Feelgood 20-11-2009

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Feelgood Friday, November 20, 2009

Cause Celeb

Does the work of Angelina Jolie and the Irish stars who help people in need make a difference? 8,9

GOOD FAITH

Best-selling author Mitch Albom tackles the big questions in life: 4

TIME OUT

Safe haven for families with sick children: 5

FRY UP

Eight brands of sausages put to the test: 12

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Breathlessness can be a sign of a serious condition and must be checked before it gets worse, says Arlene Harris Kate O’Reilly WHAT’S ON DIABETES FUNDRAISER: In May 2010, Charlotte Pearson will be taking part in the joint Fighting Blindness and Diabetes Federation of Ireland Transylvania Trek. To raise funds there will a Rat Pack Music Night at the Commons Inn, New Mallow Rd, Cork, tonight. Tickets are F10 at the door or by contacting Charlotte on 087-7705458 or 021-4274229. All funds raised will be equally divided between both charities.

LUNG CANCER: Research to launch Lung Cancer Awareness Month has found almost one in five Irish people are unable to name even one symptom of lung cancer, while 61% are unaware lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death in Ireland.

One of the primary causes for the high mortality rate is the relatively late stage at which the disease is diagnosed.

Symptoms of lung cancer may include: a persistent cough that lasts more than two to three weeks, constant chest or shoulder pain, coughing up blood, shortness of breath, persistent chest infections, unexplained fatigue and unexplained weight loss.

For more information on lung cancer call the Cancer Helpline 1 800 200 700 or see www.cancer.ie.

HAEMOCHROMATOSIS EVENT: Haemochromatosis is a genetic condition that causes people to absorb excessive amounts of dietary iron. This may in time lead to serious organ damage.

Haemochromatosis is especially prevalent among the Irish and other Celtic people. The Irish Haemochromatosis Association is a support group for patients and their families. They are holding an information evening at Maryborough Hotel Cork on Tuesday next November 24 at 7.30pm The speakers are Dr Orla Crosbie, consultant gastroenterologist, and Dr Mary Cahill, consultant haematologist, Cork University Hospital. See www.haemochromatosis-ir.com SING AGAIN: Members of The National Chamber Choir have been preparing 28 local people from north-west Dublin to perform alongside them in the free Sing Again concert in Axis Ballymun on Friday, November 27, at 8pm.

For more information contact the Axis box office on 01-883 2100.

BERE ISLAND: A Christmas Fair will be held at Bere Island Heritage Centre on Sunday, December 6, from 12pm to 3pm. Tables are F10 and need to be booked in advance. Dancing and meditation classes are ongoing at the centre.

Contact Theresa Hobbs, project officer, or Geraldine O’Sullivan project administrator, on 027-75956 or email biheritage@gmail.com.

Items for inclusion in this column can be sent to koreilly8@gmail.com

Breath of life A LMOST half a million people suffer from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in Ireland. The most common forms of this serious lung condition are emphysema and chronic bronchitis and many of the 444,000 sufferers have smoked or worked with materials which may have exacerbated the disease.

Stanley Trotter is a 70-year-old retired farmer from Leitrim. Although he is no longer a smoker, he became addicted to cigarettes as a teenager and believes this combined with years of working in dusty conditions caused him to develop COPD. “I was diagnosed about six years ago,” says the grandfather of seven. “A visiting doctor asked me to come in for a check-up as he thought I sounded short of breath and sure enough, I was beginning to get emphysema.”

As a young man he had worked on building sites in England and later as a farmer, daily use of sawdust played havoc with his weakening lungs.

“I gave up smoking over 10 years ago, but the damage was already done,” he says.

The COPD has taken its toll as Stanley needs daily oxygen and is on a nebuliser six times a day — he is also on regular medication and gets exhausted easily.

“If I could sit in a car all day, I would be fine,” he admits. “But walking, stooping or even going from room to room can be a big problem — being out of breath is a ter-

NO CHOICE NOW: Stanley Trotter says being out of breath is exhausting but it can be avoided by giving up smoking.

Picture: Brian Farrell

rible thing but it can be avoided it by giving up smoking — throw the cigarettes in the river, they will ruin your life,” he says.

Dr Terry O’Connor, a consultant respiratory physician at Mercy University Hospital in Cork, says COPD can be prevented by stopping smoking and getting medical help as soon as possible.

“Smokers and ex-smokers over 40 are the most at risk from getting this condition,” he explains.

“In its mildest form, many people are unaware that they are suffering as it can start off as a slight breathlessness — but if left untreated it will get worse.”

World COPD Awareness Day took place this week and advances in medical science means treatment is improving all the time.

“Apart from the obvious physical problems associated with COPD, the disease can also bring about anxiety and depression,” says Dr O’Connor. “And the breathlessness caused by exertion can also cause people to become less active.

“I would advise anyone who is suffering from disproportionate breathlessness to visit their GP as soon as possible.”

■ For more information visit www.copdsupport.ie or www.irishthoracicsociety.com

HEALTH NOTES OVER 50% of adults can have difficulty understanding the medical terms used when speaking to a doctor, nurse or pharmacist, according to a nationwide survey by Merck Sharp & Dohme (MSD) Ireland. MSD has launched the first in a series of Plain Language patient information booklets, Arthritis — Key Words in Plain Language. The booklet, produced with Arthritis Ireland support, addresses the facts about arthritis, the common questions asked by people living with the condition and also presents an A to Z guide to words often found in patient leaflets. For a free copy, call 1890 252 846 (10am-4pm Monday-Friday) or download from www.msd.ie/arthritis or www.arthritisireland.ie. The next booklet in the series will address asthma and allergies.

BIGGER efforts must be made to educate men about what constitutes a healthy weight. This is the message from the Nutrition & Health Foundation (NHF), with research showing only 15% of men compared with 31% of women would like to weigh ‘a lot less’. Yet two in three men are either overweight or obese. The NHF says “men’s perception of their ideal weight is a matter of concern, with almost half believing they’re about the right weight”.

CLOSE to three in 10 recently unemployed people are buying less over-the-counter medication and one in five of them have cut down on prescription medicines.

That’s according to the 2009 Pfizer Health Index.

But those still in jobs are also cutting down on drug expenditure and almost a quarter of people in jobs are reluctant to visit a health professional, with 10% thinking twice before bringing their child to a doctor.

A total of 13 percent of the newly unemployed hold off before bringing their child to the doctor. On the plus side, almost half of unemployed people say they plan to become more active, less stressed, give up smoking and cut down on alcohol.

HEALTH FIRST: Aliesha Smith, left, with Dara O’Shaugnessy and Alannah Pugh, centre, all from Dublin at the launch of the annual Pfizer Health Index 2009.

Picture: Robbie Reynolds/CPR

NOT getting enough vitamin D may significantly increase your risk of stroke or heart disease, according to research which followed up more than 27,000 patients, aged 50 or over, who had no prior history of cardiovascular disease. The study found patients with low levels of vitamin D were 45% more likely to develop coronary artery disease and 78% more likely to have a stroke than patients with normal levels.

Helen O’Callaghan

feelgood@examiner.ie EDITORIAL: Irene Feighan 021-4802292 ADVERTISING: Niamh Kelly 021-4802215

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THE SHAPE I'M IN

Sybil Mulcahy

Morning glory THE Morning Show with Sybil and Martin has been on air for over six months now and former Xposé presenter Sybil Mulcahy says the time has flown.

Sybil fronts the TV3 show with former weatherman Martin King. “It’s a good partnership. He’s so easy going. We have a bit of a laugh.”

Looking back on her Xposé days, Sybil says she got “a great buzz out of Jennifer Aniston” and was surprised by how concerned Fleetwood Mac were about their appearance. “They’re the only people I had to bring along a monitor for so their minders could see what they looked like.”

Mum to three-year-old Hugh and Genevieve, 17 months, Sybil, 35 is married to John, who works with Bord Gáis.

“He has no interest in media — we’re like chalk and cheese,” she says.

What shape are you in?

I’m in alright shape. I’ve lost the baby weight. I’m a size 10 at the moment and my latest trick is to avoid lunch and have dinner at 6pm.

What are your healthiest eating habits?

Having my dinner early is the healthiest thing — if you eat at 8pm, the food just sits in your stomach. Dinner would be healthy, with meat and veg.

What’s your guiltiest pleasure?

I drink a lot of coffee, have a chocolate bar for lunch and have white wine at the weekend.

What would keep you awake at night?

The kids are up three times a night but I’ve developed a trick of being able to go back to sleep. I go to bed early because I’d be so wrecked — I was in bed at 8pm last night. If I have an early flight or have to go to work early, I don’t sleep.

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How else do you keep in shape?

I work five days a week and run around after two children.

Some evenings I go for a walk.

Do you have any health concerns?

No, though I’ve had a stye removed from my eye and a birthmark from my forehead.

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How do you relax?

I like going shopping, meeting friends for coffee and ideally going for a spa treatment, which doesn’t happen too often. I like chilling out at home and watching TV. What’s your favourite smell?

I love the smell of Christmas trees.

What would you change about your appearance?

I’d like skin that tans because I’m so freckled. I’d possibly like liposuction on my stomach.

Who would you invite to your dream dinner party?

Jennifer Aniston — she’s good craic and would keep you laughing. Also Barack Obama and actor John Candy.

What trait do you least like in others?

Lying and stinginess with money.

THE FEELGOOD PERSONALS

What trait do you least like in yourself?

Lack of willpower — I have zero willpower. If I’m making dinner I’ll have to pick at it before putting it on the plate.

People can easily get me to stay out late when really I should be going home. And if I see an outfit I like, I’ll buy it when I should hold back.

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Do you pray?

In times of need, yes.

Phone: LORI FRASER Tel. 021-4802265 Fax 021-4273846 lori.fraser@examiner.ie

What cheers up your day?

When we get good ratings on our show.

Helen O’Callaghan

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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2009

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Author Mitch Albom tells Helen O’Callaghan how he turned his life around

Restoring his faith P

EOPLE from Mitch Albom’s past have a habit of popping up unexpectedly and getting him to turn his life around.

It happened in 1995 when he re-encountered his former college professor, Morrie Schwartz. Albom’s visits with the terminally-ill Schwartz led to the best-selling book, Tuesdays With Morrie.

“It was never meant to be a major book.

I wrote it to help pay Morrie’s medical bills,” says Albom, 51, a sports journalist at the Detroit Free Press.

The book and the encounter with Schwartz profoundly changed Albom who, at the time, lived a high-octane, fast-paced life as a journalist.

“Before Morrie, I was working five jobs, three of them full-time, doing 110 hours a week. I had no sense of mortality — I believed I was going to live forever. I had very low sensitivity to other people, very little community involvement, very little spirituality in my life, very little sleep.”

And after Morrie? “I don’t spend my days sitting under a tree humming. I still live in Detroit and I still have jobs, though nothing to the degree I had. Certainly, I’ve got a sense of mortality now — that life isn’t promised to go on forever and could end at any time.”

Albom’s sense of the spiritual has grown further since he received an unusual request about eight years ago — 82-year-old rabbi Albert Lewis from Albom’s old New Jersey home town asked him to deliver his eulogy.

Albom felt unworthy and insisted on knowing the man better, something that threw him back into a world of faith he’d left years before. At the same time, Albom got to know Henry Covington, a Detroit pastor — a reformed drug dealer and convict — who preaches to the poor and homeless in a decaying church with a hole in its roof.

Albom’s interactions with the two men led to his latest book, Have a Little Faith, a tome about life’s purpose, about losing belief and finding it again. Already on the New York Times bestseller list, it explores what heaven and forgiveness are and looks at the importance of faith in trying times.

All three of Albom’s mentors — Morrie, the rabbi and the Detroit pastor — have had long marriages to one woman. “They all said the same thing — you have to be realistic about your expectations in marriage. You can’t be taking the temperature of your marriage every five minutes, asking how come it’s one degree hotter or colder,” says Albom, who’s been married to Janine Sabino since 1995.

“Whenever the rabbi’s wife is asked for the secret of a happy marriage (she married him in 1944), she says: ‘We’ve had 30 wonderful years together’. And when someone points out she’s been married a lot longer than that, she says, ‘Yes, on a Monday I got 20 good minutes, on a Tuesday I got a good hour — it all adds up to 30 years’.”

When asked about children, Albom says he and Janine “have not been blessed that

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I looked at the big hypocrisies of faith — the church scandals, the ethnic cleansing in the name of religion. But then I looked on the ground level and I saw little acts, illustrating how faith should be practised Picture:BILLY HIGGINS

way”. That’s been hard, he admits, but he sees it as God’s will. And it’s not as if he and Janine don’t have children in their lives.

“We have 15 nieces and nephews who are constantly in our house. If you visited you’d wonder where we’d put children of our own.

There’s been a lot of divorce in our family — the kids have been looking for help and guidance and we’ve been able to provide that.

Not a day goes by that we don’t talk to kids — stuff like what college they should go to, what we think of the new girlfriend. That’s how we spend our days.”

Children are one way of soothing what Albom, in a phrase borrowed from Rabbi Lewis, calls the second death — our fear of being forgotten after we pass away.

“With children, there’s a sense you go on.

You impact on them, you leave your mark.

But that only lasts a few generations and your name is forgotten. It was the rabbi who pointed out that the only other way to leave your mark is through faith. If you practise certain rituals of faith and those are passed on to later generations, you’re connected through that rope of faith, though your name may not be remembered.”

A firm believer in “a force bigger than us beyond this world” and in the “spark of divinity inside us”, Albom says he wouldn’t have wanted to talk about his faith 10 years ago or hear about anybody else’s. And, though he empathises with the cynics (“I was once one of them”), he’s had the cynicism knocked out of him.

“I looked at the big hypocrisies of faith — the church scandals, the ethnic cleansing in the name of religion. But then I looked on the ground level and I saw little acts, illustrating how faith should be practised.

“I saw Henry Covington in a freezing cold church with 100 homeless people, lying under wool blankets trying to sleep. He was on a balcony watching over them, not because he’d been asked to but because this was his church and he needed to look after them.”

Taking his inspiration from the rabbi — who raged at God after his four-year-old daughter died — Albom says we’re never closer to God than when we’re angry. “That’s when you get dialogue. It’s like when we were teenagers. When did we deal most with our parents? When they said we couldn’t do something and we said: ‘Why can’t I?’. That’s

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2009

when our parents were really in our world, when we recognised their power.”

Given the current turbulent economic times, one of the most topical questions explored in Have a Little Faith is how to endure when difficult things happen.

“Don’t just say to God, ‘Get me through this’. As you’re trying to get through, help other people. It puts your own issues in perspective,” says Albom, whose home city of Detroit has 30% unemployment.

One of the best-known media figures in the city — he has also worked in radio and TV and currently hosts a daily radio talk show — Albom believes he’s been given the means and the voice to make a difference. He has founded three charities in the Detroit area — his most recent effort an umbrella programme to fund shelters and care for the homeless. He also raises money for literacy projects. But it’s not enough, he says. “I’m happy I’ve had some effect in Detroit, but I need to do more.”

■ Have a Little Faith, Mitch Albom, F12.99 (hardback).

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Maggie Carragher reports on the success of Ronald McDonald House

HOME FROM HOME

T

HIS month marks the fifth birthday of Ireland’s Ronald McDonald House, which houses families of sick children in the grounds of Our Lady’s Hospital, Crumlin. Named after the fast food chain, the Ronald McDonald House Charity (RMHC) was established in the US in the 1970s. Now almost 300 of the houses worldwide offer the families of sick children a way to be together in proximity to their treatment hospital, to be comfortable and cared for throughout their stay.

In Ireland, the Ronald McDonald House has helped over 1,150 families since its inception, including almost 300 families in Cork (Cork being the county with the highest number of families using the RMH services, followed by Donegal and Kerry).

The facility is available to any family who has to travel two hours or more to Crumlin Children’s Hospital, and whose child is hospitalised or undergoing treatment as an outpatient for five days or more. Family rooms with en suite, TV and telephone, are available for F20 per night for the first seven nights and F10 per night thereafter.

The communal facilities include car-parking, laundry, dining area, lounge, toddlers’ room, kitchen, library and a small garden with play area.

According to RMCH Ireland’s volunteer CEO Marian Carroll, the benefits of such facilities cannot be overstated.

“Parents of sick children can often feel isolated,” she says. “The communal nature of the house facilities means that families in similar circumstances can come together and mix in comfort, all the while knowing that their sick child is within easy reach.”

There is currently only one Ronald McDonald House in Ireland.

The board of the new children’s hospital under construction in the grounds of the Mater Hospital is currently in discussion with RMHC regarding the provision of a similar facility there.

In Cork, Bru Columbanus provides free accommodation to relatives of patients in local hospitals and the hospice.

Diarmuid and Maria Dorney from Cork have been staying in the Ronald McDonald House since the birth of their daughter Sarah 13 months ago.

Born with DiGeorge Syndrome, a rare congenital disease whose symptoms vary but commonly include a history of recurrent infection and heart defects, Sarah has undergone open-heart surgery at Our Lady’s Hospital, and needs ongoing treatment there.

Maria credits the Ronald McDonald House for providing support for her and her family, allowing them to stay close by the hospital and be with their daughter during this “incredibly stressful” time.

“Being with other parents in similar circumstances has made the situation more bearable as there is always someone we can open up to who understands exactly how we are feeling,” she says.

For her husband Diarmuid, who visits at weekends with the couple’s three-year-

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GEARING UP TO STAY SOME common questions about Ronald McDonald House are: ■ What do we bring?

Families should bring food, clothing, toiletries etc. Linen and towels are provided.

■ How long can we stay?

There is no time limit — a family can stay as long as their child is in treatment.

■ Are meals provided?

No. However the house has a large communal kitchen where families can cook meals and eat together.

■ Is the House owned and operated by McDonald’s?

The Ronald McDonald House is owned and managed by RMHC Ireland, an independent registered charity. All McDonald’s stores make an annual contribution to the administrative costs of RMHC Ireland.

This allows the charity to use all monies raised to help children and their families around the country.

■ See www.rmhc.ie.

FAMILY TIES: Noleen and Trevor Whelan with their children, from left, Billy, 15, Emily, 14, Tommy, 18 months, and Joey, 9, at their home in Ballon, Co Carlow.

Picture: Dylan Vaughan.

SAFE HAVEN: Diarmuid, Maria, Sam and Sarah. From Cork, the family have been staying in Ronald McDonald House since Sarah was born 13 months ago. old son Sam, the house has been a “lifesaver”.

“I can’t imagine how we’d manage without it,” he says. “As well as providing us with a base where we can spend time as a family, it also gives us a break from the hospital envi-

ronment. Really, it’s a home from home, not least because you’re with people who are in the same boat as yourself, and who understand exactly what you’re going through.”

Having a seriously ill child is, he says, a life-changing experience for the entire family,

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particularly when it involves hospitalisation a long way from home.

“Suddenly you’re in unfamiliar territory and it’s often the little things you usually take for granted that bring the most comfort. Like being able to grab a shower between hospital visits, or watch a film, or get up in the middle of the night for a cup of tea.”

Like the Dorneys, mother-of-four Noleen Whelan from Tullamore regards the Ronald McDonald house as a home from home since the birth of her son Tommy in 2008. Born with a heart condition, Tommy spent his first three weeks in hospital, was admitted again for six weeks later that year, and will need ongoing treatment. For Mary, the house provided a haven for her other children, who range in age from 14 to eight, while she cared for her newborn. “Being so close to the hospital meant the kids could get to know their new brother,” she says. Earlier this year Noreen’s 14-year-old daughter Emily also had heart surgery in Crumlin. “Being able to move back to the house without the worry of babysitters or long commutes was such a comfort,” she says.

■ Until November 29, McDonald’s Stores will be selling shopping trolley tokens (F2) and car stickers (F1) in aid of the Ronald McDonald House.

■ Tomorrow, all McDonald’s Stores will donate F1 for every Big Mac sold.

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Relax. Headstrong teenagers who insist they know it all will in time appreciate the important role adults play

Waiting in the wings Tony Humphreys

M

ARK TWAIN’S wonderful observation “when I was 18 I believed my parents knew nothing and when I was 20 I couldn’t believe how much they had learned in two years” captures the often turbulent journey teenagers make to adulthood.

In their late teens young people are utterly convinced they know it all and that they are going to save the world. Some authors believe this is an idealistic phase young people on the brink of their adult years go through.

However, I believe human behaviour always makes sense. So there has to be more to this very poignant illusion.

What often strikes me when I speak to a teenager or a group of teenagers is how ill-prepared they are for the responsibilities, demands, upsets and roller-coaster rides that come with being an adult. It seems wise and clever of teenagers to unconsciously create the illusion they know everything in the face of what are overwhelming responsibilities.

The illusion prevents them from running away and, indeed, sends them headlong into the world where ‘angels would fear to tread’.

This headlong plunge into various challenges makes it more likely the young illusionist will learn from his experiences and, like Mark Twain, eventually become a realist.

When adolescents avoid the necessary emotional, sexual, intellectual, occupational, social and spiritual challenges of becoming an adult, they can stay stuck in their fears and dependencies and life is a limited and fearful phenomenon for them. The wisdom of the headlong plunge is that it creates opportunities for mature development.

Those adolescents who travel the avoidance path have been deeply hurt and they are not even remotely psycho-socially ready for adulthood.

Resolution of the persistent abandonments from childhood to the present is required before a readiness to proceed will emerge. The armoury of the illusion means the teenagers neither look for help nor do they welcome being advised what to do.

Parents would do well to see the ‘vice’ in the word ‘ad-vice’ and in their interactions with teenagers show belief in their capacity to understand and encourage the young person to arrive at their own answers.

Understandably, parents experience great frustration at what they perceive as their son or daughter being headstrong, arrogant and irrational. It helps when parents own their own responses as being about themselves rather than blaming their teenage offspring.

Parents’ frustration is about their need for

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their son or daughter to make the ‘right’ decisions, to be sensible and to listen and avail of their life experiences. The saying ‘you can’t put an old head on young shoulders’ is relevant here and it is the mature parent that allows the adolescent to learn from his or her own experiences. Teenagers are not here to live their parents’ lives and some parents seriously struggle with accepting that reality.

These parents may say: ‘We’re only saying this for your own good’. But if truth be told they are saying it for their own good.

Some parents will defend their intrusiveness with: ‘We’re only trying to protect him from making the wrong decision’. But implicit in this is the demand to see and do things the parents’ way. When parents view teenagers as being ‘arrogant’ and ‘irrational’ they are revealing their own arrogance of believing they know what is best for the teenager and their ‘irrationality’ by not seeing that teenagers need the space and the support to learn from their lived experiences.

Within the boundary of maintaining their own dignity and responsibility for self, parents can best respond to teenagers’ illusion of knowing it all with a silent understanding of the wisdom of the illusion, with a maintain-

Freecall:

1800 931 935

or visit www.asthmacare.ie

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MY WORLD: The illusion of knowing it all sends teens headlong into the world, without fear. Picture: iStock

ing of unconditional relating, with a waiting on the sideline for the teenager to come to them for help and support and with a manifested believing that teenagers will come through this very challenging time of their lives. The presence of unconditional love and belief are the two critical supports that not only teenagers need but parents and all other adults as well.

Parents may well ask: ‘How do I respond when my teenage son asserts school is stupid, teachers are ancient and know nothing, poetry is useless’? What is crucial is that the parent does not get entrapped into conflict with the teenager by attempting to argue how ridiculous is what he’s saying.

Maturity calls for an open response such as: ‘Given what you are saying, how is it for you in school?’ A likely response is: ‘I just hate school and I want to be out working and making lots of money.’ The secret is to return responsibility to the young person for what they are saying. In this way, decision-making lies with them.

What may eventually emerge is the truth behind the illusion: ‘I know nothing about life.’ When this truth is present parents can then affirm how much he knows, what it is like to be on the brink of adulthood and their willingness to offer support and resources for how to explore how he can best negotiate this particular time of his life.

Dr Tony Humphreys is a clinical psychologist and author of several books on practical psychology including The Mature Manager

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Getting behind the wheel of a car was a major step towards independence for a former young jockey left paralysed after a riding accident. Michelle McDonagh reports

A driving force

S

EAN MCMANUS enjoys nothing more than driving his friends around to race meetings and football matches in his powerful Chrysler Grand Voyager.

Being able to drive his own car has made a massive difference to the quality of life of the young man whose dream of becoming a professional jockey was shattered when a devastating accident left him paralysed from the neck down four years ago.

Sean, 25, drives his electric wheelchair into his specially adapted car and operates the controls from an overhead panel which he taps with his head. He has regained some power in his hands which allows him to use the steering wheel and a joystick that operates the brakes.

An inspirational young man, Sean, from Rosemount, Moate, Co Westmeath has a remarkable positive attitude to life: “I adapted quite quickly to my injuries.

There was nothing else I could do but just get on with it. I was only 21 when it happened, it’s not as if my life was going to just stop at that age.”

From a young age, Sean knew he wanted to work with horses and went to Limerick at the age of 16 to learn the racing trade from a trainer. He was then taken on by a trainer close to home in Tullamore and took out an amateur licence in 2003 with aspirations of becoming a professional jockey.

However, on March 22, 2005 he was riding in a point-to-point when his horse hit a fence and Sean fell off, sustaining severe head injuries. He was rushed from Nenagh Hospital to the Mater in Dublin where he underwent an eight-hour operation but, despite the expert intervention, was paralysed from the neck down.

He recalls: “When I was in Nenagh I asked the doctors after the X-ray how bad it was and would I ever walk again.

One of them told me it was very bad, and he wasn’t really able to say but he didn’t think so. I always knew riding horses that there was the risk of injury, particularly head or neck injury.”

IN GEAR: Sean McManus takes to the open road in his speciallyadapted car.

Picture: James Flynn/APX

Instead of feeling sorry for himself, Sean spent the next eight weeks regarding every new day as a bonus and brought his can-do attitude with him to the National Rehabilitation Centre in Dun Laoghaire where he stayed for eight months.

“In rehab, I got some movement back in my left arm and I learnt to eat and drink again. I couldn’t even move my arms when I went in but after four weeks, they had me eating with a fork strapped to my hand with a feeding strap and drinking out of a cup.

The staff there were unbelievable.”

Although the prospect of returning home after 10 months was a frightening one, Sean’s family and friends rallied around to make the transition easier. With funds raised locally and through The Irish Turf Club, his parents’

home was adapted and a new car was bought in 2007. “When they told me in rehab I would be able to drive a car, I didn’t understand how this could be possible because I had no upper mobility with my injuries, but the Irish Wheelchair Association helped me pick the most suitable car which was sent to Germany for six months to be rebuilt for my needs. Then they gave me eight weeks of driving lessons and I was back on the road.”

As well as driving to races and football matches with his mates, Sean enjoys a few pints in the local pub at the weekend. He says the car has given him an independence he never thought he would have again after his accident.

Irish Wheelchair Association CEO Kathleen McLoughlin explains that thousands of

Be an angel by buying an angel for charity HE Irish Wheelchair Association’s anT nual Angel fund-raising campaign runs through the month of November.

Angel pins and pencils are on sale throughout major supermarkets and from volunteers nationwide for F2. All monies raised will help to fund services for the next year.

IWA chief executive, Kathleen McLoughlin says the organisation only runs a national campaign once a year and

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it is more in need of finance than ever this year to keep vital services going.

“Our annual Angel campaign allows us to generate much needed funds to provide essential resources and services to many people with disabilities.

“Our members rely on us for vital services, for instance personal assistants to support them in their daily living,” says McLoughlin.

■ For further information or to donate

online please contact the Irish Wheelchair Association on 01-8186400 or email angels@iwa.ie www.iwa.ie/ ■ Pictured here Oisin Putt, 7, from Dublin and Darragh O Regan, 5, from Cork with football legend Niall Quinn as they help launch the Irish Wheelchair Association Be an Angel, Buy and Angel Campaign.

Picture:Leon Farrell Photocall Ireland.

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2009

members have gone through the organisation’s driving school over the years and many are driving custom-built cars.

“If I were asked, I think getting back driving is probably the single most important thing for a lot of people with disabilities as it allows them to continue on with life, whether it’s going to college, work or socialising,” she says.

Founded in 1960, The Irish Wheelchair Association today provides a range of national services to 20,000 members throughout the country.

These services include 60 resource and outreach centres, personal assistant services, motoring advice, assessment and tuition, training and education, respite and holidays.

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It’s easy to be cynical about celebrities’ involvement with charitable causes, but Claire O’Sullivan points out how such work is hugely important for some organisations

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E ALL like to pour scorn upon the cult of celebrity that has spawned celebrity magazines, reality TV shows, the omnipresence of Jordan and Kerry Katona. But if you want to ask questions about what really defines us as a generation, just look at the symbiotic relationship between celebrity and charity.

It’s something we take for granted these days. Irish charities call on homegrown models and actors for their ubiquitous Grafton Street photoshoots while the big players, such as Unicef have Hollywood A-listers on speed dial. But are we fools for buying into the notion that these stars really care or even understand what their chosen charity is seeking to achieve?

British PR guru, Max Clifford admits he encourages stars to do work for charities even if they don’t want to.

“If they do it because they genuinely care, then that’s a wonderful bonus, but sadly that’s not usually the case,” Clifford explains.

While it’s always been easy to get celebrities to work with animals or children, getting them to work with more stigmatised social issues has proved problematic in the past. Princess Diana has been lauded by those working in the HIV/Aids field for breaking down huge barriers by being photographed hugging Aids victims in the late 1980s and 1990s when a huge stigma still surrounded the illness. Praise must also go to former Dublin GAA captain, Dessie Farrell and journalist Carol Hunt who have also put their heads above the parapet by working with the HSE in recent years to improve awareness of mental health.

There is also good work being done by some genuinely concerned actors and musicians. Angelina Jolie and her partner Brad Pitt are Hollywood royalty and lauded for their humanitarian work. Earlier this year, Jolie was voted top celebrity humanitarian for the third year running in a Reuters AlertNet poll, receiving almost a third of all votes cast. A United National High Commission on Refugees (UNHCR) Goodwill Ambassador, both she and Brad Pitt are reported to have donated up to $8 million to charity in 2006.

UNHCR spokeswoman Marie-Noelle Little-Boyer says she wasn’t surprised by Jolie being chosen once again.

“She manages to raise the issues on the plight of refugees and displaced peoples in ways that are very human simple but poignant. She has a way of reaching people that is something particular to her. I think she is so moved by the situation herself that it really comes from the heart.”

Jolie published Notes from My Travels, a collection of journal entries from her early UNHCR field missions. In one extract, she writes: “All I do know is that while I was learning more and more every day about the world and about other countries as well as my own, I realised how much I didn’t know. I have done a lot of research and talked with many people in Washington, DC, at the UNHCR, I have read as much as I could. I discovered statistics that shocked me and stories that broke my heart. I also read many things that made me sick. I have had nightmares — not many, but they scared me”.

Few doubt the sincerity of Jolie and Pitt or others like Bono, Mia Farrow or Liam Neeson. However, last year, in what has to be seen as the antithesis of the self-publicising Hollywood star, Neeson resigned as a Unicef ambassador citing the fact his image has been overused in charity campaigns and he was no longer serving the cause. He has since returned to the fold after making a film, Taken, which is based on child slavery.

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I have done a lot of research and talked with many people in Washington, DC, at the UNHCR. I have read as much as I could. I discovered statistics that shocked me and stories that broke my heart. I also read many things that made me sick. I have had nightmares — not many, but they scared me

REAL ROLE: Angelina Jolie, in her capacity as Goodwill Ambassador, talks with women who survived the 2005 earthquake in Pakistan and who were sheltered in this camp erected by the United Nations Humanitarian Committee of Refugees (UNHRC). Picture: J Redden/UNHCR/Getty Images.

The actor Ben Stiller flew into Uganda recently on behalf of Save the Children’s Rewrite the Future campaign, an initiative, supported by the Italian jewellery company Bulgari, to provide quality education to eight million children by 2010. Hollywood celebrity flies in to meet impoverished Africans on a trip funded by an Italian luxury jewellery company? It’s difficult not to be cynical.

“As a person and seeing what’s going on in the world, there’s only so much you can take before you go, ‘I’ve just got to try to do something’, whether it seems cynical or not,” Stiller told the Daily Telegraph.

Unicef Ireland executive director, Melanie Verwoerd says her organisation is “very selective” about whom they approach to work with them and that they “use the people carefully”. Unicef, she points, out has not jumped on the celebrity bandwagon in recent years, but has a history of high-profile supporters such as Audrey Hepburn, Roger Moore and Peter Ustinov since the 1960s. In Ireland, they are helped by the likes of Munster rugby star, Donnchadh O’Callaghan, actor Stephen Rea, RTÉ’s Ryan Tubridy and even Dustin the Turkey.

“There is no doubt that high-profile names will drive awareness of particular campaigns. We use them carefully as we believe that, with the right message, they can draw attention to issues. The bottom line is that when they

— Angelina Jolie

speak, people listen. There are people who will listen to issues when they hear David Beckham speak and likewise others will listen when Dustin the Turkey speaks. These people won’t listen to us”.

Verwoerd says, for the most part, Unicef directly approaches celebrities to come on board and they never pay them for their services. “There are strict criteria in place.

They must have an interest in the charity or a background in the area. There is also a pre-condition that they will go to Africa or the developing world before they begin media work. They do this at their cost,” she says.

Verwoerd admits it’s not easy to test the benefits of a celebrity endorsement but says they can test “awareness of an issue” by distributing questionnaires and holding focus groups before and after a campaign is launched. These tests will show whether a particular celebrity can come up with the goods. “We also hear a lot from word of mouth.

We immediately get feedback from people. People will tell us they saw David Beckham for instance and what they thought of him. People will also tell us why they chose to donate to our charity and often it’s due to a particular advertisement,” she says.

Niamh Mullins of Trócaire echoes Verwoerd’s thoughts.

“There is a much better chance of media pick up when there is a well-known personality on board”. In recent

years Trócaire have collaborated with comedian Colin Murphy and X Factor finalist Eoghan Quigg — both personalities that appeal to the under 30s.

They also brought author and former Irish Tatler editor Morag Prunty to Central America where she learnt how Guatemalan women were benefiting from the midwife packs being provided by the charity as part their Global Gifts initiative.

“Morag was able to talk firsthand. She appeared in print, TV and radio and there was a real deeper sense of engagement with the issue as she had seen what difference these projects make to people’s lives,” she says.

TV’s Lorraine Keane has also come on board with the charity as she has “a real interest in the third world and this was something she had always wanted to do”.

While celebrity endorsement isn’t without self-interest, we must also remember charities did not forge the cult of the celebrity. Marketeers have gorged upon and made huge profits from the glamour, escape and drama that these stars represent — simultaneously feeding the insatiable appetite for more.

So, whether a star’s charitable intentions are entirely genuine or not, who really cares? If David Beckham can make a 19-year-old boy think about the Aids epidemic in South Africa for even a minute, that is a success.

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2009

High-profile Irish personalities offer their time and support for free, discovers Sharon Ní Chonchúir

I

RISH charities are well aware of the value of celebrity patrons. But is the transaction a financial or a purely altruistic one?

GOAL, which works with sports stars such as Gordon D’Arcy and Eamonn Coughlan, as well as Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh, never pays for celebrity endorsement.

“To really appreciate the value GOAL gets out of every euro, you have to see the projects in action,” says Ó Muircheartaigh. “I saw them in Calcutta and it was a real eye opener.”

Nor is this unusual, according to Noel Kelly of NK Management, an agency which represents many of Ireland’s best-known personalities such as Ryan Tubridy, Gerry Ryan and Gráinne and Síle Seoige. While these celebrities typically charge thousands of euro for guest appearances, they forego their fees for charity.

“Most of my clients work with two charities every year,” says Kelly. “They choose two that are close to their hearts — one devoted to children and one more. They don’t charge a fee because they believe in the causes involved. They are happy to be in a position to be able to help.”

Patrick Burke, CEO of the Simon Community, agrees. “All of the celebrities we’ve worked with, without exception, offer their services for free,” he says. “I think they like to do it. They help us by attracting public interest and support and they also gain from the association.”

RTE’s Miriam O’Callaghan is frequently asked to work on behalf of different charities and tries to help as many of them as she possibly can, despite her work and family demands. She has never received money for these appearances and frequently gives up the offer of a fee so that it can be directed to a particular charity.

Since September, charities have been feeling the pinch like everybody else so even more requests than usual have come in to O’Callaghan. Last Friday, for example, she was MC for a fund-raising ball for the Fr Peter MacVerry Trust and on Sunday afternoon she turned on the Christmas lights on Henry Street for the ISPCC. As she did this without a fee, the local traders gave F5,000 to the charity.

Brian Crosby, formerly of Bell X1, admits he gained from his involvement with Oxfam. He persuaded musicians such as his band mates, Glen Hansard and Damien Rice to contribute to The Cake Sale album, the proceeds of which went to the charity.

“All the artists donated their time and their songs for free,” says Brian. “It was a

HEART FELT: Miriam O’ Callaghan recently marked the launch of Reindeer Food in all Argos and Homebase stores to raise funds for Heart Children Ireland.

Picture: Collins Agency

HIGH JINKS: Ryan Tubridy two weeks ago joined Frankly Sinatra singer Sean Hession to launch the Young at Heart Christmas concert in aid of the Irish Heart Foundation.

Picture: Leon Farrell Photocall Ireland.

TOY STORY: Gerry Ryan this month launched the Unicef Ireland and IKEA Christmas toy fundraising campaign with Dustin the Turkey and students from St. Joseph’s Senior National School Ballymun, Dublin. Picture: Jason Clarke Photography

great feel-good project for everyone involved.”

Crosby believes the relationship between celebrities and charities is a beneficial one for both.

“The charity world is competitive,” he says. “It’s important for them to deliver their message using a neutral spokesperson — be it a musician, actor or other well-known

person. It has a more genuine effect.”

Celebrities are so influential it seems even charities that have not yet worked with celebrity patrons are keen to do so in future.

“We haven’t come across anyone who shares our objectives and would be willing to work with us,” says Fionnuala Murphy of the National Council of the Blind. “But if we did, we would certainly work with them.”

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Dr Niamh Houston

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Dr Niamh Houston is a GP with a special interest in integrative medicine. If you have a question about your child’s health email it to feelgood@examiner.ie or send a letter to Feelgood Irish Examiner City Quarter Lapps Quay Cork

I USED to regularly take vitamin C, multivitamins, cod liver oil and garlic capsules, mainly to prevent me catching cold and flu. I just found out I am pregnant, and have stopped taking all supplements as I am unsure of the good or harm they are doing. I’ve read about the dangers of taking vitamin A while pregnant. I didn’t realise the cod liver oil I was taking contained extra vitamin A. Will this have harmed my baby? I take folic acid, are there any other supplements I need to take?

A. You don’t need to worry about any problems caused by taking cod liver oil and the extra vitamin A it contained. You would have to take a very high dose to harm your baby. Once your diet is well balanced and healthy, the only supplement recommended in pregnancy is folic acid — 400 mcg daily in the first 12 weeks. If you are well with no other medical problems, that is all that you need to take. It is best to take folic acid in the months before conception also.

Folic acid is the synthetic form of folate — a B vitamin that helps prevent neural tube defects or serious abnormalities of the brain and spinal cord. Lack of folate in a pregnancy diet may also increase the risk of pre-term delivery. Fortified cereals, leafy green vegetables, citrus fruits, dried beans and peas are good sources of folic acid.

The routine blood tests done as part of your antenatal care will show if you are anaemic to any significant degree, and if you need additional iron supplements. It is best to boost your intake of iron and calcium through diet as your body absorbs this form more easily.

Your body uses iron to make haemoglobin, a protein in the red blood cells that carries oxygen to your tissues.

During pregnancy, your blood volume expands to accommodate changes in your body and helps your baby make his or her entire blood supply. As a result, your need for iron nearly doubles. If you don’t get enough iron, you can become tired easily and more prone to infections. Also the risk of pre-term delivery and low birth weight may also be higher. Lean red meat, poultry and fish are good sources of iron.

You and your baby need calcium for strong bones and teeth. Calcium also helps your circulatory, muscular and nervous system run smoothly. If there’s not enough calcium in your pregnancy diet, the calcium your baby needs will be taken from your bones. Include calcium-rich foods such as dairy products, salmon and spinach in your diet too.

Q. I suspect my son has food allergies.

What kind of tests should we get done?

Is a blood test better than a skin test, and what is the difference?

EAT WELL: A healthy diet usually removes the need for any dietary supplements during pregnancy, except for folic acid in the early stages.

Picture: iStock A. The two main types of allergy tests are, as you’ve mentioned, skin tests and blood tests. It depends on what you think your son is allergic to. A skin prick or scratch test involves placing liquid extracts of allergen such as pollen or food on the forearm or back, then pricking the skin a tiny bit. After 15 minutes or so if reddish raised spots develop, this can indicate an allergy to that substance.

Doctors usually use skin tests to diagnose environmental allergies. But it is different with food allergies. When a skin test shows up as positive with a certain food, this means a person might be allergic to that food. To diagnose a food allergy for certain, a blood test (sometimes called a RAST test) is done in addition to skin testing.

A RAST test measures your immune system’s response to a specific allergen by measuring the amount of allergy-producing antibodies known as IgE antibodies present in your blood-stream. A sample of blood is taken and checked for IgE antibodies to specific foods (for example, cows milk, eggs and nuts). If there are enough IgE antibodies to a particular food in the blood, it’s

very likely that person has an allergy. Doctors often use a combination of skin testing and blood testing to diagnose a food allergy.

This blood test is also used if there is a history of extreme sensitivity to certain allergens, uncontrolled asthma, or if there is a skin condition present that does not allow a skin test to be performed. Even if a skin test and/or blood test shows an allergy, a child must also have symptoms to be diagnosed with an allergy.

A RAST test can also be used to test increased sensitivity to other allergens such as house dust mite and animal dander. It is especially useful for children under five years where there is a history of intolerance to certain foods, which may be worsen an underlying skin condition such as eczema.

Skin prick testing is a specialist test used for the investigation of immediate (Type 1) sensitivity to things which come into contact with the skin such as latex allergy. This type of sensitivity usually appears as a sudden onset of itchy hives, sometimes with swelling around the mouth and wheeziness.

Talk to your son’s doctor, and he will be able to steer you in the right direction.

NOTE: The information contained in Dr Houston’s column is not a substitute for medical advice. Always consult a doctor first

Catherine Shanahan MUM’S WORLD

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SMALL boys, like small toys, are composed of parts that represent a choking hazard.

Indeed, the small boy comes equipped with a whole range of dangers — none of them apparent to his parents.

Take toy letters of the alphabet, made out of fabric, specially designed for children. No parent could conceive of a less innocuous tool once removed from its plastic packaging. To use it destructively would require a level of inventiveness you’d hope not to find in a playroom.

Enter Lughaidh centre stage and suddenly the playroom is the scene of an execution. He plucks a giant O from the jumble on the floor and approaches his sister resolutely. Quicker than a shout of “OFF WITH HER HEAD” he pulls it down over her forehead. She sits with the alphabet noose at her neck, a whimper gaining momentum.

He follows up swiftly with two giant Ds,

spelling out his unnerving behaviour.

Then a tight-fitting R is rammed around her crown, then another, and another and another. With no respect for his Ps or his Qs, he piles them on with reckless abandon. The whimper, by now, has morphed into a roar and Mammy is suddenly running.

She enters the playroom in search of her daughter and sees only an upright torso. Where once was a head stands a large stack of letters dwarfing a tiny body. Shrieks of distress pierce the alphabet fortress and little hands tear at the fabric. The room is rent by an angry roar as Mammy digests the destruction.

She dives towards the victim and begins the tough task of springing the head from the letters — first the Qs, then the Ps, then the Rs and the Ds and finally, the O at the bottom. She cannot decipher her son’s grand designs but doubts they in-

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2009

cluded murder. If Death by Letter was a game, he would not be playing again, with its potential for suffocation or strangulation. Mammy decides to kiss the alphabet goodbye until her daughter can assure her own safety.

She retrieves the plastic packaging the alphabet arrived in and readies it for repacking the letters. She lays it out in the playroom before returning to the kitchen in search of a scissors and some cellotape. The packaging is wound like a cape around his sister’s neck and face upon Mammy’s return to the playroom.

By now it’s quite clear a laboratory rat has more chance of escape than the sister. He sees her little frame as a conduit to carry out a variety of unscientific experiments.

Small boys, like some toys, should not be unleashed without carrying a warning of “explosive”.

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Alison McKim tells Arlene Harris why she invited TDs to her home to witness the devastating effects cuts in the carers’ allowance would have on Zach

Devoted to her son A

LISON MCKIM invited politicians to her house last week. She didn’t do this because she wanted to discuss the state of the nation. The reason this single mother opened her home to party members across the board was because she wanted them to see how the proposed budget would affect her and her son.

The 39-year-old Dublin woman has one son called Zach. And like most 17-year-olds, he loves music and is a quite a handful. But instead of worrying about mood swings, exam results and relationship problems, Alison’s concerns are more basic — how will she manage to keep her son alive and well? Born at just 24 weeks, Zach has had serious problems since birth. Doctors didn’t believe the premature boy would survive but despite having epilepsy, cerebral palsy, hydrocephalus (water on the brain), severe asthma and blindness, he is now nearing his 18th birthday.

This ‘miracle’ is down to the loving care and attention from his mother.

Alison is able to devote her life to caring for her son because she receives the half payment carers’ allowance (and the lone parent allowance). But the Government is planning to cut this weekly payment in order to help restore the economy — if this happens, this small family unit will struggle to survive.

“I look after Zach 24 hours a day — he can’t do anything at all for himself,” says Alison. I have to spoon feed him and give him drinks every two hours, he has to have daily chest physio and suctioning and is on nebulisers for his breathing — and on top of that, I have no idea when he might have an epileptic seizure. It’s a full-time job.”

Alison has had an extension built onto her two-storey terrace to facilitate her growing son. “I can’t manage the stairs with him as he is too big for me to carry on my own, but I have installed a camera in his room which is connected to a TV in my room, so I can keep an eye on him at night,” she says.

But despite the mammoth daily task she endures, Alison is devoted to her son and does all of this single handedly, as most people are too nervous to help out and she doesn’t want him to have to go hospital or into care.

“Zach is non-verbal and, while I can read his expression, most people would struggle to understand what he needs,” she says.

“My son is my responsibility and I look after him gladly, but I will not be able to cope if my allowance is cut. I don’t understand why they have to take money from the people who need it most . How will I survive on less than F110, especially as they are now talking about charging for medical card prescriptions?

“I would like to see the politicians trying to live like I do — if they cut my allowance, I will be in severe poverty and, in the long run, it will cost them more as

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If they cut my allowance, I will be in severe poverty and in the long run it will cost them more as they will have to fund specialised care for Zach

TENDER LOVING CARE: Zach McKim and his mother Alison who takes care of him 24/7. Picture: Nick Bradshaw

they will have to fund specialised care for Zach.”

Caroline Cox of the Carers Association says there are over 160,000 carers in Ireland who are looking after a loved-one at home. Most of these depend heavily on governmental support.

“Carers use this money to pay their electricity and heating bills as well as additional medical expenses,” she says. “Some people may be forced to abandon their caring roles and have their loved ones put into institutional care if they lose this valuable income.”

Less than 30% of carers in Ireland are currently in receipt of a carers’ allowance. Of this figure, 64% receive the full rate which is

between F214 and F 232 per week. This allowance is means tested and based on certain criteria such as the number of hours caring in the home.

Carers’ like Alison McKim who receive another social welfare payment (such as state pension or the lone parent allowance) receive a ‘half payment’ and these are the most likely to be affected by the upcoming budget.

“We are pleading with the Government not to cut carers’ payments — most are struggling financially and any reductions could have major affect,” says Cox. “Carers are already suffering from cutbacks with home help-hours reduced and services being withdrawn due to the economic downturn.

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2009

“Carers save the state over F2.5 billion each year providing over 3.7 million hours of care in the home each week — we need to look after them.”

The Carers’ Association and Alison McKim hoped to show TDs and ministers how time consuming the role of a carer is and how difficult life would be if their benefit was cut. The association provided transport from the Dáil to Ms Kim’s home in Terenure, and they had expected up to 20 politicians to take part in the exercise.

But only five people turned up to see the reality of life for Alison and Zach.

“I was disappointed that so few came out on the day,” says Alison. “But the one’s that did come [Róisín Shorthall, Jan O’Sullivan and Mary Upton (Labour), Joe Behan (Ind) and John McGuiness (FF)] were surprised by how hard everything was for us and could understand how worried I am. But I don’t know if they can or will do anything about it.”

Caroline Cox urges the public to take a stand and help fight the carers’ cause.

“Contact your local TDs and political representatives and ask them to ensure that there are no cuts for carers in the budget,” she says. “And join us in our march on December 1 outside Dáil Éireann.”

■ For more information visit www.carersireland.com or call 1800-240724.

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BANGERS AND CASH Sausages are the ultimate recession food

Roz Crowley

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ARM and spicy, sausages make good comfort food at this time of year. Paired with lots of vegetables one or two can make a balanced, easy meal.

An estimated 60% of the population eat sausages and I expect this will increase as the recession bites further. Sausages are not bad value and are versatile if used imaginatively.

Since our last survey of sausages four years ago, prices in general have come down and pork content has gone up.

Simply Better 12 pork sausages, Dunnes Stores, 480g F3.59 (640g this special offer pack for F3.59) 80% pork provides good, meaty texture in this sausage, which is quite spicy.

Added pork fat makes up the difference, along with rusk, which has the anti-caking agent, E503, the commercial salt ammonium carbonate. E221 sodium sulphite is the additive here to watch, for those who are asthmatic and may be sensitive to it, but no MSG. Allergen info, which includes gluten, wheat and sulphur dioxide, is clearly marked.

Score: 7

Consumers have demanded less fat and filler and less salt, and in some cases we have got them, though salt is still high in most samples, and some even have salt and monosodium glutamate, another form of salt.

Unfortunately our interest in less chemical additives has gone unheeded. They are all permitted additives, chosen to preserve and sometimes to enhance flavour. However, they can trigger effects in sensitive individuals.

If suspecting a link between asthma attacks and consumption of sausages, it’s worthwhile looking at sausages which contain E220, E221, E222 and E223 which are sodium salts of sulphites and dioxides.

These additives are often added in small doses and usually don’t affect people, but for those who are sensitive to the additives, they could affect conjunctivitis, bronchitis, emphysema, bronchial asthma or cardiovascular disease. Thy could also possibly increase the effects of a hangover, so beware of some products in a heavy fry-up to cure it.

To be fair to manufacturers, sulphites are often well signalled on packaging which also may state the presence of E621 monosodium glutamate (MSG), which in some individuals with particular sensitivity is implicated in headaches, nausea and chest pain. E450 and E451 potassium and sodium di-phosphates in excess have been associated with kidney problems and appear in some sausages.

The problem with these additives is that they appear in many foods which may be consumed in the same day, so it’s easy to overdose.

Clonakilty sausages, gluten-free, Dunnes Stores, 227g F1.79 Relatively low 57% pork, with water, pork fat, soya protein and potato starch. E221 sodium sulphite is here, so watch sensitivity. E120 is Carmine, to add red colour and is not of concern.

Saturated fats, of 7%, are relatively low and salt is a fair at 1.75%. While gluten-free, these sausages taste of a regular type and lose nothing in the taste or texture. Spices are hot and texture is quite substantial. A satisfying, gluten-free product. Clonakilty also produce regular sausages.

Score: 8

Picture: iStock

Sausages are often quite fatty so accompany with stewed apple or chutneys to cut through the fat and help with its digestion. Add them chopped to a tomato-based sauce for pasta, grill and serve with mashed potatoes cooked with chopped leeks or onion (this will help digest the fats too).

Glenview Farm 16 Irish Pork Sausages Lidl, 454g F1.59 57% pork meat is quite low and the remainder includes water, rusk which contains ammonium carbonate, and E503 which may cause a little digestive gas.

Added too is pork rind, mustard, dextrose (a form of sugar). The stablisers are diphosphates, the preservative is sodium metabisulphite E223. 9.1% saturated fats is reasonable and 2.2% salt is average. With medium spices, the taste is quite fatty, but enjoyed by some tasters. Price is fair.

Score: 4

Saturated fats in sausages are quite high, up to 22%, so beware of having too many at a time.

We surveyed brands in supermarkets this time, but there are also top-class samples in local butchers which add excellent flavours for variety.

Tesco Finest Irish Pork Sausages, 205g, F1.89.

With a substantial 70% pork count, these sausages contain rusk, potato starch and pork fat. The seasoning includes preservative sodium sulphite (E221) and stabliser disodium disphophate (E450). A very high 10% salt comes from additives and added salt, with 14% saturated fats. Clear nutritional information is commendable.

Texture is good with spices not overdone.

Score: 6.5

Marks & Spencer organic pork sausages, 340g F4.29 (two for F6)

Olhausen’s 16 pork sausages, Supervalu, 454g, F2

Hodgins Craft Butchers 8 Pork Sausages Supervalu 454g, F2.75.

Aldi Specially Selected 9 Butcher’s Choice Pork Sausages, 370g F1.99

With a high 88% pork in these sausages, the texture is substantial and the taste of pork discernible, unlike many other samples. Seasoning includes sea salt, black pepper, ginger, pimento, mace, nutmeg and sage. The flavouring is more herbal than spicy and not what we expect in a regular sausage.

Tasters were not sure if they liked the overall flavour, but loved the texture. No artificial colourings, flavourings, or preservatives means salt for flavour and to preserve has to be high, at 10%.

Saturated fats, at 19%, are high enough.

Score: 7

A relatively low 57% of pork meat, so a higher proportion of water, salt and rusk, which contains wheat flour. Also has E503, which is ammonium carbonate: this has little known side effects, except for causing a little digestive gas. Monosodium glutamate, E621, is the flavour enhancer, and sodium sulphite, E221, is one of the preservatives. The stabilisers, E450 and E451, are disodium diphophates: eaten in excess they have associations with kidney problems. No nutritional information, but a pack note warns of gluten and sulphite. The sausages have a fatty texture.

Score: 4

A good 75% pork here with water, rusk and spices. Carmine is colouring which is a red food dye from a natural source. The flavour enhancer is E621 or monosodium glutamate so watch for sensitivity. Saturated fats are not listed separately, but fat is 27.5% and we can expect saturated fats to be less than half.

With salt content at 2%, this chunky sausage has mild spices and tastes meatier than many samples.

Score 7.75

22% saturated fats is high so don’t be tempted to eat more than two at a time.

2.5% salt is on the high side yet the flavour enhancer monosodium glutamate, E621 is added, along with the stabilisers diphosphates and triphosphates E450 and E451.

Ammonium carbonate is another e-number (E503) and E221 is sodium sulphite, so a lot of chemicals to deal with here. The sausages contain gluten and sulphite. 9.1% saturated fats is relatively low.

Good meaty texture with 80% pork. Medium to hot spices make this a good all rounder at a reasonable price.

Score 7.5

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Fit for training

RIGHT STUFF: Increasing the intensity of shorter gym sessions delivers better results, says fitness instructor Mick Kelly.

Picture:Patrick Browne

better result,” says Mick, who’s also a ket-

tlebell instructor and a boxing coach.

Deirdre O'Flynn Research backs him up, with a 2007

MOSTLY MEN

Y

OU may think that going to the gym is going to transform your life, giving you abs and pecs where you never had them before.

“If you do decide to start training, you should do it properly,” says fitness instructor Mick Kelly, who runs Total Fitness Systems in Clonard, Wexford.

Running for miles on end or training for hours at a time may burn fat while you’re exercising, but as soon as you stop, you stop burning fat. “If you increase the intensity of shorter sessions, you’ll get a

study published in the US Journal of Applied Physiology showing that doing bursts of hard exercise not only improves cardiovascular fitness but also the body’s ability to burn fat, even during low- or moderate-intensity workouts.

That health maintenance is vital considering Ireland’s obesity rates — more than one in five of us are obese and over one-third of Ireland’s population is overweight. Indeed, in a recent Irish Medical Times survey, two-thirds of GPs surveyed named obesity as the main threat to people’s health.

The best case scenario is to restructure your training session and learn new techniques so that you’re getting the most out of each session. “You can train all your muscle groups by doing five types of exercise: pushing, pulling, quad, hamstring and core work,” says Mick.

“You can do all those in one longer

session or in split sessions where you do the pulling and pushing sessions one day and the leg exercises another day.”

It’s also vital to do exercises tailored to your body and fitness levels. “A lot of men come to sessions and want to start lifting the same weights, say 100 kilos, as their friends. But you can do a lot of damage that way. I get guys to come back down in terms of the weights they lift, show them the right techniques and then they can increase the weights safely.”

Equally, it’s not all about exercising in isolation. “According to the World Health Organi-

sation, a healthy person is one who exercises regularly, who has good balanced nutrition and who socialises,” says Mick.

“Our total fitness solution involves group sessions with an instructor, where we chat while we’re warming up, train hard, and chat while we’re cooling down and give advice on nutrition. So you’re getting the benefit of having an instructor, you’re meeting others and getting advice on diet.”

■ The Total Fitness Systems website is at www.totalfitnesssystems.ie

Byrne joins awareness campaign for Irish men

Shoe mixes dress style with sports

AS the Irish rugby team prepares for the visit of the Springboks, former player Shane Byrne has called on Irish men to stay healthy and tackle medical problems head on.

The legendary lineout thrower, pictured left, launched the Irish Men – Defend Your Health campaign sponsored by pharmaceutical company Lilly.

“Now it’s time the men of Ireland made the same commitment to defending their health as they do to their team,” says Byrne.

“Many Irish men who experience erectile difficulties or ED do not realise how common it is and are too embarrassed

IF YOU saw men running the Dublin City Marathon recently in dress shoes, you weren’t dreaming. This was a team from shoe company Rockport who were promoting the re-launch of the new men’s DresSports footwear collection for autumn/winter.

According to the manufacturer, Rockport’s DresSport is a “classic silhouette dress shoe for men engineered with athletic soles”. The shoes are lightweight, with cushioning and support.

Strobel construction — where the uppers are stitched to the insole — provides flexibility to aid the walking motion, while a lightweight EVA outsole provides shock-absorption.

TAKE

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to do anything about it. The good news is there is help out there and that’s why I’m urging men to tackle the problem. Take action, talk to your GP — and get any problems sorted.”

For more information on the Irish Men — Defend Your Health campaign, visit www.defendingyourhealth.com.

Talk to a specialist nurse if you are concerned about cancer. Call the National Cancer Helpline on Freefone 1800-200700 (Monday to Thursday 9am-7pm and Friday 9am-5pm).

Go to www.manmatters.ie for information and advice about erectile difficulties.

ACID EROSION: WHILE the nutritional balance of today’s diet may benefit our overall health, dentists have become increasingly worried about the acids found in many foods which can do irreparable damage to teeth. Foods to be aware of include fruit especially citrus fruits, fruit juices from concentrate, fruit tea, balsamic vinegar, white wine, tea, coffee and some vegetables. The following oral hygiene tips from Sensodynewill help minimise acid damage.

■ Don’t brush teeth immediately after food as this will only brush acid into teeth. Wait at least wait one hour.

■ Brush teeth gently but thoroughly with a soft brush.

■ Don’t swish soft or fizzy drinks around the mouth. Use drinking straws deliver the liquid past the teeth into the palette. Drink water (alkaline), or chew on sugar free lozenges / gum to increase saliva production.

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DId you know...

Heat from laptops may damage men’s fertility Source: Loyola University Health System (LUHS), Chicago

DENTAL CARE SENSITIVE TEETH: Dentin hypersensitivity, or tooth sensitivity, is a condition affecting 57% of patients, and triggered by hot or cold food or drinks. Colgate Sensitive Pro Relief toothpaste, F2.29 for 35ml, or F4.49 for 75ml, is a new treatment proven to deliver sensitivity relief.

It contains Colgate’s Pro-Argin formula, which uses an amino acid, arginine, and an insoluble calcium compound, calcium carbonate, to treat and prevent sensitivity symptoms.

START EARLY: Beechwood Dental in Ranelagh, Dublin, is owned by brothers Peter and David Casey. They have the following tips for the care of children’s teeth: ■ Use a soft brush and water to clean your child’s teeth as soon as they appear.

■ From the age of two, brush your child’s teeth twice a day with toothpaste in the morning and at bedtime. Continue to supervise their brushing up to age seven.

■ A pea-sized amount of toothpaste should be used up to the age of seven.

Toothpaste containing fluoride is recommended from the age of two to seven.

■ Bring your child to the dentist before they start school and from then on arrange a check up at least once a year.

■ Beechwood Dental, 9 Dunville Avenue, Ranelagh, Dublin 6, 01-4967526; www.beechwooddental.ie

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2009

TOOTY FRUITY: Halos ‘n’ Horns is an affordable range of fun shampoos, body washes, and toothpastes developed by mum, Leila Wilcox, which are free from the chemicals — sodium lauryl suflate (SLS), parabens, triclosan and propylene glycol — often found in children’s bathing products. Halos ‘n’ Horns Toothy Fruity toothpaste, F4.01, available from pharmacies, is a pink gel formulation that tastes of strawberries and bananas, with a gentle cleaning action and low-foaming paste. The fluoride content is 0.32%, with 1450ppmf.

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The news on ...

Give yourself that certain sparkle to get the most out of the party season

MINERAL COLOUR IF YOU’RE prone to sensitivity, and throwing a whole host of chemical-laden products at your face leads to itchy eyes and dry, blotchy skin, then look to bareMinerals for the upcoming party season.

The new Surprise Collection is a limited-edition kit infused with hematite, which is supposed to strengthen and increase the body’s resistance to stress. All products are 100% pure minerals — free of preservative, talc, waxes, binders and fragrance, and the kit is also surprisingly good value, too, with two eyecolours, a liner shadow, a blush, Secret Radiance, a double-ended lip gloss, a crease defining brush, line diffuser brush and soft, sweep cheek brush, all for F45. For stockist lists log onto: bareescentuals.co.uk.

Emily O’Sullivan

TAKE THREE

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E’RE trying to be restrained about this whole Christmas malarky, what with it still being November and all, but if you’re going to invest in new make-up for the party season then getting it early means you’re going to get maximum value from it.

Beauty looks this season are saturated with sophistication, as wearability and elegance are the big looks being touted by the major beauty brands (after all, wearable make-up sells the most), but blowing good taste out of the water comes a look that refuses to take things lying down — glitter.

Glitter and good taste are not two words that go together. In the realm of beauty, glitter is anarchic, trashy and raucous — a bit like a friend you bring to a grandparent’s party who drinks all the crème de menthe and spends the night dancing on the table in various states of undress. Glitter has a rebellious side — it’s cheeky and daring but it’s downright good fun and absolutely perfect for the party season.

But glitter can be a nightmare to apply. Little pots of loose glitter look like great fun, but it’s not so amusing when half your face is covered in turquoise sparkles. If you’re using a loose shadow (MAC do super-pretty glitter pots), then dab it on gently with your fingertips so you can control the amount going on to your eye. Otherwise, you’re going to have major fallout. If you’re feeling less than skilled, then put a little bit of tissue paper directly beneath your lower eyelashes to catch any falling shimmer.

Little liquid eyeliners with glitter are a

WATERPROOF MASCARAS

All that glitters is not BOLD good option too and there are lots of them around, especially in the younger and more budget-friendly make-up ranges. While you won’t get a precision line (largely because they come in a light gel base), you do need to apply a decent amount of product — go over the line several times to get a good saturation of colour.

One of our favourite — and more grown-up — ways of getting the glitter look this season is to opt for a darker black eyeliner shot through with touches of sparkle. It gives a very subtle glittery sheen to the eye

and can be used to pep up an existing eyeshadow. Glitter on the lips is also one of the more acceptable ways of carrying off the trend. Bobbi Brown’s Glitter Eye Palette, F45, contains four gorgeously wearable glittery shades that can be mixed and matched with more subtle eyeshadows. Or try MAC’s very fabulous Dazzleglass lip gloss, F20, which has a gorgeous crystalline iridescence that makes the lips shimmer and glisten beautifully. Our favourite shade is Smile, a peachy pink that looks beautiful with dark, smouldering eyes. Perfect.

LONG-LASTING mascara is essential once the party season hits — these little waterproof babies aren’t just good for bouts of sobbing or swimming, they’re great for lasting the pace all day and without budging an inch.

Bag Gal Waterproof Mascara, F21.50. This is one of our recent finds and it’s an absolute gem. It has a very long and lean applicator that sweeps lashes to exceptional lengths and, best of all, it stays on really well throughout the day with not even a hint of flaking and smudging.

Score: 10 L’Oreal Lash Architect Waterproof Mascara, F14.05. This has a rich dark glossy colour that gives lashes a dramatic look and is very easy to apply. There were no clumps, and even after watching Atonement on DVD, it still stayed put. Not a bad price point either.

Score: 8 Too Faced Lash Injection, F18.50. The total opposite in terms of size of brush — Lash Injection’s famous big fat brush is great for really getting at the roots and bigging up lashes. It’s waterproof side is completely solid, too — this baby won’t shift.

Score: 8

STUFF WE LIKE 17 Glitter Eyeshadow, F5.29. Glitter is undoubtedly a passing trend — and one that only really comes around once a year, so don’t be worried about splashing out lots of money. These little eyeshadows are perfectly priced and give a good dose of glitter without being OTT. Mac Soft Sparkle Eye Pencil, F17.50. This is a great eyeliner for the Christmas season, especially if you’re going for a more rock chick look.

Perfect for using with darker smokey eye-

Feelgood

shadows, it gives a very subtle glittery shimmer, is soft and easy to apply, and lasts for ages.

Mac 5 Haute High Jinks, F37. If you can’t decide what glitter tones to go for then save the agonising and get a selection.

MAC’s mini pigments come in five shades — three with a metallic base: tan with gold, rich copper sparkle, olive green with gold pearl; and two with glitter: taupe with gold pearl and a very fine white glitter that flashes gold.

Bobbi Brown Metallic Long-Wear

Cream Shadow, F24. It’s not quite glitter, but these metallic eyeshadows are high shine and super-sparkly and make a great alternative to disco-ball glitz. Opt for Antique Gold or Chrome Patina for super-cool Christmas shimmer.

Giorgio Armani Gold Top Mascara, F25.50. If you’re looking for a directional look this Christmas, then look no further than Armani’s gold-top mascara. It’s designed to be worn on top of darker masarcas to give lashes a dose of glittery gold sparkle.

Boots Party Eyes Collection, F20.

Great value and perfect for young glitter enthusiasts, Boots’s Party Eyes might look like a Christmas gift but don’t let that put you

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2009

off buying it as a treat. There are three glittery Eye Dazzles; two metallic eye pencils; three sparkly liquid eyeliners and two double-ended applicators.

Urban Decay Heavy Metal Glitter Eyeliner, F17.50. Urban Decay’s Heavy Metals have been around for a while now, but if you’re after a good liquid glitter eyeliner then these are the ones to go for.

They’re easy to apply and stay on well — try Stagedive, a bold bright turquoise.

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Q Megan Sheppard Do you have a question for Megan Sheppard?

Email it to feelgood@examiner.ie or send a letter to Feelgood Irish Examiner City Quarter Lapps Quay Cork

I AM feeling lethargic and tire very easily, I go to the gym in the morning for 45 minutes, my diet is usually lemon in hot water for breakfast, perhaps a tablespoon of cereal with no milk. At work I have herbal teas and an apple at break time. For lunch I have two to three Ryvita, and an apple and sometimes a banana. In between, I have some polo mints and chewing gum. For supper I have scrambled egg, or two Ryvita with tomato and ham or chicken, followed by a diet yoghurt, or more fruit.

The odd time I will have a square of chocolate, polo mint, plain biscuit, or liquorice sweet. Should I check my thyroid as I find it so hard to lose a stone in weight? I am 8 stone and 5ft 2in tall. I feel sluggish, lack stamina at the gym and when I was lighter I felt great. I am in my early 40s. Do you think it is too late to consider another baby?

A. The solution here is quite simple. You are not eating nearly enough to sustain your body. The amount of food you have listed as daily intake is closer to the amount I would expect for a single meal and a snack. What happens when we don’t provide enough fuel is that our body goes into starvation mode, and holds on to every available nutrient — certainly not conducive to weight-loss or stamina.

As surprising as it sounds, you need to eat more in order to lose weight so that your metabolism is able to function efficiently. At present, it is likely your metabolism has slowed down in order to glean as much as possible from your diet, which is why you feel so sluggish and have difficulty losing any extra weight.

Your food choices appear to be very healthy, it is just the portion sizes which need addressing. Try eating five to six small meals a day rather than three regular sized meals.

Be kind to yourself. Your weight in relation to your height is actually well within the healthy and normal range, so it may not be that you need to lose any weight at all.

If you are feeling “flabby” then perhaps ensuring that you are eating enough to sustain yourself while continuing your daily exercise (which will be a lot more fun once you regain your energy) will help tone your body. Getting plenty of water and quality sleep is also crucial to weight maintenance and normal immune functioning.

About another child. Yes, it can be more difficult to fall pregnant, as the hormones have already begun to change in preparation for perimenopause and menopause itself. But is certainly not out of the question. Once you have been eating enough food and

MADE TO MEASURE: You need to eat more in order to lose weight so that your metabolism is able to function efficiently.

Picture: iStock keeping well hydrated for a couple of months, it would be worth looking into supporting your body with herbs to optimise your chances. For more information on fertility, contact the Cork Natural Fertility Clinic on 021-4812222.

My four-year-old boy has ringworm on his right lower cheek. The doctor prescribed a liquid antibiotic. He said it was rare for a child so young to get it on his face. It’s now the size of a cent coin — it began at the size of a pea over two weeks ago. Will the mark go from his face?

Thankfully, it’s not on any other part of his body and he is not itching it.

A. I am surprised your doctor has prescribed antibiotics for ringworm, since not only are antibiotics ineffective at treating non-bacterial infections, they typically trigger or exacerbate fungal growth — and ringworm is a fungal infection.

I am also confused by the comment about it being unusual for a young child to get this on their face — ringworm can appear anywhere on the body — even on the scalp or nails, and since children are more likely to have contact with animals and then put their hands near their face without washing first, it is more unusual we don’t have a higher incidence of ringworm on children’s faces.

Ringworm is caused by the presence of dermatophytes on the skin, hair, or nails.

All they need to survive is living tissue.

Megan puts the spotlight on : AT A time when most of society revolves around maximising hours and burning the candle at both ends, it’s time to stop and consider that efficiency may in fact be increased if we were simply to spend more time sleeping.

People who continually get less than enough sleep feel lethargic, don’t perform as well, and find their digestion and general health suffering. Sleep is essential for brain health too. While our bodies rest, the brain takes the opportunity to repair the neurons so that we are mentally sharp the following day.

Insufficient sleep leads to neurons which are depleted and malfunctioning.

Long term, this impacts on mood, behaviour, and physical co-ordination.

So how much is enough? You will need to factor in diet, stress levels and energy output (exercise) to get an idea of how much sleep is right for you. Par-

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ents of infants and toddlers are the exception — in this case, aim to sleep and nap whenever the opportunity arises.

Most primates in the wild get a stretch of about 10-14 hours per night, which indicates that humans should aim for around 10-12 continuous hours — probably closer to what we would naturally achieve if it weren’t for artificial lighting, television, computers and so forth.

When we sleep, the body produces HGH (Human Growth Hormone). This hormone is crucial for skin cell renewal — sufficient sleep is the ultimate in anti-ageing treatments.

If you retire to bed by 9pm, your immune system has the chance to function optimally, with physical repair taking place within our body between the hours of 10pm-2am. Between 2am-6am the brain releases chemicals which en-

Dermatophytes not only survive well on people and animals, they can also live in towels, flannels, combs, and soil. There is no need to get too concerned though, since basic hygiene is enough to keep on top of these microscopic spores.

Pet dogs, rabbits and cats are common carriers, as are other humans — particularly children. The reason why ringworm is commonly seen in children but not as often in adults who may not exhibit symptoms even if they are infected. This is simply a sign that the immune system has matured and is functioning well.

It’s good to hear he is not scratching the area, as ringworm spreads readily through touch — meaning that he could spread the infection to other areas or people if he were to touch or scratch the affected skin.

Make sure his flannels, towels, hairbrush, comb and the like are washed after one use, and that his nails are kept short and clean just in case he scratches in his sleep. I have never seen ringworm leave a mark or scar, so long as it is not picked or heavily scratched.

My recommendation would be to start your son on a course of probiotics to restore his intestinal balance, and to apply either manuka or tea tree essential oil to the rash. Simply put one-two drops of essential oil in an eggcup full of base oil (olive oil is fine — coconut will add extra fungal fighting properties if you have it handy) and apply directly.

If you have any pets, it’s important to get them checked by a vet for ringworm and treated accordingly.

Getting your 40 winks hance the immune system, which is why lack of sleep leads to an increased susceptibility to illness.

The two main processes in our bodies are anabolism and catabolism.

Catabolism (breaking down of substances into energy and waste products) occurs mainly during active periods, and anabolism (regeneration, growth and repair) is largely occurring during rest. Both are ongoing, and together they equate to metabolism.

If one or both are out of balance, so too will be our immune functioning, hormone levels, mental state, ageing process, energy levels, and emotional wellbeing.

The hours before midnight are most important to the rest and rejuvenation process, so even if you are unable to get a full 10-12 hours, make sure that you get to bed before the witching hour.

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2009

WORK WIPEOUT: Boost your efficiency and immune system by getting a good night’s sleep.

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Bouncing back from hair loss “I found that it was clinically

proven to stop hair loss in 94% of patients after six months of treatment and was suitable for both men and women, it was also totally pain-free with no side-effects.

”

WHEN 61-year-old Kerry grandmother-of-six Vivien O’Sullivan noticed that her hair was falling out more than normal she assumed that it was due to stress caused by a recent family bereavement.

“I noticed it mainly when I washed it, the plughole in the shower used to clog up with hair,” said Vivien. “I started to really worry though when I woke up one morning and noticed several hairs on the pillow, I have always had really thick hair and my hair was definitely starting to thin out.

“I was so worried about it that I went to see my GP,” says Vivien. “He said it could be a lack of iron in my diet so I started taking iron tablets.

“Over the next six months I took lots of different supplements, as well as iron tablets, but the thinning seemed to be getting worse.”

Vivien went back to see her GP who this time advised her that she should seek advice

from a hair loss specialist.

Vivien visited several hair loss specialists and was advised by one clinic that her best option was a wig and by another that FUE transplant surgery was her best option.

“I didn’t like the sound of either option to be honest,” says Vivien. “I was worried and unhappy with my hair loss but I didn’t feel as though it had deteriorated enough to wear Vivien O’Sullivan. a hairpiece! I basically just wanted to stop it from falling article in the newspaper about a out and thicken it up.” laser that can help to stop hair Vivien considered the option loss and to thicken existing thin of surgery but again decided hair without the need for any this was too radical and exsurgery, I researched into it on treme. “The most important the internet and I found that thing to me was to stop it from it was clinically proven to stop falling out and to hopefully hair loss in 94% of patients after thicken it up,” said Vivien. “I six months of treatment and was told that surgery would was suitable for both men and replace the hairs that had been women, it was also totally painlost but would not stop any further hair loss, I was at a total free with no side-effects.

“I then found there was a loss as to know what to do. clinic in Cork offering this “Then one day my husband treatment, so I contacted them called to say he was reading an

and went for a free consultation, I discovered I was suffering from a condition called CTE (Chronic Telogen Effluvium). I was told this causes excessive thinning down the centre of the scalp and affects the hair’s growth cycles. It can also lead to androgenic alopecia, which can cause the hairs to get thinner and thinner until they stop growing altogether.”

Vivien was informed that surgery was inappropriate as she was still losing hair, and was

also unnecessary as she still had the majority of her hair which could be saved and thickened using a combination of laser treatment and medication.

“I completed my course of treatment just over nine months ago and I can’t believe the difference in my hair. It has stopped falling out and it has thickened up massively. I am delighted. I would recommend anyone who is worried about thinning hair to do something about it before it’s too late!”

No 2 Camden Place, St Patricks Bridge, Cork t: (021) 4552424

OPENING TIMES: Monday to Friday 8am-9.30pm

Please log on to www.thehairclinichlcc.com Feelgood

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2009