DR MAX PEMBERTON: You can't blame it ALL on the vaccine
Dr Max Pemberton said that all medicines have side effects of some sort and some of the side effects reported are nothing to do with the drug at all.
PEMBERTON
DR MAX PEMBERTON: Dear NHS colleagues, have the jab or lose your job!
A friend of mine is a cleaner at the hospital where I work. He has one of the most physically demanding jobs in the NHS: keeping the wards scrubbed and free from lurking bugs is a never-ending task and, frequently, a thankless one. I have never heard him complain. But fear of Covid-19, he told … Read more
DR MAX PEMBERTON: My guilt at having the vaccine when I’m healthy
Have you had your Covid vaccine yet? I had mine a few weeks ago, after a week of working nights, and was quite surprised at how emotional it was. After all these months of waiting for some good news, finally here was the light at the end of the tunnel — the one thing that … Read more
DR MAX PEMBERTON: Why you SHOULD plan a holiday – now!
Going anywhere nice on holiday this year? It’s usually the opening gambit for a hairdresser, not a doctor, isn’t it? But it’s exactly the question that doctors should be asking their patients, because it might encourage them to have hope that better times are coming. We all need something to look forward to right now, … Read more
DR MAX PEMBERTON: I’m sorry, Cosmo, but this is NOT healthy
February’s Cosmopolitan magazine has been lauded by some as a watershed moment for celebrating the plus-size female body. It features cover stars of various body shapes showcased across different digital and print editions, including some extremely overweight women, accompanied by the line ‘This is healthy’. Well, I’m sorry to say it, but I was far … Read more
DR MAX PEMBERTON: Scandal of ‘Do Not Resuscitate’ orders being imposed on elderly patients
Nine years ago my grandmother passed away at the age of 85. A long time before, she had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer, and when it returned ten years later, her body soon became riddled with it. It was, of course, a distressing diagnosis but she was greatly helped by the honest and sympathetic discussions … Read more
Dr MAX PEMBERTON argues that banning visits to care homes harms vulnerable residents
The heartbreaking image that appeared on the front page of yesterday’s Daily Mail proved beyond doubt that Britain’s shameful treatment of its care home residents needs to end. Showing a loving wife having to kneel in the street to see her husband’s face through a metal railing, it was yet more disturbing proof that the … Read more
It’s better for your children not to have a perfect parent: NHS psychiatrist Max Pemberton
My mum was not always the perfect parent when I was growing up. Times like when I fell down the manhole in the front garden and knocked myself out while she chatted to our neighbour. Or the time when I was eight and I was left waiting for three hours outside an empty church hall … Read more
Dr MAX PEMBERTON gives his devastating verdict on yet another Covid-19 farce
When coronavirus first struck Britain, Boris Johnson assured the public that ‘our country remains extremely well prepared’ to cope. Among our national assets, he boasted, was a ‘fantastic testing system’. Even when the virus was at its peak in May, the Prime Minister was still in hyperbolic mode as he promised that the testing regime … Read more
DR MAX PEMBERTON: Being a neat freak is a world away from the torture of OCD
We all know someone who has, let’s say, certain quirks. Perhaps they like their pens and pencils perfectly aligned on their desk. Or they are forever plumping up their cushions. Or their cutlery drawer is a work of art and their wardrobe perfectly colour-co-ordinated. All too often they will try to laugh off this quirky … Read more