Brad Parkinson Naturopath

Are you working hard because you feel you ought to be working? Then you could be suffering from workaholism! While you might think that putting in long hours or devoting so much of your mental energy to your work makes you better at your job, in fact, the reverse is true. One study reviewed all the prior research, and the overwhelming result was that workaholism was related to negative outcomes for individuals, their families and their general wellbeing.

Many of my patients are under the impression breakfast cereals can be healthy. As reported by Michael West, the Australian Breakfast Cereal Manufacturers Forum (ABCMF) of the Australian Food and Grocery Council, the industry association which represents cereal companies like Sanitarium, Kellogg’s and Nestlé, have been manipulating the public perception of breakfast cereals. Confidential documents reveal the organisation’s strategy for influencing public opinion about the benefits of cereal and cereal products by co-opting influential health professionals to peddle its own industry-funded science. Cereals are highly processed foods, folks - NOT HEALTHY!

In today's busy world with many distractions its easy to have a week go by without taking enough time to ensure your happiness. I've been increasing my dose of happiness with some comedy lately, and I can definitely notice the benefits. Living longer is definitely another good reason to stay happy!

The European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study is one of the largest cohort studies in the world, with more than half a million (521 000) participants recruited across 10 European countries and followed for almost 15 years. The researchers found that people who regularly eat foods with low nutritional quality have a higher risk of developing cancer. For women, in particular, eating foods that are low in nutrients is tied to a higher risk of liver cancer as well as postmenopausal breast cancer.

Do you have a strong grip? According to a new study, after adjusting for sociodemographic factors, chronic health conditions, and smoking history, the researchers found that people with low muscle strength are 50% more likely to die earlier than their stronger peers.

We certainly know that stress can contribute to autoimmune diseases such as lupus or rheumatoid arthritis. Could it possibly be the cause? Researchers analysed more than 100,000 people diagnosed with stress-related disorders and compared them with 126,000 of their siblings, and another million people who did not have stress-related disorders.
The study found that individuals diagnosed with a stress-related disorder were more likely to be diagnosed with an autoimmune disease and were more likely to develop multiple autoimmune diseases.

The SMILES trial was the first study to provide evidence that diet can affect depression. People allocated to the Mediterranean diet group improved their depressive symptoms after 12 weeks. Now, a recent systematic review found a clear link between the quality of a person’s diet and their risk of depression. It goes beyond the effect of diet on body size or other aspects of health that can affect mental health.

Even if you only do a small amount of activity you can increase the connectivity between parts of the brain responsible for memory formation and storage. Another great reason to keep active.

A recent Australian study of 20,000 participants showed that low-dose aspirin provides no significant health benefits for healthy older adults. Instead, it may cause them serious harm. Risk of severe bleeding was significantly higher with aspirin than with a placebo. Major haemorrhage events primarily involved upper gastrointestinal and intracranial bleeding. If you know of anyone being prescribed aspirin, they should have a discussion about these latest results with their prescribing doctor.

Researchers followed seven city-dwelling adults and children who lived in a remote Venezuelan jungle village without electricity, soap, or other amenities for 16 days. For the children, their microbiome became more diverse, with higher proportions of helpful bacteria. A similar change did not occur in the adults who visited the rainforest. These results suggest a child's microbiome has the potential to change very quickly compared to an adult's microbiome.

Limiting our time with technology can be challenging. This post has some great tips on how you can encourage your children to take a healthy approach when using technology.

Having trouble managing your blood sugar levels? Try replacing potatoes or rice with lentils. Lentils are an exceptionally nutrient-dense food with the potential to reduce chronic diseases associated with mismanaged glucose levels. Researchers found that swapping half of a portion of starchy side dishes with lentils can significantly improve your body’s response to carbohydrates. Replacing half a serving of rice with lentils caused blood glucose to drop by up to 20%, and replacing potatoes with lentils led to a 35% drop.

The prevalence of gum disease is significantly higher in patients with Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and could be a key initiator of RA-related autoimmunity. A specific bacteria found in the mouth is the only human pathogen known to express an enzyme that can generate citrullinated proteins that cause an antibody response in patients with RA. These antibodies are present well before any evidence of joint disease.

Titanium dioxide pigment has become the most commonly used white pigment in paints and in foods, medications, toothpaste, cosmetics, plastics and paper. As a result, annual production of titanium dioxide has increased by 4 million tons since the 1960s. Researchers examined 11 pancreas specimens, eight of which were from donors who had Type 2 diabetes (T2D) and three from donors who did not. The researchers counted more than 200 million titanium dioxide crystals per gram in the specimens from T2D donors but none in the three non-diabetic donors. An interesting result and another great reason to avoid products that are not made from natural ingredients.

Natural therapies are under threat. Act now before it's too late to protect your right of choice in healthcare.
Sign & share the petition today www.yourhealthyourchoice.com.au

Intestinal permeability has been shown to play a huge role in many conditions, especially autoimmune diseases (AID's). This link was unexpectedly stumbled upon by researchers developing a vaccine to fight cholera. The toxin produced by the disease-causing bacteria, Vibrio cholerae, can make the intestines permeable. So, while the cholera vaccine failed, it led to the discovery that a single toxin molecule could destabilise the complex structure of the tight gap junctions of the intestinal cells in a rapid, reversible and reproducible fashion.

What this post highlights (besides poor biased journalism) is the need for targeted approaches to probiotic treatment tailored to the individual. The author has 'cherry-picked' information and even a review that is referred to has inclusion criteria that allow trials that were held for one week only, to be included. Practitioners that have been trained to analyse research correctly can confidently prescribe probiotic treatments for various conditions with successful outcomes. Always seek out qualified practitioners who have 4 years of nutritional education at a degree level to maximise the benefits of probiotic treatments.

Some more research highlighting the benefits of this great martial art. This time the research is on improving strength!🏋️‍♂️