Genetics and lifestyle are thought to be the two most important determinants for good health. But new research indicates that this is not the full story! Dr Andrew Weil explains in his Forward to a new book, The Good Gut, that “research of the human microbiome is one of the hottest areas of medical science, heralding a revolution in our understanding of physiology and offering great promise for optimising health and managing disease in novel ways”.…
An international comparison puts us ahead of New Zealand, North America and Western Europe in terms of cancer rates, and nearly double the global average. We have the highest rate of melanoma and prostate cancer in the world and the third-highest breast cancer rates. Medical Oncology Group of Australia chair Professor Gary Richardson said one factor behind the startling finding was the nation's growing waistline. "We have an obesity epidemic and that is definitely linked to breast cancer, endometrial cancer and ovarian cancer," he said. "I think Australians are incredibly ignorant to the entire problem. "We've done well with smoking and skin cancer, the next big thing is obesity." The Cancer Council says one third of cancer deaths in Australia are caused by preventable risk factors. It says the seven key steps to lower cancer risk are:…
Medscape Medical News reports, Children of parents who "overvalue" them are much more likely to become narcissistic ― a trait linked to aggression and violence, new research shows.
On average Australians consume 27 tea spoons of sugar a day. The recommended healthy maximum amount is just 6 teaspoons for adults. If we follow the upward trend of sugar consumption that has increased 300% since 1770 when only the rich could afford it. Our future consumption rate is tending in the path of our fellow Americas who according to The Kolp Institute, the average American child consumes over 32 teaspoons of sugar a day, and the average teenage male now consumes more than 42 teaspoons of sugar per day. More than half of Americans consume 53 teaspoons of sugar a day. …
When you hear someone say things like, “Oh that was stupid of me, I must be getting old”, it highlights a long held belief that as we age our brains deteriorate. Even past behavioural data pointed to a loss in cognitive (thinking) ability as we age.
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Acupuncture can reduce pain and increase quality of life in men with chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS), according to Turkish researchers.
Our feet are given about as much consideration as our tonsils until something goes wrong and we suddenly find out how incredibly debilitating painful foot problems can be. Over time, it can become a significant health issue because, if we can’t walk comfortably, we’re less likely to get out and about and take part in the social activities or daily exercise that is vital for our health and wellbeing. Many of us will develop some foot problems as we age, simply as a result of daily wear and tear. Here are some simple ways you can give foot problems the boot.
Easter can be a magical time with family and friends where we get to enjoying some of the most beautiful parts of our great country, partaking in some of our favourite pastimes. A wet Easter can put a dampener on things but nothing like getting sick. This can really take the shine off a great break for you and your family. With the late change of season this year and more social activates you and your children are more likely to be exposed to more viruses, colds, Flu’s and other infectious bacteria. Here’s 5 simple tips for protecting you and your families immunity leading up to Easter.
It’s a windy cold winter’s day and roast chicken and vegies with gravy is what you’ve been dreaming of all afternoon, ever since your partner called to share what was planned for dinner tonight. The aromas as you walk through the front door are what dreams are made of. As you fall asleep that night, you can still remember that first juicy bite. The last thing you expected was to be taken to hospital at 3am vomiting uncontrollably! You were just another of the 5.4 million cases of food poisoning on average which occur each year in Australia (including 120 deaths). This results in 2.1 million days of lost work each year at an estimated annual cost of $1.25 billion. A large majority of these cases of foodborne illness involve Norovirus,…
Acetaminophen is the key ingredient in many household pain relievers. Used to relieve mild to moderate pain from headaches, muscle aches, menstrual periods, colds and sore throats, toothaches, backaches, and reactions to vaccinations (shots), and to reduce fever. Acetaminophen is in a class of medications called analgesics (pain relievers) and antipyretics (fever reducers). It works by changing the way the body senses pain and by cooling the body.
The American National Institute of Health did a study of hundreds of thousands of Americans and then followed them for years. What they found was that the frequent consumption of sweetened beverages, especially diet drinks, may increase depression risk among older adults. Whether soda, fruit-flavoured drinks, or iced tea, those artificially sweetened drinks appeared to carry higher risk. There was a benefit in coffee drinkers compared to non-drinkers, but if they added sugar, much of the benefits appeared to disappear, and if they added Equal or Sweet-and-Low, the risk appeared to go up.
Transitioning to an organic mattress and organic bedding is a hefty investment, but many health experts including Dr Ellen Vora believe it's worth it. We spend so much of our lives sleeping and its impact on our health and function in life is enormous.
Does using a mobile phone increase the risk of developing brain cancer? As many times as it has been asked, there is seemingly no simple answer to that question, as studies continue to produce conflicting results. But the answer may lie somewhere in the middle between a yes and a no, according to Dariusz Leszczynski, PhD, adjunct professor of biochemistry, University of Helsinki, Finland.
Traditionally, the recommendation has been to limit saturated fatty acid intake in favour of unsaturated fatty acids. Because butter is one of the foods highest in saturated fat, the advice often given by practitioners has been to limit butter consumption.
Today a staggering 63.4 percent of Australian adults are overweight or obese -- well over half of our nation's population. That's almost two in three adults. This is a steady increase considering we were at 56.3 percent just 10 years ago. Clearly Australia is getting progressively more overweight.
That is the conclusion of a new study by Israeli researchers published July 4 in Nature Medicine.
During pregnancy, early interventions to improve diet and exercise lowers the risk for gestational diabetes and improve outcomes for women and their babies. But one size does not fit all when it comes to pregnancy weight gain. Physiologic and metabolic factors, societal, ethnic, and cultural differences can all influence weight during pregnancy experts highlight.
Stress has a huge impact on our mental and physical health? It can be a degrading agent in our lives if not dealt with properly. One of the biggest sources of stress is financial stress. How are we going to pay our bills this month? How to pay for tuition? What are we going to eat? How to pay for that unexpected cost that came up yesterday? How could I even contemplate starting the business of my dreams with my current financial situation?
Midlife memory lapses may reflect a shift in the type of information the brain focuses on during memory formation and retrieval, rather than a decline in cognitive function, a new imaging study suggests.
