The people behind PlainHealth
Every guide here is written, tested and signed by a person. Four regulars, no ghostwriters.
Desmond Okonkwo Lead writer
Nursing background with long experience in chronic care follow-up. he prefers checklists you can use the same day.
- Which screening tests are worth it first: a checklist you can tick
- First steps when uric acid is high: where most people stall
- What an abdominal ultrasound shows: is it worth doing at all
- How seriously to take a flagged result: set the standard first
- What to add with family history: a checklist you can tick
- What calcium needs to absorb: is it worth doing at all
- Loosening morning stiffness: where most people stall
- The limits of loaded training: where most people stall
Nora Whitcomb Contributing editor
Worked in a screening centre reading reports for worried people. she separates what needs action from what needs nothing.
- The blood count lines that matter, from judgement to action
- Why liver enzymes fluctuate: three months in this order
- What carotid ultrasound tells you: fixing it point by point
- Setting a recheck interval: the light version and the full one
- An abnormal ECG and what follows: cost, time and results
- Movements to avoid with a disc issue: is it worth doing at all
- Supplementing vitamin D: is it worth doing at all
- Stretching order after exercise: fixing it point by point
Willa Farrow Staff writer
Ten years writing medical explainers, wary of inflated risk. she stratifies first, then decides how loud to be.
- The blind spots of employer check-ups: read this before you start
- Reading a four-part lipid panel: is it worth doing at all
- A first pass on thyroid function: cost, time and results
- When to check bone density: a checklist you can tick
- When two results disagree: knowing when to stop
- Range of motion in a frozen shoulder, from judgement to action
- Starting with resistance bands: is it worth doing at all
- Should noisy knees worry you: a checklist you can tick
Maeve Donnelly Regular contributor
Six years in hospital health management, used to turning markers into plain language. she writes only what has evidence behind it.
- Baseline tests in your thirties: read this before you start
- Where fasting glucose stops being normal: knowing when to stop
- Are tumour markers worth testing: cost, time and results
- Preparing for bloodwork properly: where most people stall
- Choosing a screening package: three months in this order
- Early signs of low bone density: cost, time and results
- Balance work that prevents falls: knowing when to stop
- Choosing a chair and lumbar support: read this before you start