Measles At one of my seminars on Communicable diseases where Hepatitis A, B, C, D and E are covered for operational workforces who can be at risk, an attendee brought up Measles due to the outbreaks that have been occurring in different countries. With lots of information on measles around the world surfacing here are the facts you need to know. Measles is one of the most infectious of the communicable diseases as you only need to be in the room with someone who is infectious. It is spread by droplet transmission and people are infectious for up to 4 days before the tell tale rash and for 4 days after the rash appears. One can see how easily it can spread in a variety of settings. Measles is rife in underdeveloped countries so travelling with out up to date vaccinations today is dangerous. Older people usually have had measles as a child so they are more likely to be immune. Young people may have been vaccinated but they need to have had at least two vaccinations against measles and sometimes only one is given due to variety of reasons. The WA government is offering free Measles vaccinations for 20 to 50 year olds. If you are travelling overseas it is wise to be vaccinated. Pineapple is fruit you either love or hate. For some people this fruit can cause reflux. Pineapples are known as the happy fruit and in Australia pineapples are mainly grown in coastal Queensland. It is believed the fruit originated in Brazil and Paraguay. It is not a pine or an apple but is really a cluster of berries that grow on a plant the produces hundreds of flowers that eventually join together to form what we know as a pineapple. This fruit has excellent levels of vitamin C and the ones grown in Australia known as the Australian Jubilee has twice the level of vitamin C compared with other varieties. Pineapples also contain good levels of manganese used by the body for energy production and also for bone health. This fruit contains an enzyme bromelain that breaks down protein. If you put pineapple with meat it helps to tenderise the meat. Popcorn An American scientist has studied these golden kernels and discovered that one serving of PLAIN air-popped popcorn (about three cups) has double the antioxidants of an average serve of fruit. One serving also provided about seventy percent of daily whole grain needs. This does not mean that you substitute popcorn for the fruit and vegetables that you eat, it just means that if you enjoy this treat there is no need to feel guilty. HIIPA a new accepted form of exercise especially for busy people. One of the trends in exercise in recent years is high intensity interval training (HIIT). The very latest trend is High Intensity Incidental Physical Activity, it was developed by researchers from Sydney University and is easier to work into our everyday life. You need to exert yourself for minutes at a time for example running up the stairs at work or in the shopping centre or when catching the train. You need to do these short bursts of 1 Institute of Weight & Life Management Director : Gretchen Lumsden Ph: 0417 973 077 E: [email protected]HEALTH IS WEALTH Hi Everyone Australians are taller but fatter that ever before and it appears our bodies are changing 100 times faster that ever in the history of our ancestors. Australians males on average are 0.8 cm taller and women 0.4 cm taller over the same period than men and women 10 years ago. The old hour-glass body shape of yesteryear has been replaced by a more barrel shape body putting us at greater risk of heart disease and diabetes. Women’s risk for the diseases as we get older is increasing by a rate more than men. We think this is because as women age oestrogen no longer protects them from heart disease as it can do before menopause.
Transcript
Measles At one of my seminars on Communicable diseases where Hepatitis A, B, C, D and E are covered for operational workforces who can be at risk, an attendee brought up Measles due to the outbreaks that have been occurring in different countries. With lots of information on measles around the world surfacing here are the facts you need to know. Measles is one of the most infectious of the communicable diseases as you only need to be in the room with someone who is infectious. It is spread by droplet transmission and people are infectious for up to 4 days before the tell tale rash and for 4 days after the rash appears. One can see how easily it can spread in a variety of settings. Measles is rife in underdeveloped countries so travelling with out up to date vaccinations today is dangerous. Older people usually have had measles as a child so they are more likely to be immune. Young people may have been vaccinated but they need to have had at least two vaccinations against measles and sometimes only one is given due to variety of reasons. The WA government is offering free Measles vaccinations for 20 to 50 year olds. If you are travelling overseas it is wise to be vaccinated.
Pineapple is fruit you either love or hate. For some people this fruit can cause reflux. Pineapples are known as the happy fruit and in Australia pineapples are mainly grown in
coastal Queensland. It is believed the fruit originated in Brazil and Paraguay. It is not a pine or an apple but is really a cluster of berries that grow on a plant the produces hundreds of flowers that eventually join together to form what we know as a pineapple. This fruit has excellent levels of vitamin C and the ones grown in Australia known as the Australian Jubilee has twice the level of vitamin C compared with other varieties. Pineapples also contain good levels of manganese used by the body for energy production
and also for bone health. This fruit contains an enzyme bromelain that breaks down protein. If you put pineapple with meat it helps to tenderise the meat.
Popcorn An American scientist has studied these golden kernels and discovered that one serving of PLAIN air-popped popcorn (about three cups) has double the antioxidants of an average serve of fruit. One serving also provided about seventy percent of daily whole grain needs. This does not mean that you substitute popcorn for the fruit and vegetables that you eat, it just means that if you enjoy this treat there is no need to feel guilty.
HIIPA a new accepted form of exercise especially for busy people. One of the trends in exercise in recent years is high intensity interval training (HIIT). The very latest trend is High Intensity Incidental Physical Activity, it was developed by researchers from Sydney University and is easier to work into our everyday life. You need to exert yourself for minutes at a time for example running up the stairs at work or in the shopping centre or when catching the train. You need to do these short bursts of
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Institute of Weight & Life Management Director : Gretchen Lumsden
Australians are taller but fatter that ever before and it appears our bodies are changing 100 times faster that ever in the history of our ancestors. Australians males on average are 0.8 cm taller and women 0.4 cm taller over the same period than men and women 10 years ago. The old hour-glass body shape of yesteryear has been replaced by a more barrel shape body putting us at greater risk of heart disease and diabetes. Women’s risk for the diseases as we get older is increasing by a rate more than men. We think this is because as women age oestrogen no longer protects them from heart disease as it can do before menopause.
exertions at least 10 times a day every day. It is easy once you start to fund ways to make this happen and it will soon become second nature. It is really useful for people who do not enjoy gym work or when you have very busy periods during your life, which happens so all of us. Keep it in mind then you do not have to feel guilty.
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HEALTH IS WEALTH APR - MAY 2019
Viagra and Melanoma There have been studies linking the use of Viagra to an increased risk of melanoma in older men. This has caused concern as men today are living longer and want to retain an active sex life. A variety of erectile problems can plague men as they age with one in five being impotent in their 40’s and two out of three men in their 70’s being impotent or having trouble sustaining and erection, so the problem is common for a variety of reasons such as medical conditions and some medications etc. Since Viagra came on the market many men have been prescribed the drug to help them get and sustain an erection. The original study was an observational one and did not demonstrate cause and effect, so investigators suggested further studies. This was done at a university in New York using various Swedish databases as the Swedish system keeps exemplary records and their findings showed while a potential risk could be there, a cause and effect relationship was very questionable. It seems men who are risk of melanoma are the same type of men who would use Viagra for problems with erectile function as the drugs are very expensive. These men who could afford them also were more likely to take vacations in sunny countries especially during their cold winters risking sunburns each year a real risk for melanoma. All the different drugs were studied e.g Viagra, Levitra and Cialis you would expect more melanoma in those who used these drugs more often but that was not the case. Each of these drugs have a different half-life and if there was real cause and effect then those drugs that stayed in the body for longer would have the biggest risk, but this was not the case either. So if you need the assistance of these drugs they are safe to use, but people using any of these drugs needs, like every person, to be vigilant re any changes in their skin, checking all the areas regularly and ensure a doctor does a skin check at least yearly. The signs of melanoma are a change in colour in a spot or mole on the skin. An irregular border asymmetry and an increase in size in any dark spot on the skin. Melanomas are not all dark but these lighter ones are less common. Melanoma can occur on any area of the skin, not just sun exposed areas. Melanomas can occur in the nail where they are a dark line and can even occur in internal organs with the eye being a common site. There is no pain to alert you that something is wrong so constant vigilance and regular checking is important.
Omega Three - What is New One of our main sources of omega three is oily fish with the omega three in the form of DHA and EPA. If you do not eat oily fish 2-3 times a week there is another form of omega three in plant foods for example nuts and flax seed oil or canola oil which needs to be converted into DHA and EPA by the body. This is done through enzymes produced by the body but unfortunately all fatty acids compete for the same enzymes. Most of us eat too much omega six in our normal diet. Omega six uses the same enzymes, which can mean if your diet is high in omega six the body my not be able to convert the plant ALA, meaning you can be low in omega three which is not good for the heart and brain.There is a concern now that over time the world will become short of wild fish due to over fishing and climate change etc. With this in mind scientists at the CSIRO are currently working on a genetically modifying plants to make them produce DHA and EPA. To enable this work to be done they have taken the genes from micro algae that produce DHA and EPA and put them into plants. One prototype has proven successful and they are now advancing to commercialise this prototype with the plan to be able to supply omega three fatty acids to consumers in the sustainable and accessible plant form.
Swimming
Swimming can be a great form of exercise especially if you have a knee or hip problem that does
not allow you to walk long distances etc. Swimming can
help maintain fitness and flexibility which is important
particularly as we grow older to help prevent falls. Swimming
also can assist some people to lose weight. Remember
swimming does not provide resistance exercise training,
again really important as we age to help prevent osteoporosis. So just add some weights or other
