Dr John Briffa's blog, A Good Look at Good Health — writing on food, cholesterol, weight, energy and the science behind everyday health, from the drbriffa.com archive. Filter by topic, browse by category, or search the library.
Nutrients and Supplements
Diverticular disease is a condition characterised by the presence of small out-pocketings in the wall of the large bowel. The condition is common in the western World, and is usually symptomless. However, if one or more of the pockets becomes inflamed or infected, symptoms such as diarrhoea, pain, abdominal bloating and the passing of blood […]
Brain and Behaviour
Reading the British Medical Journal today I saw an item in the ‘news’ section which caught my eye. Entitled ‘Too frequent use of painkillers can cause rather than cure headaches’, it relays information coming from the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) in the UK. It seems that in some cases, painkilling medication […]
Healthy Eating
A lot of conventional medicine is about symptom suppression. For example, with someone with ‘cramping’ in the gut we may give a drug to reduce the cramping. A better (I think) though more alternative approach would be to attempt to find out what’s causing the cramping and sort that out. As an aside, cramping in […]
Food and Medical Politics
Back in June I dedicated a post to the effectiveness of blood pressure medication. It was triggered by the fact that there’s abundant data to suggest that cholesterol-lowering ‘statin’ medication is really very ineffective. And by that I mean that the vast majority of people who take statins will not benefit. I wondered whether the […]
Food and Medical Politics
The British Heart Foundation (BHF) is the UK’s largest and best-known ‘heart’ charity and, on the surface at least, appears devoted to doing what it can to reduce the burden of ‘cardiovascular’ issues such as heart attacks and strokes. The BHF website offers a number of stories of people which appear to highlight pertinent issues […]
Exercise and Activity
Why do doctors insist of checking cholesterol levels and blood pressure in their patients? At least part of the rationale is that these measurements will help identify individuals at heightened risk of things like heart disease and death, and appropriate steps might then be taken to reduce their risk. The value of ‘traditional risk factors’ […]
Food and Medical Politics
Some of you may have noticed that I have, more than once, written about just how ineffective cholesterol-reducing drugs (including statins) are for preventing heart attacks and stroke and saving lives. Taken over several years, the data show that the vast majority of people who take them will simply not benefit from them (and have […]
Brain and Behaviour
Migraine headaches are generally severe and typically affect one side of the head, and may be preceded by neurological symptoms including visual disturbance. In some people, they can be common and extremely debilitating. The good news is that certain naturally-oriented strategies can be very effective in reducing the frequency and/or severity of attacks. One of […]
Low-Carbohydrate
I am away at the moment and have limited time and internet access. So this post, as well as anything else I write this week is going to be short and sweet. I saw this story today which is concerned with the weight gain that often comes after stopping smoking. In this particular study, 3 […]
Cholesterol and Statins
While cholesterol remain possibly the most vilified natural and essential body constituent, and we are encouraged to put constant downward pressure on our cholesterol levels, it should perhaps not be forgotten that low levels of cholesterol are associated with enhanced risk of death. Low cholesterol is associated with an enhanced risk of specific health issues […]