Feelgood 15-10-2010

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Feelgood

Friday, October 15, 2010

Weighing it all up

Why exercise will not make you thin: 8, 9

THE CHANGE

Women talk openly about the menopause: 4,5

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HALLOWEEN BITES Eight barmbracks put to the taste test: 12

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Luxury beauty products you can afford — almost: 14

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2 News front Kate O’Reilly WHAT’S ON ■ REMEMBRANCE SERVICE: A service of remembrance will be held tonight at 7.30pm in St Joseph’s Church, (SMA), Wilton by Cork University Maternity Hospital for anyone who has experienced pregnancy or infant loss. Daniel Nuzum at 021-4920500.

■ CANCER AWARENESS: “Get active, watch your weight and cut back on alcohol to reduce your risk of cancer.”

This is the message from the Marie Keating Foundation as they take to the road, during Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The southern unit will be at Forristals Pharmacy, Clonakilty, today and McSweeney’s Pharmacy, Midleton, on October 22. See www.mariekeating.ie ■ AMMA IN DUBLIN: Amma, known as The Hugging Saint, will be at the National Show Centre, Dublin tomorrow and Sunday. Doors are open from 8.30am and admission is free. See www.ammaireland.org for further information.

■ FREE TALK: Elizabeth Mattis-Namgyel who has studied and practiced the Buddhadharma for 25 years will give a free public talk in the Aula Maxima, UCC on Monday next at 7.30pm. The talk is organised by Dzogchen Beara, retreat centre in West Cork. Details: www.dzogchenbeara.org or 027-73032 ■ ALEXANDER WORKSHOPS: To celebrate Alexander Awareness Week local practitioners are offering free introductory sessions. There are also a number of free workshop, including one for teachers (primary and post) tomorrow from 10am to 1pm at Rockboro Primary School, Boreenmanna Rd, Cork.

There is also a free information event from 1 to 3pm at the school which is open to all. Contact Rosemary Moone 021-4311411 or Veronique Druesne 087-9761668 to book a place.

A teachers’ workshop will be given at Cork Educate Together School, Grattan Street on Wednesday next, October 20 from 2:30 to 4:30pm by Kathryn Doehner, 087-9584232.

Kennenth Boggs, 085-2427963, will give a postural class at Thompson House, MacCurtain Street, Cork that night from 8 to 9.30pm and Andrew Monaghan, 087-9387302 is offering a two hour seminar for nurses on work-related injury prevention. www.isatt.ie for more details.

■ DYSLEXIA SEMINARS: A seminar for parents of secondary school students with dyslexia will be held at the Radisson International Hotel, Cork Airport tomorrow. The seminar runs from 9.15 to 1pm and costs F25 for DAI members or F35. A separate seminar for secondary school teachers will take place a the same time. dyslexiacork@gmail.com or 087-9831837.

■ HEART CLINIC: The Irish Heart Foundation will hold a free Blood Pressure and Cholesterol testing Clinic at the Family Resource Centre, Farranree on Wednesday October 20 from 2.30 to 4pm. For further details call 021-4505822.

Items to koreilly8@gmail.com

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70 people recount their near death stories in a new book on the journey to the other side, says Helen O’Callaghan

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Life and death

OLM Keane’s first book, Going Home, told the stories of people who had travelled to the edge of death. To say the book touched a chord is an understatement.

Going Home stayed in the best-seller list for six months. “I was inundated with people saying ‘this happened to me’. At one book-signing alone, five people approached to tell their stories. I thought ‘I can’t walk away from this’.”

Journalist Keane, who is married to RTÉ newsreader Úna O’Hagan, didn’t walk away. The result is his new book, The Distant Shore – More Irish Stories From The Edge Of Death.

When he first embarked on writing about Near Death Experiences (NDEs), Keane was “wide open to the idea that this was bunkum”. Now, he truly believes he has unlocked what happens to us at the point of death. “The journey will go on and it will be a lot warmer and happier than we’d have believed in the past.”

The death of his only child, Sean, from cancer, aged 20, on Christmas Day 2007, was a devastating blow to Colm and his wife. While Sean’s death did not inspire him to write Going Home — it was already in process — it provided an added

CLOSE TO DEATH: Colm Keane has written second book on near-death experiences. impetus to find an answer to the question of what happens when we die.

The fundamentals of the stories of NDEs told to Keane are identical — departure from the body, sense of calmness and tranquillity, bright light at the end of a dark tunnel, the

border or boundary, meeting with deceased family and friends, encounter with a superior being, the life review and the decision to cross over/come back.

The personal life review, says Keane, is the same basic principle we read about in the Bible — the concept of a Day of Judgment.

“It normally happens in the presence of a supreme being, but you do it yourself. You evaluate all these events from your past life, which flash before your eyes in a very short time. You ask ‘did I do right in this or that circumstance?’ The evaluation’s done in the context of love, compassion. One woman, whose review wasn’t going well at the beginning, said she ‘knew’ she was forgiven.

She said: ‘It was like mercy being poured over me. It was absolutely blissful, the most joyous thing that ever happened to me’.”

For Keane, the accounts of NDEs have been a revelation. “I wasn’t religious at all.

Hearing the stories hasn’t made me more religious in an institutional sense. That seems to be the way across the board for people who’ve had NDEs. It’s made me more spiritual, more conscious of other people, of the importance of goodness and decency.”

■ The Distant Shore – More Irish Stories from the Edge of Death by Colm Keane costs F14.99.

HEALTH NOTES ■ IT’s Breast Health Day today, and Europa Donna Ireland, the breast cancer campaign charity, is calling for women across Ireland to be responsible for their breast health, and to engage in a healthy activity to mark the day.

Free activities include the Community Conga, in Finglas, the Anna Livia Mile Walk, from O2 to Grand Canal Dock, and belly dancing, in Wexford.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer and has the highest mortality of any cancer in women, worldwide. There are 1.1m new cases, and 411,000 deaths, every year.

■ For more information on events in your area, visit www.europadonnaireland.ie or call Deirdre on 01-4960198/087-6383609.

■ DARE2BDRINKAWARE — now in its fourth year — is a competition for film and multimedia students, organised by The Digital Hub and sponsored by drinkaware.ie.

The competition challenges students to explore the relationship between Irish culture and drinking, through a film or multimedia project. Further information, and guidelines for the competition, at: www.DARE2BDRINKAWARE.ie.

■ From this week, Boots Ireland is providing flu vaccinations, in its nationwide chain of pharmacies, at a cost of F30. The new service allows customers to receive the flu vaccination as an alternative to attending the doctor or a HSE clinic. The service is conducted under strict guidelines laid down by the Medical Director of PGD service (Patient Group Direction), Dr Graham Marshall. For details drop into your local Boots store.

■ Women with abnormally dense breasts

www.irishexaminer.com www.irishexaminer.com

all-clear from a mammogram, despite having high-risk breast density.

“According to the American Medical Association, the addition of ultrasound screening to mammography in women with high-density breasts increases the breast cancer detection rate by 42%,” said Professor Mokbel.

GOOD HEALTH: Ruby Kelly and Max Kelly at the launch of the Astellas Changing Tomorrow Awards.

Picture: Jason Clarke should be referred for ultrasound as a secondary check, says a consultant surgeon.

Breast density, the percentage of glandular to fatty tissue, is a key predictor of cancer, says Professor Kefah Mokbel, a consultant surgeon at the London Breast Clinic and St George’s Hospital, also in the capital.

Those with a density of more than 75% have a five-fold risk of developing breast cancer compared to those with a density under 25%, he said.

Professor Mokbel said women were frequently sent home after being given the

www.irishexaminer.com feelgood@examiner.ie

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2010

■ A recent, long-term British study of 11,500 children, now aged five, has found none suffered as a result of their mothers having an occasional drink while pregnant. The study showed that the children of mothers who drank one or two units of alcohol a week during pregnancy had suffered no ill-effects by the time they are five. They did not have behavioural difficulties nor were they behind in their intellectual development.

The work was published recently, online, in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

■ Hard-working medical professionals rarely get the recognition they deserve. But this is about to change. The Astellas Changing Tomorrow Awards, 2010, aims to recognise the achievements of healthcare professionals who deliver an outstanding service for patients.

The competition is open to doctors, nurses, support staff, medical researchers, scientists, people working in patient advocacy groups and professional organisations and associations.

To enter your nomination, and for more information, visit www.changingtomorrowawards.ie. The closing date for entries is 5pm, Thursday, November 18.

Editorial: 021 4802 292

Advertising: 021 4802 215

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In profile

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THE SHAPE I'M IN

Seamus Moran

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Oh to be like Gary

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knew him for 12 years as Fair City’s Mike Gleeson — now, Mayo-born actor Séamus Moran plays developer-turned-auctioneer Gary on TG4 soap Ros Na Rún.

“Gary doesn’t stand on ceremony and he doesn’t suffer fools gladly, yet he’s not one of those businessmen who feels he has to show the tough side all the time,” says the 49-year-old, adding that he wouldn’t mind having some elements of Gary in his own personality.

“He’s the way I’d like to be a lot of the time, the part of myself I haven’t discovered. He has a confidence and an optimism that wouldn’t come naturally to me. If I were going into an audition, I’d like to send Gary.”

Séamus isn’t sorry he left Fair City two years ago. “I miss the people I worked with though. Mike and Yvonne were a great combination — I miss some of those great stories I did with her.”

Séamus and his wife are based in Dublin and have two children. Their son, Stephen, recently played Clinic star Aisling O’Sullivan’s son in Snap, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, New York.

What shape are you in?

I’m large and rotund. I could do with losing a stone and a half — it’d make my doctor happy. I used to run a lot but recently I finished a run and thought that was my last one — my knees and ankles are affecting me. I walk, and that’s good — it doesn’t hurt as much.

Do you have any health concerns?

There’s a history of heart stuff on my dad’s side but my mother’s side is hale and hearty. At my age I suppose you have to watch out for stuff like high blood pressure and cholesterol.

What are your healthiest eating habits?

I’m trying to avoid the big carbs — bread, rice and pasta. When I played a lot of sport, I used to eat loads of them. I try to eat vegetables and salads but I can’t go for the total austere health kick.

What’s your guiltiest pleasure?

I wouldn’t feel guilty about it but I adore chocolate. A really good chocolate fudge cake with ice-cream is a nice treat.

What would keep you awake at night?

I generally tend to be so tired when I get to bed that I fall asleep straight off.

If I’m stressed, I’ll be up working on something. I worry about my kids but I’m not the sort to lie awake, though I leave my phone on when they’re out.

How do you relax?

Sport was always a great way to relax but I very rarely get to play golf

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I wouldn’t feel guilty about it but I adore chocolate. A really good chocolate fudge cake with ice-cream is a nice treat these days. I listen to music. I’ve got a guitar and, if I’m sure no-one’s going to hear me, I batter out a few songs on that.

Who would you invite to your dream dinner party?

Paul Newman, if he was still alive. Having been in Lissadell recently, I’d also invite Leonard Cohen, as well as Tom Waits and Jessica Lange.

What would you change about your appearance?

I don’t think I’d change anything. I don’t like that I get a bit of a belly if I eat too much but I slim down and it’s fine. I don’t believe in cosmetic surgery. One of my favourite faces was Mick Lally’s — everything he ever did in his life was in his face.

When did you last cry?

My kids love The X Factor, so when I saw Mary Byrne from Dublin — who works on the tills in Tesco — realise her dream, that affected me. I wouldn’t be shy or embarrassed about crying.

What’s your favourite smell?

That very evocative smell when there’s a light shower after we’ve had a fine dry spell.

What trait do you least like in others?

Arrogance, lack of empathy, intolerance.

A DIFFERENT VIEW ON LIFESTYLE

Your guide to fitness, health, happiness and lifestyle.

Great writers and mentors.

Where you come first.

What trait do you least like in yourself?

I don’t lose my temper often but when I do it’s pretty ugly.

Do you pray?

I don’t, not in a conventional sense.

What would cheer up your day?

I love when good things happen for people.

The thing that gave me the biggest kick in the last while was when I heard that the film Stephen did was going to premiere in New York. A few days later, my daughter got word that she’d been accepted on the Masters course she wanted.

Helen O’Callaghan

SLÁINTE: Actor Séamus Moran, tries to avoid carbs.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2010

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

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Women’s issues

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Change of life

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Sylvia Doyle: how menopause is affecting me LIFE has changed for 44-year-old Sylvia Doyle from Wicklow town, since her menopause started about a year ago. “I noticed I was waking up feeling hot. My periods, which had always been on the button at 28 days, started to get later and much heavier,” says the mum of two.

“I have recently had two in one month, which took me totally by surprise.

“I’d consider myself quite lucky with my main symptom being night sweats. I’d wake up during the night soaked and would throw the covers off — it’s not just the sweating, it interferes with sleep.

She has also had some problems with her memory: “My memory is not that good.

I am writing things down more than I used to. I’d forget I told the kids something and I would tell them again.”

Her mother had a difficult time with the menopause she says — although now in her late 60s, she still gets hot flushes.

Says Sylvia: “I would feel flushed and I feel I sweat more than I would have when I was younger but I am managing it. I also found I put on a bit of weight around my tummy, as well as other places I had never to think about — and my bra size has increased.”

Menopause delivers a plethora of symptoms from the psychological to the physical, Ailin Quinlan hears it’s good for women to talk about their experience

T WAS a case of memory loss, ‘Gorillas in the Mist’ and a whole new wardrobe for Monica Fitzpatrick who woke up one day at the age of 47 to discover life had suddenly became complicated.

She’d pop upstairs to fetch something she needed — and found herself re-arranging the curtains in the spare room. She noticed a discomfiting increase in body hair, started suffering from daytime hot flushes and woke up at night covered in sweat.

Monica had joined the ranks of the estimated 260,000 women in this country currently believed to be experiencing the menopause. Like getting periods, menopause is a fact of life for women. Regardless, it’s often shrouded in secrecy. Many feel ashamed of this phase of their life, fearing it will harm their careers and make them less attractive to their mates.

“I was a bit shocked when I started losing my memory, while my concentration went out the window,” recalls Monica. “And oh, then it was a case of Gorillas in the Mist. I’d always been a little on the hairy side, however, the menopause just accentuated this. I felt really uncomfortable and let’s just say, I spent a lot of money at the beauticians,” says the 51-year-old.

While the hot flushes didn’t make her blush, they did cause extreme perspiration and eventually she had to change the sort of clothes she wore — and how she wore them.

“I wear layers now so I can peel off when I get a hot flush,” says the mother of one, who at one stage endured hot flushes two or three times a day.

Women usually experience menopause somewhere between 46 and 51. According to the 2008 Women’s Health Council Report, about 50% of women aged 40-plus have either experienced or are currently experiencing the menopause.

The average age of onset of the first symptoms is 47, according to the study, which says the most usual age span for onset is 46-51 years.

And it’s not fun. Menopause arrives with a plethora of symptoms ranging from the psychological to the physical, explains Dr Barbara Kearns of the Blackrock Medical Clinic, Co Dublin:

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“Recognising these signs and dealing with them in a positive manner can help women get through the menopause. While hot flushes and mood swings are the most prevalent symptoms, vaginal dryness, lack of sexual libido, urinary incontinence, crown hair loss and excessive bodily hair are commonplace.”

Although it has traditionally been a taboo subject, there has, of late, been more openness about menopause and what it’s like — Mary Byrne of X-Factor recently spoke about her experiences of it, and emphasised how important it was for women to be able to talk about their experience.

So, with the approach of World Menopause Day next Monday, as designated by the International Menopause Society in collaboration with the WHO, what exactly is menopause, and its sister condition, the peri-menopause?

“Menopause is traditionally used to describe the cessation of periods, but now encompasses everything from the beginning of irregular menstruation in your 40s to the possible development of osteoporosis in your 50s and 60s,” explains Dr Rachel Mackey gynaecologist and women’s health specialist at the Women’s Health Clinic Dunlaoghaire.

“Menopause is now viewed as a spectrum on which many people will be from age 40 to 60 and older,” she says.

These days it’s also acknowledged that women who have some form of menstrual cycle are peri-menopausal or going into the menopause.

“The menopause is all about your ovaries running out of eggs and then out of oestrogen.”

Symptoms of the peri-menopause and the menopause vary hugely, she warns: “Some women just notice their periods stop and that is it for them. Others go right to the edge of a nervous breakdown because of lack of sleep, sweating all the time, hot flushes, which can make it difficult to interact with male colleagues in the work place.”

As a result, she says, some women feel others are simply failing to cope as well as they are: “But what they don’t realise is that

Tailor-made hormones derived from plants CONVENTIONAL hormone replacement therapy uses synthetic oestrogen and synthetic progesterone to replace those lost in menopause. However, bio-identical hormone replacement therapy is the use of supplemental doses of hormones that have a chemical structure identical to the hormones that the body naturally produces.

The hormone originates from plants such as soya bean and Mexican yam

and is converted into bio-identical or human hormones.

The raw material is produced by pharmaceutical companies and is then made up in a compounding pharmacy to a prescription. The hormones are tailor-made to suit the needs of individual patients.

■ For details: Drummartin Clinic, Dublin: www.drummartinclinic.ie, 01-296 5993 or visit Dr Paivi Ahtonen’s website: http://healthlongevity.co.uk.

FACING THE ISSUE: Above, Monica Fitzpatrick breaks with tradition and talks openly about the affects of menopause, as has X Factor contestant Mary Byrne, below left.

Main picture: Maura Hickey

some women have it very easy and others have a very difficult time with much more severe symptoms.”

Memory is a big issue for Monica Fitzpatrick. “My memory is patchy — however it’s all there and if I get the right cue I’ll remember,” she says.

She had noticed that occasionally when a friend tried to remind her of something, Monica wouldn’t remember until a cue was provided, such as they were having coffee together at the time.

“Also I used to be bad at remembering names and I’m worse now. I prided myself on being a multi-tasker and now I find I have to really focus on what I am doing.”

Weight was an issue — she began to find it difficult to lose weight, particularly around the abdomen. Along with the increase in facial and body hair and repeated hot flushes, she also experienced night sweats which affected her sleep.

“It hasn’t been easy, however, it also hasn’t been an overwhelming experience. I am very upbeat about it and make the best of what is going on,” she says, adding that, she hasn’t

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2010

experienced any noticeable mood swings.

But that’s not all — once your oestrogen is gone and your periods have stopped, says Dr

DR BARBARA KEARNS: “Lack of sexual libido, urinary incontinence, crown hair loss and excessive bodily hair are common-place.”

Mackey, your risk of heart disease, stroke and osteoporosis increases, so that by the end of their 50s, women have generally caught up with men in terms of an increased risk of heart disease and stroke.

“The most important thing is lifestyle. It’s very important to keep your weight under

control. Weight tends to go up once oestrogen is gone. An exercise programme is important — all women should also be on a calcium supplement to reduce risk of osteoporosis after their periods stop.”

The risk of breast cancer is age-related, says Mackey — women who have a late

Some women just notice their periods stop and that is it for them. Others go right to the edge of a nervous breakdown because of lack of sleep and sweating all the time Feelgood

menopause at around 54 or 55 are at slightly increased risk of breast cancer — early menopause reduces your risk of breast cancer.

However, many women are still left wondering what is wrong with them. “What I would typically see is women who come in at 48 or 49 still having periods and who feel they’re losing it.

“They are not menopausal — they’re peri-menopausal because they are still having their period. You cannot prove perimenopause with a blood test, so a lot of women are told they’re not in menopause because it’s not showing on the blood tests.

“Peri-menopause is a very under-diagnosed condition and women in the peri-menopause are often dismissed.”

Mackey — who studied the subject for a thesis — is not a fan of natural remedies, saying there have been no conventional studies showing natural treatment is any benefit over placebo.

Although soya is often given as the explanation as to why Japanese women may not suffer the same intensity of menopausal symptoms as western women, she believes

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other issues, like diet, weight and alcohol intake also contribute significantly.

“It hasn’t been shown that soya works for a prolonged period of time. The best thing that women can do to control menopausal symptom like hot flushes and night sweats and mood swings is to have a good well balanced diet with fruit and vegetables, enough calcium and a daily exercise regime. Diet and exercise is shown to be better than natural remedies over an extended period.”

It is also recommended, she says, that women going through the menopause have annual checks for their cholesterol levels and blood sugar or glucose levels as well as signing up for their free mammogram service.

A new awareness campaign, titled Feeling Flush, aims to provide Irish women with practical information and real women’s stories about the menopause. The campaign features a website called www.feelingflush.ie while information leaflets are available through local pharmacies nationwide.

■ See www. feelingflush.ie or visit www.imsociety.org/world_menopause_day.php

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Psychology We use over-eating and under-eating to express a deeper hunger for love

The

All eaten up

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Tony Humphreys

N HIS book, The Prophet, Kahlil Gibran speaks of “good tortured by its own hunger and thirst. Verily when good is hungry it seeks food even in dark caves, and when it thirsts it drinks even of dead waters”. The philosopher goes on to say: “You are good when you are one with yourself.”

Being at one with ourselves is our most important responsibility, but so much of what happened to us in our childhoods and adolescence militated against this essential union — not just in our homes, but in schools, classrooms, neighbourhoods, workplaces, church and, indeed, state.

In my article last week I wrote about eating and how some individuals eat when they are not hungry and others don’t eat when they are hungry. But there is a deeper hunger present — the hunger for love of self and others — that can manifest itself in the ways we eat. The food table is one of the most powerful places to bring attention — often unconsciously — to the hunger and thirst for love, control of one’s own life and for authentic and spontaneous emotional expression.

We all long to be safe to be able to say exactly what we are feeling, without fear of judgment, criticism, ridicule, being laughed at, ignored or just told ‘to be quiet’.

To resolve these emotional hungers, we need to find ways of uncovering the intentions of the difficulties presenting around food. Noticing what you are feeling and thinking at the table (keeping a diary would help) is the first step towards resolving the hidden starvation.

Possibilities are: ■ I overeat because I’m feeling so angry.

■ I overeat because I’m feeling miserable.

■ I overeat because I feel empty inside.

■ I don’t eat because it gets me attention.

■ I don’t eat because it is the one bit of control I have over my own life.

■ I don’t eat because I don’t want to grow up.

■ I overeat because my mother would be upset if I didn’t.

■ I overeat because I’m bored.

■ I don’t eat because I’m hurting inside.

■ I don’t eat because I hate myself.

■ I overeat for comfort.

There is always some gain in either overeating or not eating. The wisdom is to allay to some degree the emotional hungers until the time they can be met in a real rather than a substitute way. The person knows — albeit unconsciously — that overeating or under-eating cannot satisfy the hidden hungers, but without some relief, to continue living would be next nigh to impossible.

When the deeper issues do surface, it is crucial the person presenting with the eating symptoms is acknowledged for the intelligence and creativity of her ways of coping to date, and the opportunity is there now for that same intelligence and creativity to be employed in resolving the emotional hungers in an open and real way.

How the biological drive of appetite is employed metaphorically in our everyday language is yet another way into the secret hungers that feed the hunger for food when you are not hungry or the starving of your appetite when you are hungry.

Examples of these metaphors are: ■ Eat your heart out.

■ What’s eating you?

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HUNGRY EYES: Overeating is often an indicator of deeper issues.

The food table is one of the most powerful places to bring attention to the hunger and thirst for love, control of one’s own life ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

Eaten up with guilt.

Eat your words.

I feel like throwing up when I think what he did to me.

Bite the bullet.

Bite back your tears.

Starved of love.

Starved of attention.

No stomach for dealing with….

I can’t stomach what he says to me.

Comfort eating.

Hungry for love.

Eaten up with envy.

Eaten up with guilt.

Full of hate.

Full of fear.’

No taste for life.

Craving for love.

Metaphors are protective and indirect ways of attempting to draw attention to sad and painful realities. The hope is that some caring and mature adult will pick up on the ingenious use of metaphor and create the emotional and social safety for unspoken hurts to be revealed.

Too often these metaphors are flown in vain, but, hopefully, as we become more conscious that overeating and under-eating are but the tip of the iceberg that needs to be melted, then those deeper hungers will begin to be addressed.

■ Dr Tony Humphreys is a clinical psychologist, author and speaker. His latest book The Compassionate Intentions of Illness is relevant to today’s topic.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2010

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Get fit for autumn: Week 3

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Hen party over, back to work EDEL’S hen party took centre stage last weekend. But, determined to stick with her training schedule, she went for a run on Friday evening before heading out with the girls.

After the exuberance of Friday and Saturday in Dingle, she felt more than a little tired. But, it was very much a case of getting back into the routine and getting on with it. And that is exactly what she did.

Edel is building her running time from week to week and this has been challenging. However, she is managing to keep up and though she has described herself as ‘a walker not a runner’ is delighted with her progress.

And the weights, well, they are proving quite strenuous too, but she is getting there.

“I have increased the number of floor and weights exercises to three sets of 12 from three sets of 10 — it seems like only a small increase but you really find it,” says Edel. “The weights are quite tough but you can feel them doing you good — it’s great because you can do these at home.”

Therese O’Callaghan

HOW TO DO A TRICEP DIP TRICEP DIP This exercise works the back of the arms, “bingo wings” 1. Sit on the edge of the bench/chair/bath with the palms and feet facing forward.

2. Move your feet out from the bench but keep the bum within two to three inches from bench.

You are supporting yourself with the arms.

3. Bend the elbows and lower the bum towards the floor Try to have the upper arms parallel with the floor.

4. Straighten the arms and bring the body up towards the bench to the start position.

5. Make sure your elbows do not flare out.

6. Do not lower the bum too close to the floor.

7. Avoid just moving the hips up and down.

Make sure that the arms are doing the work.

8. Repeat for 10. Take a 20-30 second break and complete two more sets.

Pictures: Denis Scannell

Edel O’Sullivan continues her pre-wedding fitness regime.

Picture: Cillian Kelly

RUNNING LESSONS: Gillian O’Sullivan looks forward to meeting all those who have pre-booked at the Lee Fields in Cork tomorrow at 11am.

■ For more exercises with Gillian O’Sullivan, today and every Friday visit: irishexaminer.com/feelgood/autumnworkout

C h an g i n g t o m o r r o w

Awards 2010

Recognising outstanding work in healthcare, building a better future for patients At Astellas Pharma, we are inspired by the vision of a healthier world.

The Astellas Changing tomorrow Awards 2010 will reflect this commitment by recognising and rewarding the outstanding achievements of individuals or teams working in health, who are striving to make a better future for their patients.

The winners of each category will receive a trophy plus an educational / research grant of €1,000.

If you, your team or someone you know is changing tomorrow for patients, visit: www.changingtomorrowawards.ie now to find out more and download an entry form.

Closing date for entries is Thursday 18 November 2010. © September 2010 Astellas Pharma Europe Ltd. CSC0320 ASTELLAS, Leading Light for Life, the Star logo, Changing tomorrow and the Ribbon logos are trademarks of Astellas Pharma Inc. and/or its related entities.

Feelgood

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Exercise

Working out is not enough to drop weight. Many simply eat more to compensate and gain muscle bulk. Focus instead on losing fat, says Helen O’Callaghan

Weighed down Y

OU’VE been pounding the pavements and hitting the gym, yet you’re not shifting the pounds. The scales just aren’t budging — so you’ll probably take some perverse comfort from a raft of recent studies that suggest you’re not alone.

For starters, there’s the University of Louisiana experiment, which saw hundreds of overweight women on exercise regimes for a six-month period. Some worked out for 72 minutes a week, some for 136 minutes, and some for 194. A fourth group followed their normal daily routine, taking no extra exercise. You’d expect the group that exercised the most to get the biggest pay-off in terms of weight loss — in fact, they lost the least weight.

And then there’s the 18-month long, Boston-based study of childhood obesity — when children involved in this experiment exercised, they ended up eating more than the calories they’d just burned, sometimes ten to 20 times as many. Yet another study, at Queensland University of Technology, saw 58 overweight people undertake a 12-week, supervised exercise regime designed to burn 500 calories per session — after 12 weeks, almost half of the participants hadn’t lost the expected amount of weight.

It should be simple, at least according to the equation we’ve all traditionally trusted — exercise equals weight loss. But could it be that the premise upon which the multi-billion euro fitness industry is built is not correct, or, at the very least, more complex than we ever thought?

Just last month, the OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) reported that Irish people are now the second fattest in Europe. One in four adults, here, is obese. Around the same time came news that physical inactivity is estimated to cost Ireland F1.6bn per year. All of which makes it vital that we

understand not just the impact of exercise on weight loss, but the many wide-ranging benefits of physical activity.

So, why — if you’re sweating up a storm on the treadmill — are you not shedding the stones? Professor Colin Boreham, director of the Institute for Sport and Health, at UCD, says we’re getting too caught up in the notion of weight loss and that we should be focusing, instead, on fat loss. “Weight loss isn’t necessarily the same as fat loss. When people exercise more over three to six months, they tend to reduce their fat mass, but they also increase their muscle mass. They may not look very different, they may not have lost weight, yet they’ve lost fat and become healthier. Weight measures are not necessarily the best indicator of healthy change.”

Boreham says that most studies indicate that if you want to achieve weight loss, you have to combine exercise with some sort of dietary control.

“On its own, exercise isn’t a cure for obesity. It has a major role to play, but it can’t do it on its own,” he says.

The idea, says stress and fitness expert, Pádraig Murphy, is that we create a higher energy expenditure through exercise and then we fuel that energy with good di-

Left, Alan Donnelly of UL. Picture: Kieran Clancy Right, dietician Aveen Bannon.

etary intake. “This creates a faster metabolism and we end up with a better-conditioned body,” he says.

Yet many people are of the view that an hour spent jogging in the park justifies an evening spent scoffing chocolates or knocking back the beer. “There’s a tendency for people to compensate for increased energy expenditure with increased energy intake through snacking. Some people use exercise almost as an excuse for eating more,” says Boreham, adding that this compensating behaviour is believed to be what kept the hardest-exercising women in the Louisiana study from losing more weight.

Pádraig Murphy says we must vary the type of exercise we do if we want to reach our weight-loss goals. “Much of the time, people pick exercises that hit a plateau in terms of energy-expenditure. The body very quickly gets used to cardiovascular activity — walking, running, cycling, swimming and aerobic activity. You might — or might not — lose weight in the preliminary stages, but it very quickly levels off,” he says.

To achieve weight loss, Murphy says think in terms of “stressing the body” to a safe level, so the body recognises it’s working. “As the body gets used to that, we must increase the overload and make it progressive. You create an overload by doing a different form of activity — strength work, such as doing weights in the gym.

By combining strength work with cardiovascular activity, you’d usually see weight loss, once dietary intake is addressed to match the overload requirement.”

Another issue behind our non-budging scales is that we often overestimate the amount of energy we expend through exercise. “People aren’t aware that they have to exercise with a certain intensity for it to effect weight loss,” says Alan Donnelly, professor of exercise physiology at Univer-

sity of Limerick. He says that while light exercise is good (low-level housework, walking slowly), you benefit more from moderate (walking at fast pace, but able to converse) or vigorous (exercising to point where you can’t talk) intensity exercise.

“Irish adults are recommended to do at least 30 minutes a day of moderate activity, five days a week, but a lot of people don’t achieve that — we estimate that far less than 50% of people are exercising intensely enough for it to have effect,” says Donnelly, who points to a study of physical activity levels of 51 girls aged 15 to 17, undertaken at his department.

While this age group is recommended to do 60 minutes of daily moderate/vigorous exercise, seven days a week, almost one in four didn’t achieve the recommendations on any day of the week, while fewer than two percent met the 60-minute recommendation for six days of the week.

Experts agree that nutrition is the number one factor in controlling weight. Dietician, Aveen Bannon, cites the typical example of a client who was doing five exercise sessions a week — 75% cardiovascular, 25% weights — yet he “still had the tummy” and couldn’t understand why.

“He was putting all the effort in, but his body fat was still quite high. He was completely frustrated,” she says.

When Bannon examined his diet, it soon became clear why he wasn’t losing fat. He was hitting the gym first thing in

by exercise the morning without having breakfast — and not eating his first meal of the day until he’d been up three or four hours. In addition, his carbohydrate intake was very low. The problem with not ingesting enough carbohydrate (body’s main source of fuel) is that your body is then forced to use protein as an energy source. So the protein isn’t available to build muscle. And the more muscle you have, the faster your metabolism works, says Bannon.

“When somebody’s exercising an awful lot, we want them to either maintain or increase their muscle mass. By doing this, they maintain or increase their metabolism. And the more active your metabolism, the more fat you’ll burn,” she says.

Assuming you are not snacking on junk foods, Bannon’s message is: if you want your exercise regime to result in fat loss, don’t start pulling out major food groups from your diet. If you do, you’ll create an imbalance that will undo all that tough work on the treadmill. “Each meal should have some form of starchy carbohydrate.

You need to have protein at least at two meals a day,” says Bannon, who points out that hydration is also vital.

“We all have a baseline requirement of

There’s a tendency for people to compensate for increased energy expenditure with increased energy intake through snacking

Picture: iStock

■ Bacon sandwich on white bread (430 cal): 60 minutes of football

■ One slice pepperoni pizza (198 cal): 21 minutes’ swimming

■ Ham and cheese toastie (436 cal): 1 hour of netball

■ Chocolate-chip muffin (476 cal): 55 minutes’ hill walking

■ Granny Smith apple (62 cal): 10 minutes’ weightlifting

■ Packet of cheese and onion crisps (184 cal): 41 minutes’ cycling at 5mph

■ Hot cross bun (159 cal): 20 minutes’ skipping

■ Tuna wrap (310 cal): 1 hour body pump

■ Mars bar (280 cal): 40 minutes’ aqua aerobics

Stay the pace The Mayo Clinic, the US not-for-profit medical research organisation, points to many studies that have shown a link between regular vigorous physical activity and less weight gain over time.

One study of more than 3,000 people, who’d maintained an average weight loss of 30kg for more than five years, found that only 9% didn’t exercise regularly.

Forget the quick fix Keep expectations realistic. Avoid becoming discouraged. Again, according to the Mayo Clinic, an exercise regime that’s plausible for most people (30-60 minutes, five to seven days per week) is critical to long-term weight maintenance but is unlikely to result in short-term weight loss beyond what’s achieved with dietary change.

Picture: Getty Images

(From dietician Aveen Bannon)

Feelgood

bowel syndrome or colon cancer are reduced. So why aren’t more people exercising? Because we’re too caught up in weight loss.”

“You halve your risk of premature death if you exercise regularly, irrespective of your weight,” says Professor Boreham. “If you’re a little overweight, you still get health and fitness benefits from exercising, even if you find it difficult to shed the pounds. If you’re overweight, but exercise regularly, you can still be healthier than someone who’s thin and doesn’t exercise at all.”

Professor Donnelly points to work by US researcher, Mark Hamilton, which suggests that sitting (having a sedentary lifestyle) is bad for you — and not just because you’re not exercising. “Hamilton suggests that sitting is separately bad for you in its own right, that the way your body handles fat intake is different when you’re sitting. If you’ve been sitting for 20 to 30 minutes, the muscles stop taking up fat and it gets deposited elsewhere, including in your arteries. It’s only a hypothesis, as yet, but there’s good evidence around it,” says Donnelly, adding that a University of Louisiana lab has taken the suggestion so seriously that treadmills, instead of chairs, have been installed in front of computers.

So — when it comes to weight loss — it seems you won’t do it by exercise alone and you won’t do it by diet alone. Most experts agree that nutritional change, side-by-side with higher-intensity exercise, is the proven way to improve body composition, manage body weight and improve other health measures.

■ Visit www.getirelandactive.ie

GETTING IT RIGHT

What it takes to burn off 10 favourite foods ■ One portion lasagne (560 cal): 81-minute walk at 4mph

one and a half litres of water a day. We need more when, and while, exercising. A lot of people mistake thirst for hunger. If you’re not hydrating properly, you may end up eating more,” she says.

By making weight loss the sole focus of exercise, we do ourselves a disservice, says Pádraig Murphy. “Concentrating on weight loss points us in the wrong direction. We want people to exercise for a positive return. Much of the time, people who exercise are getting health benefits, but they’re not losing weight, so they dump physical activity in the bin.”

The benefits of exercise are manifold: it increases bone density, improves body posture and decreases body fat — it maximises the amount of weight you lose as fat.

“Exercise improves body shape and symmetry,” says Murphy. “It reduces injury — if you’re stronger and more mobile, the likelihood of injury is less. It increases energy, helps the nervous system work more efficiently and improves coordination. Exercise releases endorphins, and, by increasing alpha waves in the brain, the mind’s more relaxed. It increases glucose uptake, leading to better insulin control/regulation. Exercise increases gastro-intestinal transit, so your chances of getting irritable

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2010

Don’t view exercise as punishment Reframe — realise your body craves activity. It will thank you for giving it an antidote to a day spent hunched over the computer.

Focus on the pay-offs Cardiovascular exercise makes your heart and lungs work harder, strengthens bones and staves off high blood pressure. Exercise also releases feelgood endorphins.

Vary activity Your body quickly becomes used to the same work-outs. Keep upping the ante. Do a shifting pattern of weight-training, cardio-work, sports, swimming, cycling and running.

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Q

I have psoriasis since I was a teenager. It only flares up now and again and is not pronounced. But I would like some advice as to how best to manage it. I use a mild hydrocortisone ointment but at times my skin doesn’t respond to it.

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

A. For some people psoriasis can be mild and just a nuisance. For others, it’s a disabling, disfiguring and painful condition.

Psoriasis patches can range from a few spots of dandruff-like scaling to major eruptions that cover large areas of the body. It sounds as if you have the mild type and most types of psoriasis go through cycles, flaring for a few weeks or months, then subsiding for a time.

No cure exists, but lifestyle measures, such as exposing your skin to small amounts of natural sunlight, managing stress, not smoking, and keeping alcohol intake to a minimum can help prevent or minimise a flare-up. Certain medications — including lithium, beta-blockers, anti-malarial tablets and iodides as well as infections such as strep throat or thrush are other triggers.

If you have psoriasis, a type of white blood cell called a T-cell which usually fights off viruses or bacteria attacks healthy skin cells by mistake.

These changes result in an ongoing cycle in which new skin cells move to the outermost layer of skin too quickly — in days rather than weeks. Dead skin and white blood cells can’t slough off quickly enough and build up in thick, scaly patches on the skin’s surface. This can continue until treatment interrupts the cycle.

Corticosteroid creams you have been using are the most frequently prescribed medications for treating mild to moderate psoriasis. They range in strength from mild to very strong and work by slowing cell turnover which reduces inflammation and relieves itching.

If you find the mild strength is not as effective, your doctor can prescribe a stronger corticosteroid ointment. To minimise side effects, it is best to use only on active outbreaks until they’re under control. For psoriasis other creams/ointments available on prescription include Dovonex a synthetic form of vitamin D, Anthralin, retinoids and calcineurin inhibitors. Over-the-counter treatments also include salicylic acid preparations and coal tar — which has a strong smell and is messy but few known side effects. It’s important to use a heavy ointment-based moisturiser daily immediately after bathing to help reduce itching and scaling.

Light therapy (phototherapy) uses natural or artificial ultraviolet light. The simplest and easiest form involves exposing your skin to brief daily amounts of natural sunlight.

Q. My uncle died suddenly in his 20s when playing football. We were told that adult death syndrome was the cause. Do I need to get my children checked?

SUN KISSED: Exposing your skin to small amounts of natural sunlight can help to minimise psoriasis flare-ups.

Picture: Getty Too much sun can trigger or worsen psoriasis. Be sure to protect healthy skin with a sunscreen of at least 15 SPF. UVA or UVB light therapy are other forms that can be used either alone or with medications. Excimer laser is a form of light therapy used for mild to moderate psoriasis and fewer sessions are needed than usual light therapy because more powerful UVB light is used. For more severe psoriasis there are a number of oral medications that generally work by suppressing the immune system.

Bathing daily helps remove scales and calm inflamed skin. Add colloidal oatmeal, epsom salts or Dead Sea salts to the water and soak for at least 15 minutes. Avoid hot water and harsh soaps. Aloe vera cream can also help reduce the redness, scaling, and itching. You may need to use the cream several times a day for a month or more to see any improvements in your skin. Capsaicin cream (extracted from chilli peppers) can also ease itching. Some people experience a burning sensation when applying this. Be sure to wash your hands and don’t rub the cream in your eyes accidently.

Omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil supplements (3gms a day) may reduce inflammation.

Psoriasis is unpredictable and it may be that your skin has become resistant to the treatment you’ve been using over time. Discuss with your doctor how best to modify your treatment plan and gain the best possible control of your psoriasis.

A. Sudden adult syndrome or SADS is the term used for sudden cardiac death in an apparently fit and healthy young person. It can be caused by a number of different heart conditions, some of which can be inherited.

Heart rhythm abnormalities (arrhythmias) such as Long QT Syndrome and cardiomyopathy (heart muscle disease) are common causes of SADS. In Long QT syndrome, the recharging of the electrical system after each heart beat is longer than normal. This can result in a very fast, abnormal heart rhythm which can cause sudden loss of consciousness or in some cases sudden death. Symptoms usually begin in teenage years, but can also occur in newborns or appear as late as middle age.

The majority of conditions that can cause sudden cardiac death appear to be worsened by exercise. The person feels faint or passes out during exercise or when experiencing intense emotions such as fear. But it can also occur when asleep or on arousal from sleep.

In one in three cases where death occurs, the person appears quite fit and healthy, with no symptoms at all before cardiac arrest.

If there have been any suspicious or sudden deaths in close family members under 35, including cot death, or if you have symptoms of chest pain (exercise related), palpitations, shortness of breath, prolonged dizziness or fainting/blackouts then it is important you are tested to find out if you have the same medical condition.

Screening tests used include having an ECG which looks at the electrical conduction pathways around the heart. The other test is an echocardiogram which looks at the structure and size of the chambers of the heart and its muscle thickness. Both these tests are painless, non-invasive and take only 15-20 minutes. Your GP will be able to refer you to hospital for these investigations.

If the results are normal and you have no symptoms or signs you are at low risk of sudden death. The people at highest risk are those who have symptoms, or already had a cardiac arrest, or have significant abnormalities on their tests.

But if you are young and have been tested, and your doctor thinks you are not affected, you should have another review in the future. This is because ECG changes can become more obvious with age in children and young adults.

In the meantime, there is little evidence that repeated testing of relatives of someone who has died of SADS is helpful — unless you develop new symptoms, or the technology for detecting these conditions improves.

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

Feelgood

WHEN there are no answers to the really big questions maybe it’s time to find a better way to inquire.

“Who’s the hero on the cross?” my son asks me repeatedly when we pass the local church where a poster of the crucified Christ stares down from the notice board.

Reluctant to engage in a tale of ancient torture with a four-year-old, I advise him to ask his dad the next time they pass that way.

He does, and comes back with an account about casual sandals and a stag night out in Glasgow that ties in nicely with a certain Billy Connolly skit but has nothing at all to do with the teachings of the New Testament.

But what is a dad to do? Damnation and salvation are not playground staples and I have yet to see a kiddie bestseller about The Man Who Came Back From The Dead.

My two-year-old’s queries are less controversial. “What is your name mammy?” she frequently asks as part of a game one could reasonably call “The answer is in the question”.

“Mammy,” I answer, again. And again.

And again. The game continues ad nauseum until the brother arrives home from playschool and either he or the cousin torments her so much that she forgets her obsession with me.

You could have knocked her for six when I didn’t give the standard answer the last time we played the game.

“What is your name mammy?” she asked for the gazillionth time that day.

“Catherine,” I replied wearily. “My name is Catherine,” and in Heavens-to-Murgatroid disbelief, she beat a hasty retreat.

Half an hour later, she re-emerged, not quite armed with a polygraph, but with a question she hoped would expose me.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2010

“Catherine, where’s mammy gone?” she asked, leaving me slightly at sea.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for kiddie inquisitiveness and I agree that sometimes questions are more important than answers. If Newton hadn’t asked why the apple fell from the tree we may never have guessed that unless you move a stone, it will stay in the same place; or that if you push a stone with a certain force in a certain direction it will move in that direction at a speed proportional to the force applied; or that if you start flinging stones at someone, they will fling them back at you because for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.

Yes, questions are the cornerstone of learning provided the answers supplied are correct and no child should be dispatched with the line: “curiosity killed the cat”. Those who use it ignore the possibility that the cat died a noble death.

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Stretching back to life “Unconsciously, my back was straight, my shoulders were back and my chest was out — I felt like I was floating”

Arlene Harris is daring to hope the new programme Steve Timm taught her may help her get over years of chronic back pain

A

CAR drove over my foot when I was 10 years old. Unsurprisingly, it was a pretty painful experience, but back then if a limb didn’t appear to be too damaged, you were pronounced fit and well enough to avoid further investigation and to carry on with your life.

Unfortunately for me, although I appeared to have escaped major injury, the internal damage to my foot caused me to spend the following 20 years leaning to one side to take the weight off my damaged bones. This Leaning Tower of Pisa effect has culminated in me having a back problem for most of my adult life and being a regular visitor to my local chiropractor.

Call it a mid-life crisis, but as my fourth decade looms closer, I decided last autumn to take up running. This uncharacteristic foray into fitness further compounded my lopsided gait and after several weeks of training, I managed to do some serious damage to my back. I now have a herniated disc and for the past six months have experienced chronic pain in my lower back and all the way down my left leg.

Curing this current injury has been a long and painful process and I have been willing to try every remedy bar the surgeon’s knife. So when I heard that the ‘back-pain guru’ Steve Timm was on a flying visit to Ireland, I decided to see for myself if he could teach me how to regain my pain-free body.

Now 70 years old, the retired IBM engineer has travelled the world bringing relief to countless sufferers. Many who have been in far worse condition than me and have discovered how to relieve the daily suffering that has eluded their practitioners.

But what could this Australian-born, Chilean man do for me? Effortlessly charming and likeable, Steve immediately put me at ease by comparing our spinal stories. An accident at work almost 40 years ago left him

Feelgood

MAT BACK: Steve Timm helps Arlene Harris learn the yoga-based stretching exercises which helped him and his daughter recover from chronic back pain.

Picture: Eamonn Keogh

incapacitated with pain after seriously injuring his back. Following medication and various treatments, he managed to regain mobility. But this was-short lived and 15 years later, his back began to protest and he once again found himself at the mercy of a whole range of conventional and alternative practitioners.

This time, however, he was told there was nothing more they could do — he was awarded a disabled badge and told to make the most of his life.

“While it was very nice to be allowed to get the best parking space at the supermarket, I couldn’t accept that this was the way I would have to spend the rest of my life,” Steve recalls.

“As an engineer, I wanted to know exactly how the spine worked and discovering the mechanisms allowed me to develop a routine which would help put things back in balance,” he explains.

He turned away from Western medicine and looked towards Indian and Chinese methods. And it was here he learnt the technique that would change his life and the lives of many others to come. Steve told me how his daughter had been badly injured in a car crash and, after many years of disability, finally turned to her dad for help. After just one session, she was able to walk unaided and stopped taking the morphine which had helped ease her pain.

This story sounded too good to be true, so I was anxious to get started and learn how to mind my own back.

After a lengthy session explaining how my spine worked and why my disc was causing me so much grief, Steve told me he was going to show me the stretches which could

enable me to cure myself. “I will be reading the map and you will be doing all the driving,” he told me.

I wasn’t sure how effective my motoring skills would be in this situation but I got down on the yoga mat and began my session by listening to some chanting in the somewhat odd position of back on the floor and legs on a chair. Despite the strange angle, I immediately began to relax and, before I knew it, was moving on to the first of my strengthening exercises.

“Getting the mind to feel instead of think is what you need to achieve,” Steve said as he instructed me on the correct way to breathe — yogic style. Putting me through my paces slowly, he made me go through the exercises a number of times to ensure I was doing them correctly on a daily basis.

Throughout the session (which was held at Veronica Tangney’s Instill centre in Killarney), I was aware of muscles being stretched and tightened, but my initial pessimism was still nagging at the back of my mind.

I couldn’t imagine how a few simple stretches would do anything for the pain which has dogged me for months.

After 20 minutes of stretching, breathing and finally relaxing, Steve told me to stand up slowly and walk around the room.

Initially, I felt nothing, but suddenly I realised that I was walking in a completely different way to when I arrived. Unconsciously, my back was straight, my shoulders were back and my chest was out — I felt like I was floating. I also felt a few inches taller.

Laughing at my incredulous look, Steve took great delight in seeing another fellow sufferer find instant relief from a few minutes

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2010

of his genius routine. “I feel like I am on a mission to help other people in the same situation,” he told me. “When I cured my own back, I did nothing about it, but when my daughter was cured, she urged me to teach other people how to do the same thing. It brings me great happiness to see how it helps people.”

After one session, I felt rejuvenated — but not completely cured. To improve, I would need to find 10 minutes a day to fit this routine into my life. Four weeks later, I have managed to find a brief window of respite in my otherwise hectic daily routine to get on to my yoga mat and stretch.

Although I won’t be running a marathon any time soon, I do seem to be getting better slowly but surely. I can just about bend down to tie my laces — a simple task that has eluded me for months and on a recent visit to my chiropractor, I was pronounced well enough to visit on alternate weeks as my pelvis seemed to be very well aligned.

I am beginning to hope that by taking just 10 minutes a day to practice the stretches I have just learned, I too can ensure that my back pain is nothing but a distant memory.

■ Steve Timm has trained Veronica Tangney in the Mind Your Own Back (MYOB) technique and starting this month, she will be running courses in Killarney. The 90 minute session costs F120.

■ Mind Your Own Back — Ancient Wisdom to Heal Your Back by Steve Timm is available at F20. For more information, visit www.mindyourownback.com ■ For more information about Instill visit www.instillireland.com

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12 Food survey

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A slice of Halloween Roz’s chocolate brack and butter pudding

H

ALLOWEEN gives us an opportunity to enjoy one of Ireland’s best food traditions — the barm brack. A yeasted bread mixture sweetened with dried fruit and given extra depth with exotic spices, there are plenty to pick and choose from on supermarket shelves.

Our survey shows there isn’t a huge difference between brands. None of them were exceptional, so it depends on your preference for a light or heavy taste and texture. Some are quite tasteless with no great depth, but all of them benefit from toasting — just watch the quantity of butter you put on it. A 100g serving of brack, or two thick slices, delivers about 300 calories without butter, which makes it an occasional treat.

Roz Crowley

Protein amounts to about 6g per 100g which means it gives us a little sustenance, at least more than a few biscuits, and with the dried fruit come some natural sugars and fibre.

Watch salt levels if concerned about

blood pressure as there can be up to three quarters of a gram of salt in 100g. The salt also gives us a taste of more, so if tempted remember it can be frozen as a treat at a later date.

Many of the brands have preservatives and various stabilisers for a long shelf life and to keep the fruit suspended in the dough, so making our own is a better bet.

A simple bread dough mixture with fruit added and a pinch of cinnamon and dried ginger will deliver great results. I came up with a successful idea last year for leftovers — see recipe, right.

It’s in the style of a simple bread and butter pudding with a few indulgent extras and, even if the brack is a week old, it still comes to life.

Ballymore Crust Luxury Barmbrack, 470g F1.69, Aldi

Brudairs Bakery Barm Brack, 630g F3.25, Wilton Shopping Centre, Cork

Good texture with a decent 33% sultanas, and some candied peel add to a generously rich taste with fresh ginger overtones. A traditional brack. The best of the selection.

A commendably short list of ingredients includes margarine which is quite noticeable in the taste. The texture is pleasant with 30% sultanas and some mixed peel.

Score: 6.75

Score: 4.75

500g barm brack Rind 1 orange 4-6 prunes, de stoned 60g sugar 30g butter 1 litre milk 3 eggs Extra butter 30g dark chocolate, broken into cent-sized pieces 1. Grease a large dish.

2. Bring sugar, butter and milk to the boil in a saucepan. Allow to cool.

3. Butter each slice of brack with the extra butter.

4. Lay one layer of brack in an ovenproof dish, butter-side down.

5. Grate some rind of orange over and sprinkle half the chopped prunes and chocolate on top (milk chocolate works well too).

6. Put another layer of brack on top of this with the rest of the grated orange rind and chocolate. Top with another layer of brack.

7. Whisk the eggs into the cooled milk. Pour over the brack and cover with cling film and leave to soak for about an hour if possible.

8. Remove cling film and bake in oven at 200c/400f/gas 6 for 50 to 60 mins.

9. Serve hot with plain yoghurt.

Gateaux Halloween Barm Brack 454g F3.50

Irish Pride Sliced Fruit Brack, 400g F2.99

A low 26% sultanas is supplemented with 9% currants, but not enough to compensate for a flavourless base. A soapy, doughy texture was the description of tasters. Ring included.

A very light brack, the listed 33% sultanas failed to impress tasters. The 2% orange peel and 2% lemon peel are also barely discernible except for adding a little bitterness in what seems like a poor quality sliced pan with added fruit.

It doesn’t claim to be a barm brack, but expensive for the size.

Score: 2

Score: 2

Matt Reilly Halloween Fruit Brack, 500g F2.99

Rankin Irish Barmbrack, 480g F2.49

Not a lot of flavour here, but good texture. Low on dark fruit with 25% sultanas. The addition of 2% cherries doesn’t make an impact. Small amounts of turnip and melon may be there to add moisture. Best suited to those who like a lighter style. Ring included.

A nice, clean fresh flavour here with a decent hint of ginger. Texture has a good moist/dry balance and 39% sultanas and some mixed peel is generous.

Score: 4.5

Feelgood

Score 6.5

St Bernard Barm Brack, 454g F1.15

Tesco Barm Brack 454g, F2

Mixed spice is the dominant flavour which is a little sharp. 26% sultanas and 4.1% candied peel are overpowered by the spices and the quantity of the fruit appears less than stated. Texture is a little heavy and soapy. Priced low, so perhaps use to make my version of bread and butter pudding, but add more dried fruit. Novelty ring included.

A dryish texture seemed cardboard like to one taster and may be the result of added soya flour and modified tapioca starch. Egg is used but it doesn’t add enough moisture. 36% sultanas and 8% candied peel should provide a lively sweetness but they don’t, so overall the taste was negligible.

Score: 3

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Score: 3

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Male health

Reach out and help

NEW initiative in men’s health has just been launched. Based on the concept of how easily men chat while doing activities — whether working on cars or building a stone wall — the Irish Men’s Sheds Forum aims to do just that, provide a space for men to talk shoulder to shoulder.

The idea is that community activists at grassroots level find a physical space for men to meet, mix, chat, play pool, work on a project — and pass on life skills as well. Along the way, physical and mental isolation is reduced and health services, such as blood pressure checks, can be introduced at a later stage.

“There are already men’s shed-type activities going on across the country,” says John Evoy, of Co Wexford VEC’s Adult and Community Education Service, who spearheaded the initiative. “Men’s sheds are active in New Ross and Tipperary Town and we’re hoping that other men’s initiatives will come in under the Men’s Sheds Forum umbrella.”

The project, with its website at

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Deirdre O'Flynn MOSTLY MEN MAN TO MAN: The men’s sheds concept aims to get men to communicate with each other and build self-esteem through undertaking activities together.

Picture: Getty Images www.menssheds.ie, builds on men’s sheds in Australia and the Irish launch is the result of at least five years’ research and collaboration with their Australian counterparts.

“We found that what worked was practical, hands-on stuff,” says Professor Barry Golding, School of Education, University of Ballarat, who travelled from Australia to co-launch the Forum with Minister of State Seán Connick.

“Men like the outdoors, they like the com-

pany of other men, and they like food, so combining those elements in a Shed is important. We have found that men have pride in the Shed, in what it does for the community — it’s about doing stuff together.”

Indeed, that’s exactly what happens every Friday morning in the south Wexford community of Taghmon. “We set up our Shed to help combat isolation for men around Taghmon and it was a massive success,” says Ray

O’Brien, a community worker in Taghmon.

“We brought men from their late 20s to early 60s to work on renovating a building. They brought their skills together for the benefit of the community. It helped to build the men’s confidence, self-esteem and a better community.”

■ To find out how you can set up or join a Men’s Shed in your locality, log on to www.menssheds.ie , email menssheds@gmail.com or call John Evoy at 086-8046748.

Faulty gene migrane link Muscling in on men’s faces DId you know... and how to treat them right As many people

SCIENTISTS have identified a faulty gene, linked to migraine, that could provide a target for new treatments.

Until now, the genes directly responsible for migraine have been unknown.

In this study, scientists found a gene known as TRESK was directly attributable as a cause of migraine in some patients.

The study found if the gene does not work properly, environmental factors can more easily trigger pain centres in the brain and cause a severe headache.

The international team used DNA samples from over

TAKE 1

100 families with common migraine to identify the defective gene.

The researchers believe the breakthrough could eventually lead to new drugs which could switch off the pain of migraines.

“We welcome new research on all aspects of migraine and this new research raises the possibility of more targeted treatments for migraine pain,” said Patrick Little, CEO of the Migraine Association of Ireland said. “However, while it is promising, there is a long road ahead involving further studies and research.”

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and uses electro muscle stimulation (EMS) to activate the cranial nerve which reaches all the facial muscle groups. According to the manufacturers, this nerve mimics the body’s natural muscle movements by increasing the muscle mass to help restore the original firm, youthful shape of the face and tighten the skin.

Available at Brown Thomas and www.slendertoneface.com at F300.

with Kate O’Reilly

GET READING: Today is the last day to sign up for the MS READaTHON, which takes place between October 15 and November 15. It is a key fundraiser for the Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Last year more than F1 million was raised.

This year ‘grown ups’ are also being asked to join in. Previous participants include, Harry Potter Star Evanna Lynch (pictured). Check out the Evanna Lynch with Facebook nostalgia campaign entitled Mia Brophy, five, at ‘D’ya Remember’. the launch of MS Contact 01-678 1600; READaTHON. www.msreadathon.ie.

Picture: Robbie Reynolds

Feelgood

SLENDERTONE has launched Slendertone Face for Men, on sale at Brown Thomas. The foundation of the face is made up of over 20 individual muscles. According to Slendertone, the same principle applies for all muscles — if we don’t use them, we lose them.

Slendertone Face for Men works to exercise and build up facial muscles. The product is placed on the side of the face with a hands free headset

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TIDY BOOKS: This is a new idea from the makers of the award-winning bookcase. It holds up to 40 books and can be placed in a living room, or anywhere around the home, allowing children to see and choose their own books. The play clock can be removed as your children grow, providing a handy storage box for paperbacks, magazines or newspapers. Handmade from sustainable wood, it comes in white, natural or blue and costs £69 (approx F78) from tidy-books.com.

The original bookcase can also be bought from Galway-based littledreamers.ie and costs F139.95.

are killed on construction sites throughout the world each year as die due to armed conflict (Source: International Labour Organisation)

Books, games & toys

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FAMILY GAMES: The eighth National Game Playing Week takes place from October 22 to 29 when families and schools are encouraged to have fun together playing board games. School Game Playing Day is on October 22, where primary school pupils raise money for their school or charity of their choice by bringing in a donation and their favourite board game to play in class. Each participating school receives a voucher for six board games from Has- Eric Davis at the bro. Check out launch of School www.ngpw.ie Game Playing Day.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2010

Picture: Marc O'Sullivan

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CLEAN TOYS: If you want to clean your children’s toys and games but would prefer to not to use chemical-based household cleaners, check out the Toy Sanitizer from the Bentley organic baby range. It contains natural anti-bacterial agents that manufacturers clain to have been proven to kill 99.9% of bacteria and household germs, but are also biodegradeable and Soil Association certified. The Toy Sanitizer leaves no residue or strong scent, and costs F5.49 from health stores.

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The news on ...

Max Factor Smoky Eye Effect Eyeshadows Blending eyeshadows may not equate with applied physics in terms of difficulty, but some of us are not good at it. Anything that doesn’t need to be excessively blended is good. New from Max Factor are smokey eye effect eyeshadows, F9.99, soft crayons that allow you to get a ‘smoky eye’ look, without having to use seven products and four techniques. We particularly like the onyx smoke shade, but indigo mist and bronze haze are also excellent for autumn.

Emily O’Sullivan

We are all cutting back, but luxury beauty products are still affordable — well, just about

I

TAKE THREE

NDULGENCE is something of a dodgy word at the moment. Like bragging about your second property in some glitzy Spanish city, it’s just not the done thing.

Handbags are getting smaller, less expensive and less important, and ‘2006’ has become a byword for everything excessive, brash and vulgar.

We can’t say we’re sorry. Discretion is always preferable to bold displays of wealth.

But while no one is frolicking around buying up Gucci handbags, quaffing champagne in glitzy bars and spending wads of cash on Swarovski-encrusted mobile phones anymore, there is one place indulgence can be done on a more acceptable budget — beauty.

While companies such as La Prairie and Crème de la Mer still carry price tags that can make us feel a little weak at the knees, some of beauty’s most indulgent products don’t require taking out a loan or putting yourself into immense credit card debt to afford them.

Luxurious packaging, top quality ingredients, great scents and excellent formulations mean you can get the feeling of indulgence and opulence, without spending an absolute fortune.

Case in point is Clarins Beauty Flash Balm, F35. This award-winning classic is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, with one Beauty Flash Balm, F35, sold around the world every 20 minutes. Designed to banish the signs of fatigue, it’s now been given an upgrade to make it look snazzy, as well as ef-

CLASS ACT

fective. In partnership with Crystallized Swarovski Elements, this month sees the release of a limited edition version with glittery crystals adorning the cap. It’s definitely one for showing off in your bathroom.

Estée Lauder’s new Re-Nutriv Ultimate Lift-Age Correcting Crème is probably one of the most “luxurious” skincare products on the market right now. It has exceptional texture, is deeply rich and very velvety, smoothing over the skin with a comforting effect.

Packed full of scientifically advanced ingredients, supercharged antioxidants, and with innovative skincare technology behind it, the cream is astoundingly expensive at F245 a pot. Whether that’s your idea of luxury or not is an entirely personal thing.

Make-up, of course, is a much more affordable way of injecting a bit of luxury into your life. There’s nothing quite like the feeling of twisting up and applying a super-sexy, super-posh Tom Ford lipstick, dusting on a little indulgent highlighting powder from

Lancome, or smoothing on a seriously delightful eyeshadow from Giorgio Armani.

You might not be able to shell out for the clothes or handbag or even the fragrance, but designer cosmetics often fall into a more affordable price range.

Chanel’s fabulous Joues Contraste Blush, F36, is our idea of luxury make-up that doesn’t cost a fortune and feels beautifully elegant and timeless. It’s something that’s nice to run your hands over, click open and it’s nice to apply.

Finally, Yves Saint Laurent brings the idea of couture fashion to beauty with their new gorgeous Rouge Pur Couture, F31, range of lipsticks. They are almost preposterously ’80s, with their shiny gold casing and simple black monogram, but that’s partly why we love them.

Go for a bold red: “Addicted to Love”-style shade — it’s pretty much as glamorous as you can get without being Grace Jones.

the kind of signs of tiredness anyone with a busy life suffers from.

this month that tops F300), but if you’re looking for pure indulgence for your skin, then you can’t really do any better. Since using it, our complexion looks softer and more radiant, while the rich, velvety texture means it’s almost dreamy to apply.

RUDDY complexion? It’s never a good look really, is it? And come October, noses seems to react with anger to the change in temperature by going all red. Autumn time can mean that skin needs a little extra attention, so cover things up with some of the most effective concealers on the market.

Clinique Instant Relief Redness Solutions Concealer. This has been a godsend for those bits on and around our nose that are particularly reddish in the morning.

Bourjois Brush Concealer, F9.50. YSL’s famous Touch Eclat catapulted brush concealers into the limelight, and this one is a good version with its click twist and little brush-pen. It’s light enough to be able to use under the eyes — great for covering up those dark circles — while it can also be dabbed and blended wherever else you need it.

Bobbi Brown Tinted Eye Brightener, F30. It used to come in a little round pot, now it comes in a much friendlier small and very handbag-friendly little pen.

But whatever about the size, what really matters is that it’s the best darn eye brightener (read: concealer of black circles) that we have tried.

STUFF WE LIKE Redken Shine Flash 02 glistening mist, F16. Mostly, we use hair products to minimise the hideous dryness of our hair, so we slap on serums and leave-in conditioners, but this new Shine Flash brings glamour to your hair. The light formulation leaves hair feeling silky soft and super-shiny, just like the kind of hair posh people have.

Clarins Beauty Flash Balm, F35. Beauty products become classics for a reason — they work. Clarins’s much-loved Beauty Flash Balm is adored by anyone who uses it. Nearly no other beauty product on the market gives an instant pep-up to your skin, making you look and feel radiant, and banishing

Feelgood

Chanel Joues Contraste, F36. This is one of our favourite blushers, and, against a beautifully semi-matte autumn complexion, it is most definitely at its best. You’ll find it lasts for ages in the pot, too, so, although, it is more expensive than many other blushers, it lasts a really long time.

Estee Lauder Re-Nutriv Ultimate Lift-Age Correcting Crème, F245. Ouch, ouch ouch. There’s no arguing that this is an exceptionally pricey cream (although Chanel also have a serum out

Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Pur Couture, F31, right. If you’re only going to buy one product this season to update your look, make it a super-sexy, YSL red lipstick.

This new lipstick is glossy, yet long-lasting, and we absolutely adore the indulgent, gold packaging.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2010

Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill Palette, F65. We have to save up for Giorgio Armani eyeshadows but they are worth it. Silky, beautifully blending and long lasting, they are easily our faves. Try this lovely, violet harmonie for autumn, with two tones of violet and a very sexy, smouldering black.

Chloe Love, F72. The bottle of this scent is really luxurious, with its little, gold lid and beautiful, peachy tone, but it’s really the fragrance itself that sets this perfume apart — drawing on vintage inspirations, the notes here manage to be nostalgic and modern, with iris blossom, lilac and powdery musks.

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Natural health

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

Q

in both of my eyes. My doctor says that surgery is the only viable solution. Can I slow down their development through diet and nutrition, or supplementation? I would rather not have any type of surgery.

I am in my late 70s.

A. Acne rosacea is indeed a distressing condition and can differ greatly in appearance from a flushed look with some visible blood vessels through to a very red and inflamed area with pustules and papules. Unfortunately, anxiety and stress are triggers for this condition, which is a cruel twist since the appearance of rosacea is likely to cause emotional upset and therefore become worse.

Sunshine is another common trigger, so do use a natural sunscreen — Lavera and Green People make excellent organic sunscreens.

Chemicals in personal care products (particularly hair care, make-up, and body wash), household cleaning agents, and foods are also strong triggers for rosacea, so replace these with natural and organic alternatives. Some people with rosacea find that eliminating spicy or pickled foods, coffee, alcohol, and processed foods helps immensely.

Meditation, yoga, qi gong, and tai chi are all fabulous ways to keep the stress at bay.

Even a daily walk listening to some soothing music will help — whatever feels enjoyable and right for you.

Conditions such as this always benefit from a colon cleansing process. There are lots of options to choose from: a herbal cleanse from Dr Christopher, Blessed Herbs, or Ejuva colonic irrigation, enemas or salt water flushing. If you are wary of taking the DIY route, consult with a specialist natural practitioner.

A toxic colon is at the root of many chronic conditions, but particularly where the organs of elimination (skin, lungs, bowels, liver, urinary system, sinuses, bloodstream) are showing clear signs of overwork (rash, coughing, mucous, constipation/diarrhoea, cystitis, kidney or liver problems, flushing of skin).

MSM (methyl sulphonyl methane) can help topically and internally, so it is worth investing in supplementation and gel or cream. Take at least 3,000mg daily as a supplement for best results. You would also benefit from doing some emotional work in order to free yourself from this condition — EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) or the ‘Tapping’ method is a wonderful way to get to the root of emotional issues and to release

A. I am impressed that at this age you are only in the beginning stages of developing cataracts — many people at your stage have already undergone surgery to remove cataracts, so you have surely been doing something right so far.

Significant amounts of spinach in the diet helps to reduce the risk of cataracts, by protecting the protein of the lens of the eye from oxidation. Cigarette smoking and diabetes both contribute to cloudy vision and cataracts, so taking steps to eliminate or minimise these two situations (both type I and II diabetics respond well to nutritional healing) will benefit the health of your eyes.

One of my favourite herbal remedies for the eye, whether it be macular degeneration, deteriorating eyesight, or cataracts, are bilberries. Bilberries work to protect the retina and lens from oxidation, due to the presence of a bioflavanoid called anthocyanoside. They also improve night vision.

One study showed that a supplement containing bilberry extract combined with vitamin E was able to stop the progression of cataract formation in 97% of patients diagnosed with senile cortical cataracts.

Bilberry is available from health stores in liquid form.

Low blood levels of vitamin E have been linked with almost four times the risk of developing cataracts and this nutrient also enhances the action of vitamin C, another potent antioxidant which will also help prevent any further deterioration. Nuts, seeds, wholegrains, olives, leafy greens, and cold-pressed oils are good sources of vitamin E in the diet.

Lutein and zeaxanthin are also valuable nutrients containing carotenoid antioxidants which are key in maintaining healthy vision.

Leafy green vegetables are high in lutein, while eggs and brightly coloured vegetables and fruits are rich in zeaxanthin.

Orthomol’s Vision AMD is a supplement which has been put together to help treat age-related macular degeneration and cataract development. These capsules not only contain vitamins A, C, E, lutein and zeaxanthin, but also the crucial B vitamins, vitamin D3, a host of bioflavanoids, betacarotene and lycopene, trace elements, essential fatty acids and amino acids.

To order visit www.orthomolecular.co.uk or phone on 00 44 1782 564512. It costs £42.95 plus £4.95 postage and packing.

Take three capsules daily.

I suffer from acne rosacea and I have not found a practitioner who to understand my condition, let alone know what can be done for it. I find it very distressing as the redness is right across my cheeks and nose, and is raised and unsightly. I have been told nothing can be done for this condition, which causes me no end of anxiety. Is there a natural remedy that can help?

EYES HAVE IT: Bilberry extract with vitamin E can stop the progression of cataracts.

Picture: Getty Images

the attachment to a particular illness.

Adding more whole organic and fresh produce into your diet will be of great benefit, along with steps to alkalise your system.

Many of us have an acid-forming diet and lifestyle, which can be easily assessed using pH test strips (check your urine or saliva). It is likely that a candida imbalance is contributing to your rosacea, so discuss this with your natural health professional also.

As you can see, this condition not only manifests on many levels, it also requires treatment on a number of levels. If you are an all or nothing person who can jump straight in and make changes overnight then by all means go for it. If, on the other hand, you need — like most of us — to take it more slowly, then add a couple of beneficial changes to your life every week. In this way you will have a sense of nourishment and abundance rather than feeling as if you are doing without.

Q. I am beginning to develop cataracts

Megan puts the spotlight on: IT’S widely recognised that most Westernised people eat a diet high in acid-forming foods. Does this mean that acid-forming foods are bad? Not at all — it is simply a matter of moderation and balance.

If your diet is high in foods which cause acidity and low in foods which promote alkalinity, then a definite shift occurs in the favour of acidity, which is linked to numerous health problems such as inflammatory conditions, depleted immunity, allergies, heart problems and constipation.

The body is an intricate organism, constantly striving to maintain balance as best it can, given the set of environmental factors of our choosing. Our temperature, blood pressure, breathing and pH balance all have a set of optimal parameters — stray too far

the acid/alkaline balance outside of these and your health suffers as your body works overtime to restore balance.

So rather than aiming for an alkaline system, we should be striving to choose alkaline-forming foods if our body is overly acidic. Using pH test strips, aim for a result of about 7-7.5, which is basically neutral, or ever so slightly alkaline.

Minerals in our foods are the main way in which the pH of a food is determined — calcium, magnesium, silica, and iron are all highly alkalising, whereas phosphorus, chlorine, iodine, and nitrogen are acidifying. It is worth noting that the mineral content is not evenly distributed throughout the plant, but certain minerals will be more concentrated in the leaves, stem, root, petals, fruits, seeds etc. Roots and seeds tend to contain

Picture: iStock

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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2010

acid-forming minerals (wheat grains are high in phosphorus), while leaves, stems, petals, and husks tend to have alkaline-forming minerals present (wheat husks are rich in silica).

Many sweet fruits, plus root vegetables, meat, dairy, nuts, seeds and grains are acid forming. Herbs, vegetables, and greens are alkalising. There are also neutral foods: sea vegetables, cucumbers, tomatoes, capsicum, melons, green apples, berries. Based on this, it is easy to see how a ‘balanced’ plate with meat, potatoes, carrot, beans can in fact be unbalanced in terms of the pH shift in your system. Even a vegetarian diet high in grains and dairy will swing towards acid-forming if plenty of greens and fresh produce are not included.

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YOUR GIFT

Free with the purchase of two or more Lancôme products*

Choice of Génifique Day & Eye Cream or Rénergie R.A.R.E™ Day & Eye Cream

Available at participating Lancôme pharmacies from the 7th - 31st October 2010 *One gift per customer, subject to availability, substitutions may occur. While stocks last. Trial sizes: Skincare: 3-50ml, Make-Up: 2-4.5ml.

Feelgood

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2010