Dr Matthew

Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD, or GERD if you are from North America) is extremely common in Western populations. Approximately 10–20% of adults experience reflux , and in Australia alone around 15% of the population is prescribed reflux medication . Most commonly these medications are proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) , which work by suppressing gastric acid production. While these drugs can reduce symptoms, they also substantially reduce stomach acid , which plays an essential...

If you have accumulated multiple diagnoses over the course of your life, this discussion may sound like an answer you've been looking for. Early in medical training, students are introduced to Occam’s Razor —the principle that, when confronted with competing explanations, the simplest explanation that accounts for all the facts is usually correct. In medicine, this translates to a preference for a single unifying diagnosis rather than multiple unrelated ones. Where the Principle Works Well In...

The common phrase “you are what you eat” is imprecise. A more accurate statement is: your body is what you digest and absorb . Nutrient intake alone is insufficient; physiological benefit depends on effective breakdown, absorption, and utilisation. In a previous discussion, I noted that protein requirements increase with age. Current research suggests that from approximately 30 years of age onward, protein needs may rise by 1–1.5% per year. One plausible contributor is the gradual decline in...