My Health Focus

When Liz Curtis's daughter Lily was seven weeks old, something was not right. She struggled to gain weight and had seizures where she stopped breathing. Liz and her husband were told Lily had a mitochondrial disease, that there was no cure and no treatment, and that she was unlikely to survive. Lily lived for another six months at home with her family. Liz went looking for information and othe...

Show Notes: Marianne Nicholson, MBE, Director of the Shingles Support Society, joins Catriona to discuss shingles, the reactivation of chickenpox virus, and the lasting nerve pain it can cause. Key takeaways: 1. Shingles is a reactivation of the chickenpox virus, appearing in a small region on one side of the body, most commonly the ribs or face. Early nerve sensations are often mistaken for a pul...

Mrs. Connie Lee Montgomery is a global patient advocate, retired occupational therapist, and founder of The Rare Cares Collective. She lives with Factor Seven Deficiency, Pemphigus Vulgaris, and three chronic conditions. Key takeaways: 1. Listen deeply to what patients say and don't say, including their body language and pauses around sensitive topics shaped by cultural, religious, or stigma-relat...

Samantha Barber, CEO of Gene People, and Emily Clark, a registered genetic counsellor, discuss the work of their national charity supporting people living with genetic and rare conditions. 5 Key Takeaways: 1. Over 3.5 million people in the UK live with a rare condition, 80% of which are genetic, spanning the entire lifespan from babies to older adults. 2. Gene People's helpline offers flexible sup...

On the day the National Commission into the Regulation of AI in Healthcare published its landmark report, Gabriela Commatteo, AI Regulation Policy Lead for the MHRA, joined Catriona Williams from My Health Focus to explain what it all means for patients, prescribers, and the healthcare system. Key takeaways: 1. AI in healthcare refers to technologies that analyse information, identify patterns, an...

Welcome to a new series inside My Health Focus: conversations with the MHRA, the body that decides which medicines and vaccines are safe for the UK. In this first episode, Catriona Williams talks to Lawrence Tallon, Chief Executive of the MHRA. Lawrence opens up about his mother's cancer diagnosis when he was a teenager, and how a clinical trial at Addenbrooke's gave her 12 more years than doctors...

Dr Alice Hoyt is a board-certified allergist and author of Navigating Food Allergies: A Parent's Guide to Care, Coverage and Confidence. In this episode, she explains why the word cure has no place in allergy vocabulary, what the evidence says about allergic reactions on planes, and how parents can transition food allergy responsibility to the child who has to live with it. Five key takeaways: 1....

Senior therapist Sally Baker returns to talk about resilience, not as bouncing back or staying relentlessly positive, but as something pragmatic that can be learned at any age, whatever your upbringing. Sally and Catriona talk through why toxic positivity is exhausting rather than helpful, the "game show noise" technique for interrupting anxious rumination, breathing as an early signal of overwhel...

Geoff Rollason spent nearly 20 years in the NHS and a decade at Pfizer UK Oncology leading patient experience work. Now living with prostate cancer himself, he shares what really happens when industry tries to involve patients and why it so often falls short. 5 Key Takeaways: 1. Pharma still talks about patient engagement but rarely follows through because there's no short-term ROI and the driver...

Living with Genital Herpes: Facts, Stigma & Transmission Show Notes Marianne Nicholson from the Herpes Virus Association and Shingles Support Society returns to tackle the stigma surrounding genital herpes and explain why most people who carry the virus never know they have it. She shares that by age 25, seven in ten people in the UK carry herpes simplex, yet only one in three ever develops sy...

Dr Erum Ilyas, dermatologist and author of The No-Nonsense Skincare, dismantles common skincare myths and reveals what actually works. With over 20 years treating patients from infancy to over 100 years old, she's witnessed generations of skin health and knows that great-grandmothers achieved beautiful skin without multi-step routines. In this episode, Dr Ilyas explains the marketing tactics that...

Show Notes Dr Adam Barsouk, oncology fellow at Johns Hopkins University and author of Outsmarting Cancer: Risk Reduction and the Power of Prevention, joins Catriona Williams to discuss why half of all cancer diagnoses could be prevented and why modern medicine has focused on treatment rather than prevention. Key takeaways: 1. Obesity is the second leading cause of cancer globally after smoking, co...

Most people assume clinical trials are purely about testing new medicines. But what if the process of being screened to join a trial could uncover a health condition you didn't know you had? In this episode, Catriona is joined by Kate Dodd, Recruitment and Engagement Manager at Liverpool's Clinical Research Facility, and Dr Lauren Walker, Deputy Director of the NIHR-funded CRF at the Royal Liverpo...

When Bridget McNulty was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes 18 years ago, she felt like the only person in the world it had ever happened to. She later discovered that almost everyone she spoke to had felt exactly the same way. Bridget is the founder of Sweet Life, South Africa's largest online diabetes community, and a published author. In this episode, Catriona talks to her about why that sense of i...

Dr Max Draper, author of Testosterone Decoded, joins Catriona Williams to discuss the dramatic decline in testosterone levels since the 1980s and its implications for men's health. After experiencing low testosterone following testicular cancer, Dr Draper changed his career focus to specialise in this overlooked area of men's health. In this episode, he explains how testosterone affects far more t...

Living with Gallstones When Juliet Sullivan collapsed in agony on a pavement in England, she had no idea what was happening to her. The diagnosis was gallstones, and along with it came instructions to follow a low-fat diet for several months until her gallbladder could be removed. What she could not find anywhere was a practical, accessible book to help her through it. So she wrote one. In this ep...

In this episode, we are joined by Oliver Rolfe, author of The Addiction Blueprint , to explore a form of addiction that often goes unnoticed — high-functioning addiction. From the outside, it can look like success: long hours, professional drive, financial achievement, responsibility. But beneath the surface can sit exhaustion, trauma, stress and emotional disconnection. Oliver shares his own expe...

In this Medmin episode, Catriona Williams is joined by Javeria Iqbal, Consultant Breast Surgeon, to discuss common breast symptoms and what to expect when attending a breast clinic. The conversation focuses on reassurance, early assessment and helping people understand which changes should be checked and how clinics work. Discussion includes: •Common breast symptoms and changes •What is considered...

In this episode, Catriona Williams speaks with personal trainer Becky Lever about protecting mental and physical health when using GLP-1 medications. They explore the importance of support, self-awareness and monitoring both emotional and physical changes throughout the process. Discussion includes: •Mental wellbeing during weight loss •Physical health and muscle maintenance •Side effects and seek...

In this episode, Catriona Williams is joined by Karen Lee, nutritionist and former intensive care nurse, to discuss autoimmune conditions and the role of whole food plant-based nutrition. Karen shares both professional insight and lived experience following her MS diagnosis. Discussion includes: •Understanding autoimmune conditions •Gut health and inflammation •Fibre, microbiome and immune balance...

In this episode, Catriona Williams continues the GLP-1 series with personal trainer Becky Lever, focusing on how the body may respond during the early stages of taking GLP-1 medications. Together, they discuss commonly reported reactions such as nausea, reduced appetite, digestive changes, fatigue, and brain fog, while emphasising that experiences can vary widely between individuals. Becky explain...

In this episode, Catriona Williams is joined by GP and menopause specialist Dr Jackie Radley to discuss menopause management both with and without HRT. They explore why many women seek HRT, why some cannot take it for medical reasons, and why others prefer not to use hormones. The conversation looks at how menopause symptoms can overlap with long-term and chronic health conditions, sometimes makin...

In this episode of My Health Focus , host Catriona Williams continues the GLP-1 series with personal trainer Becky Lever, focusing on the topic of food noise. Building on the previous conversation with Sally, this episode explores what food noise means, how people experience it, and why it is such a significant part of the GLP-1 journey. Becky shares insights from working with clients who are usin...

In this episode, Catriona Williams speaks with consultant oncoplastic and reconstructive breast surgeon Mr Jamie Vatish about how women can meaningfully reduce their risk of breast cancer. They discuss how lifestyle factors such as weight, alcohol and smoking influence breast cancer risk, and why prevention plays a larger role than many people realise. Mr Vatish explains how risk changes with age,...

Gallstones affect a large proportion of adults, yet many people are unclear about what the gallbladder does, why stones form, and when they need treatment. In this episode, Catriona Williams speaks with Consultant Hepatopancreatobiliary and Liver Transplant Surgeon Mr Nikolaos Chatzizacharias about gallbladder health. He explains the role of the gallbladder in digestion, how gallstones develop, an...