Health / Wellness

Going to the toilet should be a straightforward affair – go to the toilet, sit down, do your business and away you go. However according to microbiologist and author of Charming Bowels it seems we shouldn’t actually be sitting but squatting when we’re on the loo. Enders cites numerous studies ...

Headphone-related hearing loss Remember when your parents used to yell, “Turn it down”? With headphones, that’s no longer necessary but, according to the journal Pediatrics, more than 12 per cent of children suffer from noise-inducedhearing loss due to hazardous levels of noise. And it’s simply a matter of volume. Experts ...

Owning a property is often referred to as the great Australian dream, and it’s widely seen as a sign of success, a path to a better life. It’s also a very hot topic. For every three properties in Australia, one is owned outright and doesn’t have a mortgage, another is ...

Who doesn’t love the thrill of a secret? From a social perspective, a secret is simply information that’s not common knowledge. It may have an air of mystery or gossip-inducing connotations, usually negative. However, from a scientific perspective, a secret is hard to define. As you process the information, a ...

Guaraná and caffeine Guaraná contains caffeine, the stimulant found in coffee, tea, yerba mate, colas and chocolate. “Guaraná also contains a whole mix of other compounds that act together to stimulate you over and above itscaffeine content,” says Professor Stephen Myers, Director of NatMed-Research at Southern Cross University. In fact, ...

Ask the average gym-going, sport-playing teenage boy if he knows any peers who’ve taken steroids and chances are he’ll say yes. Performance and image-enhancing drugs (PIEDs) are no longer the sole domain of the professional or elite sportsperson and body builder. They’re being used and abused at a grassroots, suburban ...

Exercise, nutritious food and plenty of sleep are the obvious building blocks for good health, but “me-time” is another essential. What works for you will be different to what works for someone else, but one thing is consistent: Failing to take that time will not only make you unpleasant to ...

What is osteopenia? Osteopenia is a condition in which your bone mineral density is lower than normal, resulting in a weaker skeletal system. It’s one step shy ofosteoporosis, which can cause debilitating bone fractures, particularly later in life, and experts say it should be treated as an early warning sign. ...

Even though many prescription medicines in Australia are covered by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS), the cost can add up – especially if you’re taking more than one medicine over a long period. “Every day, people come into our pharmacies with four or five items on the prescription, but they ...

With the daily grind of work and responsibilities, who has time to see theflowers growing through the pavement? The busyness of life can cause us to adopt a tunnel vision, and this narrowed view makes us focused on getting to work as quickly as possible with minimal interaction with the ...