THE OLD AND THE BOLD: A.J.“Nat” Gould, aviator (This article was first published in NOCN 83, 1 December 2010.) As a teenager in Queensland during the 1930s, Arthur ‘Nat’ Gould picked mushrooms in nearby fields and sold them. His earnings paid for flying lessons at Archerfield, Brisbane, and he got his ‘A’ licence at the […]
VADM Sir Richard Peek, KBE CB DSC RAN ret, 1914-2010 (This obituary is drawn from the reminiscences of Malcolm Baird, Ian MacDougall and Ian Richards, from a report by Mike Taylor, and from information provided by CN’s office.) Richard Innes Peek (who called himself ‘Peter’ because he disliked the ‘RIP’ monogram) was born in […]
A relative in Peking: MIDN Arthur Leslie Walker by John Ellis (Leslie Walker was a cousin of John Ellis’s grandmother.) (This article was first published in NOCN 82, 1 September 2010.) As the 19th century was drawing to a close, China had attracted many representatives of Western countries eager to trade. With the trade […]
Use it or lose it by Fred Lane PhD As we see more and more people reporting dementia, a big question arises: should the aging brain and body meditate or activate? Yes. On the one hand, completely relaxed lifestyles are not only boring, but well-founded research suggests that they contribute to mental as well as […]
Chronic pain and the physician (2008) by Fred Lane, PhD Medical practitioners, generally, are poorly trained in the management of chronic pain. The USA has many physicians who do not keep up with the complex and frequently frustrating task of pain management. However, it also has a very few others who stand out as world […]
Chronic pain (2009) by Fred Lane PhD A large Australian study (Blyth et al 2001), supported by overseas research (e.g. Tunks et al 2008 and Breivika et al 2006) suggests that about one in five adults have chronic pain. That equates to about 133 Naval Officers Club members. The saga of diagnosing and treating chronic […]
Alzheimer’s disease update (2005) by Fred Lane PhD The Alzheimer’s debate continues and it remains an important issue for ever-increasing numbers of retired and elderly people in Australia. Last year (2004) Australian scientists were loudly hailed on TV after reporting a new intervention that looked good, theoretically, and even seemed to work with specially bred […]
Fat old people do live longer than skinny old people by Fred Lane PhD Getting good workouts at the gym? Want to keep your brain in shape? Try internet sites such as www.aarp.com and search there for “games.” Take your pick of on-screen trivia, crosswords or other beneficial, entertaining and educational problems. But, at the […]
Alzheimer’s Disease update (2007) by Fred Lane PhD A promising intervention for one important aspect of Alzheimer’s disease has foundered, once more, in the same manner that so many Alzheimer’s treatment proposals fail to live up to their early promise. Insulated from drug company influences, recent studies of a class of drugs called the atypical […]
Use it or lose it (contd) by Fred Lane PhD. “Use it or lose it,” has been a golden mantra for the elderly for years. Now, a couple of new studies at Columbia University in New York and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign suggest that mild aerobic exercise not only preserves but also encourages […]
