Nutrients and Supplements
The plummeting temperatures we have experienced of late will inevitably bring a rise in a range of ills including stiff joints, icy extremities and viral infections such as cold and flu. One other condition that is usually in season at this time of year is psoriasis – an affliction characterised by thickened, red, scaly patches […]
Healthy Eating
One of the spin-off benefits of my line of work is occasional invites to give a talk in some far-flung place or other. I have, as it happens, just returned from a short stint of lecturing in Vancouver. On my way over there it occurred to me how much I relish long-haul flying, specficlly how […]
Observer Archive
Amongst those who know me well I have a reputation as a bit of a philistine. In my 37 years on this planet, I have read just two novels (neither one of them a great work of literature) and even managed to fail my English literature ‘O’ level. The truth is, I’ve always struggled taking […]
Herbal Medicine
Despite soothing reassurances from the medical fraternity, I have had a recent rush of enquiries from women who are more that a little disconcerted to learn that taking hormone replacement therapy (HRT) can double the risk of breast cancer. Shocking though it may be, this recent research is just part of a pile of evidence […]
Exercise and Activity
Many doctors will confess to feeling frustrated by occasional patients who complain about some aspect of their health, but nonetheless appear to have no hard signs of disease. Members of the medical profession generally have their hands full dealing with those regarded as genuinely sick, and therefore tend not to have too much time for […]
Healthy Eating
In a former life I was once a lowly junior doctor working in a hospital in St Albans. During one weekend while on-call, a good friend asked me if I would see her dad who was complaining of a painful toe. My unofficial patient, a charming gentleman from the Emerald Isle, turned out to be […]
Herbal Medicine
Like a lot of people who are plugged into the information superhighway, I get a sizeable quota of unsolicited emails enticing me to part with my hard-earned cash. In amongst the mortgage and loan offers, I have been receiving a growing number of emails plying a trade in Viagra and penis enlargement programmes. So great […]
Nutrients and Supplements
I have often heard doctors accused of not make use of nutritionally-oriented therapies in their work. Actually, strictly speaking, this is not true. After all, any doctor who has advised women to take folic acid in pregnancy or suggested calcium supplements for stronger bones has, to some degree at least, engaged in the practice of […]
Healthy Eating
While acne is generally thought of as an adolescent affliction, my experience suggests otherwise. In my practice, I see a pretty regular stream of individuals who, long after the hormonal rush that comes with puberty has died down, continue to suffer from ‘bad skin’. In fact, statistics show that more than one in two women […]
Healthy Eating
While a lot of the patients I see in practice are not necessarily afflicted by serious illness, they are nonetheless bothered by niggling symptoms and conditions that can impinge quite significantly on the quality of their lives. Health complaints such as bouts of indigestion, the odd migraine, or the seasonal discomfort that comes with hay […]