The 58-year-old Dragon’s Den star said: ‘I have got permanent pain in the balls of my feet’
Mogul Deborah Meaden has been left in agony by her stint on Strictly Come Dancing in 2013, which she says ‘ruined’ her feet.
The 58-year-old Dragon’s Den star said: ‘I have got permanent pain in the balls of my feet.
‘You don’t complain when you do the show because everyone has injuries, but now I need to have steroid injections every six weeks to keep my feet supple.
‘I have to visit my specialist, who tuts at me and says, “It shouldn’t have got to this stage.” ’
Four years after dancing alongside partner Robin Windsor in the 11th series of Strictly, Deborah even struggles with walking long distances.
‘On holiday, I did lots of walking and they flared up. It doesn’t take a lot,’ added the entrepreneur, who was speaking at The Baby Show where she was showing off a baby blanket company she has invested in called Love , Keep, Create.
‘I refuse to let it get in the way of what I want to do. My husband and I took tango lessons in Argentina and the teacher said, “Do you know how to tango?” I looked ever so slightly smug and said, “Yeah, I do.” ’
Brain-training techniques such as map-reading and pop quizzes can help treat bipolar disorder.
Researchers from Harvard Medical School discovered that computerised, quiz-style exercises helped to eradicate attention, memory and processing problems – recognised symptoms for sufferers.
Just 43 hours of online exercises created by neuroscientists from brain-training website Brain HQ improved symptoms for more than 75 participants.
Tasks included identifying map locations and basic maths problems.
Dr Eve Lewandowski, professor of psychiatry at Harvard, said: ‘This indicates that affordable and easily accessible web-based interventions can be effective.’
Yoga ‘as good as a diet’ for tackling IBS
Yoga is just as effective as changing the diet for easing the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), according to a new study.
Participants were treated with either the commonly prescribed low FODMAP diet – which avoids certain carbohydrates – or twice-weekly yoga classes over a period of 12 weeks.
Yoga is just as effective as changing the diet for easing the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), according to a new study
Both groups reported a significant reduction in pain, troublesome bowel movements, bloating, anxiety and depression.
The authors of the study at the University of Duisburg say: ‘Traditionally, yoga consists of body postures, breathing exercises and meditation and it is hypothesised that doing so corrects stress-induced nervous-system activity which is common in patients with IBS’.
It’s a big worry for women of a certain age – but it seems the menopause may not be as bad as many fear.
Pre-menopausal women overestimate the intensity and length of the emotional effects of the menopause, say researchers.
Hormonal changes that occur in the menopause are known to cause a wide range of physical and emotional symptoms, but little is known about women’s beliefs about them before, during and after it occurs.
To find out, experts at the University of Melbourne and the Royal Women’s Hospital, Australia, quizzed 387 women aged 40 to 60.
Results show that postmenopausal women had significantly more positive ideas about the menopause compared to others.
‘Clinicians should educate women about their expectations and challenge negative beliefs about the menopause,’ said the report.
Vibrating gloves could be the key to treating arthritic joint pain in the over-60s.
An innovative pair of gloves containing tiny electric motors has been found to decrease joint pain in the hands of 30 women with osteoarthritis – the most common type of arthritis in the UK.
The gloves, developed in the US, work by massaging the fingers using gentle vibrating and compression sensations.
Wearing them for 20 minutes each day over a period of three months was found to improve self-reported joint pain in 30 women, with some reporting a dramatic reduction in pain intensity.
The improvement was particularly evident when participants’ pain was compared to a control group of 30 osteoarthritis patients not issued with the gloves treatment.
The authors of the study published their results in the American Journal Of Pain.