As a specialist in cosmetic surgery around the eyes and the upper part of the face, I am asked to do a worryingly high number of ‘redo’ and corrective procedures following surgery that has not been successful elsewhere. In fact, around 30 per cent of my aesthetic practice consists of patients coming to see me […]
Around three million people in the UK are affected by malnutrition and one in three adults who are admitted to hospital are malnourished. Health professionals are in a privileged position to tackle malnutrition because they are more likely to recognise the signs of malnutrition and muscle loss. In my opinion, the first line of defence […]
Many people in prison suffer from mental illness and the Prison Service in the UK has under its care one of the most vulnerable and mentally unhealthy populations anywhere. Epidemiological studies agree that the prevalence of serious personality disorders, drug and alcohol dependence, suicidal and self-harming behaviour, and all forms of mental illness (both psychotic […]
The avocado rose, delicious served on toast with a screw of black pepper and lemon juice, is the latest and prettiest way to eat one the world’s healthy ‘superfoods.’ And you don’t get much more super than avocados. Since they were first introduced to the UK over 40 years ago, avocados have become a staple of the British […]
Calcium pills, which are taken by around five million people in the UK, are popular among those who don’t get enough calcium in their diet. However, there are potential downsides to popping the OTC pills, according to researchers. Taking the bone-strengthening supplements may double the risk of having a heart attack. There are around 124,000 heart attacks in the […]
We are now living in a post-Brexit world. On the 23rd June 2016, we as a nation decided to leave the European Union and navigate our own way through this increasingly connected world. For 43 years, the UK has been a member state of the EU, working in an inter-connected market of free-trade and political collaboration, but is […]
Read More… from Brexit and the future of UK medical research
Antidepressant prescribing rates have increased year on year over the past 25 years with now more than 60 million prescriptions for the medication being issued in England per year. Patients are being kept on these medications for longer, on average around two years, but around a third to a half of patients have no evidence-based […]
How would you respond to an interview request from the BBC Radio Four flagship breakfast programme Today – especially if it concerned a potentially contentious issue? The idea of being in a media controversy may alarm you, but controversy is usually more of an opportunity than a threat for the well prepared interviewee. Sidestepping controversy […]
Our research at Imperial College, London, seeks to answer the question: How can we identify early signs of osteoarthritis before noticeable symptoms occur? If we can do this, we should be able to intervene to slow down the progression of the disease and reduce the number of joint replacement operations carried out every year in the UK. In the […]
Hepatitis B is a devastating virus that infects around 250 million people worldwide and is endemic proportions in parts of Africa. Left untreated, it can cause cirrhosis, liver cancer and early death. Tackling the spread of this virus is essential and vaccination programmes have been started in many countries since 1990 including the Gambia, with […]