Medical Matters It’s now nearly seven months since the first confirmed case of Covid-19 in Ireland and the start of an unprecedented journey of restrictions and lockdowns that has radically changed the way we live. While we avoided a surge that could have swamped our health service, the death toll stands at over 1700, many…
Medical Matters Hippocrates is credited with the ancient quote that ‘all disease begins in the gut’. While modern medicine casts a different light on factors underlying most diseases, recent research has highighted the complex and interesting role our gut may play when it comes to general health. But how exactly might the gut influence this?…
Medical Matters The Covid-19 pandemic has now infected more than 15 million people globally and claimed the lives of more than 600,000. While the incidence in Ireland remains low, significant spikes in the number of cases in parts of the US, UK and Australia are a reminder of the need for ongoing vigilance and restrictions.…
Medical Matters The search for therapies for Covid-19 has led scientists to explore an array of drugs ranging from expensive anti-virals and anti-inflammatories to anti-malarials (hydroxychloroquine) and even anti-helminthics (use to treat parasitic worms). Despite this, the potential role of something much more simple – ‘vitamin D’ in either helping to prevent infection or reduce…
Medical Matters As we move to into the next phase of the ‘unwinding’ of the coronavirus lockdown it is apparent that restrictions of some sort will remain with us for some time. Covid-19 has been the focus of many scientific articles and studies but while there are still many unknowns, we have learned much…
Medical Matters The death toll from Covid-19 in Ireland has exceeded 1,000 with almost two months passing since the first reported mortality. The number of deaths is more than triple that of even a bad flu season and would be manifold greater if not for restrictions and social distancing. While huge focus was placed…
Medical Matters As we wade deeper into the coronavirus pandemic our healthcare system is feeling the surge in cases of Covid-19. A virus that may have emerged out of a market in Wuhan, China a little over three months ago has infected over one million people in over 170 countries, in what has been…
Medical Matters The coronavirus has taken centre stage and dominated daily news headlines as the number of cases and countries affected continues to rise. To date, over 3000 deaths have occurred globally but this is small compared to the fatality due to seasonal influenza which can be as high as 500,000 annually. Fears and concerns…
Medical Matters Last September the Medical Council issued warnings about the over-prescribing of medications for anxiety and insomnia. Belonging to a class of drugs known as benzodiazepines, they first took prominence in 1963 with the arrival of Valium, a safer and better alternative to hitherto existing hypnotics. Its use skyrocketed along with newer versions in…
Medical Matters Have you had your blood pressure checked recently? Well, measurement of blood pressure, as we all know, is a fundamental part of the routine clinical examination – and for good reason. This is because high blood pressure or hypertension is for the most part a silent condition which, over time, may have far-reaching…