The WELLBEING AWARDS – time is running out We have had a huge response to our call for nominations for the WellBeing Awards. People from around Australia, New Zealand and beyond have been nominating people, practitioners, books, films and organisations that make our world a better place. Nominations close on 31st August so if you would like to nominate someone you can do so here . You will be able to print out a nomination form and nominate a person or business. Alternately you can email sroberts@universalmagazines.com.au and ask for a nomination form. Don’t delay, if you know someone who deserves a “Wellie”, nominate them now. The WellBeing Awards will be presented at a function later this year.
“Dieting” puts on weight Going on a “diet” aimed at losing weight is actually more likely to make you gain weight in the long run according to researchers from the University of California. The study was based on the analysis of 31 long-term studies on dieting. It found that in the short run dieting was successful, as people could initially lose five to ten per cent of their weight in the first six months of dieting. However about two-thirds of dieters putting back the weight they lost and more within four to five years. One study found that people who participated in formal weight-loss programs gained significantly more weight over a two-year period than those who had not participated in a weight-loss program. This supports other research, which shows that binge dieting is actually training your body to hold onto any fat it does get. Regular dieters find it much harder to lose weight in middle age. American Psychologist
Insecure relationships drain immunity Feeling insecure in close relationships may take a toll on the immune system. Researchers looked at the trait known as "attachment insecurity," characterized by difficulty trusting and depending on others, feeling uncomfortable with emotional intimacy or worrying about being abandoned by loved ones. A person's "attachment style" forms in childhood, based on a child's relationship with his or her parents. It affects and is further shaped by romantic relationships later in life. So attachment style can be seen as a fairly stable trait that affects a person's response to stressful events. In general, the study found, women with greater attachment insecurity had lower activity in their natural killer cells, key immune defenders against illness. It is possible that relationship insecurity alone is not enough to make someone vulnerable to illness but in conjunction with other factors it might be enough to worsen a person's health. Psychosomatic Medicine Toddlers pick up emotions We know that children as young as one year old will change their behavior in response to another person's emotional state, if they are the target of emotional cues such as facial expression or tone of voice. Now it seems that toddlers also respond when an emotional social interaction does not directly involve them. In the experiment toddlers who were 18 months old watched a series of different emotional interactions played out by the researchers. Analysis of the infants' facial expressions and play patterns showed that they clearly understood that someone else was getting into trouble but that the information was still relevant to their own situation. So if you are in the process of scolding one of your other children, your toddler might be learning from it, which could be a good thing. Child Development Iron boosts women’s memory Iron is essential for delivering oxygen to cells throughout the body, and iron deficiency is known to impair brain development and learning in babies and children. Women of childbearing age are also at elevated risk of low iron stores, and less is known about the possible cognitive effects for these women. In the new study, researchers found that women with even moderate iron deficiency (not severe enough to diagnose full-blown anaemia) scored more poorly on tests of memory, attention and learning than women with sufficient iron levels. Those with anemia had the worst scores. After four months on iron supplements, however, women who had been deficient in iron showed an improvement in their mental acuity. Those who had a significant rise in an iron-storing protein called ferritin also improved their test performance by five to seven times. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
Apples prevent asthma A new study tracked the diets of nearly 2,000 pregnant women and checked the lung health of 1,253 of their children at age five. Among a wide variety of foods eaten and recorded by the pregnant women, only apple consumption showed a consistent protective effect against childhood wheeze and asthma. Children of mothers who ate more than four apples per week were 37 per cent less likely to have a history of wheezing and 53 per cent less likely to have doctor-confirmed asthma, compared to mothers who ate one or no apples per week while pregnant. The specific association found with apples, and not with the total amount of fruits eaten or with citrus, fruit juice or vegetable consumption, hints at an apple-specific effect, possibly because of its unique flavonoids, which have been shown to have beneficial effects on adult lung function. Thorax
Health effects from ethanol fuel A Stanford University researcher built a computer model to predict what air quality will be like in 2020, comparing two scenarios; if all vehicles continued to run on petrol or if every vehicle used a mix of 15 per cent gasoline and 85 per cent ethanol. He found that there is virtually no difference between the amount of carbon emitted by burning ethanol and by burning gas, so a switch to ethanol would do nothing to address climate change. Ethanol vehicles would produce less of the carcinogens benzene and butadiene, but more of two other cancer-causing chemicals, formaldehyde and acetaldehyde. Ethanol vehicles would also boost atmospheric levels of ozone. When it is 16 to 48 kilometres above the Earth’s surface, ozone is great. It is however highly reactive and if inhaled can cause lung damage and weaken the immune system. Battery-powered vehicles using energy wind or solar power, produce no harmful emissions or greenhouse gases. Environmental Science & Technology Expand the Understanding of Spirituality Spirituality is a universal and timeless phenomenon. How do we make meaning in life, find our sense of purpose, and identify what practices work best to understand our lives? New and ground-breaking research seeks answers to these questions and your help is needed. Help shape a new understanding of spirituality by completing an online questionnaire measuring: 1. what a spiritual ‘life’ is 2. how people practice spirituality, and 3. the impact of people’s spiritual experiences in their personal and work lives. This research is supported by Australian Catholic University and WellBeing magazine.
For your participation, you will receive a FREE summary report of the central research findings. You also receive ongoing access to strategies to support your spiritual practice. Please share your experiences. To participate visit: www.developfullcircle.com/wellbeing
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