Health Library
Plain-language health information, written to help you work out what a symptom might mean and when it needs urgent attention rather than an appointment.
How to use this library
These pages are written to help you work out what to do next, not to replace a doctor.
- 1
Read the plain-language explanation
No jargon. Each article explains what a symptom or condition actually means in ordinary language.
- 2
Check if it's flagged as urgent
Where something can be an emergency, the article says so plainly rather than burying it in the text.
- 3
See how it's typically treated
Most articles cover what happens next, so you know roughly what to expect before you're examined.
- 4
Book or call if you're still unsure
Reading is a starting point, not a diagnosis. Reach the relevant department if you need to be seen.
Cardiology
4 articlesAngioplasty Recovery
Recovery from angioplasty is quicker than most people expect. The part that needs real attention is not the wound — it is the medication.
Learn moreChest Pain Causes
Most chest pain is not a heart attack. But the cost of getting it wrong in the other direction is severe, so it is worth knowing which features shift the odds.
Learn moreHeart Attack Symptoms
A heart attack does not always look like it does in films. Knowing the range of ways it presents — and acting in minutes rather than hours — is what saves heart muscle.
Learn moreHeart Attack vs Cardiac Arrest
The two terms get used interchangeably, including in news reports, but they describe different events with different responses. The distinction matters most in the first few minutes.
Learn more
Orthopaedics
3 articlesBack Pain Causes
Around eight in ten adults get significant back pain at some point. The overwhelming majority recovers without surgery — but a small number of warning signs change the picture entirely.
Learn moreKnee Pain Causes
Where the knee hurts, when it hurts, and what makes it worse usually narrows the cause considerably before any scan is involved.
Learn moreWhen Is Knee Replacement Needed?
The honest answer is that it depends far more on how much your knee is limiting your life than on what the X-ray looks like.
Learn more
Paediatrics
2 articlesChild Fever: When to See a Doctor
Parents are usually right that something is wrong. This page is about which signs mean now, which mean today, and which mean watch and wait.
Learn moreSigns of Dehydration in Children
Small children dehydrate far faster than adults. The signs are easy to spot once you know them, and getting fluids in early usually prevents a hospital visit.
Learn more
General Medicine
3 articlesDiabetes Symptoms
Type 2 diabetes commonly causes no symptoms for years. That is why a large share of people who have it do not know — and why testing matters more than waiting for signs.
Learn moreFever: When to See a Doctor
Most fevers are the body doing its job against an ordinary infection. A handful of features change that, and they are worth knowing before you are unwell at 2am.
Learn moreHigh Blood Pressure Symptoms
The honest headline: high blood pressure is usually symptomless. Waiting to feel unwell is not a strategy, because the first symptom is sometimes a stroke.
Learn more
Urology
1 articleGynaecology & Obstetrics
1 articleThis page is general health information, not medical advice. It cannot account for your history, medication or test results. Please speak to a qualified doctor about your own symptoms and treatment. If you think you are having a medical emergency, seek immediate help.
Worried about a symptom?
Reading is no substitute for being examined. Book an appointment and someone will look at it properly.