Great Health Sites

Readers of Netguide voted www.reachout.com.au as the best help site, in the 2005 best website awards for the magazine.

There wasn't a particular category for Womens Health and Fitness, so the closest most useful sites were: www.sane.org, as Best Community/Charity site, www.citysearch.comau for Best lifestyle/leisure site, and www.simplesavings.com.au, as the People's Choice award, full of great tips for saving money.

Have fun visiting these great Aussie sites.

Eye Care

I just created a new page on Eye Care at my main health site.

The interesting fact was that the eye exercises provided by the professionally-accredited eye therapist for my son, sound similar to those espoused in the "Vision for life" program available at www.stretchnow.com.au and www.rebuildyourvision.com.

They both use the string of beads to exercise your eyes in focussing on different distances, and the concept that many vision problems can be dramatically improved with eye exercises.

Even before doing research, I was doing stretching exercises, as my dominant left eye really didn't like looking far left and far top without me moving my head.

We were also given information related to computer use, as my other son is almost more of a computer addict than I am. A simple change, such as making the screen the brightest thing in the room, made him comment that his eyes did not feel so tired. (Obviously if you are also reading a book, you wouldn't turn the lights off).

My eye specialists opinion was that the increase in short-sightedness in people's twenties is caused primarily by the increased computer usage of young people.

I urge everyone to take care of their eyes, take rest breaks, do eye exercises and eat the right foods.

cheers

Meditation for Kids

An excellent article in the SMH on the benefits of meditation and yoga for kids with regards to stress, concentration, sleep, memory and focus.

A picture of healthy teenage rugby players banishes the idea that yoga and meditation are for wimps.

These teenage boys enjoyed the benefits of mindfulness meditation as a practical tool to overcome anxieties and focus on the present, so that instead of reacting to anxious thoughts, you learn to become a detached observer of them, and become more objective, and less controlled by them.

BeyondBlue.org.au, the Australian national depression initiative, is sponsoring a study by Melbourne and Monash universities to see if it can help treat mental health problems in young people.

Definitely worth teaching in schools.

2005 Australian Womens Health Diary

The Australian Womens Health Diary is now available for sale in newsagents, most Woolworths and Safeways stores, or by phone at 1800 423 444. Cost is $12.95 or $15.95 if you order by phone.

The diary is produced by The Australian Women’s Weekly each year to raise funding for the Breast Cancer Institute of Australia, and has raised more than $2 million to support breast cancer research programs throughout Australia since this not-for-profit, fundraising diary was first launched in 1999.

The diary has week-at-a-glance diary pages, sections for contacts, notes, school term dates and public holidays, and up-to-the-minute health information for you and your family.

For the sake of the Breast Cancer Institute, pick one up now.

Dieting with the stars

Womens' magazines in Australia always have a mix of celebrities, diets, health, beauty, gossip, recipes, and if you're lucky, something educational and inspiring.

As a sample, in the current Women's Day, there are diet tips from three different stars.

1. Halle Berry is said to be on the Fat Flush Plan, to keep her body looking fabulous. This low-carb detox plan concentrates on lean meat, good oils and lots of fruit and vegies. Plus the famous cranberry juice. More info is available at http://www.womens-health-and-fitness.com/fat-flush-plan.php.

2. Sonia Kruger, from "Dancing with the Stars" (which I've never watched, gasp), relies on her dog, and a combination of gym, boxing, cardio and running, plus five small meals, fresh food to keep her figure in good condition.

3. Livinia, from "Temptation" exercises every day to keep in shape.

It's always interesting seeing a sample day's diet from famous stars. Check out the magazine and see for yourself.

Beer and Steak - the Australian healthy diet

Finally, Australians are being advised that a beer and steak are good for you.

Professor Jennie Brand-Miller, Associate Professor at the Sydney University Human Nutrition Unit (which produces an authoritive listing of the glycemic index of foods), and the author of The New Glucose Revolution (available from Seekbooks) announced yesterday that having a pre-dinner drink, such as beer, wine or spirits, tends to reduce the blood-sugar response to the next meal.

The alcohol appears to kick-start your metabolism, and keep blood-sugar levels low as the meal is consumed. It may help explain why alcohol helps stave off cardiovascular disease.

In conjunction with the recent CSIRO Diet, which recommends we increase our intake of lean red meat, this means the average Aussie is going to look forward to a long hot summer of barbecues and beer, with the excuse that it's good for his/her health.

Sounds good to me. I'm sure my White Cosmopolitans will do wonders for my metabolism.

Cheers.

Pain in the Neck

Around 50% of women will experience pain in the neck at some point in their lives.

Excluding specific causes, such as an accident/overuse, neck pain is generally caused by aging and an unhealthy lifestyle. As we grow older, bones and tissues weaken, and a lack of exercise, especially sitting in front of computers and TVs, can cause strain.

Traditional treatments for neck pain include painkillers, chiropractors, massage, exercise, heat packs, cupping, traction, yoga, muscle relaxants, emotional and cognitive therapies.

A clinical trial in Britain was recently published in the Arthritis and Rheumatism journal, involving 350 patients experiencing non-specific neck pain. The patients were separated into three groups, each with a different treatment.

Group 1 were given individual advice and taught simple exercises to do at home, and reassured that neck pain was common, and to stay active rather than rest.

Group 2 were given the same advice as Group 1, with the addition of up to 8 sessions of physiotherapy.

Group 3 received pulsed shortwave therapy, a heat-based relaxing therapy.

The results were that all groups experienced roughly similar levels of improvement, with possibly Group 1 in front. Group 1 also used fewer painkillers, and less consultations.

Although there will always be the problem of ensuring that people do do their exercises, it is reassuring to find that expensive treatments are not always necessary. However professional advice should always be sought up-front, to ensure that proper procedures are followed.