Moderate Exercise, Anxiety, Salt and Fat, and More: Tonic (Series 1)
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
In Tonic, Dr. Norman Swan leads a team of reporters who cover all aspects of health, from lifestyle to complementary medicines to the most recent medical discoveries. Topics covered in this episode include: • Moderate Exercise—It’s What We’re Told We Need to Do, but What Is It Exactly? Moderate exercise: many of us are confused about what “moderate” actually means. Casey Beros heads to the Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute in Melbourne to find out from an international expert in this field just what is considered moderate exercise, and how much of it we need to do. • Anxiety—One of the Most Common Yet Poorly Recognized Psychological Problems, Affecting Many of Us: The first in a gripping three-part series on anxiety. Anxiety is one of the most common yet least well-recognized psychological problems, affecting the lives of many of us. Everyone gets anxious from time to time—going into an exam or a job interview, for example, or having to give a speech at a wedding. But some people are anxious a lot of the time without knowing the reason. Dr. Norman Swan speaks with international expert Professor Ron Rapee from Macquarie University in Sydney for an overview of the condition. • Delving into the Criminal Mind—(Part 3): The final chapter in a controversial area of research. What are the implications of doing brains scans on people to see whether they’ve a criminal mind? Dr. Norman Swan concludes his interview with Professor Adrian Raine—an expert in criminology who says you can tell a criminal mind by looking at a brain scan—but are we risking labeling children for life? • Why Do Salt and Fat Taste So Good? We all love salt and fat, and those who say they don’t are lying to themselves—and to their genes. Do we have a choice? Could there be a physiological need for French fries? Tonic’s resident skeptic Richard Brophy wonders… • The Regulation of Complementary Medicines: The organization which regulates complementary medicines in Australia is the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA)—and in regulating some 60,000 products, their resources get stretched thin, which leaves room for boundaries to be crossed. Consumer affairs reporter Karen Carey has the story. • Binge Drinking—Is One Person’s Binge Another’s Light Tipple? We often hear that drinking a little alcohol (at least in some varieties) can be good for the heart. However binge drinking can have quite the opposite effect, and you’ll be surprised to learn just how few drinks constitutes a binge. • What Is the Relationship Between Stress and Headaches? Exactly what is the relationship between stress and headaches? Dr. Norman Swan has the answers. (28 minutes)