Posts by Dr Karen’s Team
Achieve Your Goals
This is tip 4 of 7 in the series on how to make your resolutions a reality in 2025! Get help! If you are considering making some major changes in your life, or if you feel driven to achieve quite ambitious goals… then seek help from people who have been there and done…
Read MoreAchieve Your Goals
This is tip 3 of 7 in the series on how to make your resolutions a reality in 2025! Community! Be a joiner. One of the most powerful ways you can improve your chances of success is by surrounding yourself with people who share your interests and objectives. As humans, we learn by…
Read MoreAchieve Your Goals
This is tip 2 of 7 in the series on how to make your resolutions a reality in 2025! Broadcast! Have you been thinking about doing something new or different this year? Perhaps you would like to learn a new skill or take up a new sport or change your eating habits? Well,…
Read MoreAchieve Your Goals
This is tip 1 of 7 in the series on how to make your resolutions a reality in 2025! Commit! If you want to run a marathon, sign up and pay the registration fee. If you have been thinking about taking a course. Register. If you have been considering stopping smoking, commit to a…
Read MoreAchieve Your Goals
At the start of a new year, many of us will be reflecting on the year that’s just ended and thinking about what we would like to achieve during the year that lies ahead of us. If you (like me, and so many of us) make resolutions every year but struggle to achieve them……
Read MoreGuidelines for Alcohol Consumption
There are recommendations for the amount of alcohol we should be having on daily basis. These guidelines are based on the understanding of potential benefits of enjoying a drink (health benefits and social benefits) versus any potential harm that may result. These guidelines are different for men and women. This is because generally, men have…
Read MoreFood Label
Do you know how to read a food label? It can seem like quite a daunting task when you first look at a food label. There’s A LOT of information packed into a very small space! The first thing to do is check the ingredients. They are generally listed in the order of…
Read MoreProtein: How much do you need?
A patient came to see me. Lovely lady. Mother of 4 young kids. She was experiencing sudden episodes of extreme fatigue, feeling faint, short of breath, and very anxious. A previous doctor told her she was burnt-out and had prescribed an anti-depressant medicine for her. It wasn’t helping. In fact, she felt worse, and the…
Read MoreFat – Does it make you fat?
I used to be petrified of fat. For years, I would refuse to eat anything containing even a trace of fat. Chicken had to be skinless. Tuna in brine. If there was dressing on the salad, I wouldn’t eat it. I missed out on so many delicious avocadoes. The first time I cooked a…
Read MoreCarbs – do you need to eat them?
My 13 year-old niece visited me and for breakfast, I offered unsweetened natural Greek yoghurt with nuts, seeds, coconut shavings and fruit salad. She helped herself but didn’t sit down to eat. Instead, she rummaged through my pantry and found a packet of brown sugar (heaven alone knows how long it had been there!) and…
Read MoreDo you understand the role of Minerals in your body?
Minerals are naturally occurring substances that your body needs for various functions. Here is a list of the most common minerals in your body. Calcium Magnesium Potassium Sodium Iron Zinc Copper Manganese Selenium Iodine Chromium Molybdenum Phosphorus Fluoride Sulphur Remember, it is always better to get your nutrients including minerals from food rather than supplements.…
Read MoreDoc, I want to try Intermittent Fasting. How do I start?
There are several fasting regimens that people subscribe to but when you first start out, keep it simple and start slowly. Don’t be scared to skip a meal. In fact, relish the idea! No need to cook. You have extra time to do something else. You might even save a few cents by eating less!…
Read MoreDoc, I’ve been fasting for months, and I’m not seeing results!
I hear this every day: ‘Doc, I’ve been fasting for months, and I’m not seeing results!’ Intermittent Fasting is a powerful tool for improving your health and vitality. Not only can Intermittent Fasting help you achieve your weight loss goal but it has additional benefits to improve inflammation, slow down ageing and optimize gut health. …
Read More“Doc, how should I start intermittent fasting if I’ve never done it before?”
Doc, how should I start intermittent fasting if I’ve never done it before?’ I get this question all the time. The truth is that most people will suffer no serious health issue if they suddenly fast for 20-24 hours, even if they’ve never fasted before. However, the chance of feeling unwell or very hungry during…
Read MoreWhat happens in your body when you fast?
Intermittent fasting is a popular lifestyle practice with many potential benefits: Weight loss Anti-inflammatory Gut health Anti-ageing Autophagy + anti-cancer Mental alertness Sports performance It’s helpful to understand what happens in your body when you fast so you can benefit to the max. After your last meal, absorbed glucose is circulating in your blood. This…
Read MoreWhat is Breathwork?
You’ve probably heard that ‘Breathwork’ or controlled breathing exercises, can be a powerful tool for managing stress. But can something as simple as breathing really make a difference to how you feel? And can it really impact your metabolism? How It Works: The Science Behind Breathwork When you practice breathwork, you’re doing more than just…
Read MorePhysical Activity Guidelines
Breaking a sweat… If you exert yourself sufficiently to break a sweat you are not only boosting your weight loss efforts but also conditioning your heart, blood vessels and lungs, and releasing happy hormones called endorphins that improve mood and sleep quality. With regular exercise, you will change your body composition and the way your…
Read MorePositive Psychology
Tips to improve your mood 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…
Read MoreMedical Screening Guidelines
Medical screening is the process by which we actively look for evidence of illness or disease BEFORE signs or symptoms become obvious. Examples of medical screening include: Testing blood pressure at every doctors’ visit Doing routine cervical smear tests to check for early cervical cancer cells Routine breast examinations and mammograms to detect breast cancer…
Read MoreUnderstanding Glycaemic Index and Glycaemic Load
When you understand Glycaemic Index and Glycaemic Load, you will be empowered to make healthier food choices and combine foods in a healthier way. What is the Glycaemic Index (GI)? The Glycaemic Index (GI) is a method of categorising foods according to their effect on blood sugar. High GI foods are digested and absorbed rapidly…
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