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.
Today’s big health story is the National Institute of Clinical Excellence’s (NICE) final decision to restrict the prescribing of drugs for Alzheimer’s disease. Basically, NICE has said that there’s not enough evidence of cost-effectiveness to support the use of such drugs in individuals in the early stages of this condition. Patient groups, including the Alzheimer’s [...]
As the cold season is upon us, and bird flu neurosis reaches fever pitch, there is a good chance increasing numbers of us will be looking at ways of protecting ourselves from viral invasion. One commonly used natural remedy for the prevention and treatment of the viral infections such as cold and flu is the [...]
In a previous column I highlighted the unhappy association between antidepressant use and heightened risk of suicidal behaviour in children and adolescents. Evidence has just come to light which suggests that this link may not be confined to the young. Research published recently in the British Medical Journal shows that the taking of selective serotonin [...]
For the last few decades, cancer rates in the UK have seen a sharp rise, and it is predicted that by the year 2020, one in two of us will be affected by this condition at some point in our lives. One theory about what might be fuelling these scary statistics is that we are [...]
Back in September, the drug company Merck pulled its painkiller Vioxx (rofecoxib) from the market after research revealed it more than doubled risk of heart attack. However, what at first appeared to be a big pharma acting with a degree of corporate responsibility turned sour when evidence came to light which suggests that Merck was [...]
The distinct chill we’ve had in the air of late will inevitably herald the usual seasonal influx of cold and flu. Lest we forget that such wintry infections are on their way, the Government recently launched a high profile media campaign urging those at high risk of flu to get vaccinated against it. However, the [...]
My experience in practice tells me that sometimes it’s not only the symptoms of a condition, but also the stigma attached to it, that can pile on the agony. One issue that I find is particularly prone to elicit some sense of shame is alcoholism. Recently, I read an American report about a range of [...]
This is the time of year when our kiddies go back to school, an event which runs the risk that they may come home with unwanted guests in the form of head lice. Conventional treatment for these little critters are based on chemicals such as lindane, malathion and permethrin. Unfortunately, studies have found that head [...]
It’s funny what sticks in your mind sometimes. While a lot of what I learned a medical school has long evaporated from my grey matter, I do remember the dictum often trotted out by my teachers that gallstone sufferers are typically female, forty and fat. The knowledge that gallstones are more common in those carrying [...]
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 [...]
