Dr Briffa's Blog - A Good Look at Good Health
A health-focused blog that makes sense of science, and offers accurate, trustworthy and practical advice about all aspects of healthy living.
Regular readers of the column may have noticed that I have traditionally not had too many good things to say about dairy products such as milk and cheese. In particular, I have cited these foodstuffs as common causes of food intolerance – undesirable reactions to food that can be at the root of a range [...]
It seems barely a week goes by before some doctor or scientist is extolling the virtues of the cholesterol-quelling drugs known as statins. So great for is the enthusiasm for these drugs, that Department of Health recently decreed that one statin (simvastatin) should be made available over-the-counter (OTC). This at first sight might seem like [...]
The fact that we have finally been treated to some decent sunshine is likely to be reflected in our enhanced appetite for summer salads. Few would doubt that dishes based on raw, fresh vegetables offer a good deal from a nutritional perspective. However, where flavour is concerned, I reckon what turns a good salad into [...]
When I was at medical school, my general disinterest in the subject matter and yawning gaps in my knowledge meant that I hated questions. Now I love them. Perhaps this has something to do with the fact I now have a fair chance of being able to answer some of them, having spent more than [...]
Last week, my column focused on nutritionally-oriented alternatives to headache-alleviating analgesics such as aspirin. However, even if more of us eschew aspirin in favour of natural remedies for our thumping heads, I doubt whether this will put too much of a dent in the sales of this particular drug. In recent years, aspirin’s ability to [...]
Judging by the sheer number of adverts for mind-numbing medications all around us, headaches surely rate as one of the most common everyday ills. Recently, I read a report in which doctors expressed concern that while analgesics may nuke headaches, they also have the capacity for collateral damage in various parts of the body including [...]
The relative popularity of low-carbohydrate diets such as ‘Atkins’ has led to slimmer profits for manufacturers of grain-based foods such as bread and pasta. In an effort to stem the loss Britain’s bread, flour and grain industries have recently joined forces to launch a weight loss plan which they have named the ‘Vitality Eating System’. [...]
In my practice I see significant numbers of women who find that the presence of cellulite on their buttocks and thighs really gets under their skin. While it may not be their primary concern, many women are keen to do what they can to rid themselves of the puckered, orange-peely dermal distortion that is characteristic [...]
We’ve had a spate of bad news stories about the health of the nation of late, so it is gratifying to read recent reports that deaths due to some forms of cancer (such as those of the breast and colon) are on the wane. However, these glad tidings are somewhat tempered by data which shows [...]
I have recently returned from a lecture stint in southern Ireland, where the recent ban on smoking in pubs, bars and restaurants was a hot topic of conversation. While I am generally resistant to the idea of Government’s interference in our personal habits, there is actually more than a whiff of evidence that forbidding smoking [...]
