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In this episode of A Doctor’s View, Dr. Polyvios sits down with Viktor from Tough Muscles to explore how calisthenics — simple bodyweight strength training — can transform not just your physical health but your mental well-being too. From boosting focus during stressful exam periods to finding calm after intense hospital shifts, discover why moving your own body through space can be the most empowering workout of all. Whether you’re a seasoned athlete or a complete beginner, this conversation offers practical tips and real-life insights on building strength, resilience, and mental clarity through calisthenics.

Tough Muscles Website. Click here: https://toughmuscles.co.uk/

Instagram: @Tough_Muscles

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Have you ever wondered why you struggle to decide what to have for dinner after a long day at work? That mental exhaustion has a name—decision fatigue—and it affects everyone, but takes a particularly heavy toll on healthcare professionals.

Decision fatigue refers to the deteriorating quality of our choices after prolonged periods of decision-making. While it might sound like an academic concept, its effects are profoundly practical and widespread. For doctors and nurses, decision fatigue isn't just an inconvenience; it's a daily challenge that can affect patient care and personal wellbeing.

Throughout a typical hospital shift, healthcare workers make hundreds of micro-decisions. When a nurse reports a patient's overnight blood pressure drop, this triggers a cascade of mental questions about causation and treatment options. Even seemingly simple requests like prescribing pain relief require careful consideration of drug interactions, patient history, and potential side effects. These continuous small decisions gradually erode mental reserves, leading to compromised judgment as the day progresses.

Compounding this challenge is what I call "noise fatigue"—the mental drain caused by constant exposure to beeping monitors, alarms, phones, and the general cacophony of busy wards. This sensory overload further taxes already strained cognitive resources. It explains why many hospital staff eat lunch in silence or why closing your front door at home becomes the most cherished moment of the day—finally experiencing silence and freedom from the pressure of constant decision-making.

Understanding these psychological phenomena helps explain seemingly irrational behaviours and underscores the importance of creating systems that minimise unnecessary decisions. While recognising decision fatigue doesn't excuse poor choices, it helps us develop strategies to preserve mental energy for critical decisions and create environments that support rather than deplete our cognitive resources.

Next time you feel inexplicably exhausted, consider how many decisions you've made recently and perhaps give yourself the gift of silence. Your brain will thank you.

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Ready to debunk the myths, lies, and half-truths about obesity and healthy living? Listening to this episode will challenge the 'health at any size' idea that obesity and health can coexist. I dive into a dissection of the 'obesity paradox' and 'fat but fit' - a term that has been doing rounds on social media and even within medical circles. The episode looks at the World Health Organisation's definition of health and discusses a study that proves that metabolically healthy obese people are at a higher risk of coronary heart disease than their normal weight, metabolically healthy counterparts. 

I don't stop at challenging the 'obesity paradox'; we also take a hard look at the controversies around obesity and health, explaining why being 'metabolically healthy' doesn't necessarily mean you're healthy if you're obese. I bring to light the risks of obesity, including complications during pregnancy and other health issues, often ignored in popular discussions, including the impact of obesity on fertility. 

This episode also talks about the dangers of taking everything you see online at face value and dispel some of the myths about caloric intake and the role the laws of thermodynamics has in weight gain and loss.

Thank you for listening!
email: [email protected]
instagram: @adoctorsview
twitter: @DrPolyvios

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Ever felt the weight of perfectionism bearing down on you, be it personal or professional? Join me, Dr. Polyvios, as I engage in a profound discussion with Dr. Samantha Anthony about perfectionism and the corresponding burnout it can provoke, particularly in the healthcare field. With a personal touch, Dr. Anthony uncovers her own struggles with perfectionism, highlighting the often-overlooked traits such as persistent guilt, fear of criticism, and a compulsive need for excessive preparation. From this enlightening exchange, you'll discover how accepting our limitations and recognizing the elusive nature of perfect outcomes can moderate perfectionism and kindle productivity.

Steering the conversation towards the darker side of perfectionism, we expose the specter of unrealistic expectations and the storm of guilt and fear it can stir. Unpacking the importance of downtime, we spotlight how career interruptions are not just breaks but opportunities for personal growth and development. Drawing inspiration from nations like Australia that have mandated time off, we dig into how such strategies can ward off burnout. Listen and gather valuable insights on the significance of reliable support for those who step back from work to reclaim their wellbeing.

Wrapping up our discussion, we consider the broad-ranging impact of perfectionism across various professions, acknowledging its role in fuelling creativity yet also recognizing its potential to lead to burnout. Our dialogue circles around the stress perfectionism can engender in the workplace and the strategies to support those wrestling with its weight. We stress the importance of open communication in recognizing burnout signs and promoting a safe space for these crucial conversations. Listen in to gain actionable ideas on balancing perfectionism with creativity, navigating career decisions in medicine, and supporting mental health in the workplace.

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Permitted to Pause:
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Doctors in Distress:
Website: www.doctors-in-distress.org.uk
Instagram: @docs_in_distress

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email: [email protected]
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In this episode I revisit the topic of acne and relive the experience of taking Roaccutane (Isotretinoin). I discuss some myths around acne and the various treatment options.

Video Podcast:
https://youtu.be/1Xe20F_fK14

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email: [email protected]
instagram: @adoctorsview
twitter: @DrPolyvios

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This episode focuses on an important topic that is becoming more and more prevalent.

An eating disorder such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia is a severe psychological eating disorder where an individual restricts their food intake to lose weight or avoid weight gain.

Recorded at The London Centre for Eating Disorders and Body Image, I’m joined by Dr Bryony Bamford, Founder and Director and Consultant Clinical Psychologist and Christina de Beukelaar, The London Centre’s Lead Dietitian.

We discuss a number of questions that surround eating disorders and the role of a clinical psychologist and dietician when treating such a difficult and debilitating illness. These include:

•  Why eating disorders are so hard to treat.
• The common personality traits seen in eating disorders.
• Other specified feeding or eating disorder (OSFED).
• The role a dietitian plays in treating eating disorders, a psychological illness.
• What is refeeding syndrome and why is this such an important risk in eating disorder patients?
• What an initial consultation and process with a patient looks like.
• How treatment plans vary for different eating disorders and different ways of controlling weight such as laxatives, purging and over-exercises.
• Treating eating disorders with patients who have strict vegan diets.
• Thoughts on showing calories on restaurant menus.
• How the pandemic impacted the number suffering with eating disorders.
• How social media is contributing to the rise in eating disorders.
• Advice for parents or people coming to terms with an eating disorder.
• How to seek help.

Bios:

Dr Bryony Bamford

Dr Bryony Bamford is a specialist eating disorder psychologist treating children adolescents and adults with eating disorders, eating problems and low body esteem. She has been treating eating disorders throughout her 20-year career. She has worked with individuals with eating disorders across a number of different treatment settings, inpatient and outpatient, and within the NHS and privately.

Early on in her career Dr Bamford worked in international research, developing psychological treatments for severe and enduring anorexia. In 2013 Dr Bamford founded The London Centre for Eating Disorders and Body Image. 

Christina de Beukelaar

Christina de Beukelaar is a specialist dietitian and has over 15 years clinical experience, her expertise spans all areas of Dietetics and Nutrition, specialising specifically in eating disorders. 

Christina’s practical and person-centred approach allows individuals to establish long term lifestyle changes. 

She works directly with clients and additionally provides education and training for their family members around food and meal times.

Useful Links:

• The London Centre
• NHS 
• BEAT Eating Disorders
• Other specified feeding or eating disorder (OSFED) information

Thank you for listening!
email: [email protected]
instagram: @adoctorsview
twitter: @DrPolyvios

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A look at how perfectionism can be a destructive personality trait and why it can leave me feeling superficial and  guilty when working as a doctor. I discuss the difficult scenarios medics are often exposed to and how as healthcare professionals we become 'numb' to the emotion that should follow the horrific scenes we see everyday.

I also discuss the recent NHS nurses strike in England and provide an insight into the reasons why they have made the decision to go on strike.

Article referenced: “The Downsides of Perfection” BBC article by Amanda Ruggeri

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**CONTAINS SPOILERS** In this episode I give my thoughts on the recent TV series based on the book "This is Going to Hurt" by Dr Adam Kay. In my opinion it was a masterpiece and will change the public perception of what a doctor does and has to go through.

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In this episode we look at studying medicine at an international university vs a traditional medical school. I'm joined by Dr Josh Ramjist a graduate from St. George's University School of Medicine in Grenada  to talk about these differences as well as offer advice to those looking to study or practice medicine abroad.   

We discuss: 

• Entry criteria. 
• Length of course. 
• Tuition fees. 
• Qualification at the end.   

Working in the US 

• Career path. 
• Specialising. 
• Patient journey in US. 
• Cost of treatment?. 
• What happens if you don’t have insurance?   

As well as comparing and contrasting Josh's experience training and working in different countries and the advice he has for prospective medical students.

Thank you for listening!
email: [email protected]
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twitter: @DrPolyvios

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For this episode we are joined by a medical colleague in the USA. Dr Philip Ovadia is a board-certified Cardiac Surgeon and founder of Ovadia Heart Health. Once a morbidly obese heart surgeon, struggling to lose weight Dr Ovadia learnt about the importance of metabolic health. This helped him lose over 100 pounds.

Dr Ovadia has since been determined to help patients improve their metabolic health and ultimately teach them new habits which could save their lives.
He has written a book about my metabolic health methods called Stay off My Operating Table: A Heart Surgeon’s Metabolic Health Guide to Lose Weight, Prevent Disease, and Feel Your Best Every Day. Stay Off My Operating Table shares the truth about metabolic health so people struggling with chronic disease, heart problems, and obesity can finally discover what’s been holding them back and keeping them sick.

Together we discuss:

• What is metabolic health and why it is so important.
• Markers for metabolic health.
• Cholesterol (LDL/HDL) and its relevance to diet.
• The principles of metabolic health outside of diet.
• How improving your metabolic health can help you not only lose weight but improve your health.
• And much more...

Dr Ovadia's website: ovadiahearthealth.com

Stay Off My Operating Table (Book by Dr Ovadia):
USA
UK

Stay Off My Operating Table (Apple Podcasts):
Click Here

Thank you for listening!
email: [email protected]
instagram: @adoctorsview
twitter: @DrPolyvios