LOCAL STORIES

Find Geelong Column

by Deputy Mayor Trent Sullivan

Greater Geelong has a lot of things going for it.

We have great food and wine, cultural and sporting experiences, world-class beaches, the Barwon River and an enviable lifestyle.

The Bellarine recently took out the 25th spot and Geelong the 69th in Leading Places: The 100 Most Loved Destinations Around the World for 2021.

To be recognised in this way despite the challenges of a global pandemic goes to show that our region is one to tick off your bucket list.

And our live music scene has no doubt contributed to these rankings.

We have a history of producing quality musicians and groups – think Divinyls frontwoman Chrissy Amphlett, rock band Goanna, Magic Dirt’s Adalita Srsen and Mark Wilson from Jet.

And we have a big range of vibrant indoor and outdoor venues to choose from, like the Potato Shed, Pistol Pete’s, Piano Bar and the newly redeveloped Palais Geelong.

I’m excited to announce that there’s a whole lot more to look forward to at these venues, with council’s Surround Sounds music festival set to kick off from 7 April to 8 May across Geelong and the Bellarine.

The month-long festival will feature Paul Kelly, The Rubens, Human Nature, Kasey Chambers and Busby Marou, Children Collide, the Geelong Symphony Orchestra and more.

I’m talking rock, indie, pop, classical, country, jazz and everything in between.

We’ll even have Geelong Music Bus Tours, hosted by musician Adalita and Mick Thomas from Weddings, Parties, Anything.

This festival will give music lovers something to look forward to, while providing certainty for the industry.

It’ll attract music fans from across the state and hopefully Australia, in turn supporting our hospitality, tourism and accommodation businesses.

Surround Sounds is a win-win for our region and just another reason why Greater Geelong is the place to be.

Don’t miss out on tickets, head to geelongaustralia.com.au/surroundsounds for more info.

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It’s that Time of the Month

With International Women’s Day on Tuesday 8th March, now is a good time to talk about periods. Having a positive mindset about your cycle can help reduce some of the negative emotions around it. Know that this can be a time to deal with emotions gathered over the last month and a chance to give yourself time for nurture and rest.

Whilst every woman’s cycle has it’s differences, a normal cycle is 28 days (give or take 7 days), last for 4-7 days (give or take 2 days), and loss should be 30ml-80ml (although this can be hard to measure). If your cycle is not within these parameters, or you experience the following, you should see your doctor:

• Cramping that lasts more than a few days, is a stabbing pain, or pain with sex • Large, dark clots

Pain can be reduced with regular exercise and improved diet in the month prior to your cycle. Increasing vegetables, fruit, and protein whilst decreasing sugar and processed white grains can make a big difference. Try to eat a wide variety of vegetables not just the same few, and eat protein foods such as unprocessed meat, dairy, eggs, nuts, seeds, and legumes. Ginger is an anti-inflammatory herb that also increases circulation to the pelvic organs and is used for period pain. A 2009 study found ginger to be as effective as ibuprofen in reducing period pain.1 Ginger can be consumed in stir fries, curries, or as a tea. You can boil fresh grated ginger in water, then strain and add lemon or honey to flavour. If you use a tea bag, leave the bag in the mug to make it nice and strong. Consume ginger regularly throughout the day and for a few days for best results.

Herbal medicine offers natural options for regulating hormones, reducing pain, and regulating the stress response. A naturopath can make a custom mix of herbs to best treat your unique symptoms.

Cravings

Whilst your period may seem like the perfect excuse to sit down with a gourmet tub or chocolate ice-cream, dark chocolate is more likely to satisfy. Ideally eat 85% cocoa (or more), but you can build up to this if you’re not used to it. If you crave salt, swap chips (crisps) for popcorn or healthy alternatives such as kale chips.

Curb sugar cravings by going for something sour or bitter which can surprisingly switch off the craving. Try the juice of ½ a lemon or 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar in water, or a small handful of bitter lettuce.

This advice is general in nature and not intended to be prescriptive. For individualised prescriptive advice, please see a naturopath or other health care practitioner.

https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/acm.2008.0311

Katheryn Messenger

BHSC ( NATUROPATHY )

Taking appointments online and in person. wholenaturopathy.com.au

Australia Set to be Reunited as WA Reopens 11: 59pm Wednesday

Andrew Brown (Australian Associated Press)

Australia is just hours away from returning to pre-pandemic interstate travel arrangements, with Western Australia set to bring down its hard border with the rest of the country.

WA will reopen to eastern states from 11.59pm on Wednesday, making travel freely permitted again between all states and territories.

Hard border measures have been in place in Western Australia for several months following COVID-19 outbreaks in other jurisdictions.

The reopening comes after Premier Mark McGowan delayed the easing border regulations earlier this year due to rising Omicron cases across the nation.

Travellers into Western Australia – including returning residents – will need to be triple-vaccinated against COVID-19 and have a completed travel pass to enter the state.

WA Police Commissioner Chris Dawson said he expected an influx of travellers after months of being closed off to the rest of the country.

“We’ve had almost 23,000 applications (for travel passes), so we’re expecting tomorrow will be busy,” he told Perth radio station 6PR.

“It takes between 15 and 25 minutes to basically process passengers off large aircraft.”

The border relaxation comes as Prime Minister Scott Morrison and WA-based federal minister Ben Morton tested positive to COVID-19.

In a late-night statement, the prime minister said he was experiencing flu-like symptoms and would be recovering over the next week while working from home in Sydney.

“I had tested myself daily since Sunday, including (Tuesday) morning, with all tests returning a negative result,” he said.

“I took a further test (on Tuesday) evening after developing a fever. The test was inconclusive so I took a PCR test which returned a positive result.”

Meanwhile, the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation has recommended the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine be used as a booster.

The advisory group said Novavax was recommended for those over 18 when an mRNA vaccine, such as Pfizer, was not suitable.

Health Minister Greg Hunt said since Novavax was first approved by the country’s medical regulator, more than 25,000 doses of the vaccine have been administered as a first dose.

“The Therapeutic Goods Administration is currently considering an application for whole-of-population use of the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine as a booster,” Mr Hunt said.

“The TGA and ATAGI continue to review emerging evidence on all COVID-19 vaccines.”

While vaccines are not yet approved for children under five in Australia, US President Joe Biden indicated in his State of the Union address American scientists were working on such an approval.

The head of the TGA previously said approval for under-fives vaccines had been “put on ice” in the US, meaning approvals would not take place in Australia until at least after Easter.

There have been 59 deaths reported from COVID-19 on Wednesday, including 28 from Victoria, 24 in Queensland, five in NSW and two in the Northern Territory.

More than 25,000 new infections were detected across the country, of which 10,650 were in NSW, 7126 in Victoria, 5011 in Queensland, 1053 in the ACT, 624 in the NT, and 868 in Tasmania.

Local Stories

New Rules for Social Media Influencers

(Australian Associated Press)

Australian influencers will soon be banned from giving their personal opinion when promoting health products on social media in exchange for cash or gifts.

Under changes to the Therapeutic Goods Administration’s advertising code, from July 1 influencers will have to abide by strict rules when posting about health products and services, including medicines, vitamins and skincare.

They will be banned from giving personal comments or testimonials on health products that haven’t been tested or approved, whether they have been paid or given the product for free.

The rules will apply to therapeutic use, which includes cosmetic claims such as “removes toxins” and “fades age spots”, as well as “relieves pain”, “aids sugar metabolism” and “reduces inflammation in the body”.

Influencers can still endorse products but must disclose that it is advertisement, for example by including the words “paid partnership” or #Ad.

Murdoch University social media researcher Catherine Archer said the TGA ruling was “long overdue” but there was already pushback from influencers.

“Unfortunately for the influencers, health and related products/services are where many of them make a lot of their money, so there will be pushback,” she said. “Already we have seen some say that they should be paid for things like sunscreen as it is a ‘community service’.

“Having researched this space for 10 years, and recently conducting interviews with influencers who have been working in that space for the same length of time, the need for more enforceable guidelines is obvious.”

Menzies Health Institute Queensland principal research fellow Lauren Ball said the TGA’s decision revealed the importance of credible, evidence-based information when it comes to health.

“We have large workforces of health professionals, like dietitians and GPs, who are certified to practise safely in this space,” she said.

“Influencers sharing unsubstantiated claims in the form of click bait are dangerous, and prevents Australian’s from seeking professional help.”

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