Allergy Awareness Week -20 April – 25 April 2021 Food Allergies The number of people worldwide with food allergies appears to be increasing. Scientists aren’t sure exactly why. Is it that allergies are being identified more or is there something in our food or environment that is causing the increase? About 2- 4% of adults and 6-8% of children have food allergies, the most common are to cow’s milk and egg, followed by soy, peanuts, tree nuts and wheat. The majority of children will lose their allergies by age three to five years. Allergies to peanuts, tree nuts, fish and shell fish are generally prolonged, which is why these four allergies are the most common amongst adolescents and adults. There is a difference between a food allergy and food intolerance. Intolerances cause symptoms such as bloating, stomach cramps and aggravation of eczema or asthma and usually occur several hours or days after eating. Allergic reactions to foods usually occur quickly and symptoms can include hives, itching, swelling and vomiting as well as potentially life threatening anaphylaxis. ![]() Coeliac disease is not an allergy or intolerance but an abnormal immune based reaction to gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley, oats and rye. It is life-long and treated by eliminating all gluten from the diet. There are no proven treatments for food allergies so avoidance is the only way to protect against an allergic reaction. If you suspect that you have a food allergy or intolerance, talk to your GP who can refer you for further testing or to an allergy specialist. Self-diagnosing a food allergy or intolerance can be risky as you may be cutting out important foods unnecessarily. A Dietitian can help by giving advice to manage allergies and intolerances and to ensure that your diet is nutritionally complete. If you would like help managing a food allergy or think you have a food intolerance, Therapy Professionals Ltd Dietitian is available to assist, just contact us on
Phone: (03) 377 5280 Email: [email protected] For more information see: http://www.allergy.org.nz http://www.coeliac.org.nz Health Info Canterbury - allergies You know your voice matters when you’ve lost it Is ageing, disability, injury or illness affecting your ability to be heard? The pitch, pace, pause, tone and volume of your voice comprises about 38% of all your communication. We challenge you to reflect on the quality of your voice, to take action to improve it whether or not you have lost it. World Voice Day on 16 April, is an annual event highlighting the significance of the voice in our daily life. The quality of your voice affects your communication, so it matters. There is a range of things you can do to improve it, such as
If your problem is significant then we recommend you see a Speech Language Therapist through the public health system or privately. Some Christchurch people with neurological conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, and Stroke, are learning to use their voice effectively with an initiative, the Cantabrainers Choir. This is a choir with a difference. Its purpose is not so much to create sweet music but to provide a safe environment in which members can rediscover their voice. Difficulties with vocal expression are common in neurological conditions. For example, in Parkinson’s disease, the voice can become very quiet, rapid, flat and monotone. Following a stroke, people may experience a complete or partial inability to form spoken words. Even with the ability to plan words and sentences people may lack the muscle coordination, making words sound slurred and incomprehensible. Singing can be a route to overcome some speaking difficulties. For example, it is well known that people who stutter can often sing quite well; the underlying rhythm provided by music can overcome the difficulties in planning the sequencing of regular speech. For others, problems with speech may be due to memory impairment or word finding difficulty. The use of familiar songs, rhyming and repetition can be a very effective way of helping them become more fluent. Research shows, after trauma the brain may recover some abilities given effort and the right stimulation. Like getting fit, rewiring the brain (neural plasticity) requires intensive exercise to be done accurately and regularly. Choral singing makes practice enjoyable while the group encourages rehearsing for longer and experimentation. As a result people may, for example, speak louder, for longer and use more words. The Cantabrainers Choir was started in 2012 by Therapy Professionals Ltd with a small grant from Music Therapy NZ. The Choir is run by a Music Therapist and Speech Language Therapist because music and speech share many characteristics: pitch, rhythm, tone, pace and the volume. After an initial 10-week pilot programme Therapy Professionals Ltd decided to continue the choir as the voice improvements and social benefits were so significant a – to quote a choir member, “The music has been a real uplift and meeting new people has been wonderful and so much fun. I have a lot more confidence than I had. It’s got me out of my cage”. In early 2019 the choir was taken over by The Canterbrainers Therapeutic Choir Trust. See their website: https://www.cantabrainerschoir.nz If you have a neurological condition the Cantabrainers Choir is a choir for people with neurological conditions. It’s easy, just email [email protected] or phone: 022 593 5411. f you are not being heard, you don’ t have to struggle alone. Therapy Professionals Ltd’s Speech Language Therapists can help you improve your voice.
Just contact Therapy Professionals Ltd on phone: 03 377 5280 or email: [email protected] ![]() World Parkinsons Awareness Day - 11 April 2021 James Parkinson, English Surgeon, first described the effects of what we now know as Parkinson’s Disease. Parkinson’s New Zealand Website describes Parkinson’s as a progressive neurodegenerative condition. It is caused by insufficient quantities of dopamine – a chemical in the brain. Dopamine enables quick, well-co-ordinated movement. When dopamine levels fall, movements become slow and awkward. Parkinson’s has both motor and non-motor symptoms, and while it cannot be cured it can be treated. As Parkinson’s is a progressive condition it can often take many years to develop and has little effect on life expectancy. Different people will experience a different number and combination of symptoms. Parkinson’s is relatively common. Approximately 1 in 500 people have the condition. It becomes more common with older age groups, and it is believed 1% of people above the age of 60 have Parkinson’s. The average age of diagnosis is 59. Although there is a slight increase in risk of development of Parkinson’s in people who have family members with Parkinson’s, the risk is very low. Although there is a slight increase in risk of development of Parkinson’s in people who have family members with Parkinson’s, the risk is very low. Visit https://www.parkinsons.org.nz for more information The following are some interesting talks relating to Parkinson’s: “Deep brain stimulation is becoming very precise. This technique allows surgeons to place electrodes in almost any area of the brain and turn them up or down – like a radio dial or thermostat – to correct dysfunction. Andrea Lozano offers a dramatic look at emerging techniques in which a woman with Parkinson’s instantly stops shaking and brain areas eroded by Alzheimer’s are brought back to life” https://www.ted.com/talks/andres_lozano_parkinson_s_depression_and_the_switch_that_might_turn_them_off Listen to 'The chemistry of disease' on Radio New Zealand. Guy Jameson has been awarded the Beatrice Hill Tinsley Medal for his work understanding the chemical structure of proteins that are important in diseases such as Parkinson's. http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/ourchangingworld/audio/201815053/the-chemistry-of-disease If you or someone you know is struggling with Parkinson’s Disease our friendly
therapists can help, just contact us on: Phone: 03 377 5280 or email: [email protected] ![]() World Autism Awareness Day - 2 April 2021 Raising understanding and awareness of Autism Spectrum Disorders Friday 2 April is World Autism Awareness Day and it falls during World Autism Awareness week (29 March – 4 April 2021). Autism Awareness Week’s goal is to shine a bright light on autism, increasing knowledge of autism and the importance of early diagnosis and early intervention. It celebrates the unique talents and skills of people with autism and is a week where individuals with autism are warmly welcomed and embraced in community events. Autism New Zealand has a knowlegeable, professional staff who work daily with children and adults with autism and their support networks. Their main role is ‘essentially empowering people living with autism’. What is Autism and Aspergers Syndrome? Autism New Zealand’s definition is: “Children and adults who have an autism spectrum disorder look the same as other people, and due to the invisible nature of their disability it can be much harder to create awareness and understanding. Autism and Asperger syndrome still remain relatively unknown disabilities among the general population. Yet it is estimated that autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are approximately four times as common as cerebral palsy and 17 times as common as Down's syndrome. ASD affects 1 in 66 people, approximately 65,000 New Zealanders, which is equivalent to the entire region of Otago.” The following are some wonderful audio links around Autism which are well worth a listen: “Autism Research - Dr Javier Javier Virues-Ortega” on Radio New Zealand. https://www.ted.com/talks/ami_klin_a_new_way_to_diagnose_autism There's no known cause ... and no cure. Autism remains one of the most complex disorders for researchers to tackle. But what if we could see inside the brains of sufferers to see if therapies are actually reshaping them? That's what a New Zealand team plans to do. It's a world-first study combining the latest behavioural science with cutting-edge functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) technology. “Karen Pierce and Eric Courchesne - Early Detection of Autism” on Radio New Zealand. https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/sunday/audio/201811139/karen-pierce-and-eric-courchesne-early-detection-of-autism Karen Pierce and Eric Courchesne are directors at the University of California's Autism Centre of Excellence. Dr Pierce specialises in the early detection and treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in toddlers, and Dr Courchesne's research has proved that the abnormal brain development causing autism begins in the womb. Karen Pierce and Eric Courchesne are the keynote speakers at Autism New Zealand's national conference later this month. What's going on in the minds of children with neurological disorders? https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/201817128/what's-going-on-in-the-minds-of-children-with-neurological-disorders Susan Haldane is the head of Mind Over Manner - an organisation which uses the power of theatre to help people understand what's going on in the minds of children with neurological disorders like ADHD and autism. ‘'Professor Russell Snell - the hunt for autism genes” on Radio New Zealand https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/saturday/audio/201837972/professor-russell-snell-the-hunt-for-autism-genes Kim Hill (RNZ) talks to Professor Russell Snell, a world-renowned geneticist based at the University of Auckland who has long studied human disease genes and variations in genes in general with a focus on the molecular genetics of disease, in particular neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's and Alzheimers. |
AuthorShonagh O'Hagan Archives
January 2025
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