Ice or cold water baths seem to be all the rage at the moment and the husband had been mentioning one for some time.  So the kids bought him one (with a little help from me) for Christmas.  After eyeing it up with some trepidation, we both decided to give it a go on Boxing Day and then it snowed and … [Read more...] about The anti-aging benefits of cold water therapy

I always obtain a sprig of mistletoe at Christmas time.  I don’t know why but we’ve been doing it for years.  We hang it near the front door so that anyone tall gets hit on the head on entry (I’m short, or getting shorter as the years go on, so I sail gleefully under it).  Why we kiss under the … [Read more...] about Harnessing microbial-based therapies for eczema

Freshers’ Week, the week that starts off the whole University experience, is a week that I remember when I was a 1st year medical student in London 31 years ago.  From memory, it generally involves a lot of alcohol in the guise of pub crawls, themed parties and a variety of audacious dares to be … [Read more...] about The Perils of Freshers’ Week

It is thought that the majority of us spend 90% of our time indoors and we spend a significant portion of our waking hours in front of personal devices with digital screens that are lit up by LEDs or light-emitting diodes.  The light that is emitted by LEDs appears white but actually has a spectral … [Read more...] about How your screen might be sabotaging your skin

I’ve just started training with a coach, a rugby coach nonetheless.  It’s not because I want to be a rugby player or get huge muscles but I do want to get strong.  It is common knowledge that as we get older we lose muscle mass, so called sarcopenia, so it is important to undertake in regular … [Read more...] about Do collagen supplements prevent ageing?

At the time of writing, I am on the family holiday to the South of France, hiding inside and trying valiantly to keep cool.  We are battling 35 to 39 degrees Celsius and UV indices of up to 9 from mid-morning until the early evening hours and sticky nights. As usual, I have brought a whole … [Read more...] about Holey moley!

The debate over diet and acne has raged for many years.  However, there seems to be ever increasing evidence that a high glycaemic index diet, dairy intake and carbohydrate intake, features common in a Western diet can be pro-acnegenic. [Meixiong J, Ricco C, Vasavda C et al.  Diet and acne: A … [Read more...] about Polyunsaturated fats and acne

There is no doubt that strength training has lots of benefits in men and women alike.  Strength training does not necessarily mean weight lifting, it could be resistance bands or even just bodyweight exercises such as plank, push ups and sit ups. Strength training has been proven to help with … [Read more...] about The dermatological benefits of strength training

Can cooking photoage you? I do enjoy cooking, when it is done for pleasure and not in a mad rush after work with a time pressure looming over my head.  It was therefore dispiriting to read earlier in March that gas hobs can raise indoor air pollution to higher than that found on a busy UK … [Read more...] about Can cooking photoage you?

We’re living in an era where everything is instant.  We can place an online order in the morning and it can be delivered the same day, share prices can peak or tumble in an instant on a tweet sent from the other side of the globe, and information on any subject can be found online at any time.  … [Read more...] about A tablet for sunburn