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In this episode of MOHIvate, Dr. Mohi Sarawgee breaks down Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) -> the winter drop in mood, energy, and motivation that affects millions each year.

With a blend of science, psychology, and everyday language, she explains why shorter days and longer nights change our brain chemistry, why cravings and fatigue increase, why motivation disappears, and why none of this means you’re “weak,” “lazy,” or “unmotivated.”

You’ll learn:

•how light affects serotonin, melatonin, mood, and sleep

•why Vitamin D matters in winter

•why winter cravings are biochemical, not lack of discipline

•simple, realistic steps that actually help - from light exposure to nutrition and routine

•when SAD is mild vs. when it needs medical support

This episode is a gentle, science-backed reminder that winter isn’t a failure season - it’s a recalibration season.

If you’ve been feeling slower, heavier, more emotional, or “not yourself,” this conversation will help you feel understood, supported, and a little more hopeful.

References : 

1. Rosenthal N.E. et al. Seasonal Affective Disorder: A Description of the Syndrome and Preliminary Findings with Light Therapy. Journal of Affective Disorders. https://doi.org/10.1016/0165-0327(84)90026-7

2. Lewy A.J. et al. The Circadian Basis of Winter Depression: The Phase-Shift Hypothesis. European Neuropsychopharmacology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.euroneuro.2006.03.007

3. Lam R.W. et al. Light Therapy for Seasonal Affective Disorder. Journal of Psychiatry & Neuroscience. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1315668/

4. NHS UK – Vitamin D Guidance. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/vitamin-d/

5. Holick M.F. Vitamin D Deficiency. New England Journal of Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMra070553

6. Hallahan B. et al. Omega-3 Fatty Acids for Depression. BJPsych Open. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjpo.bp.116.002469

7. Book- Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker

Just a gentle reminder: this episode is for information, education, and inspiration only. It’s not a substitute for your doctor’s advice. For any personal health concerns, always seek guidance from your doctor.

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In this week’s episode of MOHIVATE, Dr Mohi Sarawgee explores Oxytocin - the hormone that turns touch into trust and moments into meaning. 

From a hand on the shoulder to a shared laugh, discover how this remarkable molecule builds bridges between brains, calms our stress circuits, and reminds the body that safety is found not in isolation but in connection. 

Because sometimes the most healing chemistry isn’t prescribed - it’s felt between us.

References: 

1. Kosfeld M., Heinrichs M., Zak P. J., Fischbacher U., & Fehr E. (2005). Oxytocin increases trust in humans. Nature, 435(7042), 673–676.
Nature+2
PubMed+2

2. Chen Y., et al. (2023). Oxytocin administration enhances pleasantness and neural responses to gentle social touch mediated by C-touch fibers. eLife, 12:e85847.
eLife+1

3. Handlin L., et al. (2023). Human endogenous oxytocin and its neural correlates show adaptive responses to social touch based on recent social context. eLife, 12:e81197.
eLife+1

4. De Dreu C.K.W., Greer L.L., Handgraaf M.J.J., et al. (2018). Oxytocin facilitates social learning by promoting conformity to in-group norms. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 89, 60-70.
PubMed Central

5. Schneider E., et al. (2023). Affectionate touch and diurnal oxytocin levels: an ecological momentary assessment during the COVID-19 pandemic. eLife, 12:e8124

6. We’ll hold hands till conversations come back.” — Natasha Badhwar, A Bridge to My Former Self, Mint Lounge (2013) [ Found this after hard scrolling through my Facebook !! Hope you enjoy it as much as I did] 

Just a gentle reminder: this episode is for information, education, and inspiration only. It’s not a substitute for your doctor’s advice. For any personal health concerns, always seek guidance from your doctor.

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In this week’s episode of MOHIvate, Dr. Mohi Sarawgee explores magnesium - the mineral of balance and the molecule wellness culture has turned into a miracle.
Not the promise of creams and sprays, but the chemistry that powers energy, sleep, mood, and muscle.
She unpacks what magnesium truly does inside the body, how it fuels over 300 essential reactions, and why it matters across every stage of life — from hormones and heart rhythm to recovery and rest.
From myths and mechanisms to meaning, this episode bridges science and self-awareness - revealing how this humble mineral keeps the body’s rhythm steady in a world that never stops.
Because understanding balance isn’t about trends.
It’s about biology.

References for reading: 

1. “Myth or Reality—Transdermal Magnesium?” — A Skeptic Review of Skin Absorption of Magnesium. PMC article.https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5579607/
2. “Effect of transdermal magnesium cream on serum and urinary magnesium concentrations and blood pressure in humans: a pilot study.” PLoS One, 2017.https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0174817 
3. “Magnesium Matters: A Comprehensive Review of Its Vital Role in …” PMC article.https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11557730/ 
4. “Magnesium-L-threonate improves sleep quality and daytime functioning in adults with self-reported sleep problems: A randomized controlled trial.” Sleep Med X, 2024.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39252819/ 
5. “Magnesium glycinate: Is this supplement helpful for you?” Mayo Clinic Proceedings.https://mcpress.mayoclinic.org/nutrition-fitness/magnesium-glycinate-is-this-supplement-helpful-for-you/ 
6. “Magnesium: A Review of Clinical Use and Efficacy.” Nutritional Intervention Review.https://www.nmi.health/magnesium-a-review-of-clinical-use-and-efficacy/

Just a gentle reminder: this episode is for information, education, and inspiration only. It’s not a substitute for your doctor’s advice. For any personal health concerns, always seek guidance from your doctor.

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In this week’s episode of MOHIVATE, Dr. Mohi Sarawgee explores serotonin — the neurotransmitter and hormone of calm.
Not the molecule of fireworks and euphoria, but the quiet rhythm that keeps your mood steady beneath the noise.

She unpacks what serotonin really is, where it’s made, and how it shapes everything from mood and sleep to gut health and resilience. From the vagus nerve and the raphe nuclei to the role of light, tryptophan, and the microbiome, this episode dives deep into the real science behind what we often call the “happy hormone” — and what neuroscientists know as one of the brain’s most vital messengers.

Discover what shapes your inner chemistry and how to support serotonin naturally, featuring insights from neuroscience, psychology, and everyday life — plus a few smiles along the way.

Because understanding calm isn’t about clichés.
It’s about chemistry.

References for Reading:

1. Yano JM, Yu K, Donaldson GP, et al. (2015). Indigenous bacteria from the gut microbiota regulate host serotonin biosynthesis. Cell, 161(2): 264–276.
   https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2015.02.047
2. Young SN. (2007). How to increase serotonin in the human brain without drugs. Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, 32(6): 394–399.
3. The Lancet Psychiatry. (2015). Depression and the human gut microbiome. The Lancet Psychiatry, 2(4): 284.
4. Park BJ, Tsunetsugu Y, Kasetani T, et al. (2010). The physiological effects of Shinrin-yoku (forest bathing): evidence from field experiments in 24 forests across Japan. Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine, 15(1): 18–26.

Just a gentle reminder: this episode is for information, education, and inspiration only. It’s not a substitute for your doctor’s advice. For any personal health concerns, always seek guidance from your doctor.

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In this episode of MOHIvate, Dr Mohi Sarawgee unpacks two of the most overused — and misunderstood — psychological buzzwords: narcissism and gaslighting — words we throw around far too easily.

From Greek myths to Freud’s theories, and from modern psychiatry to everyday relationships, she explores where these words came from, what they truly mean, and why using them lightly can blur our understanding of real human behaviour.

We also explore the crucial difference between narcissism as a human trait and Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD)as a clinical condition — because while one can bruise egos, the other can deeply wound relationships.

Through stories, warmth, and science, this episode is a gentle reminder that real self-love always leaves room for someone else — and that sometimes, coming home to yourself begins with seeing clearly again.

Because real health, like real love, always begins with awareness and compassion.

💬 If You Need Support

If anything in this episode resonates and you’d like to talk to someone, please reach out — you’re not alone.

🌍 International
Befrienders Worldwide – Global directory of emotional support helplines.
www.befrienders.org

🇬🇧 United Kingdom
Samaritans – Call 116 123 (free, 24/7). samaritans.org
Mind – Call 0300 123 3393 or text 86463. mind.org.uk
NHS Urgent Mental Health Helplines – nhs.uk/mental-health

🇺🇸 United States
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline – Call or text 988 (24/7, free). 988lifeline.org
NAMI HelpLine – Call 1-800-950-NAMI (6264). nami.org/help

🇮🇳 India
AASRA – Call 91-9820466726 (24/7). aasra.info
iCALL – Call +91 9152987821, Mon–Sat 10am–8pm. icallhelpline.org

🇦🇺 Australia
Lifeline – Call 13 11 14 (24/7). lifeline.org.au

🇨🇦 Canada
988 Suicide Crisis Helpline – Call or text 988 (24/7). 988lifeline.org

🇸🇬 Singapore
Samaritans of Singapore (SOS) – Call 1-767 (24/7). sos.org.sg

References & Further Reading

• Merriam-Webster (2022). Word of the Year: Gaslighting. https://www.merriam-webster.com
  
  
• Sweet, P. L. (2019). The Sociology of Gaslighting. https://doi.org/10.1177/0003122419874843
  
  
• Abramson, K. (2014). Turning Up the Lights on Gaslighting. https://doi.org/10.1111/phpe.12074
  
  
• Freud, S. (1914). On Narcissism: An Introduction. https://doi.org/10.1037/11390-001
  
  
• American Psychiatric Association. (2013). DSM-5. https://www.psychiatry.org/psychiatrists/practice/dsm
  
  
• Neff, K. D. (2011). Self-Compassion. https://self-compassion.org/book/
  
  
• Brown, B. (2010). The Gifts of Imperfection. https://brenebrown.com/book/the-gifts-of-imperfection/

Just a gentle reminder: this episode is for information, education, and inspiration only. It’s not a substitute for your doctor’s advice. For any personal health concerns, always seek guidance from your doctor.

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Lab results in your inbox? Breathe. In this episode of MOHIvate, Dr Mohi Sarawgee makes sense of medical tests—why they aren’t crystal balls, what they’re good at, where they mislead, and why your story matters most. 

She shares real examples, the screenings that save lives, the simple rule that keeps care kind, and the one key question to ask before any test: Will this change what happens next?

Citations :

 South Korea thyroid overdiagnosis
• NEJM: Korea's Thyroid-Cancer “Epidemic” — Screening and Overdiagnosis

https://www.nejm.org/doi/10.1056/NEJMp1409841

• The Lancet: "Overdiagnosis and screening for thyroid cancer in Korea" 

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(14)62242-X/fulltext

PCOS and insulin resistance
• PMC: "Markers of insulin resistance in Polycystic ovary syndrome"

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8984569/

• BMC Ovarian Research: "Insulin resistance in polycystic ovary syndrome across various tissues"

https://ovarianresearch.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13048-022-01091-0

Just a gentle reminder: this episode is for information, education, and inspiration only. It’s not a substitute for your doctor’s advice. For any personal health concerns, always seek guidance from your doctor.

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From salt lamps to miracle drinks and even mouth taping, the wellness world has started to feel like a circus. In this debut episode of MOHIvate, Dr. Mohi Sarawgee swaps prescriptions for perspective, blending science, humour and warmth to explore why health feels more confusing than ever and why real wellness doesn’t need a trend or a price tag. 

It begins with something simpler: coming home to yourself.

Just a gentle reminder: this episode is for information, education, and inspiration only. It’s not a substitute for your doctor’s advice. For any personal health concerns, always seek guidance from your doctor.

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In this episode of MOHIVATE, Dr. Mohi Sarawgee looks at the side of medicine we rarely discuss - the emotional and physiological cost of caring.

What happens when the doctor feels worn thin, when empathy starts to ache, and the healer quietly needs healing too?

Drawing from studies in The Lancet Psychiatry and research on mirror neurons and burnout, she explores the emotional biology of empathy fatigue, the neuroscience of resilience, and the courage it takes to keep showing up for others while learning how to show up for yourself.

A reminder that even in exhaustion, there is still empathy, and in every act of self-compassion, the beginning of coming home to yourself again.

This one’s for the healers, the helpers, and the humans behind the white coat.

Just a gentle reminder: this episode is for information, education, and inspiration only. It’s not a substitute for your doctor’s advice. For any personal health concerns, always seek guidance from your doctor.

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In this episode of Mohivate, Dr Mohi Sarawgee explores some of the most confidently repeated health and science myths of the last century. Ideas that were taught in schools, printed on food labels, and handed down through generations as absolute truth, only for the evidence to tell a far more interesting story.

Why did an entire generation grow up being told to eat carrots for better eyesight? Why did low-fat yoghurt end up with more sugar than a dessert? And why did one doctor drink a petri dish to prove a point , and later win a Nobel Prize for it?

From wartime propaganda and the low-fat era that made an entire population less healthy, to the brain myth beloved by every self-help book ever written, and the man who spent sixty years cracking only one hand’s knuckles : this is a lighter episode about curiosity, evidence, and the remarkable ability of science to change its mind when better answers emerge.

Because being wrong is where learning begins.

REFERENCES

1.Ancel Keys, saturated fat, and the dietary guidelines controversy — Newport & Dayrit, Nutrients 2024:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11123895/

2.Barry Marshall, H. pylori, and the Nobel Prize — Nobel Prize official:

https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/2005/press-release/

3.Carrots, night vision, and RAF wartime propaganda — World Carrot Museum:

http://www.carrotmuseum.co.uk/ww2seeinthedark.html

4.We only use 10% of our brain — Scientific American debunk:

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/do-people-only-use-10-percent-of-their-brains/

5.Dr Donald Unger, knuckle cracking, Ig Nobel Prize 2009:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19922237/

Just a gentle reminder: this episode is for information, education, and inspiration only. It’s not a substitute for your doctor’s advice. For any personal health concerns, always seek guidance from your doctor.

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In this episode of Mohivate, Dr Mohi Sarawgee explores the remarkable story of cinnamon and its connection with metabolic health.
For more than 4,000 years, cinnamon has appeared in ancient Egyptian tombs, Roman history, the Bible, Ayurveda, and Traditional Chinese Medicine. Traders invented elaborate myths to protect it. Entire empires fought over it. At its peak, it was worth more than gold.
Today, it sits  in kitchen cupboards around the world.
But what exactly is cinnamon? And why has modern science only recently started catching up?

In this episode, we explore the history, mythology, and science behind one of the world’s most famous spices. From giant bird nests and snake-guarded valleys to blood sugar, cholesterol, insulin sensitivity, and metabolic health, we follow cinnamon’s extraordinary journey across centuries and continents.

We discuss the difference between Ceylon and cassia cinnamon, what current research tells us about blood sugar control and cholesterol, the potential benefits and limitations of cinnamon supplementation, and the practical questions worth knowing before adding it to your daily routine.

This is a story about trade, medicine, mythology, curiosity, and the remarkable journey of a spice that has fascinated humanity for thousands of years.

Because sometimes the most ordinary things have the most extraordinary histories.

REFERENCES

1.Crawford P. Effectiveness of cinnamon for lowering hemoglobin A1C in patients with type 2 diabetes: a randomized, controlled trial. J Am Board Fam Med, 2009.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19734396/
2.Cinnamon supplements may affect medication metabolism — University of Mississippi research, ScienceDaily.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/04/250424165657.htm
3.The effects of cinnamon on patients with metabolic diseases: an umbrella review of meta-analyses, Frontiers in Nutrition, 2025.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12620228/
4.Orally administered cinnamon extract reduces β-amyloid oligomerization and corrects cognitive impairment in Alzheimer’s disease animal models, PLOS ONE, 2011.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3030596/
5.Coumarin levels in Ceylon vs cassia cinnamon — assessment in ground cinnamon, PMC.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3385612/

Just a gentle reminder: this episode is for information, education, and inspiration only. It’s not a substitute for your doctor’s advice. For any personal health concerns, always seek guidance from your doctor.

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In this episode of Mohivate, Dr Mohi Sarawgee explores berberine, one of the most talked about metabolic supplements right now, bringing clarity to a conversation often shaped more by social media than by science.
Berberine is a naturally occurring alkaloid with thousands of years of history in Ayurvedic and traditional Chinese medicine. This episode traces how it moved from gut medicine to metabolic science, unpacking the mechanisms behind its effects on blood sugar, insulin resistance, lipid metabolism, and the PCSK9 pathway, the same cholesterol target that billion dollar injectable medications were developed to address.
The episode examines the clinical evidence honestly, including the landmark head to head comparison with metformin, the 2025 meta-analysis data, and the real limitations of the current evidence base. It covers who berberine is actually used in, what the safety and interaction profile looks like, and why formulation and dose matter more than most supplement labels suggest.
With clinical insight and a GP’s perspective, this episode gives berberine the conversation it deserves.

REFERENCES
1. Berberine and Metabolic Syndrome — 2025 Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/pharmacology/articles/10.3389/fphar.2025.1572197/full
2. Berberine Health Outcomes — Overview of 54 Systematic Reviews
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12906-025-04872-4
3. Berberine vs Metformin — Head to Head Trial. Zhang Y et al. 
https://academic.oup.com/jcem/article/93/7/2559/2598177
4. Berberine as a Novel Cholesterol Lowering Drug — PCSK9 and LDL Receptor Mechanism
Kong W et al.
Nature Medicine, 2004
https://www.nature.com/articles/nm1135
5. Berberine PCSK9 Inhibition — Review
Berberine: Ins and outs of a nature-made PCSK9 inhibitor
https://www.excli.de/excli/article/view/5234
6. Berberine Bioavailability and Gut Microbiome
https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8247/18/2/193
7. Berberine and NAFLD — 2024 Meta-Analysis
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
8. Dihydroberberine vs Standard Berberine HCl — 2021 RCT
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35010998/
9. Berberine and PCOS — 2024 Meta-Analysis
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
10. Semaglutide Cardiovascular Outcomes — NEJM
https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1607141
11. Semaglutide Weight Loss — STEP Trial
Wilding JPH et al.
New England Journal of Medicine, 2021
https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2032183
12. AMPK as Metabolic Master Switch — Review
Hardie DG. 
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/joim.12268
13. Berberine Drug Interactions — CYP450
Guo Y et al.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21987089/
14. Berberine Contraindication in Pregnancy
Liu W et al.
Available via PubMed safety data:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Just a gentle reminder: this episode is for information, education, and inspiration only. It’s not a substitute for your doctor’s advice. For any personal health concerns, always seek guidance from your doctor.

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In this episode of Mohivate, Dr Mohi Sarawgee explores continuous glucose monitoring through the lens of metabolic health, bringing clarity to one of the most talked about and most misunderstood tools in modern wellness.
The CGM is everywhere. On social media arms, in wellness programmes, in dinner party conversations. But what does it actually measure? What is the science genuinely telling us? And who actually needs one?
This episode covers how CGMs work, what glucose patterns really mean, the science of glycaemic index and glycaemic load, why two people can eat the same meal and have completely different responses, and what advanced glycation end products tell us about long term health.
It explores how to read your own data, what HbA1c misses, and who should and should not consider wearing one, with honest clinical guidance and no agenda.
Grounded in science, personal experience, and a mild voluntary obsession with data, this is a warm, honest and genuinely useful conversation about glucose, metabolic health, and what your body has been trying to show you all along.

References:
1. Glycaemic Index and Glycaemic Load — Food Reference
University of Sydney International GI Database. Search GI and GL values for thousands of foods:
https://glycemicindex.com/gi-search/
2. Individual Variation in Glucose Response — The PREDICT Study
Berry SE et al. Human postprandial responses to food and potential for precision nutrition. Nature Medicine. 2020;26:964–973.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-020-0934-0
PubMed:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32528151/
3. The 42 Factors — Further Reading
The PREDICT study machine learning model used 42 individual factors to predict glucose response. For a detailed accessible breakdown of factors influencing blood glucose, see also:
https://diatribe.org/diabetes-management/42-factors-affect-blood-glucose-surprising-update
4. Post-Meal Walking — 10 Minutes Immediately After Eating
Hashimoto K et al. Positive impact of a 10-min walk immediately after glucose intake on postprandial glucose levels. Scientific Reports. 2025.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-07312-y
Supporting systematic review:
Engeroff T et al. After Dinner Rest a While, After Supper Walk a Mile? Sports Medicine. 2023;53(4):849–869.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36715875/
5. Soleus Pushup Pilot Study
Elek D et al. The Efficacy of Soleus Push-Up in Individuals with Prediabetes: A Pilot Study. Sports (Basel). 2025;13(3):81.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11946342/

Just a gentle reminder: this episode is for information, education, and inspiration only. It’s not a substitute for your doctor’s advice. For any personal health concerns, always seek guidance from your doctor.

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In this episode of Mohivate, Dr Mohi Sarawgee explores hay fever through the lens of immunology, bringing clarity to one of the most common and often underestimated conditions worldwide.
Hay fever, or allergic rhinitis, is an immune response shaped by genetics, environment, and a system designed to protect you, reacting to something that was never meant to be a threat.
Beneath the sneezing and the itchy eyes is a story about your immune system making a spectacular case of mistaken identity.
This episode covers how sensitisation works, the three overlapping pollen seasons, the hidden food connection most people never realise, the relationship between hay fever and asthma, and why hay fever is getting worse globally, and what that means for the hundreds of millions of people living with it.
Practical, clinically grounded, and with some tips that may genuinely change how you manage this season.

References:

1. Global prevalence of allergic rhinitis: 
Allergic Rhinitis: A Clinical and Pathophysiological Overview. Frontiers in Medicine, 2022.
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/medicine/articles/10.3389/fmed.2022.874114/full
2. Pollen seasons lengthening. Anthropogenic climate change is worsening North American pollen seasons. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2021.
https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2013284118
3. UK pollen season. Climate Central — Pollen Season and Climate Change.
https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/pollen-season-climate-change
4. United airway disease : hay fever and asthma connection. United Airway Disease: Current Perspectives. Journal of Asthma and Allergy, PMC.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4872272/
5. Oral Allergy Syndrome. Stanford Health Care.
https://stanfordhealthcare.org/content/dam/SHC/clinics/menlo-medical-clinic/docs/Allergy/Oral%20Allergy%20Syndrome.pdf

Just a gentle reminder: this episode is for information, education, and inspiration only. It’s not a substitute for your doctor’s advice. For any personal health concerns, always seek guidance from your doctor.

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In this episode of Mohivate, Dr Mohi Sarawgee explores caffeine beyond the morning habit, bringing clarity to the world’s most widely consumed psychoactive substance.

Caffeine is not just a pick-me-up. It is a molecule with a thousand-year history, a fascinating pharmacology, and a surprisingly complex relationship with your body.
This episode traces caffeine from its origins in the Ethiopian highlands, through the coffeehouses of the Ottoman Empire and the penny universities of Oxford, to the biology of what happens the moment it enters your bloodstream.

The conversation covers how caffeine works in the brain, why your genetics determine how long it stays in your system, and what that means for your heart, your sleep, and your health.
It explores the science behind energy drinks, the truth about decaf, the clinical reality of caffeine dependence, and emerging research linking caffeine to neurodegeneration.

Alongside the science, the episode draws on history, culture, and a little Sufi poetry to place caffeine in its full human context, and asks what it means to consume something so powerful, so unconsciously.

A grounded, science-based, and warmly delivered look at the molecule the world runs on, and what it is actually doing to you.

References: 

1. Cornelis MC, El-Sohemy A, Kabagambe EK, Campos H. Coffee, CYP1A2 Genotype, and Risk of Myocardial Infarction. JAMA. 2006;295(10):1135-1141.
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/202502

2.Silverman K, Evans SM, Strain EC, Griffiths RR. Withdrawal Syndrome after the Double-Blind Cessation of Caffeine Consumption. New England Journal of Medicine. 1992;327(16):1109-1114.
https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM199210153271601

3.Gardiner C, Weakley J, Burke LM, et al. The Effect of Caffeine on Subsequent Sleep: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sleep Medicine Reviews. 2023;69:101764.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36870101/

4.Zhao Y, Lai Y, Konijnenberg H, et al. Association of Coffee Consumption and Prediagnostic Caffeine Metabolites With Incident Parkinson Disease. Neurology. 2024;102:e209201.
https://www.neurology.org/doi/10.1212/WNL.0000000000209201

5.StatPearls. Caffeine Withdrawal. National Library of Medicine. Updated 2025.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK430790/
Comprehensive clinical reference on caffeine withdrawal including DSM-5 criteria, symptoms, and timeline.

Just a gentle reminder: this episode is for information, education, and inspiration only. It’s not a substitute for your doctor’s advice. For any personal health concerns, always seek guidance from your doctor.

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In this episode of Mohivate, Dr Mohi Sarawgee explores insulin beyond the usual association with diabetes, bringing clarity to one of the most important hormones in metabolism.

Insulin is not just about blood sugar. It is central to how the body uses, stores, and manages energy every day. This episode explains how insulin works, how glucose moves through the body, and how balance is maintained after every meal through a clear and practical framework.

The conversation explores insulin resistance, why it develops over time, and how it connects to prediabetes, type 2 diabetes, and other related conditions. It also outlines the role of lifestyle factors including diet, movement, sleep, and stress in shaping metabolic health.

Alongside the science, the episode also draws on a personal story and a symbolic lens to connect these ideas to everyday life, and introduces a way of thinking about insulin as a system of order and structure within the body.

A grounded, science-based look at how the body manages energy, and why understanding insulin is key to long-term health.

References:

1. Insulin Resistance and Type 2 Diabetes – CDC
https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/about/insulin-resistance-type-2-diabetes.html

2. Insulin Resistance – StatPearls, NCBI
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK507839/

3. Prediabetes and Insulin Resistance – NIDDK, NIH
https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diabetes/overview/what-is-diabetes/prediabetes-insulin-resistance

4. Insulin Resistance – Cleveland Clinic
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/22206-insulin-resistance

Just a gentle reminder: this episode is for information, education, and inspiration only. It’s not a substitute for your doctor’s advice. For any personal health concerns, always seek guidance from your doctor.

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In this episode of Mohivate, Dr Mohi Sarawgee explores the science of clutter and how the environments we live in influence attention, stress, and decision making.

Research in neuroscience and behavioural psychology shows that visual clutter increases cognitive load and forces the brain to work harder to filter information. Over time this can contribute to mental fatigue, distraction, and decision fatigue.

The episode examines how clutter interacts with attention regulation, stress physiology, eating behaviour, and everyday habits. It also looks at why the spaces people live in matter clinically, influencing safety, mobility, and how health behaviours unfold at home.

Set within the wider context of modern life and information overload, this conversation invites listeners to reconsider their surroundings and the role physical space plays in supporting clarity, focus, and wellbeing.

References:

1. Visual clutter and attention (Princeton Neuroscience Institute); McMains S., Kastner S. (2011)

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21228167/

Princeton Neuroscience Institute explanation of visual competition:

https://ipalab.princeton.edu/document/296 

2. Clutter and stress hormones (UCLA “Life at Home” study): Saxbe, D. E., & Repetti, R. L. (2010)

https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167209352864

PDF:https://repettilab.psych.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/302/2023/03/no-place-like-home.pdf 

3. Cluttered environments and eating behaviour (Cornell study): Vartanian, L. R., Kernan, K. M., & Wansink, B. (2016)

https://doi.org/10.1177/0013916516628178

4. Cognitive load theory: Sweller, J. (1988)

https://doi.org/10.1207/s15516709cog1202_4

5. Behavioural activation and small task completion: Dimidjian, S. et al. (2011)

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2011.02.003

6.Indoor allergens and respiratory health: Arshad, S. H. (2010)

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaci.2010.10.007

Just a gentle reminder: this episode is for information, education, and inspiration only. It’s not a substitute for your doctor’s advice. For any personal health concerns, always seek guidance from your doctor.

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In this episode of Mohivate, Dr Mohi Sarawgee explores the science of breathing and why something so automatic can reveal how the body is functioning.

We breathe roughly twenty thousand times a day, yet most of us rarely pause to notice it. This episode explores how breathing sits at a unique intersection between physiology and awareness, reflecting the state of the nervous system, stress responses, and recovery.

Drawing on physiology alongside traditional observational practices such as Swara Yoga, this conversation explains how breathing patterns, the nasal cycle, and autonomic regulation interact. Long before modern physiology described the shifting airflow between nostrils, traditional systems had already recognised this natural rhythm through careful observation of breath.

Set within the wider conversation on metabolic health, the episode explores how breath connects oxygen delivery, cellular energy, and nervous system balance. By learning to notice the body’s signals through breathing, listeners are introduced to one of the simplest ways to understand how the body regulates stress, recovery, and internal balance.

References:

1. Russo MA, Santarelli DM, O’Rourke D. The physiological effects of slow breathing in the healthy human.European Respiratory Society Journal Breathe
https://breathe.ersjournals.com/content/13/4/298

2. Lehrer P, Gevirtz R. Heart rate variability biofeedback and regulation of autonomic function.Frontiers in Psychology
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00756/full

3. Telles S, Singh N, Balkrishna A. Physiological effects of yogic breathing practices.International Journal of Yoga
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6137615/

4. Eccles R. The nasal cycle in health and disease.Clinical Otolaryngology
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1749-4486.2000.tb00239.x

5. Jerath R, Beveridge C, Barnes V, Jerath V.Physiology of long pranayamic breathing: neural respiratory elements may provide a mechanism that explains how slow deep breathing shifts the autonomic nervous system. Medical Hypotheses.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21782306/

6. Vidigal-Lopes M, et al.Respiratory modulation of cardiovascular control.The Lancet Respiratory Medicine.
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanres/article/PIIS2213-2600(18)30403-9/fulltext

Just a gentle reminder: this episode is for information, education, and inspiration only. It’s not a substitute for your doctor’s advice. For any personal health concerns, always seek guidance from your doctor.

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In this episode of MOHIVATE, Dr Mohi Sarawgee explores vitamin D beyond the headlines, bringing clarity to one of the most discussed nutrients in modern health.

Often called the sunlight hormone, vitamin D sits at the intersection of health and environment, linking bone health and calcium balance with immune regulation and deficiency risk. This episode explains what vitamin D really does and why more is not always better.

Set against the background of recent headlines and supplement trends, this conversation brings clarity to testing, dosing, and safe supplementation, and explores why deficiency remains common in modern indoor lifestyles.

Alongside the science, the episode traces the history and evolutionary story of vitamin D, showing how human biology has always been shaped by sunlight and environment.

With clinical insight and practical perspective, this episode invites you to understand vitamin D as a foundational part of health in modern life.

References

1. NICE Vitamin D Guidance (UK)

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ph56

2. NHS Vitamin D Overview (UK)

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/vitamin-d/

3. SACN Vitamin D and Health Report (UK Government)

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sacn-vitamin-d-and-health-report

4. NIH Vitamin D Fact Sheet for Health Professionals (USA)

https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminD-HealthProfessional/

5. Endocrine Society Clinical Practice Guideline (International)

https://www.endocrine.org/clinical-practice-guidelines/vitamin-d-for-prevention-of-disease

6. Evaluation, Treatment and Prevention of Vitamin D Deficiency

https://academic.oup.com/jcem/article/96/7/1911/2833671

7. Vitamin D Testing and Clinical Use (MedlinePlus / NIH)

https://medlineplus.gov/lab-tests/vitamin-d-test/

8. Public Health England and NICE Vitamin D Statement

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/vitamin-d-supplementation-during-winter-phe-and-nice-statement

9. Vitamin D and Immune Function Review 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3166406/

Just a gentle reminder: this episode is for information, education, and inspiration only. It’s not a substitute for your doctor’s advice. For any personal health concerns, always seek guidance from your doctor.

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In this episode of MOHIVATE, Dr Mohi Sarawgee explores what metabolism really means and why it is much bigger than body weight alone.

Metabolism is the body’s living energy system. It includes how cells produce fuel, how tissues repair and rebuild, how the body switches between glucose and fat for energy, and how daily habits influence this regulation over time.

From ATP and mitochondria to fuel selection, metabolic flexibility, and energy use across the day, this episode translates core metabolic physiology into clear, everyday language.

We also unpack why metabolism is often misunderstood, why body size does not equal metabolic health, how adaptive responses protect survival during under-fueling, and why consistent lifestyle signals matter more than extreme plans.

You will hear how metabolic health connects with blood sugar balance, lipids, inflammation, muscle tissue, hormones, and long term disease risk, and how small repeatable habits support the system better than dramatic interventions.

With clinical clarity, warmth, and usable physiology, this episode brings metabolism back to where it belongs. Inside the body, not inside diet myths.

Clear science. Calm perspective. Practical foundations.

References

1. Physiology of Metabolism — NCBI Bookshelf, StatPearls: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK546690/ 

2. Metabolism: Clinical & Experimental — peer-reviewed journal: https://www.metabolismjournal.com/ 

3. Cell Metabolism — high-impact physiology journal: https://www.cellmetabolism.org/ 

4. Understanding type 2 diabetes mechanisms — The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology review: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/landia/article/PIIS2213-8587(24)00157-8/fulltext  

Just a gentle reminder: this episode is for information, education, and inspiration only. It’s not a substitute for your doctor’s advice. For any personal health concerns, always seek guidance from your doctor.

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In this Valentine’s week episode of Mohivate, Dr Mohi Sarawgee explores love, attachment, and awareness through the lens of emotional regulation and nervous system science.

This conversation brings together philosophy, psychology, science, and culture to explain how emotional triggers shape behaviour, how regulation supports healthier relationships, and why the pause between feeling and reaction protects both connection and heart health.

You will learn practical regulation skills, insights from attachment theory, emotional awareness tools, and simple ways to respond more steadily during difficult moments. A grounded, science-backed look at why regulated minds connect better.

References:

1. Emotion Regulation — Gross, J.J. Stanford Overview

https://web.stanford.edu/~psyphy/Psychological_Review_1998.pdf

(This is the foundational scientific model of emotion regulation used widely in psychology and neuroscience)

2. Book : Atlas of the Heart : Brené Brown

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Atlas-Heart-Meaningful-Connection-Experience/dp/1785043773/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?crid=1Y0VW74DZB064&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9._Gy7lXqWgLRzJjFUzDsUoIAs5ZsrHjg8xJwdfHKHEcXSXbBUnmukojKueIn9THkx2oZ0d2kpYSM6Kr645rLW_k4T4Nr27nBgcno1-AsuuWHHggqktGRyg3DME0SxAh6SYKr0yi1SLT5BJvjGNHQ7HguLvBER63jKB4TrxcLlVaa9I9RPgdyjFPNdDxhTGLMhjpVfbm0s4Kt5IhBO3v0lOw.kZe7N2qOBwZOWgScSdKE9uyKnh4vtkWPByR99rjNZ74&dib_tag=se&keywords=atlas+of+the+heart+brene+brown&qid=1770764133&sprefix=atlas+of+the+%2Caps%2C133&sr=8-1

3. J. Krishnamurty: On Love and Loneliness

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B0F6YX2DNV?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

Just a gentle reminder: this episode is for information, education, and inspiration only. It’s not a substitute for your doctor’s advice. For any personal health concerns, always seek guidance from your doctor.

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Why does one person crave rice, another mashed potatoes, and someone else a very specific brand of instant noodles they have not eaten since university?

In this episode of Mohivate, Dr Mohi Sarawgee explores the science and psychology of comfort food. From dopamine and smell to memory, stress, familiarity, and culture, I look at why certain foods have the remarkable ability to make us feel better.

Along the way, there is the Proust effect, the neuroscience of anticipation, why comfort foods differ across cultures yet serve the same emotional purpose, and what happens in the brain when we reach for familiar foods during times of stress or uncertainty.

There is also a detour through some of the stranger stories in food history, from the invention of the Graham cracker to bacon on the moon, and a look at why food has always been about more than nutrition alone.

At its heart, this episode is about familiarity. The foods we return to, the meanings we attach to them, and why certain meals can feel like home long after we have left the places they came from.

Because comfort food is rarely just about what is on the plate. It is about what it represents, what it remembers, and what it helps us find again.

This episode is for anyone who has ever stood in front of an open fridge at midnight. Which is to say, everyone.

REFERENCES

1.Smell, memory, and the brain’s bypass of the thalamus — Harvard Medicine Magazine: https://magazine.hms.harvard.edu/articles/connections-between-smell-memory-and-health

2.Food-related odours and dopaminergic brain activation — Frontiers in Human Neuroscience: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/human-neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2017.00625/full

3.Smell and memory pathway (bypassing the thalamus) — Cleveland Clinic: https://health.clevelandclinic.org/smells-and-memory

4.Flavour preferences formed via amniotic fluid and breast milk — BookPage / The Secret History of Food: https://www.bookpage.com/behind-the-book/26562-top-12-weirdest-moments-food-history-history/

The neuroscience of comfort food and individual variation (Yale) — BrainFacts.org: https://www.brainfacts.org/thinking-sensing-and-behaving/diet-and-lifestyle/2023/why-cant-we-resist-comfort-food-080123

6.Cortisol, stress, and cravings for high-fat, high-sugar foods — Time Out: https://www.timeout.com/london/news/the-science-behind-why-comfort-food-is-actually-a-thing-122620

7.Graham cracker history and ketchup/tomato history — LoveFood: https://www.lovefood.com/gallerylist/128759/killer-tomatoes-and-other-strange-historic-food-facts

8.Apollo 11 freeze-dried bacon — Instacart Food Facts: https://www.instacart.com/company/ideas/food-facts

9.Chicken soup, neutrophils, and anti-inflammatory effects — The Conversation: https://theconversation.com/does-chicken-soup-really-help-when-youre-sick-a-nutrition-specialist-explains-whats-behind-the-beloved-comfort-food-213847

10.Comfort food around the world — Diversity Plus: https://diversityplus.com/web/Article.aspx?id=Finding-Comfort-in-Food-Around-the-Globe-5544

Just a gentle reminder: this episode is for information, education, and inspiration only. It’s not a substitute for your doctor’s advice. For any personal health concerns, always seek guidance from your doctor.

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In this episode of MOHIVATE, Dr Mohi Sarawgee explores the science of iron and how it supports energy, oxygen delivery, brain function, and cellular energy production.

From early iron deficiency without anemia to ferritin interpretation, common symptoms, root causes, and treatment approaches, this episode translates iron physiology and blood tests into practical human language.

We discuss how iron deficiency actually shows up, why it is often missed, how doctors read iron panels, and what works when iron is truly low.

Clear science. Calm guidance. Practical takeaways.

References:

1.World Health Organization. Iron deficiency and anemia guidelines: https://www.who.int/health-topics/anaemia

2.NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. Iron fact sheet for health professionals: https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Iron-HealthProfessional/

3. Oral iron supplementation and hepcidin response, alternate day dosing evidence: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29032957/

4. Iron deficiency overview and management reviews: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanhaem/home

Just a gentle reminder: this episode is for information, education, and inspiration only. It’s not a substitute for your doctor’s advice. For any personal health concerns, always seek guidance from your doctor.

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In this episode of MOHIVATE, Dr Mohi Sarawgee explores grief beyond death as a human and biological response to loss in its many forms. From bereavement and illness to invisible losses that shape identity and life, this conversation unpacks how grief is felt, understood, and carried.

References:

1. The Five Stages of Grief — Cleveland Clinic
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/21259-stages-of-grief

2. NHS- https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/feelings-symptoms-behaviours/feelings-and-symptoms/bereavement/

3. Find your own Peace- Mohi Sarawgeehttps://mohisarawgee.blogspot.com/2013/02/find-your-own-peace.html

Just a gentle reminder: this episode is for information, education, and inspiration only. It’s not a substitute for your doctor’s advice. For any personal health concerns, always seek guidance from your doctor.

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In this episode of MOHIVATE, Dr Mohi explores the science of memory and how the brain learns, adapts, and changes across a lifetime.

From everyday forgetfulness to learning in childhood, recovery after illness, and the concerns many carry about ageing, this conversation gently unpacks how memory really works. Not as a fixed trait, but as a living biological process shaped by attention, emotion, sleep, health, and experience.

With clinical insight, warmth, and practical perspective, this episode invites you to understand memory not as something we either have or lose, but as something we continue to build, support, and relearn at every stage of life.

1. Memory encoding, consolidation, and retrieval 
   https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3411412/  
2. Memory consolidation overview 
   https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4526749/  
3. Cognitive neuroscience perspective on memory 
   https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10410470/  
4. Retrieval supports consolidation
   https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5912918/  
5. Alzheimer Disease basics — NIH overview of Alzheimer’s as a progressive condition affecting memory and cognition.
   https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK499922/  
6. Memory loss and Alzheimer’s disease — describes how memory impairment is a core and early symptom in AD.
   https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3898682/  

📚 Book References (clickable)

• Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything ;exploration of memory techniques and human performance.
  https://www.amazon.co.uk/Moonwalking-Einstein-Science-Remembering-Everything/dp/0141032138
• Memory Superpowers by Nelson Dellis : child-friendly memory technique book by a world memory champion (searchable on all major book retailers)- https://www.amazon.co.uk/Memory-Superpowers-Adventurous-Remembering-Forget-ebook/dp/B0855FMVKN/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&dib_tag=se&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.dgIUu6wHrgSDgl93grcB6w.cMhWaZwyW-lKt6gyUK75jSTi5RHnqkyXZiStt1Jwn-A&qid=1769031876&sr=8-1

Just a gentle reminder: this episode is for information, education, and inspiration only. It’s not a substitute for your doctor’s advice. For any personal health concerns, always seek guidance from your doctor.

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In this episode of MOHIVATE, Dr Mohi Sarawgee steps back to look at the bigger picture of the health trends and clinical shifts shaping modern medicine as we move through 2026, from metabolic health and multimorbidity to biologics, supplements, artificial intelligence, and evolving approaches to care

This is a clinician’s perspective on what is already showing up in clinics, research, and everyday conversations. With warmth, humour, and clinical insight, this episode is not about predictions or hype. It is about patterns, perspective, and direction of travel.

It is an invitation to zoom out, think differently about health, and remember that medicine is not only about treating disease, but about understanding trajectories, supporting people over time, and finding ways to stay well in an increasingly complex world.

Further Reading and Context 

2. Digital medicine and smart pills- FDA overview of Abilify MyCite

https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-approves-pill-tracks-if-patients-have-swallowed-their-medication

2. Biologic therapies in severe asthma

https://www.bmj.com/content/360/bmj.k226

3. GLP-1 receptor agonists and cardiometabolic outcomes

https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMra1807060

4. Artificial intelligence in clinical https://www.thelancet.com/commissions/artificial-intelligence-in-healthcare

Just a gentle reminder: this episode is for information, education, and inspiration only. It’s not a substitute for your doctor’s advice. For any personal health concerns, always seek guidance from your doctor.

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In this episode of MOHIVATE, Dr Mohi Sarawgee explores what it really means when vaccination guidance changes and why those changes are often misunderstood.

Recent updates to vaccination recommendations in the United States have prompted renewed discussion and questions worldwide. Using this moment as a starting point, this episode looks at how immunisation schedules are developed, what medical guidance does and does not mean, and why trust, nuance, and thoughtful conversation matter in preventive healthcare.

With warmth, clinical perspective, and global context, this conversation is not about alarm or persuasion, but about clarity, reassurance, and understanding how evidence evolves in medicine, especially when health conversations cross borders.

References: 

United States – vaccination guidance

CDC – Recommended Child and Adolescent Immunization Schedule
https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/schedules/hcp/imz/child-adolescent.html
CDC – Vaccines & Immunizations (Overview)
https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/index.html
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – Vaccines
https://www.hhs.gov/immunization/index.html
United Kingdom – vaccination frameworkUK Health Security Agency – The Green Book (Immunisation against infectious disease)
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/immunisation-against-infectious-disease-the-green-book
NHS – Routine childhood vaccination programme
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vaccinations/nhs-vaccinations-and-when-to-have-them/
Global guidance

World Health Organization – Immunization
https://www.who.int/health-topics/immunization
WHO – Immunization Agenda 2030
https://www.who.int/teams/immunization-vaccines-and-biologicals/strategies/ia2030
Disease-specific references

Hepatitis B

WHO – Hepatitis B Fact Sheet
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/hepatitis-b
Rotavirus

WHO – Rotavirus Vaccines Position Paper
https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/WER9528
UKHSA – Impact of Rotavirus Vaccination in England
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/rotavirus-the-green-book-chapter-27b
RSV

WHO – Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV)
https://www.who.int/teams/immunization-vaccines-and-biologicals/diseases/rsv
CDC – RSV Clinical Overview
https://www.cdc.gov/rsv/clinical/index.html
Meningococcal disease

CDC – Meningococcal Disease
https://www.cdc.gov/meningococcal/index.html
HPV

UK JCVI – HPV Vaccine: Single Dose Schedule (2023)
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/jcvi-statement-on-the-hpv-vaccine
CDC – HPV Vaccination Recommendations
https://www.cdc.gov/hpv/hcp/vaccination-recommendations.html

Just a gentle reminder: this episode is for information, education, and inspiration only. It’s not a substitute for your doctor’s advice. For any personal health concerns, always seek guidance from your doctor.

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In this New Year episode of MOHIVATE, Dr Mohi Sarawgee explores endorphins, the body’s natural system for endurance, relief, and recovery.

As the final chapter in the hormone series, this conversation brings together the science of motivation, calm, connection, and stress, and reflects on what it really means to begin again without pressure or perfection.

With warmth, humour, and clinical insight, this episode is an invitation to understand how the body supports us not when we rush to change, but when we learn to keep going, one step at a time.

Further Reading & References

1. Endorphins: The Brain’s Natural Pain Reliever — Harvard Health Publishing
   https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/endorphins-the-brains-natural-pain-reliever
2. The Effects of Acute Exercise on Mood, Cognition, and the Brain — PMC Article
   Basso JC & Suzuki WA.
   https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5928534/
3. Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers — Robert M. Sapolsky (Book)
   A classic, highly accessible book on stress, adaptation, and physiology.

Just a gentle reminder: this episode is for information, education, and inspiration only. It’s not a substitute for your doctor’s advice. For any personal health concerns, always seek guidance from your doctor.

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In this special Christmas episode of MOHIVATE, Dr Mohi Sarawgee reflects on a season that rarely holds just one emotion. 

From connection and tradition to  moments of absence, this episode offers gentle perspective, warmth, and steadiness for anyone navigating celebration, reflection, or both at once.
A pause to listen, remember, and care for others and for yourself.

In loving memory of my uncle: 29.03.1955 - 02.06.2025

In loving memory of my father: 07.08.1953 - 27.12.2009
16 years without you at home.

Just a gentle reminder: this episode is for information, education, and inspiration only. It’s not a substitute for your doctor’s advice. For any personal health concerns, always seek guidance from your doctor.

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In this episode of MOHIVATE, Dr Mohi Sarawgee explores cortisol - the hormone behind survival, rhythm, and modern stress.

Cortisol is the body’s alarm system. We unpack what it actually does, how its daily rhythm works, and why disruption of that rhythm often matters more than any single test result.

She explains what cortisol really is, where it’s made, and how it works through the brain–body stress axis. She explores the difference between acute and chronic stress, why rhythm matters more than single test results, and how cortisol interacts with blood sugar, memory, sleep, mood, and other hormones including estrogen, progesterone, and thyroid signalling.

You’ll hear why stress doesn’t always show up as “high cortisol” on a blood test, why cortisol testing can be misleading without context, and how modern life keeps the nervous system in a state of quiet vigilance and where survival slowly becomes a lifestyle..

With clinical insight, warmth, and clarity, this episode brings science back to where it belongs: in the body, not just on a lab report.

References: 

1. McEwen BS. Protective and damaging effects of stress mediators.
https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM199801153380307

2. Russell GM, Lightman SL.The human stress response.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41574-019-0228-0

3. Adam EK et al.Diurnal cortisol slopes and mental and physical health outcomes.
Psychoneuroendocrinology
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306453017301963

Just a gentle reminder: this episode is for information, education, and inspiration only. It’s not a substitute for your doctor’s advice. For any personal health concerns, always seek guidance from your doctor.

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In this week’s episode of MOHIVATE, Dr. Mohi Sarawgee explores dopamine - the neurotransmitter of anticipation, motivation, and the  spark that pulls you toward what matters.

Dopamine is not the molecule of pleasure or fireworks, but the subtle chemistry of maybe - the signal that says, lean forward, try again, something meaningful might be here.

Dr. Mohi unpacks what dopamine really is, where it’s made, and how it shapes movement, momentum, curiosity, learning, procrastination, restlessness, and why modern life tugs so sharply at our attention.

From the midbrain pathways that steady your habits to the reward-prediction errors behind phones, novelty, and dating, this episode brings science into the moments you live every day - with warmth, humour, and a doctor’s clarity.

Discover what supports a healthy dopamine rhythm, and how to nurture motivation without burning out your nervous system.

References:

1.  Schultz, W. (2016). Reward functions of the basal ganglia. Journal of Neural Transmission.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00702-016-1570-0

2. Salamone, J.D., & Correa, M. (2012). The Mysterious Motivational Functions of Mesolimbic Dopamine. Neuron.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2012.10.021

3. Björklund, A., & Dunnett, S. (2007). Dopamine neuron systems in the brain: an update. Trends in Neurosciences.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tins.2007.03.006

4. Lisman, J., & Grace, A.A. (2010). The hippocampal-VTA loop: controlling the entry of information into long-term memory. Neuron.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2010.05.002

5. Glimcher, P.W. (2011). Understanding dopamine and reinforcement learning. Current Opinion in Neurobiology.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conb.2011.02.012

6. Book reading : The Molecule of More” — Lieberman & Long 

Just a gentle reminder: this episode is for information, education, and inspiration only. It’s not a substitute for your doctor’s advice. For any personal health concerns, always seek guidance from your doctor.

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In this episode of MOHIvate, Dr. Mohi Sarawgee explores what longevity really means in 2025 - beyond buzzwords, biohacking trends, and the pressure to optimise every corner of your life.

With a mix of science, history, and honest observation, she unpacks why humans have always chased longer life, how modern longevity culture took over Instagram and Silicon Valley, and what the evidence actually tells us about ageing today.
You’ll hear about the big voices shaping the field, the ethics we rarely discuss, the hopes, the hype and the parts that genuinely matter for a life well lived.

You’ll learn:

• what ageing actually is (in simple, human language)
• why the longevity world swings between real science and shiny marketing
• how to think about early screening, biomarkers, supplements, and “optimisation”
• why lifestyle remains the strongest longevity tool we have
• how inequality, not genes,  still predicts ageing the most
• the habits that meaningfully shape healthspan (and feel doable in daily life)

This episode is a grounded, science-informed reminder that real longevity is about feeling well, functioning well, and living meaningfully in the years you already have.

If you’ve ever felt pressure to join the longevity race, questioned whether you’re “doing enough,” or wondered how to make sense of the promises, products, and protocols ; this conversation will help you feel clearer, calmer, and more empowered.

References: 

1. Healthy lifestyle in older adults and mortality risk
Wang J., et al. The Lancet Healthy Longevity, 2023.
Link: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanhl/article/PIIS2666-7568(23)00140-X/fulltext

2. Joint associations of physical activity and sleep duration with cognitive ageing in older adults
Bloomberg M., et al. The Lancet Healthy Longevity, 2023.
Link: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanhl/article/PIIS2666-7568(23)00083-1/fulltext

3. Single-domain and multidomain lifestyle interventions for preventing cognitive decline
Mendes A.J., et al. The Lancet Healthy Longevity, 2025.
Link: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/395928803_Single-domain_and_multidomain_lifestyle_interventions_for_the_prevention_of_cognitive_decline_in_older_adults_who_are_cognitively_unimpaired_a_systematic_review_and_network_meta-analysis

4. Books:

- Outlive: The Science & Art of Longevity — Peter Attia, MD
- Why We Die: The New Science of Ageing and the Quest for Immortality — Venki Ramakrishnan
- Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams — Matthew Walker, PhD
- Lifespan: Why We Age — and Why We Don’t Have To — David Sinclair, PhD
- The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who’ve Lived the Longest — Dan Buettner
- The Telomere Effect: A Revolutionary Approach to Living Younger, Healthier, Longer — Elizabeth Blackburn & Elissa Epel

Just a gentle reminder: this episode is for information, education, and inspiration only. It’s not a substitute for your doctor’s advice. For any personal health concerns, always seek guidance from your doctor.

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Minoxidil is one of the most recognised treatments for hair loss in the world. Millions of people use it. Few know how it was discovered.

In this episode of Mohivate, I explore the remarkable story of a medication that was never meant to grow hair. What began as a failed ulcer treatment became a powerful blood pressure drug, and an unexpected side effect went on to change dermatology forever.

Along the way, we explore the science of hair growth, why hair loss occurs, the difference between telogen effluvium and androgenetic alopecia, and what minoxidil is actually doing inside the hair follicle. We look at the science behind topical and oral minoxidil, why some people respond dramatically while others do not, the role of sulphotransferase enzymes, shedding, side effects, and what current evidence tells us about combination treatments including microneedling and low-dose oral minoxidil.

But this episode is about more than hair.

Hair loss, like so many things in health, sits at the intersection of biology and identity. It is rarely just about a hairline, a parting, or a reflection in the mirror. It is often about how we see ourselves, how we experience change, and the small things that carry more meaning than we realise.

With science, history, humour, and practical evidence, this episode explores one of medicine's most fascinating accidental discoveries, and why it continues to matter to millions of people around the world.

References:

1. Minoxidil and Its Use in Hair Disorders
   https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6691938/
2. Low-Dose Oral Minoxidil for Alopecia: A Comprehensive Review
   https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10806356/
3. Efficacy and Safety of Oral Minoxidil in Alopecia: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
   https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12188453/
4. Predicting Minoxidil Response Through Follicular Sulfotransferase Activity
   https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9326921/
5. Low-Dose Oral Minoxidil Initiation for Patients With Hair Loss: An International Delphi Consensus Statement
   https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamadermatology/fullarticle/2826573

Just a gentle reminder: this episode is for information, education, and inspiration only. It’s not a substitute for your doctor’s advice. For any personal health concerns, always seek guidance from your doctor.

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In this episode of MOHIVATE, Dr. Mohi Sarawgee explores what gratitude actually does to the brain and body far beyond motivational quotes and “be positive” advice.

Drawing on neuroscience and heart-health research, she looks at how gratitude lights up the medial prefrontal cortex and anterior cingulate cortex, lowers inflammation, supports heart health, and acts like “emotional immunology” for a stressed nervous system. From UCLA reviews to Harvard gratitude studies, she unpacks the science in simple, human language.

Between winter fairy lights and Thanksgiving tables, Dr. Mohi also speaks to the quieter side of gratitude ; when the year hasn’t been easy, when there have been losses, diagnoses, or burnout. She shares a favourite patient story and offers a gentle 1–1–1 gratitude practice you can try in under a minute a day.

This one’s for anyone who’s felt hurt or worn down by life or people, and still wants to find small, real reasons to keep going – and to come home to themselves.

References: 

1. UCLA Health – “Health benefits of gratitude”
Nice lay summary of research on gratitude, mood, heart health, sleep and inflammation (this is where the “15 minutes a day, 5 days a week for 6 weeks” style interventions are discussed).
https://www.uclahealth.org/news/article/health-benefits-gratitude

2. Harvard Health Publishing – “Giving thanks can make you happier”
Classic evidence-based piece summarising gratitude journaling studies (10-week “gratitude list” vs “irritations” group, mood and doctor-visit differences, etc.).
https://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/giving-thanks-can-make-you-happier

3. Fox GR et al. (2015) – “Neural correlates of gratitude” – Frontiers in Psychology
fMRI study showing that feeling gratitude activates the medial prefrontal cortex and anterior cingulate cortex
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4588123/

4. Diniz G et al. (2023) – “The effects of gratitude interventions: a systematic review and meta-analysis” – Einstein (São Paulo)
64 randomised trials of gratitude interventions; shows benefits for mental health, anxiety, depression, positive affect and life satisfaction ;this supports the “around 70 studies / tens of thousands of people” report.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10393216/

5. Mills PJ et al. (2015) – “The role of gratitude in spiritual well-being in asymptomatic heart failure patients” – Spirituality in Clinical Practice
Observational work in heart-failure patients showing higher dispositional gratitude linked with better mood, sleep and inflammatory profile.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4566460/

6. Redwine L et al. (2016) – Gratitude journaling pilot in heart failure (8-week intervention)
Small RCT where adding a gratitude journal improved heart-rate variability and some inflammatory markers (CRP, IL-6) and sleep quality.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022399916302117

Just a gentle reminder: this episode is for information, education, and inspiration only. It’s not a substitute for your doctor’s advice. For any personal health concerns, always seek guidance from your doctor.

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In this episode of MOHIVATE, Dr. Mohi Sarawgee explains what really happens to our skin in winter - why it becomes dry, tight, itchy, and why eczema often feels worse this time of year.

With a blend of medical clarity and calm reassurance, she explores:

The skin barrier and why it behaves like a brick wall

How hot baths, heating, fabrics, and dry air quietly damage it

Why moisturising is treatment, not pampering , especially for eczema

How fingertip units (FTU) help you use steroid creams safely and confidently

When eczema becomes infected, and how to recognise it early

Why emotional stress, sleep loss, and guilt often make eczema worse

You’ll learn practical, realistic ways to help skin repair, soothe, and protect itself,  especially in winter.

A gentle reminder: your skin is not failing. It is asking for support, and when we give it patiently, consistently, and kindly, it often remembers how to protect us again.

References (Official Sources — Direct Web Links)

 1. NICE Guideline – Atopic Eczema in Under 12s

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg57

2. British Association of Dermatologists – Patient Leaflet (Atopic Eczema)

https://www.bad.org.uk/pils/atopic-eczema/

3. American Academy of Dermatology – Eczema Overview

https://www.aad.org/public/diseases/eczema

4. New England Journal of Medicine — Atopic Dermatitis (Medical Review, 2020)

https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMra1801930

Just a gentle reminder: this episode is for information, education, and inspiration only. It’s not a substitute for your doctor’s advice. For any personal health concerns, always seek guidance from your doctor.

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In this episode of Mohivate, Dr Mohi Sarawgee explores one of the most important conversations we rarely have. Death, dying, and what it means to live well until the very end.

The episode begins with a simple observation. Despite being the one certainty every human being shares, death remains one of the least discussed subjects in modern life. Through personal stories, medical insight, and reflections from years in healthcare, she explores why so many families avoid these conversations and why having them may be one of the greatest gifts we leave the people we love.

Along the way, the episode unpacks what palliative care actually is and what it is not. From symptom management and quality of life to the pioneering work of Dame Cicely Saunders and the origin of the modern hospice movement. This episode is a conversation about dignity, compassion, and caring for the whole person.

The episode explores advance care planning, the evidence behind palliative care, and why conversations about our wishes matter long before they become urgent. You will discover how these discussions support families and help people make decisions that reflect what matters most to them.

Woven throughout are stories from clinical practice. Moments of humour, humanity, and wisdom that no textbook can teach. Because dying patients often leave behind some of life’s most important lessons for the living.

At its heart, this episode is not about death. It is about love, legacy, and the conversations that matter. The words we say while we still can. The things we leave behind. And the reminder that a life is not measured by how long it lasts, but by how deeply it touches others.

This episode is shared in fond remembrance of my uncle. 

29.03.1955 - 02.06 2025. Forever missed.

REFERENCES

1.WHO — Palliative Care as a Human Right, World Health Assembly Resolution 2014

https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/palliative-care

2.Temel et al. 2010 — Early Palliative Care for Patients with Metastatic Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer, New England Journal of Medicine

https://www.nejm.org/doi/abs/10.1056/NEJMoa1000678

3.Temel et al. 2024 — Stepped Palliative Care for Patients with Advanced Lung Cancer, JAMA

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2819643

4.Tsubaki et al. 2025 — Effects of Advance Care Planning on the Mental Health of Bereaved Families: A Systematic Review, Cureus

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12084671/

5.St Christopher’s Hospice — History of Dame Cicely Saunders

https://www.stchristophers.org.uk/about/history

6.Bronnie Ware — The Top Five Regrets of the Dying

https://bronnieware.com/regrets-of-the-dying/

7.Cicely Saunders and the concept of total pain — PMC

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11700540/

Just a gentle reminder: this episode is for information, education, and inspiration only. It’s not a substitute for your doctor’s advice. For any personal health concerns, always seek guidance from your doctor.

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In this episode of Mohivate, Dr Mohi Sarawgee explores one of summer’s most familiar yet misunderstood conditions : Prickly Heat. A rash so common that most of us have experienced it, treated it, or complained about it without ever really understanding what is happening beneath the skin.

The episode begins with the name. Prickly heat is medically known as miliaria, from the Latin word milium, meaning millet. The story travels from Roman physicians who first described it to British soldiers itching their way through India, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific, where the rash became such a military concern that researchers eventually studied it formally in tropical conditions.

The science follows the sweat. From the remarkable efficiency of eccrine sweat glands to what happens when a sweat duct becomes blocked, Dr Mohi explores why prickly heat develops and how skin bacteria can turn a minor irritation into something far more uncomfortable. The three forms of miliaria : Crystallina, Rubra, and Profunda,  are explained clearly, including what each type means, who is most at risk, and when a doctor rather than a pharmacy is the right call.

Practical guidance covers acclimatisation, clothing, skin care, prevention, and treatment, including why the answer has never been an enthusiastic application of powder.

With clinical insight, personal reflection, humour, and a thread that runs beyond the skin itself, this episode asks a simple question: what happens when something designed to flow becomes blocked? Because sometimes the smallest discomforts are simply the body’s way of asking us to pay attention.

This episode gives prickly heat the conversation it has always deserved.

References:

1.Miliaria — StatPearls, National Library of Medicine (2024)

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK537176/

2.Heat Rash — Mayo Clinic

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/heat-rash/symptoms-causes/syc-20373276

3.Heat Rash — NHS

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/heat-rash-prickly-heat/

4.Miliaria — DermNet NZ

https://dermnetnz.org/topics/miliaria

5.Anhydrous Lanolin for Miliaria — Mayo Clinic Treatment Guide

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/heat-rash/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20373282

Just a gentle reminder: this episode is for information, education, and inspiration only. It’s not a substitute for your doctor’s advice. For any personal health concerns, always seek guidance from your doctor.

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In this episode of Mohivate, Dr Mohi Sarawgee explores one of the most talked about viral health trends of 2026 so far. Women combining an antihistamine and a heartburn tablet to manage menopause symptoms. And asks the question medicine should always ask first. What does the science actually say?

The episode begins with histamine. Not the allergy molecule most people think they know, but a far more versatile chemical messenger with receptors in the gut, the heart, and the brain. From H1 to H2, from mast cells to the oestrogen-histamine feedback loop, this episode unpacks the biology behind the trend with clarity and warmth.

It then explores the relationship between oestrogen and histamine in perimenopause, the role of the DAO enzyme, histamine intolerance as a distinct and underrecognised condition, and why mast cell activation syndrome is not the same as menopause, even when the symptoms overlap.

The honest clinical verdict follows. Including why hot flushes are driven by the neurokinin B pathway and not histamine, what fezolinetant and elinzanetant are and why the UK was the first country in the world to approve the latter, and what HRT and non-hormonal options currently offer women who are struggling.

With clinical insight, personal perspective, and a keen interest in perimenopause and menopause, this episode gives a viral trend the honest conversation it deserves. 

REFERENCES

1.PCOS renamed to PMOS, The Lancet, 12 May 2026

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(26)00717-8/fulltext

2.CNN coverage of the viral menopause trend, May 2026

https://www.cnn.com/2026/05/05/health/menopause-hormones-antacids-antihistamines-wellness

3.Oestrogen and histamine bidirectional relationship

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22651948/

4.Diamine oxidase and oestrogen regulation

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31234240/

5.Histamine intolerance, clinical overview

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30239565/

6.MCAS diagnostic criteria, 

https://www.jacionline.org/article/S0091-6749(24)00569-4/fulltext

7.KNDy neurons and neurokinin B in menopausal hot flushes

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21253695/

8.Fezolinetant, NICE supports NHS prescribing, March 2026

https://thebms.org.uk/2026/03/nice-supports-nhs-prescribing-of-fezolinetant/

9.Elinzanetant, first global approval, MHRA, July 2025

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/mhra-approves-elinzanetant-to-treat-moderate-to-severe-vasomotor-symptoms-hot-flushes-caused-by-menopause

10.Cetirizine withdrawal rebound pruritus, FDA warning 2025

https://www.fda.gov/drugs/drug-safety-and-availability/fda-warns-about-serious-problems-stopping-certain-allergy-medications

Just a gentle reminder: this episode is for information, education, and inspiration only. It’s not a substitute for your doctor’s advice. For any personal health concerns, always seek guidance from your doctor.

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In this special episode of Mohivate, Dr Mohi Sarawgee brings together music, memory, and meaning in the podcast’s first original musical collaboration.
At the heart of this episode is a beautiful piece of music titled The Long Way Home, created by Johan Sebastian Ledesma, who composes under the name Bragei. 

What begins as a chance conversation on an ordinary street becomes something far more unexpected. A story of timing, recognition, and the kind of moments that seem to arrive without being planned, yet feel deeply aligned when they do.

The episode moves through personal memory, from childhood road trips filled with music, to the people who shaped a lifelong relationship with sound, rhythm, and presence. It reflects on how music is not simply something we listen to, but something that holds memory, carries emotion, and connects us across time.

Alongside this, Dr Mohi briefly explores what science understands about music and the brain. From its effects on stress, mood, and the nervous system, to the way it engages multiple regions of the brain at once, music is both deeply felt and biologically significant.

At its heart, this episode is about the moments we do not plan. The ones that arrive through chance encounters, shared interests, and quiet attention. What some might call synchronicity, or serendipity. Moments that shape direction without announcement.
The original piece The Long Way Home plays at the end of this episode, and will be available separately on YouTube for listeners who wish to return to it.
With reflection, story, and collaboration, this episode offers something slightly different. A pause. A memory. And a reminder of the ways we find our way back, often without realising we were looking.

References:

1. Music and the brain — stress, dopamine, and emotional response:
Salimpoor, V.N. et al. (2011). Anatomically distinct dopamine release during anticipation and experience of peak emotion to music. Nature Neuroscience.
https://www.nature.com/articles/nn.2726

2. Music, stress hormones, and the nervous system:
Thoma, M.V. et al. (2013). The effect of music on the human stress response. PLOS ONE.
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0070156

3. 3. Singing and wellbeing:
Grape, C. et al. (2003). Does singing promote well-being? Integrative Physiological & Behavioral Science.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF02734261

Just a gentle reminder: this episode is for information, education, and inspiration only. It’s not a substitute for your doctor’s advice. For any personal health concerns, always seek guidance from your doctor.

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In this episode of Mohivate, Dr Mohi Sarawgee explores screen time in children: the first episode on MOHIVATE dedicated entirely to children, and an honest conversation about what is actually happening inside a child’s developing brain, and what the science is telling us in a world none of us were prepared for.

The episode begins with context. From smartphones and tablets, to a pandemic that made screens the only classroom and playground available, to the first generation of children growing up alongside artificial intelligence as a daily presence. This is the world today’s parents are navigating. Without a guidebook, and largely without support.

The science covers language development, attention and dopamine, sleep and melatonin, the video deficit effect in infants, and the childhood myopia epidemic, including why outdoor light, not eye drops, is the prescription. Age-specific guidance runs from birth through adolescence, including what the research says about social media, cyberbullying, and the teenage brain.

Dr Mohi Sarawgee introduces the Three C’s framework — Content, Context, and Child — a practical lens for families navigating screen time at every age, alongside evidence-based anchors for sleep, eye health, and real life.

With clinical insight, fifteen years of consulting rooms, and a doctor’s deep respect for every parent doing their absolute best, this episode gives screen time the conversation it deserves.

REFERENCES
1. Screen Time and Early Childhood Development
Frontiers in Developmental Psychology — Systematic Scoping Review (2025)
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/developmental-psychology/articles/10.3389/fdpys.2024.1439040/full
2. Screen Time and Sleep
Hale & Guan — Screen Time and Sleep, Systematic Review, Sleep Medicine Reviews
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4437561/
3. Screen Time and Myopia
Ha et al. — JAMA Network Open (February 2025) — 45 studies, 335,524 individuals
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2830598
4. Book by Jonathan Haidt
The Anxious Generation — Research and Evidence Base
https://www.anxiousgeneration.com/research/the-evidence
5. Adolescent Mental Health and Social Media — Dr. Jean Twenge
Research publications and evidence base — Dr. Jean Twenge, San Diego State University
https://www.jeantwenge.com/research/
6. NHS Mental Health of Children and Young People in England (2023)
NHS England Digital — most recent UK data
https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/mental-health-of-children-and-young-people-in-england/2023-wave-4-follow-up
7. UK Government — Children’s Social Media Consultation (2026)
GOV.UK National Consultation — Growing Up in the Online World
https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/growing-up-in-the-online-world-a-national-consultation
8. UK Government — Screen Use by Children Under Five (March 2026)
Independent Expert Report — Early Years Screen Time Advisory Group
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/69c53daf4a06660f085442a7/EYSTAG_report.pdf

Just a gentle reminder: this episode is for information, education, and inspiration only. It’s not a substitute for your doctor’s advice. For any personal health concerns, always seek guidance from your doctor.

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In this episode of Mohivate, Dr Mohi Sarawgee explores psilocybin, the compound found in magic mushrooms, tracing its journey from ancient sacred ceremony to some of the most rigorous clinical research in psychiatry today.
The episode begins where the science begins. With language. When neuroscientists at Johns Hopkins first documented what psilocybin did to the human brain, they had to invent entirely new words to describe it. Ego dissolution. Oceanic boundlessness. Mystical type experience score. This episode explores why those words matter clinically, and what the Default Mode Network has to do with depression, addiction, and the way the brain finds its way back to itself.
From Richard Nixon’s 1970 decision to classify psilocybin as a Schedule 1 drug, freezing decades of promising research, to landmark clinical trials, this episode covers the full story honestly. The science on terminal cancer anxiety, treatment resistant depression, addiction, and microdosing is examined carefully - where the evidence is strong, where it is thin, and what regulatory bodies worldwide are now saying.
With clinical insight, personal perspective, and a thread that begins with Roald Dahl, this is a conversation about what happens when science refuses to stay buried.

References
1.The 2006 Johns Hopkins Paper — The One That Changed Everything
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16826400/
2.Psilocybin in Terminal Cancer Patients — 2016 Landmark Study
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5367557/
3.Psilocybin vs Escitalopram — NEJM 2021
https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2032994
4.Psilocybin and Smoking Cessation — The 80% Study
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4286320/
5.Default Mode Network and Depression — Key Neuroscience Paper
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24567117/
6.Psilocybin and the Default Mode Network — Brain Imaging
https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1119598109
7.Microdosing — James Fadiman Book Reference
https://www.amazon.com/Psychedelic-Explorers-Guide-Therapeutic-Journeys/dp/1594774021
8.Microdosing Blinded Trials — Placebo Effects
https://elifesciences.org/articles/62878
9.Psilocybin Safety Profile — The Lancet
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(10)61462-6/fulltext
10.Nixon, Ehrlichman and the War on Drugs
https://edition.cnn.com/2016/03/23/politics/john-ehrlichman-nixon-drug-war-blacks-hippie/index.html
11.Australia Approves Psilocybin — TGA 2023
https://www.tga.gov.au/news/media-releases/tga-approves-mdma-and-psilocybin-use-ptsd-and-depression-australia-first
12.FDA Breakthrough Therapy Designation for Psilocybin
https://compasspathways.com/compass-pathways-receives-fda-breakthrough-therapy-designation-for-psilocybin-therapy-for-treatment-resistant-depression/
13.UK Innovative Licensing and Access Pathway — ILAP
https://ir.compasspathways.com/News–Events-/news/news-details/2025/Compass-Pathways-Successfully-Achieves-Primary-Endpoint-in-First-Phase-3-Trial-Evaluating-COMP360-Psilocybin-for-Treatment-Resistant-Depression/default.aspx
14.Yale Program for Psychedelic Science
https://medicine.yale.edu/psychiatry/research/clinics-and-programs/psychedelic/
15.Johns Hopkins Centre for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/psychiatry/research/psychedelics-research
16.Imperial College London Centre for Psychedelic Research
https://www.imperial.ac.uk/psychedelic-research-centre
17.R. Gordon Wasson — Seeking the Magic Mushroom, Life Magazine 1957
https://www.imaginaria.org/wasson/life.htm
18.Psilocybin Drug Interactions — Lithium and SSRIs
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18593734/

Just a gentle reminder: this episode is for information, education, and inspiration only. It’s not a substitute for your doctor’s advice. For any personal health concerns, always seek guidance from your doctor.