You don’t have to be a doctor to know what the heart normally sounds like – we’re all familiar with the classic rhythm of a beating heart. You do, however. need to be medically trained to detect an abnormal rhythm, such as Atrial Fibrillation. Find out all about this condition, from symptoms to treatment in today’s blog!

Varicose veins are a very common condition; it is thought that as many as 1 in 3 people may be affected at some point in their lives, with women at higher risk than men. But what are varicose veins anyway? In this article we talk about the causes, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of varicose veins.

This is one of the first investigations performed for any patients complaining of cardiac-sounding symptoms. It is a simple test that can be done in just minutes and provides a great insight into how your heart is doing. We discuss how this simple test works and which conditions can be diagnosed from ECG recordings.

We’re kicking off our Heart Health week at LDC by talking about a chronic heart condition that affects thousands of people in the UK: Angina. Whether you have been diagnosed with Angina yourself, or someone you know has, this article is well worth a read – to brush up on your knowledge of which symptoms are normal and when to be concerned.

Let’s imagine the scenario. It’s the middle of the exam season and you have an exam tomorrow. However, you’ve procrastinated right up until the very last minute (we all do it) and you’re left with no choice but to cram, cram, cram into the late hours of the night! How should you go about it? And is there any healthy way to do it?

CBT is a type of talking therapy proven to be very effective in helping people with a variety of different conditions, from stress and depression, to chronic pain and anger management! We explain a bit more about how CBT works in today’s blog post.

What is the first feeling that comes to mind when someone mentions exams? For most people, it is STRESS! Too much of it can be detrimental to your performance, and yet too little can lead to insufficient motivation. In today’s blog post, we talk about how to rein in the stress and find the right balance to perform to the best of your ability!

As part of LDC’s Kidney Health week, today we’re talking all about a very common group of infections affecting the waterworks system: Urinary Tract Infections. While they are not usually harmful, if left untreated, UTIs can cause damage to the kidneys – hence our link to Kidney Health week!

While on the topic of the kidneys, we’ll also be mentioning a couple of conditions to do with ‘the waterworks system’ as a whole. This includes the kidneys and bladder, as well as the tubes in between! One fairly common, yet often unreported waterworks issue, is urinary incontinence – which we will discuss in today’s article.

Urine can come in various different colours, from colourless to deep yellow, depending on how hydrated we are. One worrying colour to watch out for, though, is red, as this could indicate blood in the urine. So, what should you do if you spot blood in the urine?! Find out in today’s blog.