Innholdsfortegnelse for Vol 2 Issue 83 i The Art of Healing

And it reminded me that good things take time to come to fruition And grow slowly with stability Peace visited me And it reminded me that I may remain calm through the storms of life Regardless of the chaos surrounding me Hope visited me And it reminded me that better times lay ahead And it would always be there to guide and uplift me Humility visited me And it reminded me that I may achieve it not by trying to shrink myself and make myself less But by focusing on serving the world and uplifting those around me Kindness visited me And it reminded me to be more gentle, forgiving and compassionate toward myself and those surrounding me Confidence visited me And reminded me to not conceal or suppress my gifts and talents in order to make others…

RESEARCH A study analysing 36 years of cancer data has revealed a rising incidence and a worsening death rate for oral cancer in Queensland. Peter Thomson, Head of Dentistry at JCU and Professor of Oral and Maxillofacial Sciences, was part of a team that examined data for oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) cases diagnosed between 1982 and 2018 in Queensland, covering almost 9900 patients. Professor Thomson said SCC is a lethal and deforming disease of rising incidence. “Although this cancer is largely preventable by eliminating risky tobacco and alcohol behaviour, five-year survival rates remain around 50%, primarily due to the late diagnosis of advanced-stage disease,” he said. The study aimed to characterise the Queensland population at risk of oral SCC development. It found mean age at diagnosis was 64.55 years…

Older adults who face social isolation have a 28% increased risk of developing dementia than those who have frequent social interactions. New research published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society indicates that social isolation is common among older U.S. adults, and it increases their likelihood of developing dementia. Among 5,022 participants of the National Health and Aging Trends Study, a longitudinal and nationally representative study of older adults in the United States, nearly one-quarter (1,172 participants, or 23.3%) were socially isolated. After adjusting for demographic and health factors, being socially isolated (versus not socially isolated) was associated with a 28% higher risk of developing dementia over nine years - regardless of race or ethnicity. “Social connections are increasingly understood as a critical factor for the health of individuals…

Human beings are not suited to sitting down all day, and when we do, the health implications are considerable. Studies suggest that people who sit down for prolonged periods are at greater risk of developing chronic conditions such as cancer, heart disease and diabetes. Even daily bursts of exercise, while welcome, are not necessarily a panacea for long spells at the desk. Research on the subject is patchy, with the U.K.’s National Heath Service (NHS) acknowledging that there is “not enough evidence to set a time limit on how much time people should sit each day.” Aiming to address this research gap, academics from Columbia University in the U.S. led by Keith Diaz, associate professor of behavioural medicine, sought to “find the least amount of walking one could do to…

A randomised controlled study conducted among 108 participants found that over the course of a month, five minutes of daily breath techniques provided similar benefits for mood and anxiety as five minutes of daily mindfulness meditation. In fact, in some respects, participants designated to the breathing technique group were even better off. “If you’re looking to improve sleep and reduce daytime stress, recover from intense work, life and/or training, then interventions that facilitate autonomic control, brief (5 minutes) structured breathwork is among the more powerful (and zero cost) tools,” neuroscientist and co-author Andrew Huberman say. Each day participants reported on their mood and vital signs including heart rate, breathing rate, and sleep. Those who spent five minutes working on their breath each day showed the most stress relief at the…

PhD Candidate Scott Spillias, from UQ’s School of Earth and Environmental Science, said seaweed offered a sustainable alternative to land-based agricultural expansion to meet the world’s growing need for food and materials. “Seaweed has great commercial and environmental potential as a nutritious food and a building block for commercial products including animal feed, plastics, fibres, diesel and ethanol. Our study found that expanding seaweed farming could help reduce demand for terrestrial crops and reduce global agricultural greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) by an up to 2.6 billion tonnes of C02-equivalent per year.” Researchers mapped the potential of farming more of the 34 commercially important seaweed species using the Global Biosphere Management Model. They estimated the environmental benefits of a range of scenarios based on land-use changes, GHG emissions, water and fertiliser…

Being kind to yourself can broaden your tolerance of others - so long as your self-compassion is rooted in ‘common humanity,’ a belief that life’s joys and struggles are part of the shared human condition. “People who are viewing themselves and their failures and their suffering as normal parts of human experience are more likely to have compassion for others,” says H. Annie Vu, a psychology graduate student at Rutgers and lead author of the study. “That is linked with less prejudice.” Self-Kindness That Reflects Outward Self-compassion is distinct from self-esteem says Vu. Self-esteem involves how you answer the question “How much do I like myself?,” and it often crumbles when others criticise you. But self-compassion is a form of self-regard that persists no matter what others are saying. It…

In this regard, an international study from the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) has provided for the first time, scientific evidence showing that carrying out a mindfulness-type meditation intervention, in combination with artistic expression activities and psychological therapy for trauma, is beneficial for adolescents who have suffered from traumatic experiences. The results of this work, published in Scientific Reports, show that this approach gives rise to epigenetic changes in trauma-sensitive biological pathways associated with a significant reduction in post-traumatic stress symptoms. Given the risk of intergenerational transmission of abusive and cruel behaviour, these results could represent a way of interrupting intergenerational cycles of suffering. “This study provides, for the first time, scientific evidence that this kind of intervention works,” said the study’s main author, Perla Kaliman, a course instructor for…

In Australia, an estimated one in five people (aged 16-85) have experienced a mental disorder in the past 12 months. Exercise intervention that lasts 12 weeks or less appears to be most effective at reducing mental health symptoms, especially for those suffering from anxiety and depression. Higher-intensity exercise proved more beneficial in reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression than longer duration programs. Published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, the review is the most comprehensive to-date, encompassing 97 reviews, 1,039 trials and 128,119 participants. It shows that physical activity is extremely beneficial for improving symptoms of depression, anxiety, and distress. Specifically, the review showed that exercise interventions that were 12 weeks or shorter were the most effective at reducing mental health symptoms, highlighting the speed at which physical activity…

RESEARCH | medications A study led by Professor Jianhua Guo from UQ’s Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology focused on prescription drugs used to treat depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, and other psychological conditions. More than 42 million prescriptions were dispensed for antidepressant medications in Australia in 2021 and the study investigated bacterial exposure to five of the most common drugs: sertraline (Zoloft), escitalopram (Lexapro), bupropion (Welbutrin), duloxetine (Cymbalta) and agomelatine (Valdoxan). “While the overuse of antibiotics is acknowledged as the major driver of bacterial resistance, we wanted to investigate if other common medications were contributing to the problem,” Professor Guo said. “Sertraline, duloxetine and fluoxetine had the strongest impact on bacterial resistance to antibiotics among the drugs we tested. Our study showed a marked increase in antibiotic resistance from…

Eating disorders are stereotypically associated with adolescents and young adults. However a new study has found that body dissatisfaction is a primary cause of eating disorders - especially during perimenopause. Eating disorders are serious mental health conditions characterised by disturbances in eating behaviour and body image that occur in approximately 13.1% of women across their lifespan. The prevalence of any eating disorder specifically for women aged older than 40 years is roughly 3.5%, with specific symptoms such as dissatisfaction with eating patterns being documented as high as 29.3%. Serious complications such as high mortality and morbidity are associated with eating disorders, and these adverse health events are likely to be magnified when present at older ages. However few studies on eating disorders have included participants at midlife, including premenopause, perimenopause,…

People with poor literacy battle more mental health problems worldwide, according to new research from the University of East Anglia. A new study is the first to look at the global picture of literacy and mental health which reveals 14% of the world’s population still has little or no literacy. The study found that these people are also more likely to suffer from mental health issues such as loneliness, depression, and anxiety. The team, from the UEA’s Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychological Therapies (CPPT), say their findings disproportionately affect women, who account for two thirds of the world’s illiterate. Dr. Bonnie Teague from UEA’s Norwich Medical School said, “Despite rising literacy rates over the past 50 years, there are still an estimated 773 million adults globally who can’t read…

Adults who stay well-hydrated appear to be healthier, develop fewer chronic conditions, such as heart and lung disease, and live longer than those who may not get sufficient fluids, according to a National Institutes of Health study published in eBioMedicine. Using health data gathered from 11,255 adults over a 30year period, researchers analysed links between serum sodium levels - which go up when fluid intake goes down - and various indicators of health. They found that adults with serum sodium levels at the higher end of a normal range were more likely to develop chronic conditions and show signs of advanced biological ageing than those with serum sodium levels in the medium ranges. Adults with higher levels were also more likely to die at a younger age. “The results suggest…

The new method from RMIT University researchers splits the seawater directly into hydrogen and oxygen - skipping the need for desalination and its associated cost, energy consumption and carbon emissions. Hydrogen has long been touted as a clean future fuel and a potential solution to critical energy challenges, especially for industries that are harder to decarbonise like manufacturing, aviation and shipping. Almost all the world’s hydrogen currently comes from fossil fuels and its production is responsible for around 830 million tonnes of carbon dioxide a year*, equivalent to the annual emissions of the United Kingdom and Indonesia combined. But emissions-free ‘green’ hydrogen, made by splitting water, is so expensive that it is largely commercially unviable and accounts for just l% of total hydrogen production globally. Lead researcher Dr Nasir Mahmood,…

WELLNESS | drug advertising Patients-turned-social-media-influencers routinely offer prescription drug advice to their followers and often have close ties with pharmaceutical companies, according to new research from the University of Colorado, Boulder. The study, published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research, provides some of the first insights into the burgeoning, loosely regulated world of so-called ‘patient influencers,’ sharing findings from 26 indepth interviews about why and how they do it. “The bottom line is that patient influencers act as a form of interactive direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising, sharing their knowledge and experiences on pharmaceutical drugs with communities of followers in which they wield great influence,” said author Erin Willis, an associate professor of advertising, public relations and media design. “This raises ethical questions that need more investigation.” Controversial from its start…

WELLNESS | nutrition SERVES: 1 Nothing says holiday like tacos. 'They’re versatile, playful, and always satisfying especially when they’re grain-free, stuffed with plant-based goodness, and topped with a refreshing lime tahini sauce. Mucho más, mis amigos, mucho más. INGREDIENTS 1 large head of cauliflower, chopped into florets 3 tbsp avocado or grapeseed oil, divided 1 tsp garlic powder 2 tsp chili powder, divided 2 tsp ground cumin, divided 1/2 tsp sea salt, divided 1 tsp sumac (optional) 1/2 yellow onion, diced 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 1/2 cups cooked green or brown lentils 8 grain-free tortillas or Grain-Free Chapatis (see p204) 1/2 avocado, sliced For the Sauce: ⅓ cup tahini 2 tbsp lime juice 2 tbsp warm water 1/4 tsp sea salt Toppings: sliced cucumber, chopped cilantro, sliced radish. METHOD…

At its core, motivation is the force that drives you to perform a task or behaviour. You probably don’t notice your motivation until you feel like it's not there anymore, but in reality, many things drive you every day - even if you're unaware of them. In fact, it's the motivations we're unaware of that can have the biggest impact. Bringing them into the light, inspecting them and learning how to work with our different types of motivations helps us sail our boat rather than drift with the wind and current. Motivation gets stronger, when you have a vision, a clear mental image of what you want to achieve, and also a strong desire to manifest it. In these situations, motivation awakens inner strength and power, and pushes you towards…

As I am writing this in late March, I am thinking - what is preoccupying my thoughts mostly these days. We no longer have Covid-19 .. to the same extent, so it is nice that this stressor is no longer there. But the mind does have this funny way of looking for negatives … If we take a macro view we have the climate change and mental health issues that loom large, aside from the big and obvious humanitarian issues around the world, but I am wondering if like me you might be focussing more of your thinking energy closer to home these days .. on your environment - your home, your garden, your friends and family, and local community. I hope so. I also hope that you are not…

Initial memory problems are linked with a slower rate of decline in Alzheimer's disease. Those with symptoms including language difficulties or judgement changes had a more rapid rate of decline than those with memory problems alone. The research team from the New Cleveland clinic analysed longitudinal data from 2,400 patients in the National Alzheimer Co-ordinating Center database to compare rates of decline in patients with Alzheimer’s disease, Lewy Body Dementia and mixed dementia. The study, published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia, the journal of the Alzheimer’s Association, found that people with initial symptoms such as language difficulties or judgement changes had a more rapid course of disease than those with memory loss alone. “This is the first study to evaluate the impact of the nature of early cognitive symptoms the on…

Researchers looked at the way digital devices were used to soothe upset children aged between 3 and 5 years old. The study involved 422 parents and the same number of children and was carried out between August 2018 and January 2020, before the COVID-19 pandemic upended schools and home life. What the team found was that increased use of devices as calming mechanisms was linked to greater emotional reactivity or dysregulation in the kids over the course of several months: think rapid shifts between moods and heightened impulsivity. The association was particularly strong in young boys and in children who already had signs of hyperactivity, impulsiveness, and a strong temperament. It seems as though these gadgets can prevent kids from developing their own ways of regulating emotions. “Using mobile devices…

Sadly, many family members, friends, and celebrities have suffered from anorexia nervosa (AN), a severe psychiatric illness associated with intense anxieties concerning weight, shape, and self-esteem, AN is characterised by an eating disorder, food restriction, voluntary vomiting, and extreme emaciation. Mindfulness meditation has already become a globally recognised method for addressing AN. Its effectiveness in clinically treating neurogenic emaciation, however, has not been previously studied. A team of researchers at Kyoto University’s Graduate School of Medicine has now found that mindfulness meditation does reduce such anxieties. The team’s mindfulness meditation program has seen a significant decrease in obsessive thoughts about self-image and brain activity by the test subjects associated with related emotions. “Our results suggest that the participants in the study became better at accepting their anxiety as it is,”…

Despite their minuscule size, the collective global mass of all terrestrial arthropods is about the same as all humans and their farm animals combined. “Arthropods have been described as ‘the little things that run the world’ ‘ because of their central role in multiple ecological processes,” explains Weizmann Institute of Science environmental scientist Yuval Rosenberg. “We must take them into account if we’re to fully understand humanity’s impact on the planet and the possible consequences of climate change.” So Rosenberg and colleagues amassed 7,000 measurements from the scientific literature. From deserts to farms to rainforests, these records include all the major terrestrial habitat types, scattered across 300 locations around the world. They categorised the records into soil (including plant litter) and above-ground (surface and plant-associated bugs) arthropods, because of the…

Cold water swimming aficionados have longchampioned the mental health boost provided by an icy plunge. Now researchers from the Arctic University of Norway (UiT) have found encouraging links with brown adipose tissue, a type of ‘good’ body fat, which burns rather than stores energy, and is activated by the cold. Their review of 104 studies also found that exposure to cold water or air stimulates adipose tissue to produce the protein adiponectin, which protects against insulin resistance, diabetes and other diseases. They cautioned that more work was needed to confirm their findings, suggesting that winter swimmers could be naturally healthier thanks to their active lifestyle and positive mindset. “From this review, it is clear there is increasing scientific support that voluntary exposure to cold water may have some beneficial health…

Most importantly, the acts of kindness technique was the only intervention tested that helped people feel more connected to others, said study co-author David Cregg, who led the work as part of his PhD dissertation in psychology at The Ohio State University. “Social connection is one of the ingredients of life most strongly associated with wellbeing. Performing acts of kindness seems to be one of the best ways to promote those connections,” Cregg said. The research also revealed why performing acts of kindness worked so well: it helped people take their minds off their own depression and anxiety symptoms. This finding suggests that one intuition many people have about people with depression may be wrong, Cheavens said. “We often think that people with depression have enough to deal with, so…

WHAT INFLUENCES OUR ETHICAL DECISIONS? Moral decisions don’t simply come down to a conscious choice to cheat or not. Research has found that certain things consistently influence our choices. In one study, participants were given a numbers task to complete while listening to anxietyinducing music from the movie Psycho. In that situation, people are very likely to exaggerate their performance. What’s the explanation? Our data suggests that anxiety increases people’s perception of threat, which in turn results in self-interested, unethical behaviour. In threatening situations, our brain shifts into a state that facilitates rapid defence mechanisms; our cognitive resources are temporarily diverted so we can quickly respond to the situation and protect ourselves. Because of these self-protective impulses, we are more likely to narrowly focus on our own basic needs and…

I can hear birds tweeting in the background as Rebecca Burgess describes sericulture as a dynamic and diverse industry. She tells me about different communities she has witnessed producing silk in beautiful, gentle ways. She tells me about a community in China where a whole homestead survived on very little, thanks to integrated systems that made sure everything was used with great efficiency. They had one or two hogs to feed the family for a whole year. They grew mulberry trees to feed the silkworms they were raising and, in the shade of the mulberry trees, they had a vegetable garden where they grew other greens to eat. They harvested wood from dead mulberry trees to build fires to cook with and to keep the house warm. They captured water…

SERVES: 12 The Hindu goddess Lakshmi, representing wealth and fertility, was supposedly born from 108 large rose petals and 1,008 small rose petals. "This dairy-free cheesecake is an offering to her grace and beauty, in gratitude for her fruitful blessings of abundance. It is kind of like a super-grown-up chia pudding in trifle form. Give it a go for any festive occasion. INGREDIENTS For the Crust: 1 cup raw almonds 8 dates, pitted 1 tbsp coconut oil 1 tsp cinnamon For the Pistachio Layer: 1/2 cup raw cashews, soaked overnight, rinsed, and drained 1/2 cup raw, shelled pistachios, soaked overnight, rinsed, and drained 16 drops liquid monk fruit sweetener 1 tsp alcohol-free vanilla extract 1/4 tsp spirulina (for colour) 1/2 tbsp lemon juice 2 tbsp melted coconut oil For the…

If you’re going through hell, keep going. Winston Churchill It always seems impossible until it's done. Nelson Mandela Life is 10% what happens to you, and 90% how you react to it. Charles R. Swindoll If you can dream it, you can do it. Walt Disney It doesn't matter how slowly you go, as long as you don't stop. Confucius Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or happy. Norman Vincent Peale The secret of getting ahead is getting started. Mark Twain With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts. Eleanor Roosevelt Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence. Helen Keller Do the difficult…