Keeping salts in the blood in balance is one of the vital functions of kidneys

They're the most commonly transplanted organ, but we're more likely to think of them in the context of a traditional British steak pie. What are they? Your kidneys, of course. Looking after them is easy if you just know how.

It's estimated that over half a million UK children between five and 16-years-old regularly wet the bed

Contrary to popular belief, bedwetting is nothing to do with being lazy and it's rarely due to psychological problems, especially in children who have never been dry at night.

Viral meningitis is more common in summer and autumn

This week is viral meningitis awareness week. There are about 2,500 cases of bacterial meningitis every year in the UK, but viral meningitis is much more common.

Most medicines you take as tablets get into your bloodstream

All my patients seem to know the rule about not drinking when you're on antibiotics - the trouble is, it isn't a rule! In fact, it's safe to drink some alcohol when you're taking most kinds of antibiotics. Yet there are hundreds of possible interactions between commonly prescribed medicines that very few people seem to have heard of. So why do they happen, and why do they matter?

Shingles is an infection caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox

Why vaccinate against shingles at all? Shingles can be a really nasty condition - while most people recover completely, some people get very severe nerve pain, called post-herpetic neuralgia, that can go on for years

For some, inhalers are a lifesaver - for others, they provide welcome relief

Inhalers deliver medicine you need straight to your lungs. It goes without saying then, that they're used for conditions which affect your lungs, of which by far the most common are asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Before the measles vaccine was introduced in the UK in 1968, about half a million Britons caught measles every year

There is little doubt that apart from clean water supplies, effective nationwide immunisation programmes have done more to increase the likelihood of living to adulthood than any other health measure in the last 100 years. Before the measles vaccine was introduced in the UK in 1968, about half a million Britons caught measles every year. Where did it all go wrong?

This report reminds us that not exercising costs us our health

One hundred and fifty minutes of moderate-intensity exercise - that's just 2 ½ hours a week. There are 168 hours in a week, and the average British adult spends twice that long sitting doing nothing every single day. So is half an hour, five times a week, really so hard to manage? A recent report by Nuffield Health suggests we Brits think so..