Innholdsfortegnelse for Vol 2 Issue 79 i The Art of Healing

As I was finalising this issue, I found myself double-checking some of the articles I was publishing – the half glass empty vs. the half glass full scenario for example. Yes, the glass is refillable but by saying that, does it downplay the fact that looking at things more positively is better for your overall health? I hope not. Ultimately, as you read this magazine you know that all the articles presented do have someone else’s bias (mine), but they have been carefully collated and written with the aim of giving you some really solid information for making good decisions about your health and wellness going forward. And I do hope you enjoy some of the latest research we have found. When I am working on the magazine I get…

In addition to elevated CRP levels, results suggest higher social media use was also related to somatic symptoms like headaches, chest and back pains, and more frequent visits to doctors and health centres for the treatment of illness. “Social media use has become an integral part of many young adults’ daily lives,” said David Lee, PhD, the paper’s first author and assistant professor of communication in the UB College of Arts and Sciences. “It’s critical that we understand how engagement across these platforms contributes to physical health.” For decades, researchers have devoted attention to how social media engagement relates to users’ mental health, but its effects on physical health have not been thoroughly investigated. Recent surveys indicate social media usage is particularly high for people in their late teens and…

Population growth of 8.3 million people since 1990 has caused a marked increase in Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions, according to a new report released earlier this year. The report also warns that continuing population growth in Australia, combined with climate change, will make Australians vulnerable to food, water and energy scarcities in the future. The report found that annual greenhouse gas emissions from energy use had increased by 49% since 1990, due entirely to population growth. The report was commissioned as a discussion paper by the environmental advocacy group Sustainable Population Australia (SPA). SPA president Ms Jenny Goldie says: “We commissioned this discussion paper because the link between population and climate change is often overlooked or misunderstood. Many people have argued that linking population to climate change merely deflects attention from the high-emissions…

“They observed that the strange fungus has a unique ability to extract nutrients from its hosts and concentrate them into itself.” The chaga mushroom is actually a treasure trove of science-backed healing potential that’s been a prominent feature in folk medicine for thousands of years. Chaga’s reputation as a powerful natural remedy for everything from gastrointestinal disease to tuberculosis to cancer spans at least as far back as the 16th century when botanical artisans are said to have figured out that it could be steeped as a tea for a variety of therapeutic purposes. Since then, science has taken our understanding of Chaga to a whole new level. The West is finally catching on to what this amazing mushroom is capable of. Just in the last century the Chaga mushroom’s ant-viral, anti-microbial,…

When we ‘zoom out’ from death-related statistics to consider the myriad forms of losses experienced by young people, it seems feasible to assume that nearly every classroom comprises students (and teachers) who are grieving. Loss influences learning and cognition, as brain-based changes cast ripple effects throughout one’s body and behaviour. For example, “If someone close to us dies ... based on what we know about object-trace cells, our neurons still fire every time we expect our loved one to be in the room,” writes psychology professor Mary-Frances O’Connor. Grief causes a fight-or-flight stress response, as well as a depressive response, confirms neurologist Lisa Shulman. Since stress hormones dampen the functioning of the prefrontal cortex (the part of the brain that holds primary responsibility for higher-order functioning like impulse control, emotional regulation, and planning ahead)…

Higher Wellbeing Driven by Increased Focus on Mental Health The top drivers of wellbeing from the report were found to be: • feeling confident in oneself • managing stress effectively • having enough energy to accomplish daily tasks • feeling in tune with one’s emotions • having a good work/school/ home life balance • being in good physical health and getting enough sleep Holistic Wellbeing Remains a Challenge, Especially for Gen Z Only 21% of Gen Z indicate strong wellbeing. While the percentage of people feeling well shows signs of improvement globally, there is still a critical need to improve holistic wellbeing on home soil. Gen Z is 1.5 times more likely to not be able to manage stress effectively and cite higher levels of loneliness worldwide (53% vs. 40%…

Published in JAMA Internal Medicine, the research questions the efficacy of statins when prescribed with the aim of lowering LDL-C and therefore reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Previous research has suggested that using statins to lower LDL-C positively affects health outcomes, and this is reflected in the various iterations of expert guidelines for the prevention of CVD. Statins are now commonly prescribed by doctors, with one third of Irish adults over the age of 50 taking statins, according to previous research. The new findings contradict this theory, finding that this relationship was not as strong as previously thought. Instead, the research demonstrates that lowering LDL-C using statins had an inconsistent and inconclusive impact on CVD outcomes such as myocardial infarction (MI), stroke, and all-cause mortality. In addition, it indicates…

Oh the dreaded 3 p.m. slump. We’ve all been there, that post-lunch haze when all you want to do is curl into bed and succumb to the energy dip. Tempting, but you still have a mountain of tasks to take care of, so you might brew a second (or third) cup of coffee, matcha, or tea to put back some pep in your step - but according to functional medicine doctor Taz Bhatia, M.D., there may be a better way to recharge midday.  Bhatia says if you’re feeling sluggish in the afternoon, you should actually steer clear of caffeine. No, this doesn’t mean you must give up your favourite brew forever (coffee fans, no need to panic). That sluggish feeling is likely due to a blood sugar crash, and that second…

Plastic pollution is a growing global problem, with an increasingly complex mix of plastics found everywhere from the Arctic to Mount Everest. Simplistic, unhelpful labelling and low recycling rates even in the best-equipped countries are major barriers to tackling this issue. In a new paper, experts from the University of Exeter and the University of Queensland suggest a new internationally applicable labelling system that moves focus from recyclability to sustainability, is specific to the country and region of purchase, and informs the public about plastic additive content. “We need to empower consumers to make more sustainable choices,” said first author Stephen Burrows. “Instead of ‘yes-no’ recycling labels, which are often misleading, a sustainability scale could take account of recyclability but also other factors such as the environmental cost of production…

“Each dataset (from Treechange) comes from someone going out to a forest stand and measuring every single tree - collecting information about the tree species, sizes and other characteristics. Counting the number of tree species worldwide is like a puzzle with pieces spread all over the world.” This makes the undiscovered species especially vulnerable to human-caused disruptions such as deforestation and climate change, according to the study authors. “These results highlight the vulnerability of global forest biodiversity to anthropogenic changes, particularly land use and climate, because their survival is disproportionately threatened by these pressures,” says forest ecologist Peter Reich from the University of Michigan, National Academy of Sciences and director of the Institute for Global Change Biology. “By establishing a quantitative benchmark, this study could contribute to tree and forest…

“Doctor please, we need your guidance,” said Ms. R’s daughter. “We know she is old and in poor health, but if we put her on life support will she pull through, or will we just be prolonging her suffering?” “It is such a new disease, I honestly don’t know,” I replied. “I am so sorry.” COVID has deeply humbled everyone, particularly those of us caring for people stricken with it. At the beginning of the pandemic, we had no proven treatments and no experience with how patients would do. That was hard for me, and for a lot of other doctors. For many years I took pride in knowing the answer, whatever the question. Many times I would leave a patient’s room after playing “the doctor with all the answers”…

The answer offered by science journalist Caroline Williams in Move!: The New Science of Body Over Mind is deeper and more provocative than just endorphins, and it highlights how our bodies and minds are interconnected in ways we may not even realise. Drawing on the work of neuroscientist Antonio Damasio, Williams explains that our bodies are constantly processing signals from the world and making adjustments to keep us healthy. At the same time, they’re sending signals to the brain about the state of our bodies. As she writes: The unconscious messages coming from the body provide not only the basis for the self but also a kind of undercurrent to our consciousness that sets the mood for everything else that happens. These ‘background feelings,’ as [Damasio] calls them, act a bit like…

A new study shows that components of Neem bark may target a wide range of viral proteins, suggesting its potential as an antiviral agent against emerging variants of coronaviruses (including SARS-CoV-2). Extract from the bark of the Neem tree may help treat and reduce the spread of coronavirus, according to a new study led by scientists at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata, and reported recently in the journal Virology. The Neem tree, indigenous to India, has been used for thousands of years for its anti-parasitic, anti-bacterial and antiviral properties. The bark extract has helped treat malaria, stomach and intestinal ulcers, skin diseases and many other diseases. “The goal of this research is to develop a Neem-based medication that can…

As a three to four cups of coffee a day kind of person, I’ll be the first to admit that my caffeine habits can occasionally affect my sleep quality. In general, I don’t become highly energetic or jittery, but when my coffee consumption slips well into the evening, tossing and turning can ensue.  I know that a late afternoon pick-me-up or an espresso with dessert will never be totally off the table for me, so I’m always on the lookout for small ways to ways to consume caffeine a little more mindfully and healthily. And I recently learned about one that was way too good not to share. The Link Between Broccoli Intake And Caffeine Levels According to clinical psychologist and board-certified sleep specialist Michael J. Breus, Ph.D., aka “the sleep…

An experimental study has revealed that alcohol advertising featuring objectified women encouraged not just male, but also female college students, to manipulate others for sex. The study, led by Washington State University (WSU) researchers, found that both young men and women who expressed strong beliefs in gender stereotypes were more likely to sexually coerce. This connection was particularly strong with young men viewing alcohol ads featuring highly objectified female models. The researchers also found that women who wanted to be like the female models in the ads were more likely to report intentions to sexually coerce without even using alcohol. “Alcohol advertisements have effects beyond encouraging people to consume alcohol,” said lead author Stacey Hust, professor in WSU’s Murrow College of Communication. “For women, there was this interesting connection about…

What Does Daily Detoxification In The Body Look Like? When you hear the word ‘detox,’ do you immediately think celebrities, influencers and diets? True detoxification is actually a daily physiological process that is 100% natural, intrinsic to our body’s core, and necessary for optimal whole-body health.The body relies on multiple organs and complex cellular pathways to remove toxins in a natural process called metabolic detoxification. This process is complex and happens all day, every day - whether you realise it or not. We have a number of organs (liver, kidneys, skin) and physiological systems (respiratory, lymphatic, digestive) that work constantly to flush out toxins and by-products of the body’s everyday processes. Whether these detoxification pathways are more obvious to us - like daily trips to the bathroom to excrete toxins via urine and faeces - or…

As brain scans have become more detailed and informative in recent decades, neuroimaging has seemed to promise a way for doctors and scientists to ‘see’ what’s going wrong inside the brains of people with mental illnesses or neurological conditions. Such imaging has revealed correlations between brain anatomy or function and illness, suggesting potential new ways to diagnose and treat psychiatric, psychological and neurological conditions. But the promise has yet to turn into reality, and a new study explains why: the results of most studies are unreliable because they involved too few participants. Using publicly available data sets involving a total of nearly 50,000 participants, the researchers analysed a range of sample sizes and found that brainwide association studies need thousands of individuals to achieve higher reproducibility. Typical brainwide association studies…

“The report highlights the deep health and social impacts of homelessness on people’s lives and underlines the need for programs that not only rapidly house those experiencing homelessness, but also provide long-term supportive care for those with high health and social needs.” The Ending Homelessness in Australia: An Evidence And Policy Deep Dive report presents evidence from the largest community-based database on rough sleeping and homelessness in Australia and puts forward a five-step national plan to end homelessness. The report presents findings from the Advance to Zero homelessness database, covering over 20,000 people experiencing homelessness in Australia’s cities – including many who had been rough sleeping for long periods of time. Key findings include: ● On average, people had experienced homelessness for 3.8 years with around 40% of respondents reporting…

When you have a purpose in your life, you are likely to feel good about the way you are living your life. You might feel that there is some ultimate reason for your actions and that you are contributing to the world in some important way. This gives you a sense of satisfaction and connectedness which can help you reach higher levels of wellbeing. However, life purpose can mean different things to different people. One study suggests there are four different types of purpose including: • Prosocial, defined as a propensity to help others and influence societal structure • Creative, defined as artistic goals and a propensity for originality • Financial, defined as goals of financial wellbeing and administrative success • Personal Recognition, defined as one’s desire for recognition and respect from colleagues People…