Episodes

  • His Parkinson's Started With Depression with Ian O'Brien #194

    His Parkinson's Started With Depression with Ian O'Brien #194
    Nov 5 2026
    Ian O'Brien was 38 when a neurologist told him, within a couple of minutes, that he had Parkinson's disease. For about a year before that he had been on antidepressants for anxiety and depression, and for two years he had been finishing sentences with his left hand holding his right. His first question was whether Parkinson's could cause the anxiety and depression. When the answer was yes, he says it felt like a weight off his shoulders.Now 46 and nearly ten years in, Ian, who co-founded EOPD Ireland, tells Laura what early onset Parkinson's is really like: medication that now lasts him about an hour, switching "off" like a light, planning his day around tablets and protein, and the evenings his daughters help him get ready for bed. He talks about telling his eldest with a poem and letting her interview him on camera, and about Parkinson's being one of the factors in his recent separation.He also explains dopamine in plain language, the gambling and compulsive behaviour dopamine agonists can trigger in some people, deep brain stimulation, why exercise should be the first thing a neurologist mentions, and why talking to other people with Parkinson's has been his best education of all.🔑 Key PointsDepression came firstHis first symptoms were anxiety and depression, and he spent about a year on antidepressants before a physio friend told him to ask his GP for a neurologist.The movement signs he missedFor around two years his handwriting shrank and stopped mid-sentence, and he would reach across with his left hand for the keys in his right pocket.A diagnosis can bring reliefIan says he almost wanted something physically wrong with him to explain how he was feeling, and he walked out of the neurologist's office feeling better.Medication is a daily balancing actLevodopa now lasts him about an hour, and eating close to a dose, especially protein, can stop it working, so he plans tablets, meals and work around the times he needs to be on.Exercise should come firstHe says neurologists don't always lead with it, but high-intensity exercise made him feel almost as if he didn't have Parkinson's, and he has got worse since slowing down.Your whole family gets Parkinson'sHe regrets being a bit selfish at the start and sees the condition as one of the factors in his recent separation, though he and his wife still raise their girls together.Telling his daughter with a poemIan read his eldest a poem about Parkinson's, then a week later let her interview him on camera with questions she wrote herself.Life isn't overHe knows people living well 20 to 30 years after diagnosis, and his advice to anyone newly diagnosed is that you just need to make adjustments.📚 ResourcesEOPD Irelandthe charity for people with early onset Parkinson's that Ian co-foundedParkinson's Irelandthe national charity supporting people with Parkinson'sThe Michael J. Fox Foundationthe Parkinson's research foundation Ian mentionsSamaritans Irelandfree support, any time, if you are struggling⏱️ Timestamps00:00 — Welcome back to the podcast02:17 — Anxiety and depression came first04:16 — "It was like a weight off my shoulders"06:30 — The movement signs he missed09:18 — Why exercise should come first10:22 — Parkinson's and dopamine, explained12:17 — Levodopa and planning the day14:40 — Telling his daughter with a poem17:15 — Dopamine agonists and compulsive behaviour24:59 — Playing soccer for Ireland28:15 — The whole family lives with it33:44 — Deep brain stimulation37:00 — Setting up EOPD Ireland38:52 — "Life isn't over"Thanks for listening! You can watch the full episode on YouTube here. Don’t forget to follow The Laura Dowling Experience podcast on Instagram @lauradowlingexperience for updates and more information. You can also follow our host, Laura Dowling, @fabulouspharmacist for more insights and tips. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review—it really helps us out! Stay tuned for more great conversations. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    42 mins
  • Bitesize Moment: "My Sensitivity Was Actually My Power." — Lynn Mac on Empaths and Boundaries

    Bitesize Moment: "My Sensitivity Was Actually My Power." — Lynn Mac on Empaths and Boundaries
    Nov 3 2026

    In this bitesize moment pulled from the Laura Dowling Experience back catalogue, Lynn Mac explains how her sensitivity works, how it once left her overwhelmed by other people's emotions, and how healing and boundaries let her choose when to switch it on.


    Ever been told you're too sensitive? Lynn Mac used to think so too, until she realised it was never a weakness. Here's how she learned to protect her own energy without shutting herself off.


    🔑Key Points

    • Lynn describes her gift as a heightened version of the sixth sense everyone already has, like a gut feeling

    • She used to absorb other people's emotions so heavily it felt overwhelming, especially early on

    • She names this as being an empath: soaking in the energy and emotions of everyone around her

    • Her people-pleasing meant she gave endless support to others until she couldn't cope anymore


    🎧 Listen to the full episode here.

    Thanks for listening! You can watch the full episode on YouTube here. Don’t forget to follow The Laura Dowling Experience podcast on Instagram @lauradowlingexperience for updates and more information. You can also follow our host, Laura Dowling, @fabulouspharmacist for more insights and tips. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review—it really helps us out! Stay tuned for more great conversations.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    6 mins
  • Why Prescribing HRT Made Her a Target with Dr Louise Newson #193

    Why Prescribing HRT Made Her a Target with Dr Louise Newson #193
    Oct 29 2026
    Dr Louise Newson is a GP who has spent more than a decade campaigning for women to get access to hormone treatment. She set up her own clinic, the Balance app and an education programme for doctors, and her work has made her one of the most polarising figures in her profession.In this conversation she tells Laura how it started: rereading the 2002 Women's Health Initiative study when NICE published its first menopause guidance in 2015, and realising HRT prescribing had fallen off a cliff. She explains why she believes the risks of hormone treatment have been overstated, from testosterone to starting HRT after 60 to women who have had breast cancer.Louise also talks about the backlash: 350 pages of British Menopause Society emails she obtained through a subject access request, the BBC's Panorama, and the inspection that ended with her clinic rated outstanding by the Care Quality Commission. And why, with only 5% of menopausal women worldwide prescribed hormone treatment, she says most women who would benefit still aren't getting it.🔑 Key PointsHRT prescribing fell off a cliff after 2002Louise kept prescribing HRT as a GP for decades and only realised after NICE's 2015 guidance that many colleagues had stopped, while her friends were being given antidepressants instead.Guidelines are only a guideShe says the NICE guidance mentions risk 22 times more than benefit and groups synthetic and bioidentical hormones together, which leaves busy clinicians confused.The over-60 risk came from synthetic hormonesThe heart attack signal in the Women's Health Initiative study was in women given horse-derived oestrogen and a synthetic progestogen, not the estradiol and progesterone she prescribes.Testosterone has a long history in womenIt was prescribed in the 1940s and '50s for period problems and menopausal symptoms, and she says its reputation comes from the synthetic anabolic steroids of the '60s and '70s.Some women need more than the licensed doseSkin varies in how much estradiol it absorbs, and her clinic's published data shows about a fifth of patients need a higher than licensed dose.Progesterone changed her thinking on PMDDA colleague's own postnatal illness led Louise to Katharina Dalton's work, and her clinic now prescribes progesterone for PMS, PMDD and postnatal depression.Ten years of being targetedLouise says the emails she obtained show people trying to silence her, and the pressure on her and her family brought her close to giving up.Only 5% of menopausal women get HRTEvery menopause guideline calls HRT first-line treatment for most women, yet she says only 14% of menopausal women in the UK and 5% globally are prescribed it.📚 ResourcesNewson ClinicThe hormone clinic Louise co-founded with Dr Rebecca LewisBalanceLouise's free app for tracking symptoms and learning about hormone healthConfidence in HormonesThe hormone health education programme for doctors and healthcare professionals⏱️ Timestamps00:00 — Welcome to The Laura Dowling Experience03:47 — Rereading the WHI study after NICE's 2015 guidance11:18 — Why HRT is scrutinised like no other medicine15:43 — Testosterone's forgotten history in women20:43 — Starting HRT after 6024:43 — "A body of people trying to take me down"29:33 — If she were a male gynaecologist32:07 — Are her doses too high?35:45 — HRT after breast cancer39:43 — Progesterone, PMDD and postnatal depression42:16 — The Care Quality Commission inspection45:47 — Running a private clinic48:27 — Has the pendulum swung too far?53:02 — Advice for young people and the meaning of lifeThanks for listening! You can watch the full episode on YouTube here. Don’t forget to follow The Laura Dowling Experience podcast on Instagram @lauradowlingexperience for updates and more information. You can also follow our host, Laura Dowling, @fabulouspharmacist for more insights and tips. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review—it really helps us out! Stay tuned for more great conversations. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    55 mins
  • Bitesize Moment: "Midlife Muscle Matters." — Dr Clare Cromwell on Strength in Midlife

    Bitesize Moment: "Midlife Muscle Matters." — Dr Clare Cromwell on Strength in Midlife
    Oct 27 2026

    In this bitesize moment pulled from the Laura Dowling Experience back catalogue, Dr Clare Cromwell explains why muscle is just as important as bone in midlife, and lays out a simple twice-weekly strength routine that protects against falls and fractures.


    We talk a lot about protecting our bones in midlife. But what if the real key to staying steady on your feet, and even to your brain health decades from now, is your muscles?


    🔑Key Points

    • As oestrogen drops, bone density naturally declines, but muscle loss speeds up too, especially after menopause

    • Strong muscles improve balance and reaction time, so you're less likely to fall, and better protected if you do

    • Aim for at least two strength sessions a week: roughly three exercises for your upper body and three for your lower body, a few sets of moderate reps

    • It doesn't need to be heavy lifting or a gym membership; a couple of dumbbells at home can be enough, as long as you feel it


    🎧 Listen to the full episode here.

    Thanks for listening! You can watch the full episode on YouTube here. Don’t forget to follow The Laura Dowling Experience podcast on Instagram @lauradowlingexperience for updates and more information. You can also follow our host, Laura Dowling, @fabulouspharmacist for more insights and tips. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review—it really helps us out! Stay tuned for more great conversations.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    8 mins
  • What Your Vet Wishes You Knew About Your Pet with Charles Cosgrave #192

    What Your Vet Wishes You Knew About Your Pet with Charles Cosgrave #192
    Oct 22 2026
    Charles Cosgrave grew up on a dairy farm in County Meath where the work never really stopped. His father was the local vet, farmers knocked on the door day and night, and Christmas dinner waited until the calls were done. He didn't realise that wasn't how everyone lived until he was older.He went to UCD, qualified, and left for the UK with no intention of coming home. He came back for a few months to earn a few quid before going travelling with his wife. They never went. He had seen what multi-site practice looked like in Britain, sat down with his dad and John Corrigan, and started building it here. Village Vets is now 35 sites across the country, with three 24-hour emergency centres.What makes this worth an hour is everything in between. Why a vet learns five species in one degree while a human surgeon learns one part of one body. Why the kids in the room give the best information about a sick dog. What actually walks through the door at two in the morning. And why, with 35 practices to run, he calls himself a pretend vet now and misses the room.🔑 Key PointsThe job was in the house before it was a careerHis father was a vet, farmers called at all hours, and the family didn't sit down for Christmas dinner until the morning's calls were finished.One degree, five speciesVets are taught cats, dogs, cows, horses and sheep, and it works because the muscles, the heart, the lungs and the gut are largely the same across all of them.He came home for a few months and never leftHe was between jobs and wanted a few quid together before going travelling with his wife — he started working with his dad instead, and never went.The night rota is why the business existsOn a one-in-two rota he was exhausted on his nights off, and the only way to fix it was more vets, so he grew the practice.The kids usually give you the best informationParents tell children to stay quiet in the consult room, but the children are the ones glued to the dog all day and they notice what changed and when.Two new vet schools open this year and it still won't be enoughGalway and Waterford will take about forty students each, UCD takes 120, and demand for veterinary care has risen far faster than the profession can train for.Neutering a male dog is a prostate conversationDogs have no outlet for testosterone the way humans do, so the build-up can cause testicular and prostate problems later in life.Pet insurance is worth having, and switching providers is the trapA new provider can exclude anything that happened under the old one, so research the policy properly at the start and stay with it.📚 ResourcesVillage VetsCharles's practice group, 35 clinics across Ireland and three 24-hour emergency centresUCD School of Veterinary Medicinewhere Charles trained, and still the main route into the professionDog microchippingwhat's required in Ireland, and the measure Charles says would curb puppy farming⏱️ Timestamps02:37 — Growing up on a dairy farm with a vet for a father03:04 — Christmas dinner waited until the calls were done05:59 — How one vet learns to treat five different species07:30 — Thirty-five sites, and how it started08:04 — Home for a few months before travelling, and they never went09:37 — No craic in the rota: the real reason the practice grew10:24 — Two new vet schools, in Galway and Waterford13:44 — Three emergency centres, open 24/714:38 — What actually comes through the door at night15:45 — Why the kids give the best information19:20 — Neutering, testosterone and the prostate33:44 — Pet insurance, and the catch in switching providers40:45 — "I'm a pretend vet now"50:15 — Be bold, be brave, back yourselfThanks for listening! You can watch the full episode on YouTube here. Don’t forget to follow The Laura Dowling Experience podcast on Instagram @lauradowlingexperience for updates and more information. You can also follow our host, Laura Dowling, @fabulouspharmacist for more insights and tips. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review—it really helps us out! Stay tuned for more great conversations. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    53 mins
  • Bitesize Moment: "I Will Not Be Pressured Into Anything." — Meghan O'Neill on Consent and Boundaries

    Bitesize Moment: "I Will Not Be Pressured Into Anything." — Meghan O'Neill on Consent and Boundaries
    Oct 20 2026

    In this bitesize moment pulled from the Laura Dowling Experience back catalogue, Meghan O'Neill, online content creator and mother of two explains how she holds firm boundaries for herself, then how she is teaching her young children about consent, from everyday moments like a kiss or a tickle through to the bigger conversations about porn and never being with someone who is drunk.


    What if the most important thing you teach your kids about sex has nothing to do with sex, and everything to do with the word no?


    🔑Key Points

    • Meghan will not be pressured into anything; she can walk away right up to the last moment if something does not feel right

    • She wants her kids to know porn is not real, because no one ever told her that

    • At home, her kids can say no to a kiss or a tickle, and that no is respected straight away

    • She is direct with her son: never sleep with someone who is drunk, because they cannot consent


    🎧 Listen to the full episode here.

    Thanks for listening! You can watch the full episode on YouTube here. Don’t forget to follow The Laura Dowling Experience podcast on Instagram @lauradowlingexperience for updates and more information. You can also follow our host, Laura Dowling, @fabulouspharmacist for more insights and tips. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review—it really helps us out! Stay tuned for more great conversations.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    7 mins
  • What Advanced Breast Cancer Really Looks Like with Helen Forristal & Dr Tonya Leonard #191

    What Advanced Breast Cancer Really Looks Like with Helen Forristal & Dr Tonya Leonard #191
    Oct 15 2026
    Dr Tonya Leonard was a GP when she found a lump she was sure was a cyst. She had sent three women in their thirties to the breast clinic that month and reassured every one of them. By half past nine that morning she was being told it was breast cancer, and asked to decide by the following week whether she had finished her family. Her twin boys were 18 months old.Sixteen years, a second primary cancer and a diagnosis of advanced breast cancer later, Tonya joins Laura with Helen Forristal, Director of Nursing Services at the Marie Keating Foundation, to talk about what living with advanced breast cancer really looks like: scans every three months, fatigue that stops you where you stand, and plans that rarely reach past the next result.Helen explains why advanced breast cancer is an invisible cancer in Ireland, with no official count, which signs of a recurrence to watch for, and how the Positive Living group gives women somewhere to share all of it, grief included. The conversation is part of the Living Loudly. Dying to be Heard campaign.🔑 Key PointsAdvanced breast cancer means it has spreadThe cancer has moved from the breast to another organ; in Tonya's case, to lesions on her lung and under her arm.Life in three-month segmentsWith a scan every three months, Tonya finds it hard to plan past the next result, the anxiety Laura calls scanxiety.Fatigue is not the same as tirednessTonya describes cancer fatigue as like an injection of horse tranquilliser: once she feels it rising, she has minutes to lie down.Women are living longer with itHelen calls it the long middle, moving through lines of treatment; one woman in her group has lived with advanced breast cancer for 21 years.Nobody is countingRecurrences aren't recorded the way first diagnoses are; Helen's estimate is around 30% of women with primary breast cancer, and a University of Limerick project has started counting.Know the signs of a recurrenceSymptoms depend on where it spreads, from a cough and breathlessness to weight change or bone pain; if something hasn't settled in three weeks, ask your doctor, "Could this be cancer?"Mental health support needs to be specialistTonya waited eight weeks to see a psychologist; psycho-oncology services now run in Ireland's eight cancer centres.Palliative care is not only for the end of lifePalliative teams help manage symptoms and support families, and the CLIMB programme supports children aged 5 to 12 who have a parent with cancer.📚 ResourcesLiving Loudly. Dying to be HeardThe Marie Keating Foundation's advanced breast cancer campaign and photo exhibitionPositive LivingThe Marie Keating Foundation's support programme for people with advanced cancerCLIMBThe HSE programme for children aged 5 to 12 affected by a parent's cancer⏱️ Timestamps00:00 — Welcome01:52 — Helen Forristal of the Marie Keating Foundation02:51 — Dr Tonya Leonard: a GP, and now the patient06:21 — The Positive Living group09:28 — Scanxiety and life in three-month segments12:08 — The long middle: living longer with it17:14 — Fatigue is not the same as tiredness22:58 — "Have you finished your family?"29:17 — An invisible cancer: the percentage nobody counts30:41 — The signs of a recurrence37:57 — Mental health and the eight-week wait46:45 — Palliative care is not only end of life51:40 — Making the 18th the big party, just in case56:28 — Advice for young peopleThanks for listening! You can watch the full episode on YouTube here. Don’t forget to follow The Laura Dowling Experience podcast on Instagram @lauradowlingexperience for updates and more information. You can also follow our host, Laura Dowling, @fabulouspharmacist for more insights and tips. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review—it really helps us out! Stay tuned for more great conversations. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    1 hr and 4 mins
  • Bitesize Moment: "What Can Give?" — Dr Clodagh Campbell on an Overloaded Life

    Bitesize Moment: "What Can Give?" — Dr Clodagh Campbell on an Overloaded Life
    Oct 13 2026

    In this bitesize moment pulled from the Laura Dowling Experience back catalogue, Dr Clodagh Campbell shares two client stories about reclaiming time for yourself, then walks through the Four Ds, a simple way to sort an overwhelming to-do list into what to delete, delegate, delay or do.


    When your life feels too full, the answer isn't to try harder. It's working out what can give. Psychologist Dr Clodagh Campbell shares two client stories and a simple tool for figuring out what to drop.


    🔑Key Points

    • When life feels too full, the question isn't how to cope better, it's what can change and what can give

    • Alice, a successful business owner, worked herself into the ground out of a deep fear of letting her parents down

    • By the end of their work together, Alice had hired a manager, taken a three-month sabbatical and learned that rest could be as simple as walks on the beach

    • Nikki, a mother of three, couldn't imagine one hour a week for herself, until a small boundary around one yoga class let her husband step up too


    🎧 Listen to the full episode here.

    Thanks for listening! You can watch the full episode on YouTube here. Don’t forget to follow The Laura Dowling Experience podcast on Instagram @lauradowlingexperience for updates and more information. You can also follow our host, Laura Dowling, @fabulouspharmacist for more insights and tips. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review—it really helps us out! Stay tuned for more great conversations.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    14 mins