Tonight on The Checkup ` Gareth braves the beauty parlour. (GROANS) Mataroria investigates a looming epidemic. Is there some connection between our decreasing eyesight and increased screen time? And will wet hair give you a cold? I woke up most mornings with earaches. Yeah, I was sneezing. But first, food intolerances ` fact or fad? (LIGHT MUSIC) Should I be gluten-free? Am I lactose intolerant? Do I need to give up dairy? These are questions I get asked a lot as a GP, and it's quite the debate. Our nation was built on bread and butter, fresh milk and blocks of cheese, but we seem to be increasingly intolerant of these everyday staples. Has the food changed or have we? A food allergy is an adverse immune system response triggered by consumption of a normally harmless substance. For people with severe allergies, reactions can be life-threatening. Their immune system releases chemicals that flood the body, and this can lead to anaphylactic shock. Blood pressure suddenly drops and airways narrow, potentially blocking normal breathing. This condition is serious and relatively rare. A UK survey showed that while one in five people feel they have a food allergy, in reality, when tested, it is only seven in 500. The rest are probably suffering a food intolerance, which is an adverse reaction to a food ` a reaction that does not involve the immune system. The symptoms can still be significant, but we should be careful not to eliminate entire food groups without good reason. I love nothing more than a double scoop of mint chocolate chip ice cream after dinner, so I'm meeting with Professor David Cameron-Smith and doctoral candidate Aahana Shrestha to measure my tolerance of lactose. Can you tell me what is lactose? So, lactose is the major sugar that you find in milk. So, it's a very simple sugar. It's made up of two monosaccharides. One is glucose, and one is galactose, and we find those are very common in food. What's different about lactose is that it has a special chemical bond that joins the glucose and the galactose together. So when you drink milk, you need that special enzyme to be present for you to be able to digest and break those two sugars apart. Most children have plenty of that enzyme, and it's present in their small intestines. But as you get older, the amount of that enzyme declines very rapidly. How common is lactose intolerance in New Zealand? So, at least 65% of the people are actually lactose intolerant. So, did you say 65% are lactose intolerant? Yeah. Intolerant, yeah. So there are more people intolerant than tolerant. Absolutely, and that's the normal. So in Maori and Pacific Islander, we suspect it's very high. For person like me who come from Nepal and other Asian countries, it's very common. In Caucasian, it's less common, but we're yet to find out. What would I notice if I was lactose intolerant? What you'd experience is what we describe as abdominal discomfort, so that's the feeling of bloating. And then it may lead to feelings of needing to go to the toilet and in severe cases, diarrhoea. (INDISTINCT CONVERSATION) A simple test will determine my own lactose tolerance. It starts with a base reading of my breath hydrogen. Yeah. OK. Thank you. So I'll just measure the breath hydrogen straight away. OK. So we just put it here, and... and then blow in. (MACHINE BEEPS, TRILLS) It's zero. The next step is a big dose of lactose. What I'd like you to do is I'd like you to drink this, and then we'll measure your lactose intolerance ` that's your ability to digest that lactose. OK. All right. So I just`? Down the hatch. (INTRIGUING MUSIC) (EXHALES) All gone. (CHUCKLES) It's almost an hour. Are you ready for your next test? Yeah. I wanna see what I got. (CHUCKLES) Let's see. If I am lactose intolerant, the lactose I've just swallowed will stay undigested in my gut and become fermented by bacteria. A byproduct of that is hydrogen. (MACHINE BEEPS) It's still the same reading. You're tolerant... so far. Yes! (LAUGHS) So I'm lactose tolerant. Tolerant. Oh wow. That was really fun. Congratulations. (BOTH CHUCKLE) You can enjoy ice cream. We shouldn't be too quick to diagnose ourselves with food intolerances. It can mean we miss out on important nutrients and make life far more complicated than it needs to be. If you have symptoms, I suggest that you see your own doctor for further tests to see what's actually to blame. (FUNKY, UPBEAT MUSIC) (INTRIGUING MUSIC) For as long as humans have been growing hair, they've also been looking at ways to remove it. Check out Alexander the Great's smooth look circa 330 BCE. There are numerous ways to achieve hair-free skin, but shaving and waxing are by far the most popular. Does waxing slow hair growth? And what about shaving? Does hair grow back thicker, darker and faster? (GENTLE MUSIC) Hair starts growing within your skin, so what you see above the surface is just a part of the hair strand. While this barber shave is amazing, shaving simply trims the thinner end of the hair off, leaving behind the wider base, which is hard and stubbly. This hard end left behind can feel thicker and look darker, but shaving doesn't actually affect the hair's thickness or how fast it grows. That's all determined at the hair root, which is buried within the three layers of our skin. So, what about waxing? Does that make the hair grow back thinner or slower? Welcome to Smart Hair and Beauty. Cheers. Thank you very much. There's only way to find out, and I'm about to do something I've never done before. So this is your first time getting your wax done? Certainly, yes, and probably my last. OK. (CHUCKLES) Yeah. So, I've got two questions. Mm-hm. One, will this hurt? And two, have you ever lied to a customer? Yes. The answer is, well, it is painful. Yep. We do lie to the customers, because if we say it is painful, they're not going to do it. (CHUCKLES) I'm so nervous, honestly. (CHUCKLES) Don't be. The wax bit's actually quite soothing. It is, because that's the honey wax. Yeah. I love honey. Mm. Argh! Here you go. Oh! (CHUCKLES) (EXHALES SHARPLY) That's really, really sore. (GROANS) 'Waxing removes the entire hair, including the root or follicle.' This bit is definitely gonna hurt. No, it's not. It's gonna be fine. GROANS: But I know you lie. Argh! It's nearly there. After waxing, the hair grows back at the same rate, but it takes longer to become visible above the skin, so it appears to be growing slower. It also means when they do eventually grow above the skin, the hair's naturally tapered end seems finer and less visible. Argh! Here you go. Nice and smooth legs. I'll have to buy a bicycle after this and start road cycling. (LIGHT MUSIC) It's been three weeks since my unfortunate waxing session, and the verdict ` to be honest, the jury is still out. One, it was way too painful, and two, it's been incredibly itchy. I think if I had to do it again, I'd definitely get my legs shaved and put up with the stubble, cos I'm way too much of a wuss to do that again. (RIP!) We'll just get these hands all the way out, stretched out nicely. If you look after your heart, you're gonna look after your brain. Plans for the holidays? I'm starting my kitchen renovation. With a Gem personal loan you could get someone to do up your kitchen. And with our 'pay it faster' option you could save up to $1,000 in interest just by paying an extra $50 a month. You can do better with Gem, powered by Latitude. Ask today. L'Oreal Paris introduces... Rouge Signature. Matte colour ink. Less texture, more colour. Less effort, more elegance. All day matte - bare lip sensation. Rouge Signature, the first matte colour ink by L'Oreal Paris. We're worth it. * (GENTLE MUSIC) Healthcare and lifestyle advances mean our bodies are lasting longer. What can we do to ensure our brains keep up? Currently, around 60,000 people in New Zealand are diagnosed with dementia, and that number's set to dramatically rise in the next decade. But the news isn't all bad. (WOMAN PLAYS 'POKAREKARE ANA' ON PIANO) My wife, Amrita, has been a music teacher for 30-some-odd years, and she also danced as well. And then about eight years ago, we decided` well, she decided that we should do a stint overseas. I noticed a change, or we noticed a change, while we were still in Qatar. She would put her clothes on back-to-front or inside out. And there was something else about seafood ` which she had drilled into me that once you take it out of the freezer, you've got to cook it. And I found her putting it back into the freezer, and I said, 'What's going on here?' I thought she was going through menopause, and I didn't want to get into that, right? I valued my life. However, I think it was actually the beginnings of Alzheimer's. Alzheimer's is the most common form of dementia. It is a physical disease that affects the brain, and there is currently no cure. It was quite a strange thing to see someone so confident and so full of life now taking a back step. I realised that... the old life... had gone. When it comes to dementia, however, we don't have to take it lying down. According to a model created by The Lancet Commission on dementia prevention and care, an estimated 35% of cases could be delayed or even prevented by a change in lifestyle choices. One of the things that have been said quite a lot during the national Alzheimer's conference in Auckland was if you look after your heart, you're gonna look after your brain. So if you stop smoking, keep a good weight, keep your blood pressure down, do good exercise and social connection` connectedness, then you will actually ` possibly ` prevent it. Up until more recent times, people who have been given a diagnosis have felt like they've been given a life sentence, but now we're getting more exciting things that are happening where people can come along and actually slow down the progression of dementia; not stop it all together, but slow down. Anything that is related to music and dance... I know from the research perspective that actually all of those things will actually improve the quality of life. Because once you get the diagnosis, what's the most important thing? It's that you'll be able to function as a human being in society. For Amrita's family, the benefits that music provide are immeasurable. After playing, or while she's playing, she comes alive. She speaks in full sentences. She can cope with the situation better. She's more relaxed. We try every day to see if she can play, so just to give her that. And I think, as somebody said recently, when it comes to music, it's often the memories music brings back. Cool. So, we're gonna start out here, and we'll just get these hands all the way out and these arms stretched out nicely. In addition to the benefits music brings, research has shown that dancing can also aid dementia sufferers. Carlene Newell de Jesus is at the forefront of this innovation and has been working with a group of patients here at Selwyn Village. I've found that dance can be a really meaningful activity for people who might have dementia, and it's an activity that draws from people's past and allows them to integrate long-term memories and also provide the sort of stimulation that integrates exercise and socialising and creative activities and things that we know are really good for keeping the brain healthy. And how have you found that it's been beneficial? It's an activity which is really complex. If you imagine, sort of, having to learn new movement in your body and master that movement, or remember sequences, or even integrate sort of abstract concepts like feelings or memories into dance, it's something which uses a lot of different areas of the brain. So there's, sort of, cognitive benefits to what I do, but also, sort of, broader quality of life, giving people something new and exciting and enjoyable and something to look forward to. So, for people at home and for their loved ones, what's something that they can do to bring some of this to their homes? Like, a lot of great dancing happens in kitchens and lounges and things like that, and it actually always has. So I think, for sure, people can find music that is meaningful to their loved ones. And then just putting the radio on and moving around, finding what comes naturally or what's fun or what's silly. You know, all of that's great, and it's easy to access. As with most things, prevention is better than cure. So hit the streets! Walking is proven to improve brain function and thinking skills. Research has shown that some foods will help us age gracefully and keep our mental faculties in tact. Try challenging the brain with new activities, like crosswords, puzzles and games. If you live every day with a sense of purpose and follow a clear direction, that also helps. (PEACEFUL MUSIC) One last thing ` social interaction is very important in the management of dementia. Just one hour a day of meaningful contact can make a real difference. Double word score. (CHUCKLES) Once your eyes become myopic, there's little you can do to reverse its effects. Will the divers with wet hair be more likely to catch a cold? If anyone gets a cold, I'll write you a sick note. (BOTH LAUGH) (LIGHT MUSIC) There have been many changes in our classrooms over the decades ` chalkboards to whiteboards, pencils to tablets, and the number of children that have to wear glasses. When I was at school, there was only one or two kids in my class with glasses. But today the number of children diagnosed with myopia, or short-sightedness, has been described as an impending epidemic. (GENTLE MUSIC) Currently, 23% of the world's population is myopic, and that figure is forecast to be almost 50% by 2050. In some East Asian countries, more than eight out of 10 young adults are already considered short-sighted. So what has changed? Is there some connection between our decreasing eyesight and increased screen time? Could our love affair with our tablets, our laptops, our cellphones be ruining our eyesight? Dr John Phillips is the principal investigator at Auckland's Myopia Lab. He is unconvinced about screen time's role in the myopia epidemic. It might be contributing to it, but the epidemic started, really, a long time before screens became as popular as they are. People's fears about screen time are to a large extent unfounded. The best way of preventing children from developing myopia is actually to send them outdoors, to get them to spend a lot of time outdoors. It's not clear how time spent outdoors acts to reduce the incidence of myopia. It could be the light levels to which the eye is exposed. Oh! (LAUGHS) Yeah! There's been some studies in China where they've just increased the light levels in the schools and not in others, and they find that the schools with the increased light levels have a lower incidence of myopia than schools where the lighting is dim. It could be that activities performed close-up at short visual distances increase the risk of myopia. The bottom line ` children are less likely to become myopic when they spend more time outside, and two hours a day is recommended. Once your eyes become myopic, there's little you can do to reverse its effects. The best way to avoid this growing epidemic is to take a break ` get outside. Oh! (CHUCKLES) (FUNKY, UPBEAT MUSIC) Nobody likes coming down with a cold or flu, but could avoiding them be as simple as never leaving the house with wet hair? My grandma seemed to think so. These divers train all year round and are no strangers to wet hair. For the next week, I'm going to ask three of them to leave their hair wet after every training session, and three are going to dry their hair every day. Will my gran be proven right? Will the divers with wet hair be more likely to catch a cold? Thanks, everyone, for helping with my experiment, and I pinkie promise over the coming week if anyone gets a cold, I'll write you a sick note. (GIRLS LAUGH) Now, you may think I should be feeling a little bit guilty at this point, but I'm not. It's a medical fact that being exposed to cold temperatures with wet hair does not cause the common cold. I'm not just conducting this experiment to be cruel, though. There is a method to my madness. Using the terms 'caught a cold' or 'chill' to describe the combination of a sore throat, runny nose and cough has caused a lot of confusion. But the only thing that'll make you sick is exposure to a virus. Yep, that's right. Viruses cause 100% of colds and flus. What I do want to know is if actually being cold makes us more vulnerable to catching a virus. One study found that test subjects who had their feet in icy water for 20 minutes were more likely to develop common cold symptoms in the following days than those who didn't. Why would that be? It's thought that exposure to cold temperatures causes the blood vessels in our nose to constrict. And it's thought that this could affect our respiratory defence system. Research also shows that viruses themselves are more infectious in cooler weather. Much like this hard-shell lolly, in winter, a virus is literally tougher. Its outer layer acts like a shield, making it more resistant and more likely to spread. But in warmer temperatures, the outside is gooey and soft, making it less resistant and less likely to spread. The most obvious connection, however, between being cold and catching a virus is the time we spend indoors closer to other people and their germs. It's been a week since my wet hair experiment began. So thank you very much, girls, for helping out for the past week. Did you feel any colder this week? Um, yeah, I definitely felt a lot colder ` almost every day. Yeah, I was freezing. (CHUCKLES) Yeah. Colder than you would normally feel? Yeah, definitely. Yeah. And did any of you experience any cold symptoms? I woke up most mornings with earaches. Yeah. I was sneezing all the time. Right. And had you been around anyone else who had had any cold-like symptoms? Uh, yep ` my friend. Mm-hm. And what about you girls? Have any of you experienced any cold symptoms over the last week? Yeah, I was sneezing a bit at training. Mm-hm. And had you been around anyone who had had similar symptoms? My brother's been sick all week, so yeah. So, girls, over the past week, we've had sore ear and a bit of sneezing as well. Do you think that wet hair causes cold symptoms? I don't really think that it would give you a cold, but I think it'd make you more likely to be able to get a cold. I think that it might be based around the people you're around. Like, there might be more sick people around me than around other people. Wet hair will not give you a cold, but my grandmother may have a point. Temperature can slow our body's immune response to viruses and make them more likely to spread and survive. www.able.co.nz Copyright Able 2019