At 64 years old, I consider myself to be very fit. Three times per week, I visit the gym and love to work out to increase my heart rate. 

In a recent article, I read that people in my age had a heart attack while exercising vigorously. Do I do too much exercise?

As they get older, it is not uncommon for people to believe their body can’t handle vigorous exercise. However, it is not always true.

High-intensity exercises have a greater risk of injury than high-intensity training. This is due to your fitness levels and not your age. You can continue at your current pace if you don’t have any medical problems or are used to intense exercise.

Although there aren’t any indicators or tests that can guarantee your fitness, you will likely not get sick from exercising. However, this is what happens in people who are perfectly healthy and have exercised their entire lives.

Your GP surgery can offer a risk score indicating how likely you are to have a heart attack or stroke (file photo)

A risk score can be provided by your GP to indicate how likely it is that you will have a stroke or heart attack (file photo).

   

For Sunday’s Mail, Dr Ellie Cannon will continue to provide more information…

It is vital to exercise as we get older. NHS guidelines recommend that adults of 65 who are already active do at least one hour 15 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity every week, or at least 2½ hours of moderate-intensity activity.

Vigorous intensity is activity which makes it harder to breathe, like running or fast cycling. Moderate exercise could include walking, cycling or doing water aerobics.

The risk score can be provided by your GP to indicate how likely you might have a stroke, heart attack or other serious health problem. This assessment considers many factors, including your weight, blood pressure, family history, and cholesterol.

Atrial fibrillation screenings are offered by doctors. People with this condition are at greater risk for heart attacks and stroke. Strenuous exercise can cause their heart to beat faster, which may make them feel dizzy. Atrial fibrillation sufferers can exercise, but they might require more time warming up or cooling down.

I am constantly noticing tiny spots in my eyes when I awake in the morning. Other symptoms are not present, but sometimes headaches can occur after spots have vanished. They rarely last more than one hour. Are they just exhausted?

These are tiny spots that appear in your vision and can be called “floaters”. They’re usually not a sign of something serious. They are caused usually by the harmless posterior vitreous defect, in which the gel from within the eyeball is removed from the retina. The layer of light sensitive cells that lies behind the eyes, called the “retinal” layer, also known as the “floater”, and they can be easily treated with a simple solution.

The patients often report seeing tiny dots and squiggly line patterns, as well as patterns that look like cobwebs.

A migraine is when floaters and headaches are the same thing, especially if they occur on one side. Doctors refer to visual changes as aura that can occur with migraines.

It is common for migraines to occur when someone feels tired or run down. A combination of floaters and exhaustion without migraines could suggest anemia. It is worth getting blood tests done to rule out thyroid disease.

People who have glasses to correct their shortsightedness and older are at greater risk of developing floaters.

A sign that the retina is losing its thin layers of cells at the back of your eye can cause sudden blackening or flashing light in your vision.

This is crucial to prevent permanent vision damage.

A specialist optician can examine the back of your eye with special equipment and advise you if you should see your GP.

For nine months, my husband suffered from lichen planus. It affected four of his fingers. The dermatologist suggested steroid cream but this has not had any effect. It could have been caused by constant hand-sanitizer use.

Do you have a question for Dr Ellie?

Email DrEllie@mailonsunday.co.uk or write to Health, The Mail on Sunday, 2 Derry Street, London, W8 5TT.

Dr Ellie is unable to answer individual questions or provide personal responses. She can only respond in general terms. Consult your GP if there is a concern about your health.

People over forty are most likely to have lichen planus. The symptoms are usually a cluster of raised, shiny, purple-red spots on the body, arms and legs. You may notice fine white lines around the blotches.

Other parts of your body can be affected by lichen planus, including the lips, fingers, and toenails. The nails can develop ridges on their surface and become fragile. Some cases can cause nails to become thicker, darker or even pull away from the nail bed. This can be a long-lasting condition.

This condition may be caused by an immune system overreacting. Anxiety and stress may also be factors. Previous viral infections like chicken pox might have caused lichen planus.

While there are no clear evidence suggesting that hand-sanitizers may trigger the condition it is possible. The skin can become irritated by antibacterial products and may cause irritation. The first treatment doctors use is steroids – which suppress extreme immune reactions – in cream or ointment form. Sometimes tablets may be recommended for severe cases. You can also try light therapy if they fail.

A dermatologist might recommend stronger immuno-suppressing drugs such as methotrexate if nothing else works.

These drugs can cause serious side effects such as dizziness and drowsiness.

Are you looking to slim down? A GP will help you get out.

Jada Pinkett Smith, actress, deserves a big hat for speaking out about her hair loss due to alopecia.

It looks as if the 50-year-old wife of Hollywood star Will Smith has been suffering from alopecia areata – patchy hair loss caused by problems with the immune system.

You can lose your hair for many reasons, especially for women.

DR ELLIE CANNON: Hats off to actress Jada Pinkett Smith (pictured) for talking publicly about her hair loss from alopecia

DR ELLIE CANNON: Hats off to actress Jada Pinkett Smith (pictured) for talking publicly about her hair loss from alopecia

Anyone who notices sudden hair loss should visit their GP. This could be due to thyroid issues or iron deficiency. They can be detected in blood tests, and then treated.

A drop in the female hormone oestrogen and menopause can cause hair loss. The shock of an accident, stress and side effects from medications are other triggers.

It can be very distressing to lose your hair. However, there are often treatments such as hormone medicines that will help hair grow back.

My detox plan: Ignore daft diets

If you’re thinking of going on a detox diet, my advice is – don’t.

The idea that your body could accelerate the process of eliminating waste from the environment was something I assumed everyone understood.

Twitter seems to be flooded with detox-related ads, such as detoxfasting and detox baths. There are also the young, attractive women who suggest a diet full of cacao nibs, gojiberries and other superfoods.

Is this something we are still discussing in 2022?

You don’t have to detox, for the record. Reduce your intake of alcohol and sweets. However, your liver and kidneys are great at getting rid of junk you don’t need. A smoothie is not the best option if you don’t have medical care.

For 2022, I recommend one “detox”, namely to stop following bad nutrition and take alternative advice via social media.