Innholdsfortegnelse for Vol 1 Issue 82 i The Art of Healing

Then Almitra spoke saying, we would ask now of Death. And he said you would know the secret of death. But how shall you find it unless you seek it in the heart of life? The owl whose night-bound eyes are blind unto the day cannot unveil the mystery of light. If you would indeed behold the spirit of death, open your heart wide unto the body of life. For life and death are one, even as the river and the sea are one. In the depth of your hopes and desires lies your silent knowledge of the beyond; And like seeds dreaming beneath the snow your heart dreams of spring. Trust the dreams for in them is hidden the gate to eternity. Your fear of death is but the…

There is growing evidence on the mental health benefits of being around nature. “We intuitively know that the presence of birdsong and birds helps lift our mood. However, there is little research that has actually investigated the impact of birds on mental health in real-time and in a real environment,” says Ryan Hammoud of King’s College London. For this study researchers used a phone app called Urban Mind. People were asked three times a day whether they could see or hear birds, and afterwards they responded to questions about their mental wellbeing. “By using the Urban Mind app we have for the first time showed the direct link between seeing or hearing birds and positive mood.” The 3-year study involved more than 1,200 participants who completed over 26,800 assessments. Participants…

For the first time, researchers have found that muscle weakness marked by grip strength, a proxy for overall strength capacity, is associated with accelerated biological age. Specifically, the weaker your grip strength, the older your biological age. Researchers at Michigan Medicine modelled the relationship between biological age and grip strength of 1,274 middle aged and older adults using three “age acceleration clocks” based on DNA methylation, a process that provides a molecular biomarker and estimator of the pace of ageing. The clocks were originally modelled from various studies examining diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, physical disability, Alzheimer’s disease, inflammation and early mortality. Results revealed that both older men and women showed an association between lower grip strength and biological age acceleration. “This suggests that if you maintain your muscle strength across…

The deep blue yonder is often reduced to footnotes and passing mentions in international accords that aim to unite our world in sustainable practices. To move beyond token efforts and develop guidelines that truly ensure future generations can continue to reap the benefits of functioning marine systems, our relationship with the ocean needs to change on a fundamental level. “International law needs to evolve to reflect the ocean’s inherent rights to exist, flourish, and regenerate. Ocean health is human health,” say ocean policy researchers Michelle Bender and Rachel Bustamante from the U.S. Earth Law Center. “Mutual enhancement” is a key part of a set of principles encompassed by the emerging field of Earth law - an umbrella term for initiatives that aim to recognise the interdependence that exists between humans…

The study was led by two researchers from the university’s Sackler Faculty of Medicine Prof. Carmit Levy from the Department of Human Genetics and Biochemistry, and Dr. Yftach Gepner from the School of Public Health. Prof. The study has led to a very important discovery which may help prevent metastatic cancer which is the leading cause of death in Israel. “Studies have demonstrated that physical exercise reduces the risk for some types of cancer by up to 35%. This positive effect is similar to the impact of exercise on other conditions, such as heart disease and diabetes. In this study however, we have added new insight. If so far the general message to the public has been 'be active, be healthy’, now we can explain how aerobic activity can maximise…

Research for the Foodbank Hunger Report was conducted in July 2022 and based on the previous 12 months. An online survey of 4,024 Australians aged 18 years or older was undertaken, which was nationally representative of age, gender, state and location. The report found that during the period studied, over 2 million Australian households experienced severe food insecurity, meaning they ran out of food because of financial limitations and at worst, went entire days without eating. If this is expanded to households experiencing moderate symptoms of food insecurity, a third of these households were affected. Essentially, on any given day, over half a million households in Australia are struggling to meet their food needs. For these 520,000 households this means, for example, they and/or their children skip meals, go hungry,…

Covid-19 has a lot to answer for in terms of deepening the sense of loneliness we’re experiencing. Many have lost touch with their local communities, next door neighbours, work colleagues, friends and family. It’s changed the tapestry of our communities in ways that we could never imagined. Loneliness Is Not Generation Specific Loneliness can impact anyone, no matter your age: • Elderly people who live alone or with their aged spouse experience loneliness in multiple ways. They tend to leave home less, friends start passing away, and their social circles diminish. • Women over 50 are the fastest growing demographic for homelessness in Australia due to separation and divorce, many of whom are resorting to living in their cars, couch surfing, or staying with friends. “Personally I find it abhorrent…

The focus on building and managing mentally healthy workplaces is growing. In Australia, Safe Work Australia has put out model Work Health and Safety (WHS) laws with more specific inclusions about psychosocial hazards. In 2022 these were taken up by NSW and are likely to be taken up by other states The National Mental Health Commission has also created a National Workplace initiative which amongst other projects is developing a Blueprint for Mentally Healthy Workplaces. Federally, the Australian government has put forward $15.1 million to extend programs supporting mental health and financial counselling for small business owners. Mental Health In Our Community Mental health concerns are common in our community - more common than most people think. The 2021 National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing found that 43.7% of…

The thought of resurfacing after these past couple of years, and actively taking part in ‘the recovery process’ can be daunting. There are ways to start this process however, and one of them is as simple as taking some time off, or enjoying a slow holiday with the intention of improving personal wellbeing and health. Wellness Travel has been flourishing since the pandemic, but what is more interesting, is the rapid demand for sustainability within this sector. Tourists and customers clearly want to see the tourism industry do more for local ecosystems and communities. Travellers want to feel they are supporting businesses that view nature as a major stakeholder, not just a scenic backdrop for their services. They are becoming more conscious of not only their individual impact, but the…

Looking at 2,907 Finnish adults with an elevated risk for type 2 diabetes, this study is the first to examine the effects of a group-based lifestyle intervention implemented in primary health care on risk factors for Type 2 Diabetes. The lifestyle intervention made use of a digital app and multiple behaviour change theories. The StopDia approach to prevent type 2 diabetes was designed and built for primary health care with a view to supporting strategic health promotion objectives. In one year more than 26,000 people had taken the risk test, which included adults with an elevated risk for type 2 diabetes. Roughly one hundred health care professionals, including nurses, dieticians and exercise instructors, were trained to use the empowering counselling approach. Lifestyle changes were supported by the BitHabit app where…

Leprosy, one of humanity’s oldest and most persistent diseases, is caused by two parasitic bacteria, Mycobacterium leprae or Mycobacterium lepromatosis. These microbes damage skin, nerves, and other tissues during their infection. Contrary to the stigma surrounding it, leprosy is not very contagious. It spreads through repeated and excessive contact with an infected person’s mucus. Ninety-five percent of those exposed to the bacteria do not end up with the disease, and it can be cured with a cocktail of modern drugs. The bacteria occur naturally in armadillos (Dasypus novemcinctus), and in studying the interaction between the microbe and its host, researchers noticed the parasite has an unexpected ability to hijack and reprogram cells. So University of Edinburgh medical researcher Samuel Hess and colleagues infected 45 armadillos with M. leprae, 13 of…

TIME ON PAUSE Burnout is a very real thing and can come from taking on too much responsibility at once, without setting up healthy boundaries. Taking a breather is so crucial. You have to give yourself time to refill your own cup so that you have something to pour into others. A break from responsibility can look different to everyone, whether that’s blocking off certain days of the week, taking a whole week’s pause, or going an entire season with nothing on your plate. You can’t beat burnout until you let yourself rest. TIME ALONE Within the grind of the dayto-day, setting time aside to be alone and enjoy your own company can leave you feeling more refreshed than you might expect. Spending time by yourself gives you the space…

Previously it was assumed no Marine Protected Area (MPA) could be large enough to protect species that travel long distances, such as tuna. But scientists aboard fishing boats outside the Papahanaumokuākea Marine National Monument in Hawai’i have observed 54% more yellowfin tuna being caught, 12% more bigeye tuna, and the catch rate for all other species increasing by 8%. Writing in the journal Nature, the team put the positive results down to tuna actually being homebodies, mostly living their lives in the same place. “Over the past 30 years, we have learned that tuna do not venture as far away from home as we once thought,” said Professor Jennifer Raynor at the University of Wisconsin. “The Hawai'ian Islands are a nursery for baby yellowfin tuna, and it turns out that…

“The time to act is now". A new diabetes report has revealed the spiralling impact of diabetes and warned that unless urgent action is taken the condition and its complications threatens to overwhelm the Australian health system. The report; Change the Future: Reducing the impact of the diabetes epidemic as a call-to-arms to combat the diabetes epidemic, reveals huge increases. In the last two decades the cost of direct healthcare is up 289%, hospital costs are up 308%, and medicines are up 282%. All have exploded, while hospitalisations have increased by 149% since 2004. Looking ahead, Diabetes Australia warns that the number of people living with diabetes could climb to more than 3.1 million by 2050 resulting in 2.5 million hospitalisations per year and costing Australia around $45 billion per…

A recent study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine has found that increased consumption of these foods was associated with more than 10% of all-cause premature, preventable deaths in Brazil in 2019, although Brazilians consume far less of these products than countries with high incomes. “Previous modelling studies have estimated the health and economic burden of critical ingredients, such as sodium, sugar and trans fats, and specific foods or drinks, such as sugar sweetened beverages,” explained lead investigator Eduardo A.F. Nilson, ScD, Center for Epidemiological Research in Nutrition and Health, University of São Paulo, Brazil. “However, to our knowledge, no study to-date has estimated the potential impact of UPFs on premature deaths. Knowing the deaths attributable to the consumption of these foods, and modelling how changes in dietary patterns…

WELLNESS TRAVEL THE GROWTH OF THE WELLNESS INDUSTRY The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on wellness has been complex, and temporarily put a pause on many wellness services, businesses, and activities. Simultaneously however, it has also accelerated interest in self-care, prevention, and immunity. Whilst many countries are still grappling with the massive failures of public health systems, millions of deaths, and widespread suffering, the critical importance of healthy lifestyles, personal resilience, community support, and social safety nets is also being bought to the fore. Some important questions related to the future of wellness and the wellness economy include: • Wellness Efficacy Does increased expenditure on wellness actually make people well? Although trillions of dollars are being spent on wellness, rates of chronic disease and related health expenditures are continuing to…

It was so good to attend the inaugural Wellness Tourism Summit on the Tweed, NSW in 2022. It looked like there was quite a range of businesses attending from across different industries? While we were so disappointed to have to postpone the 2020 event it was worth the wait! What we noticed was how much enthusiasm and interest there is in this sector from tourism professionals and practitioners since the pandemic, and this is because of visitor demand. Australians are taking more wellness holidays than ever before to kick start or maintain their wellbeing when they travel. In fact 56% of Australian said that they are now prioritising their wellbeing more than ever before. So are you able to give us an overview of where you see change occurring in…

Far more than a lack of technological acumen, sufficient funds, or new discoveries, our culture’s skewed idea of normality is the single biggest impediment to fostering a healthier world, even keeping us from acting on what we already know. Its occluding effects are particularly dominant in the field where clear sight is most called for: medicine. The current medical paradigm, owing to an ostensibly scientific bent that in some ways bears more resemblance to an ideology than to empirical knowledge, commits a double fault. It reduces complex events to their biology, and it separates mind from body, concerning itself almost exclusively with one or the other without appreciating their essential unity. This shortcoming does not invalidate medicine’s indisputably miraculous achievements, nor sully the good intentions of so many people practising…

In rankings of the most popular hobbies, reading is consistently ranked highly. It’s not hard to see why: reading is simultaneously engaging and relaxing, and it's fun to do alone. But a team of researchers at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology have also discovered it may help preserve memory skills. “Leisure reading helps build the mental abilities on which reading depends,” said Beckman researcher Liz StineMorrow, the study's senior investigator. One of these mental abilities is episodic memory, or memory for events, which allows us to remember what happened in previous chapters of a book and to make sense of the ongoing story. Another ability is working memory, the capacity to hold things in our minds as we engage in other mental processes. Working memory helps us…

The WAVS trial (the Women’s Study for the Alleviation of Vasomotor Symptoms) found that a plant-based diet rich in soy, reduced moderate to severe hot flushes by 88%, and helped women lose on average, eight pounds in 12 weeks. The researchers do not fully understand why this combination works but it seems there are three elements that are key; (1) avoiding animal products (2) reducing fat, and (3) adding a serving of soybeans Lead researcher Neal Barnard, M.D., President of the Physicians Committee and adjunct professor at the George Washington University School of Medicine says; “Our results mirror the diets of places in the world like pre-westernised Japan and modern-day Yucatán Peninsula, where a low-fat, plant-based diet including soybeans is more prevalent, and where post-menopausal women experience fewer symptoms.” Included…

A study led by researchers at NYU Grossman School of Medicine involved a study of 567 men and women whose hearts stopped beating while hospitalised, and who received CPR between May 2017 and March 2020 in the U.S. and the U.K. Survivors reported having unique lucid experiences, including a perception of separation from the body, observing events without pain or distress, and a meaningful evaluation of life, including of their actions, intentions and thoughts toward others. A key finding was the discovery of spikes of brain activity, including gamma, delta, theta, alpha and beta waves up to an hour into CPR. “Our results offer evidence that while on the brink of death and in a coma, people undergo a unique inner consciousness experience, including awareness without distress,” says Sam Parnia,…

A new study, published in the journal Science Advances, provides insight into the neurobiological mechanisms by which mindfulness treats addiction. Eric Garland, lead author of the paper (see side panel), says the study builds on previous research measuring the positive effects of theta waves in the human brain where it was found that individuals with low theta waves tend to experience a wandering mind, have trouble concentrating, or they ruminate on thoughts about themselves. When viewed on electroencephalogram (EEG) which scans the frontal midline regions of the brain, low theta waves result in a loss of self-control as the brain slips into its default mode of automatic habits. In contrast, when a person is focused, present and fully absorbed in a task, EEG scans show increased frontal midline theta wave…

Since the financial crash of 2008, homelessness has risen exponentially across the western world. In Britain, it has increased by 165 per cent since 2010. While politicians in places like Hungary and the city of Tennessee in the U.S. have responded by criminalising rough sleeping (resulting in a ballooning of their prison populations), others have taken a more radically progressive approach. A policy called Housing First provides homes to people without pre-conditions, then wraparound support tailored to people’s needs. It sounds almost childishly simple, yet most local authorities in the U.S. and the U.K. operate what is known as the staircase model which unlike Housing First, expects people to be sober, engaging with support services, seeking employment, and have completed courses on managing a tenancy to be considered ‘housing ready.’…

You may have heard of the terms ‘integrative medicine’ or ‘integrative health,’ but what do they actually mean, and where do you start to discover more and reap the benefits for your health? Sarah Gray reports. Integrative medicine is a philosophy that combines the knowledge and practice of conventional medicine with evidence-based complementary medicine, to help patients achieve optimal health and wellness. It not only combines conventional medications with herbs and supplements, but it also gives consideration to exercise and movement, mindfulness and spiritual wellbeing as important cornerstones of overall health and wellness. There are many benefits of visiting an integrative practitioner that you may not be aware of. Integrative practitioners usually review your full health and wellness story in a holistic way, helping to identify things that may not…

It was the late 1950’s and we were on a family holiday in our British-built Vanguard sedan heading to the Grampian Mountains, our new small tear-shaped ‘Globe Trotter’ caravan affixed behind. I see us now: John and I are standing, gripping the back of the front seat tightly, our new Kodak Brownie cameras at the ready, our eyes glued to the dirt road ahead. Mum in her flamboyant fashion starts to sing: “We’re heading for the Wild Blue Yonder.” She composes the tune herself, and from then on our new van is loosely named Bluyonda. As dusk approaches our eyes are on the road ahead. Suddenly a kangaroo leaps from nowhere, and with two clicks, and one big jump, has crossed the road in front and disappeared forever into the…