Blood tests and blood results dominate a GP’s day but why do we do them and what do they mean?
In this episode I rapidly cover the rationale behind some of the more common blood tests, what they mean and why we do them in the first place.
Links:
Further details on blood tests can be found here starting with the full blood count: https://labtestsonline.org.uk/tests/full-blood-count-fbc
Vitamin D deficiency: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ph56
B12 deficiency: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/vitamin-b12-deficiency-symptoms
Medics guide to abnormal liver function tests:: https://www.bsg.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Guidelines-on-the-management-of-abnormal-liver-blood-tests.pdf 

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Blood tests

Dr Ayan Panja has been putting health into context as a doctor for over 25 years. He shares his expert generalist perspective on important themes around health &amp; wellbeing, pondering what impacts our health journeys, societal attitudes and meaning in our lives. SAVING LIVES IN SLOW MOTION is a bite-sized, enriching and mind-expanding podcast. Powerful messages, science, medicine and storytelling with a professional but informal tone. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Medicine

Science & Medicine

Health & Fitness

Mental Health

This is a super hot topic in health care in some parts of the world at the moment. In this episode I look at how these drugs work and the pros and cons of taking them for weight loss purposes. 
Obesity, in some instances, is in essence a form of ‘malnutrition’ because of the nature of food consumed and how rates have increased rapidly over the last 40 years. 
Body Mass Index definition: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/health-21264134
Heart disease risk reduced by weight loss jab: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cd188m73vn1o
Ultra processed food and your brain:  https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/articles/junk_food_brain
Supersize Me: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Size_Me
Obesity health risks: https://www.healthline.com/health/obesity/how-obesity-affects-body
The genetics of obesity: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41576-021-00414-z
The story behind semaglutide: https://www.vox.com/22553793/gila-monster-lizard-venom-inspired-obesity-drug-semaglutide
Weight loss stats on semaglutide: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9486455/
Semaglutide can stop working and even if it works it may need to be taken forever:  https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/why-weight-loss-drugs-stop-working-how-to-break-past-ozempic-plateau#Hitting-a-weight-loss-plateau-after-a-year

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Weight loss drugs - are the new blockbuster medicines really a solution for obesity?

CGM has changed lives for the better people with Type 1 Diabetes but nowadays people without diabetes use it as a tool. In this episode I look at the pros and cons of CGM and how it can be used as a lens into our general health and how it is linked to our gut microbiome amongst many other systems.

 Links:

 CGM early days review: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4717493/
Prof Partha Kar: https://gettingitrightfirsttime.co.uk/girft-diabetes-lead-awarded-obe-in-new-year-honours/
Red meat and gut bacteria: https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/gut-microbes-affect-harmful-compound-red-meat#
Akkermansia Muciniphilia: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8726741/
Gut bugs and metabolic disease: https://joe.bioscientifica.com/view/journals/joe/248/2/JOE-20-0473.xml#
Alcohol and blood glucose: https://blog.supersapiens.com/3-ways-alcohol-affects-your-glucose-levels/
Exercise and blood sugar: https://www.sugarfit.com/blog/workout-spikes-exercise-induced-gluconeogenesis/
Glucose spikes - the dangers?: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7530333/#:
The view of Harvard on CGM without diabetes:https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/is-blood-sugar-monitoring-without-diabetes-worthwhile-202106112473
Walking after meals: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/walking-after-eating
Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs): https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10401445/#
THE HEALTH FIX - the ultimate health manual tailored to you: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Health-Fix-Dr-Ayan-Panja/dp/1914239326/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid;=&sr;=
25wktvbz Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Continuous Glucose Monitoring: life saver or wellbeing fad?

In this episode I look at smart phones. They have changed the way we live beyond imagination  but are they doing us any harm in terms of the way we think and behave?
Links:
Life before smartphones: https://medium.com/be-unique/before-smartphones-were-a-thing-87208717b8d7
Teenage brain: https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/teen/Pages/Whats-Going-On-in-the-Teenage-Brain.aspx
Teenagers and smart phones: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/are-smartphones-really-destroying-the-lives-of-teenagers/
Alpha brain waves: https://www.healthline.com/health/alpha-brain-waves#bottom-line
Multitasking and switching focus: https://neuroscience.stanford.edu/news/why-multitasking-does-more-harm-good
Phones and attention: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-36256-4#
Alpha waves: https://www.healthline.com/health/alpha-brain-waves
Dopamine fasting: https://www.sciencefocus.com/science/dopamine-fasting-smartphone-addiction Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Smart phones - the hidden addiction that affects us all

Addictions can ruin lives but why do they occur in the first place and what can we do to acknowledge them better?
In this episode Iook at why they can be so hard to conquer and touch on different aspects of addiction.

 Links: 
How the addicted brain works: https://www.yalemedicine.org/news/how-an-addicted-brain-works
Sugar - why most of us could easily have a sweet tooth: https://theconversation.com/a-taste-for-sweet-an-anthropologist-explains-the-evolutionary-origins-of-why-youre-programmed-to-love-sugar-173197
Addiction and childhood: https://www.jkacap.org/journal/view.html?doi=10.5765/jkacap.2017.28.1.4#
Heroin detox in Thailand: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-berkshire-13674101

 Dr Gabor Maté on trauma: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2023/apr/12/the-trauma-doctor-gabor-mate-on-happiness-hope-and-how-to-heal-our-deepest-wounds

 Gambling addiction: https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/addiction-support/gambling-addiction/

 A personal story: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/dec/30/studied-neuroscience-understand-addictions-not-cure Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Addiction

Becoming a parent is a gift but it has its challenges. In this episode I look at some factors to be mindful of including the difference between the child and adult brain plus micro tips to help navigate your way through the maze of parenthood. 
Links: 
Parenting styles: https://www.parents.com/parenting/better-parenting/style/parenting-styles-explained/
Brain development in children: https://www.luriechildrens.org/en/blog/early-childhood-brain-development-and-health/
Parenting styles and psychological complaints: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4873100/

 Hoffman Process for understanding how early life connects to your adult behaviours: https://www.hoffmaninstitute.co.uk/about-the-process/
Unconditional love: https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/peaceful-parents-happy-kids/201504/how-give-unconditional-love-your-child-and-yourself?amp
Steve Biddulph’s advice: https://www.toorakcollege.vic.edu.au/blog/steve-biddulph-key-takeaways

 The Health Fix: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Health-Fix-Dr-Ayan-Panja/dp/1914239326/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid;=&sr;= Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Blood tests

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