Fat pharms: does your medication make you fat?
Not a day in my practice goes by without a patient complaining about their weight gain. So often the antidepressants are blamed. The simple answer is that weight is a straightforward mathematical calculation: you can only gain weight if you consume more kilojoules than what you burn, and vice versa. But is it really so simple?
The self-esteem conundrum: those who need it, don’t have it; and those who have it, don’t need it (or do they?)
Not a day in my practice goes by where parents do not raise their concern about their child’s poor self-esteem, a mother complains of her feelings of worthlessness, or a top-student or highly successful businessman confesses his or her insecurities. What is self-esteem? Why is self-esteem so elusive? Do we even need self-esteem? Can we improve it? […]
When happiness fades: the poop-out effect
“The medication doesn’t work anymore,” is a sentence I often hear. But why would your medication stop working? Is it even possible? The answer is yes. Bacteria can get resistant against antibiotics and when we become addicted to something like painkillers, sleeping tablets, or alcohol, our body develops a tolerance for these and you find yourself in a situation where you require more in order to obtain the same effect. […]
“Time-out” for adults
In today’s rushed life if you’re not mindful of the fast pace of life and the pressure you encounter on a daily basis, you will most likely end up in the wilderness of burnout: a place of emotional exhaustion, disengagement, and decreased performance. A powerful way to avoid experiencing burnout is to practice good self-care regularly. […]
When the house becomes silent
One of the most goose-bump moments in my practice was when a mom told me during a follow-up consultation that she heard her little girl laugh again. Only then did she realise how long the house had been silent. […]
