Cleaning up your act

After the annual descent into overindulgence that is the festive season, it will be time once again for us all to make promises we've no intention of keeping involving gym-buffed bodies and stress-free heads. Gavan Naden checks out 10 spas where the hard work's done for you.

I get very nervous when flying, and my blood pressure goes up a little. Is this normal?

Blood pressure always rises due to anxiety - the result of an increased heart rate. But help is at hand with all the medications used to treat anxiety that can also be used before flying.

Skiing in Russia

Are there any good Russian ski resorts?

Another link in the chain

Julie Welch rates Sustrans' recently opened Pennine Cycle Way North the best long distance pubs'n'scenery ride in England.

Deadly serious

A new anti-malarial tablet for children claims to put parents' minds at ease about travelling to affected regions. Health editor Sarah Boseley reports.

Flying doctor

We are taking our children, aged six and eight, to a coastal hotel in Gambia for a fortnight over Christmas. What do we need to know to protect them?

Do you often feel ill on holiday …

... but never when you're at work? If so, you could be a victim of 'leisure sickness'. Sally Weale investigates.

What action should be taken to avoid bilharzia after scuba diving in Lake Malawi?

"The best test is a blood test for antibodies to the parasite. If this comes back positive, then a single dose of a powerful drug called praziquantel is all that is needed."

Can you recommend a concise yet comprehensive book of emergency first aid and medicine for travellers?

I recommend either the concise Lonely Planet guides or the bulkier but more thorough Travellers' Health by Dr Richard Dawood (Oxford University Press, £14.99.

My boyfriend and I are planning a round-the-world trip but I am concerned about his nut allergy. Do you have any tips?

If there is a risk of total anaphylaxis, where the lungs swell up and fatality is a possibility, then you must get one of the adrenalin pens from your GP before you go. It would be advisable for you both to use one in a dummy run before an emergency.

OurChemist

Our Chemist – Health