Who Will Think Of The Children?
All actions have consequences. Sometimes these are immediate and sometimes the effects are not seen for a period of time. For example you can plant an apple seed today and it will take years before there are apples on the tree that you can eat. There can also be...
An Unnecessary Lose-Lose
It is the nature of life mistakes happen. Smart teachers on life will frame error as inevitable and a learning experience. Others can become so fearful of “getting it wrong” that they get almost paralysed by indecision. This applies in medicine too where errors will...
Purpose – The Eighth Pillar of Health
It is interesting to reflect at Easter on how little human beings may have actually changed in 2000 years. On the surface we have, in the developed world, modern accommodation, transport and communication technology beyond what could have been contemplated even in the...
The Lion Is Out And About
There is a quote by Augustine of Hippo who lived in the 4th century that “The truth is like a lion; you don't have to defend it. Let it loose; it will defend itself.” Recent events show that nearly 1700 years later, this still applies. The Twitter files, Hancock...
Is It Really About Health Of The Public?
Those old enough to remember the 1970’s will recall that society looked different. Those too young can look at pictures of groups of people from that era. Aside from the fashions (although they will no doubt have a resurgence one day) and the architecture, the most...
The Year Closes
It is hard to believe that another year is about to end. Almost everyone you talk to, regardless of age, seems to wonder where the time has gone. Aside from anything else, this should remind us to make the most of each day we have and as much as possible live in the...
The Question
The term gaslighting is a colloquialism, loosely defined as manipulating someone so as to make them question their own reality. The term apparently derives from the title of the 1944 film Gaslight, though the term did not gain popular currency in English until the...
The Power Is In Our Hands
Last month saw the passing of Queen Elizabeth II at age 96. For many (myself included) she was on the throne before we were born and is the only British monarch we have ever known. It is estimated that only 14% of the current Australian population was alive when she...
Human Connection
Imagine sitting at a table where there is a breakfast buffet. It is already a pleasant and relaxed atmosphere. Then a voice starts singing. More voices join in. The song is familiar but somehow not the familiar arrangement. More voices join and the harmonies are...
Humans Are Complex Beings
There is a tendency in western medicine to have a reductionist approach. Everything can be reduced to a single cause, or at least a predominant one. In turn this approach lends itself to a single treatment – usually a pharmaceutical agent. This is a variation of the...
Breaking It Down
Recently I went to a talk given by Ant Middleton, the former SAS officer who has become famous through his role on SAS - Who Dares Wins and SAS Australia. Regular readers will recall that I have written about my fascination with what human beings are able to do with a...
Making A Real Difference
Even before Covid, mental health issues were on the rise accompanied by significant increases in spending and in use of medications. Despite this, the problems continued to increase. The advent of lockdowns in response to Covid has made the situation worse, in...