The sinuses are cavities in the bones around the eye sockets. They are lined with the same tissue as in the nose and all of them communicate into the nasal cavity.

The frontal sinus is in the bones of the forehead, just above the eye. The maxillary sinus, often called the antrum, is in the cheekbone just below the eye.

On either side of, and behind the bridge of the nose, are the ethmoidal and sphenoidal sinuses in small bones which form the nasal side of the eye sockets.

Many people come to the doctor and complain: “It’s my sinus.”

I’m never sure what they really mean by this, whether their symptoms refer to headache, a blocked or running nose, or something else.

Acute infection in the sinus is not uncommon. The maxillary sinus is the one usually affected. Infection may spread upwards from the nose, usually during the course of a cold.

The lining of the sinus becomes swollen and sometimes blocks the small opening leading into the nose. This causes collection of pus and mucus under pressure and it is responsible for the severe pain.

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Would you like to lose weight? It really is quite simple. All you do is eat properly — and that usually means eating less. Obesity has reached epidemic proportions in the developed world while in the poorer countries many still die of starvation.

Obesity only occurs when the food eaten has a high joule value compared to the amount of fibre it contains. Kilojoules do count. They are the measure of energy that the food contains.

With food that is highly processed, the bulk of fibre is removed. This applies mostly to the carbohydrates or starches and these foods become concentrated. The villain is sugar. It is added to so many foods.

You are obese when your weight is 20 per cent or more greater than the ideal weight. This ideal weight for sex, height and age has been worked out by studying life insurance statistics. Those who are at an ideal weight for their height and age live longer than those who are above the ideal. And the greater the weight, the shorter the life span.

Eating is not only a necessity, we also eat for other reasons — social, pleasure, habit and sometimes to satisfy a hunger for attention or to cope with our anxieties and depression.

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