From bed wetting to food intolerance, Dr Jeff answers your health questions

DR JEFF FOSTER is The Sun on Sunday’s new resident doctor and is here to help YOU.

Dr Jeff, 43, splits his time between working as a GP in Leamington Spa, Warks, and running his clinic, H3 Health, which is the first of its kind in the UK to look at hormonal issues for both men and women.

See h3health.co.uk and email at drjeff@the-sun.co.uk.

Q) MY son is a happy and healthy six-year-old. He’s doing well at school and has never experienced trauma.

But he wets the bed every night even though he doesn’t drink past 6pm.

Could there be a medical problem causing this?

Laura Regan, Watford

A) Nocturnal enuresis (night-time bed wetting) is very common in boys and is considered normal in all children up to the age of ten.

Children who have trouble remaining continent at night may have excessive urine production, very deep sleep or a reduced bladder capacity.

The condition is estimated to affect between five and ten per cent of seven-year-olds and one to two per cent of adolescents.

In children who only wet themselves at night, we look at sleep apnoea, pre-existing medical problems, constipation, life stresses or family history.

First, reduce anxiety by reassuring him it’s normal, make sure he doesn’t drink within two hours of bed and passes urine regularly.

Buy a bed-wetting alarm. If there’s no improvement, medications are available.

But six is too young for this route as most children grow out of it with time and support.

Q) I’M a 45-year-old woman and have a healthy diet. I drink plenty of water and rarely have alcohol.

But I feel like I’m intolerant to almost everything I eat.

I get bloated and have terrible wind. Is “leaky gut” a recognised condition?

I am thinking about buying expensive products to help deal with it.

Sharon Plimpton Berwick, Northumberland

A) Leaky gut is a relatively new idea where bacteria and toxins are thought to “leak” through the intestinal wall.

But it is contentious, owing to the medical conditions we already know affect the gut.

The digestive system has a specific role in letting nutrients we eat get through into the bloodstream, while keeping harmful substances out.

In theory, when the tight junctions of the intestinal wall become loose, bacteria and other substances can enter the blood stream and make us sick.

Supposed symptoms of leaky gut include bloating, food allergies and tiredness.

Established medicine is already aware of conditions that damage the intestinal wall lining and make us unwell, such as Crohn’s disease, colitis and diverticular disease.

There isn’t enough evidence to demonstrate leaky gut exists.

We don’t know if patients with chronic illnesses have a problem with their digestive tract as a result of their illness, rather than it being the cause.

Be aware there is little truly known about leaky gut, so don’t get sucked into buying remedies that have not been proven.