Those following a plant-based diet could be better placed to fight off the symptoms of Covid, a new study has found. The major research, published in the BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health journal, found that following a non-meat diet reduced the…
A lockdown success! How a team of healthcare professionals is transforming mental health support in their region
Two GPs who helped to create a mental health referral team during the height of the first lock-down have shared with the College of Medicine the challenges and successes of its first year in operation. The Andover Primary Care Mental…
New research suggests staying trim in middle age and later life prevents Type 2 diabetes
A new study into the link between obesity and diabetes has suggested that everyone has a ‘personal fat threshold’ and staying on the right side of it could help stave off a Type 2 diabetes diagnosis. The research, carried out…
Overprescribing must stop, says new Government report
The College of Medicine’s Chair has welcomed plans by the Government to reduce the overprescribing of medicines. A report published this week announced action to prevent medicines being prescribed unnecessarily, following a new review led by the Chief Pharmaceutical Officer…
“There’s no pressure to produce anything” Art counsellors reveal how simply doodling can boost mental health and well-being
Nour Saleh says she first realised the positive influence of art as a child, noticing ‘the power of it to gather people and unite them’ and how drawing or doodling ‘appeased’ her own emotions, offering moments of calm. Nour, a…
‘Social prescribing must be the responsibility of ALL stakeholder groups’, say leading practitioners
Leading voices in integrative medicine have called for a cohesive approach to ensure every aspect of healthcare can be effectively reached by social prescribing. Writing in Chapter Five of the College of Medicine’s manifesto for better health, Hope for the…
“We’re empowering people to make a difference in their own lives – that’s priceless” London health professionals discuss social prescribing
Healthy London Partnership, an initiative that aims to make the English capital the world’s healthiest city, has created a new film that highlights how valuable social prescribing can be in building and supporting community resilience – by linking people to…
National Social Prescribing Network celebrates five years – and announces the next Social Prescribing Day
Five years ago this week the National Social Prescribing Network was founded. What started as a spark of an idea has become a hugely successful movement that has seen social prescribing move from the periphery into mainstream health. In a…
The College of Medicine looks to the year ahead – as we prepare to publish our 10-year manifesto
In his festive message, College of Medicine Chair Dr Michael Dixon discusses the unfathomable year that has been 2020, including chinks of light centred around community, kindness and our many, free online classes, which have now reached thousands of people.…
Two doctors changed the way we treat stomach ulcers – so, could adopting a similar approach to Type 2 Diabetes be just as effective?
In the latest installment of his regular column for the Daily Mail, Dr Michael Mosley offers a fascinating insight into how two doctors discovered a cheaper, more effective way of treating stomach ulcers – but found it took winning a…
Plant biologist’s research finds roadside weed kills breast cancer cells without damaging healthy ones
A plant biologist who has dedicated years of research to proving that a roadside weed could help successfully target breast cancer cells has produced her strongest evidence yet. In her latest research, Professor Alessandra Devoto, from Royal Holloway, University of…
‘We have achieved so much but there is so much yet to do…’ Dr Michael Dixon addresses Westminster Health Forum social prescribing Conference
The College of Medicine’s Chair, Dr Michael Dixon, made a keynote address at the Westminster Health Forum Conference on September 17th…here, we share his address in full… ‘I am most grateful to the Westminster Health Forum for organising this third…
English National Opera launches breathing programme – using singing techniques – for patients recovering from Covid-19
What started as a Zoom meeting between four College of Medicine physicians; Dr Michael Dixon, Sir Sam Everington, Professor Ajit Lalvani and Dr Harry Brunjes, has sparked a new, nationwide initiative with the English National Opera. The topic was COVID-19…
“We need evidence to prove social prescribing works”, says former children’s tsar
Professor Sir Al Aynsley-Green was the first Children’s Commissioner for England and is a former president of the British Medical Association. An influential figure on children’s health and development for more than 40 years, here, Aynsley-Green debates the role social…
‘It’s social prescription at its best’: College of Medicine joins Duchess of Cornwall at Lambeth Food Co-op
WATCH VIDEO: The College of Medicine’s Chair Dr Michael Dixon has praised a community-led food co-operative in Lambeth, calling the project ‘social prescription at its very beginning and very best’. Dr Dixon joined HRH Duchess of Cornwall in the London…
How health inequality in Crawley has been transformed and the town now boasts the UK’s lowest emergency admission rates
GP Dr Amit Bhargava explains why the north-west Sussex town of Crawley has one of the lowest rates of emergency admissions in the country – and has been recognised as the most dementia-friendly community in the UK. The town, close…
