Dental & Vision
Dental emergencies and what to do
Some dental problems can wait and some cannot, and one of them is a genuine medical emergency.
Dr Samuel Adeyemi
35 articles by Adeyemi
Screening & Checks
Overdiagnosis, and why more medicine is not always better
Detecting disease that would never have caused harm is a real and measurable phenomenon with real costs.
Dental & Vision
Mouth ulcers, bad breath and the small things
Minor oral problems are common, are cheap to manage, and a few of them are signals that should not be ignored.
Dental & Vision
Dry eye, contact lenses and daily eye care
Contact lens complications are uncommon and serious, and dry eye is common and manageable with cheap measures.
Medication & Pharmacy
Vitamins, minerals and when supplementation is medical
Several deficiencies are common, consequential and cheap to correct, and they are different from the supplement market.
Medication & Pharmacy
Antidepressants and stopping them properly
They are effective for moderate and severe depression, and stopping them requires more care than starting them.
Screening & Checks
Health checks at different ages
What is worth doing changes by decade, and knowing what applies now prevents both over-testing and missed opportunities.
Screening & Checks
Family history and what to do with it
A well-collected family history changes screening, and it is free, quick and almost never gathered properly.
Dental & Vision
Cataract, glaucoma and the ageing eye
Two very common conditions with very different urgency, and one of the most successful operations in medicine.
Dental & Vision
Orthodontics and whether it is worth it
Some treatment is functional and some is cosmetic, and the direct-to-consumer market has created genuine safety concerns.
Medication & Pharmacy
Over-the-counter medicines worth having
A short list covers most household needs cheaply, and most of the aisle is expensive versions of the same few ingredients.
Medication & Pharmacy
When a medicine stops working
Apparent treatment failure has a short list of explanations, and the most common one is not the drug.
Screening & Checks
Kidney and liver function tests explained
Two of the most commonly abnormal results on routine bloods, and two of the most commonly misinterpreted.
Screening & Checks
Bone density, fracture risk and what prevents it
Hip fracture is one of the most expensive and life-changing events in older age, and much of the risk is modifiable.
Dental & Vision
Hearing loss, and why people wait a decade
It is gradual, socially costly and associated with dementia risk, and hearing aids have improved beyond recognition.
Dental & Vision
Children’s teeth and eyes
Both are free or subsidised for children in most countries, both are under-attended, and both have windows where treatment works and later does not.
Medication & Pharmacy
Steroids, and using them without fear
Topical steroid anxiety causes more harm than the steroids do, and the distinction between types matters enormously.
Medication & Pharmacy
Inhalers, asthma and getting the technique right
Most people use inhalers incorrectly, which wastes the drug and the money, and the fix takes five minutes.
Screening & Checks
Mental health screening and getting help
Common mental health conditions are treatable, access routes are more varied than most people realise, and cost is not always the barrier it seems.
Screening & Checks
Cancer symptoms worth acting on
Delay in presentation is the main modifiable factor in outcome, and the list of symptoms that warrant an appointment is short.
Dental & Vision
Root canals, crowns and knowing what you are being sold
Dental treatment plans frequently contain choices, and knowing which parts are necessary changes the bill considerably.
Medication & Pharmacy
Managing multiple medications
Polypharmacy accumulates without anyone deciding on it, and structured review reduces cost, side effects and risk simultaneously.
Screening & Checks
Vaccination for adults
Adult immunisation is the most cost-effective preventive intervention available and the most neglected.
Screening & Checks
The annual check-up: what is worth doing
The routine yearly physical has surprisingly weak evidence, and the components that matter can be listed on a postcard.
Dental & Vision
Screen use, eye strain and what actually helps
The symptoms are real and the damage is not, and the effective remedies cost nothing.
Medication & Pharmacy
Painkillers, and using them without causing problems
The cheapest analgesics are the safest for most people, and the risks of the common ones are underestimated.
Medication & Pharmacy
Antibiotics: when they help and when they cost you
Most common infections are viral, resistance is a collective problem created by individual prescriptions, and side effects are not trivial.
Screening & Checks
Diabetes risk and what to do about it early
Prediabetes is a genuine warning with a good evidence base for reversal, and the intervention is not a drug.
Screening & Checks
Cholesterol, statins and the numbers behind them
The decision to treat is about overall risk rather than a single number, and the medication costs almost nothing.
Dental & Vision
Eye tests, glasses and where the money goes
The test detects far more than a prescription, and the price of the glasses has very little to do with the lenses.
Dental & Vision
What a dental check-up prevents
Dental disease is almost entirely preventable and among the most expensive things to leave alone.
Medication & Pharmacy
Getting the most from a pharmacist
The most accessible and least used clinician in most health systems, with services people do not know exist.
Medication & Pharmacy
Generic medicines and what you are paying for
Generics contain the same active ingredient at the same dose, and the price difference is frequently enormous.
Screening & Checks
Blood pressure: the cheapest thing you can do
It is silent, extremely common, and the treatment is inexpensive — which makes ignoring it the most expensive option.
Screening & Checks
Which screening tests are actually worth having
A screening programme has to clear a high bar to exist, and a great deal of what is sold as screening never gets near it.