1281 days ago

How a healthy gut can reduce the severity of Covid and the flu

Naturally Healthy

A study of Croatian children attending daycare saw half of them given probiotics and the other half a placebo - after three months those taking probiotics had a lower risk of respiratory tract infections and experienced less time unwell when infected.

Swedish researchers also conducted a study on 272 adults and found that the group using probiotics experienced the milder cold and flu symptoms and less time infected with a virus.

It also found cases of the cold and flu among participants those who had taken probiotics averaged 6.2 days compared to the 8.2 days those taking a placebo experienced.

As consultant gastroenterologist and UNSW Professor of Medicine Emad El-Omar explains, the gut microbiome's primary role is to educate our immune system about our environment.

The lion's share of our immune system - around two-thirds of all immune cells – is concentrated in digestive system which is why UNSW’s Microbiome Research Centre is exploring how the gut microbiome’s make-up affects immune responses and changes with various disease progression.

Source: Dispensaries and NSW Health

picture - Supercharged Food

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More messages from your neighbours
3 hours ago

Creative Spaces for Tweens

Arts for Health from Arts for Health Community Trust

Support your child’s growth and well being with our tweens art therapy sessions. Designed for 9–12-year-olds, including home-schooled children or those finding school challenging, these sessions provide a safe, supportive space to explore creativity, express emotions, and build confidence. Through fun, hands-on activities and guided skill-building, our tweens art therapy helps young people develop resilience, social connection, and self-expression.

Whether your child is not currently attending school or simply needs a peaceful, encouraging environment, tweens art therapy offers meaningful experiences that promote growth, friendship, and well being. Join us and help your child thrive in a welcoming, supportive space with tweens art therapy.

Book now at www.artsforhealth.co.nz...

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22 days ago

Poll: As a customer, what do you think about automation?

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

The Press investigates the growing reliance on your unpaid labour.

Automation (or the “unpaid shift”) is often described as efficient ... but it tends to benefit employers more than consumers.

We want to know: What do you think about automation?
Are you for, or against?

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As a customer, what do you think about automation?
  • 9.4% For. Self-service is less frustrating and convenient.
    9.4% Complete
  • 43.4% I want to be able to choose.
    43.4% Complete
  • 47.1% Against. I want to deal with people.
    47.1% Complete
2511 votes
5 hours ago

The butcher with a taste for adventure

Libby Totton Reporter from Waikato Times

Jonathan and Sarah Walker are a couple with a give-it-a-go attitude to life, whether it’s travelling the world in a Land Rover or starting a butchery business with no experience.

Nestled below Hakarimata Scenic Reserve just outside of Ngāruawāhia is Soggy Bottom Holding, the local butcher you’ll recognise from frosty mornings at the farmer’s markets.

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