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Humans and their microbiota have coevolved a mutually beneficial relationship in which the human host provides a hospitable environment for the microorganisms and the microbiota provides many advantages for the host, including nutritional benefits and protection from pathogen infection1. Maintaining this relationship requires a careful immune balance to contain commensal microorganisms within the lumen while

Sars-Cov-2 hit at an inauspicious geo-political and geo-environmental moment.

An era of rising nationalism and populism made it frustratingly difficult to mount a collaborative response to a global pandemic. Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil, Xi Jinping of China, Narendra Modi of India, Vladimir Putin of Russia, Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, Boris Johnson of the United Kingdom, and Donald Trump of the United States stand out. All these leaders (and their executive teams) evinced some combination of parochialism and political insecurity or ideology, which caused them to initially downplay the crisis, ignore the science, or deny its viability, and reject essential international cooperation whilst favouring corporate interests. This ensured their slow and ineffective rollout of immediate viral strategic control. Leading to significant adverse consequences driven by internal political narratives (self or party-protectionism) rather than globally focussed health care.

#Vaccines are a highly effective way to prevent infectious diseases as well as reducing the need for #antibiotics and therefore antibiotic resistance. However, #immune responses to vaccinations vary hugely between different individuals and populations. Researchers from Flinders University, South Australia, and Stamford University, USA, have now concluded that the composition and function of an individual’s #gut #microbiota is a driving force in affecting responses to vaccination. The review published in Nature Reviews Immunology, showed how microbiota-targeted interventions could help infants and other at risks group receive the full benefit of effective vaccines.

An article in the British Journal of General Practice published online, on the 29th April 2021, sets out a mixture of support, disdain and implied ineffectiveness of the role that lifestyle medicine[1] has in the restoration and generation of human health. The direct journal response online allows only for 350 words. A fuller response is found below.

Published 23rd April 2021

In the third week of April 2021, various news media announced that the UK government would be pressing for the development of an ‘anti-viral pill’, which could offer easier and faster support for people infected with a variant or the original wild type Sars-Cov-2 virus.

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Published 17th February 2021 Ayurvedic proverb: “When diet is wrong, medicine is of no use; when diet is correct, medicine is of no need.” The shift in messaging since the allocated timeline for 15m vaccinations was achieved in the UK, is a fascinating process of dialogue and development. One can imagine that numerous pressures are

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As the UK progresses towards the current milestones indicated by the government regarding the changing of social restrictions and the possible development of a different societal set of norms, either temporary or prolonged, it is time to start to categorise risk and future health care plans as our work (in health provision) will be in

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As the roll out of vaccination and the staged end of lockdown appear to be coalescing into a shift in planning and return to work, there are numerous questions and challenges to be answered and resolved. THE POST-ACUTE COVID-19 SYNDROME (LONG COVID) First and foremost, is that emerging data suggests that the effects of infection

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It may be helpful to view the last 12 months from a broad historical perspective for us to see the way forward from this pandemic. At this stage, many people strongly believe that the terrible toll it has taken demonstrates humanity’s helplessness in the face of nature’s might. But taken on review, 2020 has shown

Published 02 February 2021

The state of ‘being’, sought by all and yet when obtained, is generally all too temporary, is that of ‘happiness’. How are you in its pursuit and attainment?

In the 2020 World Happiness Report the authors note that in the face of a pandemic where the social fabric is not strong enough to support co-operative action on the required scale, then fear, disappointment and anger add to the happiness costs of a disaster. There are few people that have not experienced these costs over the last few months. (Practical, safe solutions are described at the end!)