Attain Holistic Health and Fitness

16/11/2025

Watch this space

Scientists at MIT have developed a revolutionary injectable gel that can repair damaged nerves and fully restore sensation. In lab studies, the gel provided a scaffold for nerve regrowth, allowing injured neurons to reconnect and regain their function naturally.

This breakthrough could transform the treatment of nerve injuries, which often lead to permanent loss of sensation, chronic pain, or paralysis. Unlike existing therapies, the gel not only supports regrowth but also guides nerves to the correct targets, dramatically improving recovery outcomes.

Researchers are optimistic that this innovation could one day help patients recover from spinal injuries, traumatic nerve damage, and even certain neurological disorders, offering a pathway to regaining full sensory and motor function.

This development highlights the incredible potential of bioengineering to heal the body in ways previously thought impossible. Nerve repair may no longer be a lifelong struggle, science is making restoration a reality.

11/11/2025

More than soup

Bone broth is more than just a comfort food it’s nature’s own gut healer. Packed with collagen, gelatin, and essential amino acids, it works from the inside out to repair and strengthen your gut lining. For centuries, traditional medicine has praised bone broth for its restorative powers, and now science is confirming why.

When you simmer bones for hours, minerals like calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus mix with collagen and amino acids such as glycine and glutamine. These compounds help rebuild the mucosal barrier of your intestines, preventing unwanted particles and toxins from leaking into the bloodstream. This process reduces inflammation, supports nutrient absorption, and promotes overall digestive health.

Regular consumption of bone broth can also calm symptoms of bloating, food sensitivity, and irregular digestion. The collagen it provides transforms into gelatin, which coats and soothes the digestive tract, allowing damaged tissue to heal more effectively. It’s like giving your gut a warm, protective hug that restores balance from within.

Beyond the gut, the benefits ripple through your body. Collagen supports glowing skin, healthy joints, and strong hair, while amino acids assist in detoxification and immune defense. A single cup daily can make a noticeable difference in energy, mood, and overall vitality.

Bone broth reminds us that healing doesn’t always require complex solutions. Sometimes, it’s found in the simplest traditions — a slow-simmered broth, rich in nutrients, restoring what modern diets often neglect.

Sip slow, heal deep, and let nature’s oldest remedy bring your body back into harmony.

11/11/2025

A wonderful tribute

As dawn broke over Sydney, the sails of the iconic Sydney Opera House were illuminated with a sea of red poppies, as the Last Post rang out across the harbour.

Today, we pause together in remembrance, honouring the courage, resilience, and sacrifice of those who have served, and those who gave their lives in defence of our nation.

05/11/2025

Strong, smart women...

She discovered what the entire universe is made of—and the man who told her not to publish took credit for her work four years later.
Every high school student can name Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, and Albert Einstein. We teach their discoveries like scripture: gravity, evolution, relativity. These men are immortalized in textbooks, statues, and Nobel Prizes.
But ask anyone—even science teachers—who discovered what stars are made of, and you'll get blank stares.
The textbooks just say: "The most abundant element in the universe is hydrogen." As if this knowledge appeared from nowhere. As if the universe simply revealed its secrets without anyone having to fight for them.
Her name was Cecilia Payne. And her story is a masterclass in how history erases women, even when their discoveries reshape our entire understanding of existence.
1919. Cambridge University, England.
Cecilia Payne wanted to study science. Her mother—furious at the idea of "wasting" money educating a daughter—refused to pay. So Cecilia did what brilliant, stubborn women have always done when doors are slammed in their faces: she found another way in.
She won a scholarship to Cambridge. Studied physics and astronomy with a passion that made her professors uncomfortable. Completed all requirements for her degree with distinction.
Then Cambridge looked at her and said: We're not giving you a degree. You're a woman. We don't do that.
This wasn't ancient history. This was 1923. Women had been legally allowed to study at Cambridge since 1869, but the university refused to actually award them degrees until 1948. They could do all the work, pass all the exams, produce all the research—but the piece of paper that validated it? That was for men only.
Cecilia looked at England and thought: If this country won't acknowledge my work, I'll find one that will.
She moved to the United States. Got a position at Harvard College Observatory. And in 1925, became the first person ever to earn a Ph.D. in astronomy from Radcliffe College.
Her doctoral thesis would later be called "the most brilliant Ph.D. thesis ever written in astronomy" by renowned astronomer Otto Struve. Here's what it contained:
The discovery of what the universe is actually made of.
Before Cecilia, astronomers assumed stars had roughly the same composition as Earth—mostly iron, silicon, magnesium. It made intuitive sense. Why wouldn't they?
But Cecilia analyzed stellar spectra—the light signatures stars emit—with revolutionary care and mathematical precision. And she discovered something that contradicted everything the scientific establishment believed:
Stars aren't made of the same stuff as Earth. They're made almost entirely of hydrogen and helium. Not just "contain some hydrogen." Made. Of. Hydrogen. The lightest elements, which barely exist on our planet, make up the overwhelming majority of the universe.
This was cosmology's equivalent of discovering the Earth revolves around the sun. A complete paradigm shift in how we understand existence itself.
She wrote it up. Prepared to publish. Showed her findings to Henry Norris Russell—one of the most prominent astronomers of the era and a man she respected.
Russell read her work. Looked at her conclusions. And told her she was wrong. That her findings were "clearly impossible." That she should not publish them. That she should describe her hydrogen abundance findings as merely apparent, not real.
Cecilia—a young woman, new to the country, desperate to establish her career—listened to the prominent male authority. She downplayed her own revolutionary discovery in her thesis. Called it uncertain. Inserted the doubt he'd planted.
Four years later, in 1929, Henry Norris Russell published a paper confirming that stars are primarily hydrogen.
He is widely credited with this discovery. His name appears in textbooks. Cecilia's doesn't.
To be clear: Russell came to his conclusions four years after Cecilia, using methods she had pioneered, proving what she'd already proven—and only after telling her not to publish.
And he got the credit.
But Cecilia didn't stop. She couldn't afford to stop.
She threw herself into studying variable stars—stars whose brightness fluctuates as seen from Earth. Her systematic cataloging and analysis became the foundation for literally every subsequent study of variable stars. If you've read anything about variable stars, you've stood on Cecilia Payne's shoulders, whether you know it or not.
For decades, she worked at Harvard. Publishing groundbreaking papers. Training graduate students. Doing the work of a professor without the title, the pay, or the recognition.
Finally, in 1956—after thirty-three years at Harvard—she became the first woman promoted to full professor from within the institution.
She was 56 years old. She'd already revolutionized astronomy decades earlier.
Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin died on December 7, 1979.
Her newspaper obituaries barely mentioned her discovery about stellar composition—the work that revealed what the universe is made of. Some didn't mention it at all.
She never received a memorial plaque at Harvard, where she'd worked for five decades. Her name doesn't appear in most high school textbooks. The average person—even many science majors—has never heard of her.
Meanwhile, Henry Norris Russell has a telescope named after him. Awards in his honor. His name in every astronomy textbook.
Think about what this means: We live in a universe made mostly of hydrogen. Every star you see at night is a hydrogen furnace. The sun that warms our planet, the distant galaxies we photograph, the very composition of existence itself—we know all this because Cecilia Payne figured it out in her twenties.
And we don't teach her name.
This isn't just about one overlooked scientist. This is about a systematic pattern of erasure so complete that we don't even notice the absence. We teach students what the universe is made of without mentioning who discovered it, as if knowledge just materializes without human effort, struggle, and brilliance.
Jeremy Knowles, a Harvard chemistry professor, said it perfectly: "Every high school student knows that Isaac Newton discovered gravity, that Charles Darwin discovered evolution, and that Albert Einstein discovered the relativity of time. But when it comes to the composition of our universe, the textbooks simply say that the most abundant atom in the universe is hydrogen. And no one ever wonders how we know."
We know because Cecilia Payne refused to accept that Cambridge's sexism defined her potential. Because she had the audacity to question astronomical assumptions. Because she trusted her data even when powerful men told her she was wrong. Because she kept working, kept publishing, kept training the next generation—even when she wasn't given the credit, the position, or the recognition she'd earned.
She discovered what stars are made of. She revealed the composition of the universe. She broke the glass ceiling at Harvard and inspired generations of women scientists.
And most people have never heard her name.
So let's change that. Right now. Share this story. Say her name: Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin.
The woman who discovered what everything is made of deserves to be remembered like the revolutionary she was.
Because the universe is made of hydrogen. And we know that because of her.

03/11/2025

That's right

29/10/2025

IF I GET DEMENTIA…..
I’d like my family to hang this wish list up on the wall where I live. I want them to remember these things.

1a. Every time you enter the room announce yourself. “Hi Dad - it’s Amanda.”
NEVER ask- Do you know who I am??? That causes anxiety.

• If I get dementia, I want my friends and family to embrace my reality.
• If I think my spouse is still alive, or if I think we’re visiting my parents for dinner, let me believe those things. I’ll be much happier for it.
• If I get dementia, don’t argue with me about what is true for me versus what is true for you.
• If I get dementia, and I am not sure who you are, do not take it personally. My timeline is confusing to me.
• If I get dementia, and can no longer use utensils, do not start feeding me. Instead, switch me to a finger-food diet, and see if I can still feed myself.
• If I get dementia, and I am sad or anxious, hold my hand and listen. Do not tell me that my feelings are unfounded.
• If I get dementia, I don’t want to be treated like a child. Talk to me like the adult that I am.
• If I get dementia, I still want to enjoy the things that I’ve always enjoyed. Help me find a way to exercise, read, and visit with friends.
• If I get dementia, ask me to tell you a story from my past.
• If I get dementia, and I become agitated, take the time to figure out what is bothering me.
• If I get dementia, treat me the way that you would want to be treated.
• If I get dementia, make sure that there are plenty of snacks for me in the house. Even now if I don’t eat I get angry, and if I have dementia, I may have trouble explaining what I need.
• If I get dementia, don’t talk about me as if I’m not in the room.
• If I get dementia, don’t feel guilty if you cannot care for me 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It’s not your fault, and you’ve done your best. Find someone who can help you, or choose a great new place for me to live. With a bus and activities!!
• If I get dementia, and I live in a dementia care community, please visit me often.
• If I get dementia, don’t act frustrated if I mix up names, events, or places. Take a deep breath. It’s not my fault.
• If I get dementia, make sure I always have my favorite music playing within earshot.
• If I get dementia, and I like to pick up items and carry them around, help me return those items to their original place.
• If I get dementia, don’t exclude me from parties and family gatherings.
• If I get dementia, know that I still like receiving hugs or handshakes.
• If I get dementia, remember that I am still the person you know and love.”

ᴄᴏᴘʏ ᴀɴᴅ ᴘᴀsᴛᴇ in Honor of someone you know or knew who has dementia. In Honor of all those I know and love and lost who are fighting Dementia/Alzheimer’s.

29/10/2025

Destruction of our food chain

When the signal rises, the bees disappear

In a troubling observation that has sparked global debate, researchers have reported that honey bees are abandoning their hives when exposed to strong electromagnetic radiation from 5G cell phone towers. What was meant to connect the world might be quietly disrupting one of nature’s most vital pollinators.

Bees are essential to life on Earth, responsible for pollinating over a third of the world’s food crops. Yet, in areas near active 5G towers, scientists noticed unusual behaviour, worker bees became disoriented, stopped returning to their hives, and entire colonies began to collapse. This strange reaction has raised serious questions about how modern wireless technology might affect the delicate biology of insects.

Early studies suggest that electromagnetic fields could interfere with bees’ navigation systems, which rely on Earth’s magnetic cues and subtle vibrations. When exposed to these signals, bees may lose their sense of direction, wander aimlessly, and ultimately fail to find their way back home. Though more research is urgently needed, the pattern has become too striking to ignore.

This discovery reminds us that technological progress often comes with hidden costs. While 5G brings faster communication, it may also be altering ecosystems in ways we don’t yet understand. Protecting bees means protecting our food supply, biodiversity, and the fragile balance of nature itself.

As science seeks answers, one truth remains: without bees, life as we know it cannot thrive. Perhaps it’s time to listen to the silence of the hives—and rethink the invisible waves that fill our skies.

23/10/2025

Hilarious

Julie Andrews Turning 89 - this is hysterical!
To commemorate her birthday , actress/vocalist, Julie Andrews made a special appearance at Manhattan's Radio City Music Hall for the benefit of the AARP. One of the musical numbers she performed was 'My Favorite Things' from the legendary movie 'Sound Of Music'. Here are the lyrics she used:
(Sing It!) - If you sing it, its especially hysterical!!! )
Botox and nose drops and needles for knitting,
Walkers and handrails and new dental fittings,
Bundles of magazines tied up in string,
These are a few of my favorite things.
Cadillacs and cataracts, hearing aids and glasses,
Polident and Fixodent and false teeth in glasses,
Pacemakers, golf carts and porches with swings,
These are a few of my favorite things.
When the pipes leak, When the bones creak,
When the knees go bad,
I simply remember my favorite things,
And then I don't feel so bad.
Hot tea and crumpets and corn pads for bunions,
No spicy hot food or food cooked with onions,
Bathrobes and heating pads and hot meals they bring,
These are a few of my favorite things.
Back pain, confused brains and no need for sinnin',
Thin bones and fractures and hair that is thinnin',
And we won't mention our short shrunken frames,
When we remember our favorite things.
When the joints ache, When the hips break,
When the eyes grow dim,
Then I remember the great life I've had,
And then I don't feel so bad

17/10/2025

How elegant is nature?

10/10/2025

Perseverance pays

This childhood photo of Cher, taken in the late 1950s, captures the early innocence of a girl who would go on to define a generation of music, fashion, and entertainment. With her soft smile and wide-eyed look, Cherilyn Sarkisian, as she was known then, was far from the global icon she would later become. Yet, even in this moment, the foundations of her resilience, individuality, and boundless ambition were already being laid.
Cher was born in El Centro, California, on May 20, 1946. Raised primarily by her mother, Georgia Holt, a struggling actress and singer, Cher's early life was filled with both creative influence and financial hardships. Her father, John Sarkisian, was an Armenian-American truck driver who had little involvement in her upbringing. From a young age, Cher observed her mother's perseverance in chasing her Hollywood dreams, a pursuit that left a lasting impression on the future star. Georgia’s unwavering determination to provide for Cher and her sister, despite the odds, became a cornerstone of Cher’s own approach to life and her career.
As a child, Cher's mixed Armenian, Cherokee, Irish, and English heritage made her stand out. Her mother encouraged her to embrace this uniqueness, and Cher’s love for performance began to blossom early. Whether it was singing around the house or imitating movie stars like Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe, it was clear that Cher had a talent and passion for the arts. Her voice, even in childhood, had a distinctive depth that would later become her signature.
Despite financial instability, Georgia nurtured Cher’s dreams of stardom. They often moved to different towns, struggling to make ends meet, but Cher never lost sight of her aspirations. By her teenage years, Cher was already developing the fearless sense of style that would become one of her trademarks. While her peers dressed conservatively, Cher leaned into bolder choices, setting herself apart from the crowd. This innate sense of fashion was a precursor to the iconic looks she would later be known for, from hippie bell-bottoms to glamorous, shimmering gowns designed by Bob Mackie.
Cher's journey to fame wasn’t easy. She struggled with dyslexia, which made school difficult, but her challenges only fueled her determination. By age 16, she made the bold decision to leave home and move to Los Angeles, where she hoped to break into show business. It was there that fate introduced her to Sonny Bono, a meeting that would change the course of her life. Sonny, already involved in the music industry, saw something unique in Cher, and the two began a professional and personal partnership that would skyrocket them to fame.
Their first major hit, "I Got You Babe," released in 1965, captured the spirit of the counterculture movement. With their long hair, carefree attitudes, and defiance of traditional norms, Sonny and Cher became the face of a generation seeking change. Cher’s deep, sultry voice and unique style quickly made her a household name. But while their image was one of love and harmony, their rise to fame wasn’t without its struggles. Behind the scenes, Cher faced sexism in the industry, yet her confidence and determination kept her moving forward.
Cher’s career soon expanded beyond music. In the 1970s, she showcased her comedic chops on "The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour," further cementing her place in the entertainment world. Her larger-than-life persona, quick wit, and impeccable fashion sense made her a TV sensation, beloved by millions of viewers each week. Even after her marriage to Sonny ended, Cher continued to thrive, proving that she was much more than just one-half of a duo.
Her solo career flourished in the years that followed, with hits like "Believe" and acting roles that earned her critical acclaim. In 1988, Cher won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in "Moonstruck," a crowning achievement that solidified her versatility as both a singer and an actress. Throughout the decades, Cher remained relevant, constantly reinventing herself while staying true to her bold and unapologetic self.
Cher’s resilience and ability to adapt are what set her apart from many of her peers. She navigated the often unforgiving entertainment industry with grace and grit, never afraid to take risks or challenge the status quo. Her career spans over six decades, a rare feat in an industry that often favors youth over longevity. But Cher’s talent, charisma, and determination have made her a timeless figure who continues to influence and inspire new generations.

09/10/2025

Talent abounds....

Our Contemporary Art Spaces Mandurah (CASM) workshop is undergoing a stunning transformation this week as part of the Mandurah Arts Festival 🖌️✨

New murals on the workshop’s exterior walls are being created by incredible artist Jerome Davenport Visual Artist, celebrating Mandurah’s cultural heritage, local art scene, and community spirit ❤️

In designing the artwork, Jerome was inspired by the people who use the workshop space, capturing the essence of the creative space and its purpose in the community 🫶

Jerome’s a former Glencoe Primary School student and has previously created a stunning mural at our Mandurah Museum.

These new murals celebrate Mandurah’s story, elevate our public places, and encourage people to come together in our beautiful city.

Make sure you head to CASM and see it for yourself, and get involved in the last few days of the Mandurah Arts Festival https://bit.ly/4kwzqLf

📸Mayor Caroline Knight with artist Jerome Davenport