A new study has found that working more than 55 hours a week “significantly increases your risk of having a stroke”. abc.net.au broke the story this week, citing a study conducted on over 600,000 people over the past 8 and a half years.
Key findings of the study included:

People working 55 hours a week had a 33 per cent greater risk of having a stroke than people who worked a standard 35 – 40 hour week.
The more hours people worked beyond standard hours, the higher their chance of having a stroke …

A new study has shed light on the impact of texting on the joints in your neck. A surgeon in the US used a computer simulation to measure the increased weight forces of the head on the neck as it bends further forward. The results were pretty dramatic. Here are a few choice quotes from the article:
“As the head tilts forward the forces seen by the neck surges to 27 pounds (12.2 kilograms) at 15 degrees, 40 pounds (18.1 kilograms) at 30 degrees, 49 pounds (22.22 kilograms) at 45 degrees …

As you would all no doubt be aware (seeing as I have’t stopped talking about it for the last month or two) I spoke at a seminar in Tasmania last week. After a lot of hard work it went really well. It was a great experience and I learnt a lot, and really enjoyed teaming up with one of my oldest friends, Physiotherapist Toby Watson from North Curl Curl Physiotherapy (previously Brisbane Lions and Tour De France). We had fantastic feedback and have been asked to do a few more …

Headaches are caused by a number of different things. A lot of headaches are the result of tension in the neck muscles and compression of the nerves in the upper part of the neck. A new study has compared massage with mobilising the joints of the upper neck to release pressure on these nerves.
The study found that mobilisation techniques of the neck produce better results than massage alone for people suffering from headaches. The abstract is copied below and outlines that a group of people were given either neck massage …

The only thing I ever used to do with Watermelon was cut a hole in the top and pour as much vodka as I could inside. Then I found this recipe. Seeing as I was effectively living in a sauna, I probably ate this once or twice a week – it’s light, fresh, easy to make, and delicious. It’s a great way to cook the salmon and means you cook it perfectly each time, and the dressing for the salad (Green Chilli Nahm Prik) can go on any dish you …

New Scientist recently ran an article on how to recharge your immune system. The article was broken down into several sections, which I have taken the key points from and outlined below for your perusal. Hope you find it useful!
1. Go for a walk every day: “When 500 adults were tracked for 12 weeks, those who were the most physically active – five sessions or more of aerobic exercise a week – spent nearly half the number of days sick with an upper respiratory tract infection such as a cold …