Posts by Dr Karen’s Team
Gratitude
This month, I will be sharing practical strategies used in Positive Psychology that you can use to feel happier and more enthusiastic for life. Today we will look at gratitude!! Watch this video to learn about the positive impact gratitude has on your health.
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Is Lifestyle Medicine real medicine?
People often ask me whether lifestyle medicine is real medicine. Now listen closely. Lifestyle medicine is the only medicine because how you live your life impacts on your health now as well as your health in the future. If you look at mainstream medicine, traditional medicine, where you see a health condition and you…
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Have you ever felt like one holiday can undo weeks of progress?
One of my lovely patients was doing so well on her low-carb Mediterranean diet plan. She felt fantastic, had more energy, had lost 13kg and had started to see some real changes in her body. Then… Easter happened. The chocolate eggs, the treats, the family gatherings…It all added up, and she found herself slipping back…
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Protein: T’s & C’s
Proteins are large molecules made up of smaller units called amino acids. There are 8 essential amino acids – they are called ‘essential’ because your body cannot synthesize them and you have to include them in your diet. Animal protein like meat, chicken, fish, eggs and dairy products contains decent amounts of these essential amino…
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Learn about ‘satisfice’
This month, I will be sharing practical strategies used in Positive Psychology that you can use to feel happier and more enthusiastic for life. Today we will look at ‘satisfice’! The word ‘satisfice’ comes from ‘satisfaction’ and ‘suffice’. Most of us seek perfection in what we do, which causes stress. Using the principle of ‘satisfice’,…
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What are the aspects of Lifestyle Medicine?
Lifestyle medicine is a specialized field of medicine in the same way that a gynaecologist specializes in women’s health. A lifestyle medicine doctor specializes in those aspects of lifestyle that have an impact on your health and wellbeing. We look at nutrition, exercise, sleep, stress, psychological factors, your social connectedness, as well as exposure to…
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Gratitude: the power of 3 good things!
This month, I will be sharing practical strategies used in Positive Psychology that you can use to feel happier and more enthusiastic for life. Today we will look at the strategy of Gratitude. At the end of each day, write down 3 good things that happened to you. This exercise makes you reflect on the…
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Building Resilience
This month, I will be sharing practical strategies used in Positive Psychology that you can use to feel happier and more enthusiastic for life. Today we will look at the skill of resilience! You can cultivate the skill of being able to bounce back after being knocked down. Resilience is the ability to thrive despite…
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What is a lifestyle medicine doctor?
What makes a lifestyle medicine doctor different from a normal general practitioner? Well, first of all. I am a general practitioner. That’s my undergraduate training, but I specialized in lifestyle medicine. I followed a postgraduate degree program lasting three years, and I did a full master’s thesis on a specific lifestyle intervention. So it’s the…
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Carbs: Ts & Cs
There are good carbs and bad carbs. Carbs should be limited to less than 30% of daily calories. If you understand carbohydrate metabolism, you can make healthier food choices for you and your family. All carbohydrates digest to sugar: Starch (found in bread, rice, potatoes, maize, noodles, pasta, and other starchy foods) is made of…
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Are you always hungry?
Are you constantly thinking about food? Struggling with cravings? Here are some tips to help you control your appetite: Eat more plants: Vegetables and fruits contain fibre that swells in the intestine and slows the digestive process… making you feel satisfied. They also have a higher proportion of water, which increases the volume of food…
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What do the numbers in a blood pressure reading represent?
Take a minute and learn about what each number of a blood pressure reading means! Learn more about high blood pressure and how to manage it naturally in my book. Try the first 10% free here: https://www.amazon.com/High-Blood-Pressure-manage-naturally-ebook/dp/B0CWFCFVCL/
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What is Lifestyle Medicine?
This is a new specialty in medicine. The same as doctors can specialize in pediatrics or orthopedics or surgery. Doctors can now specialize in a field called lifestyle medicine. We have realized that how we live our lives, the food we eat, the routine we have, our physical activity, our sleep habits, our social connections,…
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Have you heard of Positive Psychology?
Conventional psychology treats mental health problems like depression, anxiety and disorders of thought. Usually, you start by figuring out the source of your distress or dysfunction and then do a lot of work to process and reduce the effects. Positive psychology takes a different approach. You focus on strengths and good things in your life…
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Where do you get your dopamine?
Dopamine is your brain’s “feel-good” neurotransmitter—it’s what drives motivation, pleasure, and reward. It helps you focus, feel accomplished, and seek out things that bring joy. But here’s the catch: not all dopamine sources are created equal. Healthy dopamine boosts come from: ✔️ Overcoming a challenge ✔️ Exercise (hello, runner’s high!) ✔️ Deep conversations and quality…
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Watch for 1 minute to learn about what your blood pressure readings mean and why we need a trend to make decisions!
Learn how exercise conditions your heart and why it’s like a spring clean for your blood vessels!
Achieve Your Goals
This is tip 7 of 7 in the series on how to make your resolutions a reality in 2025! Enjoy your success! It is so important to reward yourself for a job well-done. If you’ve broken your goal down into smaller milestones, motivate yourself along the way with mini rewards that increase…
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Achieve Your Goals
This is tip 6 of 7 in the series on how to make your resolutions a reality in 2025! Help others! It’s safe to say that we all want to make our lives and the lives of those around us better and happier. What if you could engineer your ambitions for this…
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Achieve Your Goals
This is tip 5 of 7 in the series on how to make your resolutions a reality in 2025! Break it down! Most of us have ambitions that stretch over months or years. We know that we will realistically only be able to achieve our goal in the future either because achieving…
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