Health Noise

  (First published on Maverick Life/Daily Maverick)   “A good night’s sleep is the best health insurance policy anyone can invest in.” So says Professor Matthew Walker, neuroscientist and author of the recent best seller, Why We Sleep. Regular, quality sleep is a non-negotiable for good mental and physical health.    This is especially relevant for South Africa today, where anxiety and insomnia caused by our tumultuous socio-economic conditions are epidemic. In April 2020, an online survey by the S.A. Depression and Anxiety Group showed that 55% of the respondents, a predominant number of them women, suffer from anxiety [1] . Such anxiety can cause chronic sleep deprivation and is the major cause of insomnia.   Anxiety causes a continuous release of adrenaline in the body, which triggers the fight or flight response that causes you to be unable to fall asleep or stay asleep.    The profound health benefits of a good night’s sleep have been scientifical...

    (First published on Maverick Life/DM)   Ultra-marathons are fast gaining popularity. The more brutal and extreme the race the better. Any distance longer than 42.2 km is now the benchmark, whether it is trail running or road running.    Two of South Africa’s most popular ultras, the iconic road running 90km Comrades  Marathon and the K-way SkyRun100 trail run have recently experienced a huge increase in participants.   According to Comrades race director Ronwyn James, numbers have increased by 60% in the last five years. In 2015, 16630 runners participated and in 2020 this number went up to 27626. James says media coverage has helped make the 90 km Comrades marathon a race to aspire to. Its  regarded as a bucket list event. The majority of runners do it because they want to prove that they are capable of completing South Africa’s most prestigious ultra-race also known as the ultimate human race. Recently the number of female runners ...

(First published on Maverick Life/DM)  In this Covid-era, social distancing and wearing of masks have made communication more complicated, even frustrating. Not being able to lip read or see facial expressions makes it tricky to understand what is being said.  If you frequently ask friends to repeat themselves you could be suffering from hearing loss, and you would not be alone. Research shows that hearing loss is prevalent among a third of all adults over age 65, and nearly half of those aged 75 and above.  Hearing loss is often ignored, even though there is a growing body of scientific evidence that shows that untreated hearing loss can play a significant role in the onset of dementia in older adults. Back in 2012 already, a study called ‘Hearing Loss and Incident Dementia’ and published in the US National Library of Medicine pointed out that “Hearing loss is independently associated with incident all-cause dementia. Whether hearing loss is a marker for early stage deme...

Its official! Skipping a meal adds healthy years to one’s lifespan (First published on Business Day Life/Business Day) We all dread becoming old and decrepit. But what if someone told you that you could reach a 100 and still be energetic and engaged? Now there is scientific evidence that fasting (or calorie restriction) prevents much of the deterioration associated with aging.  For centuries scientists have tried to discover why we deteriorate as we age. Although it was known that genes and lifestyle affected one’s lifespan, and how well one aged, the full story was far from understood.  Professor Ben Loos, who heads a neuro research group in the department of Physiological Sciences at the University of Stellenbosch, says that the breakthrough came in the early 2000s, when scientists developed the capability to investigate the detailed molecular biology of how cells age. Their conclusion: the way we age is greatly determined by the way in which cells dig...

We are all experiencing a mixture of feelings: frustration, loneliness, isolation, uncertainty and even fear. And while the move to Level 3 has allowed some of us to go back to work, the onset of cold, dry weather will provide just the conditions COVID-19 is said to prefer. And the annual flu season is upon us.  No surprise, then, that experts are recommending that we redouble our efforts to stay mentally and physically healthy.  Nola Dippenaar, Professor Emeritus at the University of Pretoria’s Medical School and owner of Health Insight, believes that our choices directly determine our present and future health.  She believes that most COVID-19-positive people experience mild or no symptoms because they have a healthy immune system. By contrast, high morbidity is associated with weakened immune systems due to pre-existing conditions, particularly when combined with old age.  Building up one’s immune system starts with a balanced diet, at least 3...

Why maintaining even some fitness routine is important   (First published on: Maverick Life/Daily Maverick:  28 April 2020) The benefits of exercise are well-known: it builds immunity as well as improves our general sense of well-being by reducing anxiety. And even during lockdown, it’s worth trying to keep working out. But what effect could a drop in our fitness regime have on the overall goals we had achieved? Research suggests that exercise is not only associated with overall physical health but also improves mental health. In the USA a Lancet survey conducted between 2011 and 2015 among 2.1 million individuals over 18 years, found that those who did moderate exercise three to five time per week were 43.2% less likely to suffer from anxiety and depression compared to those who did not exercise. Professor Ross Tucker a Cape Town-based sport scientist, recently spoke about the benefits of detraining or diminished training during lockdown in an online prese...

End diet derangement syndrome Confused about which diet to follow? Tired of contradictory advice? One approach seems to have the thumbs-up from most experts.  By Iza Trengove Trying—and failing—to shift those extra kilos, no matter how hard you try? Some experts now say that your brain simply has its own sense of what your body weight should be, and programs the body to return to this “set point”, no matter how much exercise we do or what diet we follow.  Needless to say, these experts have advice about how to coach your brain and body to accept a new “set point”.  This new (and discouraging) concept joins the plethora of contradictory and confusing diets out there, contributing to the feeling that the decks are unfairly stacked against the poor dieter.  Some say the key is to count calories and eat six small meals day. Others insist a high-fat low-carbohydrate (HFLC ) diet is the ultimate weight loss strategy. And then there is the bunny-hugging...