DR. ELLIE CANNON: Why can’t I lower my high cholesterol even though my diet is okay? And how can I reduce it without medication?

I have high cholesterol and don’t want to take medication, so I do everything related to my lifestyle to help it: lose weight, exercise more. I have a healthy weight and eat very well and yet my cholesterol is not dropping. It can’t be genetic, because no one in my immediate family has the same problem. What can I do?

High cholesterol is a common problem that can be caused by diet or being overweight, but there is also a genetic element.

While it can run in families, it doesn’t mean everyone in the family will be affected if genetics are involved. Sometimes it may just be one family member who has the problem.

Some people just make more cholesterol than others – and there’s not much you can do about that. We usually only offer treatment for high cholesterol if someone has a higher than average risk of heart disease or stroke. Doctors use something called a QRisk score to work out how likely you are to develop heart disease.

If you do not smoke, are not overweight and do not have high blood pressure, you should not be treated.

But it remains important to take measures to lower cholesterol. If you’re trying to reduce it without medication, there are specific diets you can try. Losing weight can help, but adding foods in particular can be very effective. Examples include oats, soy products, nuts, and cholesterol-lowering drinks called plant sterols or stanols.

All of these have been shown to lower cholesterol and are recommended by the Heart UK charity.

I’m 55 and healthy, but I keep getting weird tremors in my hands. They tend to happen randomly and are not caused by nerves. What can it be?

Trembling is an important symptom that should be discussed with your doctor.

The medical term for trembling is tremor – and there are different types.

For some people who shake, there is actually no cause at all. We call this essential tremor, which sometimes runs in families.

Tremors happen at different times that vary between people.

For some, the shaking only happens when the hands are resting. For others, it is triggered by trying to hold something, such as a cup. Sometimes a certain movement or position can trigger a random tremor.

Coffee and stress can exacerbate the problem – and the shaking sometimes gets better with alcohol. It’s worth keeping a diary to track any triggers.

A doctor will probably want to run some tests to check for any underlying conditions that may be causing the tremor. Common ones include Parkinson’s disease, thyroid problems, excessive alcohol consumption, or anxiety.

Shaking is also a known side effect of some medications, including certain antidepressants and asthma medications.

A GP would take a detailed history of the tremor, as well as blood tests. If no cause is found, it could be an essential tremor.

This type usually happens at rest and affects both hands, after starting in one.

If it interferes with activities such as eating and writing, you can take medication to control it.

This could include a beta blocker, for example, which can be taken as and when you want relief.

A few weeks ago I fell violently on my right side. It caused sciatica down my right leg, which cleared up, but I only had substantial pain in my right hip. Also, my right foot curls up and in and I have no feeling on the top of my foot.

I was sent for an MRI scan which showed that my L5 nerve has been moved – the doctor recommended surgery. Will my foot return to normal after surgery?

This is what is known as ‘foot drop’, which can happen as a result of an injury, when there is damage to the nerve that controls the muscles in the foot.

This is often due to relatively common problems such as a sports injury, a hernia or as a result of hip surgery. Nerve damage in the foot can also be caused by diseases such as diabetes, multiple sclerosis or even stroke.

If the nerve is damaged, the muscles don’t work properly and have trouble holding the foot in place or moving it.

There are treatments for foot drop that do not require surgery. Some patients receive electrical nerve stimulation, where a small device is implanted in the body. This device sends electrical signals to stimulate the nerves and correct the position of the foot.

One of the biggest problems with foot drop is its effect on walking. Some patients therefore opt for a splint or brace to keep the foot in position so that they can move.

The surgery for this type of foot drop may include spinal surgery to repair the L5 nerve, which will be damaged or crushed. Releasing this nerve allows it to function normally and corrects the problem.

There are no guarantees with this procedure – but in general, a surgeon will not offer surgery without a high probability of success.

You may ask how likely it is that the treatment will be successful before agreeing to the operation.

Please do not rely on Kim’s medical advice

I wish celebrities would stop giving useless health advice.

We’ve had popular diets and lollipops for weight loss, but now it seems reality TV stars are recommending private medical scans. This week, Kim Kardashian shared a selfie next to an MRI scanner with her 363 million Instagram followers. The caption described the scanner, called Prenuvo, as “lifesaving.”

“The scan has the ability to detect cancer and diseases such as aneurysms in the earliest stages, before symptoms appear,” she wrote in the post, which was liked by two million people.

Firstly, this scanner costs around £2,000 at a time. And you probably won’t get any benefits for that. Instead, you are worried about an innocent irregularity – or falsely reassured.

Tellingly, Kim isn’t even sure how an MRI scanner works. She seems to claim that it is radiation, which is not the case.

These stars are getting more and more influence. When will they start thinking about the consequences of what they share?

You don’t need to freeze eggs at 20

This week I was invited to appear on BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour to discuss something I see a lot in my young, female patients: fertility anxiety.

There is a wave of women in their 20s and early 30s who come to me asking for tests that will tell them if they can have children. I’ve even heard of women asking to freeze their eggs in their early twenties, just in case.

There is no doubt that social media is to blame for this. Stories about fertility problems are more accessible than ever. This can make others feel less alone, but it also seems to instill fear in young people. In fact, I’ve seen fertility test ads everywhere, which doesn’t help.

I tell my patients what I said on Woman’s Hour: The majority of women get pregnant without help until they are 35 years old. Even at age 40, about 40 percent of couples will conceive within a year.