News Now Smokers urged to kick the habit for good Smokers have been urged to kick the habit for good as health chiefs insist the benefits begin just 20 minutes after stubbing out the last cigarette. HSE research shows 79% of smokers want to give up and the vast majority (83%) regret starting. 20-a-day smokers can save almost €5,000 a year. Smoking is a major risk factor in cardiovascular disease, including heart attack and stroke. One in two smokers in Ireland will die of a tobacco-related disease and nearly 6,000 people in this country die each year from the effects of smoking. Irish Heart Foundation’s seven tips to give up: Change your routine: If you’re used to a cigarette after a meal, try chewing some sugar-free chewing gum or go for a walk/fresh air.
This on- line life On-line art appreciation course at National Gallery of Ireland Join the National Gallery of Ireland on an online journey through the centuries at Cities and Suburbs: Life, Leisure and Landscape, a new art appreciation course beginning on 30 March 2021. This 8-week online course with art historian Dr Kathryn Milligan takes a broad view of artists’ depictions of ‘city and suburb’, via paintings, drawings, prints and archival collections at the National Gallery of Ireland. Incorporating Dutch, French, Italian and Irish art, the course covers the seventeenth to twentieth centuries. Walking in the footsteps of the urban observer, participants will follow the expansion of the city into its hinterlands, taking time to relax at suburban beauty spots. Taking place on Tuesday evenings, each week’s session will cover something different: from panoramas and maps to hawkers and street markets, urban calamities to the social city. Participants will receive a recording of each week’s session, allowing flexibility in these extraordinary times. The course is suitable for beginners and experts alike. Tickets are on sale on at www.nationalgallery.ie. 2 Senior Times l March - April 2021 l www.seniortimes.ie
Reduce your caffeine and alcohol: When you stop smoking, caffeine and alcohol will affect you more than when you were a smoker. Learn to deal with cravings: Some people experience withdrawal symptoms when they quit but these are positive signs that your body is ridding itself of the toxins and poisons from smoking. Get regular exercise: Getting more active will help you deal with your cravings. Aim to be active for at least 30 minutes five days a week. Make your home and car smoke-free. Choose healthy snacks: Some people find they eat more when they quit. Try to snack only when you are hungry and choose healthy snacks such as fruit, natural yoghurt or plain popcorn. Avoid substituting cigarettes for sweets, cakes and biscuits: Eating three meals a day is good for your health and eating breakfast has been shown to help with quitting smoking.
COPD research pioneer wins Health Research Board award The Health Research Board (HRB) has announced Gerry McElvaney, Professor of Medicine at RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences, as the winner of the HRB Impact Award 2021. The award recognises the lasting impact Prof McElvaney has had on people’s health and patient care by applying his respiratory medicine research in practice. His work has informed local, national and international guidelines including European and World Health Organisation developments. Throughout his career Prof McElvaney has consistently demonstrated the benefits that can be achieved by proactively integrating research into policy and practice. His work focused on a specific genetic disorder called alpha 1 anti-trypsin deficiency (AATD) that leads to an increased risk of developing lung complications such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). COPD accounts for 5 per cent of all deaths globally and is the second most common cause of lung-related deaths in Ireland. Prof McElvaney’s research group have developed diagnostic and screening tools for alpha-1 anti-trypsin deficiency which are now replicated globally. He has also played a major role in the development of the only specific treatment currently available for COPD arising from this disorder, called AAT augmentation therapy.
