The zesty scent of lemon essential oil is not only refreshing; it’s a blues-buster as well. A study published in Neuroimmunomodulation shows that depressed patients who inhaled lemon oil each morning needed fewer antidepressant drugs than those who did not; other research suggests that lemon oil improves mood, concentration, and accuracy. It is thought that […]

Two antioxidant flavonoids that you’ve probably never heard of – kaempferol and luteolin – may hold the key to fighting ovarian cancer, often called ‘the silent killer’ because it has few symptoms and is usually only diagnosed at an advanced stage. A study of 66,940 women at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, USA, published […]

Strength training does not make you 'big'. To get big muscles you need to train a lot, very hard and with very heavy weights and you also need testosterone. This is hard enough for men and extremely difficult for women...

The facts Strength training does not make you ‘big’. To get big muscles you need to train a lot, very hard and with very heavy weights and you also need testosterone. This is hard enough for men and extremely difficult for women. Muscle is denser than fat, as it stores water and energy. Pay more […]

An exclusive extract from the Great Read in the April issue of The Australian Women’s Weekly: The Help by Kathryn Stockett (Fig Tree) Constantine came to work in our house at six in the morning and at harvest time, she came at five. That way she could fix Daddy his biscuits and gravy before he […]

Food Coach Judy Davie gives you the lowdown on how — and how long — you can best store fruit and veggies as the weather cools… With the cooler weather, produce is typically much hardier and lasts longer. That said, to avoid nutrient loss and ensure it stays fresh, you should know where to store […]

By Judy Davie Studies have found that a diet with increased amounts of the mineral calcium are effective for weight loss. With that in mind, this energy-reduced meal plan focuses on calcium found largely in milk, cheese and yoghurt, canned salmon (with the bones) almonds, sesame seeds, and fortified soy products. Day one | Day […]

By Annette Allison Do you often have an upset tummy, and little or no energy? If you answered “yes”, have you asked your doctor about it? If you haven’t asked, why not? One in 100 people in Australia have coeliac disease, but 75 percent of them are not diagnosed and therefore don’t know it. “This […]

Growing fears about allergies are fuelling schools and kindergartens to ban parents from bringing in birthday cakes and other party treats to celebrate their children’s birthdays. Gone are the days when you could send your child off with a tray of cupcakes to share with their classmates as parents are being told that it is […]

Sitting your kids down in front of the television could be more harmful than you think, new research shows. Children who watch more than two hours of television a day have twice as much chance of developing asthma as those who watch less than this. This new research conducted by the Medical Research Council in […]