Neuroplasticity (see: https://www.perthbraincentre.com.au/) is the ability of the brain to change its own structure and function as a result of what happens to us, and what we do and what we think. Some have said that the discovery that the brain is not therefore “hard-wired” and can change is the most important advancement in science in over 400 years.

There is good evidence indicating that children are not spending enough time outdoors. There has been a dramatic shift over the past 30 years, affecting children in particular and “green places” have been replaced with “screen spaces.” The move indoors with a sharp increase in screen time is having a significant impact on children’s physical and mental health. Most of the children we see in clinic with problems like ADHD and Anxiety are spending too much time sitting indoors on screens and when they are just encouraged to simply get outside often start to feel better.

What is Autism Spectrum Disorder?

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a persistent neuro-developmental disorder that affects how a person communicates, relates to other people, and how they experience the world around them. Often symptoms of ASD develop gradually, and parents will usually notice signs by around 2 yrs of age, when it becomes apparent they are not meeting their developmental milestones.1 Sometimes though, the symptoms can be subtle and may not be obvious until school age or even later in life. In Australia, around 1% of the population has ASD1 with males being 4 times more likely to be diagnosed than females. The cause of Autism is not clearly understood but it appears to be a complex interaction of both genetic and environmental factors.3

The results of possibly the largest study ever conducted looking at the relationship between alcohol consumption and dementia have just been published in The Lancet Public Health Journal.

Researchers in France studied over 1 million adults diagnosed with dementia and looked at the link with drinking alcohol. They found that the majority (57%) of adults diagnosed with early-onset dementia (that is dementia that starts before 65 years old), were associated with heavy drinking.