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3 cholesterol myths debunked

<p>For years, cholesterol has been seen as the villain in your diet – responsible for many of the health woes people experience daily. But many of the “facts” about cholesterol are actually just misconceptions. So let’s clear up some of these myths now.</p> <p>As with everything to do with your diet, any major changes should be made in consultation with your healthcare professional or a nutritionist to make sure it’s right for you.</p> <p><strong>Cholesterol is bad for you</strong></p> <p>Just like cake, cholesterol should be enjoyed in moderation. Interestingly, it actually performs many important functions. It helps produce cell membranes, vitamin D, hormones, and helps with digestion. It also plays a role in helping to form memories.</p> <p>And, believe it or not, cholesterol is naturally created by your body. So most of the cholesterol in your bloodstream is not there because of your diet.</p> <p><strong>Eggs are the enemy</strong></p> <p>People with high cholesterol levels used to be advised to avoid eating too many eggs, but they’ve recently been put back on the “safe list.” Research at Yale University actually showed that even people with coronary heart disease could eat two eggs each day for six weeks without any effect on their cholesterol levels.</p> <p><strong>Low-fat diets are the best</strong></p> <p>While saturated fats do increase the “bad” cholesterol (LDL), it also increases the levels of “good” cholesterol (HDL). A study published in Annals of Internal Medicine showed no link between the consumption of saturated fats and an increased risk of heart attacks.</p> <p>Foods that are high or low in saturated fat can have a positive, negative, or neutral effect on your body – it all depends on the type of food. A diet that is low in carbohydrates is more effective at raising the levels of “good” cholesterol in your system.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images </em></p>

Body

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Nat Barr debunks the "strange" rumour about her and Kochie

<p>Nat Barr is no stranger to the rumour mill churning out outrageous accusations about her private life and relationships. </p> <p>One such rumour about her relationship with her former <em>Sunrise</em> co-host Kochie has prompted her to speak out and dispel the baseless claim.</p> <p>Chatting candidly with <a href="https://au.lifestyle.yahoo.com/sunrises-nat-barr-addresses-strange-rumour-about-her-and-kochie-060124836.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>Yahoo Lifestyle</em></a>, Nat laughed as she admitted she had seen a rumour that her and Kochie were more than just colleagues. </p> <p>She said, "That I was on with Kochie, we've all been on with Kochie according to the rumour mill!"</p> <p>She continued: "There's lots of weird rumours like that – that we all hate each other, there's lots of rumours that, you know, obviously we must all hate each other. I don't think people believe all that stuff, that whole clickbait thing."</p> <p>While Barr admits she has seen her fair share of strange rumours about herself online, she is not one to complain about them. </p> <p>"[There have been] a few strange ones, but I don't really like to complain about what's written about us, because we have great jobs," she said.</p> <p>"I feel really lucky to have got this job and to still be doing this job, and to be waking up every morning and doing something I love. And to be covering news stories and bringing it to the viewers."</p> <p>She added, "The viewers are the most important people in the room, the people sitting at home, watching and giving us their time every day. That's the most important thing. That's number one in our book."</p> <p><em>Image credits: Sunrise </em></p>

TV

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Doctor debunks air fryer myth

<p>Air fryers have become somewhat of a commodity in many kitchens worldwide, with them rising in popularity over the past few years, so news that they could be damaging to our health may cause quite a stir.</p> <p>However, similar to how uncredited information seems to circle the internet, a doctor has told viewers not to take the latest warnings over “toxic” air fryers too seriously.</p> <p>One online user posted a TikTok claiming they had found out "air fryers were toxic because of the material used”, so UK doctor Karan Raj decided to weigh in on the matter.</p> <p>"The biggest worry from fear mongers centres around the non-stick materials used, also known as forever chemicals,” he said in a clip that’s since raked in over a million views.</p> <p>"Forever chemicals” earned the name because they don’t break down in the environment or in our bodies. Also known as PFAS, they are resistant to water, grease, and heat and are found in a number of everyday products such as food packaging, cosmetics, clothing and toilet paper.</p> <p>"Fun fact, every time you sit down to eat microplastics fall from the air and land in your food, or are already part of your food," he explained.</p> <p>The issue of “toxic” chemicals leeching into your food from cooking in an air fryer "is only really an issue if the air fryer is damaged,” Dr Raj added.</p> <p>It is recommended to minimise how much damage and scratching there is to the non-stick coating of the fryer so the chemicals don’t get into your food.</p> <p>"Clean it safely, avoid using abrasive scrubbing tools, use wood or silicone utensils and use liners," he said.</p> <p>"And if you're really worried about the non-stick coating, you can use a ceramic or stainless steel air fryer.”</p> <p>People in the comments thanked him for the explanation. " Some people will trust anyone EXCEPT actual Doctors,” one user teased.</p> <p>Dr Raj went on to ask his followers what their favourite meal to cook in an air fryer was, adding, "Air fried chips just taste special".</p> <p><em>Image credit: TikTok</em></p>

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4 debunked movie plot holes

<p>Movie watchers love to scrutinise over the meaning, inconsistencies and crucial elements of films. It’s part of the fun of watching a movie and makes for entertaining conversations amongst friends. Even film directors are aware of this level of analysis with David Fincher once saying he is sad for those who “go through movies and look for inconsistencies and continuity errors.”</p> <p>Here are some of the most iconic movie plot holes that have been debunked through endless re-watching and sleuthing.</p> <p><strong>1.<em> Titanic</em></strong></p> <p>The age-old question is why didn’t Rose let Jack onto the door with her in the water? This movie plot hole is so famous that an entire <em>Mythbusters</em> episode was dedicated to figuring out the truth. Rose’s virtue has been defended as when the lovebirds first went into the sea they tried to both get onto the door only to have it keep knocking one or both of them off. The consensus is that there wouldn’t be enough buoyancy for two of them to occupy the piece of wood. And then we all know how the story ends, Jack sacrifices his life and Rose faces years of people being annoyed at her “hogging” the floating wood.</p> <p><strong>2. <em>Raiders of the Lost Ark</em></strong></p> <p><em>Raiders of the Lost Ark</em> has been caught up in a debacle because Indiana essentially helps the Nazis on their quest to find the Ark, while their face-melting fate was sealed whether he was there or not. This has been defended because Indiana’s primary job is to recover the Ark and return it to its home. If he wasn’t there, it would’ve remained in German hands. </p> <p><strong>3. <em>Citizen Kane</em></strong></p> <p><em>Citizen Kane</em> has gone down in cinematic history as one of the greatest movies ever made. However, one popular fault that is brought up time and time again is when Kane says “rosebud” it appears as if no one is around to hear and thus there is no catalyst for the plot. It has been observed that Kane’s butler was the one to hear him utter the word and it is later revealed in an interview with his erstwhile employee that Raymond was with him in his last moments. Even if it wasn’t the case, the acoustics could be really good in the big house!</p> <p><strong>4.<em> The Sixth Sense</em></strong></p> <p>The twist at the end of <em>The Sixth Sense</em> where Bruce Willis’ Dr Malcolm Crowe discovers he was dead the whole time ruffled a few feathers. This concept of ghosts is actually introduced throughout the narrative as it is explained that ghosts often don’t come to terms with their fate immediately, even creating their own reality and “living” as normal. Following that line of logic, he wouldn’t have had the revelation of his death until it occurs in the movie.</p> <p><em>Image credit: Instagram</em></p>

Movies

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Common retinol myth debunked by experts

<p dir="ltr">Soaking up some Vitamin D (while protecting your skin with an SPF, of course) can often bring upon a change in our daily skincare routine.</p> <p dir="ltr">As our skincare shelves undergo their spring clean, one thing will become clear: many of us will have fallen prey to a common misconception about a widely loved skincare ingredient - Retinol. </p> <p dir="ltr">The myth? You can't use Retinol in summer or when in the sun.</p> <p dir="ltr">While this is false, there are a few facts to keep in mind when stepping out into the sunshine. </p> <p dir="ltr">Retinol does make our skin more sensitive to the sun, and thus more susceptible to sun damage. </p> <p dir="ltr">But that doesn't mean we have to move it to the back of our shelf for the next 6 months, as No7 Beauty Company's Head of Science Research, Dr Mike Bell, explains. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Generally, retinol should only be used at night time and followed by a night time moisturiser and an SPF day cream in the morning, even if it is a retinol-free night.”</p> <p dir="ltr">He then goes on to explain how we can carefully choose skincare ingredients to help us in using retinol in summer. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Excellent complementary ingredients can either work alongside retinol in enhancing the rejuvenating benefits, or by supporting skin's tolerance to retinol in the form of calming ingredients, or barrier strengthening ingredients.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Some of the key ingredients Dr. Mike Bell references include Vitamin C, Bisabol, Niacinamide and Ceramides. </p> <p dir="ltr">He also explains that when using retinol, at any time of the year, you should avoid using physical and chemical exfoliants.</p> <p dir="ltr">No7 has developed a top-tier range of Retinol products to help you continue on your Retinol journey in summer, to keep your skin looking youthful and rejuvenated. </p> <p dir="ltr">The <a href="https://www.priceline.com.au/no7-pure-retinol-0-3-night-concentrate-30-ml">No7 Pure Retinol 0.3% Night Concentrate</a> is a perfect everyday product for the warmer months, while <a href="https://www.priceline.com.au/no7-1-pure-retinol-night-concentrate-30-ml">No7 1% Pure Retinol Night Concentrate</a> is a stronger working retinol product, best for restoring radiance of retinol-using pros. </p> <p dir="ltr">Lastly, the <a href="https://www.priceline.com.au/no7-pure-retinol-post-retinol-soother-50-ml">No7 Pure Retinol Post Retinol Soother</a> is a game-changing necessity for summer months, containing Niacinamide, Bisabolol and Ceramides to leave your skin feeling nourished and calm. </p> <p dir="ltr">The entire No7 range is available exclusively at <a href="https://www.priceline.com.au/brand/no7">Priceline</a>. </p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

Beauty & Style

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Janet Jackson debunks decades-old rumour

<p dir="ltr">Janet Jackson has debunked rumours that she had a secret child with James DeBarge in the 1980s in a preview clip for her upcoming documentary,<span> </span><em>Janet.</em></p> <p dir="ltr">The rumour that the 55-year-old singer, who has a 4-year-old son Eissa with ex-husband Wissam Al Amana, had a secret child in the 1980s has followed her for years, and the performer and member of the legendary Jackson family has finally put it to bed.</p> <p dir="ltr">Allegedly, Jackson had a child with then-husband James DeBarge, but gave it to her brother Jackie to raise. In addition, there were rumours that her nieces Brandy and Stevanna were actually her daughters because they look like her.</p> <p dir="ltr">In a clip from the documentary, Janet said, "Back in the day they were saying that I had a child and I kept it secret. I could never keep a child away from James. How could I keep a child from their father? I could never do that, that's not right."</p> <p dir="ltr">Jackson believes the rumours stemmed from her weight gain as a result of taking birth control pills while filming the TV show<span> </span><em>Fame,<span> </span></em>saying, "A lot of the kids thought I was pregnant, 'cause I had gained weight, and I had started taking birth control pills. And back then, you could pick up weight taking them, and that's what happened to me. So that rumour started going around."</p> <p dir="ltr">Jackson was just 18 when she married DeBarge in 1984, and though he was a “sweet guy”, she blamed his drug use for their marriage being annulled after just one year. SHe said of their wedding night, “When we got married and came back to the hotel he said, 'OK, I'll be right back. And I'm sitting in the hotel room in Grand Rapids, Michigan by myself, just 18, and for three hours, he never came back.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I don't know, maybe it's this person in me that wants to help people subconsciously. When it comes to relationships, somehow I'm attracted to people that use drugs."</p> <p dir="ltr">Jackson described spending many nights searching the streets for DeBarge and trying to help by flushing his pills, but ultimately, she couldn’t give him the help he needed. In the documentary, she opens up, saying, "We would be rolling on the floor fighting for them. And that's not a life for anyone. I sit and I say, 'Were you stupid, were you dumb?' But it wasn't that. I cared so much for him, and I saw the good in him as well and I just wanted that to take precedence as opposed to this ugliness. 'Cause I knew that he needed help. But I wasn't the help that he needed.</p> <p dir="ltr">"I was just incredibly innocent. That's the thing, is the innocence. And it's just hurtful for someone to see that and just try to take advantage of it ... It's still painful."</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Gabriel Olsen/FilmMagic</em></p>

Family & Pets

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Another sexist biological hypothesis debunked

<p>For over a century, the idea of ‘<a rel="noopener" href="https://www.pnas.org/content/118/23/e2026112118" target="_blank">greater male variability</a>’ has been used by some biologists to explain why there are more male CEOs and political leaders than female, among other things. But a <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://doi.org/10.1111/brv.12818" target="_blank">meta-analysis</a> in <em>Biological Reviews</em> has challenged this idea, finding that, in animals, greater male variability doesn’t seem to exist at all.</p> <p>“It’s easier to think of variability as like a spectrum or range,” explains lead author Lauren Harrison, a PhD student in biology at the Australian National University.</p> <p>“If you think about personalities, for example, we all fall somewhere along a spectrum that ranges from very introverted at one end, to very extroverted at the other. And so, variability is a measure of how spread out our values are altogether.”</p> <p>In 1871, Charles Darwin suggested that, in general, male animals had more variability in their traits than female animals, possibly because of sexual selection.</p> <p>The idea was almost immediately adopted by some scientists and non-scientists to explain that, because males were more variable than females, there must therefore be more ‘exceptional’ men, justifying their superior role in society. The concept has never been without its challengers, particularly among female scientists, but it’s remained pervasive.</p> <p>Harrison, along with colleagues at ANU, went looking for evidence of this hypothesis. She examined over 10,000 published papers from database searches on the topic, eventually narrowing the field down to 204 relevant studies on animal behaviour, covering 220 species (but not humans).</p> <p>Simply finding these 204 relevant studies was an effort. “I think it took me the better part of three months,” says Harrison. “And that was all that I was doing.”</p> <p>Once these papers were collected, the researchers used their data to examine five key behavioural traits in animals: boldness, aggressiveness, exploration, sociability and activity.</p> <div class="newsletter-box"> <div id="wpcf7-f6-p178706-o1" class="wpcf7"> <p style="display: none !important;"> </p> <!-- Chimpmail extension by Renzo Johnson --></div> </div> <p>And their results? “We found no evidence of greater male variability,” says Harrison.</p> <p>“So really, is it as general as we think? No, it’s not. So maybe it is easier to disprove than we think.”</p> <p>While their research didn’t include humans, Harrison says they’d be surprised to find the results differed there.</p> <p>“Our species covered things from dolphins to little beetles and everything in between. Fish, reptiles, birds, and even primates.</p> <p>“Finding no greater male variability across such a broad number of species shows that, well, in animals, we don’t really see this trend. So if we do see a trend in humans, maybe we need to ask ourselves why we’re so different – what would be causing these differences between men and women?”</p> <p>Current research on human variability hasn’t yielded heaps of evidence for this trend.</p> <p>“It’s all quite conflicting,” says Harrison.</p> <p>“Sometimes they find greater female variability [in humans], greater male variability or no differences. So I wouldn’t really say it’s a very well proven hypothesis at all.”</p> <p>She adds that this research is another indicator that social differences between men and women are more likely to have <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/people/culture/gender-stereotypes-stem-girls-participation/" target="_blank">cultural</a>, than biological, origins.</p> <p>“Instead of using biology to explain why there are more male CEOs or professors, we have to ask what role culture and upbringing play in pushing men and women down different pathways.”</p> <!-- Start of tracking content syndication. Please do not remove this section as it allows us to keep track of republished articles --> <p><img id="cosmos-post-tracker" style="opacity: 0; height: 1px!important; width: 1px!important; border: 0!important; position: absolute!important; z-index: -1!important;" src="https://syndication.cosmosmagazine.com/?id=178706&amp;title=Greater+Male+Variability+hypothesis+challenged" alt="" width="1" height="1" /></p> <!-- End of tracking content syndication --> <div id="contributors"> <p><em><a rel="noopener" href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/science/biology/greater-male-variability-hypothesis-challenged-in-new-meta-study/" target="_blank">This article</a> was originally published on <a rel="noopener" href="https://cosmosmagazine.com" target="_blank">Cosmos Magazine</a> and was written by <a rel="noopener" href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/contributor/ellen-phiddian" target="_blank">Ellen Phiddian</a>. Ellen Phiddian is a science journalist at Cosmos. She has a BSc (Honours) in chemistry and science communication, and an MSc in science communication, both from the Australian National University.</em></p> <p><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p> </div>

Relationships

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Five back pain myths debunked

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">When it comes to back pain, our knowledge of it has grown and changed a lot in recent decades. But this means that there is just much outdated knowledge still out there.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ken Niere, a specialist musculoskeletal physiotherapist from the Australian Physiotherapy Association, is busting seven common myths he hears in practice.</span></p> <p><strong>1. Back pain requires extended rest</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Though bed rest was often prescribed to those with back pain, Niere says continuing your daily activities is better for you.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Many years ago, people would be in hospital for weeks because they had acute back pain,” he says.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“But they’d just become deconditioned - they would get better quicker if they were out moving around and exercising.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Though it is important to not push yourself before you have recovered, especially if you have a lot of pain, Niere recommends a maximum of two days of bed rest so your recovery isn’t jeopardised.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“You also don’t want to do too much too early - you’ve got to respect the pain, but it’s important to do normal activities of daily living as long as it doesn’t flare up,” he says.</span></p> <p><strong>2. Back pain means spine damage</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Since pain is a complex bodily function, many patients are confused when they learn that the tears or fractures they swear they have do not show up on X-rays and scans.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“There’s not a good correlation between lower back pain and the imaging results,” Niere says.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“People think, ‘If my pain is severe, then the damage must be severe as well’, but that’s often not the case.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The amount of pain we can tolerate also differs, meaning that it is often disproportionate to the amount of damage.</span></p> <p><strong>3. Back pain always come from your back</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">While we might assume a sore back means that it’s the source of our pain, Niere says it often comes from tightness or damage in another part of the body.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“It might be tight hamstrings; or an arthritic hip that’s causing mechanical strain on the back, which then causes pain; or that their core muscle control is not good and that’s causing more strain on the joints and ligaments, which is causing the pain,” Niere says.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Determining the cause of back pain often requires an examination from a physio, where they consider whether habits or activities that occurred before the pain started are the culprit.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“It might be postural or inappropriate activity, or that someone spent three days in the garden and they’re not used to that amount of activity,” he says.</span></p> <p><strong>4. Once a bad back, always a bad back</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Though back pain does have a high recurrence rate, Niere says it’s often because the pain isn’t managed well from the start.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“There’s something like an 80 percent recurrence rate in 12 to 24 months [but] it goes back to them not looking at the underlying cause of the pain,” he says.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“They treat the symptoms with rest of mediation and their pain settles down, but if their sitting posture or their tight hamstrings keeps putting strain on the back and they don’t address the underlying cause, then of course it will come back.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But, it is possible to have a good turn-around by adopting a good program and addressing any contributing factors.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sometimes you might need to address psychological factors too, where being convinced that you have a ‘bad back’ could contribute to the pain returning.</span></p> <p><strong>5. Massages fix back pain</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">When back pain starts, the first thought for many people might be finding the nearest massage shop to get some relief.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Although manual therapy can offer temporary relief, Niere says it’s still important to deal with the issue that caused the pain in the first place.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“It can be a bit like taking Panadol, which will give you some short-term relief, but may not necessarily address the underlying causes,” he says.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I would be careful about only having passive therapies, whether it’s heat or manual therapy - they address the symptoms, but not necessarily the underlying causes.”</span></p>

Body

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50 or over? Here are five fitness myths debunked

<h2>Myth: I’m inflexible, and I have to accept that</h2> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Many people say they're inflexible, but what they really mean is that their body is tight. Although our genes play a role in how well your body can bend and stretch, you can improve on what you've inherited by adding regular stretching or yoga to your routine. Need more convincing?</span></p> <p><a href="https://www.readersdigest.com.au/news-articles/could-you-hold-this-yoga-pose-if-your-life-depended-on-it"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Could you hold this yoga pose if your life depended on it? Read on to find out.</span></a></p> <h2>Myth: I’m injured – I should wait to start working out</h2> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Doctors encourage people with hip or knee replacements to start moving as soon as possible; the reason is that keeping circulation strong and active can help speed healing. So if you have an injury, talk to your doctor or work with a trained professional to get back on your feet. “There is plenty of research that indicates a substantial pain benefit from starting a basic exercise program,” says McCann. “Improving strength and flexibility helps reduce joint irritability and improves joint lubrication.” He points to research demonstrating that exercise can reduce the psychological and emotional stress that can exacerbate pain.</span></p> <p><a href="https://www.readersdigest.com.au/news-articles/15-things-you-need-to-know-about-knee-replacement"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Here are some important things to know about knee replacements.</span></a></p> <h2>Myth: High-intensity interval training is dangerous</h2> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Time and time again, research has demonstrated that high-intensity interval training (HIIT) is one of the most effective ways to get in shape. If you’re uncertain about this technique, sign up with a fitness professional to ensure success, Jones says, but remember that it’s a form of training that can be effective for people of all ages. “HIIT has even shown to be helpful for people that have heart disease and diabetes.”</span></p> <p><a href="https://www.readersdigest.com.au/news-articles/the-at-home-hiit-workout-you-can-do-every-day"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Don’t miss this at-home HIIT workout you can do every day.</span></a></p> <h2>Myth: Squats will wreck my knees</h2> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">There’s a reason so many trainers say their favourite exercise is a squat. “Properly performed squats will not result in knee pain or injury – they’re one of the staples of a well-rounded exercise program that can help you get a stronger lower body,” says physiotherapist, Christina Prevett.</span></p> <h2>Myth: I can’t exercise, I have ‘bone on bone’ arthritis.</h2> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“We need to think of arthritis like grey hair – it’s a part of the aging process,” says Prevett. “That said, studies looking at people with no pain in their knees have found signs of ‘bone on bone’ arthritis. Many people with signs of arthritis on an X-ray report no pain in their knees. So you can exercise, even if you have arthritis. It will not accelerate the development of arthritis, especially if you exercise under the guidance of a well-trained healthcare provider or fitness professional.” It’s also worth mentioning that keeping your weight in check is one of the ways to ease arthritis symptoms.</span></p> <p><a href="https://www.readersdigest.com.au/news-articles/5-arthritis-myths-busted"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Read on for some surprising arthritis facts.</span></a></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Written by S</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">haron Feiereisen</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">. This article first appeared in </span><a href="https://www.readersdigest.com.au/healthsmart/over-50-here-are-15-fitness-myths-you-shouldnt-believe?pages=1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Reader’s Digest</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> For more of what you love from the world’s best-loved magazine, </span><a href="http://readersdigest.innovations.com.au/c/readersdigestemailsubscribe?utm_source=over60&amp;utm_medium=articles&amp;utm_campaign=RDSUB&amp;keycode=WRA93V"><span style="font-weight: 400;">here’s our best subscription offer.</span></a></em></p>

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Debunked: What you thought WRONG about cruising

<p>We’ve all been there: in the middle of an argument it suddenly dawns on you that, no matter what you say or do, your opponent is going to take the win. Not because they’ve used reason and logic to secure their triumph but because they have an insatiable need to Always. Be. Right.</p> <p>It can be incredibly frustrating to enter into an argument with a person like this, but this character flaw can be managed. Remember, a person’s constant need to be right is most certainly masking their desperate fear of being wrong, and in the end, that fear is driving them to prevail by any means necessary. Try these tips to make these arguments and conflicts as painless as possible.</p> <p><strong>They’re crowded and ‘touristy’</strong></p> <p>As the world shrinks, new and unique travel experiences are increasingly harder to come by.</p> <p>Cruise ships are adapting to these demands, creating never-before-seen itineraries that leave the crowds far behind.</p> <p>Trace the forgotten Spice Route, through ancient jungles and along white beaches, past crumbling monasteries and deserted cave temples, backwater fishing villages and local bazaars.</p> <p>Discover Namibia’s German heritage, Benin’s voodoo traditions and Ghana’s dark slavery sites.</p> <p>Visit nomadic communities in Madagascar and venture out to tiny Pacific islands, where some of the world’s most fascinating indigenous cultures can still be found.</p> <p><strong>It’s boring being stuck at sea</strong></p> <p>Because you can align your cruise to your interests so perfectly these days, if you’re bored on a cruise it’s because you’ve picked the wrong one.</p> <p>Choose the right cruise and you can finally do all those things you’ve always wanted to as you drift between destinations.</p> <p>Think scuba diving or wine tasting, photography or yoga.</p> <p>Some ships have theme parks, water slides and zip lines, and you can skydive without even going ashore.</p> <p><strong>Isn’t the food a little dull?</strong></p> <p>Bland buffets are a thing of the past.</p> <p>Today’s cruises serve up a treat for all the senses.</p> <p>Embark on excursions to local markets, ranches and farms to source fresh ingredients for cooking classes back on board.</p> <p>You can hop aboard cruise and enjoy world-class menus from famous chefs such as Curtis Stone, gastropub guru Ernesto Uchimura and many more.</p> <p><strong>I’ll have to get used to seasickness</strong></p> <p>Unlike that little old sailboat in the marina, cruise ships, large or small, are equipped with specialised stabilisers that take almost all of the motion out of the ocean.</p> <p>Once settled on board, you’re likely to forget you’re even afloat.</p> <p>Booking a cabin in the middle of a deck and lower in the ship, at its natural balance point, can help settle any pre-cruise fears further, despite it being extremely unlikely you will become seasick aboard in the first place.</p> <p><em>Written by Shanell Mouland. Republished with permission of <a href="https://www.wyza.com.au/articles/travel/5-cruise-myths-debunked/page/6">Wyza.com.au.</a></em></p> <p><em> </em></p>

Cruising

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New study debunks ‘crazy cat lady’ myth

<p><span>Cat owners have long been stereotyped as depressed, anxious, and solitary, preferring the company of animals to humans – however, a new <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.181555">study</a> published in the <em>Royal Society Open Science</em> discovered that the stereotypical “crazy cat lady” simply does not exist.</span></p> <p><span>Researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) analysed more than 500 people and found that cat owners have the same levels of loneliness, depression and anxiety as everyone else, including dog owners and those who have no pets.</span></p> <p><span>“We found no evidence to support the ‘cat lady’ stereotype: cat-owners did not differ from others on self-reported symptoms of depression, anxiety or their experiences in close relationships,” the study said.</span></p> <p><span>Pet owners were also more likely to be distressed by a cat’s meow or a dog’s whimper. In particular, the researchers found that a crying dog’s effect on the people surveyed was nearly identical to that of a crying human baby.</span></p> <p><span>“These sounds are very effective at capturing our attention. If you find yourself responding very strongly, that’s natural,” Christine Parsons, a co-author of the study and associate professor of the Interacting Minds Center at Aarhus University in Denmark told <a href="https://www.insider.com/crazy-cat-lady-stereotype-myth-according-to-science-2019-8"><em>Insider</em></a><em>.</em></span></p> <p><span>“They have a really evocative signal and that makes sense. Cats will be OK without humans, but domesticated dogs absolutely rely on us for everything — they need us for survival.”</span></p>

Mind

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3 travel myths debunked

<p>The world of travel has changed quite a bit over the years, with many tips and tricks people used to rely on to nab bargain deals, now being made redundant. Which is why you should be wary when someone gives advice on how to travel the world for a much more affordable price tag.</p> <p>Here are some top myths debunked</p> <p><strong>Myth 1: Booking directly with the airline gets you the cheapest deal</strong></p> <p>Not true. If you end up doing thorough research, you may find that it’s better to fly from Sydney to Brisbane with Jetstar and return with Tiger Airways. Mixing up your airlines is a great way to ensure you get the best deal, and besides, when you book directly with the airline, you’re unable to compare prices which is why an online comparison tool is a must.</p> <p><strong>Myth 2: Buying a round trip will ensure a better price</strong></p> <p>Not all the time. While this used to be true, most airlines now sell their one-way fares for exactly half the price of a return ticket.</p> <p>There are exceptions though, such as Qantas who offer a more affordable rate on their round-trip fares.</p> <p><strong>Myth 3: If you book on a Tuesday, you’ll get a cheaper price</strong></p> <p>False. Back in the days people used to believe that airlines would announce their best deals on a Monday, which meant Tuesday was the best time to book flights.</p> <p>Now, airlines announce deals at different days and times, so if you want to grab yourself a bargain then sign up to alerts from deal hunting websites.</p>

Travel Tips

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5 cruise myths debunked

<p>When we travel, we experience the unfamiliar, dust away ‘the ordinary’ from our lives and shake off preconceptions we’ve gathered along the way.<br /><br />Yet, when it comes to cruises, many of us cling to preconceptions.<br /><br />However, today’s cruise ships are filled with unusual quirks, ready for every kind of modern adventurer. So we’re here to take you on a journey across the seven seas.</p> <p><strong>1. Cruises are for ‘oldies’ and are just plain old-fashioned</strong></p> <p>If you still believe this, chances are you’re not as with the times as you might like to think.</p> <p>Many cruise liners are trading in feather-flapping cabarets and dinners at the captain’s table for rockclimbing, assault courses and simulation surfing.</p> <p>In fact, cruises are swiftly becoming hubs of cutting-edge digital innovation.</p> <p>Robot bartenders shake and stir guests’ cocktails aboard select ships; free smartphone apps onboard have become de rigueur; and one liner recently launched a tech-bracelet with more than 130 smart features, including an app enabling you to tailor your cruise every step of the way for a truly 21st-century experience.</p> <p><strong>2. They’re crowded and ‘touristy’</strong></p> <p>As the world shrinks, new and unique travel experiences are increasingly harder to come by.</p> <p>Cruise ships are adapting to these demands, creating never-before-seen itineraries that leave the crowds far behind.</p> <p>Trace the forgotten Spice Route, through ancient jungles and along white beaches, past crumbling monasteries and deserted cave temples, backwater fishing villages and local bazaars.</p> <p>Discover Namibia’s German heritage, Benin’s voodoo traditions and Ghana’s dark slavery sites.</p> <p>Visit nomadic communities in Madagascar and venture out to tiny Pacific islands, where some of the world’s most fascinating indigenous cultures can still be found.</p> <p><strong>3. It’s boring being stuck at sea</strong></p> <p>Because you can align your cruise to your interests so perfectly these days, if you’re bored on a cruise it’s because you’ve picked the wrong one.</p> <p>Choose the right cruise and you can finally do all those things you’ve always wanted to as you drift between destinations.</p> <p>Think scuba diving or wine tasting, photography or yoga.</p> <p>Some ships have theme parks, water slides and zip lines, and you can skydive without even going ashore.</p> <p><strong>4. Isn’t the food a little dull?</strong></p> <p>Bland buffets are a thing of the past.</p> <p>Today’s cruises serve up a treat for all the senses.</p> <p>Embark on excursions to local markets, ranches and farms to source fresh ingredients for cooking classes back on board.</p> <p>You can hop aboard cruise and enjoy world-class menus from famous chefs such as Curtis Stone, gastropub guru Ernesto Uchimura and many more.</p> <p><strong>5. I’ll have to get used to seasickness</strong></p> <p>Unlike that little old sailboat in the marina, cruise ships, large or small, are equipped with specialised stabilisers that take almost all of the motion out of the ocean.</p> <p>Once settled on board, you’re likely to forget you’re even afloat.</p> <p>Booking a cabin in the middle of a deck and lower in the ship, at its natural balance point, can help settle any pre-cruise fears further, despite it being extremely unlikely you will become seasick aboard in the first place.</p> <p><em>Written by Reader's Digest. This article first appeared in<span> </span><a href="http://www.readersdigest.com.au/travel/5-cruise-myths-debunked">Reader’s Digest</a>. For more of what you love from the world’s best-loved magazine,<span> </span><a href="http://readersdigest.innovations.com.au/c/readersdigestemailsubscribe?utm_source=over60&amp;utm_medium=articles&amp;utm_campaign=RDSUB&amp;keycode=WRA87V">here’s our best subscription offer</a>.</em></p> <p><img style="width: 100px !important; height: 100px !important;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7820640/1.png" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/f30947086c8e47b89cb076eb5bb9b3e2" /></p>

Cruising

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15 enduring myths about life today debunked

<p>As we know, facts tend to get in the way of a good story. But gossip, rumours, scandals and old wives’ tales can be very real in the telling; and we tend to believe a lot of them until they are debunked. After all, they can be interesting, entertaining, comforting and often convincing.</p> <p>Our younger generations, especially millennials, have a blunt statement about all of this: get real! Learning to do this without sacrificing our basic values poses a challenge to us all.</p> <p>In the interest of reality — and guiding well-intentioned adults, their children and their grandchildren into the future — let’s begin by pointing out some of the myths we continue to believe as we prepare to enter the 2020s.</p> <p><strong>1. Housing is now dangerously unaffordable. </strong></p> <p>It is; but this has always been the case for newlyweds and low-income earners. Interestingly, Australia’s debt servicing ratio (interest payments as a share of disposable income) for mortgage and other debt is currently as low as it has ever been in four decades. But, yes, housing prices in Sydney and Melbourne were off the chart in 2017: a big bubble indeed.</p> <p><strong>2. The rich are getting richer, and the poor are getting poorer.</strong></p> <p>Not by much at all, in fact: The share of income and wealth held by the rich and well-off has only increased by a few per cent since the start of this century. It is also important to remember that this 40 per cent of households is paying 85 per cent of all taxes, so their wealth is being distributed.</p> <p><strong>3. We are now working harder than ever, with not enough time to scratch ourselves.</strong></p> <p>Not true. In 1800, males entered the workforce at 13 years of age and worked 65-hour weeks, clocking up 80,000 hours of paid work over 25 years, before dying at an average age of 38. Today, we still work 80,000 paid hours in a lifetime; but we work less than half as many hours per week across a longer period of 50+ years. And the hours are still falling. Most of us also have two months’ off a year via vacation, public holidays and sick leave; and we have more discretionary and leisure time than at any time in history.</p> <p><strong>4. There won’t be enough jobs in the future due to technology, robots and artificial intelligence.</strong></p> <p>Yes, there will: we are good at creating jobs. Over the past five years to 2017, we created six times more jobs (yes, six times!) than we lost. In addition to our current pool of over 12 million jobs, there are millions more in the making which will replace those lost through technology and digital disruption.</p> <p><strong>5. Marriages don’t last as long as they once did.</strong></p> <p>Surprisingly, the average length of a marriage — 20 years — has remained the same for centuries. Of course, there was a time when we didn’t live long enough (38 years) to have a divorce! Equally surprising is the fact that the divorce rate is now much lower than it was 40 years ago, with less than one per cent of marriages ending in divorce each year.</p> <p><strong>6. Crime is on the rise, especially murders.</strong></p> <p>This is, fortunately, not the case. The murder rate in Australia is not only one of the world’s lowest, at around one per 100,000 each year, but it has also fallen to record lows in recent years.</p> <p><strong>7. Speed on the road is the number one killer.</strong></p> <p>No: things like distractions, falling asleep and intoxication are.</p> <p><strong>8. We need a big population to compete in a globalising world.</strong></p> <p>No, we don’t. Some 18 of the world’s 20 highest standard of living countries have a population lower than Australia’s 25 million in 2018; and most of them house less than a third of our population. However, with so few people living in Australia at present, we will ultimately need to increase our population to justify our enormous land mass and resources in Asia. With many Asian cities already accommodating bigger populations than our entire nation, the time has come for us to share the load.</p> <p><strong>9. Immigrants take our jobs.</strong></p> <p>No, they don’t. More often than not, they take the jobs we don’t like. And if a migrant family arrives, they create a demand for more jobs than they can fill for at least five years in terms of the needed infrastructure and annual consumption expenditure.</p> <p><strong>10. Australia will run out of workers due to ageing.</strong></p> <p>No, we won’t. Being too young a population, as we were in the 19th century, was a worse problem; and to get enough workers to support the population, we needed children to start work at under 15 years of age, and often as young as 11–13 years. As this century unfolds, working beyond 65 years of age, and up to 75 or more — often on a part-time or casual basis — is a realistic expectation for a workforce where we are increasingly using our brains over brawn. (And, as we know, the only way to wear the brain out is to stop using it.)</p> <p><strong>11. We need to make things to create basic wealth.</strong></p> <p>No, we don’t. A wealth-creating industry is one which is producing products that customers actually want and are prepared to pay for, whether they are goods or services.</p> <p>Furthermore, we don’t ‘make’ things so much as we modify or convert existing things. By this definition, agriculture, mining, manufacturing and construction are all, oddly enough, service industries. Humans didn’t create the raw materials on which these industries are based, they were already here; and until governments put a price on water for its usage and taxes on minerals for their extraction, these materials are free for the taking. The term ‘goods industry’ is just a way to separate tangible from intangible products.</p> <p>These days, the Agriculture industry creates just two per cent of our GDP, and the Manufacturing industry creates less than six per cent; only eight per cent all up. In 1960, these two industries totalled 38 per cent, not eight per cent! Despite this, Australia’s standard of living (SOL) is nearly three times higher than it was at the end of the Industrial Age in the mid-1960s. If anything, our ‘service’ industries are propping up some of the ‘goods’ industries in this new century.</p> <p><strong>12. We are too-highly taxed. </strong></p> <p>No, we aren’t. Australia is one of the lowest-taxed nations among the developed countries, with taxes making up 28 per cent of our GDP. By contrast, the average taxation rate is 37 per cent, and many nations are nudging 50 per cent. This is one of the most pernicious lies being trundled out by both sides of politics in Australia.</p> <p><strong>13. The government should cut their expenditure to balance the Budget.</strong></p> <p>If they did, we would need to make sure that the government was still providing adequate support for single parents, the unemployed, the aged, the disabled or other disadvantaged citizens. But, yes, we should be getting better value for our taxes than we do. One-fifth of our GDP is produced by governments, and that sector’s productivity has been poor for decades.</p> <p><strong>14. Australia could become the food bowl of Asia.</strong></p> <p>If only — but we don’t have enough water. That said, we will probably increase our output this century fivefold, as we did in the 20th century, but that will only feed five per cent of the Asian population at the end of the 21st century.</p> <p><strong>15. Nuclear is the world’s most dangerous energy ever used.</strong></p> <p>Wood may actually have killed more people per kilowatt (kW) of energy produced (e.g. via the harvesting process, or due to fire or asphyxiation). While terrifying to most humans, nuclear energy may, ironically, be the safest energy source on the basis of deaths per kW of energy — especially considering the safeguards that are now being implemented as a result of past accidents.</p> <p><em>This is an edited extract from </em>The Future for Our Kids<em> by Phil Ruthven, available at all good book stores including Dymocks, Readings or online at <span><a href="https://www.wilkinsonpublishing.com.au/book/future-our-kids">Wilkinson Publishing</a></span>. </em></p>

Retirement Life

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Debunked: 5 myths about sex and brain power as you age

<p>People over the age of 65 make up a larger percentage of the global population than ever before. As this <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2810516/" target="_blank">ageing of society</a></strong></span> only really took off in the last century, it’s unsurprising that much of what we think we know about ageing is untrue.</p> <p>The “facts” about ageing depict people as becoming somehow less – less capable, less vibrant, less flexible, less sexual and less fulfilled. But how many of these “facts” hold up to scrutiny? Let’s investigate five common beliefs.</p> <p><strong>1. Libido and sexual activity decrease</strong></p> <p>This is not true. Hormone <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17200939" target="_blank">levels change</a></strong></span> as we age, but this doesn’t necessarily decrease libido. Indeed, for women, libido often increases <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a rel="noopener" href="http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0891243204271350" target="_blank">after the menopause</a></strong></span>.</p> <p>Older people’s <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a rel="noopener" href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00224490509552267" target="_blank">libido may be lowered by</a></strong></span> chronic illness (such as diabetes and heart disease), drug side effects (antihypertensive drugs, for example) and marital unhappiness and boredom. So decreases in sexual desire in old age are often due to events and circumstances, not to physical changes that come with age.</p> <p>Having a sexual partner, however, is <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a rel="noopener" href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00224490802624414" target="_blank">the strongest factor</a></strong></span> for determining how often older people have sex. Because <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.cairn-int.info/resume.php?ID_ARTICLE=E_RFS_512_0281" target="_blank">women tend to marry older men</a></strong></span>, who die younger, older women’s reduced sexual activity is largely due to widowhood. Again, it’s not ageing per se that lowers libido and sexual activity, but events and circumstances that typically accompany ageing.</p> <p><strong>2. Brain function decreases because of age</strong></p> <p>Not true. Our neurons <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/healthy-aging/do-brain-cells-die-age" target="_blank">work differently in older age</a></strong></span>, and older people can have difficulties with thinking and remembering. But, as with sex, these abilities are strongly influenced by our social circumstances. For example, mental abilities are closely linked to <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a rel="noopener" href="http://web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=2&amp;sid=e7bf4c96-c787-4d7a-b214-4a3810c6b17d%40sessionmgr4009" target="_blank">supportive social relationships</a></strong></span> and <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a rel="noopener" href="https://academic.oup.com/aje/article/155/12/1081/123155" target="_blank">physical and mental activity</a></strong></span>. Because we can change our social circumstances, we are likely able to offset the physical effects of ageing on our mental abilities.</p> <p>We often treat young and middle-aged people’s mental abilities as the gold standard, but this is biased and leads to false conclusions. As we get older, we may think differently and at different speeds (we have more to remember), but this doesn’t make our thinking less keen, deep, creative, productive or meaningful. After all <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a rel="noopener" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Mark_Roget" target="_blank">Peter Roget</a></strong></span> invented the thesaurus at 76 and Michelangelo drew up architectural plans for the <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a rel="noopener" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Maria_degli_Angeli_e_dei_Martiri" target="_blank">Basilica of Saint Mary of the Angels and the Martyrs</a></strong></em></span> at 88.</p> <p><strong>3. You become more conservative</strong></p> <p>Not so. Imagine ten people: one aged ten, one 20, one 30 and so on. The oldest is less liberal than the 60-year-old, who is less liberal than the 40-year-old, and so on. You might conclude people get more conservative with age. But you’d be incorrectly assuming that each person started out with the same political outlook.</p> <p>A 100-year-old woman, born in 1918, formed her baseline political opinions in a very different time. What was liberal in the 1940s is conservative now (consider race relations, feminism and sexual norms). What you’re seeing is a 100-year-old whose political opinions have become less conservative, but remain more conservative than her children’s or grandchildren’s opinions, who began their lives on a more liberal footing. This is what researchers in the US found in <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a rel="noopener" href="http://bit.ly/2rkU5MO" target="_blank">their study</a></strong></span> of political attitudes among different age groups over 30 years. They concluded that “change is as common among older adults as younger adults”.</p> <p><strong>4. You become less happy</strong></p> <p>Happily, this is untrue. As a sociologist at the University of Chicago <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a rel="noopener" href="http://www.jstor.org/stable/25472523?casa_token=IUXCvEDIsvYAAAAA:cHV1OEehEa6L46WN8k0B0L-qDfeZEIIwgC3NaXxJYUxZerVhpPiVfRwC7rCHhxPl1Sx7RPGNVxQGRWfSEKP5FQRV3q7rCn4I_Y6VjrK0vKaW1rFxr143&amp;seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents" target="_blank">found</a></strong></span>, while happiness dips between the ages of 30 to 40, “overall levels of happiness increase with age, net of other factors”.</p> <p>Why? First, younger people may be exposed to stressful events that older, retired, people are protected from, such as dips in wages or periods of unemployment. Second, the older we get, the more we tend to focus on positive memories and information, and the better we become at regulating our emotions. And this upward trend continues until we’re <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a rel="noopener" href="https://academic.oup.com/psychsocgerontology/article/65B/2/135/642926" target="_blank">“essentially dying”</a></strong></span>.</p> <p><strong>5. Your immune system weakens</strong></p> <p>It does, overall, but older people’s immune systems vary enormously. Remember the 100-year-old who become more liberal over time? She would have been 11 when the <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.amazon.com/Children-Great-Depression-25th-Anniversary/dp/0813333423" target="_blank">Great Depression</a></strong></span> began. As a result, she would probably have undergone puberty while financially, socially and nutritionally stressed. Poor nutrition would have weakened her immune system in the immediate and the longer term.</p> <p>As researchers in France have <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/proceedings-of-the-nutrition-society/article/nutritional-factors-and-immunological-ageing/450B9F02A8A3D522D0346BB2320400B4" target="_blank">found</a></strong></span>, being malnourished weakens the immune system, especially the very young and the very old, so if our 100-year-old woman was undernourished as an older woman, she’d be doubly disadvantaged on the immunity front.</p> <p>But she might also be less likely to catch a cold. We become immune for years, and sometimes even for a lifetime, to a specific virus after we are infected with it. Over time, we become immune to more and more viruses, so, the older we get, the <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a rel="noopener" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/06/science/can-immunity-to-the-common-cold-come-with-age.html" target="_blank">fewer viruses</a></strong></span> can make use sick – assuming, of course, that we’re not deluged by a mass of new viruses. Again, it’s how we connect – and have connected – with the outside world that shapes our older age.</p> <p><em>Written by Dr Dana Rosenfield. Republished with permission of <a rel="noopener" href="http://theconversation.com/" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">The Conversation</span></strong></a>. </em><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/90056/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-advanced" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p>

Mind

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5 common myths about palliative care debunked

<p><em><strong>Anna Collins is a Research Fellow in the Department of Medicine at the University of Melbourne.</strong></em></p> <p>We may have heard it said, and in that curiously familiar tone, something along the lines of: “They’re having palliative care now.” And it’s almost as if the meaning of those words is so universally understood they need no further explanation. Most people simply assume they mean the person is now dying.</p> <p>Yet, when a health professional suggests “palliative care” might be a useful addition to a patient’s care, they most likely mean something different.</p> <p>So what is it the patient actually takes from the suggestion? We asked <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0269216317696420" target="_blank">this question</a></strong></span> of people being treated for cancer in hospital, as well as their families. We wanted to explore people’s initial perceptions of palliative care when this term, or suggestion, was first raised with them in a clinical setting.</p> <p>We found people held narrow, often inaccurate and outdated understandings of palliative care. Below are some of the common beliefs about palliative care, and what the science actually says.</p> <p><strong>Myth 1 – It’s just nursing care</strong></p> <p>From its <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanonc/article/PIIS1470-2045(07)70138-9/fulltext" target="_blank">inception, palliative care</a></strong></span> has definitely always involved nurses. But by today’s standard there is much more to it than, for example, a nurse assisting a person with showering.</p> <p>Palliative care is delivered by a <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://palliativecare.org.au/understanding-palliative-care-parent-menu/understanding-palliative-care/" target="_blank">multidisciplinary team of experts</a></strong></span>, such as social workers, counsellors, nurses and volunteers, who are trained to respond to the needs of people with serious illness.</p> <p>For most patients, this will include consultation with a specialist palliative care doctor who has undergone additional medical training to become an expert in managing and treating the concerns that commonly arise from serious illness.</p> <p><strong>Myth 2 – It’s just about pain relief</strong></p> <p>Palliative care is often called on to provide expert advice on optimal pain relief. But, just as frequently, palliative care is there to help manage <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanres/article/PIIS2213-2600%2814%2970226-7/abstract" target="_blank">symptoms other than pain</a></strong></span> that result from a serious illness or its treatment.</p> <p>For example, a palliative care specialist has particular experience with medications and strategies that may help with problems such as nausea, breathlessness or constipation – which, left unattended, may reduce a person’s quality of life.</p> <p><strong>Myth 3 – It’s a place to wait for death</strong></p> <p>Palliative care does provide care for those at the end of life who may prefer to receive care or have needs best attended to in hospital or at a hospice. However, it is not just about end-of-life care.</p> <p>Palliative care is available at any stage of serious illness. Palliative care can be helpful and is <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://ascopubs.org/doi/full/10.1200/JCO.2016.70.1474" target="_blank">recommended early in an illness</a></strong></span> to work alongside other medical teams to diagnose and treat the cause of symptoms, manage medications, help with communication or decision-making about treatment options, or provide family support.</p> <p><strong>Myth 4 – Palliative care services are offered only in the hospital</strong></p> <p>Palliative care does provide support to people in the hospital, but just as frequently palliative care services in the community provide care to people in their own homes.</p> <p>Additionally, just as a person with heart disease may go to a clinic at the hospital to see a cardiologist, people with serious illness can attend an appointment to see a palliative care specialist.</p> <p><strong>Myth 5 – It means depending on others for care</strong></p> <p>The principal goal of palliative care is actually the opposite of dependency. It aims to support a person to maintain their independence and quality of life while living with serious illness.</p> <p>This may mean providing equipment or strategies that may be needed to ensure a person can continue to live their life to the fullest.</p> <p><strong>What does the science say?</strong></p> <p>There are now <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26231807" target="_blank">over ten high-quality, randomised clinical (human) trials</a></strong></span>, conducted internationally, that demonstrate the benefits of accessing palliative care if faced with serious illness.</p> <p>These studies, mostly conducted with people recently diagnosed with a serious cancer, compare the outcomes of people randomly allocated to receive either just best-practice cancer care or best-practice cancer care with palliative care.</p> <p>Collectively, this science shows that people with a serious cancer who access palliative care soon after their diagnosis, alongside their recommended cancer treatments, have <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1000678" target="_blank">better outcomes</a></strong></span>.</p> <p>They report feeling better, with <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1000678" target="_blank">fewer symptoms</a></strong></span> associated with their cancer and its treatment, <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3657724/" target="_blank">improved mood</a></strong></span> and better <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28029308" target="_blank">quality of life</a></strong></span>. There is also growing evidence to show the people receiving palliative care <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://ascopubs.org/doi/full/10.1200/JCO.2014.58.6362" target="_blank">live longer</a></strong></span>.</p> <p>So, next time we hear a friend is receiving palliative care, we should also remember the science and think of the possibilities, accomplishments and high-quality care they may receive.</p> <p><em>Written by Anna Collins. Republished with permission of <a href="https://theconversation.com/" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">The Conversation</span></strong></a>. </em><img width="1" height="1" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/82248/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-advanced" alt="The Conversation"/></p>

Caring

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7 myths about older workers debunked

<p><em><strong>Joanna Maxwell, a former lawyer and journalist, has successfully changed careers several times and now coaches others through the transition. She has shared her insight on </strong></em><strong>The Road Next Travelled</strong><em><strong> with Ray Martin and regularly speaks at conferences around older workers.</strong></em></p> <p>It’s important to bust some common myths about older people, so you don’t let yourself be limited by things that just aren’t true. Here’s a quick peek at some of those myths.</p> <p><strong>Myth 1: People over 50 are all the same</strong></p> <p>If you believe the newspaper stories or the common portrayal of older people on television, you might think that we are all similar, but it isn’t so. One of the things we know about ageing is that people become more individual, not more alike, as they age. So this is a time for creating your own pathway, for building a life that works for you. I know from my many clients and others that feelings about the future vary widely. Here are some of the things I hear:</p> <ul> <li>I want to work.</li> <li>I’m looking to retire as soon as possible.</li> <li>I’m excited by the possibilities in this stage of life.</li> <li>I’m going to change careers, activate a secret dream.</li> <li>I am frightened by the future.</li> <li>I see my future, and despair.</li> <li>I need to work.</li> <li>I want to give back to the community.</li> <li>I want freedom to travel and play.</li> <li>I want to work part-time so I can be with my grandchildren.</li> <li>I’m a successful professional seeking to reinvent myself.</li> <li>I’ve been made redundant and just want a job, any job.</li> <li>I’m a woman who spent years raising children – my time is now.</li> <li>I have retired but would love to work if I could find a job.</li> <li>I feel angry about changes in my retirement expectations.</li> <li>I want to start a business.</li> <li>I have so many projects I want to do.</li> </ul> <p>How do you feel? What do you want to do?</p> <p><strong>Myth 2: The pension should fund a 30-year holiday</strong></p> <p>Did you know that more years were added to the average life expectancy in the twentieth century than all years added across all prior millennia of human evolution combined?</p> <p>In 1909, when the Commonwealth started paying age pensions to men at 65 years of age and to women at 60, the average life expectancy for males was 55, and for women 59. Only 4 per cent of Australians were 65 or over. But now it’s very different. Men aged 65 in 2013 can expect to live to 84.2 years and women to 87.1 years, and this continues to rise at the rate of about a month for every year we live. In 2014, nearly 15 per cent of Australians were over 65 and the percentage of us over 85 has doubled in the last 20 years.</p> <p>Because we are living longer, many more of us are becoming eligible to receive the age pension and for more years, so demands to increase pension entry age are understandable and inevitable.</p> <p><strong>Myth 3: Chronological age is everything</strong></p> <p>Research clearly shows chronological age is no longer a relevant marker for measuring health, mental capacity or motivation. Most of those extra years added to our lifespan are healthy years, and we have more energy than our forebears at the same age. We remain productive, mentally able and capable until at least well into our 80s. For example, a 2014 study showed that even at over 85, 56 per cent of people report no health-based limitations in work or housework.Research also reveals that productivity doesn’t fall away over the normal working age range, although of course younger and older people have different skills.</p> <p>Staying at work can be good for you. Older workers have lower rates of heart disease, diabetes, obesity and arthritis than their non-working peers, says the Australian Bureau of Statistics. You might think this is because sufferers of these diseases opt out (or are forced out) of the workforce earlier, but controlled studies validate the statistics. And even those workers with a health condition feel more positive than non-workers.</p> <p><strong>Myth 4: Older workers aren’t committed</strong></p> <p>It’s sometimes said that older workers lack commitment because they are getting ready to retire, focused on other things and just marking time. But in fact, a 2009 Australian study showed workers 45 and over were 2.6 times less likely to have left their job in the last year than those under 45. Also, people over 63 are the fastest growing segment of workers in Australia, numbering over half a million in July 2014, having doubled in the last 15 years. And business start-ups by people 55 to 64 in Australia are the fastest growing segment of entrepreneurship.</p> <p><strong>Myth 5: Older workers take jobs from younger ones</strong></p> <p>Sometimes people tell me that they feel they shouldn’t keep working as they age, because they are taking a job that belongs to a younger person. The idea that older workers take jobs from the young is known by economists as the ‘lump of labour’ fallacy, and has been disproved by numerous reputable studies all over the world. It’s the same fallacy as was raised (and debunked) when women started to enter the workforce in larger numbers and is based on the idea that there are a set number (or ‘lump’) of available jobs, and every older person who keeps working is denying a space for their younger colleague. In fact, the number of jobs is not finite and there are considerable economic benefits in keeping people employed for longer. I am not an economist, and this is not a polemic, but if you are interested, a quick online search will bring up all the data you like on this topic.</p> <p>You may be surprised to learn that Australia has a lower percentage of older people in the workforce than many other developed countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and New Zealand. This concerns our government and many commentators, as it has implications for our economic stability and future prosperity. Deloitte Access Economics says there is a trend for more Australians in their 50s and 60s (and increasingly more women) to participate in the workforce, and shows an extra 3 per cent of participation by the over 55s would add $33 billion to GDP and a 5 per cent increase would add $48 billion.</p> <p><strong>Myth 6: We get more stupid as we age</strong></p> <p>One of the most pervasive stereotypes is that our brains decay as we age, and many people assume that after 50, ‘senior moments’ increase and our capacity to think and our ability to contribute intellectually both decline markedly, with dementia almost inevitable.</p> <p>Not so, according to research conducted by Monash University with the Australian Institute of Management in 2012.Researchers found that older, more experienced managers recorded higher levels of ‘crystallised’ intelligence – a type of intelligence that relates strongly to wisdom gained through experience and also verbal reasoning, as a result of education and practice. In contrast, ‘fluid’ intelligence – the ability to solve novel problems using inherited basic reasoning ability – was slightly higher among younger managers.</p> <p>Overall, the Monash study found no reason to justify distinguishing older workers based on intelligence, problem-solving or leadership ability. Older workers are just as valuable to economic and social growth in business as younger ones, bringing assets such as experience and psychological stability to the workplace.</p> <p>Many other studies echo these results, including a German analysis which concluded that current assumptions about cognitive decline are seriously flawed and mostly formally invalid. And Queensland Government research shows no sign of general cognitive decline until people are well into their 80s or even older.</p> <p>And there are many things older people can do to help ‘age-proof’ their brains, and preserve (even increase) all kinds of cognitive function throughout their life. Most are simple and are being adopted by people of all ages – including physical exercise, meditation, better diet choices, living a purposeful life, connecting with others and learning new skills. So, no more ‘senior moment’ excuses!</p> <p><strong>Myth 7: People over 65 should retire and buy a rocking chair</strong></p> <p>There are plenty of examples of individuals who have lived vibrant and interesting lives well into their 70s, 80s and 90s – such as Melbourne woman Millie Browne, who at 98 (in 2015) was the world’s oldest iPhone App Store game developer. Laura Ingalls Wilder became a journalist in her 40s, and was 65 when she started writing the <em>Little House on the Prairie</em> series. British doctor Peter Mark Roget is best known for Roget’s Thesaurus, which has never been out of print since it was published in 1852, when he was 73.</p> <p>And if you’re interested in the less famous, check out the story of Vita Needle. Located in Massachusetts, Vita Needle employs about 35 production workers, 95 per cent of whom are part-time seniors. The oldest employee is 100 and the average age of its workforce is 74. The company has been the subject of documentaries and research studies in several countries – all indicating the employees are happy, properly paid and productive.</p> <p>In the United Kingdom, 33 per cent of Marks &amp; Spencer employees are over 50, more than 4000 employees have over 25 years’ service, and they have an employee who was recruited at 80. This has helped them: to have one of the lowest employee turnover rates in UK retail; to retain highly effective staff; to increase loyalty of employees who value choice to work longer; and to use performance management in an identical way for workers of all ages.</p> <p>Here in Australia, people often cite hardware chain Bunnings as a standout employer of older workers, and it’s true, they do great things. But they are not alone:</p> <ul> <li>half of the workers at Taylors Wines in South Australia are aged 55 or more, and 70 per cent are 45 or more</li> <li>21 per cent of Woolworths’ workforce is mature-aged, and they employed more than 700 people aged over 55 in 2014</li> <li>60 per cent of Dial an Angel’s workforce is aged over 45.</li> </ul> <p>If you search you’ll find plenty more stories like these.</p> <p>The myths we have just busted are only a few of many. We will dismantle others as they crop up through this book, such as that older people can’t or don’t want to learn new things (they can and they do) and that a sense of purpose is not important as we age (having one may help you live years longer). So when you are presented with a media story that suggests ‘all older people’ are like this or like that, don’t just accept it as truth. Instead, double-check its claims. You may very well be surprised by what you discover.</p> <p><em>This is an extract from </em>Rethink Your Career<em> by Joanna Maxwell (ABC Books, $32.99).</em></p>

Retirement Life

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Tech-savvy seniors debunk myths over age and technology

<p>A grandmother is one of five tech-savvy seniors who are challenging the stereotype of the tech-befuddled senior citizen.</p> <p>The Age Hackers are a group of over-60 bloggers, who run a section of the online senior lifestyle magazine GrownUps.</p> <p>They blog about how using technology affects their lives, they review gadgets and give tech advice.</p> <p>Carol Bron​ said the group had been going since mid-Febuary.</p> <p>She hoped the conversational English style of their articles would encourage their readers to learn more about the technology they use.</p> <p>"It makes some people feel more comfortable when you're not being bamboozled with jargon."</p> <p>​Grey Power Manawatu president Lew Findlay thought the blog was a great idea.</p> <p>He said the older generation had become very technical.</p> <p>"Over half our members are doing their banking online now," he said.</p> <p>"A few older people do struggle with technology but it's a much smaller group than people think."</p> <p>Bron said she had always been interested in new technology.</p> <p>She learnt basic programming on a Commodore 64 computer, and worked with computers since the early 1980s often acting as an informal IT department.</p> <p>She said it often surprised people to find out she was the person in the family who owned all the latest gadgets and doled out the tech advice.</p> <p>"I've had it happen in shops. They see I'm old, and female, and think I know nothing."</p> <p>She said while shopping for a smartphone with her husband she had explained her technical requirements and preferences to a salesman, who then ignored her questions and talked to her husband instead.</p> <p>Bron said people should not assume older people would have trouble adapting to new technology.</p> <p>​"They forget we've seen more changes than the younger ones have.</p> <p>"If anything new technology is easier to learn than ever before.</p> <p>"In the early days of home computers the assumption was that if you had access to one you had some  basic programming skills. But modern PCs and mobile devices are designed to be intuitive and easy for anybody to use.</p> <p>"You just charge and go. Plus there are apps and search engines that do the work for you," she said.</p> <p>"It's a whole lot easier than coding your way through a doc on a Commodore 64, that's for sure."</p> <p><em>Written by Paul Mitchell. First appeared on <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Stuff.co.nz</span></strong></a>. Image credit: Warwick Smith / Stuff.co.nz. </em></p>

Technology

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Coral expert debunks Great Barrier Reef myths

<p>Perhaps you've heard that the epic, 2200km-long Great Barrier Reef in Australia has died.</p> <p>Perhaps you've read that on Thursday the Australian government released it's report card giving the state of the reef a D for the fifth year in a row.</p> <p>Perhaps you've read its obituary by writer Rowan Jacobsen on the website Outside Online.</p> <p>But before you start mourning the loss of what Jacobsen calls "one of the most spectacular features on the planet," the community of scientists that study coral reefs in the Pacific Ocean would like you to hold up, slow down, and take a deep breath.</p> <p>The news isn't good, but it may not be as dire as the obituary may have you believe.</p> <p>"For those of us in the business of studying and understanding what coral resilience means, the article very much misses the mark," said Kim Cobb, a professor in Georgia Tech's School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences.</p> <p>"It's not too late for the Great Barrier Reef, and people who think that have a really profound misconception about what we know and don't know about coral resilience."</p> <p>Cobb spoke to us about the state of the world's largest reef system, and why there is reason for both concern and hope.</p> <p><strong>Q: Is the Great Barrier Reef dead?</strong></p> <p>No. It's not. We just had a massive bleaching event, but we know from past research that corals are able to recover from the brink of death.</p> <p><strong>Q: So bleached corals aren't dead corals?</strong></p> <p>That's right. There's lots of confusion about what bleaching means.</p> <p>Coral is an animal, and the animal exists in symbiosis with photosynthetic algae. The algae provides food for the coral in exchange for a great home. But when the water gets too warm, the algae become chemically destructive to the coral.</p> <p>When that happens, the coral convulses and spits out puffs of algae to protect itself.</p> <p>That removes all the colour from the coral tissue which is transparent, allowing you to see right through to the underlying skeleton.</p> <p>So you are not necessarily seeing dead coral, you're really just seeing clear coral without its algae.</p> <p><strong>Q: But bleaching is still bad, right?</strong></p> <p>Bleaching events are worrisome because if the coral misses this key food source from the algae for too long it will literally starve to death.</p> <p>But, if the water temperature comes back down, it will welcome the algae back. The key is that the water temperature change has to be relatively quick.</p> <p><strong>When was the massive bleaching event?</strong></p> <p>It started with the Hawaiian Islands bleaching in the early part of 2015 due to a moderate El Nino event in 2014-2015.</p> <p>After that there was the build up to the massive El Nino that culminated in the warmest ocean waters during the November 2015 time frame.</p> <p>Unfortunately, these warm waters didn't release their grip on many of the Pacific reefs until the spring of 2016, so that's nine months of pretty consistently high temperatures.</p> <p>That is a long time for a coral to be in a mode of starvation.</p> <p>H<strong>as the Great Barrier Reef been through anything like this before?</strong></p> <p>It has had very severe bleaching events associated with large El Ninos like we had last year, but the problem is we are seeing baseline ocean temperatures getting warmer every year.</p> <p>When you pile a strong El Nino on top of this ever warming trend, you get more extreme and more prolonged bleaching episodes.</p> <p>What was striking about this year was the extent of the damage.</p> <p>It was staggering.</p> <p>By important metrics the '97-'98 El Nino was bigger, but the damage from this last one was far more extensive.</p> <p><strong>So how can you remain hopeful about the fate of Great Barrier Reef and other reefs in the Pacific?</strong></p> <p>I work on a research site in the Christmas Islands that is literally smack in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, and which was much more devastated than the Great Barrier Reef.</p> <p>It was worse off than any reef in the world with up to 85 per cent mortality. But even in the face of that whole-scale destruction, we saw individual corals that were still alive, looking like nothing had happened.</p> <p>I cling to that. I know from my own site that there is a lot more resilience baked into the system then we can hope to understand right now and that out of the rubble will come a reef that may not look exactly like it looked before, but may be better adapted for future temperature change.</p> <p>It kind of sounds like an awesome research opportunity.</p> <p>You better believe it. This is a window into the future of global reefs. It's a great natural laboratory.</p> <p><em>Written by Deborah Netburn. First appeared on <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/%20%20" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Stuff.co.nz</strong></span></a>. </em></p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><a href="http://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/2016/10/7-foods-to-lower-blood-pressure/"><strong>7 things to eat or avoid to lower your blood pressure</strong></a></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><a href="http://www.oversixty.com.au/lifestyle/relationships/2016/10/dorrie-jacobson-on-body-issues-and-intimacy/"><strong>How body image issues hold you back from intimacy</strong></a></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><a href="http://www.oversixty.com.au/lifestyle/home-garden/2016/10/the-healthiest-leanest-ways-to-cook/"><strong>5 of the healthiest, leanest ways to cook</strong></a></em></span></p>

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