Pets Help Kids Build Immunity Even Before They’re Born, Study Finds

If you’ve been considering adopting a dog or a cat, this new study might help you make up your mind: According to research published in Microbiome, children born into homes with pets have higher levels of gut microbes that protect against allergies and obesity. Researchers say that indirect exposure to furry friends is especially beneficial to babies in their first three months of life, and even while they’re still in the womb.

This period appears to be a “critical window of time when gut immunity and microbes co-develop,” says lead author Anita Kozyrskyj, PhD, a pediatric epidemiologist at the University of Alberta. Disruptions to this development process—for example, the introduction of foreign bacteria—can change immunity and have implications for long-term health, she adds.

Kozyrskyj’s study compared fecal samples from 746 Canadian infants. Some of the infants were from families with pets (70% of which were dogs), some were from families who had pets during their pregnancy but not once the babies were born, and some had no recent pets.

The researchers found that babies from households with pets had twice the amount of two specific bacteria, Ruminococcus and Oscillospira, that have been linked with reduced risk for childhood allergies (such as dermatitis and asthma) and obesity, respectively.

Even when pets had been given up for adoption before the babies were born, this benefit was still seen. This shows that pet exposure affected the babies’ microbiomes indirectly, with influential bacteria transferring from the animal to the mother to the unborn child.

This bacterial exchange occurred regardless of the type of birth (vaginal versus C-section), regardless of whether the babies were breastfed, and regardless of whether antibiotics were used during birth. This is important, say the authors, as previous research has shown that C-sections, antibiotics, and not breastfeeding can all negatively impact babies’ immunity.

The presence of pets in the house during a woman’s pregnancy was also associated with a reduced likelihood that she would transmit group B strep bacteria—which can colonize in the vagina and cause pneumonia in newborns—to her baby during birth.

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The study builds on decades of research showing that exposure to dirt and bacteria can help children build up immunity, and that kids who grow up with pets have lower rates of asthma and allergies, says Kozyrskyj. (This effect is strongest with dogs but is true with cats, as well.) “Pets have always been our best friends and they appear to be good for our babies too,” she says.

But further studies are needed to provide definitive evidence that a “dog intervention” during pregnancy can actually prevent allergies. “Our next step is to pursue the ‘does it matter’ question, to determine the allergy and obesity outcomes of studied infants at ages 1, 3, and 5,” Kozyrskyj says.

And of course, allergies and obesity aren’t products of the environment alone; genetics also play a role. It also makes sense that kids with pets have natural protection against allergies, since parents with allergies are less likely to have dogs and cats in the first place.

RELATED: 13 Fun Ways to Work Out With Your Dog

But the study’s results were adjusted to account for whether the mothers had asthma or allergies, and still held true. Kozyrskyj says her team’s findings “are independent of these two possible explanations.”

It’s not far-fetched to think that pet exposure during pregnancy could one day be an official recommendation from doctors, Kozyrskyj says. It’s even possible that scientists could develop a “dog in a pill” supplement, she adds, for mothers to take as a preventative measure against allergies and asthma.

More research is needed for these scenarios to actually happen, however. For now, families have have another reason (on top of plenty already!) to snuggle up to their fur babies—and that includes moms-to-be.

Pets Help Kids Build Immunity Even Before They’re Born, Study Finds

Energy, economy and environment are all highly correlated – 10 Reasons to Build Resilience

10 Reasons to Build Community Resilience

“Whether it is natural disasters, economic instability, resource constraints or unpredictable and damaging climatic events, the need for local resilience is becoming increasingly evident today. We have moved from a relatively localized economy to a largely global economy. Supply chain disruptions and geopolitical events make this system interdependent and highly vulnerable.“

Resilience has become a buzzword, with civic organisations, think tanks, community groups, corporations and local business addressing potential risks. A system is said to be resilient if it has the capacity to defend against, adapt to and repair itself after disturbances. Resilience can also be defined as the, “ability of the system to evolve in order to accommodate environmental hazards or policy change and to expand the range of variability with which it can cope.” 1

Energy, economy and environment are all highly correlated, yet as a society we fail to understand how these are inextricably linked. Unfortunately much of our thinking is compartmentalized and the broader picture is not well understood. Before we can take positive action and make real change we must understand the challenges and the realities based on facts and evidence based research. Only by understanding the potential risks can we better manage and move toward a resilient future.

Energy Overview

Prior to 1870, the world received nearly 100% of its energy from biomass predominantly in the form of wood and peat. In the late 1800’s coal became the dominate source of energy. The early 1900’s saw the rise of petroleum which began to occupy a significant portion of the energy mix. By the 1960’s a combination of natural gas, petroleum and coal supplied most of the global energy needs. This surplus energy allowed human populations to extract resources at an ever faster rate. Despite the rapid growth in renewable s since the early 2000’s it still only constitutes a relatively small portion of the overall mix.

Before we can make informed decisions about the future we must understand the influence and power of crude oil. Understanding the energy density of crude oil is the first step in understanding how to build resilience. Crude oil is the single biggest source of primary energy today. Our highly complex society and economy has benefited enormously from the benefits of crude oil. It has driven numerous technological innovations and is responsible for the  rapid growth in economies and global populations.

Crude oil is the most versatile source of energy. Petroleum is used for a wide range of applications, most-notably powering internal combustion engines, aviation fuels, the feedstock for pharmaceuticals, fertilizers, bitumen, and the manufacture of plastics and synthetics to name a few.

Crude Oil Facts

• A barrel of crude oil is 42 U.S. gallons equates to 9873 litres.


• As a rough guide, one barrel of crude oil has the ability to do around 10 years of human labour based on a 40 hour work week.


• Due to its high energy density, ability to be easily transported and relative abundance, oil has been the world’s most dominant source of energy during the 20^th


• Over 90% of all transport fuels are derived from crude oil.


• In industrialised countries today such as the US it takes seven to ten calories of fossil energy to produce one calorie of food.


• There are over 6,000 items that we use each day made from petroleum by-products.


• Global daily oil consumption is around 97 million barrels per day (mb/d)

1. Resources are Finite – Peak Oil

With transport fuels continuing to be dominated by oil (88% in 2035),¹ it is crucial to understand the concept of Peak Oil. The term ‘Peak oil’ is used to describe the point at which the exploitation of oil resources reaches maximum production and then declines. Peak Oil, is NOT synonymous with “running out of oil,” it represents the half way point of oil extraction. The significance of this half-way mark is the remaining half is much harder and more expensive to extract than the first.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) outlined in 2006 that ‘conventional’ oil production peaked. The IEA conducted a field by field analysis of 800 of the world’s largest oil fields and suggests that depletion rates are very high (6.8% per annum). Decline rates on conventional oil fields are important because they account for more than 90 percent of global production.

A 2016 HSBC report into ‘Global Oil Supply’ suggested that 81% of the world’s total liquid fuels production is already in decline. HSBC the 6th largest bank globally, estimates the average decline rate on post-peak production is 5-7%PA, equivalent to around 3-4.5million barrels per day (mbd) of lost production every year.

‘Unconventional’ oil resources exploited by fracking, deep water and tar sands have helped offset the declines of more conventional resources over the last few years. These efforts are proving costly, rate constrained and economically unviable for many oil and gas producers. Once exploited the decline rates are significantly higher than ‘conventional’ operations, therefore continued capital investment is required to maintain and offset the high decline rates. Depletion rates for ‘unconventional’ resources vary from 45 percent per annum to 85 percent.

2. Net Energy is Declining

Energy Returned on Energy Invested (EROEI) is the ratio of the amount of usable energy delivered from a particular energy resource to the amount of energy used to obtain that energy resource. The higher the EROEI, the more things can be done within an economic and social system. An abundant source of energy with a high EROEI (100:1), gives us a surplus of energy, allowing us to engage in diverse activities and pursuits outside the realm of survival and maintenance of critical services.

Understanding (EROEI) is crucial in our ability to fully comprehend how our economies and society at large function. Comprehending EROEI allows us to make informed decisions about the future and build resilience. Most current economic models do not factor in and account for energy and how it impacts society and economies.

The above graphic illustrates the returns each energy source receives back from the initial unit of energy invested. In simplistic terms, we are currently experiencing ‘diminishing returns’ of net energy. The net energy return in the 1930’s for oil was 100 to 1. This dropped to around 40 to 1 in the 1970’s, and today the EROEI for oil is around 14 to 1 and declining rapidly. It is getting harder and more expensive to extract resources, therefore the net benefit to society is declining. This is clearly highlighted by the tar sands which has an EROEI of less than 5.

3. Supply Constraints are Imminent

Increasingly more capital is required by oil and gas producers to extract oil from harder to explore places. 2015 highlighted this predicament with the discovery of new oil supplies reaching a 70-year low. Approximately 20 times more oil is currently being used every year than is being ‘replaced’ (through the discovery of new reserves). Many analysts suggest that the consequences of this lack of new discovery will be felt during the coming years.

With most of the major conventional oil discoveries being made in the 1950’s, 1960’s and 1970’s it is only a matter of time until we will run up against sup-ply constraints. HSBC research sees global oil supply demand continuing to grow by 1 million barrels per day (mbd) every year, extending out until at least 2040. Declining discoveries combined with continued oil demand heightens the risk of a major global oil supply shock around 2018 which could “significantly affect oil prices.”

4. Economic Growth is Dependent upon Cheap Oil

The converging crises (environmental/climate), social and financial are inextricably linked. A research paper authored by a team of European government scientists, in October 2016, warns that the global economy has entered a new era of slow and declining growth. This is because the value of energy that can be produced from the world’s fossil fuel resource base is declining inexorably. Oil is the invisible hand which supports, facilitates and drives global growth and economies.

The study by European government scientists, suggests, from the data collected for the past 40 years that during economic recessions, the oil price tops $ 60 per barrel. But during economic growth it remains below $ 40 a barrel. This means that prices above $ 60 will inevitably induce recession. The study concludes that to avoid recession, “the oil price should not exceed a threshold located somewhat between $ 40/b [per barrel] and $ 50/b, or possibly even lower.” 3

5. Debt has Grown Exponentially

It is energy, not capital, that drives the global economy. As the cost in terms of extraction of resources has increased, so too has the growth in debt. As the ’low hanging’ easy to get resources have been exploited, the difficult harder to access resources have required increasing amounts of capital to extract resources. Money and debt merely facilitate the extraction process. The recent debt bubble has simply brought forward future production, hence why we are currently seeing an oversupply in the world oil markets. It is not a long term solution to the broader challenges ahead.

Stubbornly high oil prices leading up to the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) acted as a hand brake for the global economy. Many analysts suggest high oil prices helped trigger the GFC. In an effort to restart the global economy central banks embarked on numerous economic stimulus packages, bailouts, quantitative easing and cut interest rates to record lows. These measures could not compensate for these persistently high oil prices and already indebted economies and households. Since the financial crisis, instead of reducing indebtedness or deleveraging, global debt since 2007 has grown by $ 57 trillion, raising the global ratio of debt to GDP by 17 percentage points.

It is important to understand that money and debt does not create energy. Money and debt simply help facilitate the extraction process. Since 2007 no major economy has decreased its debt-to-GDP ratio. Currently 24 nations face significant economic headwinds or face a full-blown debt crisis. Global debt to GDP ratio is at a record high of 286 percent, or $ 200 trillion dollars. France, Spain, Belgium, the United States, United Kingdom, Lebanon, Singapore, Portugal, Italy, and Japan are some of the countries that have significantly high government debt to GDP and face fiscal challenges. 4

As production becomes increasingly expensive, the net benefit of cheap energy declines. This flows through to production cost of goods and services affecting many parts of the economy. With such large debt overhangs across the globe, it becomes increasingly difficult for individuals, governments and business to afford and invest in new technologies. Continued debt growth is the only way to offset diminishing returns and stimulate the overall economy.

6.Financial Markets are highly, Integrated, Complex and Leveraged

Since the Global Financial Crisis (GFC), Central banks have artificially supported equity markets with quantitative easing and other stimulus instruments. Many investors (both retail and institutional) have allocated capital into the equity markets, due to the low interest rate environment and lack of alternatives. Many high profile analysts and prominent investors suggest the markets are ‘expensive’ or in ‘bubble’ territory. Prominent veteran investor, (Chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway) Warren Buffett is warning that the U.S. stock market is significantly ‘overvalued’. Other billionaire high-profile investors such as Jeff Gundlach (DoubleLine Capital LP) and Bill Gross (co-founder, Pacific Investment Management – PIMCO) have also been vocal in selling down equities and buying precious metals.

The globalised capital and financial markets are now more complex and interdependent than ever. Complex derivative and financial instruments are often highly leveraged. Financial contagion can easily spread if risks aren’t managed. Global financial risks are becoming increasingly complex and often unfold in unpredictable and unexpected ways. We have already witnessed significant economic and geopolitical challenges and instability over the last few years in countries such as, Greece, Brazil, Spain, Ireland, Portugal, Venezuela, Japan, Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Russia, Ukraine, Ecuador and Argentina. Hence, building local resilience is essential for stability in a volatile and highly leveraged global economy and capital markets.

7. Climate Change is here, NOW

The traditionally conservative International Energy Agency, claim we’re headed for an increase in temperature in excess of 5 degrees Celsius if we continue on the energy intensive path we are presently on. Ian Dunlop, formerly a senior international oil, gas and coal industry executive, now a vocal activist around the issues of climate change and peak oil, suggested at a 2016 ‘Engineers Australia’ conference, “We need a completely different risk framework to address climate change which is not in anybody’s lexicon right now. It needs to move to a different level. What we are really doing is waiting for catastrophe to happen, which is what risk management ought to be about.” 5

While few governments are taking significant legislative action, most are aware of the risks. Many climate projections estimate higher temperatures, rising sea levels, more frequent extreme weather events – such as droughts and floods, and changes in rainfall patterns. This was echoed by the ‘Director of the Central Intelligence Agency’ (CIA) of the United States John Brennan in late 2015 at the opening session of the Global Security Forum 2015.

While there is much debate and conflicting views around the severity of the impacts of a changing climate, it is certain the global climate system is changing. We are already seeing the consequences of prolonged droughts. Syria’s drought has destroyed crops, killed livestock and displaced as many as 1.5 million Syrian farmers. In the process, it touched off the social turmoil that burst into civil war, according to a study published in March in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA. 6

Regardless of any increase in renewables, the majority of the global energy mix will be in the form of fossil fuels, with 80% of the world’s total energy supplies expected to be dominated by fossil fuels until 2035. 7 Despite the political rhetoric it is evident global emissions will continue to rise over the coming decades. Communities, environs and livelihoods are already being adversely impacted and increasingly prone to disaster risks as a consequence of climate change. It is crucial that communities and organisations prepare and plan for a very different world.

 “On climate change, we often don’t fully appreciate that it is a problem. We think it is a problem waiting to happen.”   Kofi Annan

Human influence on the climate system is clear, recent anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases are the highest in history. 2016 has set a new record as the hottest year ever measured. The previous record was set in 2015; the one before in 2014. Fifteen of the 16 warmest years have occurred in the 21st century. Already global average temperatures are 1.3C above pre-industrial levels, rising faster and further than almost anyone predicted. 8
Habitat for all species as well as human’s is disappearing throughout the world at an alarming rate. While the mainstream media and conservative scientists minimise the climate dilemma, there are many in the scientific world that are less optimistic about the ability to stay under the 2 degree C target. While vested interests protect their patch and deny climate change the insurance industry is taking the matter seriously.

ClimateWise, a coalition of 29 insurers, including Allianz, Aon, Aviva, Lloyd’s, Prudential, Swiss Re and Zurich, commissioned a report into the impacts of climate change on the insurance industry. This global collaboration of leading insurers focused on reducing the risks of climate change found that more frequent extreme weather events are driving up uninsured losses and making some assets uninsurable. The report said that, since the 1950s, the frequency of weather-related catastrophes has increased sixfold. The report concluded that the industry must use more of its $ 30 trillion of investments to help fund increased resilience of society to floods, storms and heatwaves.9

The chairman of Lloyd’s of London has said that climate change is the “number one issue for that massive insurance group.” Europe’s largest insurer, Allianz, stated that climate change stands to increase insured losses from extreme events in an average year by 37 per cent within just a decade. Paul Fisher, former deputy head of the Bank of England, also articulated, “climate change is potentially a systemic risk” which “could be the trigger for the next financial crisis.”10

8.Climate Shifts are Already and Will Increasingly Impact Food Production

Food is the lifeblood of civilization, without it, towns, communities, and cities don’t exist. Food is fundamental to our wellbeing and also impacts the environment more than any other industry on earth. Over recent decades our food systems have become highly vulnerable. For the most part, they are dominated by energy-intensive ‘just in time’ long-distance supply chains. Both resource scarcity and climate change pose significant risks to our food systems.

The price, quality, and seasonality of food are increasingly being affected by climate change. Future food security is under threat. Food supply chains are highly exposed to disruption from increasing extreme weather events driven by climate change. Farmers are already struggling to cope with more frequent and intense droughts and changing weather patterns. In industrialized countries there is the typically less than 30 days supply of non-perishable food and less than five days supply of perishable food in the supply chain at any one time. Households generally hold only about a 3-5 day supply of food. Such low reserves are vulnerable to natural disasters and disruption to transport from extreme weather. 11

The inter-dependencies between energy and water are set to intensify in the coming years, as the water needs of the energy sector – and the energy needs of the water sector – both rise. Water is essential for all phases of energy production: the energy sector is responsible for 10% of global water withdrawals, mainly for power plant operation as well as for production of fossil fuels and biofuels. These requirements grow over the period to 2040, especially for water that is consumed (i.e. that is withdrawn but not returned to a source).12

Some Climate Impacts on Food Production

• Heat stress reduces milk yield by 10-25% and up to 40% in extreme heatwave conditions.


• The yields of many important crop species such as wheat, rice and maize are reduced at temperatures more than 30°C.


• Many foods produced by plants growing at elevated CO2 have reduced protein and mineral concentrations, reducing their nutritional value.


• Harsher climate conditions will increase use of more heat-tolerant breeds in beef production, some of which have lower meat quality and reproductive rates.

Source: Wohttps://www.climatecouncil.org.au/foodsecurityreport2015 rldEnergyOut-look2016ExecutiveSummaryEnglish.pdf1.

9.Modern Agriculture is Dependent Upon Cheap Oil

“From farm to plate, the modern food system relies heavily on cheap oil. Threats to our oil supply are also threats to our food supply. As food undergoes more processing and travels further, the food system consumes ever more energy each year.”

Danielle Murray (Earth Policy Institute)

Modern agriculture is almost entirely dependent on reliable supplies of oil for cultivation and for pumping water, petroleum based pesticides and herbicides, crop storage, drying and for the transportation of farm inputs and outputs. For every calorie of energy used by agriculture itself, five more are used for processing, storage and distribution. Currently about 10 to 15 calories of fossil fuel energy are used to create 1 calorie of food. It is no surprise agriculture is the single largest consumer of petroleum products when compared to any other industry. This equates to 1,500 litres of oil equivalents to support the average western diet each year.13

The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) reported a 45% increase in the world food price index during the 2008 food crisis. Wheat prices increased by 130% relative to 2007 levels, similarly, soy prices went up by 87%, rice prices by 74%, and maize prices by 31%. Short-term causes of these crises include weather shocks, increased oil prices, speculation, and growing demand for biofuels.

Indicative of most western countries, a 2007 study conducted by Melbourne’s Centre for Education and Research in Environmental Strategies, (CERES) found the average Australian basket of food has travelled over 70,000 kilometres from producer to consumer. The study analysed 29 different food items purchased at a typical supermarket, items included fruit, vegetables, meat, dairy and non-core food items such as chocolate. The food in the basket of goods had been transported by road within Australia and by ship from other countries.

Due to the constraints of the first and second laws of thermodynamics this highly energy intensive system of food production cannot be maintained in its current form. 14 This reliance on long distance, energy intensive supply chains, combined with use of fossil-based fertilisers and pesticides makes our current food systems highly vulnerable. The combined effects of unpredictable climate events, exacerbated by volatile and declining fuel supplies will place pressure on producers and communities over the coming decades.

10. Cognitive Biases are Limiting Action

The converging crisis, ecological, energetic, economic and social, are inextricably linked. Unfortunately our inability to see the complexity and interconnectedness of these may go unnoticed. Most events that catch us by surprise are both predictable and preventable, but we often miss (or ignore) the warning signs. ‘Black Swan’ theory is a metaphor which helps explain why certain events come as a complete surprise. These events usually have a major effect on systems, society or economies. The risks of certain events occurring are inappropriately rationalised. It is only after such events (in hindsight) it becomes obvious. The Global Financial Crisis was an example of a ‘black swan event’. In hindsight, it was obvious that unrestricted lending, complex leveraged derivative tools, all time high petrol prices and increasing property prices would have adverse consequences.

Today we are in a much worse situation than we were prior to 2008. Debt levels are significantly higher than those pre-GFC. Resource constraints have only been masked by a short term oversupply, increasing global emissions and the environmental crisis continue to dominate the narrative. The ability to plan and prepare adequate strategic outcomes is hindered by our biases and behavioral conditioning. These psychological biases make us collectively blind. Hence, we overlook and discount facts and information which impacts our ability to take preventative action.

Biases Affecting Decision Making

• Optimism Bias –  we often overextend and see the upside of a situation rather than looking at the reality of the situation.


• Pro-Innovation Bias –  We favor innovation without examining the consequences  and unintended consequences.


• Normalcy Bias – causes people to underestimate both the possibility of a disaster and its possible effects.


• Confirmation bias – is the tendency to search for or interpret information in a way that confirms one’s preconceptions.

Both Peak oil and climate change remain only vague threats to the general populous. These threats are very real and are already being felt locally and globally. It is wise to be proactive, as opposed to being forced to take emergency action. While it is easy to be optimistic or ignore the real issues, there is great power, freedom and benefit to being able to identify, plan and take positive action before any crisis occurs. Only by understanding our current circumstances can we move toward realistic solutions.

Before we can take positive steps towards a brighter more resilient future we must ask a number of questions and challenge our current assumptions. We must ask ourselves: What kind of future do we want? Are our assumptions about the future based on reality? Is there a systems thinking approach to what we do? What are the alternatives and what is possible? Our greatest ability as humans is to conceptualise and think. It is time to ‘rethink’ our future….

To download the entire PDF copy of this article CLICK HERE
Article by Andrew Martin, Andrew is author of Rethink…Your World, Your Future...he is also Director of Rethink Consulting. Rethink Consulting takes a whole systems approach to navigate the challenges ahead. They have developed tools and indexes to help ascertain the overall resilience of a community, organisation or local government body. Once risks, vulnerabilities and opportunities are identified action is taken to help minimise, mitigate or develop real world solutions to enact positive change.

For more information visit: www.rethinkenterprises.co.nz

Sources:

1 (Adger, 2006a, P. 270).

2. Kim Fustier, Gordon Gray, Christoffer Gundersen and Thomas Hilboldt, Global oil supply, Will mature field declines drive the next supply crunch?, HSBC Global Research, September 2016

3. Nafeez Ahmed, Brace for the oil, food and financial crash of 2018, Insurgeintelligence, 2016.

4. http://www.mckinsey.com/global-themes/employment-and-growth/debt-and-not-much-deleveraging

5. Ian Dunlop chaired the Australian Greenhouse Office Experts Group on Emissions Trading from 1998-2000 and was CEO of the Australian Institute of Company Directors from 1997-2001.

6. John Wendle, The Ominous Story of Syria’s Climate Refugees, Scientific American, December 2015.

7. ‘Fossil Fuels to Remain Dominant until 2035’, Oil and Gas Journal, October 2016.

8. George Monbiot, The Climate Crisis is Already Here, but no one is telling us, The Guardian, Aug 2016.

9. Matthew Heimer, This Chart Shows Why Insurers are Climate Believers, Fortune, August 2016.

10. Julien Vincent, Australian companies’ negligence on tackling climate change will cost us, Sydney Morning Herald, January 2017.

11. https://www.climatecouncil.org.au/foodsecurityreport2015

12. ttps://www.iea.org/publications/freepublications/publication/

13. http://www.resilience.org/stories/2006-06-11/implications-fossil-fuel-dependence-food-system/

14. http://www.resilience.org/stories/2006-06-11/implications-fossil-fuel-dependence-food-system/

Energy, economy and environment are all highly correlated – 10 Reasons to Build Resilience

How can the NHS build better relationships with partners? Event

While doctors and nurses bemoan not being able to provide compassionate care, GPs complain of burnout and staff at all levels lament the lack of integration in all aspects of their work, many more people are engaged in trying to address and fix the huge problems facing the healthcare sector.

Our evening seminar will highlight the partnerships that have an impact on the lives of healthcare professionals and patients – whether it’s a charity or company working in collaboration with part of the NHS (locally or nationally), a cross-sector technological innovation or co-production of services by professionals and patients.

An expert panel will discuss and debate the gaps in healthcare provision in the UK and if, and how, they could be solved by more effective partnerships. Working together has long been promoted as a solution to many of the problems faced by public services so why hasn’t it happened yet? Is it feasible to expect the health, social care and voluntary sectors to work more closely together? How can this be achieved? What could this mean for patients?

This free event, at the Guardian’s London headquarters, will feature a panel debate followed by networking.

This seminar will be chaired by David Brindle, the Guardian’s public services editor.

The panel

• Mahiben Maruthappu, co-founder, NHS Innovation Accelerator.


• Dr John Patterson, co-founder, Focused Care scheme.


• Grainne Siggins, policy lead, Adass.


• David Hare, chief executive, NHS Partners Network.
  


• Anu Singh, director of patient and public voice and insight, NHS England.

Programme for the evening

5.30-6pm Registration and drinks reception

6-6.10pm Chair’s opening remarks

6.10-7.10pm Panel discussion

7.10-7.25pm Audience Q&A

7.25-8.30pm Drinks and canapés reception

This event is free to attend and open to healthcare professionals, policymakers and patient representatives. To apply for a place, please complete the registration form below.

How can the NHS build better relationships with partners? Event

As Nations Build, Women Get Smarter More rapidly Than Males, Study Says

How the brains of guys and ladies are distinct is a subject that fills bookshelves. Just as provocative is the query of regardless of whether the differences are predominantly hardwired or discovered. On one side of the discussion is the argument from inherited biology on the other is the argument from social and cultural influence. As with most debates involving nature and nurture, it is far from clear no matter whether biology or culture has the upper hand.

Researchers from the Global Institute for Applied Methods Evaluation in Vienna just lately took a various approach to the query by commencing with cognitive variations women and guys are identified to have, and then asking what function economic prosperity and social factors play in shaping individuals distinctions.

Researchers analyzed data culled from interviews with 14,000 females and 17,000 men, ages 50-84, which had been carried out as portion of the European Survey of Well being initiative from 2006 to 2007. Participants lived in 13 nations spanning a range of financial, social and public wellness circumstances in northern Europe, central Europe and southern Europe.

Each country in the study was assigned a regional development index (RDI) that benchmarked a mixture of gross domestic merchandise (GDP), schooling ranges, existence expectancy and infant mortality rates. Alterations in RDI for each country had been plotted across the lives of the research participants, thereby exhibiting the economic, social and public health situations these men and women have been exposed to from birth onward.

The interviews evaluated three places of cognitive overall performance: (1) episodic memory (the capacity to recall phrases) numeracy (the capacity to reason with standard mathematical concepts) and group fluency (the capacity to name examples from categories).  Typically men outperform girls in numeracy and ladies outperform men in episodic memory. The genders are about even in category fluency.

This review showed similar check outcomes: girls did as effectively or much better on episodic memory tests for each geographic area and across age groups. Likewise, males outperformed females on numeracy in each area and age group. Class fluency functionality showed negligible distinctions.

These outcomes have been as expected, but when RDI was factored in, a outstanding and less expected result emerged: improvements in RDI for every nation correlated with cognitive efficiency enhancements for each genders — but considerably far more so for ladies.

Much better designed countries, specifically these in northern Europe (followed in line by central Europe and southern Europe) showed the most cognitive improvements for both genders above time. But girls plainly benefited more as RDI improved, the two in episodic memory and numeracy. Girls amongst the ages of 50-54 in northern Europe showed especially notable improvements.

The final results might indicate that financial and social improvement opens far more possibilities for girls than males, perhaps simply because girls usually begin at a far more disadvantaged social and financial degree and have far more to obtain from RDI improvements. Quoting from the research: “These changes consider spot as a end result of ladies gaining much more than men from societal enhancements more than time, thereby escalating their common cognitive potential more than males.”

No matter whether or not that explanation nails the lead to of the adjustments, what seems clear is that financial and social elements strongly influence cognitive overall performance. Even if males and ladies do biologically inherit specific cognitive strengths and weaknesses, this review suggests that our societal influences play an tremendous part in how potently individuals strengths and weaknesses are expressed, and how they change more than time.

The research was published in the Proceedings of the Nationwide Academy of Sciences.

You can discover David DiSalvo on Twitter @neuronarrative and at his website The Daily Brain. His most current guide is Brain Changer: How Harnessing Your Brain’s Electrical power To Adapt Can Alter Your Existence.

Related on Forbes…

As Nations Build, Women Get Smarter More rapidly Than Males, Study Says

Three methods to build major care model for modern day Britain

Twenty-five per cent of A&ampE admissions could be taken care of elsewhere, research suggests. Photograph: Christopher Thomond

Reviews of a postcode lottery for British individuals have drawn focus to the stark variations amongst common practices across the Uk. This invites some reflection as to what aspects unify the NHS, and begs the question of whether or not a 1-dimension-fits-all model of major care can exist in modern Britain.

When the population is as scattered and varied as it is in the Uk, it is inevitable that principal care companies in diverse regions will need to have to be adapted to greater suit neighborhood specifications. What this disparity also highlights is the want to focus a lot more closely on the fundamental concerns at the heart of the wellness service.

In latest years there has been an emerging trend of sufferers heading straight to A&ampE rather than pursuing family or major care alternatives, which may well reflect modifying social attitudes as significantly as the restricted availability of local GPs.

There are 3 methods that could create a sturdy model of principal care, all of which would demand the implementation of considerable reform. These processes would operate with each other to generate an integrated program, and handle the issue of needlessly duplicated companies.

1 Introduce a tariff

The very first reform that would lower expenses and set up a much more effective model of care is the introduction of a tariff that does not pay out for needless remedies. This would alleviate a fantastic deal of strain on the two main and secondary care, and transfer crucial solutions to nearby health-related centres.

2 Redeploy the NHS workforce

Allocating health-related professionals to diverse sectors or amounts of care would utilise the varied skill set existing in the NHS and enrich the good quality of patient remedy. By redeploying personnel to regions that desperately demand extra assistance we would also be able to take away the want for hospital or walk-in centre visits, which are far far more expensive to run than GP surgeries.

Recent initiatives to spread a lot more solutions and NHS workers across secondary and main care units demonstrate increasing concerns about strain on A&ampE. There is obviously wide assistance for rising the position of major care. Even though the expansion of medical premises to pharmacies, dentists, and optometrists, as properly as modernised consulting rooms, has confirmed beneficial in retaining patients and easing the strain on other main care companies, it is the redeployment of secondary providers to frontline care that will have the most significant affect on the NHS.

three Dispose of NHS assets

The third and probably most controversial implies of releasing funds and consolidating care is the disposal of NHS assets. The cause for the controversy is the prevalent misconception that closing medical services equates to job losses. The actuality is that the United kingdom health services possesses a variety of valuable assets locked up in estates that are not fulfilling their goal in an productive way.

The problematic side impact of pinpointing surgeries in specified areas is that it can detract from the general situation facing the NHS. Premises improvement in the NHS demands to return to the public dialogue, as there stays a freeze on funding for constructing present day, integrated facilities.

In purchase to meet the growing demands of sufferers there has to be a viable option to A&ampE. The emergency consultation is the safety net for the central technique, but is now typically working as the reluctant initial port of call for individuals who think there is nowhere else to go.

With figures suggesting that 25% of A&ampE admissions could have been taken care of elsewhere, and 3-quarters of GP practices are possibly unfit for function, substantial quality primary care premises have to be a priority.

The three-strand technique for rebuilding the NHS is not a straightforward a single, nor is it a quick resolve. It requires some difficult choices for healthcare legislators and suppliers as effectively as a seismic shift in public attitudes to in search of health care focus. Even so, it is feasible and it is the necessary route in the direction of a sustainable, beneficial potential for healthcare.

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Three methods to build major care model for modern day Britain

I in no way thought I was the type who would build diabetes

After the shock was above, I bought self-assist books from Amazon, uninteresting my family rigid with my discoveries. I’ve learnt that if a single of your mothers and fathers has variety 2 diabetes, you have a forty per cent possibility of developing the disease. If each have it, the threat rises to around 90 per cent. My mom had type two diabetes from the age of 45, but none of the medical doctors I met more than the years had ever spelled out the odds I was facing.

I read all about the glycaemic index (GI), of which I’d been only vaguely conscious prior to. This measures the volume of glucose in foods, with sugar rated at a hundred and veggies and fish, for example, at the zero finish of the scale. It offered hope of improvement without far more medicine, by prescribing meals that release glucose gradually, with no a sudden spike in insulin manufacturing.

I had always thought my diet regime was fairly healthier, but in reality I learnt it was the opposite. I ate mounds of toast, sandwiches and pasta. Baked potatoes – so practical and nutritious – turned out to be a hazard: a handsized baked potato is made up of the equivalent of sixteen sugar cubes.

Fruit is not all it’s cracked up to be, both, since it contains lots of fructose, which is basically sugar. The ripe bananas that I ate each and every day, pondering they were good for me, contained about 6 teaspoons of sugar. And fruit juice is far worse.

Offered all that, plus my passion for beer, adore of ice cream and inability to turn down a jam doughnut, is it any wonder I went from pre-diabetes to the real thing? I bet if the a single in 3 British grownups on the verge took a difficult look at their diets, they’d come to the exact same conclusion.

As the penny dropped, I cut out sugar and curbed the carbs – even though I preserved the buttered toast in the morning – and ate a lot of far more vegetables, beans and pulses. And I stepped up my swimming and fitness center sessions. The fat fell away my waist shrank to a size it’s not been considering that my mid-twenties.

And the true beauty of my wholesome diet, which has assisted get my blood sugar degree below seven per cent, is that I’ve not felt hungry once. I’m even 9 kilos trimmer. The only downside to downsizing is that I’m obtaining to replace all my outfits.

When I was diagnosed, I had felt a horrible sense of reduction, anxious that my favourite treats would be permanently out of spoon-attain. The 1st handful of occasions the dessert menu came round were heart-breaking.

Diabetes United kingdom urges sufferers to be relaxed about eating the occasional bit of sugar, though, and it is real that one pudding is not going to destroy me. However, the danger is that you really do not know how a lot of you can get away with with no prolonged-phrase harm and, as an ex-smoker, I know it is much safer not to have the first 1.

Fortunately, as the months have passed, it has received less difficult to stick to my diabetic diet program. My daughter has even stopped sending me Snapchats of her scoffing doughnuts. What’s a lot more, I attempted a spoonful of treacle pudding in a restaurant last week. To my shock, I did not get pleasure from it – it tasted far as well sweet.

Data: diabetes.org.united kingdom

Study MARTHA GILL ON HOW TO MAKE THE NATION Healthier

I in no way thought I was the type who would build diabetes

Women who eat natural food items no significantly less probably to build cancer, research finds

Findings particularly pertinent as wellness considerations have been recognized as a key issue for picking organic meals, scientists say. Photograph: Keith Leighton / Alamy

Ladies who always or mainly consume natural food items are no less very likely to create cancer than women who eat a much more traditional diet, in accordance to a review published right now.

Making use of information from the Million Girls Research, the biggest wellness study task in the Uk, Cancer Analysis Uk scientists from Oxford University discovered that consuming an natural diet program grown without having pesticides produced no distinction to general cancer risk.

The authors of the paper, published in the British Journal of Cancer, explained that the benefits have been “specifically pertinent given that health worries have been identified as the main determination for consumers’ buy of organic food”. Professor Tim Key stated: “The overall conclusion is truly simple – we don’t see any big difference in the total danger of any variety of cancer, dependent on whether individuals stated they decide on organic food. It truly is a quite massive examine so the total consequence is extremely robust.”

Past research have advised, albeit inconclusively, that pesticides could enhance the threat of risk of cancer. Pesticides are extensively utilized in agriculture, despite the fact that there are limits to the volume of residue that can be present in foods, and the Oxford researchers described the quantities current as low.

They asked around 623,080 females aged 50 or above about no matter whether they ate organic meals, and then tracked the advancement of sixteen of the most typical kinds of cancer more than a nine-year period.

They located no variation in total cancer threat when comparing the 180,000 ladies who reported never eating organic ally grown meals with about 45,000 ladies who said they typically or always eat natural foods.

Nevertheless, variations did emerge with respect to breast cancer and non-Hodgkin lymphoma when they looked at the final results for the sixteen varieties of cancer individually.

The researchers found a little enhance in threat for breast cancer but a 21% reduction in the danger for non-Hodgkin lymphoma in ladies who mainly ate natural meals. Of the 180,000 ladies who by no means consume natural foods, 685 designed that cancer while there have been 133 situations between the 45,000 women who mentioned they typically or often consume natural merchandise.

As the evaluation of person cancers involved smaller numbers, Essential explained that the final results were significantly less robust and could be down to “possibility” or other elements. But he mentioned that, offered previous research had suggested a link in between pesticides and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, it would be well worth investigating much more closely.

Peter Melchett, director of policy at the Soil Association, which promotesthe trade entire body for organic food and farming, launched a wide-ranging attack on the study. He said it was strange that the 21% lower in non-Hodgkin lymphoma amid females who reported typically or usually eating natural foods was becoming “so readily dismissed” by Cancer Study United kingdom, and stated the causes for getting organic food items varied, and ranged from the positive aspects to wildlife to the reality that organic specifications prohibit GM crops and elements, harmful hydrogenated fats and controversial artificial food colors and additives. “Men and women also purchase natural to reduce their publicity to pesticides – 320 of which can be routinely utilised in non-natural farming.” He also claimed that the research had a number of weaknesses compared with other investigation, which includes that women’s BMI and the volume of bodily activity they took part in had been only measured when during the examine.

Women who eat natural food items no significantly less probably to build cancer, research finds