Dr. Brugal — The Daily Health Journal

Health awareness writing from an NMC-registered professional. Diabetes, heart and blood pressure, NHS technology, GP visits, caregiving, sexual health. Long reads, plain English, UK-first.

Today's flagship read

Just published

Topics

  • Diabetes — For the 5M people in the UK living with or at risk of diabetes.
  • Heart & BP — Pressure, pulse, plumbing — and what is new in cardiology.
  • NHS & Tech — AI, the artificial pancreas, what the NHS is rolling out.
  • GP Visits — Walking into the surgery prepared. The questions that change the appointment.
  • Caregiver — Looking after a parent, a partner, a child. Systems that hold up.
  • Sexual Health — STIs, prescriptions, interactions. Plain talk, no stigma.
  • Body Signals — What the body is whispering before it shouts. Red flags, body awareness, knowing when to act.

All articles

Reader paths — start here

I, or someone I love, has diabetes.

Five reads, in order, from "what is this thing" to "what is new in 2026".

  1. The quiet signs you might be on the road to type 2 diabetes.
  2. When your dry mouth isn't just thirst.
  3. Managing diabetes every day: what the evidence actually says matters.
  4. The new diabetes treatments — what is real in 2026, and what is coming.
  5. The artificial pancreas is on the NHS. Here's what that actually means.

I have a GP appointment coming up.

How to walk in prepared, what to ask, what to take home.

  1. The one question to ask your GP that changes the appointment.
  2. Four blood tests worth asking your GP about if diabetes is in your family.
  3. The right way to measure your blood pressure at home — and what to do with the numbers.

I'm looking after a parent.

The systems that hold up at five, six, seven medications.

  1. The system that works when there are more than four medications.
  2. The right way to measure your blood pressure at home — and what to do with the numbers.
  3. The one question to ask your GP that changes the appointment.

Editorial series

  • Body Signals — What the body is whispering before it shouts.
  • GP Wisdom — How to use the ten minutes you get with your doctor.
  • Diabetes 101 — The condition, in plain English, end to end.
  • NHS Today — What is changing in British healthcare, right now.
  • Caregiver Notes — For the family member who became the project manager.

Daily tips

  • Hydration: Drink the second glass of water before coffee, not after.
  • Metabolism: The 10-minute walk after lunch does more for blood sugar than most people expect.
  • GP visits: Bring a list of three questions to every GP appointment. Not five. Three.
  • Caregiver: Photograph every discharge sheet before you leave the hospital.
  • Movement: Stretch the calves when the kettle boils. Ninety seconds, twice a day.
  • Sleep: Sleep first, supplements second. Always.
  • Caregiver: Write your parent's medication list on the fridge. Update it Sundays.
  • Pharmacy: Read the side-effects panel on every new prescription. All of it.
  • Emergency: New back pain plus numbness between your legs, trouble weeing, or both legs weak — A&E now, not your GP next week.