Health Advice
- Weight Management
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- Acne
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- Aneurysm, abdominal aortic
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- First aid
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- Acupuncture
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- Leukaemia, acute lymphoblastic
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- Addiction
- Addison's disease
- Adenoids and adenoidectomy
- Frozen shoulder
- Agoraphobia
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- Alcohol misuse
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- Alexander technique
- Rhinitis, allergic
- Indoor allergy
- Mountain sickness
- Alzheimer's disease
- Lazy eye
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- Amniocentesis
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- Steroid misuse
- Iron deficiency anaemia
- Vitamin B12 or folate deficiency anaemia
- Anaesthesia
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- Angelman syndrome
- Anger management
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- Arteriography
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- Dog bites
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- Smell sense, loss of
- Antacid medicines
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- Wrist, broken
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- Hearing tests
- Bird flu
- B12 vitamin deficiency
- Skin rashes in babies
- Weaning
- Lumbago (low back pain)
- Septic arthritis
- Halitosis (bad breath)
- Weight loss surgery
- Barium enema
- Bartholin's cyst
- Pressure ulcers
- Bedbugs
- Nocturnal enuresis
- Behçet’s disease
- Facial paralysis
- Tongue pain or soreness
- Prostate enlargement
- Beta-blockers
- Bicarbonate test
- Binge eating
- Biopsy
- Bipolar disorder
- Spider bite
- Eye, black
- Bladder cancer
- Cystitis
- Bladder stones
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- Blood donation
- Blood gases test
- Blood groups
- Coughing up blood
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- Urine, blood in the
- Vomiting blood
- Septicaemia
- Hypertension
- Low blood pressure
- Blood tests
- Blood transfusion
- Blushing
- Bromhidrosis (body odour)
- Bone cyst
- DXA scan
- Bone marrow donation
- Stem cell transplant
- Borderline personality disorder
- Bottle feeding
- Botulism
- Rectal cancer
- Polyps, bowel
- Leaky gut syndrome
- Orthodontics
- Brain abscess
- Head injury, severe
- Brain tumour, benign (non-cancerous)
- Brain tumour, malignant (cancerous)
- Brain tumours
- Breast abscess
- Breast cancer
- Male breast cancer
- Screening for breast cancer
- Nipple discharge
- Mastitis
- Breast lump
- Breastfeeding
- Shortness of breath
- Osteoporosis
- Fractured collarbone
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- Leg, broken
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- Toe, broken
- Tooth, broken or knocked out
- Smelly feet (bromodosis)
- Bronchitis
- Teeth grinding
- Thyroid eye disease
- Bulimia
- Burns and scalds
- Heart bypass
- Caesarean section
- Food poisoning
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- Thrush
- Thrush, men
- Thrush, oral - adults
- Thrush, oral - babies
- Carbon monoxide poisoning
- Cardiovascular disease
- Cartilage damage
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- Rib, cervical
- Smear test
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- Chemotherapy
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- Chest pain
- Herpes zoster virus
- Statins
- Kidney disease, chronic
- Leukaemia, chronic lymphocytic
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- Cirrhosis
- Claustrophobia
- Cluster headaches
- White coated tongue
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- Cold
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- Coma
- Combined contraceptive pill
- Pneumonia
- CT scan
- Concussion
- Hole in the heart
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- Constipation
- Contact dermatitis
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- Coronary heart disease
- Vegetative state
- Topical corticosteroids
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- Cough
- Counselling
- Leg cramps
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- Undescended testicles
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- Cystic fibrosis
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- Dandruff
- Date rape drugs
- Thyroiditis
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- Tooth decay
- Fluoride
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- Depression
- Dyspraxia in children
- Diabetes insipidus
- Diabetes
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- Dialysis
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- Nutrition
- Rectal examination
- Double vision
- Nummular eczema
- Shoulder dislocation
- Diverticular disease and diverticulitis
- Lightheadedness
- Down's syndrome
- Dry eye syndrome
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- Periods, painful
- Indigestion
- Swallowing problems
- Dyspraxia (adults)
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- Ebola virus disease
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- Endoscopy
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- Epidural
- Epilepsy
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- Seasonal flu
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- Foot pain
- Frostbite
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- Herpes, genital
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- Iron overload disorder
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- Ingrown hairs
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- Hamstring injury
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- Tendon repair, hand
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- Nits
- Headaches
- Hearing and vision tests for children
- Myocardial infarction
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- Heart transplant
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- Heat exhaustion and heatstroke
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- Periods, heavy
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- Hernia, femoral
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- Painkillers, ibuprofen
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- Inquest
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- Natural family planning
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- Type 2 diabetes
- Winter vomiting disease
- Obesity
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- Paracetamol
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- Poisoning
- Reflux in babies
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- Vomiting in children and babies
- Sinus headache
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- Sleep paralysis
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- Tension-type headaches
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- Thyroid cancer
- Tics
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- Total iron-binding capacity (TIBC or transferrin) test
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- Traction
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- Vitamins, minerals and supplements
- Vomiting in adults
- Warfarin
- Weight loss (unexpected and unplanned)
- Whiplash
- Wisdom tooth removal
- X-ray
- Yellow fever
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Read moreNHS Choices - Treating dandruff
(09/09/2014)
If you have mild dandruff, the condition can be easy to get rid of.
You could:
- try washing your hair daily with a mild shampoo until the dandruff clears; shampoos containing tea tree oil are particularly effective
- try not to scratch your scalp when using shampoo; instead, gently massage your scalp without scratching, as this will not damage your hair or scalp
- avoid using hair products such as hairspray and gel until the dandruff clears
Spending time outdoors in the sun can help reduce dandruff. However, make sure you protect yourself with sunscreen with the appropriate sun protection factor (SPF) for your skin type.
Anti-dandruff shampoo
If your dandruff is more severe, you'll probably need to use an anti-dandruff shampoo. These are available over the counter from most supermarkets and pharmacists.
Some of the most widely used anti-dandruff shampoos include:
- zinc pyrithione – which works by killing the malassezia fungi thought partially responsible for dandruff
- salicylic acid – which helps soften and shed dead skin cells on your scalp (some people experience dryness of their scalp after using salicylic acid; using a conditioner after the shampoo can often help)
- selenium sulfide – this works by slowing production of skin cells while also killing the fungi
- ketoconazole shampoo – which has a powerful antifungal effect
- coal tar shampoo – this again can help slow production of dead skin cells
Not every shampoo is suitable for everyone. For example, selenium sulfide may not be recommended for people with blonde or chemically treated hair, as it can discolour the hair.
As a precaution, the use of certain types of anti-dandruff shampoo may not be recommended if pregnant or breastfeeding. Therefore, it is always important to carefully read the instructions that come with the shampoo.
If in doubt, ask your GP or pharmacist for advice.
Applying the shampoo
It is normally recommended that you apply whatever anti-dandruff shampoo you decide to use daily or every other day. Ketoconazole shampoo is an exception and usually only needs to be applied twice a week.
Once your symptoms improve, you may only need to use the shampoo two or three times a week.
Gently massage the shampoo into your hair. It's important to leave for at least five minutes to allow it to work.
If one type of shampoo does not prove effective or starts to lose its effectiveness, try another type.
If you do not experience an improvement in symptoms after a few weeks of using a shampoo, contact your GP for advice.
Seborrhoeic dermatitis
If you also develop symptoms of seborrhoeic dermatitis, where you have scaling of skin in other parts of the body, your GP may recommend you use a cream or lotion containing ketoconazole.
If you have a flare-up of symptoms, you may be prescribed a short course of a steroid cream or lotion (topical corticosteroids). These are also used if the condition is itchy.
The long-term use of topical corticosteroids is not usually recommended, as it can lead to side effects such as thinning of the skin. However, they can be used over short periods of time (intermittently) to control the condition.