How are you feeling? Okay, or maybe anxious? Maybe you know someone who’s feeling anxious? This week we’ll look at what anxiety is, what causes it and some things you can do to help. Anxiety can manifest in many ways: you can feel nervous, restless or tense, weak or tired, or unable to concentrate on …
We’ve looked at the legal drugs caffeine, nicotine and alcohol; today we’ll look at highly processed ready-meals and snacks or ’junk food’. While junk foods are not classified as drugs, any food high in sugar or a sugar-fat combo exaggerates responses to stimuli to such an extent it can be very difficult to turn away …
We’ve looked at the legal drugs caffeine and nicotine; today we’ll look at alcohol. There are many aspects to this, so today we’ll consider why alcohol makes us ‘drunk’ and why some seem to need greater amounts of alcohol just to feel normal. For any addict, certain environmental cues become very strongly associated with the …
If you were handed a pesticide to inhale, would you take it? Are you sure? Last time we looked at one of the three legal, widely available, psychoactive drugs that billions of people worldwide use daily; that was caffeine. Another one of those is nicotine, which we’ll look at today. Nicotine, the oldest pesticide in …
Billions of people worldwide use three legal, widely available, psychoactive drugs daily; do you? The drugs in question are caffeine, nicotine and alcohol. Today, we’ll look at caffeine. We consume caffeine mainly through coffee, energy drinks and tea, with tolerance building up over time. Are you a ‘maximum of two drinks before I get jittery’ …
ADDICTIONS: My column in today’s Jersey Evening Post (part 1 of 2) is what lies behind addictions, no matter what they are (sugar, shopping, sport, gaming, drugs, etc). I love helping people overcome their addictions 😊 Addictions are brain disorders characterised by compulsively engaging in a behaviour even if the consequences of the behaviour are …
My column in the JEP. Summary: we are in the lucky position to make informed choices about our health – what will your choices be? Saturday saw our 75th Liberation Day and we had a 40s tea party to celebrate. The fare was really a ‘1940s meets 2020’ but, while preparing it, I thought about …
My article in the JEP; summary: Listen to the right information! Exercise helps – but maybe not in the way you think. During lockdown, exercise plays a vital part in health. First, let me tell you what it doesn’t do: it won’t burn off any excess weight you may have. That means, if you want …
My article in the JEP; summary: You can ignore the siren call of the fridge; here’s how. During this Coronavirus Isolation Period, how’s your relationship with your fridge and pantry? Do that beer, those cakes and crisps, and that left-over pizza call you like a siren song? Judging by the messages I’m getting and the …
My article in the JEP; Summary: don’t get taken in; here’s how to check the facts It’s April Fools’ Day and I can’t think of any jape around the coronavirus outbreak, but I hope you find plenty of funny other wheezes today. How to avoid sharing viral fake news There are all number of faux …
My article in the JEP; summary: here are some tips to help you with anxiety. I’m writing this on Monday morning: going by the speed of change re covid-19 over the last few days, things probably will have changed even more by the time you read this, so I’ll concentrate on a few things that …
My article in the Jersey Evening Post looks at Lent and what to do if giving up something (whether it is for Lent or not) is difficult to do – and a really good tip at the end 🙂 Lent Laments & Love How’s Lent going for you, then? Have you given up anything for the …
Jersey Evening Post article 05 February 2020 Some years ago, when I last went to see my doctor, I remarked how stressed and tired he looked; that, he said, was because the practice was short of GPs. I gather the situation has not changed. At the same time, we hear that the new Jersey Care …
My article in the Jersey Evening Post 22 January 2020 Winter throws all sorts at us in Jersey: big winds and rain, less sunshine and shorter days, stuffy rooms and buses with steamed up windows, and more. This means it’s harder to get outside, easier to catch lurking viruses and bacteria, and far too easy …
Did you make any resolutions this year? How are they going? This is what my piece in yesterday’s JEP was about: Don’t resolve: commit Are you a habitual New Year’s resolver? Do you love that exciting feeling when you find inspirational content about making and keeping ‘get healthy’ resolutions? Now, in the second week of …
