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Have you heard of Alpha-gal syndrome? It was new for nearly all of us at Red Whale too. Kick off the year with some free CPD as Fi and Nik share what you need to know in this week’s round-up of Red Whale Pearls.

They discuss:

• What Alpha-gal syndrome is and how it affects patients
• The serious consequences of this rare, tick-borne allergy to red meat
• How it manifests as urticaria occurring 2–6 hours after ingesting mammal products
• How repeated exposure can increase sensitivity and risk of anaphylaxis.

And because we love a smile, we’ve included a best intentions story: when two should have been one!

Press play now while you have access to all the free resources!

Alpha-gal  

Patients may need specific dietetic device to support them in this. Anaphylaxis UK has produced a patient information leaflet with more details: 

https://www.anaphylaxis.org.uk/fact-sheet/alpha-gal/ 

UKHSA: Tips and tricks to stay safe from ticks :

https://ukhsa.blog.gov.uk/2014/03/24/tips-and-tricks-to-stay-safe-from-ticks/ 

Video:

https://www.redwhale.co.uk/bytes/did-you-know-alpha-gal-syndrome 

(You'll need to sign in, or sign up to a free Red Whale account to view the video byte above!) 

GP Trainee Essentials support package information, and the Red Whale Calendar

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Sign up to receive Pearls here. Pearls are available for 3 months from publish date. After this, you can get access them plus 100s more articles when you buy a one-day online course from Red Whale OR sign up to Red Whale Unlimited. Find out more here.

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Disclaimer: We make every effort to ensure the information in this podcast is accurate and correct at the date of publication, but it is of necessity of a brief and general nature, and this should not replace your own good clinical judgement, or be regarded as a substitute for taking professional advice in appropriate circumstances. In particular, check drug doses, side-effects and interactions with the British National Formulary. Save insofar as any such liability cannot be excluded at law, we do not accept any liability for loss of any type caused by reliance on the information in this podcast.

Send us a text

Grab your trainers, your dog lead, or even shake your jingle bells, and join us for some free CPD as we have another relaxed round up of recent Red Whale primary care Pearls of wisdom. In the second of two episodes this month, Fi and Nik discuss: 

1. It’s beginning to look a lot like…flu season. There’s been a LOT of media coverage on seasonal influenza over the past few weeks. But aside from flu jabs, are you confident in where we would use antivirals? We look at the criteria for giving antivirals: for treatment, for prophylaxis, and the evidence behind it.
2. “I would like a blood test to check I am well…” What do you do with this request? We share a handy framework to help, and think about how ‘just ticking a box’ could cause a lot of work down the line!

Listen as soon as you can to ensure you have full access to all the free resources. 

Useful Links

UKHSA guideline (2025): treatment and prophylaxis of influenza

GP Trainee Essentials support package information, and the Red Whale Calendar

Send us your feedback [email protected] or send a voice message

Sign up to receive Pearls here. Pearls are available for 3 months from publish date. After this, you can get access them plus 100s more articles when you buy a one-day online course from Red Whale OR sign up to Red Whale Unlimited. Find out more here.

Follow us: X, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn

Disclaimer: We make every effort to ensure the information in this podcast is accurate and correct at the date of publication, but it is of necessity of a brief and general nature, and this should not replace your own good clinical judgement, or be regarded as a substitute for taking professional advice in appropriate circumstances. In particular, check drug doses, side-effects and interactions with the British National Formulary. Save insofar as any such liability cannot be excluded at law, we do not accept any liability for loss of any type caused by reliance on the information in this podcast.

Send us a text

Grab your trainers, your dog lead, or even shake your jingle bells, and join us for some free CPD as we have another relaxed round up of recent Red Whale primary care Pearls of wisdom.  In the first of two episodes this month, Fi and Nik discuss : 

1. Spotting adrenal crisis. Adrenal insufficiency and Addison’s disease can be easy to miss. We've recently updated our article on this, so we thought we’d share it as a Pearl, distilling the 2024 NICE guidance for you.
2. Recurrent bacterial vaginosis: time to consider partner treatment? Bacterial vaginosis is the commonest cause of pathological vaginal discharge in women of reproductive age. But it’s not an easy diagnosis for us to confirm – although we can suspect it clinically and manage empirically.  We’ll give you a refresher on BV infection and diagnosis in primary care and then think about managing recurrent BV, where there’s a new development.

Listen as soon as you can to ensure you have full access to all the free resources. 

Further Pearls from November will be covered next time.

Useful Links

Adrenal insufficiency and Addison’s disease

For professionals:

1. The Society of Endocrinology – adrenal crisis

For patients:

1. Addison’s Disease Self-help Group (include sections on emergency kits and sick day rules; there doesn’t appear to be a patient group for other forms of adrenal insufficiency)

GP Trainee Essentials support package information, and the Red Whale Calendar

Send us your feedback [email protected] or send a voice message

Sign up to receive Pearls here. Pearls are available for 3 months from publish date. After this, you can get access them plus 100s more articles when you buy a one-day online course from Red Whale OR sign up to Red Whale Unlimited. Find out more here.

Follow us: X, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn

Disclaimer: We make every effort to ensure the information in this podcast is accurate and correct at the date of publication, but it is of necessity of a brief and general nature, and this should not replace your own good clinical judgement, or be regarded as a substitute for taking professional advice in appropriate circumstances. In particular, check drug doses, side-effects and interactions with the British National Formulary. Save insofar as any such liability cannot be excluded at law, we do not accept any liability for loss of any type caused by reliance on the information in this podcast.

Send us a text

Grab your trainers, your dog lead, or your drink of choice and join us for some free CPD as we have another relaxed round up of recent Red Whale primary care Pearls of wisdom. In the second of two episodes this month, Fi and Nik discuss: 

• Genital warts: spotting, treating and referring. Are you confident to diagnose? Do you know what additional screening should be offered? Are you comfortable with what can be managed in primary care and what should be referred?
• Addictive behaviours. The word ‘addiction’ conjures specific images for each of us. Perhaps it is a person struggling to stop smoking, or a person who uses IV drugs? Or perhaps it is a behaviour more ‘normalised’ and ubiquitous in our society – alcohol or social media use? All can impact health. We share our article on addictive behaviours, and consider: 
  • The difference between addiction and impulse control. 
  • How we can identify addictive behaviour. 
  • Factors that make individuals more susceptible. 

Listen as soon as you can to ensure you have full access to all the free resources. 

Links:

Genital warts

BASHH - genital warts

Red Whale byte: HPV and genital warts 

Problematic social media use or addiction?

UK Rehab – social media addiction (includes a free 24/7 helpline)

Boggled Docs episode covering "The Social Dilemma" on Netflix 

GP Trainee Essentials support package information, and the Red Whale Calendar

Send us your feedback [email protected] or send a voice message

Sign up to receive Pearls here. Pearls are available for 3 months from publish date. After this, you can get access them plus 100s more articles when you buy a one-day online course from Red Whale OR sign up to Red Whale Unlimited. Find out more here.

Follow us: X, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn

Disclaimer: We make every effort to ensure the information in this podcast is accurate and correct at the date of publication, but it is of necessity of a brief and general nature, and this should not replace your own good clinical judgement, or be regarded as a substitute for taking professional advice in appropriate circumstances. In particular, check drug doses, side-effects and interactions with the British National Formulary. Save insofar as any such liability cannot be excluded at law, we do not accept any liability for loss of any type caused by reliance on the information in this podcast.

Send us a text

Grab your trainers, your dog lead, or your drink of choice and join us for some free CPD as we have another relaxed round up of recent Red Whale primary care Pearls of wisdom.  In the first of two episodes this month, Fi and Nik have special guest Lucy Cox, the Red Whale women’s health course lead to discuss : 

• Managing menopause after breast cancer. A diagnosis of breast cancer is life-changing at any age. Women in this situation will commonly seek our advice and we really want to help them at this vulnerable time, but for pre- and perimenopausal women conflicting media coverage over the safety of different menopause treatment options after breast cancer have created a recipe for confusion and frustration for patients and clinicians alike... 
• We'll also briefly cover ultra-processed food. Joe Wicks’ recent documentary ‘Licensed to Kill’ has brought this topic back into the spotlight. While the scare-tactic language in the title and promo are perhaps not the best way to support people to make sustained change, the programme contained some important points and may well result in questions coming primary care’s way. We have an exclusive clip of Nik talking to Hussain all about this on Boggled Docs.  

Listen as soon as you can to ensure you have full access to all the free resources. 

Further Pearls from October will be covered next time.

Links:

Boggled Docs: Ultra-processed food: licensed to kill?

GP Trainee Essentials support package information, and the Red Whale Calendar

Send us your feedback [email protected] or send a voice message

Sign up to receive Pearls here. Pearls are available for 3 months from publish date. After this, you can get access them plus 100s more articles when you buy a one-day online course from Red Whale OR sign up to Red Whale Unlimited. Find out more here.

Follow us: X, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn

Disclaimer: We make every effort to ensure the information in this podcast is accurate and correct at the date of publication, but it is of necessity of a brief and general nature, and this should not replace your own good clinical judgement, or be regarded as a substitute for taking professional advice in appropriate circumstances. In particular, check drug doses, side-effects and interactions with the British National Formulary. Save insofar as any such liability cannot be excluded at law, we do not accept any liability for loss of any type caused by reliance on the information in this podcast.

Send us a text

Grab your trainers, your dog lead, and perhaps a pumpkin spice latte, and join us for some free CPD as we have another relaxed round up of recent Red Whale primary care Pearls of wisdom.  In the second of two episodes this month, Ali and Nik discuss: 

• The NEW cervical screening intervals that apply in England from 1 July 2025: moving to a 5-yearly screening interval for all women and people with a cervix aged 25–64y who have tested negative for HPV and have no other risk factors (those living with HIV will be offered an annual screen). 
• Varicella vaccination- this will finally be rolled out as part of the UK childhood vaccination schedule from 1 January 2026 – this is good news. What you might have missed is that guidance on post-exposure prophylaxis from the UKHSA has changed…wait for it…3 times in the past 2 years! We share our article on varicella and provide everything you need to know to decide whether post-exposure prophylaxis is needed. 

Listen as soon as you can to ensure you have full access to all the free resources. 

Cervical cancer screening

Cancer Research UK - cervical cancer screening (more information about HPV triage and what the results mean)

LGBT Health - smear leaflet (specific information leaflet for lesbian and bisexual women)

OUTpatients – cancer risk and screening

OUTpatients – trans clinics offering cervical screening

Varicella 

UKHSA guidance on post exposure prophylaxis for chickenpox and shingles

GP Trainee Essentials support package information, and the Red Whale Calendar

Send us your feedback [email protected] or send a voice message

Sign up to receive Pearls here. Pearls are available for 3 months from publish date. After this, you can get access them plus 100s more articles when you buy a one-day online course from Red Whale OR sign up to Red Whale Unlimited. Find out more here.

Follow us: X, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn

Disclaimer: We make every effort to ensure the information in this podcast is accurate and correct at the date of publication, but it is of necessity of a brief and general nature, and this should not replace your own good clinical judgement, or be regarded as a substitute for taking professional advice in appropriate circumstances. In particular, check drug doses, side-effects and interactions with the British National Formulary. Save insofar as any such liability cannot be excluded at law, we do not accept any liability for loss of any type caused by reliance on the information in this podcast.

Send us a text

Grab your trainers, your dog lead, and enjoy the crunchy leaves under your feet as you savour your drink of choice and join us for some free CPD as we have another relaxed round up of recent Red Whale primary care Pearls of wisdom.  In the first of two episodes this month, Ali and Nik discuss: 

• Asthma: the autumn spike. The Primary Care Respiratory Society has drawn our attention to this. It refers to the significant increase in asthma admissions that occurs each autumn in the UK, particularly impacting children and young people. We can help prevent this by ensuring every person living with asthma has a personalised asthma action plan, appropriate prevention treatment, annual review AND review after every exacerbation.  

Listen as soon as you can to ensure you have full access to all the free resources. 

The rest of the Pearls from September will be covered next time.

Useful links:

Asthma and Lung UK - resources for healthcare professionals (includes great PAAPs for adults and children for MART, AIR and conventional asthma regimens; they can be downloaded for free or you can order free print versions)

GP Trainee Essentials support package information, and the Red Whale Calendar

Send us your feedback [email protected] or send a voice message

Sign up to receive Pearls here. Pearls are available for 3 months from publish date. After this, you can get access them plus 100s more articles when you buy a one-day online course from Red Whale OR sign up to Red Whale Unlimited. Find out more here.

Follow us: X, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn

Disclaimer: We make every effort to ensure the information in this podcast is accurate and correct at the date of publication, but it is of necessity of a brief and general nature, and this should not replace your own good clinical judgement, or be regarded as a substitute for taking professional advice in appropriate circumstances. In particular, check drug doses, side-effects and interactions with the British National Formulary. Save insofar as any such liability cannot be excluded at law, we do not accept any liability for loss of any type caused by reliance on the information in this podcast.

Send us a text

Grab your trainers, your dog lead, or your drink of choice and join us for some free CPD as we have another relaxed round up of recent Red Whale primary care Pearls of wisdom.  In the second of two episodes this month, Ali and Nik discuss: 

• Obesity and weight management in pregnancy. NICE produced updated guidance on nutrition and weight management in pregnancy earlier this year. Special guest Hussain Al-Zubaidi, joins us to discuss it all…
• CBT for menopausal symptoms: hero, villain or just difficult to access? We take a look at the evidence for and potential benefits of CBT for menopause symptoms, and consider access issues- you can make up your own mind!

Listen as soon as you can to ensure you have full access to all the free resources. 

And we have a  best intentions story to put a smile on your face…

Obesity and weight management in pregnancy

Active Pregnancy Foundation

British Dietetic Association – pregnancy and diet

Specialist Pharmacy Service: UK Drugs in Lactation Advisory Service – safety in breastfeeding.

Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) for menopausal symptoms 

Women’s Health Concern (WHC 2023, Cognitive Behaviour Therapy  (CBT) for Menopausal Symptoms),

NHS Inform – sleep problems and insomnia self-help guide

Mind - how to cope with sleep problems

Centr

GP Trainee Essentials support package information, and the Red Whale Calendar

Send us your feedback [email protected] or send a voice message

Sign up to receive Pearls here. Pearls are available for 3 months from publish date. After this, you can get access them plus 100s more articles when you buy a one-day online course from Red Whale OR sign up to Red Whale Unlimited. Find out more here.

Follow us: X, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn

Disclaimer: We make every effort to ensure the information in this podcast is accurate and correct at the date of publication, but it is of necessity of a brief and general nature, and this should not replace your own good clinical judgement, or be regarded as a substitute for taking professional advice in appropriate circumstances. In particular, check drug doses, side-effects and interactions with the British National Formulary. Save insofar as any such liability cannot be excluded at law, we do not accept any liability for loss of any type caused by reliance on the information in this podcast.

Send us a text

Grab your trainers, your dog lead, a cozy jumper, or your drink of choice and join us for some free CPD as we have another relaxed round up of recent Red Whale primary care Pearls of wisdom.  In the first of two episodes this month, Ali and Nik discuss: 

• Gonorrhoea: prevention through vaccination. The UK ‘gonorrhoea vaccine’ recently became widely available through sexual health services. We’re here to help with any consultations you may have on this.
• Emotionally-based school avoidance. We share our article on this so that we are prepared with key information if questions come our way. 

Listen as soon as you can to ensure you have full access to all the free resources. 

The rest of the Pearls from August will be covered next week.

Emotionally-based school avoidance (EBSA)

https://notfineinschool.co.uk/home 

GP Trainee Essentials support package information, and the Red Whale Calendar

Send us your feedback [email protected] or send a voice message

Sign up to receive Pearls here. Pearls are available for 3 months from publish date. After this, you can get access them plus 100s more articles when you buy a one-day online course from Red Whale OR sign up to Red Whale Unlimited. Find out more here.

Follow us: X, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn

Disclaimer: We make every effort to ensure the information in this podcast is accurate and correct at the date of publication, but it is of necessity of a brief and general nature, and this should not replace your own good clinical judgement, or be regarded as a substitute for taking professional advice in appropriate circumstances. In particular, check drug doses, side-effects and interactions with the British National Formulary. Save insofar as any such liability cannot be excluded at law, we do not accept any liability for loss of any type caused by reliance on the information in this podcast.

Send us a text

Grab your trainers, your dog lead, or your drink of choice-with ice- and join us for some free CPD as we have another relaxed round up of recent Red Whale primary care Pearls of wisdom.  In the second of two episodes this month, Fi and Nik discuss: 

• Hyperhidrosis- a year-round challenge for those who are affected. It significantly impacts quality of life, relationships and work. Hyperhidrosis is thought to be under-reported, possibly because people feel embarrassed. So, how should we approach the consultation if people do rais concerns?
• Hepatitis C: curable in more than 95% of affected individuals. It’s recently been the WHO World Hepatitis Day, so what better time to re-share our article on Hepatitis C? It has been a popular and impactful topic over the past 18 months on our update courses.

Listen as soon as you can to ensure you have full access to all the free resources. 

And hands up if you want to hear this month’s best intentions story… an axillary anecdote…

Hepatitis C 

HEP Drug Interactions (interaction checker for DAAs) 

If you’re interested in becoming a GP champion for Hep C, email 

[email protected] or [email protected] 

Videos   

(You'll need to sign in, or sign up to a free Red Whale account to view the video byte above!)   

https://www.redwhale.co.uk/bytes/hepatitis-c 

GP Trainee Essentials support package information, and the Red Whale Calendar

Send us your feedback [email protected] or send a voice message

Sign up to receive Pearls here. Pearls are available for 3 months from publish date. After this, you can get access them plus 100s more articles when you buy a one-day online course from Red Whale OR sign up to Red Whale Unlimited. Find out more here.

Follow us: X, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn

Disclaimer: We make every effort to ensure the information in this podcast is accurate and correct at the date of publication, but it is of necessity of a brief and general nature, and this should not replace your own good clinical judgement, or be regarded as a substitute for taking professional advice in appropriate circumstances. In particular, check drug doses, side-effects and interactions with the British National Formulary. Save insofar as any such liability cannot be excluded at law, we do not accept any liability for loss of any type caused by reliance on the information in this podcast.