News

12 Oct

Legionnaires’ disease: The gardening risk that can turn deadly; what you need to know

From the Herald: A Christchurch woman still remembers how a spring gardening job more than a decade ago left her fighting for her life with Legionnaires’ disease.

Anne-Marie Prendeville became critically ill after using potting mix in her garden in 2013, with doctors telling her husband to “prepare for the worst”.

Her experience comes as Health New Zealand figures show Canterbury recorded 36 cases of Legionnaires’ disease in the year to August 31, accounting for nearly a quarter of cases nationwide and two-thirds of those in the South Island.

Of the 54 South Island cases, 46 required hospitalisation.

Nationally, there were 152 cases over the same period, with 135 requiring hospital treatment.

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12 Oct

'I'm an exercise physiologist: here's one way to greatly lower your risk of dementia'

From One News: Exercise physiologist and personal trainer Courtney McCormack works at Salus Strength, a small Auckland gym where the focus is on high-intensity, low-volume strength training. A lot of her clients are older people looking to preserve or develop their strength to ensure a longer, more active life. McCormack shares seven basic truths about movement in middle-age and beyond, and explains how to fit it into your life, without drama.

1. Improved body strength can lower the risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease

The correlation between a strong body and a sharp mind isn’t just anecdotal – Courtney McCormack points to a UK Biobank study of 148,659 older adults which measured their grip strength.

“Grip strength is a simplistic but helpful over-arching gauge of total body strength,” she says. “And the study showed that people in the highest third of grip strength had a 31% lower risk of developing dementia and a 26% lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.

And the really good news? It’s never too late.

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12 Oct

Women are mailing their hair across New Zealand. Here's why

From RNZ: Each week, about a dozen women from around New Zealand send Vicki Ogden-O’Fee a lock of their hair. ​

It’s not weird at all. ​

Ogden-O’Fee, a Christchurch hair stylist of 43 years, uses the test strands to determine how a client’s hair will respond to what has been dubbed grey blending. It is a boutique service that varies between clients, involving highlights, lowlights and tones to gradually integrate grey hair into a low-maintenance colour. Often, the hair samples paint a story of someone who has dyed or bleached over their greys for years, adding complexity to the transition.

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