Hamilton Grey Power - July 2020

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GOT THAT GIDDY FEELING? BY DR CATHY STEPHENSON OPINION: I have recently had vertigo for the first time – it’s a really horrible experience, and I have a new-found and sincere sympathy for those who have suffered from this for much longer, and to a much greater degree, than I have. Although it is a form of dizziness, vertigo is quite distinct from other types: they may cause a feeling of faintness or light-headedness, typically when standing up or getting out of bed, whereas vertigo is associated with a sensation that either you, or your surroundings, are spinning round. People with vertigo may describe feeling that they are falling or the room is tilting, and may find it hard to walk, stand and maintain their balance. Nausea and vomiting are common. Dizziness as a whole is extremely common – we will all have experienced this at one time or another. But true vertigo is more unusual – we think around 1 in 20 people will get vertigo at some point, and it’s much more likely to come on as we age. Vertigo isn’t a diagnosis, it’s a symptom, and it occurs when something is wrong in either the inner ear (our balance system) or even the brain itself. It can be quite mild, lasting a few seconds only, or can be severe and very impacting – in the most extreme cases lasting hours or even days at a time, and sometimes recurring over months or years. Finding out what is the underlying cause is can be essential for successful treatment. The following are the most common causes of vertigo, and how they can be managed: Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo This is the most common cause of vertigo, and occurs when little bits of calcium debris lodge in the inner ear (usually a result of degeneration or ageing), and interfere with our balance mechanisms. BPPV typically comes on at around 50 years of age, though can affect people earlier, and is more common in women. In most cases, we don’t know what triggers BPPV, but in some instances it occurs after a head injury, a viral infection or as a complication of ear surgery. People with BPPV will notice their vertigo when they have a sudden change in position of their head (for me, rolling over in bed); the vertigo tends to last for less than a minute, and resolves when the head is kept completely still. Although it can cause nausea, it is unusual to vomit with BPPV. If there are no symptoms to suggest something more serious is going on, your GP will likely be able to manage and treat BPPV without the need for a specialist to get involved. They will do a series of movements of your head and neck to assess which side is affected. If this confirms BPPV, the treatment involves some manoeuvres (known as Epleys, or Brandt-Daroff) that should dislodge the troublesome particles and relieve symptoms. Rate of recurrence after successful management like this is thought to be less than 10%, and those unlucky people who do find their BPPV is persisting can often learn to do these movements at home and treat themselves. Meniere’s Disease This condition is caused by a change in the volume of fluid in the inner ear, damaging the balance system. Typically it causes more severe symptoms than BPPV, and is thankfully less common. As well as vertigo, people Continued on page 34 Caring when it matters most Small enough to care, big enough to be competitive Ph (07) 855 5541 jamesrhill.co.nz 717 Grey Street Hamilton 28 Hamilton greypower Magazine | July 2020
LED lighting and your eyesight Nelson Grey Power Member’s Forum held a forum in November 2019 and one of the topics discussed was the harmful effects of LED lighting. Japanese inventors were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for inventing the technology behind the blue light emitting diode in 2014. Since then LED lights have become an increasing part of everyday life – used in smart phones, tablets, laptops, televisions and home lighting. Globally they are appearing in street and vehicle lighting. The NZ Listener (5.12.18) had previously raised the issue stating that exposure to LED light raises the risk of sleep disturbance, depression, obesity and cancer through disruption of the human (and animal) circadian rhythm and through melatonin disruption. These findings are further endorsed by recent research by the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety reported in May 2019. They concluded new findings confirmed earlier concerns that “exposure to an intense and powerful LED light is ‘photo-toxic’ and can lead to irreversible loss of retinal cells in the eye and diminished sharpness of vision”. They also stated that manufacturers should limit the luminous intensity of vehicle headlights, some of which are too bright. The American Medical Association has adopted an official policy statement about street lighting: cool it and dim it. They agree that street lights should have a kelvin of no more than 3000k. The AMA sees two main problems with LED street lighting – the first is discomfort from and papillary constriction in the eyes which can cause problems for safe driving or walking at night. The second is that the high blue content of LED lights scatters more in the human eye than the longer wavelengths of yellow and red and can cause damage to the retina. It has been suggested that city council street lighting should have LED’s with a warmer and safer colour temperature (2600-3000 kelvin). The NZ Ministry of Health suggests 2700- 3000 kelvin. Nelson Grey Power is going to raise the issue of street and motor vehicle lighting with the Federation as a national issue. Should Hamilton support them? Seniors suffering from glaucoma and cataracts are particularly vulnerable. Let us know your thoughts. The Perfect Hot Cocoa Ingredients You see your nose at all times, your brain just chooses to ignore it. Potatoes were the first food to be grown in space. In 1996, potato plants were taken into space with the pace shuttle Columbia. The first oranges weren’t orange. The original oranges from Southeast Asia were a tangerine-pomelo hybrid, and they were actually green. In fact, oranges in warmer regions like Vietnam and Thailand still stay green through maturity. Octopuses lay 56,000 eggs at a time. The mother spends six months so devoted to protecting the eggs that she doesn’t eat. The babies are the size of a grain of rice when they’re born. 2 Tbsp Chelsea White Sugar 2 to 3 tsp Cocoa Dash of salt 1 cup milk 1/4 tsp Vanilla extract from vanilla pod or 1/4 tsp Vanilla Essence Method Mix Chelsea White Sugar, cocoa and salt in large mug. Heat milk in microwave on High -100% for 1-1/2 minutes or until hot. Gradually add hot milk to cocoa mixture in mug, stirring until well blended. Stir in the vanilla. Hamilton greypower Magazine | July 2020 29
Page 1 and 2: Hamilton magazine July 2020 Join us
Page 3 and 4: President’s report Welcome to our
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Page 9 and 10: All the care they need If you’re
Page 11 and 12: Tamahere Eventide facilities are co
Page 13 and 14: The new Trusts Act 2019 Just becaus
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Page 35 and 36: Cataract Surgery A CATARACT IS A GR
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Hamilton Grey Power - July 2020

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