It’s common to experience a lack of appetite at various points in life, and this often leads to shedding a few pounds. Times of extreme emotional stress or bereavement, or illnesses such as flu or gastroenteritis are common prompts. But it can cause alarm if you can’t see a reason for it and it can be distressing to feel clothes becoming baggy or people commenting. Worries can be parked in two camps: firstly, how much weight you’ve lost and the risk of malnutrition, and secondly, whether there is any serious medical condition causing the weight loss.

Sweaty palms are also known as palmar hyperhidrosis. Hyperhidrosis, a condition characterised by excessive sweating beyond what is necessary for thermoregulation, can significantly impact the quality of life physically, emotionally and psychologically. Sweating is one of the key ways our body regulates its temperature and effectively cools down. Overactive sweat glands cause individuals to sweat more than needed - this can lead to the experience of sweaty palms. Sweaty palms do not usually indicate a serious problem but on occasion, it can be caused by an underlying condition.

Low blood sugar is known medically as hypoglycaemia, and commonly referred to as “a hypo”. This is when the level of glucose in your blood drops below the normal range. It can be a condition in people with diabetes, especially if you take insulin, but it can be related to medication and other medical conditions. Healthy blood glucose is somewhere in the range of 4 to 7 mmol/l before a meal. You get hypoglycaemia if your blood glucose goes below 4mmol/l. It's the higher risk the lower it goes, and the longer it goes on. If you are diagnosed as diabetic and either taking insulin or at risk of hypo's, either your doctor will provide you with a blood glucose monitor machine or sensor patch or you can buy one, to keep an eye on your levels.

Iron is important for many functions in the body with a very important one helping to produce healthy red blood cells, so they can transport oxygen around your body. Iron levels can be tested by having a blood test that measures the iron stores (ferritin) in the blood. Iron deficiency means lower than the recommended normal range of iron stores in your body. We get our iron from foods that are rich in iron, examples of these are red meat, green leafy veg, nuts, dried fruits or cereals and flour fortified with iron. The most common cause of low iron is bleeding, but it can also be caused by low iron intake in your diet, or poor absorption of iron into the body through the intestine (more common with conditions such as coeliac disease. Women of childbearing age can be particularly prone to low iron especially if you have heavy periods or during pregnancy. If you have very low iron levels or low iron levels for a prolonged amount of time you may develop a condition called iron-deficiency anaemia. This is where the low iron levels affect the production of the red blood cells, so less oxygen can be transported around your body. Some of the symptoms of iron deficiency can be feeling tired, loss of motivation, poor concentration, pale complexion, palpitations and hair and nails becoming more brittle.

Having hypothyroidism, or an underactive thyroid gland, requires changes to medication and close monitoring throughout pregnancy and afterwards. With the right treatment, you should be able to expect a healthy baby and a healthy you right up to term, and whichever mode of delivery is right for you.

High blood sugar is called hyperglycaemia. This is when the blood sugar level goes above the normal range. It mainly affects people with diabetes, or is used to diagnose diabetes. Normal blood sugar (glucose) levels are between 4 and 7 mmol/l before eating a meal, or above 8.5 mmol/l 2 hours after eating. It will go up after eating, and you produce insulin to reduce it so glucose can be stored and released gradually for a constant source of energy. Diabetics do not produce enough insulin to counteract this, therefore they require medication and diet restrictions to avoid high blood glucose levels. If it reaches very high levels, such as above 15 mmol/l, or stays high for a sustained period, this can cause health problems, and if extremely high, in the mid-20's this can lead to an emergency that requires urgent hospital attention.

Folate is a water-soluble vitamin that is important in making and repairing DNA as well as making red blood cells. Folate is not stored in fat cells so levels can easily deplete if not maintained. Reduction of folate can occur predominantly with dietary deficiencies. It can also happen as a result of disease or as a side effect of medication. Folate is very important for women of childbearing age as deficiencies can lead to birth defects, therefore supplements are always recommended for pregnant women. Folate deficiency can also lead to anaemia, which can reduce the amount of oxygen available to your tissues and cells. 

A faint means a momentary loss of consciousness and is often referred to as a blackout. Doctors sometimes call it syncope or a vasovagal attack, and it’s very common, affecting up to 40% of people at least once in their lives. It usually first happens before the age of 40 (usually in the teens) and typically doesn’t have a serious cause although if it occurs for the first time after middle-age it can be a sign of an underlying health problem.

Sweating is a normal healthy process to help us regulate our body temperature. However, sometimes this system can go into overdrive, causing an excess, or hyperhidrosis. People feel extremely embarassed about this and it can create great anxiety and lack of confidence in social settings. It can be localised, such as just under the armpits, the back or on the face, or affect all over the body. There are some medical conditions that can cause this, but often there is no particular cause found.