The ‘write’ way to learn and remember
8 July 2024 My dear reader, I know this blog isn’t the place for me to process my trauma, but I have a big ol’ sob story to tell you before I launch into the subject matter for this post: I was the only girl in the remedial handwriting class in primary school (that’s elementary…
The 3 things you must do if you want to live to 100
… and enjoy it 1 July 2024 Hard on the heels of Dr Dean Ornish’s groundbreaking randomised controlled trial demonstrating that early-stage Alzheimer’s disease can be reversed with comprehensive diet and lifestyle changes, comes the publication of a new study on what it takes to become a centenarian. And just as Ornish’s work demonstrates that…
The sweet truth about bitter foods
Updated 24 June 2024 Back in school, you probably learned that your tongue has receptors (‘taste buds’) for four distinctly different tastes: More recently, researchers recognised a fifth taste receptor, which detects the umami, or savoury, flavour derived from glutamate and ribonucelotides. These compounds are found abundantly in mushrooms, yeasts and yeast extracts, certain vegetables,…
New hope for people with Alzheimer’s disease
A ground-breaking new study provides compelling evidence that early-stage Alzheimer’s disease is reversible 17 June 2024 Dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, is now the second leading cause of death in Australia, and the leading cause of death for women. It is estimated that over 421 000 Australians are currently living with dementia. And that means, of…
The placebo paradox
10 June 2024 One of the least-discussed facts among medical and health practitioners of both an orthodox and alternative bent, is that the placebo effect accounts for a significant proportion of the apparent therapeutic effect of many treatment modalities. Medical doctors will often dismiss their patients’ reports of benefitting from herbal medicine or supplements or…
Academia and the new dark age: Part 9 – The doctor will propagandise you about climate change now
3 June 2024 I know I’m frequently critical of medical doctors in my articles, but even I am starting to feel sorry for them. I mean, there they were, going about their business, believing that the practice of medicine was all about diagnosing and treating disease. And now they’re expected to be agents of the…
Academia and the new dark age: Part 8 – Why the “misinformation experts” won’t, and can’t, stop spreading misinformation
27 May 2024 Last week’s post, The doctor will propagandise you about vaccines now, generated some very lively discussion in the Substack comments section. Here’s one that summed up the general sentiment: Well, Sun in Capricorn, I’m sorry to break it to you but these ridiculous people do not understand – or perhaps more to…
Academia and the new dark age: Part 7 – The doctor will propagandise you about vaccines now.
20 May 2024 There have been many occasions over the last four years, when I wondered if I had somehow fallen through a wormhole and landed in a Monty Python film. (I challenge you to watch the “I want to be a woman – it’s my right as a man” scene from The Life of…
Guess who just turned 30?
Highlights from the AVN’s 30th birthday party 13 May 2024 Gratitude practices have become quite a ‘thing’ in the last few years, ever since positive psychology researchers discovered that one of the key behaviours that increases life satisfaction is frequently feeling grateful for one’s blessings. But there are some times when you don’t have to…
Ending the ‘trans’ insanity… with AI?
6 May 2024 Many people hold grave concerns about the impact that artificial intelligence (AI) is already having on virtually every facet of our lives… and even our deaths. Just to scrape the very tip of this giant iceberg: But, on the bright side, researchers at Stanford University have come up with a pretty cool…