Whenever I drink Bailey’s Irish cream, irrespective if it is the original version or one of the new-fangled flavoured versions, I have nightmares. Therefore at home I call it “nightmare Baileys” and avoid the damn drink! What I also know is that it was the creation of a guy called David Gluckman, a South African […]
Cats have been pets or living around humans for around 10,000 to 12,000 years ago. This first began in the fertile crescent, a moon-shaped grouping of countries that include the Levant, Mesopotamia, and Ancient Egypt. In modern geography, this includes countries like Lebanon, Turkey, Israel and Iraq. As nomadic humans left Africa, their turning to […]
Photo by Sam Kimber on Unsplash No city is perhaps prouder of its taxis than London—alright, New York’s yellow cabs may disagree—with its black automobiles for hire. Still officially called The Hackney Carriage, these were horse-drawn since the 17th century and became petrol-powered in 1903. Never mind that in the spirit of globalisation, it is […]
In Greek mythology, Daedalus was an inventor. His inventions—in various iterations from Homer to Pliny—include the axe, plumbline (architectural tool to measure how “plumb” or vertical a line was), glue (fish glue or isinglass, from the floating bladders of fish like sturgeon), and even a colourful dance floor (for Princess Ariadne). However his creative genius […]
The gastronomic science of the gut is always interesting. Full of science—and sometimes—pseudoscience. Like I was told—when I was in Hong Kong to deliver a lecture a few years ago—that beef and chestnut, two foods considered “warm” in traditional Chinese medicine, could be harmful in summer due to hot body temperatures. I was told that […]
Five centuries before Christ, Greece was in its elements. Athens, emboldened after defeating the Persians, was particularly prosperous. With economic comfort, art and literature flourished. But so did philosophy. It was the era of Greek thinkers whose ideas shaped Western civilizations. Patients who have been to my consulting room often comment on my degree certificates—apart […]
Why Saving the Planet may Save Your Prostate! The link between vegan diets and prostate cancer (Image from National Cancer Institute via Unsplash) Prostate cancer has affected celebrities like Rod Stewart and Robert De Niro, both of whom made complete recoveries. Prostate cancer is somewhat unusual because these tumours do not rapidly invade other parts […]
Photo by Ravi Patel from Unsplash Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up interest wrinkles the soul. ~ Douglas MacArthur People who know me have heard me say in several media interviews, “One cannot have bad health and good skin.” As a skin doctor, I have a personal, clinical and research interest […]
The period before a new year –following the Xmas holidays–is often a time of relaxation, reflection, and for some people, a time to make resolutions. As this blog is about giving you evidence-based advice, the topic of my first blog for 2024 is all about how you can achieve what you set out to do […]
I have been thinking about New Zealand’s Covid-19 strategy because it has been in the news for a variety of reasons, not least of all the court case that is being reported on daily — University of Auckland v. Siouxsie Wiles – where the latter is suing her employer for failure to protect her against […]