it for about five years and although it hasn't got any bigger, it hasn't gone away either.

Irish rugby captain Niamh Briggs: 'Young girls are put off sport through social media pressure' 

Niamh Briggs is a worrier. She readily admits to agonising about things, something that can lead to sleeplessness and anxiety.

Dear Dr Nina: I'm too embarrassed to talk to my GP about my erectile dysfunction 

I find this subject a bit embarrassing, so I'm writing to you instead of visiting my own GP.

10 ways that gardening boosts health 

Get some fresh air and reconnect with nature, says horticultural therapist Caitriona Kelly.

'Nuts could have killed my son' 

For years parents have been warned about the dangers associated with feeding nuts to young babies. Official advice stated that not only were they a potential choking hazard but even a pureed form (such as peanut butter) could cause children to develop potentially life-threatening allergies later on.

Dear Dr Nina: Recovering from childbirth 'My stitches still hurt' 

I gave birth to my son three years ago and it was quite a traumatic delivery.

How to make work stress work for you 

Another Wednesday, another work day spent shooting glances at the clock as we count down the hours til we're over the hump. If you are silently screaming "argh" at your PC, take comfort; you are not alone.

"I'd love to be able to say 'I have M E' and have people nod in sympathy" 

Five years ago, I was flying high: I was a partner in my Dublin law firm, a zealous skier, an untalented tag-rugby player.

What's causing my headache? 

From mild tension headaches which don't usually disturb daily life to severe migraines which can be debilitating, Dr Muhammad Rizwan UdDin sheds some light on this common problem

Dear Dr Nina: I'm pregnant and fear I may have harmed the baby by drinking? 

I am 11-weeks pregnant and I am absolutely terrified that I may have caused irreparable damage to my baby.

Exploring alternative therapies 

We've all heard of reiki, many of us have had acupuncture, most of us know what a cranial osteopath is and some may even know what kinesiology is - but I for one, had never heard of Craniosacral Therapy (CST) and knew nothing about it until I found myself lying on a therapist's table waiting for my treatment to begin.

Low libido: Tackling the loss of desire 

Alongside headaches, insomnia and anxiety, "loss of libido" was just another symptom I invited clients to tick, or not, on the standard health questionnaire I use as a practising nutritional therapist and hypnotherapist.

Dear Dr Nina: I have become very clumsy of late. Should I worry? 

I am a man in my late 40s. In the last four to six months, I notice that I have become unusually clumsy - I have knocked glasses over on many occasions, and dropped my phone and other objects with a regularity which is just not typical for me.

Siobhan Byrne: Small changes can make a big difference 

Our busy lives may not leave much time for exercise and meal preparation and, at the end of the day, I'm a realist about what you can achieve given your lifestyle.

Dr David Coleman: Tablets are making our children cranky 

Clinical psychologist David Coleman offers parenting advice in his weekly column.

Hippotherapy has been such a happy ride 

Two months ago, little Fennec Hurley was non-verbal, hyperactive and physically aggressive, regularly hitting himself and his mother.

My doctor is an algorithm: 'Medicine has always welcomed new technology' 

'Good afternoon, the AI will see you now." This could be the future of family practice medicine as machines become better equipped to do many of the things that traditionally made up the GP's job description.

'It was just like winning the lottery' 

She thought she just had high blood pressure - so test results showing that her body was struggling to function on just 20pc of her kidneys came as a huge shock to businesswoman Freda Kavanagh.

Donate life - having received two liver donations Brian is spreading the word of organ... 

On August 2013, the Dillon family had a barbecue in the garden of their home, in Clarehall, north Dublin, to celebrate mum Celine's birthday. It was a joyous affair. Fortunately, Brian and Celine had no inkling that they would experience unbelievable trauma in the...

'You still have good days and bad. But with a dog, there's a calmness' 

If Karyn McCarthy had any doubts about the dog trained to protect her daughter Meadbh, they disappeared in the moment the family were involved in a car crash.

Ask the GP: I'm worried my wrist pain will lead to crippling arthritis 

Q: Two years ago I fell forward on my wrist while on holidays in Spain and injured my wrist - resulting in a lot of swelling.

15 tips to manage migraines 

Migraine is an episodic disorder characterized by a severe headache. In general, it is associated with nausea and/or light and sound sensitivity.

Surviving cancer: 'Early detection saved my life' 

You couldn't put it any other way. Postman Michael O'Donoghue saved his own life through little more than a hunch.

'It's not always just a doctor you need' 

A recent survey which showed that one in seven people with cancer feel they have no close friends they can talk to about their disease comes as no surprise to one of Ireland's leading experts in the field.

Ask the GP: HELP - I've been having dizzy spells since I gave birth 

Q: I had my daughter two years ago and ever since she was born I have had a dizzy feeling when I lay down. It feels like the room is spinning - the same feeling you get when you lie down after a few drinks.

A cure for wellness? A new film casts detox as a form of horror 

The backlash against clean eating might be well underway, but it remains to be seen if the concept of 'cleaning' your life in general will be similarly affected.

How Generation Job Share has it all worked out 

We all know them: the colleagues who spend all hours of the day in the office, even when they're not busy, in a desperate bid to prove just how productive they are. But a new report suggests that they're going about things in entirely the wrong way.

Overcoming brittle nails and 'honeymoon cystitis' 

Advice from our GP on treating fungal nail infections and advice on how to avoid a urinary tract infection after sex.

Pedal to the mettle: Ian Lacey has cycled the planet despite bowel disease 

Not so long ago, Ian Lacey (30) cycled from Alaska to Argentina. That's 27,369km, or 17,009 miles, for those of you who resist metrication. What makes this feat so astounding is the fact that he was already quite ill when he set off on his epic journey. But...

Tackling injuries head on 

Parents dream of their child being the star of the rugby team - and that little Johnny will grow up to be the next Johnny Sexton. But as they watch the gladiatorial combat of top-level rugby on their TV screen, they can only wince at the sheer bone-crunching force of a collision - as another player is laid out cold.

'If it wasn't for respite care I'd be on my own' 

Lynn McDonald's day can begin as early as 2am, when her daughter Daisy, who suffers from a rare disorder, wakes, needing urgent attention, and it rarely finishes before 11pm.

Short-term illness and long-term scars 

Advice from our GP on whether or not vomiting in a child is a cause for concern, and why a teenager shouldn't squeeze spots.

The case for a four-hour work day 

Do you work on your wi-fi-connected commute? Feel virtuous putting in long hours at the office? Eat your lunch at your desk and keep your smartphone on 24/7? If the answers are yes, you're working inefficiently and ruining your health, says Alex Soojung-Kim Pang.