Dr C Maclay Dr C Maclay

Pharmacist Prescribing: A Symptom and a Problem

The conversation about pharmacist prescribing is devoid of nuance - at least in the media - which is rarely able to convey the complexities or context appropriately nowadays. Our society faces real problems, of magnitude, but they will not be resolved by bulk billing or pharmacy prescribing.

Read More
Dr C Maclay Dr C Maclay

Position Yourself for the Future of Medicine

For decades, we have invested trillions into a system designed to manage disease rather than promote health. The result is clear—record levels of diabetes, obesity, cancer, and neurodegenerative conditions, despite unprecedented spending and technological advancement. The return on investment has been poor: longer lives perhaps, but not healthier ones.

Read More
Dr C Maclay Dr C Maclay

Healthcare System Version 999.0

Version 1000.0 must be the version where we finally grow up as a system — where we replace defensiveness with curiosity, hierarchy with humility, and conformity with courage. That begins with respect: for peers who challenge orthodoxy,

Read More
Dr C Maclay Dr C Maclay

Cooperation in Emerging Medicine

destructive hyper-competition only erodes credibility and fragments effort. We must remember that we are on the same vessel, navigating the same uncertain waters.

Read More
Dr C Maclay Dr C Maclay

Can Pragma defeat Dogma?

what emerged was sobering: a system designed to elevate quality instead producing poor outcomes, inefficient resource distribution, and serving as the justification to suppress alternative and innovative technologies

Read More
Dr C Maclay Dr C Maclay

What Could a 21st Century Healthcare System Look Like?

Would such a system treat science as an open search for outcomes that improve lives, or would the adoption of therapies remain tied to the financial viability of interventions rather than their clinical impact? Would barriers to implementation be regulatory safeguards in the true sense, or obstacles erected to preserve entrenched profit structures?

Read More
Dr C Maclay Dr C Maclay

‘til silence do we part

Cells communicate in many ways—electrical, chemical, mechanical—but one of the most powerful, the most elegant, is through peptides. Peptides hold a unique position in this conversation of life. They are the whispers and the shouts, the handshakes and the signals, coordinating an orchestra that makes us who we are.

Read More
Dr C Maclay Dr C Maclay

The Highway Cop Phenomenon: Dangerous

Practitioners are forced into the grey and persecuted at will. This mirrors the analogy of a highway officer who stops one driver for a minor infraction while allowing others to pass unchallenged – ostensibly due to non-risk related characteristics of the driver in question - race. In healthcare, the implications are equally serious.

Read More
Dr C Maclay Dr C Maclay

Rethinking Investment in Early-Onset Dementia: Preventive and Accountable Strategies

It is time to recognize that different types of interventions require different levels of evidence. Administering a synthetic enzymatic toxin—something never before present in human environments—may indeed require multiple randomized controlled trials and meta-analyses before widespread adoption. By contrast, restoring a physiologic nutrient deficiency does not fall into the same category of risk and should not be held to the same evidentiary threshold.

Read More
Dr C Maclay Dr C Maclay

Beyond the Code: Rethinking the Role of Genetics in Clinical Medicine

That’s the realm of epigenetics—a dynamic, responsive layer of regulation that governs how the genome is read. Epigenetic factors turn genes on and off, modulate their expression, and ultimately shape the proteins that drive function and form. This regulation is profoundly influenced by the environment, lifestyle, diet, stress, circadian rhythms, and even social interactions.

Read More
Dr C Maclay Dr C Maclay

With Age Comes……. Wisdom?

The dominant human mind is no longer young; it is mature — and increasingly elderly. Yet our healthcare systems, economic frameworks, governance structures and social norms were established in a context where youth drove demand, innovation and decision-making. It is worth reflecting on how far we have drifted from those original design parameters — and what that means for future systems planning and the pace of change going forward.

Read More
Dr C Maclay Dr C Maclay

Lifestyle Medicine: A Necessary Bridge in a System Built for Crisis, Not Prevention

I support this movement not only because it restores agency to both doctor and patient, but because it acknowledges what many avoid: the mounting burden of environmental toxicity, poor urban design, ultra-processed foods, and social disconnection as key contributors to modern disease and suffering. These factors impose not only human costs but enormous strain on public health budgets.

Read More
Dr C Maclay Dr C Maclay

Can the Media help society resolve problems?

Today, I can hear the headline and tell you the outlet. I can see the spin and name the editor. Tell me the reporter, and I’ll tell you the narrative. What we consume as “news” is often preloaded with opinion, curated to echo the worldview of its audience. Objectivity has become quaint; tribalism sells better.

Read More
Dr C Maclay Dr C Maclay

Healthcare Systems, Regulation, and the Big Picture

The health outcomes of a population reflect the efficacy of the public health systems and regulatory structures. While incoming leaders, including the new CEO of AHPRA, acknowledge challenges in implementation and resourcing, I’m not sure we’ve fully recognised that systems errors — not just surface-level or budget-driven issues — may be at play. If these deeper structural issues remain unaddressed, it becomes harder to fix the symptomatic problems that we all see.

Read More