December meetings at the Royal Society of Medicine

The Brain Series: Food drink and the brain

At this evening meeting experts in the fields of experimental psychology and neurology join a wine critic and leading restaurateur to discuss food and the brain. Professor Charles Spence of Oxford University will present a session on how the mind copes with aspects of gastronomy while Professor Theodor Landis of the University of Geneva will discuss the rare Gourmand Syndrome and the brain lesion that makes normal humans into avid gourmets. A panel discussion will follow with guests including Paul Levy, former food and wine correspondent at the Observer and Thomasina Meirs, co-founder and executive chef at Wahaca Restaurant.

The development and appropriate use of new medicines and medicinal technologies by clinicians is crucial. This meeting will provide an overview of how and why medicines are promoted in the United Kingdom, and the legal framework that underlies both their advertising and ethical marketing. Medicinal development and promotion is subject to stringent global regulations and legal requirements. How these international requirements impact on the promotion and use of medicines in the UK, now and in the future, will be discussed and debated. Speakers will include Mrs Heather Simmonds, director of the Prescription Medicines Code of Practice Authority and lawyer and pharmacist Dr Lincoln Tsang of Arnold & Porter LLP.

This year’s RSM Christmas Lecture will be delivered by Max Pemberton, doctor, journalist and writer. Dr Pemberton is a full-time NHS mental health doctor and columnist for the Daily Telegraph and Reader’s Digest as well as a contributor to the Mail On Sunday. He has won several awards for his writing, including the Mind Journalist of the Year and the Royal College of Psychiatrists Public Educator of the Year award. He is a presenter on the BBC Radio 4 flagship health programme, Inside Health. He has also written three books; Trust Me I’m A Junior Doctor, Where Does It Hurt? And The Doctor Will See You Now, all published by Hodder.

Organised by the Royal Society of Medicine in collaboration with the Nutrition Society, this conference will provide an update on the strength and quality of evidence for the most relevant associations between diet and cardiovascular disease (CVD). The meeting will begin with an overview of the current guidelines and policy for the dietary management of CVD. Experts in the field of human nutrition from the UK, USA, Australia, Italy and Ireland will then review and critically appraise the scientific evidence to link nutrients, foods and dietary patterns with cardiovascular health. The aim is to increase the understanding among those with an interest in the management and prevention of cardiovascular risk of how evidence based nutritional science translates into practical dietary guidelines.

HPV is a growing concern globally and has a significant clinical, epidemiological and economic burden. The experts speaking at this meeting will debate the latest clinical research findings, epidemiological data and knowledge on the broader burden of HPV related diseases at a variety of anatomical sites. Aiming to provide delegates with a foundation for future disease management, the speakers include genitourinary physician Professor Charles Lacey of the University of York, consultant gynaecological oncologist Mr Andrew Nordin and Dr David Asboe, sexual health and HIV consultant at the Chelsea and Westminster and West Middlesex Hospitals, London. Mr A J Donne, consultant paediatric otolaryngologist at Alder Hey children’s hospital will discuss treatment strategies for recurre nt respiratory papillomatosis while Professor Hisham Mehanna of the University of Birmingham will speak on recent trends and the future outlook for head and neck disease.

Depression is said to be the UK’s greatest social problem, losing £10 billion in potential earnings and costing the NHS around half a billion pounds a year. In Scotland alone 1 in 7 people are currently taking antidepressants, costing the NHS £31m. This meeting will examine the best approaches to treating this debilitating condition, including structured cognitive-behavioural therapies and hypnosis. The speakers will include clinical psychologist Dr Michael Yapko, Dr Thorsten Barhnofer of the Institute of Psychiatry at King’s College London and Scottish GP Dr Alistair Dobbin. Professor Irving Kirsch, of the University of Hull and Harvard Medical School will conclude the meeting with the delivery of the Waxman Memorial Lecture entitled: Why SSRIs are a poor substitute for hypnosis.