Category Archives: Medicine

Frontiers of Science: Sreya Bhattacharya researching diabetes

The fun of being a scientist is that you make cool friends who study cool stuff. Sreya Bhattacharya is definitely one of them. She’s doing her PhD trying to find new therapies to treat diabetes. More on her later. So, besides giving information on “how to (not) become a better patient”, I’ll be featuring cutting edge science projects done by friends and colleagues. Read until the end!

Stress and lifestyle, an unaddressed challenge in modern healthcare

Stressed out…?There’s a pill for that! Want to control your high blood sugar levels…There’s a pill for that!Can’t sleep…?There’s a pill for that!High blood pressure…?There’s a pill for that!

#8 How to be a better patient – Should I get a second opinion?

Your health is one of the most important things in the world. Even though healthcare professionals want the best for you, sometimes you might not agree with the recommendation of your doctor. What would you do if you’re in this situation?

#7 How to be a better patient – Alternative treatments?

In modern day life so many aspects of the human experience is medicalised (meaning conditions and behaviours are labeled and treated as medical issues). The emphasis of medical training lays on how to solve problems through medical interventions (such as drugs or surgery). Quite often there’s a (commercial) treatment for your medical problem: Are yourContinue reading “#7 How to be a better patient – Alternative treatments?”

#6 How to be a better patient – How to prepare for your doctor’s appointment (part 2)

A good doctor will try to guide the patient in communicating their physical complaints. At the same time, the patient also has the responsibility to communicate all relevant aspects of their illness. This is what you can do to help your doctor make the correct diagnosis:

#5 How to be a better patient – How to prepare for your doctor’s appointment

I’ve seen many patients confused about their diagnosis and their treatment. Would you want to prevent this situation? Here are some tips:

#4 How to be a better patient – What to do when you have a complaint?

Imagine you’re a patient with extreme pain and you therefore go to A&E (i.e. emergency room) in the hospital. Here you are sat down and not helped for hours. Or imagine you have had a very bad experience with a healthcare professional (doctor, nurse or whoever else in the hospital). What would you do?

#3 How to be a better patient – preventing colorectal cancer

In the western world roughly 1 in 20 people will be diagnosed with bowel cancer in their lifetime. Here’s what you could do to reduce your risk of getting this nasty disease.

#2 How to be a better patient – recognising alarm symptoms

There’s a large chance you, a friend or a family member will get bowel cancer, so it’s good to be aware of the main alarm symptoms for bowel cancer