I am writing this article on Saturday, July 10 2021, mentioning the date purely because a week is a short time in the COVID-19 pandemic.

You’d have to be living under a rock not to be aware that a significant proportion of the New South Wales population is in a severe lockdown because of the recent outbreak of the Delta strain of the coronavirus.

Greater Sydney, the Central Coast, the Blue Mountains, Wollongong and Shellharbour are all in lockdown with stay at home orders, apart from the listed circumstances of buying food, exercise, attending medical appointments or different aspects of…

With the increasing rollout in Australia of the COVID-19 vaccine, evidence is emerging from around the world regarding potential problems with the vaccine. Unfortunately, this is not only fuelling the fire of the uninformed, unscientific anti-VAXXERS but is also increasing the number of people who are vaccine hesitant.

It is my opinion that either of the aforementioned groups are missing the point. Until either 70% of the population is either exposed to the coronavirus itself or vaccinated, we cannot possibly achieve herd immunity. Thus, without a widespread vaccination program, the more sick, vulnerable and elderly populations are still at risk…

By Dr Stephanie Mathieson & Dr Ross Walker

Dupuytren’s (pronounced du-pwe-TRANZ) contracture is a hand deformity that usually develops over years.

It is more common in people from the north of Europe and those of Northern European descent and has been named “Viking disease” because it is more common in this population. The prevalence of diagnosed Dupuytren’s disease is 1% of the population but is seven times more common in surveys asking people about their hand pain (1). The contracture is three times more likely to affect men than women, and the age of the first presentation is usually between 50 and 70 years old (2).

There is…

The recent Royal Commission into Aged Care in Australia has released four basic recommendations.

1. There is a strong need for a new Act that should determine the rights of older people, including their entitlement to care and support based on their needs and preferences.
2. The system needs stronger governance to ensure the rights of the elderly.
3. Age care workers need better conditions & training.
4. More funds should be made available for the Aged Care sector.

Although I agree with all these recommendations, I believe this very expensive exercise of having the Royal Commission in the first place & then implementing…

For over 50 years now, we have been bombarded with the message that there is a strong link between all forms of dietary fat and coronary heart disease. Over the past 20 years, the message has softened to basically pick on trans fatty acids and saturated fats.

We are constantly being reminded by many heart societies & institutions that reducing our intake of all saturated fats and trans fats will lead to a reduction in coronary heart disease. High-fat dairy products have long been thrown into this mix with many people taking the low-fat or skim options.

But, over the…

I occasionally have a patient who says to me, “Doc, I haven’t had a holiday in 10 years!” They wear this fact like it’s a badge of honour. No-one has the epitaph on their gravestone saying, “I only wished I worked harder.” The reality is that our bodies were designed to function well wandering around a jungle with a spear for somewhere between 30 to 40 years. We worked to find food & rested the remainder of the time, including very long hours sleeping.

Because we live in a much less harsh environment, we are now typically living double our…

The commonest call I am receiving to my radio programs and also the commonest email enquiries are all around the clotting risk of the AstraZeneca vaccine for COVID-19. Firstly, let me make the general point about vaccination that it is a medical fact and not just an opinion that vaccination was the greatest advance of the 20th century.

Vaccinations have stopped millions of children dying from very nasty infectious diseases. Also, with conditions such as Polio, vaccines have stopped lifelong disability. …

I was sitting in my local cafe and couldn’t help but notice the number of people with varying degrees of obesity walking through the shopping centre. It is estimated that a third of the Australian population has a BMI over 30, excluding those with a large muscle mass, such as body builders & professional athletes.

A study published in 2015 in the American Journal of Public Health examined the probability of an obese person attaining normal body weight. …