WITH the year’s final summer bank holiday weekend approaching, new stats reveal just how much we are drinking.

More of us than ever before are now making steps to reduce alcohol intake.

Dr Zoe Williams helps Jattvibe readers with their health concerns

Today she helps a writer who has been suffering from a sore scrotum for a few years Credit: Getty

But binge-drinking is going up – 13 per cent do it once a week compared to 11 per cent last year, says Drinkaware, with the biggest increase being in people aged over 55.

Jattvibeny days, holidays and, of course, socialising all collide to tempt people to the bottle. But you can bring moderation into big weekends, too, without being a killjoy.

Sign up for the Health newsletter

Thank you!

Try to restrict drinking to just one day, set a limit before you start, and alternate alcoholic beverages with water.

Here’s a selection of what readers asked me about this week . . . 

SICK OF IT
Chicken now linked to salmonella outbreak as deadly bug reported in 7 countries

TEEN’S FIGHT
Schoolboy, 15, could have months to live after GPs mistook symptoms for asthma

WHAT FIX FOR DIABETES?

Q) I AM 67 and was told my diabetic reading was 49, just over the guideline of 48. Through changing my diet and regular walking, it is now down to 47.

My diabetic nurse asked how I feel about taking metformin. I am not completely against it but am concerned about long-term effects. My mum, 93, has diabetes, so no doubt it is hereditary.

I will continue with healthy changes but can you advise if it’s worth trying Ceylon cinnamon 7200mg equivalent, with MCT oil capsules – which I’ve seen recommended online?

A) An HbA1c of 49 is just over the diagnostic threshold for type 2 diabetes, and bringing it down to 47 through diet and walking shows your body is responding, which is really positive.

Metformin is often the first medicine offered for type 2 diabetes.

It helps the body use insulin more effectively.

Like any medicine, it can cause side effects, most commonly nausea, diarrhoea or stomach cramps, but many people tolerate it well, especially if started at a low dose or as modified-release metformin.

Having a parent with type 2 diabetes increases your risk, but it does not mean you are powerless. Your walking and diet changes are already helping. I would be careful with Ceylon cinnamon capsules.

Cinnamon has been studied for blood sugar control, but results are mixed, and it is not recommended as a replacement for proven diabetes treatment.

The dose you mention also sounds high, and “7200mg equivalent” can be confusing because it may refer to extract strength rather than the actual amount in the capsule.

Ceylon cinnamon generally contains less coumarin than cassia cinnamon, which is better from a liver-safety point of view, but that does not mean high-dose supplements are automatically safe or effective.

Cinnamon products can also interact with medicines.

My advice would be to keep going with the walking and diet, and ask your diabetic nurse what your personal risk–benefit balance is: could you continue lifestyle measures and recheck HbA1c, or would metformin give useful extra protection now?

If you do try any supplement, tell your nurse or pharmacist first.

But I wouldn’t spend money on cinnamon instead of a treatment plan with proper evidence behind it.

Q) I HAVE been awaiting a prolapse procedure for almost a year, though I have had discomfort for over three years.

I am constantly getting water infections and antibiotics don’t work. Unless infections clear, I’ll be unable to have the procedure.

Dr Zoe also helps a reader who has been awaiting a prolapse procedure for almost a year, and doesn’t get any sleep because they wake every hour needing to pee Credit: Getty

I don’t get any sleep because I wake every hour needing to pee. It’s causing me deep depression. Most days, life seems pointless as I have nowhere to go and no one who will listen to me.

A) I’m so sorry you are going through this. Living with prolapse discomfort, repeated urine symptoms and broken sleep for months would wear anyone down.

When you say life feels pointless, that worries me. If you feel you might harm yourself, please seek urgent help today through 999, A&E or a crisis mental health service.

On the physical side, prolapse can contribute to bladder symptoms. If the bladder or vaginal walls have dropped, it can make emptying the bladder harder.

Urine left behind can increase risk of recurrent infections – and even when there is no active infection, prolapse can cause pressure, urgency and discomfort that feels very similar.

The key question is whether these are repeated proven infections, or ongoing bladder symptoms being treated as infection. After several courses of antibiotics, urine should ideally be sent for culture, so doctors know which bacteria are present and which antibiotics should work.

I would contact your GP and the hospital team and explain clearly that you are awaiting prolapse surgery, waking hourly to pass urine, not sleeping and repeatedly needing antibiotics, while your mental health is deteriorating.

Ask whether your case can be reviewed or expedited, and if there is a cancellation list.

You may also need assessment for incomplete bladder emptying, maybe with a bladder scan.

Vaginal oestrogen can help some post-menopausal women with recurrent UTIs and bladder/vaginal symptoms, and a pessary may sometimes improve symptoms while waiting for surgery. These symptoms are seriously affecting your life, and you need a joined-up plan.

ITCHY SCROTUM WAKES ME UP AT NIGHT

Q) I’ve had a sore scrotum for a few years. It started after a shower, and the next day it was so irritated I couldn’t stop scratching.

Over the next few years, this issue has come and gone. I’ve had a flare-up since January despite creams from the doctor and changing my underwear type.

It’s keeping me awake at night sometimes, as it tingles. The doctor has said it might be a sweat rash.

A) Please don’t feel embarrassed – long-term scrotal itching and soreness is something GPs and dermatologists see, and after this long you deserve a proper diagnosis rather than just another cream. The fact it started after a shower may be a coincidence.

But if it has been coming and going over the years, it may no longer be a simple “sweat rash”. Common possibilities include scrotal eczema or dermatitis, which is often worse at night and triggered by sweat, soaps, washing powders, friction or repeated scratching.

Fungal infection can affect the groin, though usually there is a clearer rash, scaling or spread into the groin folds.

Lichen simplex is where repeated scratching makes the skin thickened, hypersensitive and very itchy.

Nerve-related itch or pain – tingling, burning or flaring out of the blue – can sometimes come from irritated nerves in the groin, pelvis or lower back.

Less commonly, persistent genital skin changes can be due to conditions such as psoriasis, lichen sclerosus or pre-cancerous skin changes, so it is sensible not to ignore it.

Ask your GP for a genital skin examination and say, “This has been recurrent for years, is disturbing my sleep, and has not responded to multiple creams.”

Swabs or skin scrapings for fungal infection, or a dermatology referral, may be needed.

Until reviewed, wash with water or a bland emollient wash, pat dry, wear loose cotton underwear, avoid scratching where possible, and do not keep rotating random creams because that can make dermatitis worse.

TIP OF THE WEEK

YOU can use the NHS app to check test results and prescriptions.
Log in to see whether your prescription is now ready – it saves an unnecessary pharmacy trip or having to call GP surgeries, which typically no longer deal with prescription requests on the phone.