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.
Herbal Medicine
My first flirtation with natural medicine came just a few short weeks before my final medical examinations. Not the most diligent student during my time at college, I was doing some serious burning the midnight oil in an attempt to fill the gaping lacunae in my knowledge. Energy reserves were running low and my 10-mug-a-day […]
Brain and Behaviour
Not many of us will relish the contracted days and long nights the winter months bring. However, for sufferers of seasonal affective disorder (SAD), the darkened skies that accompany this time of year can often be viewed with particular dread. SAD, a depressive condition triggered by low levels of sunlight, is thought to affect more […]
Healthy Eating
For as long as I can remember, the apple has enjoyed iconic status as a symbol of healthy eating. Many of us will have grown up familiar with apple’s fabled ability to keep doctors at bay, and believe there is much goodness to be had by sinking our teeth into a Cox’s orange pippin or […]
Healthy Eating
One memory I have from childhood is of Mrs Pearl – a formidable playground patroller and dinner lady at the junior school I attended in suburban Essex. Mrs Pearl had a very defined view of how children should behave, right down to their eating habits. One of Mrs Pearl’s preoccupations was to remind us of […]
Healthy Eating
For as long as I can remember, a debate has raged over the relative merits of butter and margarine. Food purists contend, as far as flavour is concerned, that butter wins hands down. However, doctors and dieticians have generally been quick to point out that butter is rich in artery-clogging saturated fat, a fact that […]
Food and Medical Politics
Many of us put our trust in the chemical fluoride as safe and effective weapon in the fight against tooth decay. In parts of the UK, water supplies come with fluoride already added, and dentists here have recently called for this practice to be made more widespread. However, the British enthusiasm for fluoride is not […]
Herbal Medicine
According to research, as many as 80 per cent of women will be affected by pre-menstrual syndrome at some point in their lives. Traditionally, this condition has been thought of as an entirely female affair. However, I have to say experiences in both my professional and personal life have lead me to believe that the […]
Healthy Eating
When my parents emigrated to England from Malta, they brought a fair slice of their home country’s culinary ways with them. Maltese cuisine has a hefty Italian influence, and during my childhood I remember my mother regularly knocking up tomato sauces to accompany bowlfuls of spaghetti. Two or three times a week, the family would […]
Healthy Eating
When I was growing up, I remember my father making sure that me and my four siblings got a decent breakfast inside us before leaving the house for school. Like a lot of parents, my Dad believed that eating breakfast helped to set little bodies up for the day. A compliant child, I spent my […]
Healthy Eating
Not so long ago the humble egg was viewed as a cheap, nutritious and versatile food. For many of us, the advertising slogan ‘go to work on an egg’ spawned in the 1960s lives long in our memories. However, since the days of such dizzy heights, the egg has experienced a spectacular fall from grace. […]