In 2007 a 27-year old man known as ‘Mr A’ collapsed on the floor of a hospital emergency department after taking a drug overdose. His blood pressure was crashing, he was hyperventilating and shaking, and nurses sprang into action to insert an intravenous line into his arm to try and flush his system and save his life.  The man had been taking part in an antidepressant drug trail, and although he had reported that his mood had improved significantly in the first month, in the second month he had an argument with his ex-girlfriend and became suicidal. He took the... Read full article »

So, I have a confession to make. Lately, I have not been exercising consistently. And as you know, I’m a health journalist and I extensively research and write about the latest science proving there’s a connection between our mind, body and health, I’ve even written an entire chapter in my book about the importance of sitting less and moving more… so I should know better. I have heaps of good intentions… but I don’t get to it.  I know I’m not alone in my battle to follow through on my good intentions. If you’ve read my blog, or my book, or listened... Read full article »

I record all the audio for The Whole Health Life podcast from a desk that allows me to work standing up as well as sitting down. I do this because when I was writing my book last year, I learned that even doing the recommended amount of exercise each day may not be enough to counter-act the harmful effects of sitting down too much – in fact I spoke with researchers who so worried about the effects of too much sitting, they’re actually calling sitting the new smoking. In this podcast you’ll hear my chat with Stuart Biddle – a Professor... Read full article »

If you’re a regular listener to The Whole Health Life you’ll know that I dive with gusto into the scientific evidence showing links between our health and our emotions, stress levels, relationships, beliefs, diet, sleep, exercise and daily habits. But of all the topics in health science that I closely follow, there is one that stands out as having the greatest potential to revolutionise the way we approach wellness and the treatment of chronic disease – the microbiome. It’s thought that up to 100 trillion microbes call your gut home.⁠ Disruptions to the balance of your gut “wildlife” are associated with ... Read full article »

I have a little confession to make. Even though I’m a health journalist, and I’ve interviewed countless experts about why exercising is good and important and something we should do every day… I loathe it. Well that is to say, I used to loathe it.   What really changed for me was when I started looking at the research showing that not only is exercise good because it can make us stronger, faster, fitter and slimmer; it’s also essential for a healthy mind and brain. In this episode I speak with Arthur Kramer, who is formerly the Director of the Beckman Institute... Read full article »

In this podcast episode you’ll learn that new research shows that skin heals faster from a flesh wound if you’re more positive and how smiling, even when you don’t feel happy can reduce your stress. This podcast is all about the new research proving there’s a connection between your emotions and your health. This idea is probably one you’ve thought about before. There are certainly countless self-help gurus, talk shows and magazine articles that reinforce the idea that how positive you are can influence how healthy you are. But what does the evidence say about all this? Can positive thinking really affect how well we... Read full article »