Page 4947 | Now To Love

Home Page 4947

October 20, 2011

Autism linked to mercury consumption

Now to Love

According to a study by researchers from Melbourne’s Swinburne University, published in the Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, a family history of ‘pink disease’ is a strong risk factor for developing autism.

Never heard of pink disease? Its official name is infantile acrodynia, and it was a form of mercury poisoning that was quite widespread in the first half of the 20th century, courtesy of the widespread use of teething powders that contained mercury.

In those days, it’s estimated that pink disease occurred in approximately one in every 500 children who were exposed to the powders, resulting in symptoms of speech loss, apathy, hypersensitivity to pain and/or light, and in some cases, death.

When mercury was identified as the cause, it was eliminated from teething powders and similar products, effectively putting an end to pink disease.

However, the Swinburne study suggests that this genetic sensitivity has far-reaching ramifications, with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) being six times — an astonishing 500 percent — more likely to occur among the grandchildren of pink disease survivors.

This study adds more weight to the existing argument that ASD is the result of a combination of genetic and environmental factors and, although there is little one can do about an inherited sensitivity to mercury, there is a great deal that can be done to minimise a child’s exposure to it, including opting for amalgam-free fillings and preservative-free vaccines (mercury may otherwise be included), and being careful about which fish a child eats, and how often.

The Australian Marine Conservation society offers a downloadable sustainable seafood guide covering over 100 seafood species sold in fishmongers and restaurants, including canned, imported and regional species, to help you decide which fish are healthiest for you, your family, and our oceans.

Your say: Do you know anyone who suffered from pink disease?

Video: Autism in babies

Now to Love

Home Page 4947

October 20, 2011

Perfect petunias

Now to Love

Year after year I wonder what I’ll put in our front flower bed, and year after year, after tossing up between stocks and delphiniums, or California poppies, or a froth of nemesia or dianthus, I plant the same again — petunias.

They’re not always the same petunia. These days I go for the ‘spreading petunias’, preferably in purple, which I love, though other years the bed has been red, because fire engine red looks good against the dark stone walls behind.

We’ve never had a bed of white petunias, because I am married to a man who hates white flowers. Why waste time and garden when the flowers could be coloured, he says, refusing to admit that white is a colour at all, insisting that it is just an absence of colour.

This year they’re mauve petunias, the wonderful spreading variety that can grow to about a square metre per plant.

Petunias also look fabulous spilling out of hanging baskets or pots. They grow fast, give more flowers per square metre than possibly any other annual and are very, very hard to kill, unless the snails get them in their first few vulnerable weeks, in which case your petunias will vanish faster than the dog’s dinner.

Like most annuals, petunias grow readily from seed, and seeds are certainly the cheapest way to get an abundance of petunias. But although I am an eager seed planter, I mostly buy my petunias in punnets.

I reckon that no one needs a bed of flowers to tend in mid-summer that is bigger than four punnets of spreading petunias, minus a few square metres to the snails.

Petunias can begin to bloom a few days after you’ve planted the seedlings or even while they are still in punnets if the weather is hot and they are watered well.

Otherwise they sulk and sit there till the days warm up and they go zoom.

They’ll survive droughts, and the two weeks you are away on holiday and can’t water them, but they won’t grow much either.

Petunias do best when lovingly watered and fed every month or so, so they keep putting out more and more blooms.

Trim them back if they get a bit straggly, especially in hanging baskets, and give them another feed and water when you do.

But otherwise what they need is just sunlight (good strong Aussie summer sun) and there will be a thousand petunias in the front garden, a shaded pergola, friends to lunch with and something cool to drink. Summer doesn’t get much better.

Now to Love

Home Page 4947

October 19, 2011

The ex-factor: Should you stay friends with your ex?

Now to Love

You shared each other’s lives, possibly a house and maybe children. But can you really share friendship with an ex?

We’ve all got a couple of exes knocking around. How to deal with them can be a dilemma. Impossible as it sounds, some choose friendship. But can a platonic relationship ever replace an intimate, sexual one?

“Yes… and no,” says relationship coach Frances Amaroux (www.lovecoaching.com). “It depends on the type of person you are and the type of break-up you had. What you need to do is be honest about why you want to be friends.”

It’s nice to think you’re just being grown up, but maybe you have ulterior motives. Perhaps you never wanted to let your ex go, or you’re keeping them as back-up. Maybe you don’t want anyone else to have them, it’s an ego boost to keep them dangling, or you want to make a new partner jealous.

“If it’s for any of those reasons, you’re not helping anyone,” says Frances. “Spending quality time with someone, which is what you’re doing if you’re making a concerted effort to see your ex, means strengthening the bond with them. This can stop you both moving on with life.”

That includes meeting someone else. If your ex is filling a certain role, particularly if you’re indulging in sex with the ex, you might stop looking for someone else to fill that role.

Dramas also occur if you’re not on the same page. “If you want to stay friends but you know your ex is still mad about you, tread carefully,” says Frances. “They won’t be able to complete the grieving process — that’s what happens when a relationship dies — if you give them hope reconciliation is on the cards.”

Children also complicate things. Arguing won’t do them any favours, but playing happy families could give the wrong message.

“It’s great if you can stay friendly,” says Frances. “But make sure the children understand. Explain you still want to spend time together as a family, but you don’t want to be a couple.”

Jo Comans has done just that. Her marriage to Richard ended in 1977 after seven years and two children. She married her current husband Ray three years later, and they had a child. Meanwhile, Richard also married someone else, Jo’s friend Narelle, who was a bridesmaid at their wedding. They have four children.

“We have a wonderful extended family life,” says Jo. “We visit each other, celebrate our children’s milestones together and share four grandchildren. Some people don’t understand, but we’ve worked hard to achieve this and our children are grateful.”

Such a success story requires effort from all concerned. And although Frances believes this scenario is becoming more common as the family unit evolves.

“It’s no longer always one mum, one dad and a couple of kids,” she says adding it might never be possible for some.

“Like anything, what works for one person won’t work for another. So just be honest. If your ex wants to be friends but you’re not ready, say so. It might become possible later. If it’s the other way around, give them space.”

Once a person is no longer your partner you might not want them in your life anyway. But if you do, honesty really is the best policy.

Now to Love

65 Tinder Dates in one night

Native ad body.

Sponsored by %%sponsor_name%%

Mercury retrograde 2024 and how it will affect each star sign

Mercury retrograde 2024: What it means for your sign… and your relationships

Native ad body.

Sponsored by %%sponsor_name%%

Looking for your ‘appily ever after? These are the best dating apps and sites for over 50s

Sexy one size lingerie to fit and flatter your shape

I married a man with half a face

Jess Ruhfus founder of No.2 Co post-flush perfume

Aussie’s $29 ‘marriage saver’ can stop embarrassing bathroom smells

Native ad body.

Sponsored by %%sponsor_name%%

Your mid-year stars July - December 2024

Your Mid-Year Horoscopes July – December 2024

'Suitcase Killer' Heather Mack pictured with her mother Sheila von Weise-Mack and the bloody suitcase where her body was found

Heather Mack had everything… then she helped murder her mum and stuff her body in a suitcase

Single on Valentine’s Day? These 13 sex toys will have you feeling the love… and lust

Why this racy detail in Domencia Calarco’s latest selfie has fans in an absolute frenzy

Native ad body.

Sponsored by %%sponsor_name%%

Home Page 4947

October 19, 2011

How where you live affects your health

Now to Love

Is your postcode making you unhealthy? Caitlin Reid, accredited nutritionist and exercise physiologist, provides you with tips for living the healthy life irrespective of your location.

Location, location, location! It’s one of the most important things to consider when buying or renting a place. However, few of us think about how this postcode may impact our health.

Rising property prices and a competitive rental market, combined with people wanting larger homes has seen many of us move to the outer suburbs. This phenomenon, known as urban sprawl, is characterised by unplanned and uncontrolled spread of urban development, and results in a dependency on cars or public transport to travel from home to office.

Thanks to urban design, not all of us have access to parks, gyms and sporting fields, nor do we have any healthy food outlets close by. Many of us aren’t within walking distance to local shops and often there are no decent footpaths to walk on. Alarmingly, growing research is suggesting that the shape of our cities could be dictating the shape of our waistlines.

Irrespective of income, research shows people living in sprawled cities are less likely to walk due to safety concerns; are less likely to purchase healthy food as more fast food outlets are present; have a higher body mass index; and exercise less because they have access to fewer kilometres of walking tracks.

One US study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology found living in an area with a high density of fast-food outlets to be associated with a 1.4kg increase in weight and a 2cm increase in waist circumference. The same study also found that people who lived in areas promoting walking lost 1.2kg and 1.6cm from their waist during the course of the study. Additionally, people living in neighbourhoods promoting physical activity and healthy eating have been found to have a 38 percent lower incidence of type 2 diabetes.

While changing your postcode may not be a feasible strategy, awareness of how your living environment influences your health can help you choose to live a healthier lifestyle. Here’s how:

Know your surroundings: Investigate your local area for parks, walking tracks, healthy cafes and takeaway outlets, fitness centres, public transport routes, supermarkets and corner stores. Identifying what you have access to makes living a healthy lifestyle easier.

Exercise in numbers: If you’re living in an unsafe area, workout in numbers. Train with a group of friends or join a personal training group. Alternatively search for a local fitness club or workout in the comfort of your own home.

Become a smart traveller: While you may not be able to actively commute the whole way into the office, you can still walk or cycle part of the way. You could walk to the train station or get off a few stops early and jog the rest of the way.

Shop regularly: Plan your meals out each week and make an effort to visit the supermarket weekly. If you know you will be working back late, cook a lasagne or quiche on the weekend in preparation. This will reduce the need to swing by the drive thru after a long day in the office.

Walk, walk, walk: Ever noticed that it can take the same amount of time to drive to the shops as it takes to walk? So instead of wasting time in the traffic, get your daily exercise in by walking to get the paper or visit a friend.

Now to Love

Home Page 4947

October 19, 2011

Kids do the cutest things: Little boy reacts to Angry Birds

Now to Love

When kids learn things for the first time, you never quite know how they are going to react.

Take this little boy who is introduced to the game Angry Birds by his father. His reaction to the game is priceless!

Has your child done something cute lately? Share it in the comments box below.

Now to Love

Ash Barty has announced she’s pregnant with a second baby

Native ad body.

Sponsored by %%sponsor_name%%

Breathe better and it could have a big impact on your physical and mental health

How to breathe better

Native ad body.

Sponsored by %%sponsor_name%%

Pamela Anderson’s children grew up in the spotlight, and now they’re carving out careers of their own

The Block’s Dan and Dani have confirmed the passing of their first baby together

Bec and Lleyton Hewitt’s daughter Mia, on-set for Home and Away as a member of production: Full circle moment!

John and Jessie Pearce with new baby Henry

The Wiggles star, John Pearce welcomes first baby with his wife Jessie

Native ad body.

Sponsored by %%sponsor_name%%

From on-screen longing looks to real life love: Bob Morley and Eliza Taylor’s family in pictures

The best Christmas toys you should buy your kids this year, according to Hi-5’s Charli Robinson

Meet Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee Furness’ two beautiful children, who they fought so hard to have

All about Naomi Watts’ two children and her unique blended family

Native ad body.

Sponsored by %%sponsor_name%%

Home Page 4947

October 19, 2011

Easy ways to lose weight for good

Now to Love

Fad diets and crazy exercise regimes promise to help you slim down quickly but weight loss doesn’t have to be so difficult.

You can achieve longer-lasting results by making a few simple lifestyle changes. Here are some tips to help you get started on the right track.

Learn about your health:

Identify why you want to lose weight and the risks of not losing weight. Leaning about health will help give you motivation to make changes to your lifestyle such as increasing activity or changing dietary choices.

In pictures: How to lose kilos without noticing

Learn about your food:

Read ingredient lists on food labels. Identify foods that are high in fat, sugar and salt but low in essential nutrients. For example, high fat takeaway, soft drinks, biscuits, cakes, confectionary.

Choose mostly whole foods, including lots of plant foods:

Whole foods — such as freshly prepared vegetables, legumes, fruit, nuts, seeds and grains — are packed full of vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients and fibre that are essential for vitality and wellbeing.

Limit processed foods:

Many processed foods have excess salt, fat and sugar and not enough of the essential nutrients and fibre that our bodies need.

Be active:

10,000 steps a day is a good start and can help with weight loss and lowering blood pressure. Talk with your doctor about an exercise level appropriate for you.

Be adaptable:

We all face unexpected challenges. It’s ok to change course occasionally, but if you miss an exercise session or over indulge, make sure you get back on track and don’t give up.

Give tastebuds time to adapt:

At first you may find foods that are lower in sugar, fat or salt to be a little bland. Give it a few weeks and you will find your tastes will change. Also look for alternate ways to add flavour such as using herbs or adding sweetness with fruit.

Finally, keep the big picture in mind:

Set some long-term goals — for example, make it a habit to have at least one check up with your doctor each year. Keep your own records of blood pressure, cholesterol and other things in a notebook so you can track your progress. Achieving a healthy weight will also improve other aspects of your health, such as cholesterol and blood sugar levels so there are a multitude of additional reasons to choose a healthy lifestyle.

In pictures: Gym habits that are holding you back

Here are some simple steps to kick-start your new healthy lifestyle:

Identify why weight loss is important to you. It will make it easier to stick to your new eating habits.
Clean out your pantry and look at the labels of everything you have. Identify foods that are high in fat or salt and make a note to try a healthier alternative next time you do the shopping.
Swap one processed for each day for a non-processed alternative — for example, an apple instead of a muesli bar.
Swap coffee and cake for a 30 minute walk with a friend.
Try salt-reduced products for at least 14 days.
Take you coffee or tea without sugar for two weeks.

This information is provided by the Sanitarium Nutrition Service.

Your say: Have you lost weight recently? How did you do it?

Video: Do diet shakes really work?

Now to Love

Home Page 4947

October 19, 2011

Life’s little mysteries solved

Have you ever wondered why ice cream gives you a headache? Or we 'kiss it better'? It seems there are perfectly sane solutions to some of life's little health mysteries.

Now to Love

Have you ever wondered why ice cream gives you a headache? Or we ‘kiss it better’? It seems there are perfectly sane solutions to some of life’s little health mysteries.

People die of a broken heart: The heart doesn’t break, but loss definitely causes stress, depression, and decreased immunity, with studies showing an increased sudden death rate among widows and widowers after a spouse’s death.

Air-conditioning causes colds: No — only cold viruses can give you a cold. However, air-con can trigger two cold-like reactions: the change of temperature and humidity causes the mucous membrane of your nose to swell and weep; and a unit may spray dust and mould into the air, giving you a runny nose and red eyes.

In pictures: Bizarre beauty treatments

Older people grow long in the tooth: True. With age, we lose bone in our jaws, either to periodontal disease or osteoporosis, which causes the gum tissue to draw further back up the teeth. Plus gums, like other body tissues, shrink with age.

Eating ice cream gives you a headache: Yes — the pain is caused by the sudden stimulation of the cranial nerve (which carries sensations from the back of the mouth). To stop it, curl your warm tongue back against the top of your mouth.

Men hold their liquor better than women: Researchers at New York’s Mount Sinai School of Medicine have discovered an explanation: women have much less of an enzyme that metabolises alcohol, so more pure alcohol moves from the stomach to the liver and brain. Therefore, if a woman and a man of the same weight both drink the same amount of alcohol, the woman is more likely to show signs of impairment.

We ‘kiss it better’: Scientists say it works by signalling the brain to release natural painkillers called endorphins.

Aristocrats have ‘blue blood’: This false notion originated in class-conscious medieval Spain, where the nobles avoided the hot sun so their skin remained pale. The veins looked blue, so the blood inside was presumed to be blue as well.

You can go ‘white with fear’: You certainly can. Faced with an imminent physical or emotional challenge, your body responds with a series of instinctive reactions designed to get you ready for fight-or-flight. One of these is the constriction of your surface blood vessels so that blood flows away from skin to the centre of your body — nature’s way of making sure you would lose less blood if you were injured in a battle.

‘Fear can make your hair stand on end, too’: Sort of. When you’re frightened, all your muscles tense up, including those in your scalp, which can make the hair shafts stand up a little. Hair would have to be super-short and fine to get the porcupine effect you see in cartoons, but even long hair will ripple a bit if you are scared enough.

Redheads have bad tempers: Not necessarily. But they do often have thin, fair or freckled skin that makes it easy to tell when they are angry and flushed with emotion.

In pictures: Celebs with germ-phobia

People go crazy at full moon: Human beings have always associated certain behaviour with the moon’s phases (consider the word ‘lunatic’, from luna, the Latin word for moon.) In fact, blips in violent crime often do coincide with the full moon. University of Miami researchers charted all the murders in Miami over a 15-year period according to the moon’s phases, and found there was a clear increase in the murder rate about a day before the new moon, a peak period when the moon was full, and then a decline — with the cycle repeating itself with each new moon.

Video: Full moon party madness

Now to Love

Home Page 4947

October 19, 2011

Life’s little mysteries solved

Now to Love

Have you ever wondered why ice cream gives you a headache? Or we ‘kiss it better’? It seems there are perfectly sane solutions to some of life’s little health mysteries.

In pictures: Bizarre beauty treatments

We ‘kiss it better’: Scientists say it works by signalling the brain to release natural painkillers called endorphins.

Redheads have bad tempers: Not necessarily. But they do often have thin, fair or freckled skin that makes it easy to tell when they are angry and flushed with emotion.

In pictures: Celebs with germ-phobia

Video: Full moon party madness

Now to Love

Home Page 4947

October 19, 2011

I wanted a boy and got a girl

Now to Love

Women often talk about their desire to have a little girl and some go to extreme lengths to make it happen. Jolanda Waskito was the opposite; she wanted a boy. When she set out to understand why she felt this way, the answer was surprising.

I was 34 when my husband and I decided it was the right time to have a child. I also decided I wanted a boy.

Boys are easier to take care of, I thought, no worrying about teenage pregnancy or grilling every boy who wants to date your daughter and imagining what could happen.

In pictures: Ten things not to say to kids

Boys are simple, I thought, as my husband sat in front of the TV watching footy and holding a beer.

I’m also not a girly-girl. As a child, I was a tomboy. I had an older brother and we grew up playing full-contact football with the neighbourhood kids, mostly boys.

We built forts, swung on ropes tied to tree branches, got into almost-fights with other kids, played street tennis till it was dark and each had our own impressive collection of Hot Wheels cars.

My mum, a seamstress by trade, made me dresses. Lots of dresses. Which I didn’t like wearing. In Year 1, because I reckoned I was a big girl, I told mum I would wear dresses no more.

So when I became pregnant, I definitely wanted a boy. I elected to find out the sex. It was a girl. I felt a bit numb. The word “girl” appeared in my mind, but I felt nothing. Not warmth or joy, just “OK then”. But I don’t think I really accepted it.

At the time, I had a pretty stressful job and had read enough books about pregnancy to know that whatever you eat, hear, feel, think — the baby is also going to absorb it.

I didn’t want the baby to come out all stressed, anxious and colicky, so on the recommendation of a friend, I took myself to an acupuncturist specialising in dealing with emotion. I used the sessions as a way to de-stress and relax. What I received was way more than that.

During one of the sessions, some raw emotions came to the surface. Unexpected. I started crying and when I tried to verbalise what I was feeling, what came out was a revelation: the reason I wanted a boy was based on my mother’s belief that being a girl in a male-dominated world was a bad life. But that was her belief and her experience. Not mine.

From that moment on, I accepted my baby girl completely and fully with love.

In pictures: Ten things your kids talk about and what they are

My daughter is four years old now and, wouldn’t you know it, she’s a girly-girl. Her favourite colour is pink, she loves wearing fairy costumes, she treats her dolls and stuffed animals as her babies, she loves the Disney Princesses and prefers to wear dresses.

She’s a happy, giggly, silly, affectionate child. She’s definitely not very interested in Hot Wheels and I very definitely embrace who she is.

Your say: Were you hoping for a boy or a girl when you were pregnant? Why do you think you felt that way?

Video: Gender selection in babies

Now to Love

Ash Barty has announced she’s pregnant with a second baby

Native ad body.

Sponsored by %%sponsor_name%%

How to breathe better

Native ad body.

Sponsored by %%sponsor_name%%

Pamela Anderson’s children grew up in the spotlight, and now they’re carving out careers of their own

The Block’s Dan and Dani have confirmed the passing of their first baby together

Bec and Lleyton Hewitt’s daughter Mia, on-set for Home and Away as a member of production: Full circle moment!

The Wiggles star, John Pearce welcomes first baby with his wife Jessie

Native ad body.

Sponsored by %%sponsor_name%%

From on-screen longing looks to real life love: Bob Morley and Eliza Taylor’s family in pictures

The best Christmas toys you should buy your kids this year, according to Hi-5’s Charli Robinson

Meet Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee Furness’ two beautiful children, who they fought so hard to have

All about Naomi Watts’ two children and her unique blended family

Native ad body.

Sponsored by %%sponsor_name%%

Home Page 4947

October 19, 2011

Queen Elizabeth arrives in Australia

Now to Love

Queen Elizabeth greets crowds in Canberra.

The Queen has touched down in Canberra for her 16th visit to Australia.

Looking immaculate after an 18 hour flight, the 85 year old monarch wore a powder blue coat and matching hat.

In Pictures: Royal visits to Australia

She stepped off her jet arm-in-arm with husband Prince Phillip, the Duke of Edinburgh, and was welcomed by Governor-General Quentin Bryce, ACT Chief Minister Katy Gallagher, and Prime Minister Julia Gillard, accompanied by her partner, Tim Mathieson.

An enthusiastic crowd of around 100 school children, military, and other well-wishers cheered as the Queen arrived on what will likely be her last visit to Australia.

Related: Retro Women’s Weekly covers

The Queen’s first stop is visiting Canberra’s Floriade festival tomorrow, and she will go on to visit Brisbane and Melbourne before making her way to Perth for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

The Weekly will be following the Queen on her ten day Australian tour.

Follow our comprehensive online coverage with daily updates from journalist Kerry Warren who is on the tour.

Now to Love