Thrive

Do you ever have that little daydream – as per the Lotto ads on TV – where you wonder what you’d do if you won lots of money? I do, and I have conflicted feelings about it. On one hand, it feels shallow and materialistic. Who cares about money, right? It doesn’t buy happiness. On the other hand, dreaming of a big windfall is pleasant, harmless escapism. I’d like to think that if it happened to me, I’d do lots of good with the cash: helping family, donating to charity, supporting campaigns and causes. I’d try to be a “good” rich person. There’s something else that a Lotto win would do, though, and it’s something Jacqui Maguire made me think about in her piece on what the psychological science says about…

Looking forward to: I’m appearing at a few books and arts festivals around the motu. Look for sessions on menopause at the Nelson Arts Festival (October 21), the Hawke’s Bay Readers and Writers Festival (October 28) and Verb Wellington (November 6). Practising: Guilty secret: I’m terrible at flossing. I know there’s a strong link between oral health and general health – and even the health of our hearts – but still, I find it difficult. My hygienist suggested a flosser. This little device, the Reach Access Flosser, is almost as easy to use as a toothbrush and has made flossing much easier. You do need to replace the heads, but the handle can be used indefinitely. Enjoying: Getting outside in the mornings. We need morning light to hit our eyes to encourage…

THE LONGEVITY mystery A “serendipitous finding” by a team of researchers at the University of Auckland could shed light on why women tend to live longer and healthier lives than men. Dr Trevor Sherwin, Professor of Ophthalmology in the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, says the secret to longevity may come down to our stem cells, which play a vital role in creating new cells that replenish our organs throughout our life and keep us healthy for longer. While studying cell tissue in the eye, Trevor and his team observed a marked difference in the potency – that is, the ability to replenish cells – of the stem cells of female donors compared with those of men. Even the stem cells taken from female donors in their seventies and eighties were…

It’s been a challenging few years for many of us, as wave upon wave of bad news has swept the world – the pandemic, war and the climate emergency engulfing us all with feelings of fear and disconnection. As a psychiatrist, Dr Hinemoa Elder (Ngāti Kuri, Te Rarawa, Te Aupōuri and Ngāpuhi) has seen this first-hand – with rising levels of distress and unease in her clients, as well as those around her. This has, unsurprisingly, taken a personal toll. “I am finding it hard to slow down a bit and take breaks after being so full-on over the last almost three years. It feels like relearning to relax. I try to just sit still, have a cuppa. Listen to my breathing. Listen to my whānau, who are trying to encourage me…

Dementia is not a disease but the name given to a group of symptoms affecting memory, reasoning and decision-making. It is progressive – meaning symptoms are generally mild at first but worsen over time. “We describe dementia as an umbrella,” says Dr Brigid Ryan, a neuroscientist and research fellow with the Centre for Brain Research at the University of Auckland, “a group of symptoms that affect thinking and behaviour but can be caused by lots of different diseases – and the most common cause is Alzheimer’s.” Alzheimer’s disease accounts for around 60-70 percent of all dementia cases. It is thought to be caused by an abnormal build-up of protein “plaques” and “tangles” within the brain and brain cells. These plaques and tangles disrupt regular brain cell activity, usually beginning in the…

‘I didn’t understand their behaviour and I couldn’t work out where they were. Then I realised that was because they were nesting. I had to develop the skills to find and monitor the nests… In my first year, there were 17 chicks! I couldn’t believe it.’ The kōkako’s dark grey plumage has the same subtle gleam as rain-slicked slate. It’s a look that’s all business, topped with an arresting black eye mask and electric-blue wattles that look straight from a 1980s-era music video. Had it not been for dedicated conservation efforts across Aotearoa, this quirky bird might have disappeared from our forests forever. Instead, its deep, haunting call is echoing in places where the population was all but extinct. “The first time you encounter one, it’s like ‘wow, the mythical kōkako’,” says…