Dr Joe Unplugged

Dr Joe Unplugged is your home for open commentary on health, wellbeing, and life in the broadest sense. We will explore diet, exercise, sleep, and stress amongst other health matters as well as issues that may impact you and your well-being in direct or indirect ways....

It’s Christmas!

If Christmas did not exist it would need to be invented. Perfectly timed at the end of the year, it allows many people worldwide to celebrate in some way, shape or form. This may be a formal religious celebration or simply a catch-up with friends and family. Given...

We Need Our Sleep

The importance of sleep cannot be overstated, as human beings spend more time sleeping than engaging in any other activity, yet many still neglect its crucial role in overall health. Human beings spend more time being asleep than anything else. It is estimated that at...
Less Pills Please

Less Pills Please

The opioid crisis in the USA has entered the next phase. Purdue Pharmaceuticals, which manufactured OxyContin is looking towards Chapter 11 bankruptcy. An Oklahoma court found Johnson and Johnson had intentionally played down the dangers and oversold the benefits of...

The Moon And You

The Moon And You

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3N_RUjXHW8 Can the lunar cycle influence our health? Is it mythology or is there something to it?

Tips And Treatments For Dermatitis On The Face

Tips And Treatments For Dermatitis On The Face

Dermatitis, particularly that which affects the face, can often feel like an isolating condition. The reality is that it is actually quite common and affects more than 230 million people globally. What is Perioral Dermatitis? One type of dermatitis is Perioral...

Life Is More Than Medicine

Life Is More Than Medicine

There is a fantastic quote by Mark Twain which says “To a man with a hammer, everything looks like a nail”.  To the medical profession, every problem can look like a medical one having a medical solution. Issues may require medical involvement without being medical...

The Benefits Of Babywaring

The Benefits Of Babywaring

Before the arrival of my first daughter, I honestly had no idea what to expect. I did my research and stocked up on all the products that seemed ‘necessary’, plus a good few extras that I loved the look of! I had the pram ready to go, I knew we would use this all the...

Evidence Or Snake Oil?

Evidence Or Snake Oil?

Much is made of the evidence base of modern medicine. It is certainly the case that many trials are done and that to bring a pharmaceutical to market requires trial evidence to show that the drug is better than placebo and that side effects are acceptable. There is...

Exercise – Any Amount Is Good

Exercise – Any Amount Is Good

One size fits all public health messages about exercise may be counter productive. Any amount of exercise is beneficial - do what you can manage even if you can't "find 30". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8JVRmfRyD4  

Breathe Your Own Breath

Breathe Your Own Breath

"Breathe your own breath … what on earth does that mean?" We breathe, in and out, all the time … but how aware are we of the quality of our breath and the effect that it has on the quality of our life? We are not always conscious of our breathing, but whether we are...

Another Brave New World?

Another Brave New World?

Some weeks one wonders if we are living in a Monty Python sketch. There has been the case of a person in Canada who identifies as a woman but has had no surgery, complaining to the human rights commission that a female beautician refused to handle and wax the scrotum....

Preventing Dementia

Preventing Dementia

There are no guarantees in life but some remarkably simple measures can reduce your chances of developing dementia. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hYvB6NFeEU    

Mad Nanny

Mad Nanny

Just when you thought that the antics of the nanny state and big public health could not get any worse or more ridiculous, they prove you wrong. The Cockburn Council  in Perth has asked food truck operators to submit their menus prior to being allowed to attend a...

Pre Diabetes – A Two Way Street

Pre Diabetes – A Two Way Street

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvQE4iWiLbI Research confirms that pre-diabetes is not a one way street to type two diabetes. People can normalise their blood glucose level and not proceed to develop the condition.