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WIDLIMS ep #22 – Better health? Sleep on it!
In this week’s episode, I welcome the brilliant Dr Mike Farquhar (he/him) who works as a consultant paediatric sleep physician in London. This means he works with children and adolescents who have sleep difficulties! We discuss why sleep should receive more attention, how to improve sleep and challenges night shift workers face which I find is often not discussed. So what do we cover? A lot, including alien abductions and ‘caffeine naps’… But broadly, this episode covers: what sleep is, how much we need, and how to tell what your sleep quality is like ‘hacks’ for better sleep – and the role of caffeine sleep routines for night shift workers,…
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WIDLIMS ep #20 – Nutrition in medical education with Nutritank
In today's interview, I spoke to Ally Jaffee (she/her) and Dr Iain Broadley (he/him) who founded Nutritank, a well-known UK hub for making lifestyle medicine and nutrition incorporated in medical education. We discuss.. when Ally and Iain first came across the concept of lifestyle medicine what Nutritank is, as well as their mission and previous successes and highlights why it is so difficult to get lifestyle medicine in medical school curricula in the United Kingdom why it is important for medical students and doctors to learn about nutrition, despite there being dedicated dieticians and nutritionists in our healthcare system what the concepts of culinary medicine and social prescribing involve how…
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WIDLIMS ep #16 – The skinny on cholesterol and diet
Listen to this episode and read the short article below to get the skinny on cholesterol and how to lower it, featuring host and final year medical student Linda (she/her). PLEASE NOTE this is a podcast episode and article for educational purposes only and should not be taken as individual medical advice. Listen to learn about... what cholesterol is what foods increase “bad” cholesterol levels what foods reduce “bad” cholesterol levels and some extra points regarding fish, triglycerides and apolipoprotein! I promise it is all in accessible language, with non-medical jargon. Consider this an overview of the topic. I would encourage further reading around this by credible organisations such as…
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WIDLIMS ep #15 – Time for Plant-based Nutrition in Medicine with Dr Shireen Kassam
In this week's episode, I chat to the amazing Dr Shireen Kassam (she/her) who is a consultant haematologist, as well as founder and president of Plant-Based Health Professionals (a CIC in the UK) and facilitator of the UK's first university-based Plant-based nutrition course (and she regularly reviews and updates it!). We talk about... why plant-based nutrition education is needed the evidence behind consuming more plants and less animal products how she counsels her patients, including those recently diagnosed with cancer, to make lifestyle changes wider issues: human and planetary health, social inequalities, the NHS and some of the problems with how our governments and healthcare systems are structured Find out…
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WIDLIMS ep #14 – Legumes… forgotten superfoods?
In today's episode, host and final year medical student Linda (she/her) discusses all you ever wanted and needed to know about legumes, pulses, whatever you want to call them (beans, peas, lentils, etc.). Listen to find out... what legumes are their health benefits common concerns being addressed and myths busted things to keep in mind when preparing legumes Mentioned in the episode General summaries of benefits of legumes that are short and accessible can be found here and here Study on longevity and legumes – read it here Episode 12 – Carbohydrates and insulin – click here Episode 13 – Anti-diet approaches to PCOS – click here Second meal effect…
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WIDLIMS ep #12 – We need to understand this about carbohydrates
In this week's episode, host and final year medical student Linda (she/her) discusses carbohydrates and dispels carb-phobic myths. We discuss... what carbohydrates are, and why ‘carbohydrates’ is a term encompassing a vast amount of foods and is not specific enough when talking about ‘cutting carbs’ insulin resistance and diabetes – what most people misunderstand how insulin resistance comes about and can be reversed, including the role of dietary fat, stored fat and intramyocellular lipids how insulin resistance can be managed and improved, and type 2 diabetes reversed with plant-based diets high in carbohydrates (!) but low in fat, according to the science Mentioned in the episode Please note that all…
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WIDLIMS podcast ep #7 – Weight stigma and obesity: what is known vs what is done – Dr Stuart Flint, Professor of the Psychology of Obesity
In this week's episode, I was delighted to talk to Dr Stuart Flint, an expert on weight stigma and obesity. This discussion was super interesting, and raised points I had not even considered myself. You can expect to hear us talk about... what weight stigma is and how it manifests whether weight stigma is justified to ‘tackle’ obesity – is obesity not a ‘problem’ after all? how language and attitudes when it comes to higher weight status differs to those in for example cancer what the science has shown (for years!) about approaches to managing health the UK government’s ‘wake-up call’ obesity strategy launched in July 2020 You can find…
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WIDLIMS podcast ep #4 – The secret to lasting behaviour change
In this short Solo Sunday episode, I discuss how we ought to counsel others on how to make lasting changes (and think about it when trying to implement change ourselves). I touch on... examples of health behaviours people commonly want to change using weight to illustrate why sustainable methods are key, including discussing why diets do not work how to re-frame your thinking regarding the goal of behaviour change how healthcare practitioners can learn and implement this into their practice I chose the sprout as the feature image, because I believe we need to be sowing seeds for change gently, and to nurture them, just like we would nurture plants!…
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WIDLIMS Podcast ep #2 – Behind the microphone with host Linda
This is the first solo Sunday episode with me, Linda (she/her), the host and creator of WIDLIMS - What I Didn't Learn in Medical School. I chat about... who I am, where I am from and my reasons for creating WIDLIMS my “biases” and outlook on health the show format going forward how to get in touch with me for feedback and general comments DISCLAIMER: I am not a qualified doctor, and any information given in the podcast is for educational & entertainment purposes only. Seek medical advice that is tailored to your situation from a qualified healthcare professional! Remember to follow me @widlims on Instagram and Twitter. This website…
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WIDLIMS Podcast ep #1 – Why Lifestyle Medicine should be mainstream with Dr Rob Lawson
New podcast episode with Dr Rob Lawson from the British Society of Lifestyle Medicine In this episode, I chat to Dr Rob Lawson (he/him) about... what lifestyle medicine is lifestyle medicine and Covid-19 why we should all care about it how the current model of teaching in medical school is missing out crucial information to tomorrow’s doctors his vision for a lifestyle medicine curriculum – soon reality? Dr Rob Lawson is a retired GP heavily involved in various lifestyle medicine organisations – you can find out more about him and his work here. The British Society of Lifestyle Medicine website may be accessed here, and they are also on Facebook…
