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Gout is common, painful and might not get the attention it needs. This episode reframes gout as a long-term condition that deserves confident, compassionate consultations in primary care.

Nik and Fiona unpack the key practice-changing points from the latest guidelines and evidence, including why serum urate testing at presentation may challenge old habits.

Crucially, they also tackle the stigma: gout is not simply a lifestyle problem, genetics matter, and the way we explain this can reduce shame and improve engagement. Press play if you want a practical update that will sharpen your diagnosis, simplify follow-up, and help patients feel supported rather than blamed.

Useful Links

1. Primary Care IT (Primary Care IT has built a series of searches for gout. These integrate into your clinical systems)

Useful resources for patients:

1. Versus Arthritis - gout (patient information leaflet)

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Disclaimer: We make every effort to ensure the information in this podcast is accurate and correct at the date of publication, but it is of necessity of a brief and general nature, and this should not replace your own good clinical judgement, or be regarded as a substitute for taking professional advice in appropriate circumstances. In particular, check drug doses, side-effects and interactions with the British National Formulary. Save insofar as any such liability cannot be excluded at law, we do not accept any liability for loss of any type caused by reliance on the information in this podcast.

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Haven’t got time for CPD? Think again! In this super short special listener question episode, Nik and Fi respond to one of our listeners, Emma from Sheffield. She asks a deceptively tricky question: what actually counts as “normal” weight gain in pregnancy? With NICE not giving a neat definition of excessive gestational weight gain, they dig a bit deeper for answers…

Press play for a clear, mini-episode which gives the answer to a question many of us have probably wondered about — and a useful reminder that conversations about weight in pregnancy need both clinical confidence and careful language.

Useful Links

The Association of UK Dieticians: Pregnancy and diet

Send us your feedback podcast@redwhale.co.uk or send a voice message

Sign up to receive Pearls here. Pearls are available for 3 months from publish date. After this, you can get access them plus 100s more articles when you buy a one-day online course from Red Whale OR sign up to Red Whale Unlimited. Find out more here.

Follow us: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn

Disclaimer: We make every effort to ensure the information in this podcast is accurate and correct at the date of publication, but it is of necessity of a brief and general nature, and this should not replace your own good clinical judgement, or be regarded as a substitute for taking professional advice in appropriate circumstances. In particular, check drug doses, side-effects and interactions with the British National Formulary. Save insofar as any such liability cannot be excluded at law, we do not accept any liability for loss of any type caused by reliance on the information in this podcast.

Send us a text

PMS and PMDD can be easy to miss, hard to diagnose, and life altering for the people living with them. In this special episode, Nik and Red Whale mental health lead Lee David tackle the patterns, pitfalls and practicalities that primary care teams need to know — from spotting cyclical symptoms and distinguishing PMDD from other mental health conditions, to suicide risk, first-line treatment and when to refer. Sensitive, clear and packed with take-home points, this is an essential listen if you want to recognise severe premenstrual symptoms sooner and respond with confidence and compassion.

Useful Links

The National Association for Premenstrual Syndrome

GP Trainee Essentials support package information, and the Red Whale Calendar

Send us your feedback podcast@redwhale.co.uk or send a voice message

Sign up to receive Pearls here. Pearls are available for 3 months from publish date. After this, you can get access them plus 100s more articles when you buy a one-day online course from Red Whale OR sign up to Red Whale Unlimited. Find out more here.

Follow us: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn

Disclaimer: We make every effort to ensure the information in this podcast is accurate and correct at the date of publication, but it is of necessity of a brief and general nature, and this should not replace your own good clinical judgement, or be regarded as a substitute for taking professional advice in appropriate circumstances. In particular, check drug doses, side-effects and interactions with the British National Formulary. Save insofar as any such liability cannot be excluded at law, we do not accept any liability for loss of any type caused by reliance on the information in this podcast.