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Photos of feeding sharks bust common misconceptions

<p><span>Photographer and conservationist Tanya Houppermans has bravely captured images of a sand tiger shark feeding on a huge bait ball.</span></p> <p><span>With Tanya taking photos from beneath the sharks, the images show the top half of the shark’s body diving into thousands of fish.</span></p> <p><span>Tanya took the remarkable images in waters off the coast of Morehead City in North Carolina.</span></p> <p><span>She explained that in all her time diving, she had never witnessed a bait ball as big as the one she encountered in these photographs.</span></p> <p><span>“I am always amazed by how incredibly graceful and beautiful sharks are,” she said.</span></p> <p><span>“Here is an animal that has been around in one form or another for a few hundred million years, and is so perfectly suited for its environment that you can’t help but be awe-struck seeing one in the wild.”</span></p> <p><span>“They will look at you and watch you; sometimes their curiosity will motivate them to come in for a closer look, and other times they’ll err on the side of caution and retreat.”</span></p> <p><span>Tanya hopes these images will disprove misconceptions about sharks, saying that are not creatures to be feared.</span></p> <p><span>There have been no reported human fatalities caused by a sand tiger shark.</span></p> <p><span>“One of the biggest misconceptions surrounding sharks is that they will seek out and attack people who happen to be in the water nearby. This is simply untrue,” she said.</span></p> <p><span>“Sharks are often quite cautious and timid around people. They will typically retreat if they feel threatened.”</span></p> <p><span>Scroll through the gallery above to see the remarkable photographs.</span></p> <p><em>Image credit: Tanya Houppermans</em></p>

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Common misconceptions about epilepsy

<p>Epilepsy is a surprisingly common condition that remains little understood by those who have not experienced it up close. Epilepsy Action Australia has published a list of common myths and misconceptions about epilepsy. In an effort to raise awareness and lower ignorance, we’re sharing with you some of these facts.</p> <p><strong>Myth: Epilepsy is a mental illness.</strong></p> <p>Fact: Epilepsy is not a mental illness, nor does it cause mental illness. Many people become confused because they know that epilepsy affects the brain. Seizures are “a disruption of the electrical activity in the brain”, while conditions such as depression are believed to be caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain.</p> <p><strong>Myth: You can swallow your tongue during a seizure.</strong></p> <p>Fact: This is incorrect. It is physically impossible to swallow your tongue. <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Do not</span> place anything in the mouth of someone who is experiencing a seizure. This belief likely stems from the fact that a relaxed tongue<em> can</em> roll to the back of the throat and block the airway. When a seizure has stopped, roll the person onto their side (the recovery position) and tilt their head back slightly.</p> <p><strong>Myth: People with epilepsy are not allowed to drive.</strong></p> <p>Fact: People with epilepsy are indeed allowed to drive, as long as their seizures are controlled by medication, or if they fulfil guidelines set for them by their state’s driving authority.</p> <p><strong>Myth: One cannot die from epilepsy.</strong></p> <p>Fact: Unfortunately, this is not true. Seizures can cause deaths by way of drowning, suffocation, burns, falls, and accidents – whether during or after a seizure.</p> <p><strong>Myth: Epilepsy is a disability, creating a barrier to a “normal life”.</strong></p> <p>Fact: Epilepsy is not an insurmountable barrier to personal achievement. Most people with epilepsy have the same range of abilities and intelligence as those of us who don’t. While “a significant number of people with learning difficulties and/or intellectual disability have epilepsy, it does not mean that people with epilepsy necessarily have learning difficulties or intellectual disability.”</p> <p><strong>Myth: Epileptic seizures cause individuals to lose consciousness and convulse.</strong></p> <p>Fact: Seizures take many forms, and can present as a brief loss of awareness, confusion or disorientation, all the way through to major convulsions.</p> <p><strong>Myth: A person having a seizure should be restrained.</strong></p> <p>Fact: No restraint will stop or slow down a seizure. Doing so will likely agitate or harm the individual in question – not help them. The only time you should move a person during a seizure is if they are in harm’s way – on/near a busy road, or near a staircase or pool.</p> <p><strong>Myth: Epilepsy is rare.</strong></p> <p>Fact: Epilepsy is actually, “the most common serious neurological condition in the world today”. It can occur on its own or be associated with other brain-affecting conditions like autism, dementia, or cerebral palsy. Epilepsy affects up to 2 per cent of Australians.</p> <p>If you would like to read more about epilepsy, you can visit <a href="http://www.epilepsy.org.au/sites/default/files/Seizure%20Smart%20-%20Exploding%20Myths%20About%20Epilepsy.pdf" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Epilepsy Action Australia</span></strong></a>.<a href="http://www.epilepsy.org.au/sites/default/files/Seizure%20Smart%20-%20Exploding%20Myths%20About%20Epilepsy.pdf)"><br /></a></p> <p>Which of these myths did you believe until today?</p>

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Common misconceptions about hearing aids

<p>Hearing aid technology has come a long way since its first incarnations but many people still believe they are expensive, ugly and uncomfortable. That’s just not true. Here are four more misconceptions about hearing aids and why they’re wrong.</p> <p><strong>“Hearing aids don’t work well”</strong></p> <p>Modern hearing aids have come along way. They are now quite sophisticated electronic instruments that are better able to help those with hearing loss than you’d think. Advancements in technology have meant hearing aids now facilitate clearer speech, less background noise, and a more natural hearing experience. However, hearing aids don’t restore normal hearing and it takes time to get used to them before the full benefits become apparent. Once you get used to them, hearing aids almost always result in better hearing.</p> <p><strong>“Hearing aids are so big, bulky and ugly”</strong></p> <p>Today’s hearing aids are small, well-designed and discrete. In fact, most hearing aids are hardly noticeable anymore.</p> <p><strong>“Hearing aids are too uncomfortable to wear”</strong></p> <p>While it’s true that it is more comfortable to not have anything in your ears, modern hearing aids are no longer big or bulky and are better designed with comfort in mind. Hearing and sound will also be different with hearing aids, which may be uncomfortable and frustrating at first. It is simply a matter of getting used to both the sounds and the sensation of having something in your ears but as diligent hearing aid users will tell you, you become used to it.</p> <p><strong>“It doesn’t matter where you get hearing aids from as long as they’re cheap”</strong></p> <p>While buying hearing aids off the web is cheaper, not all hearing aids are created equally. When it comes to your hearing, it’s advisable to get professional care. Audiologists are the best people to help you get the most out of your hearing aids with qualified hearing evaluations, professional recommendations as to the most appropriate type of hearing aid, expert instruction regarding proper hearing aid usage and follow up care.</p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="/health/hearing/2015/02/finding-the-right-hearing-aids/" target="_blank">Finding the right hearing aids for your needs</a></strong></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="/health/hearing/2015/02/apps-for-hearing-impaired/" target="_blank">Great apps for the hearing impaired</a></strong></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="/health/hearing/2015/03/hearing-loss-bad-for-relationships/" target="_blank">Hearing loss could be harming your relationship</a></strong></em></span></p>

Hearing

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5 common misconceptions about memory loss

<p>When it comes to memory loss, myths abound. This is due in large part to the lack of research and knowledge that abounded a few decades ago. Memory loss, dementia and Alzheimer’s have been misunderstood conditions which has only served to create fear, apprehension and at times, incorrect treatment and management. Fortunately, new research has shed much light on the phenomenon giving us greater understanding on causes, impact and management.</p> <p>Here are the five top misconceptions about memory loss and the actual truth behind the myth.</p> <p><strong>1. Memory loss is always a sign of dementia</strong></p> <p>Forgetfulness and memory lapses are common complaints amongst older adults. This is due to the hippocampus region of the brain deteriorating with age. Memory loss and memory lapses are two different things. Memory lapses, for example occasionally forgetting where you left things, forgetting the names of acquaintances or occasionally forgetting an appointment are not considered to be signs of dementia.</p> <p><strong>2. Aluminum, aspartame and the flu vaccination can increase the risk of memory loss</strong></p> <p>These theories have been thoroughly disproved both here in Australia and overseas. In fact, being vaccinated against influenza may actually help protect you from developing dementia.</p> <p><strong>3. Memory loss/dementia is an inherited condition</strong></p> <p>In the majority of cases this is untrue. Some (rare) causes of dementia are very clearly “inherited”, for example Huntington’s disease but generally speaking, the most common risk factor is age.</p> <p><strong>4. There is nothing you can do to prevent memory loss from occurring</strong></p> <p>There is plenty you can do to keep your neurons firing! Think about exercising your brain in the same way you exercise your body. Play cards, join a book club, watch a football game with friends and discuss the score, or play a brain-training app. Any mentally challenging activity will keep your mind sharp.</p> <p><strong>5. Lifestyle factors don’t have any bearing on memory loss</strong></p> <p>Plenty of recent studies have found that diet and exercise have a significant role to play in preventing memory loss and even helping manage dementia. Moderate, regular exercise pared with a Mediterranean style diet high in fish, olive oil, vegetables and legumes has been shown to be very effective in combatting age related memory loss and helping slow the progression of dementia.</p> <p>Tell us, what lifestyle modifications have you found the most helpful for keeping your brain healthy?</p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><a href="/health/mind/2016/06/ways-you-accidentally-make-yourself-miserable/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>4 ways you accidentally make yourself miserable</strong></em></span></a></p> <p><a href="/health/mind/2016/06/why-happiness-equals-better-health-and-a-longer-life/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>Why happiness equals better health and a longer life</strong></em></span></a></p> <p><a href="/health/mind/2016/06/trick-to-make-you-a-morning-person/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>The 4 tricks guaranteed to make you a morning person</strong></em></span></a></p>

Mind

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“How I overcame the misconceptions of becoming a ‘senior’”

<p><em><strong>Rosie Hersch, 68, is a retired pharmacist, whose hobbies include studying, cooking and theatre.</strong></em></p> <p>Quite a few years ago my late mother and father-in-law were very busy seniors, darting from one U3A lecture to another. I used to arrogantly think this U3A is just for old people. I am young and vibrant and enjoying my career, my children, my busy full life, I will never go to this U3A, it’s just for old people and it must be very boring.</p> <p>How wrong could I have been!! In the blink of an eye, almost at the speed of light the children went from kinder to school to university to living independently to marriage to having babies and suddenly I was also older, an empty nester, retired with none of the intellectual input and satisfaction I received from my professional work that was my brain food. Ok, at the start of my retirement it was nice to sleep in, not to have the pressure of work commitments and there were the grandparent duties but there was really nothing to keep my mind from disintegrating. My brain going to mush and not knowing how to fill the gap of long working days gone by scared me and so after researching the history of U3A, I capitulated and with great trepidation decided to bite the bullet and join U3A.</p> <p> I had no idea if I would enjoy it or where to start but of course the answer was obvious, Mr Google. Google listed every U3A in Melbourne and the country areas. First I had to decide what sort of things I was interested in. I have always liked writing poetry, though not of late and am a creature of habit so I started looking for a writing course, not one of those 6 week courses but something I could get my teeth into over a whole year. I started to search all the local U3As near where I lived and even further. I was not having any luck till I stumbled across a course at U3A Melbourne. I really was not intending to go as far as the CBD of Melbourne but this U3A was the only one that included a year’s writing course. So with nervous apprehension I joined U3A Melbourne and applied for Monday Writers.</p> <p>Of course not everyone likes to be committed to a year’s course. We all have different lives and different routines. Some people just like to have a variety just like my mother in law did. There are many short courses and one off lectures over such a huge range of subjects, then there is let’s do theatre, let’s do food, let’s do books and even belly dancing lessons. For those athletic types there are bike-riding groups and there are plenty of invitations to extra lectures and activities. There is no shortage of interesting subjects and things to do if that’s your bag. Of course volunteers for duties ranging from helping in the office to assisting in other areas when the need arises are always welcome and if you have expertise or knowledge in a certain area you may wish enquire at a U3A to start a class yourself.</p> <p>I was so nervous the first time I went into town to start the writing course that of course I got to Ross House in Flinders Lane early and went straight to the room assigned. There were a whole lot of people, very welcoming and the leader gave me all these sheets. I remember saying, “Excuse me but these notes are all in Spanish,” to which she replied, “Well, this is the Spanish language class. Monday writers begins in here at 12 noon.” I was totally embarrassed and left instantly. I only tell this story to illustrate to some readers of this article who may feel too shy or intimidated to join U3A. U3A is not a chore or something to be afraid of it is simply to enjoy.</p> <p>From the minute I started Monday Writers I was hooked. The people in this class were so pleasant and encouraging. Our writings were not corrected. You just read out a new story each week to the rest of the group so there was no pressure. The idea was to have fun and relax. I have just re enrolled again and this is my fourth year in this course. Most of the people that I started with are all still in this group. There is a genuine camaraderie. We are all different, come from different backgrounds and are a variety of ages. We even have one gentleman in his 90s who at one time was the leader of this course. We have a lot of laughs and sometimes a bit of sadness and nostalgia may creep into a story that someone has written based on truth. Although four topics are given to choose from each week if you have writers block and can’t think of anything you can write something else. Your story can be fiction, historical, biographical or can even be in the form of a poem. The course also gives one confidence because you have to read your story to the other members. Last week I asked other members of my group to tell me why they like U3A as you will read further on. Most of them do other courses but because of my nana duties I am limited to this course and a pastel painting year long course that I do as an associate member at Glen Eira U3A</p> <p>At Glen Eira U3A, once again I have re enrolled for my fourth year in a pastel painting course. The atmosphere is as congenial as that at U3A Melbourne. There are many short and longer courses to choose from and as with other U3As, well run and offer a range of things that would interest anyone. U3A is good for the self esteem of us oldies because out there I think sometimes to the younger generations we may appear invisible but belonging to U3A reminds us that at our age we come with a lifetime of experiences and wisdom that young people cannot possibly have attained and that we still have a lot to offer.</p> <p>U3A started in France at the Faculty of Social Sciences in Toulouse in 1973. By the early 1980’s the scheme had reached the UK where its nature was radically changed to a more self help organisation under the influences of its founders. The model is now used in Australia and many other countries. Australia’s first U3A was U3A Melbourne, which commenced in 1984. To celebrate the Thirtieth Anniversary of U3A Melbourne a fashion parade was held at the Melbourne Arts Centre. I am proud to say the convenor of this affair was one of my Monday writer colleagues who herself was a model and a boutique owner in the UK in her younger days. The models were all U3A members, some from my group and the event hit the news and television stations. It was a first for any U3A across Australia and it demonstrated that the community does take notice of U3A and it has become an important part of Australian senior culture.</p> <p>There are over 250 U3A’s and about 100,000 members in this country. U3A is a great way to keep the brain active as we become more senior, make new friends, learn about things you knew nothing about but most importantly it is treating yourself to a world of sharing knowledge and becoming more than you thought you could become at our stage of life. Aristotle purportedly said “Education is the best provision for the journey to old age.”</p> <p>Here are some of the comments from some of the members of U3A, firstly from my group at U3A Glen Eira. “It’s a different outlet for me”; “It stretches my mind”; “It provides a social outlet, its casual and relaxing”; “It gives me something to do” and “I like the company of the other seniors”.</p> <p>My friends at U3A Melbourne had other comments. In fact our topic for our five-minute write last week was “Why do you like U3A?”. I could not list everything they wrote as this article would go on for pages but here in brief are their comments. “U3A classes are great, enjoyable, interesting, offer endless opportunities, opens a world of challenge and wonder, a fantastic invention, disciplines me from becoming lazy, U3A is the mortar between the bricks of knowledge, classes are flexible, there are no financial barriers, gives me hobbies to fill the gap left by retirement, a chance to join one of the many social clubs to meet like minded people who are still young at heart and full of life.”</p> <p>So now I hope you can realise why I thoroughly recommend that you join a U3A wherever you live in Australia. Even if you are busy with grandchildren or do charity work, travel or work part time reward yourself and add colour, comradeship and wisdom to your life.</p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/retirement-life/2016/02/how-to-beat-post-retirement-depression/"><strong>How to beat the retirement blues</strong></a></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/retirement-life/2016/02/how-to-make-retirement-happy-and-healthy/"><strong>4 tips to ensure a happy and health retirement</strong></a></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/retirement-life/2016/02/four-ways-to-stay-active/"><strong>From walking groups to tai chi, top 4 ways to stay active</strong></a></em></span></p>

Retirement Life

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