November 24, 2016
Rejection hurts. But it doesn’t just hurt emotionally, it hurts physically. We refer to hurt and pain when we refer to our emotional status. Interestingly, they’re the same adjectives we use to describe physical pain. When we break up with a lover, or feel ridiculed or rejected by our peers we feel ‘hurt’. And it’s not just poets that know that a lover’s quarrel or parting can cause ‘pain’. But why is that? As it turns out, it’s because of the way our brains are wired. Researchers from Michigan University’s, Department of Psychology, have been studying the pain of rejection and the results […]
November 24, 2016
Turns out a person’s swagger isn’t just about the way they walk into a room, it’s in an integral part and parcel of a person’s personality. In a new explorative study from the University of Portsmouth in England, has found that exaggerated movement of both the upper and lower body indicate aggression. The lead researcher of the study Liam Satchell said, “People are generally aware that there is a relationship between swagger and psychology. Our research provides empirical evidence to confirm that personality is indeed manifest in the way we walk.” The researchers from the Department of Psychology ran 29 […]
November 24, 2016
Dr. Don MacDonald, chiropractor and Spinal Research advocate, has released his first book. Upon its release in July, The Underdog Curse reached international best-seller status, attaining top rankings in Amazon’s stress management, happiness, personal health, personal development and self-esteem categories in the US and a number of other countries. The Underdog Curse takes a critical look at the personality traits that propel us to our first victories, but reveals how those same traits can hold us back from true and lasting success. When it comes to the plight of the underdog, most of us would have to admit carrying a […]
November 18, 2016
Story at a Glance. Spanish researchers in a new study looked at aggressive behaviour in boys and girls between the ages of 8 and 10. Over the two year period they reviewed if there was a link between aggressive behaviour and an increase in the children’s hormonal levels. Subjects who showed the highest levels of aggression also displayed the highest increase in cortisol. It’s not easy being an adolescent, all those hormones flying around wreaking havoc. But new research has found it may not be all that easy being a kid either. Particularly kids who are inclined towards aggressive behaviour. […]
November 16, 2016
In our last article we looked at why we need to build resiliency in our working lives. So what can we do to build resiliency? Fundamentally the difference between a resilient person and a person who feels weak and fearful is the way the two people view the situation. Some call this optimism. But it could just as well be called learned optimism. In psychological circles they call it cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). When something bad happens instead of seeing it as something to be ashamed/scared /humiliated by you turn the thought around to see the event as something to learn and grow from. Now […]
November 15, 2016
Scientists have been pondering the reason for the male species. That is, from a biological perspective, the existence of the male sex has been somewhat confusing. What is the value of only half of ones offspring being able to reproduce the species? Why not only have daughters, after all they’re the ones who will birth the next generation? So why do men exist? Research from the University of East Anglia, published in Nature(1) shows that an evolutionary process known as ‘sexual selection’, that is the continuation of sex as a means to reproduce, improves the overall population health and protects […]
November 10, 2016
According to the Australian Psychological Society1 (APS) survey of 2014, two in five Australians rated their work lives as a source of stress. Job stress is the biggest cause of absenteeism at work. Professor Dollard, a stress expert and director of the Centre for Applied Psychological Research at the University of South Australia said, “The surge in the number of employees taking time off for mental health disorders and filing stress claims is one of the greatest workplace crises facing the nation.” There’s no doubt the lives we lead now are significantly different to the lives of 50 years ago. […]
November 10, 2016
Fasting has been referred to throughout history. The Bible refers to Jesus fasting for 40 days and 40 nights. Muslims fast during Ramadan. And in Buddhism fasting is considered an ascetic practice, one used to invigorate and shake things up! Now whilst we may chose to put fasting into a spiritual context, the science behind fasting is that it is incredibly beneficial for the human body. New research1 suggests it may not only help us live longer, but it reduces age related diseases, increases neurogenesis in the hippocampus (cognitive brain function skills) and reduces cancer incidences. Dr Valter Longo from the University of […]
November 10, 2016
Story At A Glance Emotional, social and moral integrity come from a region of the brain referred to as the amygdala. The amygdala is linked to all of our sensory processing systems and gives a corresponding emotional response to the information processed. Psychopathic brains have amygdalas that on average are up to 20% smaller than normal people. Altruistic people have amygdalas which are around 8% larger than average. In our previous article we covered the brain architecture and personality traits of psychopaths. In this follow up article we will explore the traits and brain architecture of altruists. Abigail Marsh, […]
November 3, 2016
Story at a Glance Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are causing about 70% of deaths worldwide. Focusing on bioscience, pharmaceutical treatment and public health messages have not dented the worrying rise in these conditions. Whilst lifestyle choices are important, it’s more important to influence the environments that have caused the rise in NCDs; poverty, lack of education, processed food, regulation of tobacco, alcohol and unhealthy food. Yes you’ve heard of them before, the diseases we attribute, without trying to sound pithy, to our lifestyle. Obesity. Heart disease. Diabetes. Stroke. Cancer. Chronic respiratory diseases. But they’re not called lifestyle diseases. They’re called NCDs, […]
November 1, 2016
Story at a Glance. BPA, a toxic chemical found in plastic is leached from some plastic containers during the microwaving process. The backlash towards BPA has pushed producers to make plastic without BPAs. Scientific American reported in their article, BPA-Free Plastic Containers May Be Just as Hazardous. BPS a common replacement for BPAs have just as many problems. In fact many of the BPA replacements are a significant concern to our health. In our last article we covered how the molecular nature of food is changed through the microwaving process. But it’s not just the food you put in your […]
November 1, 2016
Story at a Glance. Emotional, social and moral integrity come from a region of the brain referred to as the amygdala. The amygdala is linked to all of our sensory processing systems and gives a corresponding emotional response to the information processed. Psychopaths have an abnormal psychophysiological response to emotional stimuli, resulting in a reduced capacity to feel empathy for others experiencing pain or distress. It’s an interesting question. Why are some people more compassionate than others? What makes one person altruistic and another self serving? Well, perhaps not surprisingly, the answer lies in our brains. To be precise the […]
October 27, 2016
Story at a Glance. There is an astounding correlation between sugar and other drugs of addiction. Cocaine addicted rats picked sugar-water over cocaine in one study. It’s exactly the same dopamine receptors in alcoholic brains that light up when we consume sugar. It’s the same D2 dopamine receptor that identifies alcoholics and addicts that we see in sugar addicts. It’s a dirty five letter word. Sugar. We hear the ubiquitous stern warnings about this white manufactured evil every day. There’s books on how to give up sugar. Books on how to make desserts without it. Books written by celebrities on […]
October 25, 2016
Marvin Oka is a renowned international management consultant and recognised world leader in the field of behavioural modeling. Yet when you sit down to talk with him, you don’t feel like you are sitting with a hard-nosed leadership guru, but rather with an expert and philosopher who cares deeply for the chiropractic profession. Today, we are talking about wellness languaging – how the words we use to frame our message are far more important than we think. In his travels, Oka often asks the question of chiropractors, “How many of you talk now with your clients or with people who […]
October 25, 2016
Story at a Glance. Microwaving your food has been shown in several studies to denature the vitamin and molecular structure of the food. The agitating affect on the water molecules chemically alters the food at the same time. Studies show that microwaving vegetables such as broccoli and asparagus, as well as heating up breast milk, significantly alters the nutritional value of the product. It’s such a staple in our kitchens these days. And it probably ranks right up there with the kettle and the toaster for getting the most workout during the day. But is our drive for convenience and […]
October 20, 2016
Recent ongoing research at the University of Southern California, USA, is studying the mathematics of a unique spinal wave generated in Network Spinal Analysis Chiropractic Care. This research on the electrophysiology of the Network Wave is reinforcing the paradigm suggested by Danish researchers Heimberg and Jackson, which proposes that the nervous system communicates through acoustic, or pulse pressure waves, and that the electrical signal is likely a by-product of this communication. In the mainstream medical paradigm, and often for many chiropractic institutions, biochemistry has been the ruling system. Now biophysics is gaining ground as a way to more fully understand […]
October 18, 2016
Story at a Glance. Leptin is transported across the blood brain barrier (BBB). Animals who are in a state of starvation display elevated triglycerides that block the transfer of leptin across the BBB. Interestingly, obese people also present with the same elevated levels of triglycerides. This tricks the brain into believing it is starving and therefore inhibits the transport of leptin across the BBB. Studies injecting mice brains with leptin directly into their hypothalamus showed considerable weight loss. In our two previous articles we covered the nature of leptin, a hormone that is secreted from your fat cells. It is […]
October 18, 2016
Story at a Glance. The greater the divide between where you are placed and the other person in question, the harder it is to feel an empathic response to their plight. The part of your brain that registers empathy is called the right supramarginal gyrus. You can increase your capacity to experience empathy by practicing it. If science has anything to say about it, it would appear so. Whilst one is sleeping on a soft bed, with fluffy pillows and a warm doona, it’s hard to imagine how bone-chillingly cold and uncomfortable a cold winter night must be for a […]