The Art of Healing

In this issue we have our huge Feature on Dementia and Aged Care. Find out about the new Aged Care Act and how it will affect you, and how better medication management is needed in hospitals. And did you know that 4 out of 10 aged care residents in aged care are malnourished, or that 65% of health and care professionals still believe that dementia is a normal part of ageing – or that robots might be the future of aged care? We also shine the light on toxicity in this magazine: a decade-long investigation using mapping and spatial intelligence has raised red flags over more than 260,000 sites that could be toxic hotspots in Australia; and an international study by Monash University and the University of Tuscia show that pharmaceutical pollutants discharged in wastewater and thereby our rivers, lakes and oceans, have definitively been found to alter behaviour and reproductive traits in fish .. and for humans ….? We also have more on the repercussions of too much social media in this magazine, with a piece on “chroming,” where youth are inhaling toxic fumes from household items after seeing this practice featured on Tik Tok. And doomscrolling we know about, but we need to keep the pressure up to these big social media companies to change their algorithms so they are more safe. So it is great to report that ReachOut, Beyond Blue and Black Dog Institute are calling for evidence-based measures to help improve the safety of social media platforms for young people. And we have lots more books for you to look at in this issue, and our usual wonderful recipes – the Oxalis & Lime Tarts – an extract from From the Wild by Heidi Merika, look delicious!

A simple walking habit can change absolutely everything.

The Art of Healing

CONTRIBUTORS

EDITOR'S NOTE

Latest Future Research from the Mayo Clinic

Health Trends for 2025

Neuropathic Pain Drugs Found To Increase Risk of Hip Fracture in Older Adults • A new study by Monash University medicine safety experts found the use of gabapentinoids – medicines widely used to treat neuropathic pain – increased the risk of hip fractures, especially in older patients who were frail or had kidney disease.

Common Painkillers Like Ibuprofen May Worsen Joint Inflammation • Non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) often used for osteoarthritis pain may actually exacerbate inflammation in arthritic knee joints, a recent study suggests.

Dolphins in Gulf of Mexico Testing Positive For Fentanyl • Just a few months after cocaine was detected in the bodies of sharks off the coast of South America, research has found fentanyl and other drugs in dozens of dolphins in the Gulf of Mexico, adding to a growing record of pharmaceuticals infiltrating our marine environments.

James Cook University First to Teach Safe Deprescribing of Psychiatric Medications • James Cook University’s College of Medicine undergraduate and postgraduate medical degrees have become the first in Australia to teach doctors how to help patients who want to safely reduce or stop taking antidepressants and other psychotropic medications.

Drinking More Green Tea Reduces Risk of Dementia Brain Lesions • A new study links drinking green tea with having fewer white matter lesions in the brains of Japanese seniors, potentially providing a level of protection against dementia.

Researchers Train AI To Diagnose Lung Diseases • Artificial Intelligence (AI) could become a radiologist’s best friend, with researchers training the technology to accurately diagnose pneumonia, COVID-19 and other lung diseases.

Should Your Age Determine How Long You Drive A Car? • Could you imagine having a driving lesson in your 50s or 60s, even though you’ve been driving since your late teens? The idea isn’t as far-fetched as it may seem. The latest research into older driver behaviour is finding that tailored...