I would like to thank Public Health England and the British Lung Foundation, in helping to raise awareness about the symptoms of lung disease. I have been in post for two and a half years and our collaborative efforts have already made a huge difference. What is clear is that early diagnosis is key to a […]
“Every year doctors, in the UK, have to deal with 150,000 cases of sepsis, resulting in around 44,000 deaths. This condition (also known as the silent killer) occurs when the immune system becomes overactive during an infection, often of a minor nature, causing damage to the body itself. Early symptoms of sepsis may include fast […]
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I absolutely loved being an expedition doctor. The first time I realised how many opportunities there were for medics who wanted adventure was in 2010. I applied for a voluntary position with the charity Raleigh International coordinating medical help for young trekkers in Borneo. Although the job was only for three months, I took a full year out between jobs […]
Millions of people suffer from asthma which is now recognised as a syndrome rather than a single disease. However, we lack the high-quality data sets to understand the ‘bigger picture’ of this common lung condition and will separate out the different mechanisms linked to distinct asthma types. Yes, we can look at NHS data and patient records, but this information […]
The little things make a big difference. Your hammer and anvil are as valuable as your hand and your arm, your pineal gland as essential as your patella. To quote St Paul, “If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would […]
Adrift and deserted, the disappearance of the crew from the Mary Celeste remains a mystery. Walking onto a hospital ward today, you might also notice a distinct lack of trained staff, especially nurses. Buzzers unanswered, monitors beeping, patients calling out in pain; I have observed doctors being asked for blankets and bedpans. The Institute for […]
Sleep apnoea is the most common sleep disorder in the UK, affecting around one million people. It happens when the patient stops breathing for an extended period of time at night, either because of an obstruction in the airways, or because of another health condition, like heart disease. As a result, the sufferer wakes up, […]
A medical education in the UK is a very specific affair. There are some facts that of course are global, fundamentals of anatomy for example, that are the same from Karachi to California. Some things you need to learn to be a doctor anywhere in the world. But here there is one element that is […]
Acupuncture, the ‘needle therapy’ is often used as an aid to help people quit smoking, but there is little evidence to suggest how it works. A study published in the journal Preventative Medicine in 2001, which focused on men and women who reported smoking around 20 cigarettes each day did conclude that acupuncture could help motivated smokers to […]
Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is not a defined illness. Rather it is a collection of symptoms and behaviours characterised by inappropriate degrees of inattention, impulsivity and/or hyperactivity. Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder are typically impulsive, forgetful, restless to the point of disruption, prone to fail, unable to follow through on tasks, unpredictable and moody. These characteristics are relatively chronic […]
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