Down in the swampy lowlands
Not so long ago, I found myself in the ‘swampy lowlands’ of general practice, a term devised by the philosopher, Donald Schon to describe those...
Intensive care’s intensive noise problem
I remember very clearly the first time I walked onto the intensive care unit (ICU). The first thing that struck me was that so many...
Talking about sex with doctors
"I don't know if I can do it." Jeremy seemed truly frightened. "My GP is a woman, and I can't talk to her about my...
Icelandic Health Symposium: Obesity and Diabetes
Despite decades of public dietary guidelines devised to optimise human health, the world is now facing an unprecedented global epidemic of obesity and diabetes; threatening...
Free speech vital in statin debate
I recently returned from a whistle-stop tour of Australia where I gave a series of public lectures arguing that excess sugar consumption leads to chronic...
Exploring hope in ‘The Jungle’.
On the first of February this year I travelled to Calais to visit the refugee camp. In the run-up to my departure, the news was...
Wearing face veils in the workplace
The NHS has a long tradition of balancing patient safety and religious views and practices. In 2008 there was some debate over new health guidelines...
Changing the Face of Autism
Elusive Autism in girls: I had seen one paediatrician, one educational psychologist, three psychiatrists, multiple therapists, and required at least three Crisis Home Treatment Teams...
Popping pills, doing drugs: the nurse’s drug round
Drugs to alleviate symptoms; drugs to prolong life; drugs to counteract side effects of other drugs. Doctors’ prescribing powers in the face of illness have...
Malaria: Beaten in Europe but not out
Malaria cases in Europe have dropped from over 90,000 in 1995 to zero in 2015, due to high political commitment, improved surveillance systems, better mosquito...
