The Critical Commentator

  Has the optimisation rebellion begun? Something seemed to shift in the collective psyche recently when the world discovered the entrepreneur and podcaster Steven Bartlett's reaction to having had "a couple of glasses of wine" on a school night... Bartlett explained what happened when he decided to test the effects of drinking after a year of sobriety - a sombre catalogue of catastrophes recorded by his Whoop tracker. He slept less, ate poorly, skipped the gym and - prepare yourself - "podcasted worse". "It ruined three days of my life," he said, seemingly in earnest Boors Carousing Dutch School Photo Credit: York Museum Trust [Public Domain]  Last month the internet finally erupted in long overdue mockery. Bartlett made such a meal of it, which I think offended British sensibilities...   But behind the "Chill out, bruh" teasing was something deeper; thoughtful or sincerely pissed-off critiques of optimisation culture... BBC Radio 1 host Gre...

  My malnourished, anaemic patient can ill afford to ditch important nutrients or lose weight, but they have just told me that they've stopped eating red meat. Our worried nurse has exhorted me to "please educate" and I am trying, The next patient has forsaken all dairy and the one after that wonders why his sugars are uncontrolled on a "hand-squeezed juice only" regimen. Restrictive diets are concerning enough but life-threatening issues can arise when patients heed influencers over qualified professionals. It's one thing to be taught by an influencer how to apply eyeliner, do a proper push-up or prepare a healthy lunch but quite another to trust an unlicensed, unqualified person on matters of giving birth, treating depression, curbing addiction or curing cancer. Quacks on Stage Netherlandish School Photo Credit: Wellcome Collection [Public Domain] When I entered medicine, the term "wellness influencer" did not exist. If it did, I would have innoc...