 THE CURIOUS MINDS CLUB 
Isn't it always the case that when something takes on personal significance - 'we' give it more attention? Whether that 'we' is a country, a group of researchers, a practitioner or a patient.  Let me explain... 🌍Denmark, among many other European countries,...
These days it's all about who you know right? So if we applied that same mindset to rating and ranking our organs then the kidneys would've amassed the largest number of followers, 'top fan badges', likes, watches, you name it. The kidneys are nothing if not...
The last two decades have seen the introduction and rapid rise in popularity of the proton pump inhibitors (PPI) for GORD & gastric ulcers. While clinical trials prior to their approval and release didn’t reveal much in terms of adverse reactions, being not...
Scenario: Patient presents with low baseline 25(OH)D levels, let’s say 40 nmol/L and you prescribe a high  dose (e.g. 5000IU/day) bioavailable vitamin D supplement and retest in 3 months but the 25(OH)D levels haven’t improved…what do you do now? Sound familiar? It...
Over the last year, I’ve seen paediatric patients with various presentations (alopecia, behavioural issues etc.) whose thyroid results have seemed out of whack e.g. TSH values in the 3s and 4s. I noticed as well that each pathology company provided a slightly altered...
This week, care of Health Masters, I am delivering the first part of a 3 part webinar called ‘Clinical Case Analyses in Women with Anxiety’. I originally wanted to call this brand new seminar series Dis-ease. The idea was in response to the large number of female...
Often I find practitioners are a bit mystified by the male hormonal milieu and their skills at interpreting androgen results are patchy compared with their confidence in female hormone investigation. Yet, just like in females, understanding the sex hormones is a...
Professor Andrew Sinclair, a leading Australian nutrition scientist from Deakin University, has warned that some snack foods on Australian supermarket shelves contain high levels of trans fats acids (TFAs) and is calling for mandatory labelling of TFAs in processed...
Societies promotion of happiness and happiness campaigns puts expectations on people of how they should feel.  Expectations of happiness may be making sad people feel worse. Psychologist, Brock Bastian from the University of Queensland and colleagues, have...
Upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) are a normal part of childhood that often disturb sleep, parents and children alike, but a simple dose of honey may just be the remedy needed.  A recent study published in Pediatrics (Aug 6 2012) has confirmed that honey is...
Mid-40 female presents with acute onset pain in both feet and hands. Questioning reveals that she has experienced episodic numbness in her feet over the past 2 years. Patient suspects gout but blood urate levels are normal and patient’s diet and lifestyle not...
A current patient is a 20+ year old male who is trying to recover from a heroin addiction. Having been on the methadone program for the last 7 months and only having ‘used’ once or twice during this time, he is doing well. He has managed to get down to just 25mg/d of...
Recently I started seeing an 8 year old girl diagnosed with ODD and ADHD as well as impaired IQ at 6yo. Notable features include: She has variable bowel and bladder control - often coming home from school with wet pants and a Bristol type 1 stool in her underwear. ...
Parents should be aware persistent snoring is not normal in children and should be investigated. Researchers, whose results appeared in the journal Pediatrics May 2012 found that two- and three-year olds who snored loudly at least a couple of times per week tended to...
The limitations of serum B12 testing have been reported for some time. When testing for deficiency, Serum B12 does not give an accurate picture unless there is an overt deficiency and even then not consistently.  This is because the majority (approx.70%) of B12 in the...