The Pivot to Prevention: 2 NHS Doctors Quit Their Jobs to Help You Put Health Back Into Your Own Hands
Wed Oct 15 2025
In this episode, I am lucky to have spoken to two doctors and pioneers in preventative medicine.
Claire Merifield and Alasdair Scott were doctors in the NHS for years. But after being disillusioned by the medical system, they realised what their patients really needed was preventative, personalised healthcare. So they set up Selph, using their respective expertise to create a system with which they help people get to know their health profiles, risk factors, lifestyle and prevention opportunities through diagnostic testing and health coaching.
Claire Merifield is a microbiome PhD, a London GP and a Breathworks Mindfulness instructor.
Alasdair Scott is a microbiome scientist, former cancer surgeon in the NHS and a researcher with Imperial College.
They cover:
Why pivoting to prevention is urgent.Positive proactivity your future health - some of the diseases we think are ‘inevitable’ are actually preventable.Is the study of “medicine” the same thing as the study of “health”?Medicine 3.0: what it is, Lifespan vs health span and personalised medicine How to create achievable goals, avoid unattainable trends, and create environments in which you can access the health you have a right to. The current state of health advice: influencers and scaremongeringEvidence-based vs evidence-informed approaches (there’s an important difference)Understanding testing and diagnosticsWhat counts as ‘safe’ treatmentsThe role of emotional and spiritual health, mindfulness, and the gut in physical wellbeing
I’m so grateful to Claire and Alasdair who made a brave leap to do the right thing for us, even if it takes a lot of hard work and re-wiring of how we, as a population, are taught to think about our health.
Learn more about Selph here:
https://www.selph.co.uk
(The information provided in this podcast is intended for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The views expressed by guests are their own. We strongly advise that you contact a registered and experienced healthcare professional if you have any health concerns.)
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
More
In this episode, I am lucky to have spoken to two doctors and pioneers in preventative medicine. Claire Merifield and Alasdair Scott were doctors in the NHS for years. But after being disillusioned by the medical system, they realised what their patients really needed was preventative, personalised healthcare. So they set up Selph, using their respective expertise to create a system with which they help people get to know their health profiles, risk factors, lifestyle and prevention opportunities through diagnostic testing and health coaching. Claire Merifield is a microbiome PhD, a London GP and a Breathworks Mindfulness instructor. Alasdair Scott is a microbiome scientist, former cancer surgeon in the NHS and a researcher with Imperial College. They cover: Why pivoting to prevention is urgent.Positive proactivity your future health - some of the diseases we think are ‘inevitable’ are actually preventable.Is the study of “medicine” the same thing as the study of “health”?Medicine 3.0: what it is, Lifespan vs health span and personalised medicine How to create achievable goals, avoid unattainable trends, and create environments in which you can access the health you have a right to. The current state of health advice: influencers and scaremongeringEvidence-based vs evidence-informed approaches (there’s an important difference)Understanding testing and diagnosticsWhat counts as ‘safe’ treatmentsThe role of emotional and spiritual health, mindfulness, and the gut in physical wellbeing I’m so grateful to Claire and Alasdair who made a brave leap to do the right thing for us, even if it takes a lot of hard work and re-wiring of how we, as a population, are taught to think about our health. Learn more about Selph here: https://www.selph.co.uk (The information provided in this podcast is intended for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The views expressed by guests are their own. We strongly advise that you contact a registered and experienced healthcare professional if you have any health concerns.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.