Dr McCormack's
Healthy Living Site
Who I am
I am a freelance family doctor in Warrington, Cheshire, UK, and a founder member of the Public Health charity PHCuk.org.
As of March 2016 I have a simpler site you may wish to visit www.fatismyfriend.co.uk
If I have not acted as your doctor face to face, maybe you read my Twitter page or a comment I wrote on the web. If I have not acted as your doctor, I urge you to discuss any health changes you wish to make with your own family doctor, as I do not know your individual circumstances. I cannot act as a doctor from this site.
For 23 years I worked in mainly one practice but now I work across several practices as a GP. These pages are primarily for the use of people I have treated face to face, but are also a resource for anyone who wants to find information to discuss with their GP or nurse.
I am very interested in how we can improve our mental and physical health in a holistic way. The phone numbers and people I refer to are Warrington based, unless they are writers who publish their work on the web, when I will make it clear that is who and where they are!
I love the way we have easy and usually free access to doctors and scientists from many countries so we can weigh up the evidence in what we read and hear and see on the web, and can use our common sense to decide which way to go. There is a list of my nutrition references on this site. They won't all be right in everything they say, and I will let you be the judge. Remember that evidence changes over time and has to be revaluated. The references are not exhaustive either so if you feel I have left anyone or anything important out, please write and let me know at joannemccormack@nhs.net
Alcohol
A small amount of alcohol is not harmful.
I may not tackle you about your drinking face to face, but I will say here that many people should cut down, and many of them know they should.
If you know you need to cut it down, or out, I suggest AA or phoning Warrington, Cheshire Pathways on 01925 415176.
Warrington Cheshire Pathways can also help you overcome drug problems.
The website soberistas is also very useful.
Al-Anon family groups give great support to those of you who have a family member or close friend with an alcohol problem- www.al-anonuk.co.uk
Mindfulness
I recommend Mindfulness as a practice to keep your mind grounded in the present. There is evidence that it is useful for helping mental health difficulties and is good for habit breaking. Regular practice has been shown to be helpful in keeping you mentally healthy.
"Mindfulness -a guide to peace in a frantic world" by Mark Williams and Danny Penman is an 8 week course which I and many of my patients have seen amazing results with and it cost less than £10 when I last checked. You might also like to consider
or the Calm app which is free for smart phones
"Mindfull-ness- the no diet diet" e-book by Elaine Hillides is also very useful, from a food point of view. It is not a restrictive diet, but more a book that makes you mindful about what you buy, what you eat and how you eat it!
Pilates
Your back and neck take a lot of strain and with that in mind I recommend simple Pilates exercises. I advise you to learn with an instructor rather than on a DVD, but once you know how to do them you can practice them each day and keep your back and neck stronger in the long run. In Warrington, Cheshire there are Tracey Bold at www.tboldpilates.co.uk
07950677085
and Tanya Loxham info@tpara.co.uk
01925 657 395/07786 994 070
Hypnotherapy
For over 20 years we have had hypnotherapists in Warrington and many of our patients successfully gave up smoking, relieved stress and helped their IBS through hypnotherapy. Hypnotherapy is often helpful in getting rid of bad habits, including bad eating habits. The hypnotherapist in Warrington I refer to is Mike Mahoney and he can be contacted on 01925658322. He is an IBS specialist and has recently brought out an IBS app for i-phone.
Exercise
I recommend 30 minutes a day if you can, split into 10-15 minute slots if need be.
It's good for your body and mind but not for weight loss (tests have shown you just tend to eat more to compensate)
You may wish to check out Sam Feltham's Smash the Fat website www.smashthefat.com
Warrington, Cheshire Stop Smoking Service is free to Warrington residents on
03000030818