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"I know what you've done": Doctor who first treated Erin Patterson speaks out

<p>The doctor who first treated triple-murderer Erin Patterson after she arrived at hospital suffering symptoms from her own poisonous mushroom meal says he knew she was guilty from the beginning.</p> <p>Dr Chris Webster was the first medical professional to speak with Patterson when she presented to Leongatha Hospital around 8am on July 31, 2023 – the day after the fatal beef Wellington lunch that killed three members of her extended family and left a fourth critically ill.</p> <p>Patterson stayed just five minutes before self-discharging against medical advice, prompting Dr Webster to call emergency services. That triple zero call – along with dozens of other exhibits – has now been publicly released.</p> <p>“This is Dr Chris Webster calling from Leongatha Hospital. I have a concern regarding a patient that presented here earlier but has left the building and is potentially exposed to a fatal toxin from mushroom poisoning,” Webster told the operator. “I've tried several times to get hold of her on her mobile phone.”</p> <p>Dr Webster explained that Patterson left the hospital before a nurse could begin observations. “I had a brief chat with her about where the mushrooms were obtained and after that, while I was attending to the other patients, the nurse informed me she had discharged herself against medical advice,” he told the operator.</p> <p>Speaking out for the first time, Dr Webster said something about Patterson's arrival set off alarm bells. “My heart skipped a beat,” he said. “I bypassed all of the usual triage protocols and just brought her straight in and sat her down and just looked her straight in the eye directly and said ‘the people at Dandenong suspect death cap mushroom poisoning, where did you get the mushrooms?’</p> <p>“That’s when she said ‘Woolworths’. She was fairly impassive, wasn’t loud or hysterical, wasn’t crying. She just answered the question in a pretty matter-of-fact way.</p> <p>“After that I was like: 'OK, I don’t want to talk to you anymore, I know what you’ve done'.”</p> <p>At the time, Ian and Heather Wilkinson were also in hospital, gravely ill. But Patterson, he said, showed no sign of concern.</p> <p>“She wasn’t shaking, Erin was sat in a chair, I don’t even remember her looking at Ian and Heather,” he said. “She’s evil. She wanted people out of her life and rather than using normal channels she snuffed out their lives and attempted to snuff out another.”</p> <p>Dr Webster’s call to emergency services was the first step in a chain of events that would ultimately lead to Patterson’s arrest, trial, and conviction for three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder.</p> <p>“When she didn’t respond in a way that would instantly explain it was a tragic accident, from that moment in my mind she was guilty. She was evil, and she was very smart to carry it all out but she didn’t cross the Ts and dot the Is,” he said.</p> <p>Recalling the moment he saw Patterson again, this time in the courtroom, Webster said the atmosphere was unmistakable.</p> <p>“When I looked at her, when I found the opportunity to sneak a peek, it was visceral, I felt the intensity, the hostility, the negativity, it was an intense gaze,” he said.</p> <p>“She’s evil and she had a problem, she had a dilemma, and the solution that she chose is sociopathic.</p> <p>“If you don’t like your in-laws there are other things you can do besides snuffing out a family.”</p> <p><em>Images: Victoria Supreme Court / Nine News</em></p>

Legal

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Lung cancer screening is about to start. Here's what you need to know

<div class="theconversation-article-body"> <p>From July, eligible Australians will be screened for <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/our-work/nlcsp">lung cancer</a> as part of the nation’s first new <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/topics/cancer/screening-for-cancer">cancer screening</a> program for almost 20 years.</p> <p>The program aims to detect lung cancer early, before symptoms emerge and cancer spreads. This early detection and treatment is predicted to <a href="https://www.nejm.org/doi/10.1056/NEJMoa1911793?url_ver=Z39.88-2003&amp;rfr_id=ori:rid:crossref.org&amp;rfr_dat=cr_pub%20%200pubmed">save lives</a>.</p> <h2>Why lung cancer?</h2> <p><a href="https://www.canceraustralia.gov.au/sites/default/files/migrated-files/publications/report-lung-cancer-screening-enquiry/pdf/report_on_the_lung_cancer_screening_enquiry_0.pdf">Lung cancer</a> is Australia’s fifth most diagnosed cancer but causes the greatest number of cancer deaths.</p> <p>It’s <a href="https://www.canceraustralia.gov.au/sites/default/files/migrated-files/publications/report-lung-cancer-screening-enquiry/pdf/report_on_the_lung_cancer_screening_enquiry_0.pdf">more common</a> in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, rural and remote Australians, and lower income groups than in the general population.</p> <p><a href="https://www.canceraustralia.gov.au/sites/default/files/migrated-files/publications/report-lung-cancer-screening-enquiry/pdf/report_on_the_lung_cancer_screening_enquiry_0.pdf">Overall</a>, less than one in five patients with lung cancer will survive five years. But for those diagnosed when the cancer is small and has not spread, two-thirds of people survive five years.</p> <h2>Who is eligible?</h2> <p>The lung cancer screening program only targets people at higher risk of lung cancer, based on their smoking history and their age. This is different to a population-wide screening program, such as screening for bowel cancer, which is based on age alone.</p> <p>The lung cancer program <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/our-work/nlcsp">screens people</a> 50-70 years old with no signs or symptoms of lung cancer such as breathlessness, a persisting cough, coughing up blood, chest pain, becoming very tired or losing weight.</p> <p>To be eligible, current smokers must also have a history of at least 30 “<a href="https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms/def/pack-year">pack years</a>”. To calculate this you multiply the number of packets (of 20 cigarettes) you smoke a day by the number of years you’ve been smoking them.</p> <p>For instance, if you smoke one packet (20 cigarettes) a day for a year that is one pack year. Smoking two packets a day for six months (half a year) is also a pack year.</p> <p>People who have quit smoking in the past ten years but have accumulated 30 or more pack years before quitting are also eligible.</p> <h2>What does screening involve?</h2> <p>Ask your GP or health worker if you are eligible. If you are, you will be referred for a low-dose computed tomography (CT) scan. This uses much lower doses of x-rays than a regular CT but is enough to find nodules in the lung. These are small lumps which could be clumps of cancer cells, inflammatory cells or scarring from old infections.</p> <p>Imaging involves lying on a table for 10-15 minutes while the scanner takes images of your chest. So people must also be able to lie flat in a scanner to be part of the program.</p> <p>After the scan, the results are sent to you, your GP and the <a href="https://www.ncsr.gov.au/">National Cancer Screening Register</a>. You’ll be contacted if the scan is normal and will then be reminded in two years’ time to screen again.</p> <p>If your scan has findings that need to be followed, you will be sent back to your GP who may arrange a further scan in <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/our-work/nlcsp/about#the-screening-pathway">three to 12 months</a>.</p> <p>If lung cancer is suspected, you will be referred to a lung specialist for further tests.</p> <h2>What are the benefits and risks?</h2> <p><a href="https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1911793">International</a> <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanonc/article/PIIS1470-2045(25)00082-8/fulltext">trials</a> show screening people at high risk of lung cancer reduces their chance of dying prematurely from it, and the benefits outweigh any harm.</p> <p>The aim is to <a href="https://www.nejm.org/doi/10.1056/NEJMoa1911793?url_ver=Z39.88-2003&amp;rfr_id=ori:rid:crossref.org&amp;rfr_dat=cr_pub%20%200pubmed">save lives</a> by <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/our-work/nlcsp/about#why-screening-is-important">increasing the detection</a> of <a href="https://www.cancercouncil.com.au/lung-cancer/diagnosis/staging-prognosis/">stage 1 disease</a> (a small cancer, 4 centimetres or less, confined to the lung), which has a greater chance of being treated successfully.</p> <p>The risks of radiation exposure are minimised by using low-dose CT screening.</p> <p>The other greatest risk is a false positive. This is where the imaging suggests cancer, but further tests rule it out. This varies across studies from almost <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2777242">one in ten to one in two</a> of those having their first scan. If imaging suggests cancer, this usually requires a repeat scan. But about <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2777242">one in 100</a> of those whose imaging suggests cancer but were later found not to have it have invasive biopsies. This involves taking a sample of the nodule to see if it contains cancerous cells.</p> <p>Some people will be diagnosed with a cancer that will never cause a problem in their lifetime, for instance because it is slow growing or they are likely to die of other illnesses first. This so-called overdiagnosis varies from <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2777242">none to two-thirds of lung cancers diagnosed</a>, depending on the study.</p> <h2>How much will it cost?</h2> <p>The Australian government <a href="https://lungfoundation.com.au/advocacy/national-lung-cancer-screening-program/">has earmarked</a> A$264 million over four years to screen for lung cancer, and $101 million a year after that.</p> <p>The initial GP consultation will be free if your GP bulk bills, or if not you may be charged an out-of-pocket fee for the consultation. This may be a barrier to the uptake of screening. Subsequent investigations and consultations will be billed as usual.</p> <p>There will be no cost for the low-dose CT scans.</p> <h2>What should I do?</h2> <p>If you are 50-70 and a heavy smoker see your GP about screening for lung cancer. But the <a href="https://www.ilcn.org/smoking-cessation-in-lung-cancer-screening-the-latest-randomized-controlled-trial-evidence/">greater gain</a> in terms of reducing your risk of lung cancer is to also give up smoking.</p> <p>If you’ve already given up smoking, you’ve already reduced your risk of lung cancer. However, since lung cancer can take several years to develop or show on a CT scan, see your GP if you were once a heavy smoker but have quit in the past ten years to see if you are eligible for screening.</p> <p><em>By <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/ian-olver-1047">Ian Olver</a>, Adjunct Professsor, School of Psychology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-adelaide-1119">University of Adelaide</a></em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/lung-cancer-screening-is-about-to-start-what-you-need-to-know-if-you-smoke-or-have-quit-253227">original article</a>.</em></p> <p><em>Image: Pexels / </em><em>Towfiqu barbhuiya</em></p> </div>

Caring

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Why do some people need less sleep than others?

<div class="theconversation-article-body"> <p>Have you ever noticed how some people bounce out of bed after just a few hours of sleep, while others can barely function without a solid eight hours?</p> <p>Take Margaret Thatcher, for example. The former British prime minister was known for sleeping <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-22084671">just four hours a night</a>. She worked late, rose early, and seemed to thrive on little sleep.</p> <p>But for most of us, that kind of sleep schedule would be disastrous. We’d be groggy, unfocused, and reaching for sugary snacks and caffeinated drinks by mid-morning.</p> <p>So why do some people seem to need less sleep than others? It’s a question that’s fascinated scientists for years. Here’s what we know so far.</p> <h2>Natural short sleepers</h2> <p>There is a small group of people who don’t need much sleep. We call them <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6879540/">natural short sleepers</a>. They can function perfectly well on just four to six hours of sleep each night, often for their entire lives.</p> <p>Generally they <a href="https://academic.oup.com/sleep/article/44/Supplement_2/A154/6260529">don’t feel tired</a>, they don’t nap, and they don’t suffer the usual negative consequences of sleep deprivation. Scientists call this the natural short sleep phenotype – a biological trait that allows people to get all the benefits of sleep in less time.</p> <p>In 2010 researchers discovered genetic mutations that help explain this phenomenon. Natural short sleepers carry rare variants <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2884988/">in certain genes</a>, which seem to make their sleep more efficient.</p> <p>More recently, a <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/epub/10.1073/pnas.2500356122">2025 study</a> assessed a woman in her 70s with one of these rare mutations. Despite sleeping just six hours a night for most of her life, she remained physically healthy, mentally sharp, and led a full, active life. Her body, it seems, was simply wired to need less sleep.</p> <p>We’re still learning about how common these genetic mutations are and why they occur.</p> <h2>Not everyone who sleeps less is a natural short sleeper</h2> <p>But here’s the catch: most people who think they’re natural short sleepers aren’t. They’re just chronically sleep-deprived. Often, their short sleep is due to long work hours, social commitments, or a belief sleeping less is a sign of strength or productivity.</p> <p>In today’s hustle culture, it’s common to hear people boast about getting by on only a few hours of sleep. But for the average person, that’s not sustainable.</p> <p>The effects of short sleep build up over time, creating what’s known as a “sleep debt”. This <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0149763417301641">can lead to</a> poor concentration, mood swings, micro-sleeps (brief lapses into sleep), reduced performance and even <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1389945716301381">long-term health risks</a>. For example, short sleep has been linked to an increased risk of obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease (heart disease and stroke).</p> <h2>The weekend catch-up dilemma</h2> <p>To make up for lost sleep during the week, many people try to “catch up” on weekends.</p> <p>This can help repay some of the sleep debt that has accumulated in the short term. Research <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352721823001663?via%3Dihub">suggests</a> getting one to two extra hours of sleep on the weekend or taking naps when possible may help reduce the negative effects of short sleep.</p> <p>However, it’s not a perfect fix. Weekend catch-up sleep and naps may not fully resolve sleep debt. The topic remains one of ongoing scientific debate.</p> <p>A recent <a href="https://academic.oup.com/sleep/article/47/11/zsae135/7696120">large study</a> suggested weekend catch-up sleep may not offset the cardiovascular risks associated with chronic short sleep.</p> <p>What’s more, large swings in sleep timing can disrupt your body’s <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-03171-4">internal clock</a>, and sleeping in too much on weekends may make it harder to fall asleep on Sunday night, which can mean starting the working week less rested.</p> <p>Increasing evidence indicates <a href="https://academic.oup.com/sleep/article/47/1/zsad253/7280269">repeated cycles of irregular sleep</a> may have an important influence on general health and the risk of early death, potentially even more so than how long we sleep for.</p> <p>Ultimately, while moderate catch-up sleep might offer some benefits, it’s no substitute for consistent, high-quality sleep throughout the week. That said, maintaining such regularity can be particularly challenging for people with non-traditional schedules, such as shift workers.</p> <h2>So, was Thatcher a true natural short sleeper?</h2> <p>It’s hard to say. Some reports suggest <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/aug/27/from-aristotle-to-einstein-a-brief-history-of-power-nappers">she napped during the day</a> in the back of a car between meetings. That could mean she was simply sleep-deprived and compensating for an accumulated sleep debt when she could.</p> <p>Separate to whether someone is a natural short sleeper, there are a range of other reasons people may need more or less sleep than others. Factors <a href="https://www.sleephealthfoundation.org.au/sleep-topics/how-much-sleep-do-you-really-need">such as age</a> and underlying health conditions can significantly influence sleep requirements.</p> <p>For example, older adults often experience changes in their circadian rhythms and are more likely to suffer from fragmented sleep due to conditions <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00702-019-02067-z">such as arthritis</a> or <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11886-023-01939-x">cardiovascular disease</a>.</p> <p>Sleep needs vary from person to person, and while a lucky few can thrive on less, most of us need <a href="https://www.sleephealthfoundation.org.au/sleep-topics/how-much-sleep-do-you-really-need">seven to nine hours</a> a night to feel and function our best. If you’re regularly skimping on sleep and relying on weekends to catch up, it might be time to rethink your routine. After all, sleep isn’t a luxury – it’s a biological necessity.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/256342/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em>By <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/kelly-sansom-2390567">Kelly Sansom</a>, Research Associate, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University; Research Associate, Centre for Healthy Ageing, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/murdoch-university-746">Murdoch University</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/peter-eastwood-2316718">Peter Eastwood</a>, Deputy Vice Chancellor, Research and Innovation, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/murdoch-university-746">Murdoch University</a></em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-do-some-people-need-less-sleep-than-others-a-gene-variation-could-have-something-to-do-with-it-256342">original article</a>.</em></p> <p><em>Image: </em></p> </div>

Body

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Why do some people get a curved back as they age and what can we do to avoid it?

<div class="theconversation-article-body"> <p>As we age, it’s common to notice posture changes: shoulders rounding, head leaning forward, back starting to curve. You might associate this with older adults and wonder: will this happen to me? Can I prevent it?</p> <p>It’s sometimes called “hunchback” or “roundback”, but the medical term for a curved back is kyphosis.</p> <p>When the curve is beyond what’s considered normal (greater than 40 degrees), we refer to this as hyperkyphosis. In more <a href="https://www.jospt.org/doi/10.2519/jospt.2010.3099#_i12:%7E:text=gold%2Dstandard%20radiograph.-,Clinical%20Consequences%20of%20Hyperkyphosis,-Functional%20Limitations">severe cases</a>, it may lead to pain, reduced mobility and physical function, or lower quality of life.</p> <p>Here’s how it happens, and how to reduce your risk.</p> <h2>What causes a curved back?</h2> <p>A healthy spine has an elongated s-shape, so a curve in the upper spine is completely normal.</p> <p>But when that curve becomes exaggerated and fixed (meaning you can’t stand up straight even if you try), it can signal a problem.</p> <p>One common cause of a curved back is poor posture. This type, called postural kyphosis, usually develops over time due to muscle imbalances, particularly in younger people who spend hours:</p> <ul> <li>hunched over a desk</li> <li>slouched in a chair, or</li> <li>looking down at a phone.</li> </ul> <p>Fortunately, this kind of curved back is often reversible with the right exercises, stretches and posture awareness.</p> <p>Older adults often develop a curved back, known as age-related kyphosis or hyperkyphosis.</p> <p>This is usually due to wear and tear in the spine, including vertebral compression fractures, which are tiny cracks in the bones of the spine (vertebrae).</p> <p>These cracks are most often caused by osteoporosis, a condition that makes bones more fragile with age.</p> <p>In these cases, it’s not just bad posture – it’s a structural change in the spine.</p> <h2>How can you tell the difference?</h2> <p>Signs of age-related hyperkyphosis include:</p> <ul> <li>your back curves even when you try to stand up straight</li> <li>back pain or stiffness</li> <li>a loss of height (anything greater than 3-4 centimetres compared to your peak adult height may be considered outside of “normal” ageing).</li> </ul> <p>Other causes of a curved back include:</p> <ul> <li><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30407981/">Scheuermann’s kyphosis</a> (which often develops during adolescence when the bones in the spine grow unevenly, leading to a forward curve in the upper back)</li> <li><a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4347150/">congenital kyphosis</a> (a rare condition present from birth, caused by improper formation of the spinal bones. It can result in a more severe, fixed curve that worsens as a child grows)</li> <li>scoliosis (where the spine curves sideways into a c- or s-shape when viewed from behind), and</li> <li>lordosis (an excessive inward curve in the lower back, when viewed from the side).</li> </ul> <p>In addition to these structural conditions, arthritis, and in rare cases, spinal injuries or infections, can also play a role.</p> <h2>Should I see a doctor about my curved back?</h2> <p>Yes, especially if you’ve noticed a curve developing, have ongoing back pain, or have lost height over time.</p> <p>These can be signs of vertebral fractures, which can occur in the absence of an obvious injury, and are often painless.</p> <p>While one in five older adults have a vertebral fracture, as many as two-thirds of these fractures are <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0002934315010128?casa_token=DzXngmS6GIoAAAAA:3ub0V4PuHbKjrqO9xYDo8vx2m9k6tbOtmz4yIVzkQvH-VylhgO_KnKaTYDLXpiHc9_4Jz0iNdQ">not diagnosed and treated</a>.</p> <p>In Australia, the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners and Healthy Bones Australia <a href="https://healthybonesaustralia.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/oa-racgp-osteoporosis-clinical-guidelines-2nd-ed.pdf">recommend</a> a spine x-ray for:</p> <ul> <li>people with kyphosis</li> <li>height loss equal to or more than 3 centimetres, or</li> <li>unexplained back pain.</li> </ul> <h2>What can I do to reduce my risk?</h2> <p>If you’re young or middle-aged, the habits you build today matter.</p> <p>The best way to prevent a curved back is to keep your bones strong, muscles active, and posture in check. That means:</p> <ul> <li>doing regular resistance training, especially targeting upper back muscles</li> <li>staying physically active, aiming for at least <a href="https://www.who.int/initiatives/behealthy/physical-activity">150 minutes per week</a></li> <li>getting enough protein, calcium, and vitamin D to support bone and muscle health</li> <li>avoiding smoking and limiting alcohol to reduce risk factors that worsen bone density and overall wellbeing</li> </ul> <p>Pay attention to your posture while sitting and standing. Position your head over your shoulders and shoulders over your hips. This reduces strain on your spine.</p> <h2>What exercises help prevent and manage a curved back?</h2> <p>Focus on <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5112023/">exercises that strengthen the muscles</a> that support an upright posture, particularly the upper back and core, while improving mobility in the chest and shoulders.</p> <p>In general, you want to prioritise extension-based movements. These involve straightening or lifting the spine and pulling the shoulders back.</p> <p>Repeated forward-bending (or flexion) movements may make things worse, especially in people with osteoporosis or spinal fractures.</p> <p>Good exercises include:</p> <ul> <li>back extensions (gently lift your chest off the floor while lying face down)</li> <li>resistance exercises targeting the muscles between your shoulder blades</li> <li>weight-bearing activities (such as brisk walking, jogging, stair climbing, or dancing) to keep bones strong and support overall fitness</li> <li>stretching your chest and hip flexors to open your posture and relieve tightness.</li> </ul> <p>Flexibility and balance training (such as yoga and pilates) can be <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3700806/">beneficial</a>, particularly for posture awareness, balance, and mobility. But <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31034509/">research</a> increasingly supports muscle strengthening as the cornerstone of prevention and management.</p> <p>Muscle strengthening exercises, such as weight lifting or resistance training, reduces spinal curvature while enhancing muscle and bone mass.</p> <p>If you suspect you have kyphosis or already have osteoporosis or a vertebral fracture, consult a health professional before starting an exercise program. There may be some activities to avoid.</p> <h2>Can a curved back be reversed?</h2> <p>If it’s caused by poor posture and muscle weakness, then yes, it’s possible.</p> <p>But if it’s caused by bone changes, especially vertebral fractures, then full reversal is unlikely. However, treatment can reduce pain, improve function, and slow further progression.</p> <p>Protecting your posture isn’t just about appearance. It’s about staying strong, mobile and independent as you age.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/252811/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em>By <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/jakub-mesinovic-2351870">Jakub Mesinovic</a>, Research Fellow at the Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/deakin-university-757">Deakin University</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/david-scott-1258511">David Scott</a>, Associate Professor (Research) and NHMRC Emerging Leadership Fellow, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/deakin-university-757">Deakin University</a></em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-do-some-people-get-a-curved-back-as-they-age-and-what-can-i-do-to-avoid-it-252811">original article</a>.</em></p> <p><em>Image: Life Care Home Health</em></p> </div>

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A century after its discovery, scientists capture first confirmed footage of a colossal squid in the deep

<div class="theconversation-article-body">The colossal squid was first described in 1925 based on specimens from the stomach of a commercially hunted sperm whale. A century later, an international voyage captured the first confirmed video of this species in its natural habitat – a 30-centimetre juvenile, at a depth of 600 metres near the South Sandwich Islands.</p> <p>Colossal squid can grow up to seven metres and weigh as much as 500 kilograms, making them the heaviest invertebrate on the planet. But little is known about their life cycle.</p> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lzPoG9H8Hlo?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe><figcaption><span class="caption">The first sighting of a juvenile colossal squid in its natural environment. Credit: Schmidt Ocean Institute.</span></figcaption></figure> <p>The footage of a young colossal squid in the water column was a serendipitous sighting, as many deep-sea squid observations are.</p> <p>It was seen during the live “divestream” feed of a remotely operated vehicle during the <a href="https://2022annualreport.schmidtocean.org/">Schmidt Ocean Institute</a> and <a href="https://oceancensus.org/">Ocean Census</a> partner expedition searching for new deep-sea species and habitats in the far south Atlantic, mostly focusing on the seafloor.</p> <p>Those tuned into the stream had the remarkable experience of seeing a live colossal squid in its deep-sea home, although its identity was not confirmed until the high-definition footage could be reviewed later.</p> <p>Predators such as whales and seabirds are still one of our best sources of information about the colossal squid (<em>Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni</em>) because they are much better at finding it than we are.</p> <p>This partially explains why we have only just filmed this species in its natural habitat. Not only do these animals live in an enormous, dark and three-dimensional environment, they are also probably actively avoiding us.</p> <p>Most of our deep-sea exploration equipment is large, noisy and uses bright lights if we are trying to film animals. But the colossal squid can detect and avoid diving sperm whales, which probably produce a strong light signal as they swim down and disturb bioluminescent animals.</p> <p>The squid best able to avoid such predators have been passing on their genes for millions of years. This leaves us with a current population of visually acute, likely light-avoiding animals, well capable of detecting a light signal from many metres away.</p> <h2>Delicate beauty of deep-sea animals</h2> <p>The colossal squid is part of the “glass” squid family (Cranchiidae). Three known glass squid species are found in the Antarctic ocean, but it can be difficult to distinguish them on camera.</p> <p>Researchers from the organisation Kolossal, aiming to film the colossal squid, observed a similarly sized glass squid during their fourth Antarctic mission in 2023. But since the characteristic features needed to identify a colossal squid – hooks on the ends of the two long tentacles and in the middle of each of the eight shorter arms – weren’t clearly visible, its exact identity remains unconfirmed.</p> <p>In the Schmidt Ocean Institute footage, the mid-arm hooks are visible. And for this young individual, the resemblance to other glass squids is also clear. With age and size, colossal squid likely lose their transparent appearance and become much more of an anomaly within the family.</p> <p>While many will be amused by the idea of a “small colossal” squid, this footage showcases a beauty shared by many deep-sea animals, in contrast to the monster hype and “stuff of nightmares” click-bait titles we see all too often.</p> <p>This colossal squid looks like a delicate glass sculpture, with fins of such fine musculature they are barely visible. It has shining iridescent eyes and graceful arms fanned out from the head.</p> <p>At full size, the colossal squid may be a formidable predator, with its stout arms and array of sharp hooks, able to tackle two-metre-long toothfish. But in our first confirmed view of it at home in the deep sea, we can marvel at the elegance of this animal, thriving in an environment where humans require so much technology even to visit remotely.</p> <h2>Stranger than science fiction</h2> <p>Until recently, few people were able to take part in deep-sea exploration. But now, anyone with an internet connection can be “in the room” while we explore these habitats and observe animals for the first time.</p> <p>It’s hard to overstate the importance of the deep sea. It holds hundreds of thousands of undiscovered species, it is probably where life on Earth started, and it makes up 95% of the available living space on our planet.</p> <p>It has animals more splendid and strange than our most creative science fiction imaginings. This includes squids that start life looking like small light bulbs and then grow into true giants; colonies of individuals living together with each contributing to the group’s success; animals where males (often parasitic) are orders of magnitude smaller than females.</p> <p>This first confirmed sighting of a colossal squid inspires and reminds us how much we have left to learn.</p> <hr /> <p><em>The expedition that captured the footage of the colossal squid was a collaboration between the Schmidt Ocean Institute, the Nippon Foundation-NEKTON Ocean Census, and GoSouth (a joint project between the University of Plymouth, GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research and the British Antarctic Survey).</em><!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/254584/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <hr /> <p><em>By <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/kat-bolstad-646280">Kat Bolstad</a>, Associate Professor of Environmental Science, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/auckland-university-of-technology-1137">Auckland University of Technology</a></em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-century-after-its-discovery-scientists-capture-first-confirmed-footage-of-a-colossal-squid-in-the-deep-254584">original article</a>.</em></p> <p><em>Image: </em><em>Schmidt Ocean Institute</em></p> </div>

Technology

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Our ancestors didn’t eat 3 meals a day. So why do we?

<div class="theconversation-article-body"> <p>Pop quiz: name the world’s most famous trio? If you’re a foodie, then your answer might have been breakfast, lunch and dinner. It’s an almost universally accepted trinity – particularly in the Western world.</p> <p>But how did it come about?</p> <h2>The first meals</h2> <p><a href="https://theconversation.com/when-did-we-become-fully-human-what-fossils-and-dna-tell-us-about-the-evolution-of-modern-intelligence-143717#:%7E:text=Fossils%20and%20DNA%20suggest%20people,%3A%2050%2C000%2D65%2C000%20years%20ago">Early humans</a> were nomadic. Forming small communities, they would travel with the seasons, following local food sources.</p> <p>While we can only guess what daily mealtimes rhythms looked like, evidence dating back <a href="https://global.oup.com/academic/product/feast-9780199209019?cc=nz&lang=en&">30,000 years</a> from the South Moravia region, Czech Republic, shows people visited specific settlements time and again. They gathered around hearths, cooking and sharing food: the first signs of human “commensality”, the practice of eating together.</p> <p>One of the best-preserved hunter-gatherer sites we’ve found is <a href="https://global.oup.com/academic/product/feast-9780199209019?cc=nz&lang=en&">Ohalo II</a> – located on the shores of the modern-day Sea of Galilee (also called Lake Tiberias or Lake Kinneret) in Israel, and dating back some 23,000 years.</p> <p>In addition to several small dwellings with hearths, it provides evidence of diverse food sources, including more than 140 types of seeds and nuts, and various birds, fish and mammals.</p> <p>The development of <a href="https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/development-agriculture/">agricultural knowledge</a> some 12,000 years ago gave rise to permanent settlements. The earliest were in the Levant region (across modern-day Iraq, southwestern Iran and eastern Turkey), in an area called the “Fertile Crescent”.</p> <p>Permanent agriculture led to the production of a <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/foodfeatures/evolution-of-diet/">surplus of food</a>. The ability to stay in one place with food on-hand meant the time it took to cook no longer mattered as much.</p> <p>It quickly became common to eat one <a href="https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/history-of-the-world-in-6-glasses-9780802718594/">light meal</a> early in the day, followed by a larger <a href="https://global.oup.com/academic/product/feast-9780199209019?cc=nz&lang=en&">hearth-prepared meal</a> later on. The specific timings would have varied between groups.</p> <h2>Eating together as a rule</h2> <p>The communal nature of foraging and hunting, and later farming, meant humans almost always ate their meals in the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1525/gfc.2009.9.3.42">company of others</a>. In the ancient city-state of Sparta, in the <a href="https://doi.org/10.2307/293895">4th century BCE</a>, these practices were codified as common main meals called <a href="https://doi.org/10.1525/gfc.2017.17.2.51"><em>syssitia</em></a> (meaning “eating together”).</p> <p>These meals were consumed at the end of the day in communal dining halls. Food was served by young boys to tables of 15 or so men who lived together and fought in the same <a href="https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0063%3Aalphabetic+letter%3DS%3Aentry+group%3D5%3Aentry%3Dsyssitia-cn">military division</a>. The men gradually shared generational knowledge with the young boys, who themselves would join the tables by age 20.</p> <p>In the 5th century BCE, Greek historian Herodotus <a href="https://www.penguin.co.nz/books/the-histories-9780140455397">wrote about</a> how <em>syssitia</em> evolved from a Spartan military practice to having deep political meaning in society. Similarly, <a href="https://www.penguin.co.nz/books/the-republic-9780140455113">Plato</a> <a href="https://www.penguin.co.nz/books/the-laws-9780140449846">wrote</a> common meals were an integral component of civil society, and that missing a meal without good reason was a civic offence.</p> <p>By dining in <a href="https://doi.org/10.2307/293895">full view</a> of the rest of society, citizens were compelled to maintain self-discipline. Mealtime was also an opportunity for social linkage, and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1525/gfc.2017.17.2.51">important discussions</a> ranging from business deals to politics.</p> <p>The eating habits of Spartan women are missing in the texts, although it is implied they <a href="https://doi.org/10.1525/gfc.2017.17.2.51">ate at home</a>.</p> <h2>Bunches of lunches</h2> <p>Counter to the tough Spartan way of life, the Romans enjoyed their main meal, <a href="https://www.press.jhu.edu/books/title/1550/everyday-life-ancient-rome?srsltid=AfmBOooVPsJL24HR9woTdVNQwEG1uCU7q0k7r2beD-KD13m0KX-l1dSY"><em>cena</em></a>, earlier in the day, followed by a lighter meal just before bed.</p> <p>The northern European tribes tended towards two larger meals per day, as more <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.23071">sustenance</a> is required in colder climes. To the Vikings, these meals were known as <a href="https://www.historyonthenet.com/what-did-vikings-eat"><em>dagmal</em> and <em>nattmal</em></a>, or day meal and night meal. <em>Nattmal</em> was the cooked evening meal, while <em>dagmal</em> usually consisted of leftover <em>nattmal</em> with the addition of bread and beer or mead.</p> <p>In Australia, evidence suggests Aboriginal peoples tended toward a <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03122417.2022.2089395">daily single meal</a>, which aligns with the predominant method of cookery: slow-cooking with hot coals or rocks in an <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/03122417.2022.2089395">earth oven</a>. This underground oven, used by Aboriginal and also Torres Strait Islander communities, was referred to as a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=745326709638881&t=0"><em>kup murri</em></a> or <a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/food/the-cook-up-with-adam-liaw/recipe/slow-cooker-kap-mauri/lfza7eqs4"><em>kap mauri</em></a> by some groups.</p> <p>This is similar to other Indigenous preparations throughout the Pacific, such as the New Zealand Māori <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/15528014.2024.2381305"><em>hāngī</em></a>, Hawaiian <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/20707103?seq=1"><em>imu</em></a>, Fijian <a href="https://www.proquest.com/docview/1021389307?accountid=8440&parentSessionId=605Pt1iTclBEC77VSlZvrnxxY%2Bdc7e%2Bx9pT4MgRLPqQ%3D&sourcetype=Dissertations%20&%20Theses"><em>lovo</em></a>, and even the Mayan <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s12231-012-9207-2"><em>píib</em></a>.</p> <p>The once-daily meal would have been supplemented with snacks throughout the day.</p> <h2>Three’s the magic number</h2> <p>The timing of meals was heavily influenced by class structure, local climate and people’s <a href="https://www.wiley.com/en-us/Cuisine+and+Culture%3A+A+History+of+Food+and+People%2C+3rd+Edition-p-9780470403716">daily activities</a>. Practicality also played a part. Without reliable lighting, meals had to be prepared and eaten before dark. In settled parts of Northern Europe, this could be as early as 3pm.</p> <p>So how did we go from one or two main meals, to three? The answer may lie with the British Royal Navy.</p> <p>Since its inception in the 16th century, the navy served <a href="https://www.historyhit.com/what-did-sailors-in-the-georgian-royal-navy-eat/">three regular meals</a> to align with the shipboard routine. This included a simple breakfast of ship’s biscuits, lunch as the main meal, and dinner as more of a light supper.</p> <p>Some sources suggest the term “<a href="https://www.grammar-monster.com/sayings_proverbs/square_meal.htm">square meal</a>” may have come from the square wooden trays meals were served in.</p> <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/660040/original/file-20250407-56-xgt2pm.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/660040/original/file-20250407-56-xgt2pm.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/660040/original/file-20250407-56-xgt2pm.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=455&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/660040/original/file-20250407-56-xgt2pm.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=455&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/660040/original/file-20250407-56-xgt2pm.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=455&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/660040/original/file-20250407-56-xgt2pm.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=572&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/660040/original/file-20250407-56-xgt2pm.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=572&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/660040/original/file-20250407-56-xgt2pm.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=572&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="" /></a><figcaption><span class="caption">Initially, sailors recieved a daily gallon of beer with meals. This was later changed to watered-down rum, the infamous ‘grog’, which is being handed out in this 1940 photo taken aboard HMS King George V.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205185139">Imperial War Museums</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span></figcaption></figure> <p>The <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-20243692">Industrial Revolution</a>, which started around 1760, arguably also played a role in formalising the concept of three specific mealtimes across the Western world.</p> <p>The cadence of breakfast, lunch and dinner matched the routine of the longer, standardised workdays. Workers ate breakfast and dinner at home, before and after work, while lunch was eaten with coworkers at a set time.</p> <p>With minimal breaks, and no time for snacking, three substantial meals became necessary.</p> <h2>The fall of the holy trinity</h2> <p>Today, many factors impact the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2015.09.005">time and frequency</a> of our meals, from long work commutes to juggling hobbies and social obligations.</p> <p>The COVID pandemic also impacted how and what we eat, leading us to eat larger amounts of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhealeco.2022.102641">higher calorie foods</a>. The rapid growth of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980020000701">delivery services</a> also means a meal is no more than a few minutes away from most people.</p> <p>All of this has resulted in mealtimes becoming less rigid, with social meals such as <a href="https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781442229433/Brunch-A-History">brunch</a>, <a href="https://www.harpercollins.co.nz/9780261102354/the-fellowship-of-the-ring/">elevenses</a> and <a href="https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781442271029/Afternoon-Tea-A-History">afternoon teas</a> expanding how we <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18126235">connect over food</a>. And mealtimes will continue to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1525/gfc.2013.13.3.32">evolve</a> as our schedules become ever more complicated.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/250773/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em>By <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/rob-richardson-2328981">Rob Richardson</a>, Senior Lecturer in Culinary Arts & Gastronomy, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/auckland-university-of-technology-1137">Auckland University of Technology</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/dianne-ma-2331997">Dianne Ma</a>, Lecturer in Culinary Arts & Gastronomy, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/auckland-university-of-technology-1137">Auckland University of Technology</a></em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/our-ancestors-didnt-eat-3-meals-a-day-so-why-do-we-250773">original article</a>.</em></p> <p><em>Image: Shutterstock</em></p> </div>

Food & Wine

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A new COVID variant is on the rise: what you need to know

<div class="theconversation-article-body"> <p>More than five years since COVID was <a href="https://www.who.int/europe/emergencies/situations/covid-19">declared a pandemic</a>, we’re still facing the regular emergence of new variants of the virus, SARS-CoV-2.</p> <p>The latest variant on the rise is LP.8.1. It’s <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/resources/collections/australian-respiratory-surveillance-reports-2025">increasing in Australia</a>, making up close to <a href="https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/covid-19/Documents/respiratory-surveillance-20250322.pdf">one in five COVID cases</a> in New South Wales.</p> <p>Elsewhere it’s become even more dominant, comprising at least three in five cases <a href="https://inews.co.uk/news/health/lp-covid-variant-cases-future-waves-3598768">in the United Kingdom</a>, for example.</p> <p>So what is LP.8.1? And is it cause for concern? Let’s look at what we know so far.</p> <h2>An offshoot of Omicron</h2> <p>LP.8.1 was first <a href="https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/risk-evaluation-for-sars-cov-2-variant-under-monitoring-lp81">detected in July 2024</a>. It’s a descendant of Omicron, specifically of KP.1.1.3, which is descended from <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-emergence-of-jn-1-is-an-evolutionary-step-change-in-the-covid-pandemic-why-is-this-significant-220285">JN.1</a>, a subvariant that caused large waves of COVID infections around the world in late 2023 and early 2024.</p> <p>The <a href="https://www.who.int/activities/tracking-SARS-CoV-2-variants">World Health Organization</a> (WHO) designated LP.8.1 as a <a href="https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/risk-evaluation-for-sars-cov-2-variant-under-monitoring-lp81">variant under monitoring</a> in January. This was in response to its significant growth globally, and reflects that it has genetic changes which may allow the virus to spread more easily and pose a greater risk to human health.</p> <p>Specifically, LP.8.1 has mutations at six locations in its spike protein, the protein which allows SARS-CoV-2 to attach to our cells. One of these mutations, V445R, is thought to allow this variant to spread more easily relative to other circulating variants. V445R has been shown to increase binding to human lung cells in <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(25)00015-5/fulltext">laboratory studies</a>.</p> <figure class="align-center "><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/658901/original/file-20250401-56-eywcgb.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/658901/original/file-20250401-56-eywcgb.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=468&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/658901/original/file-20250401-56-eywcgb.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=468&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/658901/original/file-20250401-56-eywcgb.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=468&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/658901/original/file-20250401-56-eywcgb.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=588&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/658901/original/file-20250401-56-eywcgb.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=588&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/658901/original/file-20250401-56-eywcgb.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=588&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" alt="A chart showing the distribution of different COVID variants in different colours." /><figcaption><span class="caption">The proportion of COVID cases caused by LP.8.1 has been rising in New South Wales.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/covid-19/Documents/respiratory-surveillance-20250322.pdf">NSW Health</a></span></figcaption></figure> <p>Notably, the symptoms of LP.8.1 don’t appear <a href="https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/risk-evaluation-for-sars-cov-2-variant-under-monitoring-lp81">to be any more severe</a> than other circulating strains. And the WHO has evaluated the additional public health risk LP.8.1 poses at a global level to be low. What’s more, LP.8.1 remains a variant under monitoring, rather than a variant of interest or a variant of concern.</p> <p>In other words, these changes to the virus with LP.8.1 are small, and not likely to make a big difference to the trajectory of the pandemic.</p> <h2>That doesn’t mean cases won’t rise</h2> <p>COVID as a whole is still a major national and international health concern. So far this year there have been close to <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/resources/collections/australian-respiratory-surveillance-reports-2025">45,000 new cases recorded in Australia</a>, while around <a href="https://covidlive.com.au/report/daily-hospitalised/aus">260 people are currently in hospital</a> with the virus.</p> <p>Because many people are no longer testing or reporting their infections, the real number of cases is probably far higher.</p> <p>In <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/resources/collections/australian-respiratory-surveillance-reports-2025">Australia</a>, LP.8.1 has become the <a href="https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/covid-19/Documents/respiratory-surveillance-20250322.pdf">third most dominant strain in NSW</a> (behind <a href="https://theconversation.com/xec-is-now-in-australia-heres-what-we-know-about-this-hybrid-covid-variant-239292">XEC</a> and KP.3).</p> <p>It <a href="https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/covid-19/Documents/respiratory-surveillance-20250322.pdf">has been growing</a> over the past couple of months and this trend looks set to continue.</p> <p>This is not to say it’s not growing similarly in other states and territories, however NSW Health publishes <a href="https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/covid-19/Pages/reports.aspx">weekly respiratory surveillance</a> with a breakdown of different COVID variants in the state.</p> <p>Sequences of LP.8.1 in the <a href="https://gisaid.org/">GISAID database</a>, used to track the prevalence of variants around the world, increased from <a href="https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/risk-evaluation-for-sars-cov-2-variant-under-monitoring-lp81">around 3%</a> at the end of 2024 to 38% of global sequences as of <a href="https://x.com/Mike_Honey_/status/1905816340331728914">mid March</a>.</p> <p>In some countries it’s climbed particularly high. In the United States LP.8.1 is responsible for <a href="https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#variant-proportions">55% of cases</a>. In <a href="https://inews.co.uk/news/health/lp-covid-variant-cases-future-waves-3598768">the UK</a>, where LP.8.1 is making up at least 60% of cases, scientists fear <a href="https://inews.co.uk/news/science/new-covid-wave-cases-hospitalisations-3611459?srsltid=AfmBOor_V7pQrPMPhUYQA2KCZgRfsI_CpxTwIRiHDFJHIJhq2kbAmD42">it may be driving a new wave</a>.</p> <h2>Will COVID vaccines work against LP.8.1?</h2> <p>Current COVID vaccines, including the most recently available <a href="https://theconversation.com/new-covid-vaccines-may-be-coming-to-australia-heres-what-to-know-about-the-jn-1-shots-237652">JN.1 shots</a>, are still expected to <a href="https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/risk-evaluation-for-sars-cov-2-variant-under-monitoring-lp81">offer good protection</a> against symptomatic and severe disease with LP.8.1.</p> <p>Nonetheless, due to its designation as a variant under monitoring, WHO member countries will continue to study the behaviour <a href="https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/risk-evaluation-for-sars-cov-2-variant-under-monitoring-lp81">of the LP.8.1 variant</a>, including any potential capacity to evade our immunity.</p> <p>While there’s no cause for panic due to LP.8.1 variant at this stage, COVID can still be a severe disease for some. Continued vigilance and vaccination, particularly <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/our-work/covid-19-vaccines/getting-your-vaccination">for medically vulnerable groups</a>, is essential in minimising the impact of the disease.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/253237/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em>By <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/thomas-jeffries-1511629">Thomas Jeffries</a>, Senior Lecturer in Microbiology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/western-sydney-university-1092">Western Sydney University</a></em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-new-covid-variant-is-on-the-rise-heres-what-to-know-about-lp-8-1-253237">original article</a>.</em></p> <p><em>Image: Shutterstock</em></p> </div>

Caring

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Refinancing your home later in life – what you need to know

<p>There are many reasons why you may look to refinance your home. The obvious one is to lower mortgage repayments with a better rate. However, other reasons people refinance later in life include:</p> <ul> <li>unlocking equity to invest</li> <li>paying down other debts</li> <li>buying a holiday home</li> <li>funding extended travel</li> <li>launching a new business</li> <li>supporting children with a property deposit</li> </ul> <p>Regardless of why you want to refinance, the points below will help you navigate your options.</p> <p><strong>Changing lenders</strong></p> <p>It may have been a while since you last revisited your mortgage, meaning you may not be aware of current lending options and traps.</p> <p>A common trick lenders use is the so-called “headline rate” to grab your attention. However, this interest rate is typically not what you end up paying. It may only be an introductory rate for the first few months, or hefty fees attached may wipe out any savings.</p> <p>Banks aren’t the only ones offering loans nowadays. Registered non-bank lenders, fintechs and online lenders can refinance your mortgage and provide other credit services the same as any bank; they just don’t take cash deposits. Alternatively, you could explore credit unions and mutual societies.</p> <p>Also consider any shareholder benefits you may have. Most banks have done away with them now but may still honour pre-existing ones. If you change lenders, you could lose this entitlement – permanently.</p> <p><strong>Reverse mortgages</strong></p> <p>Generally, only available to people aged 60-plus, a reverse mortgage effectively allows you to unlock equity in your home without you needing to make immediate repayments.</p> <p>However, they often have strict conditions including:</p> <ul> <li>minimum borrowing amounts</li> <li>maximum borrowing ratios</li> <li>higher interest rates than standard mortgages</li> </ul> <p>Crucially, the interest accrues over time and is repaid when you sell, move or pass away. As such, your debt liability grows over time – potentially impacting your future living arrangements and how much is left for beneficiaries in your will.  The Govt has the “loan equity scheme” as another option to lenders.  I just want to highlight the need to be careful with reverse mortgages.</p> <p><strong>Changing homes</strong></p> <p>Rather than selling, downsizing could involve making an investment property your primary residence and then renting out your existing home.</p> <p>This approach may require you to refinance both loans simultaneously. There will also be tax considerations to work through – including Capital Gains Tax liabilities when you do sell, negative gearing, depreciation, and changes to your income tax.</p> <p>Then there are the lifestyle factors to weigh up, especially if you are moving to a different area:</p> <ul> <li>living expenses</li> <li>insurance and travel costs</li> <li>access to healthcare</li> <li>rental income</li> <li>property management expenses</li> </ul> <p>Remember that if you have a Self Managed Super Fund (SMSF), it CANNOT own any property that you directly use yourself, including your home.</p> <p><strong>Becoming Bank of Mum and Dad</strong></p> <p>Refinancing can unlock equity to support adult children with their first property deposit. However, it isn’t without its risks.</p> <p>Ask yourself honestly:</p> <ul> <li>Will this be a gift or loan?</li> <li>If a loan, under what terms? Will interest be applied? How and when will repayments be made? What if they default?</li> <li>What happens if their relationship breaks down, will you get your money back?</li> <li>How does going without that money affect your retirement?</li> <li>Do you have alternative assets to support you if your circumstances change?</li> <li>How does this affect inheritances or deposit contributions to your other children?</li> <li>Can you assist them another way without using your home equity?</li> </ul> <p>Draw up a written agreement outlining all conditions and scenarios to avoid disagreements in the future.</p> <p><strong>Pension impacts</strong></p> <p>Don’t overlook how refinancing your home could impact your pension. While your home is exempt from the means test, any income or assets you generate from unlocking equity is not.</p> <p>You could inadvertently see your pension amount reduced or your eligibility voided altogether. This would come as a nasty shock if you haven’t pre-budgeted for such a change!</p> <p><strong>Getting advice</strong></p> <p>To ensure you get the best bang for your buck when refinancing, be sure to enlist the help of a good:</p> <ul> <li>mortgage broker to source the best loans for your circumstances</li> <li>insurance broker to ensure your cover is right sized for your needs, risk and budget</li> <li>accountant to work through any tax implications</li> <li>estate planner to manage any changes</li> <li>financial adviser to keep your investments and financial strategy working for you</li> </ul> <p>Ultimately, decisions – including about refinancing – are only as good the information you have at hand. So, make sure you have all the relevant facts before signing on the dotted line.</p> <p><em><span style="line-height: 18.4px; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; color: #242424;">Helen Baker is a licensed Australian financial adviser and author of the new book, Money For Life: How to build financial security from firm foundations (Major Street Publishing $32.99). Helen is among the 1% of financial planners who hold a master’s degree in the field. Proceeds from book sales are donated to charities supporting disadvantaged women and children. Find out more at </span><a style="color: #467886;" title="http://www.onyourowntwofeet.com.au/" href="http://www.onyourowntwofeet.com.au/"><span style="line-height: 18.4px; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">www.onyourowntwofeet.com.au</span></a></em></p> <p><em><span style="line-height: 18.4px; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; color: #242424;">Disclaimer: The information in this article is of a general nature only and does not constitute personal financial or product advice. Any opinions or views expressed are those of the authors and do not represent those of people, institutions or organisations the owner may be associated with in a professional or personal capacity unless explicitly stated. Helen Baker is an authorised representative of BPW Partners Pty Ltd AFSL 548754.</span></em></p>

Money & Banking

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Do stem cell injections for knee osteoarthritis actually work?

<div class="theconversation-article-body">More than 500 million people around the world <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanrhe/article/PIIS2665-9913(23)00163-7/fulltext">live with osteoarthritis</a>. The knee is affected more often than any other joint, with symptoms (such as pain, stiffness and reduced movement) affecting work, sleep, sport and <a href="https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/chronic-musculoskeletal-conditions/osteoarthritis">daily activities</a>.</p> <p>Knee osteoarthritis is often thought of as thinning of the protective layer of cartilage within the joint. But we now understand it affects all the structures of the joint, including the bones, muscles and nerve endings.</p> <p>While there are things that <a href="https://www.safetyandquality.gov.au/standards/clinical-care-standards/osteoarthritis-knee-clinical-care-standard/information-consumers-osteoarthritis-knee-clinical-care-standard">can be done to manage</a> the symptoms of knee osteoarthritis, there is no cure, and many people experience persistent pain. As a result, an opportunity exists for <a href="https://www.rheuma.com.au/stem-cell-therapy-good-bad-ugly/174">as yet unproven treatments</a> to enter the market, often before regulatory safeguards can be put in place.</p> <p>Stem cell injections are one such treatment. A <a href="https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD013342.pub2">new review</a> my colleagues and I published this week finds that evidence of their benefits and harms remains elusive.</p> <h2>Stem cell treatments</h2> <p>Stem cells are already established as treatments for some diseases – <a href="https://www.lymphoma.org.au/lymphoma/treatments/stem-cell-transplants/autologous-stem-cell-transplant/">mostly disorders of the blood</a>, bone marrow or immune system – which has led to suggestions they could be used for a much wider array of conditions.</p> <p>Stem cells have been touted as promising treatments for osteoarthritis because they have special properties which allow them to replicate and develop into the mature healthy cells that make up our body’s organs and other tissues, including cartilage.</p> <p>Stem cell treatments for osteoarthritis generally involve <a href="https://www.aboutstemcells.org/treatments">taking a sample of tissue</a> from a site that is rich in stem cells (such as bone marrow or fat), treating it to increase the number of stem cells, then injecting it into the joint.</p> <p>The hope is that if the right type of stem cells can be introduced into an osteoarthritic joint in the right way and at the right time, they may help to repair damaged structures in the joint, or have other effects such as reducing inflammation.</p> <p>But no matter how convincing the theory, we need good evidence for effectiveness and safety before a new therapy is adopted into practice.</p> <p>Stem cell injections have not been approved by Australia’s <a href="https://www.tga.gov.au/news/news/stem-cell-treatments-and-regulation-quick-guide-consumers#:%7E:text=Does%20the%20TGA%20regulate%20stem,does%20not%20regulate%20medical%20practice">Therapeutic Goods Administration</a> for the treatment of osteoarthritis. Nonetheless, some clinics in Australia and around the world still offer them.</p> <p>Because of the regulatory restrictions, we don’t have reliable numbers on how many procedures are being done.</p> <p>They’re not covered by Medicare, so the procedure can cost the consumer thousands of dollars.</p> <p>And, as with any invasive procedure, both the <a href="https://coroners.nsw.gov.au/documents/findings/2016/Findings%20Drysdale.pdf">harvest of stem cells</a> and the joint injection procedure may carry the potential for harm, such as infection.</p> <h2>What we found</h2> <p>Our <a href="https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD013342.pub2">new review</a>, published by the independent, international group the Cochrane Collaboration, looks at all 25 randomised trials of stem cell injections for knee osteoarthritis that have been conducted worldwide to date. Collectively, these studies involved 1,341 participants.</p> <p>We found stem cell injections may slightly improve pain and function compared with a placebo injection, but the size of the improvement may be too small for the patient to notice.</p> <p>The evidence isn’t strong enough to determine whether there is any improvement in quality of life following a stem cell injection, whether cartilage regrows, or to estimate the risk of harm.</p> <p>This means we can’t confidently say yet whether any improvement that might follow a stem cell injection is worth the risk (or the cost).</p> <h2>Hope or hype?</h2> <p>It’s not surprising we invest hope in finding a transformative treatment for such a common and disabling condition. Belief in the benefits of stem cells is widespread – more than <a href="https://www.arthroscopyjournal.org/article/S0749-8063(21)00571-5/abstract">three-quarters of Americans</a> believe stem cells can relieve arthritis pain and more than half believe this treatment to be curative.</p> <p>But what happens if a new treatment is introduced to practice before it has been clearly proven to be safe and effective?</p> <p>The use of an unproven, invasive therapy is not just associated with the risks of the intervention itself. Even if the treatment were harmless, there is the risk of unnecessary cost, inconvenience, and a missed opportunity for the patient to use existing therapies that are known to be effective.</p> <p>What’s more, if we need to play catch-up to try to establish an evidence base for a treatment that’s already in practice, we risk diverting scarce research resources towards a therapy that may not prove to be effective, simply because the genie is out of the bottle.</p> <h2>Working towards a clearer answer</h2> <p>Several more large <a href="https://anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?ACTRN=12620000870954">clinical trials</a> are currently underway, and should increase our understanding of whether stem cell injections are safe and effective for knee osteoarthritis.</p> <p>Our review incorporates “<a href="https://www.cochrane.org/news/cochranes-pioneering-role-living-evidence">living evidence</a>”. This means we will continue to add the results of new trials as soon as they’re published, so the review is always up to date, and offers a comprehensive and trustworthy summary to help people with osteoarthritis and their health-care providers to make informed decisions.</p> <p>In the meantime, there are a number of <a href="https://www.racgp.org.au/clinical-resources/clinical-guidelines/key-racgp-guidelines/view-all-racgp-guidelines/knee-and-hip-osteoarthritis/summary-plain-language">evidence-based treatment options</a>. Non-drug treatments such as physiotherapy, regular exercise, maintaining a healthy weight, and cognitive behavioural therapy can be more effective than you think. Anti-inflammatory and pain medications can also play a supporting role.</p> <p>Importantly, it’s not inevitable that osteoarthritic joints get worse with time. So, even though <a href="https://aoanjrr.sahmri.com/background">joint replacement surgery</a> is often highly effective, it’s the last resort and fortunately, many people never need to take this step.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/253404/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em>By <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/samuel-whittle-2357927">Samuel Whittle</a>, ANZMUSC Practitioner Fellow, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/monash-university-1065">Monash University</a></em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/people-are-getting-costly-stem-cell-injections-for-knee-osteoarthritis-but-we-dont-know-if-they-work-253404">original article</a>.</em></p> <p><em>Image: Shutterstock</em></p> </div>

Body

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Do any non-drug treatments help back pain? Here’s what the evidence says

<div class="theconversation-article-body"> <p>Jason, a 42-year-old father of two, has been battling back pain for weeks. Scrolling through his phone, he sees ad after ad promising relief: chiropractic alignments, acupuncture, back braces, vibrating massage guns and herbal patches.</p> <p>His GP told him to “stay active”, but what does that even mean when every movement hurts? Jason wants to avoid strong painkillers and surgery, but with so many options (and opinions), it’s hard to know what works and what’s just marketing hype.</p> <p>If Jason’s experience sounds familiar, you’re not alone. Back pain is one of the most common reasons people visit a doctor. It can be challenging to manage, mainly due to widespread <a href="https://theconversation.com/having-good-posture-doesnt-prevent-back-pain-and-bad-posture-doesnt-cause-it-183732">misunderstandings</a> and the <a href="https://ebm.bmj.com/content/early/2025/03/02/bmjebm-2024-112974">overwhelming number</a> of ineffective and uncertain treatments promoted.</p> <p>We assessed the best available evidence of non-drug and non-surgical treatments to alleviate low back pain. <a href="https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD014691.pub2/full">Our review</a> – published today by the independent, international group the Cochrane Collaboration – includes 31 Cochrane systematic reviews, covering 97,000 people with back pain.</p> <p>It <a href="https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD014691.pub2/full">shows</a> bed rest doesn’t work for back pain. Some of the treatments that do work can depend on how long you’ve been in pain.</p> <h2>Is back pain likely to be serious?</h2> <p>There are different types of low back pain. It can:</p> <ul> <li>be short-lived, lasting less than six weeks (acute back pain)</li> <li>linger for a bit longer, for six to twelve weeks (sub-acute)</li> <li>stick around for months and even years (chronic, defined as more than 12 weeks).</li> </ul> <p>In <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/article/S0140-6736(16)30970-9/abstract">most cases</a> (90-95%), back pain is non-specific and cannot be reliably linked to a specific cause or underlying disease. This includes common structural changes seen in x-rays and MRIs of the spine.</p> <p>For this reason, imaging of the back is <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(09)60172-0/abstract">only</a> recommended in rare situations – typically when there’s a clear suspicion of serious back issues, such as after physical trauma or when there is numbness or loss of sensation in the groin or legs.</p> <p>Many people expect to receive <a href="https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD013815.pub2/full">painkillers</a> for their back pain or even surgery, but these are no longer the front-line treatment options due to limited benefits and the high risk of harm.</p> <p>International <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(18)30489-6/fulltext">clinical guidelines</a> recommend people choose non-drug and non-surgical treatments to relieve their pain, improve function and reduce the distress commonly associated with back pain.</p> <p>So what works for different types of pain? Here’s what <a href="https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD014691.pub2/full">our review found</a> when researchers compared these treatments with standard care (the typical treatment patients usually receive) or no treatment.</p> <h2>What helps for short-term back pain</h2> <p><strong>1. Stay active – don’t rest in bed</strong></p> <p>If your back pain is new, the best advice is also one of the simplest: keep moving despite the pain.</p> <p>Changing the way you move and use your body to protect it, or resting in bed, can seem like to right way to respond to pain – and may have even been recommended in the past. But we know know this excessive protective behaviour can make it harder to return to meaningful activities.</p> <p>This doesn’t mean pushing through pain or hitting the gym, but instead, trying to maintain your usual routines as much as possible. Evidence suggests that doing so won’t make your pain worse, and may improve it.</p> <p><strong>2. Multidisciplinary care, if pain lingers</strong></p> <p>For pain lasting six to 12 weeks, multidisciplinary treatment is likely to reduce pain compared to standard care.</p> <p>This involves a coordinated team of doctors, physiotherapists and psychologists working together to address the many factors contributing to your back pain persisting:</p> <ul> <li> <p>neurophysiological influences refer to how your nervous system is currently processing pain. It can make you more sensitive to signals from movements, thoughts, feelings and environment</p> </li> <li> <p>psychological factors include how your thoughts, feelings and behaviours affect your pain system and, ultimately, the experience of pain you have</p> </li> <li> <p>occupational factors include the physical demands of your job and how well you can manage them, as well as aspects like low job satisfaction, all of which can contribute to ongoing pain.</p> </li> </ul> <h2>What works for chronic back pain</h2> <p>Once pain has been around for more than 12 weeks, it can become more difficult to treat. But relief is still possible.</p> <p><strong>Exercise therapy</strong></p> <p>Exercise – especially programs tailored to your needs and preferences – is likely to reduce pain and help you move better. This could include aerobic activity, strength training or Pilates-based movements.</p> <p>It doesn’t seem to matter what type of exercise you do – it matters more that you are consistent and have the right level of supervision, especially early on.</p> <p><strong>Multidisciplinary treatment</strong></p> <p>As with short-term pain, coordinated care involving a mix of physical, occupational and psychological approaches likely works better than usual care alone.</p> <p><strong>Psychological therapies</strong></p> <p>Psychological therapies for chronic pain include approaches to help people change thinking, feelings, behaviours and reactions that might sustain persistent pain.</p> <p>These approaches are likely to reduce pain, though they may not be as effective in improving physical function.</p> <p><strong>Acupuncture</strong></p> <p>Acupuncture probably reduces pain and improves how well you can function compared to placebo or no treatment.</p> <p>While some debate remains about how it works, the evidence suggests potential benefits for some people with chronic back pain.</p> <h2>What doesn’t work or still raises uncertainty?</h2> <p>The review found that many commonly advertised treatments still have uncertain benefits or probably do not benefit people with back pain.</p> <p>Spinal manipulation, for example, has uncertain benefits in acute and chronic back pain, and it likely does not improve how well you function if you have acute back pain.</p> <p>Traction, which involves stretching the spine using weights or pulleys, probably doesn’t help with chronic back pain. Despite its popularity in some circles, there’s little evidence that it works.</p> <p>There isn’t enough reliable data to determine whether advertised treatments – such back braces, vibrating massage guns and herbal patches – are effective.</p> <h2>How can you use the findings?</h2> <p>If you have back pain, start by considering how long you’ve had it. Then explore treatment options that research supports and discuss them with your GP, psychologist or physiotherapist.</p> <p>Your health provider should reassure you about the importance of gradually increasing your activity to resume meaningful work, social and life activities. They should also support you in making informed decisions about which treatments are most appropriate for you at this stage.</p> <p><!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><em><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/253122/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />By <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/rodrigo-rossi-nogueira-rizzo-1544189">Rodrigo Rossi Nogueira Rizzo</a>, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/neuroscience-research-australia-976">Neuroscience Research Australia</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/aidan-cashin-2355450">Aidan Cashin</a>, NHMRC Emerging Leadership Fellow, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/neuroscience-research-australia-976">Neuroscience Research Australia</a></em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/do-any-non-drug-treatments-help-back-pain-heres-what-the-evidence-says-253122">original article</a>.</em></p> <p><em>Image: Shutterstock</em></p> </div>

Body

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Why do I grieve my childhood home so much now we’ve sold it?

<div class="theconversation-article-body"> <p>Grief can hit us in powerful and unanticipated ways. You might expect to grieve a person, a pet or even a former version of yourself – but many people are surprised by the depth of sad yearning they can feel after selling the childhood home.</p> <p>In fact, it is <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10615-018-0682-5">normal to grieve a place</a>. And this grief can be especially profound if it coincides with a parent dying or moving into residential aged care, leading to the sale of their house.</p> <p>Grief is the response to the loss of anything to which we have an emotional connection. A <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10615-018-0682-5">growing body</a> of <a href="https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.4324/9780203860731/counting-losses-darcy-harris">research</a> is looking at how grief can extend to “non-person” losses such as infertility, loss of religion and, yes, the loss of a former home.</p> <h2>Why would someone grieve a house?</h2> <p>The childhood home can be an important place for many of us. It literally housed our formative development, family bonds, and core memories. Hopefully, the childhood home is where we learned about safety, security and love.</p> <p>It was likely surrounded by our neighbourhood, and close to important places such as school, playgrounds and friends’ houses. It is no wonder we grieve it when it’s gone.</p> <p>It’s normal to <a href="https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781315126197-20/grieving-lost-home-marc-fried">grieve things we can’t see and touch</a> but are real and valued. Just as a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/pon.70031">serious diagnosis might trigger</a> grief for an imagined future for yourself, or an <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1049732314538550">identity</a> you once cherished, loss of a childhood home can hit us harder than we think.</p> <p>When you sell a once-beloved home, you don’t just lose the physical space. You also lose all of what that space might represent, such as birthday celebrations, Christmas lunches, sleepovers with friends or many happy hours playing in the garden.</p> <p>The childhood home often is a symbol of family connection and an anchor in the storm of life. Thinking of the home and all it represents can elicit nostalgia. In fact, the word “nostalgia” <a href="https://www.bps.org.uk/psychologist/nostalgia-cowbells-meaning-life">derives from the Greek</a> words <em>nostos</em> (return) and <em>algos</em> (pain). The word is rooted in the pain we often feel being away from home.</p> <p>And just as siblings are unique – each with different memories of and connections to their childhood home – their responses to its sale can differ markedly. It is normal if your sister or brother grieves the home in a different way to you – or maybe doesn’t even seem to grieve its loss at all.</p> <h2>A complicated grief</h2> <p>When a childhood home is sold because of the death of parents, the feelings of loss about the home are closely linked. The home being sold can be a type of secondary loss that sits in the periphery to the primary loss of parents.</p> <p>Grieving the deaths might, at first, take precedence over the loss of the home.</p> <p>It might only be later that the loss of the home and all it represents becomes apparent. Because the home provides a connection to the deceased person, the loss of the home might add another layer of grief about your parents. Perhaps you find that whenever you recall memories of mum or dad, they seem always to be at the house.</p> <p>It’s also normal if you feel immense <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10615-018-0682-5">guilt</a> about grieving the home. People might chastise themselves for worrying about “silly things” and not grieving “enough” about the person who died. <a href="https://www.agingcare.com/questions/how-do-i-deal-with-the-guilt-of-selling-moms-house-481550.htm">Guilt about selling the home</a> can also be common.</p> <p>Not everyone has positive memories of their childhood home. Difficult family dynamics, maltreatment and abuse can complicate the emotional connection to childhood spaces and the grief response to their loss.</p> <p>In such cases, the loss of the childhood home can elicit grief about the loss of the childhood that could have – and should have – been. The loss of a home that was the site of discord can be even more challenging than for people with more idyllic childhood experiences.</p> <h2>How can I cope with this loss?</h2> <p>Grief from the loss of a childhood home is <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10615-018-0682-5">real and valid</a>. We should recognise this and be kind to ourselves and others experiencing it. We shouldn’t minimise the loss or make fun of it.</p> <p>Usually, the loss is anticipated, and this allows you to take photos, furniture or mementos from the home or garden before you leave or sell.</p> <p>Grief researchers call these “<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0010440X20300031">transitional</a> <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13576270412331329812">objects</a>”. They may help you maintain a connection to what is lost, while still grieving the place.</p> <p><a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10615-018-0682-5">Social support</a> while grieving is important. Some people share memories and photos of the home with their siblings, or derive comfort from driving by the home.</p> <p>Just be prepared for the possibility it will likely change as the new owners adapt it to their needs. You might feel affronted, but hopefully can eventually accept the property now belongs to someone else.</p> <p>Chat to your doctor if the loss is particularly difficult, and your grief doesn’t change and subside over time. They might be able to recommend a psychologist who specialises in grief.</p> <p><em>If this article has raised issues for you, or if you’re concerned about someone you know, call Lifeline on 13 11 14.</em><!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/251058/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em>By <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/lauren-breen-1142446">Lauren Breen</a>, Professor of Psychology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/curtin-university-873">Curtin University</a></em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-do-i-grieve-my-childhood-home-so-much-now-weve-sold-it-and-what-can-i-do-about-it-251058">original article</a>.</em></p> <p><em>Image: </em><em>RDNE Stock project/Pexels</em></p> </div>

Home & Garden

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‘Don’t panic, do prepare’: why it’s not too late to plan for Cyclone Alfred

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/yetta-gurtner-2337172">Yetta Gurtner</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/james-cook-university-1167">James Cook University</a></em></p> <p>For millions of people in southeast Queensland and northern New South Wales, Cyclone Alfred will be their first experience living through a cyclone. Alfred is forecast to make landfall about 2am on Friday morning.</p> <p>I am a disaster expert based in northern Queensland, which regularly experiences cyclones. In my other role as an acting SES public information officer, I’m heading south to the Gold Coast to help residents prepare and respond.</p> <p>Here’s what I want you to know. First, don’t panic. Second, do prepare.</p> <p>Preparation has several steps. It’s important to clearly assess your specific threat. If you live near the sea, storm surges – where the sea spills inland – could be a significant threat, while flooding might pose a large risk if you live near a river – especially in the few days after Alfred passes. The highest rainfall is likely on Alfred’s southern flank from the Gold Coast down to northern New South Wales.</p> <p>Having enough food, water and medication is vital. Be ready to evacuate too, in case authorities deem it necessary. Check your local council’s disaster website, disaster apps and stay tuned to the ABC, which will run disaster alerts.</p> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EN_yKcjlF20?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe><figcaption><span class="caption">The Bureau of Meteorology’s latest update on Cyclone Alfred’s path and likely impact, as of the morning of Wed 5th March.</span></figcaption></figure> <h2>What should I do right now?</h2> <p>If you’re in the <a href="http://www.bom.gov.au/products/IDQ65002.shtml">danger zone</a>, make preparations now, before the full intensity of the cyclone arrives.</p> <p>Tie down loose objects. Clean gutters to avoid overflow from torrential rain. And prepare your “go bag” – a bag of essentials you can throw in the car if authorities tell you to leave immediately. Don’t take too much – just the bare necessities.</p> <p>Buy an AM/FM radio and tune it to ABC National, as you cannot be sure mobile networks will function. Radio is a reliable way to get good information from the ABC, Australia’s designated <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/emergency">emergency channel</a>.</p> <p>Make sure the car is fuelled or charged. If you’ve got a generator, make sure you have fuel and the generator is positioned outside in a well-ventilated area.</p> <p>Water is often unreliable after disasters. Fill your bathtub or front-loader washing machine with water. Put containers of water in your freezer, to keep food cold if the power goes out and as another water source. Plan for days of power outages. Protect windows with plywood, heavy blankets or mattresses. Put a mattress between your car and garage roller door to stop it blowing in.</p> <p>Turn off gas, electricity and solar power.</p> <p>Authorities recommend using sandbags to reduce the chance of water getting in. You can get sacks from hardware stores or council-run emergency centres, if available, who also provide sand. You also need plastic sheeting.</p> <p>If there’s a shortage of sand, you can use garden soil or commercial bagged soil. If you can’t get sacks, large plastic shopping bags will do.</p> <p>Tape strong plastic sheeting around the door or low window where water might get in. This is the barrier that actually keeps water out – sandbags keep it in place.</p> <p>Fill sandbags and lay them <a href="https://www.ses.nsw.gov.au/during-emergency/sandbags">like bricks</a>. Lay one row, and lay the next row offset for strength.</p> <p>Sandbags are good, but they have limits. There’s little point in piling sandbags higher than about 30 centimetres. If floodwaters edge higher, water will get through.</p> <p>Many people have had the unpleasant experience of having effluent come back up through toilets during cyclones and subsequent flooding. To stop this, cover your toilet with plastic sheeting (directly on the porcelain) and put a sandbag on top for weight. Do the same for any drains where water might flow back up.</p> <p>To reduce water damage, put valuable or important items up high, atop tables or bunk beds or upstairs if you have a second storey.</p> <h2>What will it be like when Alfred hits?</h2> <p>When the cyclone first hits, it can be overwhelming. The sound is like a roaring jet engine.</p> <p>If you haven’t been advised to evacuate by authorities, you will be sheltering in place.</p> <p>This means finding the safest room in the house, to avoid damage from flying objects. Choose the smallest room with the fewest windows – a bathroom or a room under the stairs. Basements are very safe, but will be the first affected by water.</p> <p>As the cyclone picks up intensity, set up inside this safe room with your pets and children. Do not leave this room until you have been told it’s safe by authorities.</p> <p>At the centre of strong cyclones is the eye of the storm, which we experience as a period of sudden calm. People often make the mistake of thinking it’s over. But in fact, it’s just a brief reprieve before the intense winds pick up again. Don’t make the mistake of leaving the house – check with authoritative sources.</p> <p>Cyclone Alfred is a <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-03-05/cyclone-alfred-unusual-triplet-storm-climate-change-factors/105008704">slow-moving cyclone</a>, which means you might be stuck inside for a while. Be prepared to be inside your house for up to 24 hours, even after the worst has passed. This is because there may well be downed powerlines with live electricity, broken glass, falling trees and so on.</p> <p>For your children (and yourself), being in the cyclone is frightening. Young kids find the sound chilling. You can play music through headphones to help soothe them. Board games, books and puzzles can help pass the time. You will need distraction. Have a bucket in the corner for emergency toilet needs.</p> <p>Keep track of the storm and any emerging dangers through your radio and internet-enabled phone (if still functioning).</p> <h2>What if I have to evacuate?</h2> <p>Authorities are working to set up evacuation centres for people whose homes may not be safe. Authorities will go door-to-door to tell affected residents to leave, as well as broadcasting the information on radio and online.</p> <p>You’re more likely to have to evacuate if your house is on low-lying land near the sea, as a storm surge is likely. How much water is pushed ashore will depend on the tide, but it could be as high as 70cm above the high tide line if we’re unlucky.</p> <p>Evacuations can happen after the cyclone too. Alfred is packing a lot of rain – <a href="https://www.weatherzone.com.au/news/tropical-cyclone-alfred-could-disrupt-afl-and-nrl-matches/1890420">up to a metre</a> in some areas. That’s very likely to cause flooding, both flash floods and rivers breaking their banks.</p> <p>If you are asked to evacuate, you can go to the house of a friend or family member if it’s on higher ground and outside the flood risk zones. Or you can go to a local evacuation centre – check your council website to see where your closest one is. Take as little as possible with you.</p> <p>Many people who choose not to evacuate do so because they’re worried about their pets. This is risky. Some evacuation centres do take pets, so check now. If they don’t, look for other options with friends and family. Staying put after an evacuation order is dangerous.</p> <h2>What will happen after the cyclone?</h2> <p>Cyclone Alfred brings three threats: intense winds, high seas and heavy rain.</p> <p>After the intense winds die down, the seas will be dangerous for days after Alfred. There are coastal hazard warnings for about 1,000km of coastline.</p> <p>Cyclones also often decay into tropical low weather systems, which dump heavy rain for days. This is likely.</p> <p>As you move into recovery phase, don’t relax your guard. In far north Queensland, 16 people have <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-03-04/melioidosis-death-toll-rises-in-queensland/105009772">now died</a> after being infected with melioidosis, a bacterium found in mud. The bug is <a href="https://theconversation.com/theres-an-outbreak-of-melioidosis-in-north-queensland-heres-what-to-know-about-this-deadly-mud-bug-250392">more prevalent</a> after heavy rainfall.</p> <p>Wear protective gear such as gloves and face masks when dealing with water-damaged goods and mud, and pay close attention to the latest advice authorities are giving.</p> <p>But remember – don’t panic. We will get through this.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/251463/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/yetta-gurtner-2337172">Yetta Gurtner</a>, Adjunct Senior Lecturer, Centre for Disaster Studies, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/james-cook-university-1167">James Cook University</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: LUKAS COCH/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Editorial </em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/dont-panic-do-prepare-why-its-not-too-late-to-plan-for-cyclone-alfred-251463">original article</a>.</em></p> </div>

Travel Trouble

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Best hotels in Australia revealed

<p>The <a href="https://www.forbestravelguide.com/award-winners" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2025 Forbes Travel Guide</a> has announced the winners of the Star Awards, with nine hotels and experiences in Australia being named in the list.</p> <p>Every property in the running for the awards is visited by highly trained inspectors who provide an evaluation based on up to 900 objective criteria.</p> <p>According to Forbes, the Star Rating system "emphasises service because your experience at a hotel, restaurant or spa goes beyond looks".</p> <p>Over 2000 hotels, experiences, restaurants and cruises were named on the global list, with nine Aussie winners featuring in the prestigious list. </p> <p>The only property in the country to receive a 5-star accommodation rating in the 2025 Forbes Travel Guide was Crown Towers in Perth. </p> <p>Touted as "the pinnacle of Perth luxury", Forbes described the property as "Perth's most extravagant stay. Exuding understated glamour."</p> <p>In the spa category the Crown Spa Perth, which is tucked away in Crown Towers Perth, was awarded 4-stars for its "unbridled opulence".</p> <p>The Darling Sydney has once again received recognition in the Forbes Travel Guide for the ninth consecutive year, while The Darling's "world class" spa was also featured. </p> <p>Check out the list below.</p> <p>9. The Langham - Sydney</p> <p>8. Park Hyatt - Sydney</p> <p>7. Park Hyatt - Melbourne </p> <p>6. Capella - Sydney</p> <p>5. Como The Treasury - Perth</p> <p>4. The Darling Spa - Sydney</p> <p>3. The Darling - Sydney </p> <p>2. Crown Spa - Perth</p> <p>1. Crown Towers - Perth</p> <p><em>Image credits: Crown Hotels</em></p> <p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; font-family: 'Proxima Nova', system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Fira Sans', 'Droid Sans', 'Helvetica Neue'; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: #333333;"> </p>

Domestic Travel

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Protein and healthy ageing: What you need to know if you're over 50

<p>Healthy ageing is the new middle-aged mantra, but where do you start? If you’re over 50, one of the quickest wins in the battle to feeling great and ageing well is to increase your protein intake.</p> <p>Protein is an essential pro-ageing nutrient; it’s not just for gym junkies. It is vital to combat the serious impacts of ageing.</p> <p>Protein helps to stop age-related muscle loss and keep bones strong, when combined with exercise. It supports immune function and plays an essential role in maintaining and repairing body tissues and wound healing.</p> <p>Nutrition scientist Louise Fisher specialises in healthy ageing. She helped <a href="https://www.boldhealth.com.au" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bold Health</a> develop its +50 pro-ageing protein powder and she has recently reviewed the past five years of published scientific research on protein and ageing to determine how much protein you really need to age well.</p> <p>The science on protein is moving fast. So, we asked Louise Fisher to share the latest insights on the eight most common questions about protein and healthy ageing. Here are her answers:</p> <p><strong>Does protein help with healthy ageing?</strong></p> <p>Protein is essential for healthy ageing. It helps keep your bones healthy and most importantly, it helps preserve muscle mass to stay strong.</p> <p>From as young as 30, you start to lose muscle mass and strength. This decline is barely noticeable at first, but it can accelerate to become a major problem as you get older impacting strength and mobility, increasing the likelihood of falls and even reducing your lifespan.</p> <p>The good news is you can slow down muscle loss, and even build muscle well into your 90s. Many studies have shown that a higher protein diet, combined with resistance training, is the best way to combat age-related muscle loss and preserve mobility.</p> <p>If you think of your muscles as a brick wall, the protein makes up the bricks and the resistance exercise is the work to build the wall. You need both to build that muscle.</p> <p>That’s not the only way protein helps you age well. Every cell in your body contains protein and your body is constantly using protein. Apart from building and maintaining muscles, protein helps repair tissues, forms the antibodies for your immunity system and the blood cells of our circulatory system, makes up many hormones, such as insulin, builds body structures of bones and collagen, and forms the enzymes we need to absorb nutrients from food and use energy.</p> <p><strong>Why do you need more protein once you turn 50?</strong></p> <p>The 50s are a good time to reassess your diet because simple changes now can have a big effect on your quality of life. Generally, as you age, you need fewer carbohydrates, because insulin resistance and higher blood glucose levels can become a common problem, while more protein becomes essential for muscle health, bone health and general wellbeing.Protein is made up of amino acids. As you get older, your body needs more amino acids to maintain, repair and build muscle. It also becomes less effective at using the amino acids. This is called anabolic resistance.</p> <p>As an example, one study revealed men in their 20s could build muscle with 20g of protein, while men in their 70s needed 40g of protein.</p> <p>Women, especially, need to prioritise protein for optimal bone health, because the drop in oestrogen with menopause increases the risk of developing osteoporosis. As you build and move your muscles, muscle contractions stimulate bone rebuilding. This helps maintain your bone density and reduce the risk of fractures. Stronger muscles help build stronger bones. Higher protein intakes are associated with a lower risk of hip fractures in older adults. </p> <p><strong>How much protein do you need for healthy ageing?</strong></p> <p>The latest science, combined with newer methods of assessing protein needs, show most healthy adults over 50 should consume at least 1g-1.2g of protein for each kilo they weigh, to help maintain muscle mass and age well.</p> <p>The formula is the same, whether you’re male or female. So, as an example a 70kg woman should aim for at least 70-84g of protein a day, and at least 90-108g of protein a day for a 90kg man. If you are doing strength training, as recommended, or other strenuous physical activity, you’ll need even more protein. I recommend at least an extra 20-30g of protein to help with muscle recovery on training days. </p> <p>The other group that needs higher protein intakes are people who might have a poor diet or those recovering from surgery or illness.</p> <p><strong>What are the signs that you’re not getting enough protein?</strong></p> <p>The early warning signs that you are not getting enough protein can be hard to spot. It could be that you are picking up more colds and viruses than normal, or that scratches do not heal as quickly.</p> <p>Sometimes that muscle weakness can show up in little things, for example it’s harder to open jars because of a small drop in grip strength. If you’re not getting enough protein, your body prioritises protein use for functions that keep you alive, such as repairing tissues, maintaining immunity, making new blood cells, hormones and enzymes.</p> <p>Building and maintaining muscle becomes a lower priority. On average most Australians do eat enough protein, but for some groups that’s not the case. People over 50 are at real risk of not getting enough protein to thrive.</p> <p><strong>When is the best time to consume protein for healthy ageing?</strong></p> <p>It may be best to spread your protein intake across the day, getting at least 20-30 g at main meals. Some studies indicate you absorb protein better this way, rather than relying on one high protein meal. In practice, it makes reaching your protein targets much more achievable.</p> <p>In my experience, people often miss protein at breakfast, especially if they just have a coffee or tea and toast or a piece of fruit to start the day. For something quick and easy, I’d suggest Greek yoghurt topped with nuts and fruit or high protein cereal with high protein milk.</p> <p>If you find it hard to eat first thing in the morning, or need something on the go, a protein shake is a great option.If you have been exercising, aim to get that extra 20-30g of protein soon afterwards. Again, a protein shake is often the easiest way to do this.</p> <p><strong>What are the best sources of protein for people over 50?</strong></p> <p>To age well, you need to choose the right sources of protein. It’s not just a matter of eating more sausages, bacon or a bigger steak. To help manage risk factors for heart disease such as cholesterol, it is important to have most of your protein from foods that are low in saturated fats.</p> <p>This means focusing on plant protein and lean animal sources, including lean meat, chicken, fish, legumes (dried and tinned beans, lentils), plant protein powders, tofu, nuts and seeds, reduced fat dairy, and eggs.</p> <p><strong>What’s the best protein powder for people over 50?</strong></p> <p>Look for a protein powder that is low in sugar and has added vitamins and minerals, because, as you get older, you need to make every mouthful count. It’s also a better bang for your buck.</p> <p>On my checklist are vitamin B12, vitamin D, calcium, folate and magnesium. These essential nutrients also support healthy ageing by helping to maintain muscle, bone, and heart health, as well as fight fatigue.</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em>Tip:</em></span> To avoid that bloated feeling you can sometimes get after drinking a protein shake, choose a protein powder that is lactose-free. Some people find blends with prebiotic fibres and digestive enzymes also help.</p> <p><strong>Why is eating more protein important if you’re dieting?</strong></p> <p>When you lose weight, you also generally lose some muscle mass as well. And the greater the rate of weight loss, the greater the loss of lean muscle.</p> <p>Maintaining protein intakes and resistance training, while trying to lose weight, is important to keep your strength, but not all weight loss methods make it easy to get enough protein.</p> <p>Intermittent fasting often involves people regularly skipping a meal. If poorly planned, this can lead to a shortfall in protein intake. With the increase in use of GLP-1 agonist drugs, such as Ozempic or Wegovy, for weight loss, we’re also starting to see nutritionists suggest that people prioritise protein intake to reduce the risk of sarcopenia, severe muscle and strength loss.</p> <p>Using a protein shake that is low in sugar and contains additional vitamins and minerals is a convenient way to get the nutrients you need and minimise muscle loss.</p> <p><em><strong>Louise Fisher is a highly qualified nutrition scientist with more than 10 years of experience as a clinical dietitian. Her key areas of expertise are healthy aging, diet, and exercise.</strong></em></p> <p><em><strong>Image credits: Supplied</strong></em></p>

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Around 3% of us will develop a brain aneurysm in our lives. So what is it and how do you treat it?

<div class="theconversation-article-body"> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/theresa-larkin-952095">Theresa Larkin</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-wollongong-711">University of Wollongong</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/jessica-nealon-1481995">Jessica Nealon</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-wollongong-711">University of Wollongong</a></em></p> <p>Australian radio host Kyle Sandilands announced on air that he <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-02-03/kyle-sandilands-brain-aneurysm-diagnosis/104888826">has a brain aneurysm</a> and needs urgent brain surgery.</p> <p>Typically an aneurysm occurs when a part of the wall of an artery (a type of blood vessel) becomes stretched and bulges out.</p> <p>You can get an aneurysm <a href="https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/aneurysm">in any blood vessel</a>, but they are most common in the brain’s arteries and the aorta, the large artery that leaves the heart.</p> <p>Many people can have a brain aneurysm and never know. But a brain (or aortic) aneurysm that ruptures and bursts can be fatal.</p> <p>So, what causes a brain aneurysm? And what’s the risk of rupture?</p> <h2>Weakness in the artery wall</h2> <p>Our arteries need strong walls because blood is constantly pumped through them and pushed against the walls.</p> <p>An <a href="https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/aneurysms">aneurysm</a> can develop if there is a weak part of an artery wall.</p> <p>The walls of arteries are made of three layers: an inner lining of cells, a middle layer of muscle and elastic fibres, and a tough outer layer of mostly collagen (a type of protein). Damage to any of these layers causes the wall to become thin and stretched. It can then balloon outward, leading to an aneurysm.</p> <p><a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4399795/">Genetics</a> and <a href="https://www.ninds.nih.gov/health-information/disorders/cerebral-aneurysms">certain inherited disorders</a> can cause weak artery walls and brain aneurysms in some people.</p> <p>For all of us, our artery walls become weaker as we age, and brain aneurysms are more common as we get older. The <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK557867/">average age for a brain aneurysm</a> to be detected is 50 (Sandilands is 53).</p> <p>Females have a higher risk of brain aneurysm than males <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK507902/">after about age 50</a>. Declining oestrogen around menopause reduces the collagen in the artery wall, causing it to become weaker.</p> <figure class="align-center "><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/646696/original/file-20250204-15-i55mtq.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/646696/original/file-20250204-15-i55mtq.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/646696/original/file-20250204-15-i55mtq.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/646696/original/file-20250204-15-i55mtq.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/646696/original/file-20250204-15-i55mtq.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/646696/original/file-20250204-15-i55mtq.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/646696/original/file-20250204-15-i55mtq.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" alt="An illustration showing a brain aneurysm." /><figcaption><span class="caption">A brain aneurysm occurs when a part of the wall of an artery balloons out.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-vector/human-brain-blocking-stroke-aneurysm-disease-2171173339">Alfmaler/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure> <p>High blood pressure can increase the risk of a brain aneurysm. In someone with high blood pressure, blood inside the arteries is pushed against the walls with greater force. This can <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3163429/">stretch and weaken the artery walls</a>.</p> <p>Another <a href="https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/heart-stroke-vascular-diseases/hsvd-facts/contents/introduction">common condition</a> called atherosclerosis can also <a href="https://www.ninds.nih.gov/health-information/disorders/cerebral-arteriosclerosis">cause brain aneurysms</a>. In atherosclerosis, plaques made mostly of fat build up in arteries and stick to the artery walls. This directly damages the cell lining, and weakens the muscle and elastic fibres in the middle layer of the artery wall.</p> <h2>Several lifestyle factors increase risk</h2> <p>Anything that increases inflammation or causes atherosclerosis or high blood pressure in turn increases your risk of a brain aneurysm.</p> <p><a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6527044/">Smoking and heavy drinking</a> affect all of these, and nicotine <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6214667/">directly damages</a> the artery wall.</p> <p>Sandilands mentioned <a href="https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/tv/radio/kyle-sandilands-reveals-shock-health-diagnosis-i-may-be-dead/news-story/62f9f05c6f0a03702632ec8d622cf97a">his cocaine use</a> in discussing his diagnosis. He said: "The facts are, a life of cocaine abuse and partying are not the way to go."</p> <p>Indeed, cocaine abuse <a href="https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/brain-aneurysm/causes/">increases the risk of a brain aneurysm</a>. It causes very high blood pressure because it causes arteries to spasm and constrict. Cocaine use is also <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1878875023017400">linked to worse outcomes</a> if a brain aneurysm ruptures.</p> <p><a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/ejn.15992">Stress</a> and a <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6243058/#:%7E:text=High%2Dfat%20diets%20(HFDs),many%20organs%20(see%20text).">high-fat diet</a> also increase inflammation. <a href="https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/atherosclerosis#:%7E:text=Atherosclerosis%20is%20thickening%20or%20hardening,activity%2C%20and%20eating%20saturated%20fats.">High cholesterol</a> can also cause atherosclerosis. And <a href="https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/heart-stroke-vascular-diseases/hsvd-facts/contents/risk-factors/overweight-and-obesity">being overweight</a> increases your blood pressure.</p> <p><a href="https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/JAHA.121.022277">A study</a> of more than 60,000 people found smoking and high blood pressure were the strongest risk factors for a brain aneurysm.</p> <h2>Is it always a medical emergency?</h2> <p>About <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK557867/">three in 100 people</a> will have a brain aneurysm, varying in size from <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK557867/">less than 5mm to more than 25mm</a> in diameter. The majority are only discovered while undergoing imaging for something else (for example, head trauma), because small aneurysms may not cause any symptoms.</p> <p>Larger aneurysms can cause symptoms because they can <a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/brain-aneurysm/symptoms-causes/syc-20361483">press against brain tissues and nerves</a>.</p> <p>Sandilands described “<a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-02-03/kyle-sandilands-brain-aneurysm-diagnosis/104888826">a lot of headache problems</a>” leading up to his diagnosis. Headaches can be due to <a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/brain-aneurysm/symptoms-causes/syc-20361483">minor leaks of blood</a> from the aneurysm. They indicate a risk of the aneurysm rupturing in subsequent days or weeks.</p> <p>Less than <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-46015-2">one in 100 brain aneurysms will rupture</a>, often called a “brain bleed”. This causes a <a href="https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/subarachnoid-hemorrhage#:%7E:text=A%20subarachnoid%20hemorrhage%20is%20bleeding,brain%20and%20inside%20the%20skull.">subarachnoid haemorrhage</a>, which is a <a href="https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/subarachnoid-haemorrhage/">type of stroke</a>.</p> <p>If it does occur, rupture of a brain aneurysm is <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK507902/">life-threatening</a>: nearly one in four people will die within 24 hours, and one in two within three months.</p> <p>If someone’s brain aneurysm ruptures, they usually experience a sudden, severe headache, often described as a “<a href="https://www.bafound.org/blog/three-signs-your-bad-headache-might-be-a-ruptured-brain-aneurysm/">thunderclap headache</a>”. They may also have <a href="https://www.ninds.nih.gov/health-information/disorders/cerebral-aneurysms">other symptoms of a stroke</a> such as changes in vision, loss of movement, nausea, vomiting and loss of consciousness.</p> <h2>Surgery can prevent a rupture</h2> <p>Whether surgery will be used to treat a brain aneurysm depends on its size and location, as well as the age and health of the patient. The medical team will balance the potential benefits with the risks of the surgery.</p> <p>A small aneurysm with low risk of rupture will usually <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2323531/">just be monitored</a>.</p> <p>However, once a brain aneurysm reaches <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK507902/">7mm or more</a>, surgery is generally needed.</p> <p>In <a href="https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/brain-aneurysm/treatment/#:%7E:text=A%20cut%20is%20made%20in,permanently%20clamped%20on%20the%20aneurysm.">surgery to repair a brain aneurysm</a>, the surgeon will temporarily remove a small part of the skull, then cut through the coverings of the brain to place a tiny metal clip to close off the bulging part of the aneurysm.</p> <p>Another option is <a href="https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/treatment-tests-and-therapies/endovascular-coiling">endovascular</a> (meaning within the vessel) coiling. A surgeon can pass a catheter into the femoral artery in the thigh, through the aorta to the brain. They can then place a coil inside the aneurysm which forms a clot to close off the aneurysm sac.</p> <p><a href="https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/007372.htm">After either surgery</a>, usually the person will stay in hospital for up to a week. It can take <a href="https://www.healthline.com/health/brain-aneurysm-clipping-surgery#recovery">6–8 weeks</a> for full recovery, though doctors may continue monitoring with annual imaging tests for a few years afterwards.</p> <p>You can <a href="https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/how-to-prevent-a-brain-aneurysm#prevention">lower your risk of a brain aneurysm</a> by not smoking, moderating alcohol intake, eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly and maintaining a healthy weight.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/248882/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/theresa-larkin-952095">Theresa Larkin</a>, Associate Professor of Medical Sciences, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-wollongong-711">University of Wollongong</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/jessica-nealon-1481995">Jessica Nealon</a>, Senior Lecturer in Medical Sciences (Neuroscience), <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-wollongong-711">University of Wollongong</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock </em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/around-3-of-us-will-develop-a-brain-aneurysm-in-our-lives-so-what-is-it-and-how-do-you-treat-it-248882">original article</a>.</em></p> </div>

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Vitamin B6 is essential – but too much can be toxic. Here’s what to know to stay safe

<div class="theconversation-article-body"> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/vasso-apostolopoulos-105605">Vasso Apostolopoulos</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/rmit-university-1063">RMIT University</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/jack-feehan-1239419">Jack Feehan</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/rmit-university-1063">RMIT University</a></em></p> <p>In recent weeks, <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-01-08/vitamin-b6-toxicity-peripheral-neuropathy-health-supplements/104793006">reports have been circulating</a> about severe reactions in people who’ve taken over-the-counter vitamin B6 supplements.</p> <p>Vitamin B6 poisoning can injure nerves and lead to symptoms including numbness, tingling and even trouble walking and moving.</p> <p>In some cases, those affected <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-01-28/vitamin-b6-toxicity-cases-rise-vitamins-supplements-tga-review/104863232">didn’t know the product contained</a> any vitamin B6.</p> <p>So what is vitamin B6, where is it found and how much is too much? Here’s what you need to know about this essential nutrient.</p> <h2>What is vitamin B6?</h2> <p>Vitamin B6 (also known as pyridoxine) is a group of six compounds that share a similar chemical structure.</p> <p>It is an essential nutrient, meaning we need it for normal body functions, but we can’t produce it ourselves.</p> <p><a href="https://www.eatforhealth.gov.au/nutrient-reference-values/nutrients/vitamin-b6">Adults aged 19–50</a> need 1.3mg of vitamin B6 per day. The recommended dose is lower for teens and children, and higher for those aged 51 and over (1.7mg for men and 1.5mg for women) and people who are breastfeeding or pregnant (1.9mg).</p> <p>Most of us get <a href="https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/vitamin-b/">this in our diet</a> – largely from animal products, including meat, dairy and eggs.</p> <p>The vitamin is also available in a range of different plant foods, including spinach, kale, bananas and potatoes, so deficiency is <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8150266/">rare</a>, even for vegetarians and vegans.</p> <p>The vitamin B6 we consume in the diet is inactive, meaning the body can’t use it. To activate B6, the liver transforms it into a compound called pyridoxal-5’-phosphate (PLP).</p> <p>In this form, vitamin B6 helps the body with more than 140 cellular functions, including building and breaking down proteins, producing red blood cells, regulating blood sugar and supporting brain function.</p> <p>Vitamin B6 is important for <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6071262/">overall health</a> and has also been associated with reduced <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28376200/">cancer</a> risk and <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0098299716300395">inflammation</a>.</p> <p>Despite being readily available in the diet, vitamin B6 is also widely included in various supplements, multivitamins and other products, such as Berocca and energy drinks.</p> <h2>Should we be worried about toxicity?</h2> <p>Vitamin B6 toxicity is extremely rare. It <a href="https://europepmc.org/article/nbk/nbk470579?crsi=6624972170&amp;cicada_org_src=healthwebmagazine.com&amp;cicada_org_mdm=direct&amp;client=bot">almost never occurs from dietary intake alone</a>, unless there is a genetic disorders or disease that stops nutrient absorption (such as coeliac disease).</p> <p>This is because all eight vitamins in the B group are water-soluble. If you consume more of the vitamin than your body needs, it can be excreted readily and harmlessly in your urine.</p> <p>However, in some rare cases, <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37447150/">excessive vitamin B6</a> accumulates in the blood, resulting in a condition called peripheral neuropathy. We’re still not sure why this occurs in some people but not others.</p> <p>Peripheral neuropathy <a href="https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/14737-peripheral-neuropathy">occurs when the sensory nerves</a> – those outside our brain and spinal cord that send information to the central nervous system – are damaged and unable to function. This can be caused by a wide range of diseases (and is most well known in type 2 diabetes).</p> <p>The most common symptoms are numbness and tingling, though in some cases patients may experience difficulty with balance or walking.</p> <p>We don’t know exactly how excess vitamin B6 causes peripheral neuropathy, but it is thought to <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8483950/">interfere with how the neurotransmitter GABA</a> sends signals to the sensory nerves.</p> <p>Vitamin B6 can cause permanent damage to nerves. <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10343656/">Studies have shown</a> symptoms improved when the person stopped taking the supplement, although they didn’t completely resolve.</p> <h2>What is considered excessive? And has this changed?</h2> <p><a href="https://www.cureus.com/articles/199499-vitamin-b6-toxicity-secondary-to-daily-multivitamin-use-a-case-report#!/">Toxicity usually occurs</a> only when people take supplements with high doses of B6.</p> <p>Until 2022, only products with more than 50mg of vitamin B6 were required to display a warning about peripheral neuropathy. But the <a href="https://www.tga.gov.au/news/safety-updates/peripheral-neuropathy-supplementary-vitamin-b6-pyridoxine">Therapeutic Goods Administration lowered this</a> and now requires any product containing more than 10mg of vitamin B6 to carry a warning.</p> <p>The Therapeutic Goods Administration has also halved the daily upper limit of vitamin B6 a product can provide – from 200mg to 100mg.</p> <p>These changes followed a review by the administration, after receiving 32 reports of peripheral neuropathy in people taking supplements. Two thirds of these people were taking less than 50mg of vitamin B6.</p> <p>The <a href="https://www.tga.gov.au/news/safety-updates/peripheral-neuropathy-supplementary-vitamin-b6-pyridoxine#what-should-health-professionals-do">Therapeutic Goods Administration acknowledges</a> the risk varies between individuals and a lot is unknown. Its review could not identify a minimum dose, duration of use or patient risk factors.</p> <h2>But I thought B vitamins were good for me?</h2> <p>Too much of anything can cause problems.</p> <p>The updated guidelines are likely to significantly lower the risk of toxicity. They also make consumers more aware of which products contain B6, and the risks.</p> <p>The Therapeutic Goods Administration will continue to monitor evidence and revise guidelines if necessary.</p> <p>While vitamin B6 toxicity remains very rare, there are still many questions about why some people get peripheral neuropathy with lower dose supplements.</p> <p>It could be that some specific vitamin B compounds have a stronger effect, or some people may have genetic vulnerabilities or diseases which put them <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2161831322004781">at higher risk</a>.</p> <h2>So what should I do?</h2> <p>Most people don’t need to actively seek vitamin B6 in supplements.</p> <p>However, many reports to the Therapeutic Goods Administration were of vitamin B6 being added to supplements labelled as magnesium or zinc – and some weren’t aware they were consuming it.</p> <p>It is important to always check the label if you are taking a new medicine or supplement, especially if it hasn’t been explicitly prescribed by a health-care professional.</p> <p>Be particularly cautious if you are taking multiple supplements. While one multivitamin is unlikely to cause an issue, adding a magnesium supplement for cramping, or a zinc supplement for cold and flu symptoms, may cause an excessive vitamin B6 dose over time, and increase your risk.</p> <p>Importantly, pay attention to symptoms that may indicate peripheral neuropathy, such as pins and needles, numbness, or pain in the feet or hands, if you do change or add a supplement.</p> <p>Most importantly, if you need advice, you should talk to your doctor, dietitian or pharmacist.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/248443/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/vasso-apostolopoulos-105605">Vasso Apostolopoulos</a>, Distinguished Professor, Professor of Immunology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/rmit-university-1063">RMIT University</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/jack-feehan-1239419">Jack Feehan</a>, Vice Chancellors Senior Research Fellow in Immunology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/rmit-university-1063">RMIT University</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock </em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/vitamin-b6-is-essential-but-too-much-can-be-toxic-heres-what-to-know-to-stay-safe-248443">original article</a>.</em></p> </div>

Body

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When news is stressful, how do you balance staying informed with ‘doomscrolling’?

<div class="theconversation-article-body"> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/lisa-harrison-1552123">Lisa Harrison</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/flinders-university-972">Flinders University</a></em></p> <p>It all begins innocently – a late-night peek at your favourite social media site before bed. You catch a headline that grabs your attention with “breaking news” you can’t afford to miss.</p> <p>Like following digital breadcrumbs, one click leads to another. Before you know it, you’re tumbling down a rabbit hole of endless updates and emotionally charged social media posts. Two hours later, your shoulders are tense, your stomach is in knots, but you can’t put your phone down.</p> <p>This endless scrolling through bad news – known as “<a href="https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/doomscrolling-dangers">doomscrolling</a>” – sneaks up on us.</p> <p>It’s important to stay in touch with what’s happening in the world. Being informed helps us make better decisions, engage meaningfully in our communities, and respond effectively to changes that affect our lives and those around us.</p> <p>But just like a healthy diet, we must be smart about our news consumption to avoid it <a href="https://theconversation.com/doomscrolling-is-literally-bad-for-your-health-here-are-4-tips-to-help-you-stop-190059">taking a toll on our health</a>.</p> <p>The good news is there are proven ways to stay informed without letting it take over your life. Research shows <a href="https://academic.oup.com/poq/article/84/S1/332/5866766">setting clear boundaries</a> around your news consumption can make a huge difference. So, how can you strike the right balance?</p> <h2>How to set boundaries with news consumption</h2> <p>It’s worth considering why you feel compelled to stay constantly informed. Ask yourself: “will this information change what I can do about it?”.</p> <p>Often, we scroll not because the information is actionable, but because <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S245195882400071X">we are trying to gain a sense of control</a> in an uncertain world.</p> <p>Research shows scrolling through negative news <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-08-29/negative-effects-doomscrolling-young-people-existential-anxiety/104268178">can disrupt your sleep and increase anxiety</a>. To make sure your media consumption is intentional, there are a few steps you can take.</p> <p>Be picky with the news sources you read. Choose a few trusted outlets instead of letting social media algorithms decide what you see. It’s like sticking to a balanced meal plan, but for your mind.</p> <p>While engaging with the news, pay close attention to how you’re feeling. When you notice physical signs of anxiety or emotional distress, that is your cue to take a break.</p> <p>Set aside time earlier in the day with clear boundaries around your news consumption: maybe with your morning coffee or during your lunch break, whatever works for your schedule. Consider implementing a “digital sunset”, too. This is a cut-off time for news and social media, ideally an hour or two before bedtime, to give your mind time to process what you have learned without disrupting your sleep.</p> <p>The world will always be there, but you will be in a better head space to process what is happening.</p> <h2>You don’t have to feel helpless</h2> <p>Taking breaks from consuming news is not burying your head in the sand – it’s practising self care. Studies have shown that <a href="https://www.apa.org/monitor/2022/11/strain-media-overload">people who set healthy boundaries</a> around news consumption are often better equipped to engage meaningfully on important issues and take constructive action when needed.</p> <p>When you check the news, be an active consumer. Instead of endless scrolling:</p> <ul> <li> <p>choose one or two in-depth articles to read thoroughly</p> </li> <li> <p>discuss the news with colleagues, friends and family to process your feelings</p> </li> <li> <p>look for solution-focused news stories that highlight positive change</p> </li> <li> <p>take meaningful action on issues you care about.</p> </li> </ul> <p>There are also various apps and tools that can help you form healthier digital habits. <a href="https://theconversation.com/cant-focus-addicted-to-your-online-world-theres-an-app-for-that-98951">Productivity apps</a> use various approaches to help you stay focused, providing ways to snap you out of mindless scrolling.</p> <p>News curation apps and apps that allow you to save articles to read later can help you establish a balanced news diet, and remove the urgent need to read everything immediately.</p> <p>Many smartphones now come equipped with <a href="https://theconversation.com/rethinking-screen-time-a-better-understanding-of-what-people-do-on-their-devices-is-key-to-digital-well-being-243644">screen time management</a> features, such as Apple’s Screen Time or Android’s Digital Wellbeing. You can use these to monitor your scrolling habits and to manage how much time you spend on social media or news apps.</p> <p>One useful feature is to block apps from use during certain times of day or after you’ve used them for a set amount of time.</p> <h2>Stay mindful, stay engaged</h2> <p>Staying informed doesn’t mean staying constantly connected. By mindfully setting boundaries and using supportive tools, you can keep up with important events while protecting your wellbeing.</p> <p>If you’re trying productivity apps and other tools, start small. Choose one tool that resonates with you rather than trying everything at once. Set realistic goals that fit your life, and use these apps’ insights to understand your habits better.</p> <p>Pay attention to what triggers your doomscrolling and adjust your settings accordingly. Remember, these tools work best when combined with offline activities you enjoy.</p> <p>The goal isn’t to disconnect completely, but to find a sustainable balance between staying informed and maintaining peace of mind. With thoughtful boundaries and the right support tools, you can stay engaged with the world while keeping your mental health intact.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/248017/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/lisa-harrison-1552123">Lisa Harrison</a>, Lecturer in Digital Communications, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/flinders-university-972">Flinders University</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock</em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/when-news-is-stressful-how-do-you-balance-staying-informed-with-doomscrolling-248017">original article</a>.</em></p> </div>

Technology

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From the Big Bogan to Larry the Lobster, why do towns build Big Things?

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/amy-clarke-248726">Amy Clarke</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-the-sunshine-coast-1068">University of the Sunshine Coast</a></em></p> <p>Big Things first appeared in Australia in the 1960s, beginning with the <a href="https://sahistoryhub.history.sa.gov.au/things/big-scotsman/">Big Scotsman</a> (1962) in Medindie, South Australia, the <a href="https://bigbanana.com">Big Banana</a> (1964) in Coffs Harbour, New South Wales, and the <a href="https://www.visitnsw.com/destinations/country-nsw/the-murray/tocumwal/attractions/big-murray-cod">Big Murray Cod</a> (1968) in Tocumwal, NSW.</p> <p>These structures were inspired by earlier North American examples, such as <a href="https://lucytheelephant.org">Lucy the Elephant</a> (1882) in New Jersey, and several <a href="https://www.laconservancy.org/learn/historic-places/randys-donuts/">big doughnuts in California</a>.</p> <p>While they differed in subject matter, all aimed to attract the attention of passing motorists: in the 1950s–1960s, private car ownership had soared and highway construction spread.</p> <p>Towns and regions across Australia, <a href="https://ourwayoflife.co.nz/11-iconic-big-thing-statues-around-new-zealand/">New Zealand</a> and North America used oversized landmarks to get travellers to stop, take a photo and hopefully spend money at local businesses.</p> <p>As awareness of these giant landmarks grew, so did the desire of other communities to have their own.</p> <p>Within a few decades, Australia’s Big Things had become a beloved fixture of road trips and summer holidays.</p> <h2>A big cultural impact</h2> <p><a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14443058.2022.2144928">My research</a> shows the number of Big Things being constructed in Australia hit an initial peak in the 1980s before experiencing a temporary decline.</p> <p>By the 2000s, however, towns as far afield as Tully in Queensland (<a href="https://www.australiantraveller.com/qld/big-gumboot/">Big Golden Gumboot</a>), Cressy in Tasmania (<a href="https://www.aussietowns.com.au/town/cressy-tas">Big Trout</a>), and Exmouth in Western Australia (<a href="https://www.exmouth.wa.gov.au/news/exmouths-iconic-and-much-loved-crustacean-is-back/358">Big Prawn</a>) were reviving the tradition.</p> <p>Soon, Big Things became firmly entrenched in Australian popular culture: featuring on limited edition <a href="https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/sunshine-coast/redheads-pay-homage-to-icons/news-story/219026f222830073f4db107759e1145c">Redheads matchboxes</a> (2010), and on sets of <a href="https://australiapostcollectables.com.au/stamp-issues/aussie-big-things">Australia Post stamps </a>(2007 and 2023).</p> <p>But some of the older structures experienced declining popularity: the Big Wool Bales in Hamilton, Victoria (closed 2020), Victoria’s Giant Gippsland Earth Worm in Bass (closed 2020) and the Big Cask Wine in Mourquong, NSW (closed 2012), survive only in holiday photos and people’s memories.</p> <p>Icons like Larry the Lobster (Kingston, SA), the Big Prawn (Ballina, NSW), and the Big Pineapple (Nambour, Queensland) have battled <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/30/world/australia/larry-lobster-big-things-sale.html">changes in ownership</a>, <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2009-09-24/council-votes-to-sink-big-prawn/1441452">threat of demolition</a>, and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/article/2024/aug/24/big-pineapple-reopen-queensland-woombye-history">closure</a>.</p> <p>Despite these challenges, and debates over heritage conservation, construction of these giant landmarks has not slowed.</p> <p><a href="https://www.visitnsw.com/destinations/outback-nsw/cobar-area/nyngan/attractions/big-bogan">The Big Bogan</a> was erected in 2015 in Nyngan, NSW, by community members who were eager to encourage visitors to the area.</p> <p>A local progress association in the small town of Thallon in Queensland unveiled William the <a href="https://www.stgeorgeregion.com.au/listing/william-the-wombat/">Big Wombat</a> in 2018, also with the aim to bring attention to the area.</p> <p>Similar hopes were held for the <a href="https://www.queensland.com/au/en/things-to-do/attractions/p-5f72991d4390bc7c02ab8547-the-big-melon">Big Watermelon</a> erected in 2018 (Chinchilla, Queensland), and the Big Tractor (Carnamah, WA) <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-10-05/midwest-wa-town-carnamah-unveils-worlds-biggest-tractor/104388496">which opened this year</a>.</p> <p>Through my research, I spoke with many people involved with projects such as these, and they said they’d selected objects that were iconic to their area.</p> <p>This could be a product they specialise in, a local native animal, or, in the case of the Big Bogan, a joke based on the name of nearby Bogan River.</p> <p>Most builders openly acknowledge their primary motivation is to promote the region, attract tourist dollars and investment, and revive towns that have seen better days.</p> <p>But do Big Things actually achieve these goals? Unfortunately, there is no easy answer.</p> <h2>An economic return?</h2> <p>Local economies are complex, as are the reasons people choose to visit. Many Big Things are constructed on the sides of highways that connect Australia’s numerous regional towns.</p> <p>People who stop for photos may not set out with the goal of visiting that Big Thing – it may simply be convenient to take a break there while on the way somewhere else.</p> <p>And if people do stop, it doesn’t guarantee they will spend more than the cost of filling up their car with petrol, if that.</p> <p>Over the years, tourism researchers have developed <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1447677021000322">several different models </a>for calculating the impact of rural and regional tourism on local economies.</p> <p>However, none of these approaches has proven to be universally effective. Most scholars agree tourists aren’t likely to travel long distances <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/21568316.2019.1673811">for any one reason</a>.</p> <p>They will consider a range of factors including food and accommodation, and the closeness of numerous attractions. In other words: building a Big Thing won’t guarantee a sustained increase in tourism to the area on its own.</p> <p>Communities should factor this in when considering erection of a Big Thing, especially given the cost of construction.</p> <p>The Big Mango in Bowen <a href="http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-big-mango">reportedly cost $A90,000</a> when it was built in 2002, while the organisers of the Big Tractor in Carnamah <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-10-05/midwest-wa-town-carnamah-unveils-worlds-biggest-tractor/104388496">raised more than $600,000</a> to cover its price tag.</p> <p>The spread of social media and easy access to media outlets via the internet offers communities another reason to build Big Things, however.</p> <p>Australians are not the only ones fascinated by Big Things, and when a new one is unveiled — or an existing one goes “missing”, as <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-26324023">the Big Mango did in 2014</a> — it is often covered by the press and then shared online.</p> <p>These giant landmarks are also highly “Instagrammable”: <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3039474/The-20-hottest-Australian-attractions-Instagram-revealed-spectacular-Sydney-Opera-House-Twelve-Apostles-don-t-forget-Big-Banana.html">a 2015 survey</a> revealed that six of Australia’s 20 most Instagrammed tourist attractions were Big Things.</p> <p>This sort of coverage doesn’t necessarily guarantee the long-term revival of a town’s economy.</p> <p>But it can help to remind people of the town’s existence, and it gives locals a memorable image on which to build.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/241129/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/amy-clarke-248726">Amy Clarke</a>, Senior Lecturer in History, specialising in built heritage and material culture, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-the-sunshine-coast-1068">University of the Sunshine Coast</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock </em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/from-the-big-bogan-to-larry-the-lobster-why-do-towns-build-big-things-241129">original article</a>.</em></p> </div>

Domestic Travel

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Voluntary assisted dying is legal in Australia – but many of us don’t know

<div class="theconversation-article-body"> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/ben-white-15387">Ben White</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/queensland-university-of-technology-847">Queensland University of Technology</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/lindy-willmott-15386">Lindy Willmott</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/queensland-university-of-technology-847">Queensland University of Technology</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/rachel-feeney-140352">Rachel Feeney</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/queensland-university-of-technology-847">Queensland University of Technology</a></em></p> <p>Voluntary assisted dying is lawful in <a href="https://www.unswlawjournal.unsw.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Issue-464-10-Waller-et-al.pdf">all Australian states</a>. This allows terminally ill adults who are suffering and have decision-making capacity to choose to receive help to die.</p> <p>Victoria’s law was the first, coming into effect <a href="https://theconversation.com/voluntary-assisted-dying-will-soon-be-legal-in-victoria-and-this-is-what-you-need-to-know-111836">in 2019</a>. New South Wales was the last state, with its <a href="https://theconversation.com/voluntary-assisted-dying-is-now-available-in-all-australian-states-how-do-the-nsw-laws-compare-217261">voluntary assisted dying law</a> beginning in late 2023.</p> <p>Voluntary assisted dying will be <a href="https://www.act.gov.au/health/topics/end-of-life-and-palliative-care/voluntary-assisted-dying-in-the-act">allowed in the Australian Capital Territory</a> in November, and a <a href="https://cmc.nt.gov.au/project-management-office/voluntary-assisted-dying">Northern Territory report</a> has recommended it pass a voluntary assisted dying law too.</p> <p>While the vast majority of Australians now live in jurisdictions where voluntary assisted dying is permitted, accessing voluntary assisted dying depends on knowing it’s a legal option. But our <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/07481187.2025.2452490">new research</a> suggests many Australians don’t know this.</p> <h2>A study in Queensland</h2> <p>Voluntary assisted dying became legal <a href="https://www.health.qld.gov.au/clinical-practice/guidelines-procedures/voluntary-assisted-dying/explained/overview">in Queensland</a> on January 1, 2023. We conducted <a href="https://eprints.qut.edu.au/255019/">an online survey</a> of 1,000 Queensland adults in mid-2024 to find out if the community knew about this new end-of-life choice.</p> <p>We set quotas for age, gender and geographical location to ensure the people we surveyed represented the overall Queensland population.</p> <p>First, we asked whether people thought voluntary assisted dying was legal in Queensland. Only <a href="https://research.qut.edu.au/voluntary-assisted-dying-regulation/wp-content/uploads/sites/292/2025/01/Do-people-know-VAD-is-legal-Research-briefing.pdf">one-third (33%) correctly identified</a> it was. Of the 67% who didn’t, 41% thought voluntary assisted dying was illegal and 26% said they didn’t know.</p> <p>People who did know voluntary assisted dying was legal had generally found out in one of three ways:</p> <ul> <li> <p>from the media</p> </li> <li> <p>from professional experience (for example, working in health care)</p> </li> <li> <p>from personal experience (for example, knowing someone who had asked about, requested or accessed voluntary assisted dying).</p> </li> </ul> <p>We then told our survey participants voluntary assisted dying was legal in Queensland and asked if they would know how to go about accessing it if they wished to. Only one-quarter (26%) answered yes.</p> <p>The survey also asked people where they might look for information about voluntary assisted dying. Most people said they would seek this information online, but asking health practitioners, especially doctors, was also important.</p> <h2>Legal and cultural barriers</h2> <p>Perhaps it’s not surprising so few members of the surveyed public know voluntary assisted dying is a legal choice. It’s still a relatively new law. But there are <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/hex.13867">specific barriers</a> in Australia that can prevent people finding out about it.</p> <p>One major barrier is health practitioners are often <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.5694/mja2.52183">not able to freely discuss</a> voluntary assisted dying with their patients. The laws in all states control how conversations about voluntary assisted dying can occur.</p> <p>For example, in Queensland, only doctors and nurse practitioners <a href="https://classic.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/qld/consol_act/vada2021302/s7.html">can raise voluntary assisted dying</a> and only if they also discuss available treatment and palliative care options and their likely outcomes.</p> <p>But the most problematic are <a href="https://classic.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/vic/consol_act/vada2017302/s8.html">Victorian</a> and <a href="https://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/legis/sa/consol_act/vada2021302/s12.html">South Australian</a> laws which prohibit health practitioners from raising the topic with patients altogether. Many people rely on their doctor to tell them about treatment options, so it’s a problem if the onus is on the patient to bring it up first.</p> <p><a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.5694/mja2.52183">Conscientious objection</a> is another significant barrier. Some doctors are opposed to voluntary assisted dying and even if they practise in a state where they can legally raise it, may choose not to tell their patients about it. This is another reason patients may not know voluntary assisted dying could be a choice for them.</p> <p>It’s important to note our study was only done in Queensland, so we can’t be confident the findings represent the wider Australian population. But given these barriers to knowing about voluntary assisted dying, it’s reasonable to anticipate similar trends in other states.</p> <h2>A national challenge</h2> <p>Raising community awareness of voluntary assisted dying is a challenge around the country. Voluntary assisted dying oversight boards from five states (<a href="https://www.health.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/1362124/vad-annual-report-2023-24.pdf">Queensland</a>, <a href="https://www.health.tas.gov.au/sites/default/files/2024-09/voluntary_assisted_dying_annual_report_2023-24.pdf">Tasmania</a>, <a href="https://www.health.vic.gov.au/sites/default/files/2024-09/voluntary-assisted-dying-review-board_annual-report-2023-24.pdf">Victoria</a>, <a href="https://www.health.wa.gov.au/%7E/media/Corp/Documents/Health-for/Voluntary-assisted-dying/VAD-Board-Annual-Report-2023-24.pdf">Western Australia</a> and <a href="https://www.sahealth.sa.gov.au/wps/wcm/connect/73a3fd16-46c4-4ad4-bd82-7a03a924c1bc/VAD+Review+Board+Annual+Report+2023-2024+-+FINAL.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&amp;CACHEID=ROOTWORKSPACE-73a3fd16-46c4-4ad4-bd82-7a03a924c1bc-pdMyZ1p">South Australia</a>) have all discussed this issue in their most recent annual reports.</p> <p>In addition, Western Australia recently reviewed its voluntary assisted dying laws, identifying lack of community knowledge as a problem. The <a href="https://www.parliament.wa.gov.au/publications/tabledpapers.nsf/displaypaper/4113439a2331593cd11da0ae48258be300355868/%24file/voluntary+assisted+dying+act+2019+final+report.pdf">review called for a strategy</a> to fix this.</p> <p>We see this challenge as one of “voluntary assisted dying literacy”. Greater voluntary assisted dying literacy will enable members of the public to know the options available to them, and how to make the choices they want.</p> <h2>What can we do about this?</h2> <p>We need community awareness initiatives to increase knowledge that voluntary assisted dying is legal and ensure people know where to find information about this option. Information about voluntary assisted dying is already available from all <a href="https://www.health.qld.gov.au/clinical-practice/guidelines-procedures/voluntary-assisted-dying">state government health departments</a>, but more action is needed to ensure it reaches more people.</p> <p>Respondents in our survey suggested using social media campaigns, advertising, and sharing information through Centrelink, health clinics and other trusted community channels.</p> <p>We also propose targeted information for particular patient groups who may be eligible for voluntary assisted dying, such as people with cancer or neurodegenerative diseases. This means they will know voluntary assisted dying may be one of the treatment options available to them, and how to navigate the process should they wish to.</p> <p>These initiatives would need to be designed sensitively with a focus on providing information to avoid any perception that people could feel induced or directed to access voluntary assisted dying.</p> <p>Training for health practitioners is also important. This is particularly needed for GPs and specialists working in end-of-life care. Training will support health practitioners to facilitate informed discussions with patients and families.</p> <p>Strong community support was a <a href="https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/4af889/contentassets/1fa966ea0b6c4034a82bca04f57a19b9/lsic_58-05_text_web.pdf">key argument</a> in legalising voluntary assisted dying in Australia. The public wanted this as an end-of-life choice. But that choice is only a real one if people know it exists.</p> <p><em>Our online resource <a href="https://end-of-life.qut.edu.au/assisteddying">End of Life Law in Australia</a> has more information about voluntary assisted dying and contact points for accessing it in each state.</em><!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/248114/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/ben-white-15387"><em>Ben White</em></a><em>, Professor of End-of-Life Law and Regulation, Australian Centre for Health Law Research, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/queensland-university-of-technology-847">Queensland University of Technology</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/lindy-willmott-15386">Lindy Willmott</a>, Professor of Law, Australian Centre for Health Law Research, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/queensland-university-of-technology-847">Queensland University of Technology</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/rachel-feeney-140352">Rachel Feeney</a>, Research Fellow, Australian Centre for Health Law Research, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/queensland-university-of-technology-847">Queensland University of Technology</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock</em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/voluntary-assisted-dying-is-legal-in-australia-but-many-of-us-dont-know-248114">original article</a>.</em></p> </div>

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How do mosquito repellents work? A chemistry expert explains

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/daniel-eldridge-1494633">Daniel Eldridge</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/swinburne-university-of-technology-767">Swinburne University of Technology</a></em></p> <p>It’s summertime, and for many of us that means plenty of time outside – and, unfortunately, mosquitoes.</p> <p>The combination of the <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-your-summer-might-be-full-of-mosquitoes-according-to-a-scientist-98369">increase in temperature and plenty of water</a> is ideal for these blood-sucking insects to make their presence felt.</p> <p>In the best-case scenario, they are a pest, delivering a highly unpleasant sting. At the other end of the spectrum, they are vectors for diseases responsible for <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/global-health/impact/fighting-the-worlds-deadliest-animal.html">more human fatalities than any other animal on Earth</a>.</p> <p>To keep them at bay, many of us will reach for the bottle of insect repellent or citronella candles in order to avoid the bite and incessant itching that comes with it. But how do these repellents actually work?</p> <h2>A complex interplay</h2> <p><a href="https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/health-technology/why-mosquitos-bite-you-and-how-make-them-stop">A great deal</a> of research has gone into understanding how and why female mosquitoes – they are the ones that bite us – are attracted to people.</p> <p>There is evidence showing they are attracted to the <a href="https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/how-mosquitoes-detect-people">carbon dioxide</a> we exhale, lactic acid found in our sweat, and a variety of other <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24315103/">skin odours</a> and <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6482070/">volatile compounds</a> we give off. The interplay between all these factors is quite <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8906108/">complex</a>.</p> <p>To ward off mosquitoes, physical barriers such as netting make for the best protection. However, while you might put netting around a backdoor patio and barbecue, doing this for any large space is simply not practical.</p> <p>This is where repellents come in.</p> <h2>DEETerrent</h2> <p>There are a variety of mosquito repellents available.</p> <p>The most tried-and-true products are based on a substance called N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide, more commonly referred to as DEET.</p> <p>This molecule has been commercially available since 1957, <a href="https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2018/05/17/protecting-military-flying-foes">after the United States military discovered</a> it was an effective insect repellent.</p> <p>DEET is often used as a <a href="https://www.consumerreports.org/health/insect-repellent/how-safe-is-deet-insect-repellent-safety-a4952100929/">point of comparison</a> for <a href="https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa011699">studies</a> investigating alternatives. <a href="https://scijournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ps.5476?casa_token=prUg_pX7fjAAAAAA%3AuEKT5PGXWU1mO4fakwQ9NSEY-0uVYBEz25zWxXjMOp5AxX5UFWENJc1UF_JdsKA45x3sSHpmJSLJSwM">Studies show that</a>, provided they are used according to direction, <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4041896/">DEET products are safe and effective</a>.</p> <p>For example, it is recommended that when required, <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9458079/">sunscreen is applied</a> before the repellent. DEET products are not recommended for infants.</p> <p>The exact mechanism by which DEET repels mosquitoes and other insects is <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19336934.2015.1079360#d1e132">still explored</a> <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13258-020-00991-z">today</a>.</p> <p>Many studies link its success to mosquitoes having receptors that sense the presence of DEET, deterring them from closely approaching our skin. Some investigations suggest that when DEET is detected, it <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18339904/">inhibits mosquitoes’ attraction</a> to us, while others show evidence that mosquitoes “<a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2518096/pdf/zpq13598.pdf">smell and avoid</a>” DEET.</p> <p>There are also numerous reports demonstrating mosquitoes don’t bite when they <a href="https://www.cell.com/current-biology/pdfExtended/S0960-9822(19)30402-6">land on</a> DEET-treated skin. This is because DEET acts as a contact-based repellent and conveys a chemical message to mosquitoes to leave. <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19336934.2015.1079360">Studies</a> <a href="https://www.cell.com/current-biology/pdfExtended/S0960-9822(19)30402-6">suggest</a> that DEET likely works through a combination of the processes described here.</p> <h2>Effective alternatives</h2> <p>Another more recent family of mosquito repellent products rely on an active ingredient called picaridin (or icaridin).</p> <p>The current consensus is that picaridin products are safe, and highly effective. For many, they are considered appealing as they <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0190962207014673?casa_token=zzPMhkW9QtIAAAAA:Euk6hjWnuiem6OAq020Xv0Pu70K7LfN_siLGcK1DIyOZn-mbH7U9tKK115rAK0rYbWQ2oaMGfg#bib49">don’t have as strong a scent</a> as DEET.</p> <p>Picaridin products have been reported to be <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4270489/">equally effective</a> as DEET, or in some cases, even <a href="https://academic.oup.com/jtm/article/25/suppl_1/S10/4990399">slightly superior</a>, though the outcome depends on their concentration too.</p> <p>The other repellent regularly reported as being effective is para-menthane-3,8-diol (PMD).</p> <p>This is produced by chemical treatment of <a href="https://www.phrp.com.au/issues/december-2016-volume-26-issue-5/a-review-of-recommendations-on-the-safe-and-effective-use-of-topical-mosquito-repellents/">oil of lemon eucalyptus</a>.</p> <p>Untreated, this oil isn’t effective at repelling mosquitoes. However, <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/(SICI)1099-1573(199606)10:4%3C313::AID-PTR854%3E3.0.CO;2-O">several</a> <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1016/j.wem.2015.11.007">studies</a> have shown that PMD is an effective mosquito repellent.</p> <p>The ability of these repellents to deter mosquitoes is <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4270489/">dose</a> <a href="https://academic.oup.com/jtm/article/25/suppl_1/S10/4990399">dependent</a>.</p> <p>In all cases, it’s important that an appropriate dose is applied, with re-application sometimes required to keep protection to a maximum. The performance of these products varies according to many other variables too, including <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4270489/">the species of mosquito</a>.</p> <h2>What about citronella?</h2> <p>Citronella products, including candles and topical formulations, are popular choices for keeping mosquitoes away.</p> <p>However, in systematic testing, these <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1155/2015/361021">have been shown</a> to be <a href="https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa011699">far less effective</a> than DEET.</p> <p>Studies have also shown that <a href="https://academic.oup.com/jinsectscience/article/17/1/24/2996380?login=false">citronella candles don’t</a> <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4617422/">fend off mosquitoes</a> <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8827606/">as much</a> as you might like.</p> <p>There are many other repellent products on the market.</p> <p>Given the widespread interest in preventing mosquito bites, natural remedies abound. It’s important to recognise that natural <a href="https://academic.oup.com/jinsectscience/article/17/1/24/2996380?login=false">isn’t necessarily more effective</a> and it <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-does-a-chemical-do-addressing-misconceptions-about-chemistry-104085">isn’t necessarily safer</a>.</p> <p>In <a href="https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa011699">most reported studies</a>, DEET and picaridin are reported as having the greatest duration of protection (of the order of hours) and greatest effect on the mosquitoes. They are more thoroughly tested than many alternatives.</p> <p>When others are tested, they are often found wanting.</p> <p>One study described sound-based devices as being the repellent equivalent of <a href="https://academic.oup.com/jinsectscience/article/17/1/24/2996380?login=false">snake oil</a>. And although repellent bracelets contain working ingredients, they are largely ineffective in that form. This is because of insufficient concentrations of the active ingredient being “emitted”.</p> <p>When it comes to preventing disease transmission via mosquitoes, the <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4041896/">benefits</a> of the proven repellents far outweigh the risks.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/244403/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/daniel-eldridge-1494633">Daniel Eldridge</a>, Senior Lecturer in Chemistry, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/swinburne-university-of-technology-767">Swinburne University of Technology</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock</em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-do-mosquito-repellents-work-a-chemistry-expert-explains-244403">original article</a>.</em></p> </div>

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