The NHS is a jewel in the crown of British culture offering free healthcare for all at times of need. But it has come under stress in recent years. In this episode I take a look back at what the NHS has achieved and why it is so important.

The birth and history of the NHS: https://www.nuffieldtrust.org.uk/health-and-social-care-explained/the-history-of-the-nhs

Continuity of care: https://www.bmj.com/content/375/bmj.n2468#:~:text=A%20new%20research%20paper%20tells,a%20reduced%20risk%20of%20death.

The cost of hospital care (bills): https://www.buzzfeed.com/daniellaemanuel/expensive-medical-bills-america

NHS staff sickness: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/jun/29/nhs-staff-sickness-rate-england-record-high

NHS in charts and infograms: https://www.health.org.uk/news-and-comment/charts-and-infographics

Professor Stephen Hawking on the NHS:

https://www.facebook.com/RoyalSocietyofMedicine/videos/10154984279978693

New NHS roles in the community: https://www.england.nhs.uk/gp/expanding-our-workforce/

The future of the NHS?:

https://www.nhsconfed.org/publications/renewed-vision-nhs

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Midlife can be a hard time of life to navigate, but why is that the case?

When we are younger and trying to establish ourselves we look forward to midlife but when we get there it can feel uncomfortable.

I explore why this is the case and what we can do about it

Links:

The midlife crisis: https://www.forbes.com/health/mind/midlife-crisis/

Another take: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2022/09/14/truth-midlife-crises-painful-many-confront/

The happiness curve and the midlife dip: https://www.inc.com/magazine/202303/ali-donaldson/need-some-help-heres-how-to-hire-a-remote-assistant.html

Change during midlife: https://hbr.org/2008/02/the-existential-necessity-of-midlife-change

Emotional healing: https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/rethinking-mental-health/201309/10-tips-emotional-healing

U3A: https://www.u3a.org.uk/

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Medical ethics is involved in every aspect of healthcare yet it is invisible.

In this episode I look at why it is important and some of the nuances that make it a hard topic to grapple with.

Links:

Ethical principles via the Clinical Ethics Network: http://www.ukcen.net/ethical_issues/ethical_frameworks/the_four_principles_of_biomedical_ethics

The story of baby Charlie Gard: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-40554462

Ethical guidance for doctors: https://www.bmj.com/careers/article/ethical-guidance-for-doctors

Private medicine: https://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/health-specials/private-healthcare-must-fuse-ethics-with-efficiency-8052382/

Duty of candour: https://www.gmc-uk.org/ethical-guidance/ethical-guidance-for-doctors/candour---openness-and-honesty-when-things-go-wrong/the-professional-duty-of-candour

Another recent example of medical ethics in the press: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jun/12/woman-in-uk-jailed-for-28-months-over-taking-abortion-pills-after-legal-time-limit

Rationing in healthcare: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41581-021-00404-8

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In this episode I look at the concept of intelligence, what it means and whether it even matters on a practical level. What are the different types, how is it measured and are there ways that we improve our IQ? 

IQ testing - a discussion: https://theconversation.com/the-iq-test-wars-why-screening-for-intelligence-is-still-so-controversial-81428

Howard Gardner’s work: https://pz.harvard.edu/resources/frames-of-mind-the-theory-of-multiple-intelligences

Virginia sterilisation act 1924 based on a flawed eugenics theory: http://www2.vcdh.virginia.edu/lewisandclark/students/projects/monacans/Contemporary_Monacans/racial.html

Jason Arday: https://www.theguardian.com/education/2023/feb/23/jason-arday-to-become-youngest-ever-black-professor-at-cambridge

Young chess grandmasters: https://khelnow.com/olympics/2023-02-top-five-youngest-grandmasters-in-chess-history#

Multitasking and it’s harms: https://www.lifespan.org/lifespan-living/multitasking-and-how-it-affects-your-brain-health

The cleverest man to have ever lived? William Sidis: https://interestingengineering.com/culture/william-james-sidis

Improving intelligence: https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/you-can-increase-your-intelligence-5-ways-to-maximize-your-cognitive-potential/

Mensa (high IQ society): https://mensa.org.uk/

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In this episode I look at the effects of the pandemic which still linger. How has it affected us and our health and outlook? 

It’s been over 3 years since COVID-19 enveloped the planet and there have been myriad effects on people which have affected us in overt and subtle ways.

Big picture effects of the pandemic:

https://www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/publications/covid-decade-understanding-the-long-term-societal-impacts-of-covid-19/

The COSMO study: 

https://www.suttontrust.com/cosmo-the-covid-social-mobility-and-opportunities-study/

The effect of the pandemic on young people: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/an-isolated-generation-the-impact-of-covid-19-on-children-and-young-people

Global perspective from Chatham House: https://www.chathamhouse.org/2022/05/how-build-better-world-post-covid-19

Rebuilding relationships:

https://facultyadvancement.duke.edu/how-can-we-rebuild-relationships-after-covid

PTSD and COVID: https://www.ptsduk.org/the-link-between-covid-19-and-ptsd/

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Neurodiversity is becoming more of an important aspect of our lives as people are increasingly becoming more neurodivergent. In this episode I look at examples, the origins of the term neurodiversity and what it means for our lives now and moving forward. And I hope you like the quote at the very end of the show.

Judy Singer: https://www.forbes.com/sites/drnancydoyle/2022/08/26/hidden-figures-in-neurodiversity-judy-singer/?sh=4ab1f6765446

The spectrum and what it means: https://www.nm.org/healthbeat/healthy-tips/autism-awareness

Spiky profiles: https://stimpunks.org/glossary/spiky-profile/

Dr Asperger: https://www.bps.org.uk/psychologist/aftermath-hans-asperger-expose

Morrisby tests: https://www.morrisby.com/

Psychometric testing: https://www.prospects.ac.uk/careers-advice/interview-tips/psychometric-tests

One example of hiring initiatives in the work place: https://www.goldmansachs.com/careers/professionals/neurodiversity-hiring-initiative.html

The Gaps Diet: https://www.gapsdiet.com/

Scattered Minds: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Scattered-Minds-Origins-Attention-Disorder/dp/1785042211/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2AWYVNX2OO5IO&keywords=scattered+minds&qid=1685032359&s=books&sprefix=scattered+minds%2Cstripbooks%2C97&sr=1-1

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Pain affects almost all of us at some point. But some types of pain is experienced more severely than other types. In this episode I look at the factors which affect pain and our perception of it and what we can do handle it better.

Nociceptors: https://www.verywellhealth.com/what-are-nociceptors-2564616

The nail in the boot: https://www.painscience.com/biblio/source-of-boot-nail-guy-a-popular-medical-anecdote-about-pain-without-injury-nociception.html

COMT gene variation: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4151110/

Pain and attitudes in Chinese culture: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1084822314547962

Chronic pain review: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6676152/

CBD oil and pain: https://www.healthline.com/health/cbd-oil-for-pain

Lifestyle based approach to chronic pain: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pain-Free-Mindset-Control-Overcoming-Chronic/dp/1785043390/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1T1RG5XNM3Q6X&keywords=the+pain-free+mindset&qid=1685171099&sprefix=the+pain-free+mindset%2Caps%2C73&sr=8-1

Latest pain research in chronic pain by Prof Shirvalkar: https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2023/05/425386/has-science-cracked-code-chronic-pain

Fibromyalgia overview: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK540974/#:~:text=Fibromyalgia%20is%20a%20chronic%20pain,as%20emotional%20and%20physical%20trauma.

The Health Fix: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Health-Fix-Dr-Ayan-Panja-ebook/dp/B0B2VTFFVS/ref=sr_1_1?crid=11YZREGJ7IJRN&keywords=health+fix+kindle&qid=1684931474&s=books&sprefix=health+fix+kindle%2Cstripbooks%2C83&sr=1-1. (Kindle price 99p throughout June 2023)!

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Rejection is something that affects us all but how can we minimise its effects?

The effects can be minor or major and in this episode I look at strategies for recognising that it might be an issue, how we can learn from them and how we can better handle it so that it does not continue to affect our lives negatively.

Links:

Functional MRI of the brain and rejection and links to pain: https://www.science.org/content/article/rejection-pain-brain

Long term effects of bullying: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4552909/

Protected characteristics: https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/equality-act/protected-characteristics

Feeling rejected? https://psychcentral.com/lib/good-news-if-you-often-feel-rejected

Rejection sensitivity: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7424132/

100 rejections by Jia Jiang: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vZXgApsPCQ

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Is listening an undervalued skill in today’s society?

It is an essential part of communication and can have a therapeutic effect.

Listening can be a gateway to empathy and compassion and I make the case that we should all do it better before it 

becomes a lost art.

Active listening outperforms simple acknowledgement: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10904018.2013.813234

Active listening:https://psychcentral.com/lib/become-a-better-listener-active-listening

Become a better listener: https://www.nytimes.com/guides/smarterliving/be-a-better-listener

Nushu: https://nushu.com/

AI listening: https://fortune.com/2022/09/08/ai-chatbots-empathy-manager-work-careers-tech-michelle-zhou/#

The Samaritans: https://www.samaritans.org

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It’s a word and characterisation we all know and use at times. Worried about your health? Perhaps too worried? What constitutes excessive worrying about one’s health?

This episode explores the reasons behind it and what can be done to help allay health or illness anxiety.

Links: 

Three Men in a Boat: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4921.Three_Men_in_a_Boat

Redefining hypochondriasis: https://www.mayoclinic.org/medical-professionals/psychiatry-psychology/news/dsm-5-redefines-hypochondriasis/mac-20429763

Case study: https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/neuroprogress/202005/how-i-overcame-severe-hypochondria

CBT based approach: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/18/well/a-new-approach-to-treating-hypochondria.html

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