Your 2023 Health Calendar

Make this coming year a super-healthy one with these monthly tips...

JANUARY

LOVE YOUR LIVER

"We take our liver for granted but we can't live without it. Liver problems develop silently with no obvious symptoms in the early stage," says Dr Deborah Lee, GP at Dr Fox Online Pharmacy. Our alcohol tolerance increases the more we drink so January is a good time to reset after the excesses of December. "Quit for 31 days by joining the 130,000 other people who will be participating in Dry January. Within just two weeks, fatty liver changes are likely to disappear." By "resetting the button" we can often revert to enjoying a glass or two without needing more.

FEBRUARY

CHECK YOUR MOLES

Check your moles before you get dressed. "The better you know your skin, the more likely it is that you'll spot any changes," says Dr Richard Shaffer, consultant oncologist at Cromwell Hospital. "Look for new moles, or changes to size, colour or shape of an existing mole."

LOOK AFTER YOUR HEART

This National Heart Month brush up on cardiac facts. "Heart attacks in women are under-diagnosed, undertreated and under-studied," warns Dr Sonya BabuNarayan at the British Heart Foundation (www.bhf.org.uk). "Women die needlessly because heart attacks are seen as a man's disease. Every minute matters."

MARCH

WISE UP ON OVARIAN CANCER

"Nine in 10 women aren't aware of the four main symptoms of ovarian cancer - stomach pain, bloating, weeing more often, and poor appetite," warns Dr Lee. Unlike IBS symptoms, ovarian cancer symptoms are frequent, persistent and don't come and go. "Don't ignore them. See your GP immediately," she adds.

GET SOME SLEEP