The resident GP of the Daily Express and a practicing family doctor Why is my topper mattress giving me lower back pain? Q I never had any back problems until I bought a topper mattress. Since then I have developed lower back pain that I have on and off throughout the day. I thought the topper was meant to help the back. I bought it from a reputable supplier and it helps me sleep very well. Do you know why I am experiencing this? I am 42 and have no other health problems. Lower back pain does not always relate to problems with your mattress [] A. You are assuming your new mattress topper is to blame for your back pain but it is quite possible the two are unrelated. The most common cause of back problems is a mild ligament or muscle strain and although this may be triggered by lifting a heavy object it often starts out of the blue. It is unlikely your mattress caused the pain but it may not be helping it to get better. A good mattress should mould slightly to your body so it provides support along the spine.
It should not sag. Very hard mattresses often don’t provide support to the natural curves of the spine and this means they are not ideal for those with bad backs. The best person to sort out the cause of your pain is a qualified physiotherapist who will also be able to give you exercises to help you to stretch any tense muscles and improve your posture. You will probably also benefit from strengthening your tummy muscles as these play an important role in supporting your body frame. Q I am a 56-year-old woman with small bumps underneath the skin of my forehead. They’re not in my pores as they can’t be pressed out. I did manage to get one out and discovered they are small crystals, the size of a pinhead. Can you tell me what causes them and how I can get rid of them? A These sound like milia spots. They are tiny white or cream spots that usually appear around the temples and occasionally on the sides of the eyes and across the cheeks. They are tiny cysts that are filled with keratin – a protein that gives strength to the skin.
Quite why they appear isn’t known but some people are more prone than others. They are not related to diet or skin hygiene and they are neither harmful nor infectious. They are usually hard to squeeze out so can be a cosmetic nuisance. Try holding a hot flannel on to your face as this softens the keratin. Then use an exfoliating facial scrub as this may help take the surface off the spot. Gently squeeze but don’t use bare fingertips – always cover them with a tissue. Don’t squeeze too hard as you risk causing inflammation and scarring. If a spot is really bothering you your GP may be able to deal with it using a sterile needle (don’t ask for this when the surgery is busy). Alternatively a qualified beautician may be able to remove them. Q My five-year-old daughter is constantly ill with coughs, colds and tummy bugs. She never seems to be completely well for more than three or four weeks at a time. I cook healthy meals, give her multivitamins and she spends much of her time playing outside getting lots of fresh air and exercise.
Every time she becomes unwell she makes our baby son ill as well as us. AThis is a familiar tale that I hear from lots of parents. There are more than 200 different viruses that can cause colds and although you become immune to a strain after you have caught it, that leaves another 199 that can make you ill. The time you are most vulnerable to new infections is during your early childhood when you are mixing with others at nursery or school and it is normal for youngsters to get one cold after another, especially during the winter. Gradually they become immune to a larger number of different strains and that means that by the teenage years they are ill far less often. The good news is that your baby son is catching all those bugs now so hopefully he will be immune to a lot of common strains of virus by the time he reaches school. Further to the letter regarding acupressure wristbands (August 11), I discovered they ease my sickness on ships, planes and cars and I wear them nearly all the time.
They also take away the fear of flying as they lower my blood pressure. I too suffer from restless legs (August 4) but have found relief from a cream called Balmosa, used for chilblains and muscular aches and pains. I apply this every night to my legs, especially the area between ankle and knee. l If you have a health question for Dr Rosemary write in confidence to her at Northern & Shell Building, 10 Lower Thames Street, London EC3R 6EN, or e-mail health@express.co.uk. Dr Rosemary’s reply will appear in this column. She cannot enter into personal correspondence and, due to the volume of letters, she cannot reply to everyone.While wool mattress toppers can’t cure diseases, they certainly make a huge difference in chronic pain and sleep disorders. This natural remedy eases pain and discomfort and allows you to enjoy a full night’s sleep. The Wool Bed Company™ offers mattress toppers in standard and custom sizes to meet all your healthy sleep needs. Customers suffering from chronic conditions such as fibromyalgia, arthritis, and osteoporosis love the therapeutic comfort of our wool mattress toppers.
By supporting and distributing your body weight evenly, our mattress pads relieve the pressure on painful muscles and joints. Pain from stress or back problems (such as degenerative disc disease and herniated discs) can worsen with an uncomfortable mattress and cause sleeping problems. A wool mattress topper for back pain will alleviate the pressure on your body to help relieve pain and promote healthier sleep. Wool naturally resists dust mites, mildew, mold, and bacteria, and the wool in our mattress pads is cleaned without dyes, bleach, synthetic detergents, or chlorine bleach. In the absence of these common irritants, our wool mattress toppers are hypoallergenic. Sleep through the night without waking up to sneezing, coughing, itchy eyes, or other allergy symptoms. At the Wool Bed Company™, we customize wool mattress pads to be used in hospital beds, chairs, and wheelchairs. If you or a loved one is restricted to a chair or bed or can’t change positions, bed sores and ulcers become a risk.
Wool mattress toppers hold the body off the surface of the mattress, allowing air to circulate and relieving pressure. This can help prevent external ulcers and bedsores or help existing bedsores heal. Worried a traditional mattress topper won’t fit a hospital bed? The Wool Mattress Company™ will make custom sizes for specific measurements. Just call and let us know what you need. Wool mattress pads for headaches, along with pillows and neck rolls, help keep your head, neck, and spine properly aligned. Combine your mattress topper with a wool pillow to ensure you are in the best sleep position for full body alignment. The additional support helps prevent night and morning headaches so you can get a full night’s sleep and wake up refreshed and pain-free. The Wool Bed Company™ offers ECO-Pure™ wool mattress toppers in all sizes – Twin, Twin XL, Full, Queen, East King, and California King. These toppers are suitable for use in everything from a master bedroom to a college dorm.