• The creative process is good for our health
• This is because when we’re focused on a fun activity, we’re not thinking any negative thoughts 
• Activities like drawing or playing music can put us in a very pleasant state of ‘flow’

Maybe it was the meme that pointed out how Shakespeare used his time in quarantine to write “King Lear”. Maybe it was all those photos of sourdough bread in your social media feed. Maybe you’re just bored.

Whatever the spark – you’re ready to take on a hobby.

Good idea, experts say.

Mentally healthy

“The process of being creative does a whole bunch of really good things for us,” physically and mentally, said James C. Kaufman, professor of educational psychology at the Neag School of Education at the University of Connecticut in Storrs.

Kaufman, who has written extensively about creativity, said there are many reasons why a stimulating hobby can help us. The first is pretty simple: it’s fun.

That’s mentally healthy, Kaufman said, because when we’re focused on such an activity, “we’re not thinking about any negative thoughts or fears or worries.”

At its best, a creative activity such as drawing or playing music can put you in a state of “flow”, where you’re intensely caught up in what you’re doing. “This is not shockingly different from what they call runner’s high, or what mountain climbers say they feel.”

Some activities, such as writing with an emphasis on a narrative, as in a journal or blog, can lower harmful stress by helping us organise our thinking, he said. “It helps put all these different thoughts, as if they were loose clothing, onto coat hangers. And it frees up space in our brain.”

Providing structure

That’s not the only way hobbies can help us, researchers say. A 2015 study in the Annals of Behavioral Medicine found that engaging in leisure activities improved mood and stress levels and lowered heart rates. In 2017, a small study in Psychosomatic Medicine found that pleasant leisure activities lowered the blood pressure of Alzheimer’s disease caregivers.

And that’s important in the middle of a pandemic, said Jeanine Parisi, an associate scientist in the department of mental health at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore. “Everything seems a little out of control. Activities are the one thing that could provide structure and give you back a sense of personal control.”

Parisi’s colleague Michelle Carlson, a professor who leads a Johns Hopkins lab devoted to brain health, said the precise mechanism of what’s going on in our brains when we’re happily engaged in an activity isn’t clear. But some of the effects are.

She led a small study published in 2015 in Alzheimer’s & Dementia of older adults who volunteered to mentor young students in Baltimore. Compared to the adults not enrolled in the programme, the participants saw growth in both the prefrontal cortex – the part of the brain related to executive function, behaviour and thinking – and to the hippocampus, which is important to memory.

Others’ research has found benefits from all kinds of pandemic-safe activities: gardening, spending time outdoors, playing a musical instrument, even knitting. And of course, anything that increases physical activity is crucial for heart health and also can help with brain health, Carlson said.

Overwhelmed by the options? Carlson and Parisi have done research indicating that mixing things up might actually be a great idea. Women in their study who participated in a greater variety of activities over nearly a decade had a lower risk of impaired memory and other cognitive problems.

Take baby steps

“By doing a variety of activities, you’ll expose your brain and body to different things,” Parisi said. “If you meditate, that may be good for stress reduction and relaxation. If you do some puzzles or reading or writing, that may be more cognitively stimulating. And, if you take walks, that is more physically engaging. By doing all of these, you’re really tapping into the whole brain and body.”

Beyond that, Kaufman said, a good hobby is something that lives in the sweet spot of being not so easy that it’s not engaging, but not so challenging that you give up quickly.

And if you’re doing something creative, remember the benefit doesn’t come from the quality of your work, he said. Put another way – we’re not all Shakespeare, and most of us will not be producing “King Lear”. To expect otherwise adds stress that can negate the benefits of the activity, Kaufman said.

So, don’t be afraid to take baby steps, Parisi said. “Even with physical activity, you don’t have to go from being a couch potato to running a 5K. All you need to do is take one more step than you did the previous day.”

As you do the activity, “you’re building confidence, you’re making it part of your identity,” she said. “It’s giving you a sense of control and pride. That feeling of, ‘Wow! I did that!”

^{American Heart Association Newscovers heart and brain health. Not all views expressed in this story reflect the official position of the American Heart Association. Copyright is owned or held by the American Heart Association, Inc., and all rights are reserved.}

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• Many people only start worrying about their immune systems in the run-up to winter
• This can lead to an over-dependence on multivitamins and supplements
• Instead, we should be eating a balanced, wholesome diet the whole year round to keep our immune systems in top shape

There’s a global belief that we need to strengthen our immune systems for the colder months – a trend that is  quickly forgotten and sadly neglected during the warmer seasons.

This unbalanced approach to health and immunity has led us to what could be an over-dependence on multivitamins and supplements in a time where nutritional “fads” are at an all-time high.

In fact, what we really need is a well-balanced approach to health and nutrition. We can’t quickly supercharge our immune system in the approach to winter, while neglecting it for the rest of the year. Rather, we should be eating a balanced, wholesome diet the whole year round to keep our immune systems in top shape. 

Conflicting ideas

This advice is especially pertinent during the coronavirus pandemic. Covid-19 has been a wakeup call for many South Africans, and besides stockpiling hand sanitiser and disposable face masks, they flocked to Dr Google for the most effective ways to protect themselves against the coronavirus and boost their immunity.

Community and Whatsapp groups were abuzz with Covid-19 prevention tips: hot water and lemon, zinc and vitamin C, colloidal silver, holding a hairdryer up to the nose and blowing in hot air to “kill” the virus, etc. 

While there are – and will always be – conflicting ideas behind what foods and supplements are best for a normal, functioning immune system, there are a few key facts we should all keep in mind to stay healthy, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Many intricate systems

You cannot and should not try to “boost” your immune system over a short period of time. It is more important and effective to focus on achievable and sustainable year-round immunity by making good decisions in terms of your overall health, wellbeing, and nutritional health. 

This is possible by consuming a healthy and varied diet, getting enough rest, and enjoying regular physical activity. 

Superfoods are good for us, but aren’t a cure-all.

A healthy, balanced diet filled with essential nutrients our bodies need to function is all that is required to build our immune system’s natural defences against bacteria, germs, and viruses. Our bodies have many intricate and interconnected systems. The healthiest (not to mention easiest and more affordable) way to put our bodies in a position to deal with illness is to focus on a varied nutritional plan that meets all our nutritional needs.

Trust your gut

Good gut health is an important component of your body’s ecosystem. Gut health plays a huge role on your overall health, and a healthy gut contributes to a strong immune system, healthy heart, good brain health, improved moods, better sleep patterns, and effective digestion. 

Good bacteria in the gut are also essential for a healthy and active immune system. 

There is an array of supplements said to protect and restore the good bacteria in your gut. This is, however, best achieved through natural means by including naturally fermented foods in your diet like yoghurt, kefir, kombucha, sauerkraut, pickles, sourdough bread and some cheeses. By incorporating these foods in your daily meals, you will notice an improvement in your gut due to the natural probiotics and supporting properties provided by these foods. 

Supplementing during times of increased risk

There is nothing wrong with considering a multivitamin or bringing certain vitamins and supplements into your daily routine. This should, however, not necessary if you are consuming a balanced and nutritionally varied diet. 

Even so, it is not uncommon for people to experience deficiencies in certain vitamins and minerals, and in such cases, people may need to take supplements to assist with alleviating the deficiency. Supplementation should, however, be done under the guidance of a medical professional – and preferably only when a deficiency has been diagnosed.  

In terms of food supplements, there has been a steep rise in the consumption of vitamin D and C, as well as zinc during the Covid-19 pandemic. These supplements cannot, however, protect us from being infected with Covid-19. The role that these supplements play lies in their ability to aid the immune system’s optimal functioning and our body’s ability to maintain its strength. 

Food for thought

As we continue to learn about Covid-19 and how the virus operates, we will continue to be inundated with reports and research citing supplements that are able to “combat the virus”. The issue is that too little scientifically proven information is available to make these claims. For now, the focus should instead be on identifying and changing the bad habits that have put our immune systems in a less than optimal state. 

We should have a more holistic approach to our health, combining exercise, rest, relaxation, and social activities that fuel both the body and the mind.

The take-home message

Aim for moderation instead of overdoing things in a shotgun approach, and make sure you incorporate all food groups in your meals, including fruits, vegetables, proteins, carbohydrates, dairy, and healthy snacks. This means including a “rainbow” of foods on your lunch and dinner tables: 

• For reds, think tomatoes, which are full of the antioxidant lycopene that may help reduce the risks of  certain types of cancer. 

• For purples, go for blueberries, blackberries, grapes and beetroot, rich in anthocyanins, which show powerful antioxidant activity in the body

• Don’t forget about browns, the colours of wholegrains, which are nutrient powerhouses and provide fibre to keep you regular. 

• Whites like onions, leeks and garlic contain quercetin, which has both anti-inflammatory and antihistamine activity for overall health and wellbeing.  

• There’s a good reason why our mothers always told us to “eat your greens”. Spinach, asparagus and cabbage are full of with folic acid which supports immune function. 

• And finally, yellows and oranges, which are typically full of carotenoids that help lower the risks of certain types of cancer and eye disease. 

*Arthur Ramoroka is company Nutritionist at Tiger Brands and a registered dietitian. 

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Arthur Ramoroka

Divisions between No 10 and local leaders in England are “very dangerous”, a Sage scientist says.

A rectangular robot as tiny as a few human hairs can travel throughout a colon by doing back flips, Purdue University engineers have demonstrated in live animal models.

More than 20 million people in the U.S. suffer neuropathic pain. At least 25% of those cases are classified as unexplained and considered cryptogenic sensory polyneuropathy (CSPN). There is no information to guide a physician’s drug choices to treat CSPN, but a researcher from the University of Missouri School of Medicine and MU Health Care led a first-of-its-kind prospective comparative effectiveness study.

Anyone who has experienced “butterflies in the stomach” before giving a big presentation will be unsurprised to learn there is a physical connection between their gut and their brain. Neuroscientists and medical professionals call this connection the “gut-brain axis” (GBA); a better understanding of the GBA could lead to the development of treatments and cures for neurological disorders such as depression and anxiety, as well as for a range of chronic auto-immune inflammatory diseases such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and rheumatoid arthritis.

One experienced virologist raises concerns about safety protocols and a lack of training.

• It is currently recommended that women get their first mammogram starting at age 50
• Earlier mammograms, it is believed, may show too many false positives
• A new British study, however, indicates that this is false, and earlier screening may indeed save lives

Adding to an ongoing debate over the timing of mammography, a new British study finds that screening women aged 40 to 49 for breast cancer saves lives, with only small increases in overdiagnosis.

“This is a very long-term follow-up of a study which confirms that screening in women under 50 can save lives,” researcher Stephen Duffy, from Queen Mary University of London, said in a university news release.

“The benefit is seen mostly in the first 10 years, but the reduction in mortality persists in the long term at about one life saved per thousand women screened,” he added.

The findings are now added to the mix of data that has fueled disparate guidelines on breast cancer screening in the United States and around the world.

Too many false-positives

In the United States, for example, the influential US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) now recommends that women at average risk for breast cancer get their first mammogram starting at age 50, and then repeat the exam every two years until age 74. The expert panel believes that before the age of 50, mammography may pick up too many false-positives and “overdiagnose” breast cancer, causing unnecessary expense and distress.

Women considering whether to get a mammogram in their 40s should discuss the matter with their doctor, the USPSTF says.

However, the American Cancer Society currently advises that women aged 40 to 44 consider the “option” of annual mammography, while women aged 45 to 54 should get the yearly screen.

Trying to settle the matter, Duffy’s group looked at data from the UK Breast Screening Age Trial. Between 1990 and 1997, more than 160 000 women aged 39 to 41 were randomly selected to receive either an annual mammogram or to wait until the age of 50 to begin such screening, as UK government guidelines advised.

Now, looking at 23 years of follow-up data, the researchers found that screening at 40 to 49 was tied to a 25% reduction in breast cancer deaths over the first 10 years.

Better equipment

What’s more, the rate of overdiagnosed cancers arising from earlier screening did not seem to add to the burden of overdiagnoses already seen when screening began at age 50 and older.

Improvements in technology may mean that earlier screening might be even more beneficial today, Duffy said.

“We now screen more thoroughly and with better equipment than in the 1990s, when most of the screening in this trial took place, so the benefits may be greater than we’ve seen in this study,” he theorised.

Two experts in the United States agreed that when it comes to mammography, earlier may be better.

“Several other studies in the past have had similar results,” noted Dr Alice Police, who directs breast surgery at Northwell Health Cancer Institute in Sleepy Hollow, New York. “However, the scale of this study sets it apart and makes it a powerful reminder of our best weapon in the fight against breast cancer: the mighty mammogram.”

One in eight will develop breast cancer

Dr Kristin Byrne is chief of breast imaging at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. She agreed that “the findings in this study substantiate what multiple other studies have found: Beginning screening mammography at age 40 saves lives.”

Therefore, “especially in women in their 40s, it is very important to diagnose it when the tumour is small and before it has spread to other parts of the body,” Byrne said. She also agreed with Duffy that “technology for mammography has improved since the 1990s and we are able to find more cancers and smaller cancers before it has spread.”

Byrne noted that “most women who get breast cancer (75% to 85%) have no known risk factors, such as family history of breast cancer, and one in eight women in the United States will develop breast cancer. This is why every patient should have a screening mammogram every year starting at age 40 – sometimes sooner, if they have risk factors such as family history or a genetic mutation which puts them at increased risk for developing breast cancer.”

The report was published in August in The Lancet Oncology.

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