Tonight on The Check Up ` Gareth sees double,... Hi, I'm Jamie. And I'm Millie. ...Jayani finds the magic ingredient in manuka honey,... Medical-grade honey is making its way into hospitals. ...and Sam gets sozzled on sherry trifle. I feel quite tipsy. That's really close to the drink-driving limit. But first I shed some light on a familiar problem. Come here. Fletch. Here, here. Fletch, come on, come on. (CHUCKLES) Come on, come on, come on. If you have a dog in your family, you'll know that it's important to get them regularly de-wormed. Our pets' intestines house various types of worms. Some of these worms aren't overly fussy, and can just as happily live inside us. For example, roundworm. Their eggs are passed in dog poo, and then very easily spread to humans. We can pick up roundworm eggs from walking barefoot over infected soil, gardening without gloves, or consuming contained water or food. If you do catch roundworm, the symptoms are wheeziness, shortness of breath, stomach pain, nausea and diarrhoea. And as with dogs, the worms will be passed out in your poo. Roundworm looks a bit like this ` cooked spaghetti. Luckily in New Zealand, soils infected with worms are rare. As long as your pet is dewormed regularly, they're unlikely to give you the little blighters. But there's another family member who might. Worms are most commonly found in children, and it's threadworms that find them irresistible. Threadworms get their name because they look like this, and they're also known as pinworms. The most common sign of threadworms is an itchy bottom. The females crawl out of the intestine at night to lay their eggs. Many people are embarrassed to admit that they or their children have worms, but they're not a sign of uncleanliness, they're just super easy to pick up. Especially in places where children get together, and it's simple to demonstrate how. (ALL SQUEAL, SHOUT) I've given Louis and his mates a toy to play with, and it's certainly doing the rounds. What I haven't told them is it's covered in magic power. (CHILDREN PLAY, LAUGH) When I shine this UV light, the powder will glow. Let's see how far it spread. Ah. Oh. (CHUCKLES) Yep, you've got magic powder everywhere. Alex, can I look at your hands? Ah, look at that. Oh, and your face and your T-shirt. (CHUCKLES) And your foot! Chosen toy, eh? Oh, wow. It's even been transferred to me. Threadworms spread when the eggs are swallowed, and these eggs are extremely tough. They can survive for up to two weeks outside the body. The good news is it takes just a simple tablet or two to kill threadworms, but deworming is a family affair. If anyone in the household has threadworm, it's important everyone takes the medication, just to be sure it doesn't get passed back and forth. To get rid of those hardy eggs, it's also a good idea to wash all clothes and bed linen. Worms are the worst kind of house guest ` unwanted and determined to hang around. But unlike the lingering relative that won't take a hint, worms will respond quickly to a dose of the right medicine. Hi, I'm Jamie. And I'm Millie. Hi, I'm Gareth. BOTH: Hi, Gareth. Meet Jamie and Millie. They're identical twins. Millie, on the left side of the screen, was born first. Her sister, Jamie, followed 10 minutes later. So, when we're out in public and people we know walk past and sort of say 'Hi' and... ...we don't respond, they get a bit offended, because we're not responding. (CHUCKLES) But once we explain it, usually it's fine. Medical researchers love identical twins, because they share up to 88% of their DNA. As they age, though, their environments become more diverse, so studying twins provides valuable insight into the nature versus nurture debate. But that's not all. Scientists are working with twins to find new ways of using our natural features, called biometrics, to identify us. As we depend more on technology, we have a reduced need for cash, keys, and swipe cards, and a greater requirement for robust, reliable biometrics that prove our identity. So, I've got a little measuring tape here, so do you mind if we just have a look at your left ear there. I'll take a few measurements. Today we're going to test some of the latest advances. We're bang on 6cm. Ears come in all shapes and sizes ` small, large, huge lobes and no lobes. The cartilage in the middle creates a landscape of valleys and ridges unique to all of us. Ears have been used in forensic science for years. That's 3.8. Come over here. Or should I say come over ear. (CHUCKLES) Yours is 3.2, so you've definitely got slightly smaller ears. But who's better at listening? Yeah, Jamie probably is better at listening. I'm definitely the more patient one. (ALL CHUCKLE) My tape measure isn't going to catch on, but scanning technology already exists that can capture the 3D shape of an individual's ear. In some ways, our ears are better for recognition than our faces. They don't age or pull different expressions. Ears hold a lot of promise for biometric identification, but what if you could pass through airport security without even having to stop? So, Millie and Jamie, if you could just walk across the mat one at a time. Hidden in this map are sensors to record exactly how we walk. Because, as Dr Angus McMorland knows, our swagger can say a lot. We don't really think about how we walk, but actually it's a really complicated process, and so there are lots of little variations from one person to another that make gait individual ` how your muscles are attached to your bones, the lengths of your bones, shapes of your bones, and also your experience. If you've had any training in a particular sport, that might effect the way you activate those muscles, it'll change your gait a little bit. Millie and Jamie have both walked across the gait mat. Now I want to put it to the test. So, Angus, if I get you just to watch the computer, and we'll get the twins one by one to walk across, I wanna see if you can work out whether it's Millie or Jamie who's walked across. I'll secretly point. Angus is looking for subtle differences in the way that twins walk ` features he can use to identify the mystery walker. So, have you managed to work out who are mystery walker was? I think I have. So, this is Millie's walk, and we can see hear that on the right side, there's a bit of a toe-out angle, which is saying that that toe is just a little bit out from the direction that she's walking in, and whereas if we go over here to Jamie's test, then there isn't that toe-out on the right-hand side. Right now we go to our mystery walker, and first thing we can see is there's no toe-out on that side, in fact, there's a tiny bit of toe-in, so I think our mystery walker was Jamie. The ability to identify us by the way we walk has all sorts of applications. For example, the police could access CCTV footage around the city and do tracking of a person in the way that they're walking, and then identify people automatically as they're moving around. The gait mat is the tip of the biometric iceberg. Researchers are currently working on electronic noses, which could detect our distinctive smell signatures. Sniff test, anybody? We have so many weird and wonderful quirks. It turns out it's more than just our fingerprints that make us unique. Nice day for a mammogram. Yeah, let's go! Just hold your breath, please, Jackie. (MACHINE WHIRRS) Find Bessie's lump. Ooh, I think I feel` Is there one here? * (PENSIVE MUSIC) It's all very well casting a critical eye over our appearance on the daily, but beauty is only skin-deep, and what's beneath could be telling a very different story. Half of all breast cancers are discovered by women who felt or saw a change in their breasts. So, where do we start? (PENSIVE MUSIC) With Bessie. She's the trusty sidekick of New Zealand's Breast Cancer Foundation, and she plays a very special role in early detection. Let's get down to it. What can Bessie help us with? The TLC method, which is touch, look and check. So, what you do is you get three fingers, and press down lightly to start with, and do a round motion. And you would do this all around the breast in a koru or a circular pattern. So, would you like to have a feel? Bessie is a little bit special, in that she has got a breast lump. OK. So would you like to feel if you can find Bessie's lump? Yes, I would. I would love to. So, great technique. Ooh, I think I feel` Is there one here? There is one just there. Oh, yeah. It's a bit of a` Oh! ...surface one. You really have to... and be careful to check everywhere. Yes, and be careful to go all the way up and under the armpit. So, that's why you follow the koru pattern, so that you have a systematic way of checking. OK. So, if you look at Bessie, she's also got some other issues going on. She's got a dimpling here, which you can visibly see. Yeah. As well as she has got a few puckers going on, but very visibly, is this nipple change here, and this rash. So, what women are looking for is they're looking for any dimpling, puckering, nipple changes, a rash; and we really encourage women to just know what their normal is. So, if they're doing regular self-examinations, you get to know what your normal breasts look and feel like. Any changes, no matter how small, mean you should C for check. Check with your doctor, who may then send you for a mammogram. When it comes to detecting lumps, what can a mammogram do that TLC can't? So, this is the smallest size that can be picked up on mammogram. Really?! Really. This middle bead is the average size that a mammogram finds. And this one here is the average size that women find from their own self-examinations. So that's why early detection and having a mammogram really is the best protection. (LAUGHTER) Hey! Hey, Jackie, how are you? Nice day for a mammogram. Yeah, let's go! (BOTH CHUCKLE) If you've never had one, it's hard to know what to expect. Entertainer and Breast Cancer Foundation ambassador Jackie Clarke has agreed to let us tag along. Why do you think women are anxious about having a mammogram? It's basically a medical procedure, which involves somebody touching your breasts, and putting it into a machine, and then having it squashed, so it is weird and unusual, so of course you might have apprehension the first time, but I think once you've had one mammogram, you're aware of what it is, all the mystery's taken away, and you know it's just one of those things you do when you're a woman. Every two years, you go in and get your mammogram. Sweet as. I think they're ready. You can just have a seat there for me, thank you. I have a friend. That's all right, isn't it? Yes, yes, of course, of course. So, I'll explain to you what it is that we're going to do. We take four pictures of your breasts. Two will be from top to bottom, two from side to side. What I need you to do is to just try and relax. At your appointment, at MRT, or medical radiation technologist, will put your breasts between two glass plates. This hand comes here. The Breast Cancer Foundation recommends women get into the habit of self-examination from the age of 20, and they recommend that women consider having regular screening from age 40. We'll do the same on the other side, Jackie. Mammograms are free from the age of 45. You're doing great, Jackie. We're going to take that picture now. OK. I've never looked more beautiful. It's very personal, isn't it? It is very personal. Up close and personal. Just hold your breath, please, Jackie. (MACHINE WHIRRS) The compression can be a bit uncomfortable, but it lessens the amount of radiation required, and gives a clearer view of the tissue. We are all done. Thank you. All images taken will be reviewed by two radiologists, and if they detect anything untoward, you'll be asked to come back for further investigation. We all have special women in our lives, and I'd love them to take a moment each month for some TLC. And for those that love them, a bunch of flowers wouldn't go amiss. Jackie, thank you so much. Aw, that is so lovely. Thank you so much. Look at me. Ha ha! (CHUCKLES) I've never used honey to treat my patients before, but that may be set to change. I don't know about you, but I really like a boozy dinner. (EXHALES) You're preapproved for a secure Gem car loan, and you're still winding the windows down by hand. You won't miss out when you find the car you want, with approval before you buy and a rate from 9.99% fixed per annum. You can do better with Gem, powered by Latitude. Apply today. * Honey ` a delicious sweet treat perfect on crumpets or a powerful medical tool able to exterminate the toughest of superbugs? Honey was first used to treat wounds in ancient Egypt 4000 years ago. It's been put to medical use in cultures all over the world. But for a long time, the only place it had in our modern hospitals was on the breakfast tray. I've never used honey to treat my patients before, but that may be set to change. Medical-grade honey is making its way into hospitals. To find out what the buzz is all about, I'm meeting chemist Dr Terry Braggins. When I'm treating wounds, one of the most important things is making sure bacteria don't get in and cause an infection and slow down the healing. How does honey come into play with that? Well, honey has some very interesting properties. It does have antibacterial properties, and there are three main reasons for that. One is that honey has very low moisture content, and bacteria love moisture to grow, so if they are deprived of the moisture, they don't grow. Another reason is that there is a lot of sugar in the honey, and so therefore there's this osmotic pressure, which prevents the moisture getting in to the bacteria, and again preventing them growing. But the third one is that most honey has hydrogen peroxide in it, and that's produced when sugar is broken down. And the hydrogen peroxide is very potent in killing bacteria. And here in New Zealand, we produce a honey unlike any other. Here's a manuka plant. The botanical name for this is called Leptospermum scoparium. It's the dominant manuka species in New Zealand, and the bees will fly to the flowers when they're out in September and collect the nectar and take it back to the hive and produce this unique manuka honey. What is it about manuka honey that makes it so special? It has another chemical in it called methylglyoxal. Some people call that MGO for short, and it very strong antibacterial activity. To give you an idea of how strong it is, I've done a little experiment. So, I had two containers of milk, and one of them I just put on the bench for a week at room temperature, and as you can see, it's gone off, it's curdled, and it's something that you wouldn't want to eat or drink. Mm. At the same time, I took another container of milk and I've put in one teaspoon of manuka honey. And as you can see and as you can smell, it's still fresh after a week. So it's just a simple indication of how potent the methylglyoxal in manuka honey is. It's this superpower that's earned manuka honey its trademark ` Unique manuka Factor, or UMF. Between 5 and 9 is considered low-grade. 10-15 ` medium, and anything over 16 is high. So, what other things are manuka used for? It's been very successful for treating wounds that have been a problem for patients that have been shown to be resistant to all manner of antibiotics. Is there any other areas that we use manuka honey for? Well, there's one that I use that I can recommend, is to help a sore throat. I take it myself when I get a sore throat or have a tickle. Just letting it drizzle slowly down the back of your throat, I believe it helps prevent the bacteria from spreading and growing. In the midst of medical research, trials, and general honey hype, it can be easy to forget who the real workers are. We have a lot to thank those bees for. The honey they make is not only delicious on toast, but it's also packed with impressive antibacterial powers. (FUNKY MUSIC) Alcohol is a key ingredient in all sorts of dishes, from fish stew to tiramisu. I love cooking with wine. Sometimes I even put it in the food. When I add alcohol to my dishes, I assume that it just burns away, but today I'm gonna put it to the test. Can the booze in our food tip us towards tipsy? To find out, I've invited by friend Anna over to share a meal with a difference. Come in. Tonight we're not drinking out alcohol, we're eating it, tucking into three boozy courses. Neither of us will be getting behind the wheel, but to find out if we get close to the driving limit, we'll be breathalysing ourselves between each course. I've had a little bit before. (CHUCKLES) Ooh, you had a cheeky vino without me? While I was cooking, I just had a few sips. Now it's your turn, Anna. (EXHALES) (DEVICE BEEPS) Nothing! OK, you've had no alcohol. All right. Fair enough. You're our control. (BOTH CHUCKLE) First up ` chorizo flambeed in brandy. Mmm, that's actually really nice. It is really good. You can definitely taste the brandy. Flambeing certainly looks like it burns off the alcohol, but in a controlled experiment, scientists found that after flambeing, a staggering 78% of alcohol remains. Anna, breathalyser time. (DEVICE BEEPS) (EXHALES) (DEVICE BEEPS) (SIGHS, CHUCKLES) That's .01 already. Yeah, crazy. Yikes. (EXHALES) (DEVICE BEEPS) (CHUCKLES) Yours is the same. Our blood alcohol levels have increased after just the starter. This could get interesting. So, this is fettucine in red wine sauce. Alcohol boils at just 78 degrees, but as with flambeing, it doesn't necessarily evaporate. Scientists found that even after 10 minutes of simmering, up to 60% can remain. I don't know about you, but I really like a boozy dinner. (CHUCKLES) OK, breathalyser main course. 0.025. Wow. I'm halfway to the driving limit. That's crazy, just from food. All right. Your turn, Anna. (DEVICE BEEPS) Yours is about the same. Ooh. I can definitely feel this one. Time for dessert. This is sherry trifle. It's from my grandmother's recipe. The alcohol in the trifle hasn't been heated, but it's still likely to have lost some of its strength overnight. After a full three courses of boozy food, how much has our blood alcohol increased? (EXHALES) (DEVICE BEEPS) I feel quite tipsy. Oh my gosh! .04! Wow. That's really close to the drink-driving limit. (EXHALES) (DEVICE BEEPS) .034. To be fair, tonight's menu was heavy on the hooch,... BOTH: Cheers. ...but it proves that it is possible to get tipsy from the firewater in your food. One dish shouldn't be a problem, but if you're also drinking, a boozy dish may push you over the edge. Captions by Starsha Samarasinghe. Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air.