'MY SNORING IS WRECKING MY LOVE LIFE'

Q: My boyfriend says I snore so loudly he can't stand it any more and he's thinking about moving into the spare bedroom. I've used nasal strips but they haven't worked. Is there anything else I can try? My relationship depends on it! Jenna, 35

A: Nasal strips will only work if the cause of the snoring is nasal congestion or a partially blocked nose. They are effective for some people but not others.

Your GP can do an initial assessment, and if an allergy is causing your snoring, prescribe an anti-allergenic steroid nasal spray. Allergies can be tested for with skin-prick tests. Alternatively, you can be referred to an ENT (ear, nose and throat) surgeon, who can see if you have floppy muscles at the back or in the roof of your mouth, which are causing you to snore. If this is the case, microwave or laser surgery can tighten them and stop these tissues vibrating when you sleep, which is what produces the snoring noise.

Q: I've suffered from cold sores since I was a child. I usually treat them with Zovirax but it doesn't help much and they can last more than two weeks. I've recently heard about injections in the mouth that prevent cold sores. Will they work for me? Louisa, 25

A: Cold sores are caused by the herpes simplex virus, which remains dormant in the nerve roots and erupts every now and then when your immunity drops. This can be due to a cold, exposure to ultraviolet light or injury. It can't be 'cured' as you can't get to where the virus lives without permanently damaging the nerves. Antiviral tablets from your GP, taken as soon as you feel symptoms, can really help, as can UV-blocking lipsalve. I think the injections you've heard about are to treat trigeminal neuralgia, a condition that causes intense pain in the face. The injections block the pain nerves, but I'm afraid they're not suitable for cold sores.

HEALTH HERO: SEX

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It's well known that sex can help you lose weight - an orgasm burns 60-100 calories - but did you know it can also take years off you? A new study by Duke University, North Carolina, found that the more often you have sex, the younger and fitter you'll be. It's all to do with the hormone dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), which is released during sex and has been linked to living longer. According to researchers, having more than 200 orgasms a year could reduce your body's age by six years. You may be a bit knackered, though...

FACT Vs FICTION

Using mouthwash gives you cancer: FICTION
Recent reports that some alcohol-based mouthwashes could cause mouth cancer have scared people unnecessarily. If huge undiluted doses of the ingredients were left in the mouth for long periods of time, then this could, in theory, cause cellular changes. But used as directed, I don't believe that mouthwash poses a health risk. Smoking is much more of a danger in terms of causing mouth cancer.

COMPILED BY: JO UPCRAFT AND BETH GIBBONS. PHOTOGRAPHY: PHOTOLIBRARY.COM, CORBIS

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