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ABOUT THE WRITER
Dr Chauhan is a
respected GP, health
and social care
campaigner, and
champion of social
justice and charity.
As a local GP, he
has become a
powerful advocate
for his patients and
introduced innovative
methods to improve
their care. His work
mentoring and
employing young
people has won
national recognition.
SUMMER – TIME TO SPRING INTO ACTION
While supermarkets stock their shelves with all
L onger days and hopefully hotter weather kinds of fruit and veg all-year round, summer is the
can bring brilliant benefits to our physical season of greater selection when berries and super
and mental health – as long as we are prepared to fruits abound. Make them part of your diet.
get up and get out there.
Celebrating summer may not be on hay fever suf-
I am sure you have read the worrying headlines ferers’ agenda, however. That combination of warm,
about obesity, especially in our children. Carrying humid and windy weather can send the pollen count
too much weight is a real burden for our bodies spiralling with itchy eyes, running nose, sneezes and
and poor diet allied to scant exercise, can lead to even wheezes more prevalent. Visit the NHS UK
conditions such as heart disease and diabetes.
website for some great hints on halting the symp-
toms of hay fever, with advice on everything from
Exercise outdoors can reap great rewards the use of antihistamines to keeping your house dust
and doesn’t always have to be taxing. I would
thoroughly recommend the NHS programme free.
Couch to 5K, which is a wonderful way to turn a
sedentary life into an active healthy one, in just Hot weather can also trigger attacks in some asthma
nine weeks. sufferers. As Asthma UK informs us, the scientific
reason for that is hazy, but you should always have
As with running, a brisk 10 minute walk a day can your reliever inhaler about you.
also make you feel okay and chase the blues away,
as aerobic exercise like this is scientifically proven Finally, all jokes about the British weather aside, we
to increase the endorphins in your brain and make do need to protect our skin from the sun. Burning
you feel euphoric. rays can cause damage even on moderately warm
days, so make sure you have sun cream that pro-
There will be a packed programme of events in tects from both ultraviolet A (UVA) and ultraviolet
Rochdale, and joining an exercise group of any B (UVB) radiation, especially if you are holidaying to
kind, will help you make friends and beat isolation. even sunnier climes.
