Over half (58%) of healthcare professionals have difficulty sourcing reliable health information to share with patients according to a 2022 survey conducted by the Patient Information Forum (PIF)

Even healthcare professionals struggle to source reliable health information, according to a new PIF survey. In response, the Patient Information Forum has launched a new toolkit to help healthcare professionals overcome these struggles and give trusted information to their patients.

What is the PIF TICK toolkit?

The new PIF TICK toolkit has been produced to help professionals overcome the difficulties of misinformation. Endorsed by GPs, the toolkit includes:

• Patient resources on spotting false health information, BMI, and clinical evidence, including easy-to-use factsheets.
• More than 85 independently assessed trusted information creators, sorted by therapy area.

The toolkit will help healthcare professionals confidently signpost trustworthy information. Every organisation within the directory has undergone a tough, independent assessment of their healthcare information production process.

What is the PIF TICK and why is it important?

PIF is a non-profit UK membership organisation working to improve the quality of health information; representing members across NHS, charitable and private sectors.

The PIF TICK accreditation is an excellent way for people to know that health information is dependable and accurate. It is the UK’s only independently-assessed quality mark for print and online health information.

Dr Michael Hughes, consultant rheumatologist, said, “All patients need access to reliable, high-quality, and readable information from their initial diagnosis and throughout the course of their disease. The PIF TICK is a trusted reassurance that clinicians are signposting patients to high-quality and assured information.”

With so much online information available, knowing where to go and who to trust can be tricky. The spread of misinformation can easily escalate with the mix of opinions on social media so it is really important to get health information from reliable sources. While our healthcare system is so stretched, accessing up-to-date and accurate information can better health outcomes and entrust people to make informed decisions about their wellbeing.

Dr Juhi Tandon, GP and co-founder of Cognitant Group, said, “As doctors, we want to encourage our patients to play a more participatory role in their health and empower them with the tools needed to better self-manage their care. This starts with trusted health information.

“In our short consultation time, we struggle to adequately explain health, disease and treatment, so the ability to use the PIF TICK to signpost patients to reliable, accurate and up-to-date, evidence-based health information from trusted sources, is incredibly valuable. It can really augment shared decision-making and informed choice.”

The Counselling Directory and PIF TICK

At Happiful, we’ve put the process to practice, with our website Read more

Sharing my tips on how to whiten teeth with baking soda and how to do this at home. As always, talk with your dentist before doing anything to your teeth. As we all know, I am not a dentist and do not work in the dental industry. Just sharing my experience!

Hi friends! How’s the morning going so far? I’m getting ready for a little photoshoot, and also have a podcast interview later today. I hope you have a wonderful day ahead!

For today’s post, I’m doing a little reader’s request and sharing my experience whitening my teeth with baking soda. I often get questions about what I use for my teeth, and my routine is pretty simple. I tend to stay away from conventional whitening products and whitening procedures because they increase my tooth sensitivity and I don’t love the ingredients.

Having a whiter smile can definitely boost your confidence, and standard teeth whitening products can be hard on the budget. Not all of them are effective, they can contain sketchy ingredients, and there are a few household ingredients that can be used to help whiten teeth, including baking soda! I’m dedicating this post to sharing my experience whitening my teeth with baking soda and my favorite dental products. 🙂

How To Make Teeth Whiter With Baking Soda

Baking soda is my #1 favorite way to whiten my teeth. While baking soda can be an effective teeth whitening agent, there are things to consider before using it. I’m going to share a couple of precautions before diving into the actual methods. (And another friendly reminder to talk to your dentist before doing anything with your teeth.)

Is It Safe To Brush Your Teeth With Baking Soda

Yes, in most cases. While it’s safe to use baking soda to whiten teeth, it can be abrasive when used in large quantities. Baking soda, when overused, can corrode the tooth’s surface enamel. You just want to make sure you don’t use it too frequently, leave it on your teeth for too long, or use too much. A little goes a long way!

How To Use Baking Soda To Whiten Teeth

Baking soda paste

This is my go-to method. I start by topping my toothbrush with baking soda and add a little bit of water to make a paste. I add as much as needed to have enough for my entire mouth. I gently place the paste on my teeth and keep it here for about 3 minutes to set. Then, I scrub, using the toothbrush, and rinse. Word to the world: it tastes HORRIBLE. I kind of just curl my lips up and try to avoid tasting it. I do this once a month, but my dental hygienist said it would be fine to do once a week.

Baking soda with toothpaste

You can also mix a little baking soda with your toothpaste, or use a toothpaste that contains baking soda.

Baking soda mouthwash

This can be a cheap and effective alternative to tradition alcohol-based mouthwash. Simply mix 1 teaspoon of baking soda with 1 cup of warm water, swish, and rinse. (Make sure not to swallow the mixture.)

Baking soda and lemon

This is a common method, but not one that I’ve tried or would recommend. I think that it would be too intense and feel like it’s unnecessary since the baking s

Self-love writer and co-founder of The Rising Circle, Vex King, joins Happiful’s podcast to talk about the experiences that shaped him and the impact of practising self-love

Vex King is a Sunday Times bestseller and internationally renowned for his beautiful work on self-love and compassion, and as he shares on Happiful’s podcast, the drive to learn and share supportive words with others is the result of tough childhood experiences that shaped his desire to change his mindset and circumstances.

“I like to call myself the guy that tries to make the world a better place. Ultimately, I’m spreading a message of self-love,” he says introducing himself. “I’ve come from a place where I’ve endured a lot of suffering. To give a bit of background, my Dad died when I was six-months old and my family and I were homeless for roughly three years of my childhood. Then when we finally found a home, unfortunately we weren’t really welcome in that area and neighbourhood for at least two decades. I suffered a lot of poverty, I’d say severe poverty, racism and abuse. There were a lot of times where I suppose I nearly gave up on my life.”

Read the full interview with Vex King in issue 73 of Happiful Magazine

The transition from such trauma to the life Vex leads today might seem like a mighty mountain to have climbed, and he is clear that it was neither linear nor easy. As a younger man, Vex explains, he encountered periods of extreme anger and despair. He also had a strong vision of the life he wanted to lead and an internal drive to alleviate other people’s pain and suffering.

Vex found hope in books, foreshadowing the work he is now so passionate about. “I just wanted a way out. I turned to books and books really helped me. They really built in hope that there was something better out there for me, that I could change my mindset and that I didn’t have to be a victim of my circumstances.”

“I wouldn’t want anyone to go through what I did, especially as a child,” he reflects. “At the time it was traumatic and I didn’t realise it. It was painful, it was heartbreaking and it was uncomfortable. But at the same time, I look back on it now and say to myself ‘Would I be here if I hadn’t gone through those particular things, would I have a story to tell? Would I have gone out of my way to find these tools, these ideas, these perspectives that have altered my life and that I’m now sharing with the world so that people can change their own lives?’”

Vex is visibly passionate and clearly dedicated to supporting and championing others. He co-founded The Rising Circle with his beloved wife Kaushal, to share free meditations, manifestation tracks, gratitude sessions and yoga and to ensure that everyone can access this support. He also continues to write, and his most recent book Closer to Love<

Salmon marinated with balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, and fresh ginger creates one of the most flavorful salmon dishes I’ve ever tasted. For a number of years, this was the only seafood meal to consistently receive two thumbs up from my entire family.

Balsamic Salmon

For years, I simply prepared fish by sprinkling it with salt and pepper and then drizzling it with a bit of oil and lemon. We didn’t eat it often enough that I ever felt the need to play with different recipes. I wish I’d known then that there were so many other options!

Over the past ten years or so, my family has eaten more seafood than we would have imagined possible a few years ago. (This happens when your husband is fortunate enough to bring home 100 pounds of fresh fish from Alaska!)

For anyone who is not a big fan of fish for the sake of fish, a marinade is an excellent option for adding more flavors and changing the overwhelming “fish-factor” in the meal. I played with a couple different salmon and balsamic vinegar combinations before running across this one and let me tell you, it is a keeper.

When I made this last week, it was voted “two thumbs up and the best salmon ever” by my oldest two boys. The fact that my youngest ate every bite of his without pausing for chatter is huge praise all by itself.

Baked Salmon with Ginger and Soy Sauce

A simple marinade is a perfect way to impart different flavors to any dish. Salmon is one that does extremely well with a marinade. For this flavorful version whisk together olive oil, sesame oil, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, honey, garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes, and salt.

The balsamic, honey, red pepper flakes, and other ingredients create a sticky, sweet heat, Asian-inspired flavor combination.

Pour it ove

Have you ever opened up, only to be met with dismissal? This one’s for you

Imagine you’re having a really tough time, so you decide to turn to a friend. You lay out all your emotions over a cuppa, explaining how totally deflated, frustrated, and overwhelmed you feel, hoping your pal will relate.

You wait for some soothing words of encouragement or an affirmative – “I know exactly how you feel.” Instead, your friend minimises and dismisses your emotions, telling you you’re being oversensitive, insisting that you shouldn’t feel the way you do, or informing you that your problems are too small and insignificant to even worry about.

To add insult to injury, they might even offer up unsolicited advice that seems to suggest you’re the one at fault. Their comments don’t make you feel soothed, heard, and understood, but stifled, frustrated, and silenced. In fact, you feel worse than you did before, and silly for even bringing the problem up.

This is emotional invalidation in action: the process of ignoring, denying or minimising another person’s feelings. It happens when we turn to other people for support and understanding and instead find our feelings aren’t taken seriously. And, in a society that always encourages us to speak up about our mental health, it can be incredibly damaging.

“When someone invalidates your experiences, they dismiss, deny, or reject your thoughts and feelings, and often, this can leave you feeling undervalued, and ignored,” says Rachel Vora, psychotherapist and founder of CYP Wellbeing.

So, why do they do it?

Ever wondered why friends and family react in this way? As hurtful as having your experiences invalidated may be, it may be helpful to know that it’s not always intentional. “People can unintentionally minimise or make light of our emotions for several reasons,” Rachel points out. “It’s often people who are uncomfortable dealing with their own emotions that unintentionally invalidate the emotions of others.

“For example, people who find sitting with their emotions difficult often adopt unhealthy strategies such as distraction, denial, and avoidance.” Rachel says these people are then likely to employ the same strategies with you.

Other times, your friend really does want to make you feel better, and so their immediate reaction is to try and make your problem seem smaller. Have you ever desperately wanted to help a friend in need and scrambled to find the right thing to say, and instead of saying you understand how they’re feeling, you told them not to worry? It’s that.

No one likes to see the people they love in pain and most of us will do anything to make that pain go away. Often, that means dismissing it or trying to make it appear smaller. But, even if your loved ones have your best interests at heart, having your emotions invalidated can really sting. Speaking up isn’t always easy, and so you might feel disappointed, discouraged, and even embarrassed if your feelings aren’t taken seriously. We all have a human need to feel heard and understood, particularly if we’re going through something tough.

“Emotional invalidation can leave you feeling as though