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 wellbeing 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 for many people worldwide to celebrate in some way, shape or form. This may be the formal religious celebration or simply a catch up with friends and family....

We Need Our Sleep

Human beings spend more time being asleep than anything else. It is estimated that at the turn of the twentieth century the average American slept nine hours each night. By the turn of the twenty first century this figure has dropped to under eight hours. Lack of...
Rest In Peace – The Art Of Medicine

Rest In Peace – The Art Of Medicine

At the graveside they still talk about judgement, intelligence, and the wisdom that is the practice of medicine.  Deans and healthcare leaders wax poetic as they tell stories of great cures to lift in memoriam remarkable healers. Yet, though we bow to Hippocrates,...

Medical Mission Creep!

Medical Mission Creep!

Some numbers are so big that one can struggle to comprehend them. Fierce Pharma reported that in the decade from 2007, drugs losing their patents had total sales of $US915 billion. Of this over US$200 billion was in sales of statin medications. A tablet for high blood...

Humans Are Social Beings

Humans Are Social Beings

There are eight pillars of health. One that does not get as much airtime as movement, sleep and diet is relationships. According to Medical News Today “Two new meta-analyses from Brigham Young University (BYU) in Provo, UT, reveal that loneliness and social isolation...

Unsettled Science

Unsettled Science

There is an old adage that the only certainty is change. Last week a new advisory, published in the BMJ, came out saying we do not need to finish a course of antibiotics. Interestingly one of the reasons for this is a compete reverse of the previous view. It was...

Stepping Out Of Your Comfort Zone

Stepping Out Of Your Comfort Zone

Do you feel stuck or unfulfilled in your current career, relationship, health, financial or family situation? Are you fed up with where you are in your life right now? Would you like to safely step out of your comfort zone and into greater levels of success, happiness...

How Dare You Improve Your Health?

How Dare You Improve Your Health?

Last week I saw the “controversial” movie “The Magic Pill” which looks at the role of food in our lives and how what we eat might influence our health. It is accepted that 75% of the disease burden in western societies are lifestyle related. This is a function of many...

Happy Friday! Play Is The New Work

Happy Friday! Play Is The New Work

“It’s Friday!” “Happy Friday!” “Fri-YAY!” If you are a healthcare professional, chances are good that this gets under your skin. Weekends? They don’t exist in your world. And if you have a weekend, rejoice – you can finally catch up on… more work? Isn’t play for lazy...

How Dare You Win?

How Dare You Win?

I was not a particularly talented footballer which might explain why my “career” ended in year nine. That said there was fun to be had playing footy with your mates on a Saturday morning. The area was still being developed and the team was new. Some weeks we struggled...

7 Great Reasons You Should Drink More Water

7 Great Reasons You Should Drink More Water

Drinking water has impressive benefits, and it should. Water is a key component to human life. Why? Our bodies are 78% water and our brain is 80% water. When we do not have adequate hydration, cellular function slows and so does our quality of thinking, metabolism,...