Blood pressure looks wonderfully straightforward: cuff on, button pressed, two numbers appear. But the numbers are surprisingly sensitive to what happens in the few minutes before and during the measurement. The size of the cuff, the position of your feet, whether you have just rushed upstairs and even whether you are chatting can influence a reading. When blood-pressure decisions are based on relatively small differences, technique matters. On this page 1. The cuff is wrong for your arm 2. You skipped the quiet five minutes 3. Coffee, smoking or exercise was too recent 4. Your bladder is full 5. Your sitting position is working against you 6. Your arm is hanging below heart level 7. You are talking, scrolling or watching something How to get a more useful home record 1. The cuff is wrong for your arm ...

Imagine feeling as though the room has shifted, the supermarket aisle is moving beneath you, or a short car journey suddenly makes you nauseous — yet your head does not hurt. Migraine may not be the first thing that comes to mind, but head pain is not compulsory in every migraine disorder. One important example is vestibular migraine, where dizziness, vertigo, imbalance and motion sensitivity can take centre stage. There is also a recognised form of migraine aura that can occur without a subsequent headache. On this page Migraine is bigger than headache What vestibular migraine can feel like How doctors recognise it Why assessment matters What can help vestibular migraine? Migraine is bigger than headache Migraine is a neurological disorder, not simply a particularly bad headache. Head pain is common, but migraine...

Arthritis is usually discussed in terms of painful, stiff or swollen joints. Yet for many people, another symptom can be just as disruptive: a level of exhaustion that does not always disappear after a good night's sleep. Fatigue can occur with inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid or psoriatic arthritis, but it can also affect people living with osteoarthritis. It may make ordinary tasks feel unexpectedly demanding and can be difficult to explain when, from the outside, you appear perfectly well. On this page Arthritis fatigue is more than ordinary tiredness Why arthritis can drain your energy The problem with the boom-and-bust cycle What may actually help? When fatigue deserves a medical review Arthritis fatigue is more than ordinary tiredness Ordinary tiredness usually has an obvious explanation: a bus...

When people picture eczema, they often imagine a bright red, inflamed rash. But on brown and black skin, inflammation may tell a different visual story. It may look purple, grey, deep brown or simply darker than the surrounding skin. Sometimes the biggest clues are not colour at all, but itch, dryness, tiny bumps or a change in texture. That matters because eczema can be missed or underestimated when we rely too heavily on redness. Knowing what else to look for can help you recognise a flare earlier and get the right treatment for uncomfortable or recurring skin changes. On this page Why eczema may look different on darker skin Six changes worth noticing When the rash is gone but the colour remains What helps calm eczema When to have your skin assessed Why eczema may look different on darker skin Eczema, particula...