#015 · 03 December 2023

Hello and oh my gosh it is December!

There is blooming snow in the UK… not on the south coast though (as per usual).

So, I have had the weirdest time the past couple of weeks. After the last newsletter dropped, I woke up the next morning to the room spinning. Vomit inducing spinning. I shut my eyes and went back to sleep, thinking it would pass. It didn’t. I spent the whole day in bed because every time I moved I felt dizzy. And I had zero balance when it came to walking. My husband took me to the GP the next day and I was diagnosed with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV).

And the likely cause?

Being head-butted in the night by a 4-year-old bed thief.

Ah, the joys of parenting.

Now BPPV is a mouthful (as with all conditions… and ad agencies), but the thing to remember about this one is this: benign = not serious.  That said, this bloody thing latest about 12 days from start to finish. Friday was the first day I’ve felt fully stable – no dizzy spells (or Disney Spells as misheard by my 6-year-old). I am relieved and I hope it stays away. Reading around the condition tells me for some people it happens once and never comes back. I want to be in that camp, please.

Have you ever experienced BPPV or any form of vertigo? I was surprised by how many of my friends have. Their shared stories helped me to see the light at the end of the tunnel, that’s for sure.

Hearing about the displacement of my inner ear crystals was another fascinating reminder of how weird and wonderful the human body is, and of course the importance of healthcare and healthcare comms… so with that shall we get into this week’s issue of CULTURx?

In the last issue, we talked about the NHS’s commitment to eliminate cervical cancer and got very real about what that is gonna take… i.e. no more boring, out-of-touch health awareness campaigns, please!! So, it feels very apt to be sharing this new campaign from cancer charity Fuck Cancer, and its new HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccination campaign. Brace yourselves…

No beating around the bush. It’s two fingers up to parents, talking directly to young people who missed the vaccine as teens. With the choice to vaccinate now in their hands, the campaign delivers a frank message about the associated risks with HPV (hello cervical cancer and genital warts) and doesn’t shy away from conversations about sex, or how people do it. Because whether you have 1 partner or 5, are single, dating, or just exploring, everybody can get fucked by contracting HPV!

And since people need three rounds of the vax, the campaign aims to make taking action super easy; providing a simple click to book with several prominent retail pharmacies via the campaign website. Shot! Shot! Shot!

My husband and I often find ourselves counting our blessings with our two. And still, campaigns like this hit hard…

Waiting to Live is a poignant organ donation campaign from the NHS and brings into focus the 230+ children in the UK waiting for an organ transplant. The films feature adorably sad little dolls in hospital waiting rooms, symbolising the uncertain months (sometimes years) that children face waiting. The campaign asks families with children to register as organ donors to help save lives in the future.

Launching amongst the festive madness that is British Christmas Ads, this TVC will certainly invite a pause and compel people to reflect on what truly matters this time of year. If you are not yet convinced about becoming an organ donor, I encourage you to watch the short films and hear the individual stories of these tiny people waiting for the gift of life.

The biggest news in AI over the last week has been the coming and going of Open AI’s Sam Altman… does anyone really know what’s going on there… there’s too much gossip to keep track of. It’s popcorn-worthy for sure.

A little closer to home in healthcare I was not shocked, but certainly disappointed to read the headline: Study exposes AI image generators' bias in depicting surgeons, highlighting gender and racial disparities. Here are the key points of the study:

According to the study design, the only prompt that was given was: a photo of the face of a [surgical specialty].

There’s no denying the significant role AI image creation can play in marketing, healthcare comms included. I won’t dwell too much on the obvious benefits - speed and cost-saving are evident. The real game-changer is the customisability. It will be crucial for brands and companies looking to move away from the monotony of repeated stock imagery across websites and brochures.

Yet, here’s where it could also fall short. Without proper guardrails, a brand could become easily exposed to bias. Representation starts behind the scenes – ensuring there is a diverse team responsible for creating prompts and overseeing the AI output is a better place to start than any.

I’ve decided to take a little break from CULTURx over the Christmas period…so many events and get-togethers, time is short. Me and the fam are also jetting off to Mallorca for a couple of weeks and a Spanish Christmas.

With that in mind, here’s a bumper selection of links that kept me busy when I wasn’t dizzy. And as always, these aren’t all health-related, but I’m a big believer in the interesting and finding inspiration in many places, even Cilla Black…

✨ Yes, even our Cilla. Why on earth was she trending in the UK? Was it black Friday? I have no idea, but I was here for it. Enjoy her greatest hits here

🧬 I’m sure you’ve heard the news, but it’s amazing to see this world first approval of gene-editing therapy called Casgevy to cure sickle cell – the science is mind-blowing, and the personal impact of this one-off treatment is more than life-changing to patients

🐕 People and their dogs!! It’s only a matter of time until we see longevity drugs a reality according to biotech company Loyal – who said they’ll be claiming at least one year of health life expansion

🍷 The science of wine headaches… as a sufferer of many, this piece certainly spoke to me.

👋 As WHO declare loneliness a global public health concern, this campaign from the Swedish city Lulea, is doing the rounds in the news cycle – hoping that saying “Hej” to someone in the street will be contagious

😮‍💨 If you work in respiratory care, have a read of this story from the NYT about indoor air pollution, it might spark some ideas of where you could make a difference beyond medicine

🍂 Winter is well and truly here in the UK, with minus temps and snow oop north. Say goodbye to autumn with these beautiful images over at the Atlantic

🕴️ More on Sam Altman… New York Magazines asks “Is he the Oppenheimer of our age” in this profile piece

📰 And as my readers know, I am a massive NYT fan… so in the lead-up to Christmas, let me gift link you the paper’s best of 2023…is this even legal?

🎞️ Movies 

📺 TV

 🎤 Music 

📚 Books  

🎮 Video games 

OK gang, that’s a wrap for CULTURx in 2023!

I will see you in 2024!

Until then, please share and subscribe… it would make my Christmas to have more of you here with me next year.

Feliz Navidad ✌️🎄