Emdoc Health, Suite 6 Beacon Consultant Clinic Sandyford Dublin 18, Dublin (2026)

31/03/2026

How is click-bait violence against women? Doesn't that sound a bit extreme?

It's a real discussion being had right now around the world.

Health misinformation causes real, physical harm when a woman loses the right to make a decision about her body or her health based on real information, real science, real evidence. Women have made real decisions - for example, to not attend antenatal care - based on online forum discussions. Young girls are now learning about their bodies from social media - but are they always getting the correct information? It can really depend which direction the algorithm pulls them.

Having concerns about medication side effects is valid, and should absolutely be discussed with your doctor to find something that meets your goals of care. Being hesitant about going for your first mammogram or cervical screening or birth plan is absolutely valid! - but definitely talk it through with your midwife or practice nurse or doctor. Let's make sure you are looked after.

Its worth remembering that we are importing a great deal of health misinformation from the US right now, more than ever. It's reassuring - I hope - to remember we don't live there: we have public health system. It's not perfect - far from it - but if you may have noticed, from the lack of GP appointments to hospital waiting times, the health system in Ireland isn't looking for business or to keep you sick. And your doctor isn't being paid to keep you hospitalised or prescribed medications.

As we come to the end of women's history month, we know women's health has always been gendered and biased; women traditionally have had poorer health outcomes in many areas. How we fix that is better health education, not by losing the progress we have made -- from maternal mortality in childbirth to reproductive rights to improving cancer outcomes to progressing toward ending vaccine-preventable diseases, like polio. Misinformation is not empowering, and risks setting progress in women's health backwards.

.fides

30/03/2026

Happy Doctor's Day. Take care of your health the same way you would a boiler. Annual checks and registered professionals. While imported content makes it here to Ireland, it important to critically think: with long waiting lists and doctor shortages, who's looking for business?! Let's keep you well! Happy Doctors Day. (No boilers were harmed in making of this video) .fides

30/03/2026

"Doctors prescribe pills. That's what we do." This phrase continues to live rent-free in my head since a medical student said it to me a couple of years ago. My not-prescribing jobs for the day were boring her a bit, apparently. She was anxious to get down to the "best" part -- where I illegibly scribble something only a pharmacist can read on a tiny piece of paper.

Illegible scribbling prescriptions is not the best part of being a doctor. That is just a sometimes a necessary part of what we do.

Doctors do prescribe pills. But that is not the best of what we do. And hardly the reason someone becomes a doctor.

Doctors also try to prevent the need to prescribe pills in the first place.
Doctors are there on often the worst moments - and if you are very lucky, a maybe couple of the best moments - of patients' lives.
Doctors also phone the social worker, sign the work cert, and ask the occupational therapist to see if you need a shower chair.
Doctors bring up those wildly unpopular truths about the drinking, the smoking, and getting that STI check.
Doctors discuss those vaccines you are worried about since you saw a tiktok from the States.
Doctor innovate and research and develop new technology and treatments.

But the best part of being a doctor are the patients and their stories.

Reducing a doctor-patient relationship to just a transaction of prescribing pills misses the point of what doctors do. Particularly for primary care and for those doctors who care for those with chronic disease. And we see this attitude mirrored in the rapid rise of online pill-mills, just dispensing medication more or lesson-demand, without whole-person, patient-centred care.

What every doctor needs on Doctor's Day is, ironically, more doctors. Shorter waiting lists and less pressure on services would mean that both patients and doctors would get what they need: time.

Because the best part of being a doctor isn't the prescribing. It's the patients: their story, their journey. (And I can still illegibly scribble about that in their notes.)

26/03/2026

From my real life practice: Laxatives Avoidance.

There are so, so, so many urban myths and so much misinformation about gut health. But let's just talk about this one:

The urban myth that laxatives are addictive or dangerous or to be avoided at all cost as a goal.

In general, over-the-counter laxatives are safe, when used as directed when needed. Your registered chemist can be a great help here (yes, that side consultation room is for all those uber-embarassing questions that you don't want your neighbour Myrtle overhearing)!

If you are finding that you need laxatives more than occasionally or are worried, schedule an appointment with your GP. Don't be embarassed to talk about poos with your doc. We talk about it all day. All the time. It is very likely impressively difficult to shock or horrify your doctor.

Whether it's stress, change in diet, IBS, travel, a change in routine .. constipation is common and isn't just uncomfortable. Over time, it can cause other problems like urinary tract infections, haemorrhoids, painful areas called fissures. (In children - 1 in 3 children suffer constipation! - constipation can cause tummy pain, urinary tract infections, and even accidents or bedwetting. If you are struggling, talk to your doc or check out ERIC Bowel and Bladder charity webiste for the best parenting advice for all things poo and wee! Seriously, book mark this one!)

Fluids, fibre, and getting more exercise and even those prunes or flaxseed in the porridge can all help you stay regular -- and it's great if they do! But if that isn't enough sometimes and laxatives are needed -- there are gentle and safe options available without a prescription.

.fides .uk1

25/03/2026

When I was in school, I got the Men B vaccine. I stood in a hall holding a punch card with my personal ID details in a crowd of thousands, being directed by the National Guard. There was an outbreak in a university in the US where I was studying, and 2 students had died and so many exposed. I don't remember how many became ill. Given that meningitis can spread rapidly when thousands of students are crowded into cramped housing, gyms, and nightclubs, there was an emergency mass vaccination programme. I was one of more than 17,000 who queued up. It was a urgent situation.

As the recent outbreak in UK has been contained and hasn't affected us here, it's a good time to talk about Meningitis - not an urgent situation - and make sure you have the facts.

Meningococcal group B (but there is also A, C, W, and Y!) are serious infections that affect the lining of the brain and spinal cord, or to a bloodstream infection known as septicemia. Although rare, these are medical emergencies because people can become critically ill very fast - in ours.

Even with treatment, invasive meningococcal disease (Men B) can be very serious. It can be fatal in 8% to 15% of cases, and survivors may experience long-term complications such as hearing loss, neurological damage or limb loss.

Highest risk are infants, teens/young adults, and those who are older than 65/immunosuppressed. It was added to the routine vaccination schedule for babies in 2016. Children are offered Men ACWY in first year of secondary school, as they enter the years during which they will be highest risk.

In the age of medical misinformation, we are seen increasing vaccine hesitancy. This is not harmless. If you are hesitant about routine vaccination, make an appointment to discuss your concerns with a registered healthcare profession, ideally your GP or paediatrician.

.fides

13/03/2026

Hangovers Cures? Let's bust some urban myths!

Drinkaware .fides

13/03/2026

So let’s bust some hangover urban myths:

1 You can’t “detox” after alcohol excess: vitamins, fasts, cleanses, smoothies, “soakage” meals, supplements, IV drip bars. It can’t undo any damage.

2. Hangovers aren't just feeling bad: Few people are aware that they are actually somewhat impaired the next day – even after their blood alcohol has returned to undetectable. In studies with pilots, drivers, skiers, they had poorer coordination, altered perception, slower brain waves for up to 16 hours AFTER blood alcohol went back to 0.

3. Making someone suffer with hangover symptoms will NOT prevent them from drinking again. Oddly - studies show those with worse hangovers are actually MORE likely to do it all again!.

4. There is NO magic hangover cure.

5. It's more about the "how much" than the what: Drinks that contain “congeners” like brandy, wine, tequila, whiskey, dark spirits can cause worse hangover BUT…more than 5 to 6 units for a man or 3 to 5 units for a woman cancause hangover.

So, you’ve over-indulged - what does work? Hydration. Your usual over-the-counter headache medication (discuss with your chemis if any questions). Some non-diabetics have low blood sugar with hangovers, so food can help.

However, your best bet is low-risk alcohol intake. Calcuate your intake .ie

.fides

12/03/2026

Your kidneys are awesome. Full Stop.

Everyday - along with your lungs and liver - they are "detoxing" you and making sure that you are not too acidic or too alkaline. Yes- all that expensive stuff in the health store -- your kidneys are already doing it all, every day, 100% naturally and for free.

So, let's show 'em some love.

♥Get your blood pressure and blood sugar checked.

♥Don't smoke or v**e.

♥Don't misuse painkillers. Make sure if you are using anything for pain more than a couple of days you talk to your doctor or pharmacist and never use someone else's prescription medication.

♥Eat well, hydrate and exercise (yes, that boring stuff works when looking after our vital organs!)

♥If you have even mild kidney disease, make sure you talk to your doctor or registered pharmacist before taking supplements, herbals, or vitamins.

One in 10 of us will develop kidney disease. Let's not take these hard-working organs for granted!

.fides Irish Kidney Association

11/03/2026

A few months ago, a parent contacted me asking if I would help them access testing and leucovorin for their child with autism. They weren't my patients, but I took quite a bit of time to write them back on the science because the next person they ask might not have my ethics.

Due to an FDA decision today in US that leucovorin is not an approved treatment for autism - we will probably more discussion. A paper in the Lancet this week shows that people are listening to influencers - including the US president - on bad science. Worrying because autism rhetoric in the US has become more politicised and often ableist in past year. We import this media here.

Apart from cancer, autism is the other disease I have seen targeted by so much predatory bad science. Families are often - understandably - frustrated when there aren't good answers. This can create openings for predatory clinics to sell expensive tests, treatments. This can do real harm, whether its direct harm from the treatment, delay in accessing more effective treatment, heart-break, or financial ruin. Sadly - in one case that has stayed with me for 15 years - it was all of it. I'll stand by this: it's NEVER okay to exploit a family's desperation for political or financial gain.

The decision by the FDA (which ONLY applies to US!) today is - scientifically speaking - the right one. The science isn't there. There will be alot of conversation in global autism communities - so I'm writing about it today.

False information provides false hope. It does not empower patients. It is frustrating when we don't have the answers. I struggle with this daily in my clinical practice, working with diseases that don't yet have cures. It is what drives us as doctors and scientists - and humans - to work, research, and learn. But promising false hope or taking short cuts - we risk real harm.

For more on the science of autism, I cannot recommend this book enough on the genetics and causes of autism: "Vaccines did not cause Rachel's Autism" by Prof. Peter Hotez, paediatrician, researcher, and father of Rachel, who has autism.

09/03/2026

Listen Live tomorrow Tuesday 10 March LMFM at 3.15pm.

I'll be back as a guest on the Late Lunch with Gerry Kelly talking about how to spot those red flags 🚩🚩🚩🚩 in advertisements for weight loss services and products.

.fides

08/03/2026

This International Women's Day, An Post has launched a series of stamps celebrating women medics. I was delighted to be invited to the event this week.

It's really important because the impact of women medics goes beyond the accomplishments of pioneering and extraordinary women, beyond the best of us.

We now have over quarter century of data on how readmission rates and overall outcomes, including surgical outcomes, are better for women patients of women doctors.

Women physicians are more likely to order more preventive tests for women patients, more likely to discuss their whole person needs. The increase of women physicians in different specialities has been a factor in bringing to attention the persistent gender gaps in medical research. Most importantly, research has shown that women doctors have a different communication style and this may be becoming even more critical in an age where medical misinformation - that disproportionately targets women - is a growing problem that does real harm. The role of patient education, health literacy, and patient empowerment in moving towards equity in healthcare has never been more important. While women live longer than men, on average they live more of those years with chronic disease burden.

On international women's day, access to healthcare is a right. Access to good communication and correct information about health and science is a right. Shared decision making in healthcare is a right. And we need women as an equal part of the healthcare provision, the health education, and the health communication.

07/03/2026

This week, was .

As we round up this week, let's take a moment and just pick some of the online ads targeting patients with obesity.

Misinformation has potential to harm patients.
Misinformation can worsen weight stigma/weight bias.
Misinformation and disinformation can exploit patients who cannot access obesity care.

Misinformation takes away a patient's ability to make an informed choice based on real evidence.

Let's be clear: bariatric surgery is a wonderful treatment for obesity, but it is not a cure and should be part of ongoing whole-person treatment, something that is not going to happen if you fly into Turkiye. And you should have a robust ongoing followup plan in place to keep you healthy - not expectations of a cure.

Swipe through gallery above where I have fact checked some online claims that have been sent to me last few days from followers.

Emdoc Health

31/03/2026

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