Curly health questions answered

Desperate for an answer to your curly health Question? We may have the solution with Helen Foster.

You've got to feel sorry for doctors. One dermatologist recently said, "I don't tell people what I do for a living any more because they start removing clothing at parties." However, Dr Christian Jessen from Channel 9's Embarrassing Bodies is used to people sidling up to him at parties, on trains or while shopping with odd queries, and he's compiled a book of the most common to head them off!

We've picked a few favourites and tapped the collective know-how of other experts for the answers to many unusual questions. Is your medical mystery here?

I never seem to get around to eating everything in my fridge fast enough — is it harmful to eat slimy salad?

"The slime is a sign that the leaves are starting to rot, so my question wouldn't be should you eat it, but why would you want to?" asks Juliana Madden from the Food Safety Information Council. She does, however, suggest not doing so as rotting food also creates the perfect warm, wet environment for bacteria to thrive.

Why shouldn't you do yoga while you've got your period?

Actually you can. "Although, there are certain postures — namely inverted postures like shoulder or headstands — that should be avoided," explains Shyamala Benakovic from Yoga Australia. "Contrary to a popular myth this has nothing to do with reversing the flow of menstrual blood, but instead is related to yogic understanding which regards downwards movements like menstruation, birthing or excretion as being mediated by an aspect of life force called Apana. The science of yoga holds that we should work with, rather than against this and so if Apana is trying to move energy down we should allow it to do it unimpeded."

If the nail dryers at my nail salon use UV light, could they give me skin cancer?

Possibly. Back in 2009, dermatologist Dr Deborah MacFarlane from the US's MD Anderson Cancer Center wrote a paper on two cases of non-melanoma skin cancer linked to UV light from manicures. She told us, "I don't want to panic anybody — all I can say is I've made an observation and would like to make people aware there might be a link. I'd say avoid them if you can. Dry nails naturally or if you're having gel nails applied use products hardened without UV light."

If wearing glasses doesn't make your eyesight worse, why have I needed a new prescription at my last two eye tests?

"Normally this is just the natural progression of eyesight, but as with many health issues there can also be a genetic component," says Shirley Loh from the Optometrists Association Australia. "People whose parents were very short- or long-sighted will often progress until their eyes reach a degree that is similar to their family members."

To read the rest of this story, pick up a copy of Good Health magazine at magshop.co.nz.