Hello and welcome to episode 24. This episode considers the well-being of children and the impact of electronic media on their psychosocial development. The abstract and introduction to read from the article. It studies the use of  electronic media in five-year-olds and uses a number of measures of development. The article is freely available on … Continue reading Electronic media use and child development →

Hello and welcome to episode 23. This episode considers a public health approach to improving health through tobacco control. The blog article considers the plan proposed to make New Zealand or Aotearoa, its name in Maori, to become smoke-free by 2025. The article and plan consider health inequities suffered by the Maori people who are … Continue reading Smokefree Aotearoa →

Hello and welcome to episode 22 and maybe welcome back to the podcast. This episode considers the factors that promote successful breastfeeding and there is small section on the use of medications to enhance lactation when there are difficulties. The subject arose for me in my clinical practice this week when a woman three weeks … Continue reading Breastfeeding →

Hello and welcome to episode 21. Inspiration for this week’s subject was a meeting during my day job with a young man who presented with headaches associated with sex that came on at orgasm. As such, and being a somewhat less common presentation, it required some further research around the topic. There does not seem … Continue reading Exertional headache →

Hello and welcome to episode 20 and thank you for listening. This episode considers mental health, the role of stigma and with a particular focus on Ukraine. The article is taken from Global Mental Health, an open access journal so there is no barrier to retrieving the article for your reading. The article presents the … Continue reading Mental health stigma in Ukraine →

In the UK a report has just been released by the 10 Downing Street policy unit which purports to be an investigation into the presence of racism in UK society. The findings of the report have been highly criticised and the report criticised itself for its methodology in reaching its conclusion. The business analysis has … Continue reading Structural racism →

Hello and welcome to episode 18. Traditionally the method of consultation in general practice has been face-to-face, just like those in other sectors of healthcare. Overtime there has been increased use of technology, in particular the phone, so that consultations have taken place using alternative methods. In response to the current pandemic, change in consultation … Continue reading Remote consultations in General Practice →

Hello and welcome to episode 17. Today’s episode uses a news item taken from the BMJ regarding the AstraZeneca vaccine against Covid 19 and the concern regarding increased risk of blood clots. This is an extremely topical subject at the moment as a number of European countries have decided to pause their vaccine rollout despite … Continue reading AstraZeneca vaccine and thromboembolism concern →

Hello and welcome to episode 16. The subject matter of this episode is epistaxis. The extracts read are taken from a clinical practice article published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Initially the key points are presented and then an introduction of the clinical problem and then extracts of the treatment options which are … Continue reading Epistaxis →

Hello and welcome to episode 15. This episode concentrates again on covid-19 and the options for treatment for those patients who are more severely unwell. This article considers the use of corticosteroids in the treatment of more severe disease and the benefits of this intervention. The article is freely available at the New England Journal … Continue reading Steroids and severe acute Covid 19 →