Breastfeeding and breast pain

Breastfeeding can at times be quite uncomfortable for some women, especially at the start but when breastfeeding is constantly uncomfortable, or suddenly becomes very painful, it is important to see someone about it. At ROC private clinic our GPs can help to work out what the cause of pain is and discuss the best ways […]

Birth control options after having a baby

Many joke that the best form of contraception is being the parent of a new-born baby. With all that broken sleep and the demands of life with an infant, contraception isn’t always high up on everyone’s to-do list but it is important to be aware that a woman’s fertility tends to resume pretty soon after […]

Sequence your genome at RoC – The future of medicine is here

Modern medicine is a wonderful thing. We have treatments and cures for many conditions that decades ago would have seriously harmed us or been fatal. But we all know the saying “prevention is better than cure”. What if there were a way of knowing what conditions you, as an individual, are prone to? Heart disease, […]

Viral warts and verrucae: what are your options

Warts and verrucas are notoriously difficult to get rid of. Some may manage to get rid of them within weeks or months, but some patients are bothered by this painful and / or unsightly condition for many years. So what are the warts, verrucas and how you can get cured? What are warts? Warts are […]

Having the shingles vaccine early

Following on from my last blog post on the chickenpox vaccine, it seems appropriate to complete the loop with a discussion around the shingles vaccine. Shingles is a very common and troublesome infection that is seen more frequently with age. Data from England and Wales suggests that over 50,000 cases of shingles occur in people […]

Inflammatory Arthritis – The Importance of Early Diagnosis

Inflammatory arthritis (such as Rheumatoid Arthritis, Psoriatic Arthritis, Anklyosing Spondylitis and more) encapsulates a group of joint disorders where inflammation and damage occurs to our joints as a result of a problem in our immune system where our immunity attacks and targets our joints. The inflammation causes the symptoms of pain, swelling, stiffness and loss […]

Two important chickenpox facts (that you probably didn’t know)

Many know about chickenpox being a common infectious disease of childhood but few know these really interesting and useful facts. Today’s blog post will briefly touch on what is important to know about chickenpox but more than that we’ll discuss: How you can find out if you are immune to chickenpox (if you’re uncertain whether […]

The rise of Meningitis W and the MenACWY vaccine

Meningitis is caused by the bacteria Neisseria Meningitidis. Between 5 and 11% of adults (and 25% of adolescents) carry this bacteria in their nasopharynx (back of nose and throat) without any symptoms at all. Why is it that some people go on to develop meningitis and septicaemia (blood poisoning) from Neisseria Meningitidis and others don’t? […]

Trying to conceive? Consider checking your vitamin D level

A recently published article by Mumford et al 1 showed that sufficient preconception vitamin D levels (25-hydroxyvitamin D ≥75 nmol/L) are associated with an increased likelihood of pregnancy and livebirth. The team also found that Increased vitamin D concentrations before conception were associated with reduced pregnancy loss. Quick study summary The study was a secondary […]

Five summer skin care myths

The sun is beginning to make its appearance and the British summer is certainly under way. Before you whip those arms and legs out and inflate the paddling pool, it is worth quickly familiarising yourself with the following myths around staying sun safe. 1. Sun exposure increases the risk of skin cancer – TRUE Over […]