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.
When I was a small boy, I had some pretty antisocial habits. One of these was to engage in wee-up-the-wall competitions with my mates. A recent discussion over the dinner table reveals that this practice was commonplace amongst little lads of my generation. Alas, though, it appears that now we have grown up, peeing games [...]
Many of us will hope that our advancing years enrich our lives with the wealth of experience and perhaps degree of wisdom they bring. However, this romantic notion of ageing is somewhat tempered by a somewhat bleaker side; that of increased susceptibility to all manner of undesirable conditions and a greater chance of us shuffling [...]
During a food shopping trip this week I became acutely aware that the festive season is upon us. In addition to the glut of Christmas puddings and cheese and port ensembles, my local supermarket has seen an influx of nut selections typical at this time of year. Tasty though they are, nuts tend not to [...]
The distinct downturn in the temperature that comes at this time of year inevitably signals an upsurge in the numbers of individuals going down with a cold. On any given day, nigh on a million people in the UK will be blighted by the common cold, and each of us can expect to endure some [...]
My first flirtation with natural medicine came just a few short weeks before my final medical examinations. Not the most diligent student during my time at college, I was doing some serious burning the midnight oil in an attempt to fill the gaping lacunae in my knowledge. Energy reserves were running low and my 10-mug-a-day [...]
Not many of us will relish the contracted days and long nights the winter months bring. However, for sufferers of seasonal affective disorder (SAD), the darkened skies that accompany this time of year can often be viewed with particular dread. SAD, a depressive condition triggered by low levels of sunlight, is thought to affect more [...]
For as long as I can remember, the apple has enjoyed iconic status as a symbol of healthy eating. Many of us will have grown up familiar with apple’s fabled ability to keep doctors at bay, and believe there is much goodness to be had by sinking our teeth into a Cox’s orange pippin or [...]
One memory I have from childhood is of Mrs Pearl – a formidable playground patroller and dinner lady at the junior school I attended in suburban Essex. Mrs Pearl had a very defined view of how children should behave, right down to their eating habits. One of Mrs Pearl’s preoccupations was to remind us of [...]
For as long as I can remember, a debate has raged over the relative merits of butter and margarine. Food purists contend, as far as flavour is concerned, that butter wins hands down. However, doctors and dieticians have generally been quick to point out that butter is rich in artery-clogging saturated fat, a fact that [...]
Many of us put our trust in the chemical fluoride as safe and effective weapon in the fight against tooth decay. In parts of the UK, water supplies come with fluoride already added, and dentists here have recently called for this practice to be made more widespread. However, the British enthusiasm for fluoride is not [...]
