One of the things doctors worry about the most is missing a diagnosis. Treatment starts with diagnosis and to miss a cancer or other serious illness risks exposing people to considerable harm. This driving force has led to the concept of screening for illness in an...
Today is Halloween. Despite the common view that it is an American custom (and certainly it has been observed there for many years) it is in fact originally a Celtic festival. In ancient times villagers would light bonfires and wear costumes to deter ghosts. In the...
There was an interesting review published in The Lancet about the placebo rate in use of antidepressants. The review found that that the placebo response rate had remained steady over the last 20 years – at around 40%. What was even more interesting was the way this...
The latest bad guy to be demonized by public health is sugar. We are told that sugar is now the problem in our diets. The solutions from public health are the same tired old nanny state ideas including a sugar tax, banning of advertising and other government mandated...
Recently I went to a “radical” presentation. The man who was doing the session has been described as dangerous and a threat to our health. Yet, despite this, or maybe because of it there were over 200 people in the room keen to hear his views. Now I must warn readers...
