Did you know… Folic acid supplements is associated with an increased risk of cancers? And increased risk of cognitive decline in older people? What many don’t realise is that folic acid and folate are different things. Folic acid is a synthetic, inactive product not found in nature. It must be converted into the active form to make new cells, neurotransmitters and much more. But 10-15…
If you are going to commit a crime and end up in court, a little tip for you…. ask for your court hearing to be first thing in the morning or straight after lunch. This will give you the best chance of getting a light sentence, maybe getting away with a community service order or making parole. You see, when it comes to making decisions,…
Some patients have very short memories, have you noticed? One day they are in persistent pain, depressed and exhausted. Then as they recover, they (understandably) want to forget it ever happened. I sometimes wonder if this is to preserve their self-identity as healthy people to avoid cognitive dissonance that maybe they are not infallible. The challenge is once they “forget” how they used to be…
I am writing this while on “holiday” this week, holiday when you have small children is a relative term. Last week we talked about sustained inflammatory responses to bacterial infections. Ideally bacterial infections should be short and sweet, once we muster an immune response. But the effect of inflammation even when its dropping down can still be present and have quite an effect on mood…
“I’m going to be sick.” “I need a poo.” At 4 in the morning, these are not the words I want to hear from my four year old son stood next to our bed. And my goodness did he vomit and have diarrhoea. The bedsheet, duvet, the sofa covers and carpet were all collateral damage from his body’s expulsions of the offending bacteria (note to…
Picture this, 5 years ago… I arrive a few minutes early to the clinic but I have an extra emergency booked in at 8. But the patient is earlier than I am. I recognise the car and I know what she is doing. Head in a bag and throwing up. In the treatment room… “My necks out again, put it back in before I’m sick again…”…
Today’s Top 3 ‘Writer-Downers’: Why you can lead a horse to water but can’t make them drink How to use the #1 tool to change that behaviour Why you have a moral duty to use this tool and ignore what the NHS might think about your recommendations Getting patients to change their lifestyle can be tough, I support them with advice, videos and handouts, but…
Today’s Top 3 ‘Writer-Downers’: Why calcium carbonate is the most commonly prescribed calcium by the NHS Why most patients hate taking it The superior, better tolerated alternative you should stock starting today I had lots of comments from last weeks email concerning not only Vitamin D but also on using calcium carbonate aka chalk as a source of calcium, which was new for a lot…
Back in 2007 I was on a week long functional medicine intensive training seminar in Atlanta with the Institute for Functional Medicine, and during one of the breakout case study sessions one of the MD’s began talking excitedly about Vitamin D. In fact he was really REALLY excited. The 3 Top ‘Writer-Downers’ In This Week’s Newsletter: GP’s/NHS often miss the true diagnosis of Vitamin D…
“I’ve seen the GP, they say all my blood test results are normal” I get that a lot and back in the day, that would have been the end of it, no further investigation or consideration required. Case closed. But often those patients didn’t respond as I and they had hoped, so I got curious. I started requesting the GP blood test results to see…