Total Failure

A quotation commonly attributed to Albert Einstein defines insanity as repeating the same thing multiple times while expecting a different outcome. Milton Friedman observed that, every so often, we should examine the results of policies, regardless of the good...

Outcome vs Intention

There is a great quote by the late economist Milton Freriedman. In fact, quite a lot of good quotes from him. I think the man was a um, a genius. But that's beside the point. One of the great mistakes is to judge policies and programs by their intentions rather than...

Money Talks

A wise senior colleague told me in the 1990s, when I was involved in some medical committees, “Never stand between your colleagues and a barrel of money.” Maybe that’s a little harsh. I think Paul Keating, when he was Prime Minister, made similar observations about...
Twelve Simple Tips For A Healthy Life

Twelve Simple Tips For A Healthy Life

We all like things that are simple. Here are twelve of the simplest ways to be healthy which are easy and are either free or come at absolutely minimal expense. Whilst you will need to make the effort of applying them there is nothing listed here that you are...

Fish For Health

Fish For Health

I have done a series of stories for Today Tonight about the health benefits of eating fish. The more one looks into this the more fascinating it becomes. Apart from omega 3 fatty acids, seafood and fish are good sources of iodine, lean protein, selenium and vitamin D....

Laughter Is The Best Medicine

Laughter Is The Best Medicine

There is an old adage about laughter being the best medicine. It is quite true. It is impossible to feel stressed when you laugh. Laughter has been shown to be beneficial for our health in a number of ways. When we laugh our physiology literally changes. Our blood...

Ten Tips For Good Heart Health

Ten Tips For Good Heart Health

Heart disease remains a major cause of death yet there is much that you can do to prevent it. By this I don’t mean just taking tablets for cholesterol at a cost of billions of dollars. Some of the things may look obvious, whilst others may surprise you. Here are ten...

Can Preventing Cancer Really Be This Simple?

Can Preventing Cancer Really Be This Simple?

February fourth was world cancer day. Since 1971 when then President Nixon declared war on cancer we have seen that despite the spending of billions of dollars, not much headway has been made in reducing the cancer mortality rate. To make real headway we need to turn...

A Dozen Ways To Maintain Memory As We Age

A Dozen Ways To Maintain Memory As We Age

Many people worry about losing their memory, as they get older. No doubt Alzheimer’s disease is more common than in years gone by. This partly reflects people living longer but also reflects how we treat and look after our brains. Whilst there are no cast iron...

Ten Tips For Younger Looking Skin

Ten Tips For Younger Looking Skin

The skin is the largest organ in the body - that’s right it is an organ like the liver heart or kidneys. It has a variety of vital functions ranging  from helping with temperature regulation to eliminating toxins and, of course keeping our body together. Imagine the...

Mastering The Body Paradox

Mastering The Body Paradox

Many people, especially women constantly want to change aspects of their bodies. We see this in the sales made by the diet industry as well as the cosmetic surgery industry. Many people hold to a view that they will be happy when they lose that few extra pounds or...

Why Is Health Made Harder Than It Needs To Be?

Why Is Health Made Harder Than It Needs To Be?

The world can be a crazy place at times. Never is this more apparent than when it comes to our approach to health. In the last two months we have seen another weight loss medication removed from the market and the FDA knocked back two weight loss drugs under...

Depressed Or A Bit Down – There Is A Difference

Depressed Or A Bit Down – There Is A Difference

It has been said that depression is the epidemic of the 21st century. Certainly the rates of diagnosis have increased over the last 10-15 years. Some claim that this is due to better recognition of the issue and that actual rates are unchanged. Others feel that we are...

Boosting And Using Brainpower

Boosting And Using Brainpower

There are various estimates as to how much of our brainpower we actually use. Some say 10% others as much as 30%. To be honest no body really knows but we can be certain that we do not use all the capacity that is there partly because we do not even know all the...

If School Kids Get It – Why Can’t Adults?

If School Kids Get It – Why Can’t Adults?

Every so often I get an insight into what is wrong with our approach to health. Hardly a day goes by without some expert lamenting the rise in obesity levels and calling for government action usually in the guise of “funding “ for one of their pet projects. The...