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...
“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...

13 Signs Your Body Doesn’t Tolerate Sugar

13 Signs Your Body Doesn’t Tolerate Sugar

It can be more than just brain fog you may be experiencing. Sugary foods, bottled juices, wheat/gluten, and alcohol are destructive to your gut microbiome and brain chemistry. How does sugar have such an impact on the body? Sugar harms our mitochondria meaning it robs...

Be The Best You Can

Be The Best You Can

Once in a while a TV show comes along that captures people’s imagination. Currently we have the first series of Australian Ninja Warrior. Like most of these shows it is a local franchise of a program developed elsewhere and licensed. It is also not a new idea. That...

In Search Of The Elusive ‘Work-Life Balance’?

In Search Of The Elusive ‘Work-Life Balance’?

These days we hear a lot about this thing called ‘work life balance’. We know that we need it, we are told that we need it but we are not really told what it is, why we need it and how to get it. By the very notion that it is called ‘work life balance’ we learn that...

Strange Bedfellows

Strange Bedfellows

There is an old adage that politics makes strange bedfellows. The E-cigarette debate in Australia has given a new twist to this with the Tobacco industry and Tobacco control effectively on the same side when it comes to people continuing to smoke. Sound bizarre? Well...

How Do I Stop Feeling So Angry?

How Do I Stop Feeling So Angry?

Have you ever overreacted with anger to what someone else said or did? Are you prone to road rage? How much is that anger costing you in terms of lost career opportunities or soured relationships? When is anger appropriate? All emotions, including anger, are an...

Enjoyment Matters

Enjoyment Matters

Research has shown that those who do not drink alcohol at all die younger than those who do. Like many of these studies we will never hear more about it. Yet it confirms the pattern often seen that studies, particularly about nutrition are contradictory. No wonder we...

9 Reasons To Eat Fat For Weight Loss

9 Reasons To Eat Fat For Weight Loss

In the world of nutrition, we are bombarded with conflicting and misleading information about fats. Should we eat less of them or more of them? Are you confused? An imbalance of healthy fat in our diet can lead to deranged cell membranes, which leads to cells that are...