I’ve had a horrible cold for ten days. I’m really struggling with a painful cough that makes it difficult to breath and my nose won’t stop running. What should I do?

Dr Ellie Cannon replies: Anyone who is coughing so hard they are struggling to breath should seek advice from a GP or call the NHS non-urgent helpline on 111.

A cold – caused by the common rhinovirus bug – usually causes sneezing, congestion, runny nose and fatigue. These tend to only last a week, though some people are left with a tickly cough or a runny nose for weeks after.

It is rare for a cold to be severe enough to make breathing difficult, so it’s possible this could be a sign of a sinus infection – a bug that gets into the air spaces around the nose. This is usually accompanied by facial pain and congestion.

Cold symptoms are often confused with the flu – a much more serious viral infection.

Government figures published last week showed that the flu season – which tends not to begin until December – has started early this year. It also appears that the flu virus circulating in the UK is more infectious than in previous years.

Flu symptoms typically include a fever, body pain, coughing and congestion that can last for up to two weeks. It’s possible for flu patients to also develop a bacterial infection – such as pneumonia – at the same time while their immune system is weakened.

Flu and pneumonia can both be deadly for older patients, so it’s important that anyone with suspected symptoms sees a doctor. I would also urge anyone eligible for the flu vaccine to go out and get it. It is being offered to everyone aged 65 and over, people with weakened immune systems and those who live with them, pregnant women, care residents and carers.

This year is shaping up to be a bad year for flu, and it can take several weeks for the jab to become effective, so it’s vital to get it as soon as possible.

I’m obese and my GP has told me to lose weight. However, I have painful fibromyalgia, which makes exercise impossible. What should I do?

Dr Ellie Cannon replies: Exercise is key to combating the debilitating symptoms of fibromyalgia – even just a little can make a big difference.

Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition that causes pain and tenderness throughout the body, often triggered by pressure or even just a light touch.

Other symptoms to look out for are stiffness, fatigue and brain fog. These issues can all make exercise challenging.

However, regular activity is one of the most effective ways to reduce symptoms. There is no cure for fibromyalgia, and few effective treatments, so patients cannot afford to ignore the benefits of exercise.

Building muscle with strength training, such as lifting weights, can lower fibromyalgia pain, while cardiovascular exercise, where you move enough to get out of breath, also helps, and has the added benefit of boosting mental health. However, many wrongly believe that exercise has to be intensive for it to count.

But even just 15 minutes a day of walking can help. Likewise, yoga and pilates are both forms of gentle strength training that most people should be able to do.

Over time, patients can slowly increase the intensity of their exercise regime.

This should also boost weight loss, which will help to make exercising easier.

This is crucial for people with obesity who, without action, are at risk of a host of illnesses, including diabetes, heart disease and dementia. Those who have a body mass index (BMI) of more than 40, as well as at least four weight-related health conditions, can now access weight-loss injections through their GP.

I’m a 60-year-old with IBS [irritable bowel syndrome], and for the past 12 years all my stools have floated. I’ve had scans and there’s nothing visibly wrong in my bowels. Do you know what could be the cause?

Floating stools can be a sign of a serious bowel condition. However, this would normally be associated with other, more severe, symptoms.

Stools that float tend to occur when the body does not properly absorb fat from food. This can be a sign of coeliac or Crohn’s disease, two painful bowel problems.

However, these conditions would likely trigger other symptoms, such as cramps or diarrhoea. Moreover, if a symptom has been ongoing for 12 years and has failed to worsen, then it is unlikely to be caused by something serious.

One ongoing concern is that stools that float could be a sign the body is failing to take in essential nutrients and minerals from fat in food.

For this reason it might be worth asking a GP to test for common deficiencies, including iron and vitamin B12.

These can all be tested using a simple blood test. If this flags up signs of a deficiency, then a GP would likely recommend diet changes and perhaps vitamin supplements.

Using weight-loss jabs is no excuse for a bad diet

I’m shocked at the number of patients who are taking weight-loss injections but have an appalling diet.

These drugs are incredibly effective and are revolutionising obesity care, however, it’s absolutely vital that users also follow a healthy diet.

Without this, the appetite-suppressing jabs can lead to serious vitamin deficiencies and trigger an alarming loss of muscle, which can raise the risk of nasty falls.

Despite this, I regularly hear from jab users who say they eat mainly toast or snack food such as apples and cheese. This may lead to a trimmer waistline in the short term, but the long-term effects could be dangerous.

How have you adapted your diet to weight-loss jabs? Do you feel you’re eating enough? Please write in on the email address below and let me know.

Beware online autism ‘remedies’

I was very concerned to learn that parents of children with autism are being targeted on social media by companies peddling remedies that claim to treat the disorder.

These products, which are appearing on Facebook, are nothing more than snakeoil. They were brought to my attention by a friend who has a child with autism and has been bombarded with the adverts.

Astonishingly, the firms selling them claim that their daily gummies ‘stop meltdowns’ – where autism patients become overwhelmed, sparking intense emotions.

However, there is absolutely no evidence to support this claim. These companies are taking advantage by selling these gummies – which can cost £30 for a month’s supply – to desperate families.

I’ve written to Meta, the company that runs Facebook, to demand it takes action and removes these misleading ads.

Do you have a question for Dr Ellie Cannon? Email [email protected]. Dr Cannon cannot enter into personal correspondence and her replies should be taken in a general context.