With the flu season fast approaching, many people – including those of a certain age - will have little or no hesitation in being vaccinated, believing it to be perfectly safe. So this blog is opportune and it considers both the risks and benefits of  a commonly-used, adjuvanted influenza vaccine for over-65 year olds. Such an analysis should always be considered for any medical intervention. 

It outlines a detailed record of a personal assessment which uses credible information and scientific evidence to underpin its findings. In order to evaluate the likelihood of infection and hospitalisation so as to assess benefits of the flu vaccine in England, I used only UK Government reports which were relatively freely accessible via the internet. For the risks, the online search was wider.

It is now well-established that being obese or overweight can adversely affect the health of individuals. The list of very serious health risks is quite extensive and includes cancer, cardiovascular disease (CVD, including heart attacks and strokes), type 2 diabetes (T2DM), liver disease and…… much more.

This blog addresses the causes of obesity, its key effects on poor health and the extent of its global problem. It includes what leading countries and organisations around the globe are reporting about the link of obesity to poor health and the forecasted outcomes for disease and mortality.

Weight loss goes back to ancient civilisation with its main reasons being aesthetic appearance and health.

Many methods and approaches have since been developed from diets through to surgery. In the last 1-2 decades, the weight loss industry has tried to shift its focus to overall health and wellness, strength training and fitness instead of just losing weight to get thin. But dieting has a long history so is included in this blog along with the established concept of Nutritional Therapy for weight loss.

While weight may come off fairly rapidly at first, at some point e.g. after a few weeks or months, it can seem as though your weight won’t budge. Understandably this can be deflating and maybe even reverse progress for some e.g. with “comfort eating”, even though it is perfectly normal and possible to begin to lose weight again.

This blog considers key reasons for a weight loss plateau, managing expectations and some strategies for recovering weight loss.

Weight loss has become a major goal (and news item!) for celebrities in recent years. Generally it is so that they look better in an industry which expects it and where weight gain could limit work opportunities or even end careers prematurely. But who are they, how did they try to do it and how successful was it?

This blog answers those questions for just a few of the more prominent celebrities that we see on our screens nowadays.

Weight-loss (or slimming) drugs have gained a significant amount of attention recently in the UK (partly because of an ex-Prime Minister!) and elsewhere. So I thought it was a good time to undertake a brief review of these often-named “wonder” drugs using evidence sourced largely from medical literature.

It includes a short history of weight-loss drugs before focusing on key details of the ones that have caused a bit of a recent stir – including reported cost and side effects.

This blog is a personal record of my wife’s Chronic Kidney Disease with a solitary kidney. As a scientific researcher for >50 years, I’ve investigated and monitored it from that standpoint alongside my son, Oliver.

It includes key causes of CKD along with potential difference(s) associated with one kidney. Related management and potential, further improvement via nutritional therapy are outlined.