Home Magazine Digital Magazines Vol 3 Issue 68, SEP/NOV 2019

Vol 3 Issue 68, SEP/NOV 2019

$8.25

NEWS BYTES & RESEARCH

  • G20 Leaders Commit to Prevention
  • Gastrointestinal Complaints In Children Could Signal Future Mental Health Problem
  • Virtual Reality Can Spot Navigation Problems In Early Alzheimer’s Disease
  • People With Obesity Often Dehumanised
  • Telomere Length Unaffected By Smoking
  • Weighing Risks and Benefits of Drug Treatment for Major Depression in the Elderly
  • Atrial Fibrillation Is Now The Leading Cause Of Cardiovascular Hospitalisation

Description

FEATURE ARTICLES

  • A Pluralistic Approach to the Human Microbiome

    In The Conceptual Ecology of the Human Microbiome, published in the June 2019 issue of The Quarterly Review of Biology, Nicolae Morar and Brendan J. M. Bohannan examine in detail the different metaphors scientists use to describe the human microbiome. Because it appears that each view has both advantages and disadvantages, the authors suggest the pragmatic approach of considering all metaphors when exploring therapies for diseases and disorders.
  • The Fall and Rise of Personalised MedicineImagine going into a shoe shop that only has one kind of shoe. You sit down, the attendant asks what shoe you’d like to try on, and no matter how you respond he returns with size 9 Dunlop Volleys. You look around and see all the other shoppers also trying on size 9 Dunlop Volleys. For some, the shoes are too small and for some they’re too big. For some, the shoes clearly rub. But no matter what the complaint, the attendant insists that this is the right shoe for everyone. It seems an unlikely scenario but in a way that’s what modern mass-produced medicine is like – one size fits all. Even when it doesn’t. However it wasn’t always like this. Tracey Baillie explains.
  • Fight or Flight?About seven years ago, I found myself in the emergency ward of my local hospital waiting to see the on-call psych team. My GP had sent me there directly from her office as she was concerned that I may be having suicidal thoughts. I wasn’t. Thankfully my Generalised Anxiety Disorder hadn’t taken me down that path – but it certainly was making life close to unbearable. My insomnia was debilitating; the constant stream of loud and intrusive thoughts in my mind were exhausting; the depersonalisation made it impossible to participate in things I’d once enjoyed; and I felt so incapable of functioning ‘normally’ that I’d had to leave my job. David McLaughlin is a writer and mental health advocate who writes frequently on the subject of anxiety and recovery. In this article he shares his story and knowledge.
  • PROFILE: ADAM ELLIOT Cathartic ClayAdam Elliot is an independent Australian stop-motion animation writer, director and producer based in Melbourne, Australia. His six films have collectively participated in over eight hundred film festivals and have received over one hundred awards.
  • PROFILE: BILL O’DONNELLI have always had an interest in law – since I was a kid. I was always really interested in the equality of people and the needs of people. So I went to Melbourne University to study Law/Arts. At the same time, I had a job in Sunshine (VIC) managing a youth hostel. The Federal government of the day had set up a system where money was given to communities to support kids rather than send them to detention centres. Some of these kids were criminals. Some were orphans. We basically taught them how to live. A lot of them simply lacked the social skills necessary to get a job. Fortunately at the time, you could get a person a job – there was lots of employment around. Things are a bit different these days …
  • FEATURE: Wellness in Portugal

“In the coming years, a combination of factors will come together to provide a pivotal shift in the way society behaves when it comes to wellness. These factors include: the continuing education and research into the benefits of healthy lifestyles; scientific and financial evidence of the cost benefits of prevention rather than cure; a failure of many healthcare systems; increased media coverage on wellness; an increased supply of healthy food; exercise programs and environments to encourage a positive lifestyle; increasing stress from a disparity in wealth; the increasing role of technology; government support of wellness programs; and personal choice factors by a growing segment of the public – which now exceeds the tipping point.” Andrew Gibson, wellbeing expert.

BOOK EXTRACT

The Universe Listens to the Brave by Rebecca Ray

RECIPES
from Eat, Drink and Still Shrink by Michele Chevalley Hedge

Plus Regular Contributions Which Include:

BOOK REVIEWS
QUOTES ON: Suffering