Can you drink alcohol if you are on antibiotics? And can you take paracetamol with ibuprofen?

It is these types of basic health queries that GP Ellie Cannon is devoting an increasing amount of her time to answering. Dr Cannon, 33, who works in a practice in St John's Wood, north London, is making a name for herself as a media medic.

She writes a weekly health column for the Mail on Sunday, and contributes to Zest, Top Sante and Good Housekeeping, among others. She is a stand-in for Dr Hilary Jones on GMTV and uses Twitter to give out a variety of health tips daily - well, six days a week; never on Shabbat.

She tells People: "My aim is to empower people to understand their basic health as opposed to telling them about the latest products. I noticed a huge difference between my American patients and UK patients. Those from America are very self-empowered about their health whereas people in the UK tend to leave it more in the hands of doctors. It is particularly important for parents to understand about their children's health," adds the mother-of-two.

Later in the year, Dr Cannon will be starring in a new BBC programme, The Secret Tourist, in which she will expose some of he health scams that British people travelling abroad may face.

Dr Ellie read medicine at Cambridge University before completing her clinical training at the Royal Free Hospital, London. She spent five years in hospital medicine before embarking on a career in general practice. She is a member of the Royal College of GPs. And for those who were wondering; there are only three antibiotics that you cannot take with alcohol, and you can take paracetamol with ibuprofen.