The Weekly Dose...

... the latest from Dr Karan

Here is your weekly dose...

Hi all!Here is your weekly dose of the Sunday 6, a list of what I'm pondering and exploring. If you enjoy this, please feel free to forward this to friends, family and enemies alike!**You'll find more in depth analysis of some of these subjects on my social platforms in the links just below, including Dr Karan Investigates! for deep dives into interesting topics on my YouTube channel.**

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What I'm Doing for My Brain

Oftentimes, multitasking has the effect of making people think they're accomplishing more. The truth is that multitasking and task switching can have detrimental effects on productivity. When we jump from task to task, we aren't really getting more done. In actuality, we're forcing our brains to constantly switch gears, working harder to do things at a lower level of quality and exhausting our mental reserves.

Our brain can only really focus well on one thing at a time but we can use this to our benefit. By focusing on one thing only we are able to fully embrace the task. You may have heard that I've just purchased a ukulele and have been spending a bit of time trying to master it. Check this video out of me with my ukulele -

'Why is your poop green'

. Early contender for Christmas number 2?!

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My top five surgeries

Duodenal Ulcer Repair -

Very occasionally I'll see someone with a hole in their stomach or small intestine caused by an ulcer. They are usually very sick patients and fixing this requires a mixture of speed and precision, You basically have to plug the hole with fat and stitches! It's a quick operation but is literally life saving!

Laparoscopic Appendicectomy -

You'll recognise this one from last weeks newsletter. My first ever solo surgery was a laparoscopic appendicectomy so perhaps it has a soft stop in my heart. The difficulty of these procedures can differ from a 1/10 difficulty to a 12/10 where you may need to remove the entire right colon if you're worried that it isn't just the appendix that is causing an issue.

Inguinal Hernia Repair -

Easy on paper, challenging on the operating table. This procedure varies in complexity and requires dexterity and an understanding of 3D anatomy! Hard to get your head around it, but it's the challenge I love!

Laparoscopic Right Hemi Colectomy -

Removing the right colon for cancer... this operation requires focus and attention to detail. The surgeon needs to be meticulous in their stitching. When you sew two ends of the bowel together you need to ensure your technique holds up otherwise there may be leakage!

Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy -

Humans are like a box of chocolate*, there's always variety in anatomy. The gallbladder anatomy is THE MOST variable anatomy in the human body, and oh is it fun to deal with!

*Did you say this in a

Forrest Gump

accent? I'll be disappointed if you didn't!

What I'm watching

Untold: The Girlfriend that Didn't Exist.

Netflix

We sometimes muse at the idea of Catfishing. television programmes such as Catfish: The TV Show put a bit of a reality TV spin on the topic. It gave us a perception of the perpetrators just being a bit of a weird, creepy individual pretending to be somebody else. But too often it goes so far that it can have devastating psychological and even physical permutations on a persons wellbeing. .

This Netflix documentary follows the story of NFL Line-backer Manti Te'o and how he was the victim of catfishing. The story is so farfetched it almost doesn't seem true! But it is a brilliant watch and you need to check it out!

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What I'm listening to

Visible Women with Caroline Criado PerezSpotify

Instead of music this week, what i've been listening to is this brilliant podcast. It gives a different view of gender inequality. We are all aware of the gaps in equality between sexes but Caroline Criado Perez talks about the differences we perhaps wouldn't consider.

For example, there is plenty of data showing that women have, on average, smaller hands then men yet we continue to design equipment fitted around the average male hand. A one-size-fits-all is in fact a one-size-fits-all-men. Ms Criado Perez brings to attention things that are perhaps overlooked, or not even considered when talking about equality and it allows us to see how outdated many parts of our lives are.

Another point made in this series of podcast's is regarding the temperatures found in most offices. On average they are five degrees too cold for women, this is because the formula to determine the 'optimum' temperature was developed in the 1960's and based on the metabolic resting rate of a 40-year-old, 70kg male. An even scarier point which may shock you in the fact women in Britain are 50% more likely to be misdiagnosed following a heart attack. Again this is because most trials regarding heart failure are done using male participants.

It is a wonderful series, and brings to light things that need to be reconsidered.

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What I'm using for my skincare

I've never had a skin care routine until about two weeks ago! But I've kept it simple and made sure it's science based!

Foaming cleanser -

Personally, I have skin that leans towards the oily side and this is an important part of my routine.

Moisturiser and Sunscreen -

Despite having darker skin I still use SPF 50. Sunscreen doesn't prevent 100% of the suns rays so I still get all the vitamin D needed. Please make sure to get sunscreen with UVA and UVB protection!

Moisturise Before Bed -

I use moisturiser and sunscreen in the morning, ready for the day but I also do it before bed, minus the sunscreen of course.

Wash your Face -

Simple enough right? Wash your face at least twice a day, more depending on your level of activity. If you're sweating more, or are just a sweatier person in general, it is important to wash more!

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What I've been up to

Fruit and Veg - Gotta Grow 'em All

So, I do have to say I am a bit of a gardener. I grow so much in my garden and it fills me with such joy watching my fruits and vegetables flourish. At the moment I have a number of fruits including pears, apples and plums, vegetables such as spinach, lettuce and courgettes as well as mint and basil. The biggest benefit of growing things in your garden is of course the free food! But it's a good way to keep myself active on those days where exercise seems too much of a chore.

It's a cathartic release to de-stress with some gardening and there are few better feelings than watching a creation of yours grow. Remember your Tamagotchi as a child? The euphoria of seeing your little creature develop as you fed and watered them! Well Gardening is essentially the adult version. Similar to Pokémon but with fruit and veg! Please don't tell anybody that I call my lettuces Bulbasaur!

As always, please give me feedback on Twitter. Which of this weeks Sunday six is your favourite? Is there something you want more, or less of? I'm open to any suggestions so please let me know! Just send a tweet to @drkaranrajan and use the hashtag #theweeklydose at the end so I can find it!

Have a wonderful week, all.

Much love,

Karan