Saving Lives In Slow Motion

What do surgery and psychiatry have in common? They are both demanding specialties, occasionally of last resort, that save lives acutely and help people back to better health. Links Antipsychotic drug discovery:  https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.903156/full Pyrrole Disorder:  https://www.healthline.com/health/pyrrole-disorder#diagnosis Rati...

There are so many posts, papers and publications about the vagus nerve. In this episode I look at why it’s so popular and whether it really can be a key to future treatments with advances vagus nerve stimulation. Links:  Quick overview:  https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/vagus-nerve-stimulation/about/pac-20384565 Polyvagal Theory:  https://www.polyvagalinstitute.org/whatis...

Medicine is an inexact science. My patients who are engineers find it frustrating that there is so much conjecture and educated guess work in medicine. But this episode highlights why diagnoses can take time. It’s a mix of detective work, bias and listening to the patient story. Links: Chilblains:  https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/chilblains/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20351103 STI...

Not a week goes by in practice where I don’t see a patient who hasn’t collapsed or had a dizzy spell. There are so many reasons for this, some preventable, some not. I look at some of the syndromes that lead to these issues. Links: Fainting:  https://www.healthline.com/health/fainting#causes Pseudoseizures (non-eplieptic seizures):  https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/24517-ps...

5-15% of GP consultations are linked to tiredness. And the number is growing. In this episode I look at common and rarer reasons for tiredness.  Hydration - if you’re feeling thirsty you’re partly dehydrated:  https://www.nhsinform.scot/illnesses-and-conditions/nutritional/dehydration/ Sleep apnoea:  https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/sleep-apnea/symptoms-cause...

Teenage and adolescent health offers us a glimpse into the future health of the world. The Lancet Commission wrote a report in 2016 and have recently written a follow up which paints a slightly concerning picture. In this episode I look at health in this group of people, the challenges they face and what, if anything, can be done about it. Links: The Lancet Commission report summary:  ht...

In this episode I look at our health compared to 100 years ago. I was pleasantly surprised at some similarities having stumbled across something online but then also appreciate that we live in a different world now.  Links:  Donald Moore’s health habits in 1925:  https://archive.org/details/health.habits.moore.1925/page/n1/mode/2up Adventist health:  https://www.bluezones....

In the UK, there is much discussion around assisted dying with a bill that is being voted on in government at the moment. In this episode I look at the ethics around it and what it might mean on an individual and societal level. Palliative Care: https://www.nhs.uk/tests-and-treatments/end-of-life-care/what-it-involves-and-when-it-starts/ Dr Florian Willett’s death:  https://www.independent.co...

Fasting is a hot but contentious topic.  It has been practised for thousands of years and is now  purported to be a way of tackling or preventing certain metabolic diseases.  In this episode I look at the pros, cons and mechanisms of fasting.  Links:  Historical perspectives of fasting:  https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8838777/ Time restricted feeding in mice...

Every week or so you will see and article about one or more of these topics. Maybe you have tried them or do them regularly. In the episode I look at the science and thinking behind them all. Links:  Cold water exposure - a paper:  https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9518606/ Vagus nerve stimulation:  https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/17598-vagus-nerve-stimulatio...

Prescribing Lifestyle Medicine is a course I run with Dr Rangan Chatterjee that has been going for 8 years now. It was the first course of its kind in the UK and in this episode I look at a recap of our recent conference, what has changed in lifestyle medicine over the years and the latest science. Links: Dr Emily Leeming:  https://www.emilyleeming.com/ Dr Rob Lustig:  https://robertlust...

Ayurvedic Medicine is thousands of years old. It has a systems based approach which can be personalised and its methods are based on careful observation and the interconnectedness of human beings and our relation to our environment. There has also been caution around some treatments which can cause harm which I cover in this episode. A quick summary of Ayurvedic Medicine:  https://www.nc...

It’s easy to race through life without thinking that we need to do some inner work on ourselves but more often than not it catches up with us at some point. In this episode I look at why it’s important and go through a basic inner child exercise to get you started. Links: A beginner’s guide to inner child work:  https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/inner-child-healing#listen Some b...

Symptoms are often hard to interpret with the amount of data and tools that are out there these days. In this episode I look at innocuous symptoms that can creep up on us over a long time but could be harbinger of an underlying condition. COMT genes:  https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/click-here-for-happiness/202001/what-is-the-comt-gene-and-how-does-it-affect-your-health Raynaud’s Phen...

There isn’t a week that I don’t hear the phrase ‘work-life balance’. In this episode I look at what it means, how it has changed over the years and what we can do to try to get it right. What is work-life balance?:  https://www.forbes.com/sites/maurathomas/2022/07/26/what-does-work-life-balance-even-mean/ Severance:  https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11280740/ Womens Liberation and WLB:&...

In this episode I have saved up questions from the last 6 months and decided to tackle them head on. From whether you should get a DNA analysis to why some people think fibre is bad for you - it’s in this ep! DNA analyses - a view point  https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/jul/23/what-i-learned-from-home-dna-test-kits-are-they-accurate-or-worthwhile SNPs:  https://medlineplus.g...

Vitamin D is often regarded as the doyen of vitamins. It’s structure differs to other vitamins and in this episode I look at it’s benefits, it’s risks and potential in terms of it’s role in human health. Structure of vitamin D:  https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0002916523241039 UVA and UVB light:  https://www.skincancer.org/risk-factors/uv-radiation/ Vitamin D defi...

Coeliac Disease rates are rising across the globe. In this episode I look at what it is, why it occurs and the multitude of guises that gluten-related symptoms can take on.  So many foods contain gluten (not just grains) so it is an important issue. The genetics of coeliac disease (HLAs - human leukocyte antigens):  https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/is-celiac-disease-hereditary V...

In this episode I look at something that comes to us all, not death itself, but the run up towards it. How can we prepare for the inevitable in the best possible way? Is it even possible? Longevity as an obsession:  https://www.theguardian.com/wellness/2024/sep/13/rich-men-longevity-history Urgency culture, burnout and modern life:  https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/ar...

Migraines are common cause of debility worldwide. In this episode I look at the causes of migraines and other types of headaches, what we can do about them and how to detect and manage them better. Links:  The theories behind migraine and its mechanism:  https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/headache/how-a-migraine-happens Triptan drugs:  https://migrai...

In this episode I look at Functional Medicine, a movement which started in the USA and is practised predominantly by non-medical practitioners but also increasingly medical doctors.  It comes under a lot of fire from doctors and I want to explore why this, including that is isn’t ‘medicine' and what the differences and similarities are between functional medicine and conventional allopathic m...

In this episode I look at a quick and easy way to take stock of your health quickly and easily to re-orientate yourself whenever you need to. It’s a great way to lay out your story, turn 'what into why', and maintain your health and head off problems before they set in.  My IDEAL framework for habit change:  https://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/article/the-health-fix-dr-ayan-panja-new-years...

Protein is one of our three macronutrients and increasingly getting traction as being really important to our long term health. In this episode I look at why it’s so important to make sure we get enough and the right type. Sugar equivalent chart for carbohydrates:  https://lowcarbfreshwell.com/what-is-a-low-carb-lifestyle/dr-unwins-sugar-infographics/ Leptin and ghrelin:  https://www.hea...

Air pollution is a huge cause of death killing 8 million people worldwide each year. Its effects are damaging to most of our body systems yet is an ‘invisible’ threat to us. In this episode I look at what we can do to minimise our exposure to air pollutants in and out of the home. WHO guidelines:  https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240034228 Pesticides and Parkinson’s Disea...

Magnesium is an important mineral for our health and in this episode I look at why it has become a silent public health issue in recent years. I cover where magnesium comes from, why deficiency has become so prevalent and what to do about it.  Food sources of magnesium:  https://nutritionsource.hsph.harvard.edu/magnesium/ Sublinical magnesium deficiency:  https://openheart.bmj.com/c...