About me

For most of my career, I have been what I call a “fags and booze doc" (meaning I used to drink too much and smoke).  I was surprised and amused when I fell in love with lifestyle medicine.  I happened across lifestyle medicine, by accident, listening to health-related podcasts on my commute to work.  As a reformed "fags and booze doc", I am certainly not going to lecture you about what you should or shouldn't do.  I want to help you, if you want to be happier and healthier, by sharing, simple, reliable, health information and advice. 

My Struggles

Like many doctors, I am also a patient living with a chronic illness. When I was a medical student, I was diagnosed with Bipolar Affective Disorder (or manic depression.) It has taken me a long time to accept my illness and not fight against it. For many years, I felt I needed to prove I was as good as, if not better than, other people without my diagnosis. I suppose the truth was, I felt in some way lesser than my friends and colleagues because I had a mental illness. I've had a lot of therapy and I have come to accept my condition as part of who I am.

Through trial and error, I've learned what works for me and, more importantly, what doesn't. I no longer see myself as that different from anyone else. Anyone can become unwell, either physically or mentally, if they don’t look after themselves.

Like many people with bipolar, depression has been a much bigger problem for me, than mania. I now accept that if I want to avoid becoming depressed, then I need to look after myself and avoid the things that I have learned are bad for me.

My experiences as a patient have definitely made me a better and more understanding doctor. By living “my best life” and surrounding myself with trusted friends and family, I have been stable and well for many years and I am no longer scared of becoming mentally unwell. Long may it continue!