Feelgood 04-02-2011

Zone:XH

XH - V1

Feelgood

Friday, February 4, 2011

Picture: Maura Hickey

TERAPROOF:User:irenefeighanDate:02/02/2011Time:16:12:35Edition:04/02/2011FeelgoodXH0402Page:1

Show

goes on Bernie Nolan strips off in hit play Calendar Girls months after her breast cancer op: 8,9

TASTE SENSATION

Get all loved up with our libido-boosting foods: 6

LOVING MEMORY

Father’s poignant tribute to his young son: 11

ON THE BALL

Brian O’Driscoll warms up for Six Nations kick-off: 13

TERAPROOF:User:jaycarcioneDate:02/02/2011Time:17:25:57Edition:04/02/2011FeelgoodXH0402Page:2

Zone:XH

2 News front Kate O’Reilly WHAT’S ON ■ WALKING WORKSHOP: A free Walking for Health workshop run by the HSE will take place in Castleisland on Thursday next, February 10. The aim of the workshop is to show participants how to get the maximum health benefits from walking and there will be practical advice on stretching, clothing, planning a walk etc. For details contact Valerie Murphy on 021-4921641 or e-mail: Valerie.Murphy@hse.ie ■ SIMON QUIZ: A table quiz will take place in Nemo Rangers GAA club on Thursday next February 10, in aid of the Cork Simon Community. The start time is 7.30pm and tickets are available on the door — F40 for a table of four. You can contact Cork Simon’s Fundraising Office on 021-4929410.

■ GIRLS CLUB: Girls Club Cork is a new club for women who have experienced cancer along with their families and friends. The aim of the club is to provide advice and support, as well as having a fun night out. Fashion, cookery and other demonstrations are planned for the meetings which will be held every two weeks at the Clarion Hotel in Cork city. The first meeting is on Monday next at 8pm. Call Ann on 085-2814495 or Elizabeth on 087-8301053.

■ OXFAM APPEAL: The volume of donations to Oxfam shops has fallen dramatically in the past couple of years.

Oxfam Ireland has launched an appeal asking for donations of books, CDs, DVDs, clothes, homeware, or any item of good quality that you no longer need. If you donate five books, for example, Oxfam will be able to provide schoolbooks to a child in Tanzania for a year. Oxfam has 49 shops around Ireland; to find your nearest shop, visit www.oxfamireland.org ■ DYSLEXIA COURSE: The Dyslexia Association of Ireland (DAI) is organising a one-day course for parents on dyslexia on Saturday, February 12, in the Radisson SAS Hotel Cork Airport. Topics covered will include accessing support in school, practical suggestions for helping with homework and assistive technology. A free workshop for Leaving Cert students will also be held on the same day. Full details and application forms can be downloaded from the DAI website (http://www.dyslexia.ie/diary.htm).

■ HSE HELPLINE: The HSE South’s Farm and Rural Stress Helpline — 1800 742 645 — helps address the issue of loneliness and isolation experienced by people living in rural areas in Cork and Kerry. The helpline is open daily from 6pm to 10pm and is staffed by professionals who offer callers support and advice in complete confidence.

■ HEART CLINIC: The Irish Heart Foundation will hold a free Blood Pressure and Cholesterol testing Clinic at the Community Centre, Ballinlough on Wednesday, February 9, from 10.30am to 12pm.

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

FeelgoodMag

Feelgood

FeelgoodMag

XH - V1

Legendary Meath football manager Seán Boylan is also a fifth-generation herbalist, writes Arlene Harris

A natural gift G

AELIC football fans will remember Seán Boylan as the man who managed the Meath senior football team for 23 years. During his time, his players won numerous All-Irelands and in recognition of his dedication to the sport, he was made a Freeman of his county in 2006.

But while the former player and manager is devoted to the GAA and sport, he has also spent most of his adult life growing and cultivating herbs and using them to treat people with all manner of illnesses at his practice — The Herb Complex in Dunboyne.

“I am a fifth-generation herbalist and so are my five sisters,” explains the father-of-six. “The tradition and knowledge has been passed down through my family for years and it is something I have grown up with — just like my own children will today.”

Traditionally medicinal herbs and plants would have been picked from the hedgerow but modern pesticides are potentially harmful so for the past few decades, the Boylan family has grown its own produce.

“When my family first began the practice of herbal medicine, they would have gathered everything they needed from the local environment,” he says. “The combination of pollution, herbicides and pesticides around today means that over the years we

FAMILY LEGACY: Seán Boylan did a 10-year apprenticeship with his late father. His five sisters are also herbalists. have sown our own seeds then transplanted, harvested and dried the herbs. These are then turned into teas and concentrates to be used for different ailments.”

When herbal medicine was first practised over two centuries ago, it was used to treat

four main conditions — asthma, osteoarthritis, tuberculosis and a combined heart and kidney condition. Times have changed and there are now herbal treatments for everything from stress to dermatological conditions but the 51-year-old Meath man says the practice remains the same.

“In the olden days people used remedies they found locally to treat their conditions.

More often than not, nature provided the cure for whatever ailment was prevalent in a certain area.

“Even today people complain about the difficulty of getting rid of certain weeds from their gardens but for the most part, they are growing there because they are of benefit to the health of the people locally.

“I have been blessed with a wonderful career in sport but being a herbalist is something that has always been part of me. I did a 10-year apprenticeship with my late father but there was a lot of knowledge that I knew instinctively.

“Nowadays we often work in conjunction with conventional doctors and it is wonderful to see the mix of the old remedies and modern medicine.”

■ Seán Boylan’s story — This Sporting Life will be told on RTÉ One on Thursday, February 10 at 7pm.

■ For more information or to book an appointment at the Herb Complex, call 01 825 5250.

HEALTH NOTES IKEA has chosen the Irish Cancer Society as its official charity partner for the coming year. The campaign will be supported by the 500 co-workers at the IKEA store in Ballymun, Dublin.

To celebrate the partnership IKEA will host a special four-day family fundraising event at the store from February 24-27. The event will include face painting, story telling, children’s games and a large teddy bears picnic.

The team at IKEA will be working with the Irish Cancer Society on numerous projects including the free nationwide Night Through the support of IKEA the Irish Cancer Society will be able to continue to provide night nursing care to critically ill children.

Scientists have developed the world’s first reliable blood test for the deadly human version of mad cow disease.

The breakthrough could transform diagnosis and screening of the fatal brain disorder, and identify carriers.

Identified in the 1990s, Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD) was traced to the consumption of beef products containing contaminated meat.

The prototype blood test developed by British scientists at the Medical Research Council (MRC) is 100,000 times more sensitive than any studied before.

Genes play a far bigger role in Parkinson’s disease than was previously believed, new research suggests. www.irishexaminer.com www.irishexaminer.com

FAMILY DAY: At the launch of the IKEA four-day family fundraising event were five-year-olds Onora Heavin, Dillion Shinbach and Saorla Heavin.

Picture: Jason Clarke Photography

Five new genes linked to the disease have been identified by scientists, leading to a rethink about the biological causes of the condition.

Scientists now know around 5% of people with Parkinson’s inherit genes which increase the risk of developing the disease.

An international team of scientists from six countries scoured the DNA of 12,000 people with Parkinson’s and more than 21,000 healthy participants looking for genetic differences between them.

Variations in a total of 11 genes were found to influence susceptibility to Parkinson’s, including five previously not known to be linked to the disease.

The research is published this week in The

www.irishexaminer.com feelgood@examiner.ie

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2011

Lancet medical journal online.

A protein produced naturally inside cells could prove a powerful weapon against prostate cancer, say scientists.

Laboratory tests showed that the protein, FUS, holds back the growth of prostate cancer cells and causes them to self-destruct.

The discovery could pave the way to promising new treatments for the disease.

Researchers also found that prostate cancer was less aggressive and less likely to spread to the bones in patients with naturally high levels of FUS. The British-based scientists believe the protein may also suppress other hormone-driven cancers, such as breast cancer.

Editorial: 021 4802 292

Advertising: 021 4802 215

TERAPROOF:User:PAULOKEEFFEDate:02/02/2011Time:17:48:31Edition:04/02/2011FeelgoodXH0402Page:3

Zone:XH

In profile

XH - V1

Emma Donoghue

THE SHAPE I'M IN

Novel year W

RITER and mum of two Emma Donoghue says 2010 was her gala year.

Her novel, Room, was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize and won the Hughes & Hughes Irish Novel of the Year at the Bord Gáis Energy Irish Book Awards. It also won the Rogers Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize.

Daughter of literary critic Denis Donoghue, Emma, now 41, was born in Dublin but has lived in Canada for 12 years. She admits to missing Ireland. “But I come back quite a bit so I don’t feel entirely cut off. I like the way people talk in Ireland, the high-speed witty conversation, the fact that there’s lots of great mockery.”

Emma is mum to Finn, seven, and Una, three, and lives near Toronto with partner Chris Roulston.

What shape are you in?

I’m pear-shaped like many mothers. Luckily I’m so tall that I give the impression of being quite vertical. I barely exercise — I’ve always been a lazy slob and so far I’ve got away with it. I swim once a week when I bring the kids.

Do you have any health concerns?

No, not really. I’ve got a slight tendency to asthma but it’s better in Canada than it was in Ireland.

What are your healthiest dietary habits?

I’ve never drunk alcohol — I just hate the taste. I don’t tend to add sauces. I like my vegetables plain. I don’t add butter to sandwiches or cream to cake.

3

EVENING COURSES

IN

BALLINCOLLIG

The following programme of courses for adults will be held in Ballincollig. Each of these night courses runs for 8 weeks (total 20 hours per course). The provision of SHEP courses is supported by our funders to make them as accessible as possible to those who would most benefit from them.

COURSE PLACES MUST BE BOOKED IN ADVANCE For further information or to book your place, phone Kerri FitzGerald: 021 466 6180

uation.

What trait do you least like in yourself?

I can be a bit smug and self-righteous.

INTRODUCTION TO PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

Start Date: Monday 14th February Time: 7.30 – 10pm This course is adapted to the particular needs of the group. It provides an opportunity to explore issues that affect your emotional well-being and growth, including the management of feelings, stress, listening, communication and relationships.

Do you pray?

I do.

What would cheer up your day?

I like if I’ve been out and the kids just roar ‘Mum’ when I get home, the way they shout and run to the door like dogs.

Helen O’Callaghan

MUM’S THE WORD: Emma O’Donoghue pictured at the Bord Gáis Energy Irish Book Awards says cuddles and tickles from her children help her relax.

MEN’S HEALTH AND WELL-BEING

Start Date: Tuesday 15th February Time: 7.30 – 10pm This course is for men of all ages. As well as encouraging participants to learn from one another, the tutor will introduce basic information regarding those healthrelated issues which are of concern to the men in the group.The course takes a broad view of health and wellbeing and involves an exploration of emotional health and relationships as well as of physical health.

FAMILY COMMUNICATION

Start Date: WEDNESDAY 16th February Time: 7.30 – 10pm This course is for parents of children of any age. It seeks to affirm and support you in your role as a parent. The tutor will help you explore the importance of self-esteem, both for yourself and your children and look in a practical way at issues such as feelings, listening, communication, conflict and discipline.

Picture:Patrick Bolger

What’s your guiltiest pleasure?

I’m a dreadful one for baking cakes and bread. I love apple sponge, rhubarb tart and shortbread.

What would keep you awake at night?

What usually wakes me is my kids shouting out my name at night. Contract negotiations often keep me awake. Even though it’s done through agents, there’s this long, slow, low-level arguing with publishers that can go on for months.

NEW MUM? WANT TO SPRING BACK INTO SHAPE

How do you relax?

Cuddles and tickles with my kids is the best way. Also books and good-quality TV drama.

New Mum Nicole who has a 7-month old son “Hypoxi Treatments are gentle and they require minimal effort. I found that my energy levels had actually increased greatly.

I was presently surprised by my results, after only 8 sessions I was back to my pre-baby Jeans. After 6 weeks I had lost 2 dress sizes and 12.1 inches. Thank you, Hypoxi.”

What’s the best book you’ve read recently?

Kathryn Stockett’s The Help.

Who would you invite to your dream dinner party?

I’d invite my own friends — the ones from different countries who never get to meet each other.

What’s your favourite smell?

Garlic — I always associate it with my friends coming round. It’s the smell of sociability.

When did you last cry?

About a week ago.

What would you change about your appearance?

Because I’ve had so much publicity this year, I’d love a whole new face. I’m so sick of seeing myself at this stage.

To Celebrate Nicole’s results we are offering a FREE TRIAL, FIGURE ANALYSIS & CONSULTATION available by appointment only

What trait do you least like in others?

I can’t stand it when people are sort of limp and kind of lazy and unwilling to change the sit-

Let HYPOXI spring you back into your pre-baby shape

ADDITIONAL 3 FREE TREATMENTS Offer valid until 18.02.2011

HYPOXI Centre Cork, Corner House, Village Green, Douglas West.

T: 021-4368535 E: info@hypoxicentrecork.com www.hypoxicentrecork.com

Feelgood

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2011

TERAPROOF:User:irenefeighanDate:02/02/2011Time:17:15:17Edition:04/02/2011FeelgoodXH0402Page:4

Zone:XH

Moving on 4 xxxxxxxx

XH - V3

Siobhan Cronin says older people, who often struggle to get into and out of bed, benefit the most from yoga which increases suppleness and mobility

Stretch in the day

L

EAF through any book on yoga and the pages are filled with images of flexible, 20- and 30-something women in comfy gym pants and loose tops.

If the purpose of yoga is to become flexible and agile, why shouldn’t it be directed at the people who need it most? West Cork yoga instructor, Jessica Hatchett, was delighted when St Paul’s nursing home, in Bushmount, Clonakilty, approached her 14 months ago to offer its residents a weekly yoga class.

Senior citizens benefit hugely from the gentle stretching exercises of Hatha yoga and the emphasis on breathing, so Jessica tailored her routines for them.

“It’s amazing what being able to get in and out of bed unaided can do for some people,” says Jessica. “It can restore their confidence.”

Classes take place on Thursdays, after the 10.30am tea break, and even though there are 16 in the class on the day I take part, Jessica tells me that it’s a “quiet day,” as it can be almost double that some weeks.

Jessica has adapted some of the best-known yoga moves to make sure they can be done sitting down, as most of the residents now have limited mobility.

“Standing for long periods, or having to do any floor work, would just not be on for most of the people here,” says Jessica. “Many older people have lost a lot of confidence in themselves, so I make sure that there is nothing too difficult in the moves.”

One of the participants, Charles O’Regan, from Leap, is delighted that the class has helped him with getting in and out of bed.

“I can hop in and out now, no trouble,” he says.

Betty McSweeney, from Ballinlough, in Cork, says she finds the classes have made her more supple, especially the hip rotation moves.

“I do a bit every day, now. You might as well,” she says. “I did yoga years ago, but I had to give it up because my husband was very ill, at the time.” But now she is one of Jessica’s most regular class-goers and she feels after a class that “every muscle has been stretched.”

The most important aspect of the class for Rita Barrett, 89, is that it is wonderful in helping her to sleep, and she has got some tips from Jessica on relaxation at night, too.

“She told me to put my hand here and listen to my breathing,” she says, holding her stomach. “I think of the waves at Inchdoney and I close my eyes, and I am gone off to sleep in minutes.”

Rita gets her best sleep on a Thursday night, thanks to the weekly class.

The classes have also helped her with mobility, as Rita is an avid painter, too. And she has also found it easier to get up and out of her chair.

Friends Abina O’Driscoll from Youghal and Julie O’Donovan from Templemartin, also love the weekly session. “It gives you great energy,” says Abina, and Julie agrees about the sleep benefits. Ellen O’Regan, from Youghal, likes the breathing exercises — an integral part of any yoga practice.

Jessica conducts the class mostly from a

Feelgood

FLEXIBLE ATTITUDE: Jessica Hatchett, yoga instructor, demonstrates yoga for seniors in the Bushmount nursing home, Clonakilty. Picture: Denis Scannell

chair in the centre of the group. “If I stand up, I find some people try to copy me, and so I stay sitting,” she says. “And, sometimes, some of the staff members join us. But doing yoga in a chair can still be quite vigorous.”

She is currently designing exercises for a staff-training day, so they can help the residents practise some of the postures throughout the week. “They say that doing yoga once a week will maintain your health, but if you can manage it three times a week, it will improve it.”

Towards the end of the class we do some useful eye-and-hearing exercises, too, and finish off with a few moments of relaxation, leaving us all refreshed and energised.

“You can feel the atmosphere in the room has changed from the start to the end of the class,” she says, and I have to agree.

What was a somewhat solemn and reserved bunch an hour ago has transformed into a chatty, more alert group, and there are several warm smiles for Jessica, when she asks everyone to repeat the traditional yoga closing mantra of ‘namaste’, at the end.

“You’re marvellous, you’re a marvellous woman,” Abina tells Jessica, and there are smiles of agreement all around.

Jessica adds some personal touches to the hour, like a gentle massage for tired hands and some one-to-one encouragement for those finding some of the stretches a little too challenging.

“It’s all about inner trust and tackling the fear of relaxing,” she says. “Some people are even afraid to close their eyes, so we use vi-

sualisations, where we ask them to think of their favourite, safe place, and that helps a lot.”

“They were all a bit sceptical when we suggested yoga to them, at the start,” says Claire O’Donovan, director of nursing at Bushmount.

“But within two to three weeks, they were all looking forward to their weekly class, and loving it.”

Jessica Hatchett also runs an over-60s yoga class in Clonakilty, which is “mostly chair-based” for people of limited mobility. Traditional yoga manoeuvres, like ‘downward dog’ and lunges, are done with the support of a chair.

“When you get to a certain age, you don’t want to be doing exercises on the ground, because you are just afraid you won’t be able to get up,” she says.

“I have noticed really positive results in some people, after just eight weeks.”

■ A schedule of her classes, including one-to-one yoga therapy, pregnancy, parent and toddler and parent and baby classes, can be found at westcorkyoga.com.

It’s amazing what being able to get in and out of bed unaided can do for some people. It can restore their confidence FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2011

Loosening up as you age ACCORDING to the UN, one in eight of the world’s population will be 65, or over, by 2030.

As we age, we need to embrace disciplines that will keep us supple and flexible.

It makes sense that a practice dating back 5,000 years is regarded as tried and tested.

Research conducted by the Gait Study Center, in Philadephia, in 2008, revealed that Iyengar yoga can help improve stability and balance in women over 65, which could help them to prevent falls.

The researchers discovered that the yoga helped improve balance and stability, thereby reducing the risk of falling.

Before she started the programme, Philadelphia local, Maryanne Brown, wasn’t sure she’d even want to stick with it.

“This programme has been amazing,” says Brown, who spends up to six hours a week practising Iyengar yoga. “They’re really onto something with it.

It’s made a tremendous difference in my quality of life.”

Yoga is now being promoted worldwide as a flexibility aid for the elderly because it: ■ Is a gentle form of exercise that doesn’t strain joints or muscles.

■ Increases blood flow, aiding circulation and reducing the effects of ageing.

■ Helps utilise the lungs fully, when practised in conjunction with the proper breathing techniques.

■ Sharpens memory and focus.

xxxxxxxx Making choices

XH - V3

The author of a new book called Mindless Eating tells Lisa Salmon why we need to engage our brains before opening our mouths

H

AVE you ever eaten the last, stale piece of chocolate cake in the tin even though it was dry and tasted like chocolate-scented cardboard — and wondered why?

It can be hard to understand our urges to eat, especially when we’re not hungry and the food doesn’t look great. But sadly it’s this behaviour which can help pile on the pounds.

The reason we eat things such as stale cake or soggy chips is because we let our expectations override our tastebuds, says food scientist Dr Brian Wansink, author of new book called Mindless Eating.

“Our expectations have a tremendous influence on how we taste things,” he explains.

“Our expectations give food a positive halo.”

The best way to get around this is to only eat food which tastes “good”, says Wansink, which he admits is “harder than you’d think”. He adds: “Don’t take ‘good enough’ as being the benchmark, it has to be ‘good’.

That can help a lot.”

It’s estimated that people make more than 200 food decisions every day, ranging from what to eat for dinner to whether they should have that piece of chocolate cake.

Those decisions are crucial to their physical wellbeing, as just an extra 100 calories a day over a year, for example, can increase a person’s weight by 10lbs.

While most of us probably can’t explain why we make particular food decisions, Wansink maintains people overeat largely because of their environment.

“What we eat is less determined by our own thoughts and volition, and more by the things around us: what the person’s doing next to us, the size of the plate, the lighting in the room or the way we arrange our cupboards. All these things have a dramatic impact.”

He estimates that 20%-30% of the of food we eat is determined by external factors of which people, for the most part, are completely unaware.

Studies at Cornell University in America have found that while people eat, they mindlessly look for signals or cues to indicate they’ve had enough. For instance, people take an empty table as a cue to stop eating.

Wansink explains that we also respond to social cues. People tend to eat 30% more if they’re with another person, and 80% more if they’re with nine more people.

“Not only do you not pay attention to what you eat, you tend to eat for longer because you’re enjoying the company,” he says.

NO MORE OVEREATING The key to tackling overeating, explains Wansink, is to understand how your mind works. There are ways to avoid or ignore the signals which push you to overeat.

Take comfort eating, for example. Wansink insists that comfort foods such as chocolates and cakes tend to be eaten not just because they’re sweet, but because they have good associations.

For this reason, people can create their own positive associations with healthier foods. So if you always eat strawberries when you’re celebrating, you’ll ‘comfort eat’ strawberries.

Another reason people overeat, he adds, is convenience. A study at Cornell University found that office workers who were given a bowl of chocolates ate nine of them while they were on their communal desk, and four when it was moved just 6ft away.

That’s a difference of around 125 calories, or 12lb per year.

When the office workers were asked why they ate fewer chocolates when the bowl was moved slightly, they said it wasn’t the extra

Feelgood

5

Piece of cake 3 changes

WANSINK says people who want to address their eating habits should change three small things about the way they eat, based on what trips them up the most.

These could include: 1. Taking serving dishes off the table if you tend to overeat at mealtimes. Such a pause can decrease what a man eats by 29%, and a woman by 9%.

2. Have your own food policies if you snack at work. This could include always eating fruit as your first snack or going for a walk at break time if you eat a sugary treat.

3. If you tend to over-indulge while at restaurants, use the slowest eater at your table as a pacemaker. Try being the last to start eating and setting your fork down after every bite.

to make

Picture: PA

effort they had to make, rather that the distance gave them time to pause for thought and assess whether they really wanted another one.

“Putting interruptions into everyday routines can be very valuable,” explains Wansink.

A similar principle can be applied to your kitchen cupboard, he says. Studies have found that people are three times more likely to take the first thing they see when they open a cupboard than they are to take the third or fourth.

“Most of us put our favourite food, which tends to be unhealthy, in the most prominent

position in the cupboard,” he says. “We set ourselves up to overeat.”

He suggests putting something healthier in the most prominent position.

STOP DIETING, START THINKING Unlike other food experts, Wansink isn’t promoting dieting as a means of losing weight.

“The best diet is a diet you don’t know you’re on,” he explains. “A diet is a depriving way of life and it’s hard to deprive yourself for the rest of your life.

“Most people will compensate for that de-

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2011

privation in the future by coming off their diet and overeating.”

Rather than staying off food, Wansink suggests people should learn to make better choices. He stresses that by consciously changing certain cues in their eating environments, people can begin to unconsciously eat less.

“The key to solving mindless eating is to make small changes in your environment so you mindlessly eat less, rather than mindlessly overeat.”

■ Mindless Eating is published by Hay House, priced F11.85.

TERAPROOF:User:margaretjenningsDate:02/02/2011Time:16:35:00Edition:04/02/2011FeelgoodXH0402Page:6

Zone:XH

6 Romance in the air

XH - V1

Rosie Shelley says what you eat can give you an appetite for Valentine’s Day

Get your love bites D

OWN these dark February days of dieting and debt, the flare of gastronomic and sensual delights that Valentine’s Day can offer is always to be welcomed. But if you’re not quite there, it’s heartening to know that a whole range of foodstuffs — from the mundane to the exotic — can help get you in the mood.

People have been fascinated by the aphrodisiac power of foods since Greek god Aphrodite rose coyly from the sea aboard an oyster. Although Dr Daniel McCartney, of the Irish Nutrition and Dietetic Institute, offered a less romantic view: “Maintaining an ideal bodyweight by taking plenty of exercise and following a diet rich in fruit, vegetables, wholegrains and fish is very effective at slowing the ageing process, the ultimate precipitant of impaired sexual performance.”

What’s really interesting is how foods that have been revered through the ages as libido-enhancing, are now being shown to contain nutrients that can in fact give both men and women a sexual boost.

Aphrodisiac foods work on several levels: ■ Some promote the production of sex hormones ■ Some promote the neurotransmitter activity that supports libido ■ Some work more on a sensual level ■ Some have the ability to boost circulation and get blood flowing to the appropriate spots.

Prominent in the last group are spices, including the ancient aphrodisiac garlic, which Roman Priestesses claimed could make women fall in love and men powerful (but make sure you’re both eating it), and hot mustard and chilli. Chillies increase circulation, stimulate nerve endings and endorphin release, and quicken the pulse — pretty much like sex.

When it comes to neurotransmitter activity, the king of the aphrodisiacs is dark chocolate, which is much lower in sugar and fat and richer in antioxidants than the milk variety. It’s also brimming with compounds that can induce a natural high which mimics the feelings experienced when we fall in love, and when we orgasm.

Arginine, an amino acid that has been called ‘nature’s Viagra’, is found in nuts, seeds, watermelon, carrots, poultry and seafood. Nutritionist Patrick Holford explains it can help to increase performance and sensation. Other research shows that arginine can enhance arousal in both men and women. A 2004 Italian study reported that women who frequently ate dark chocolate had higher levels of desire and function.

Some of the most potent foods on a hormonal level are oats (hence getting, or sowing your oats), fennel, and honey, which boosts testosterone and thus sex drive in males and females.

The omega oils in oily fish are also vital for hormonal health, and according to sex expert Nicci Talbot, “help with

Feelgood

10 top sexy mood foods ■ AVOCADO and prawns with garlic mayo.

■ Asparagus spears with lemon vinaigrette or in a creamy sauce.

■ Waldorf salad.

■ Moules mariniére.

■ Oat, coriander and nut crusted salmon with fennel.

■ Creamy seafood pasta with chilli, garlic and coriander.

■ Steak in a mustard sauce with baby carrots.

■ Strawberries, bananas or cherries with melted dark chocolate.

■ Fresh figs baked with honey and chopped nuts.

■ Vanilla chocolate pots.

Picture: Getty Images

lubrication and sexual response”. They’re great for heart health too, a worthy consideration on Valentine’s Day. And raw celery might not seem an obvious choice, but as the author of Passion Power, Dr Ava Cadell says, “It contains the male hormone androsterone which can act as a pheromone to trigger female attraction when released in his sweat”.

The visual powers of certain foodstuffs are nothing to snigger about, especially when they’re underwritten by nutritional science.

Phallic asparagus spears have been associated with sex since time immemorial, but as dietitian Tanya Zuckerbrot notes they “contain folate, which is necessary for histamine production, which is necessary for males and females to reach orgasm”.

Slippery, dipping and drip-

ping finger foods like asparagus, fondues, or fruits dipped in melted chocolate can only add to the richness of the tapestry.

Bananas are full of the B vitamins that promote testosterone levels, while avocados — from what the Aztecs called the ‘testicle tree’ and more suggestive of female parts when opened — also boost sex hormone production. Red, heart-shaped strawberries are bursting with vitamin C, which reduces anxiety and improves blood flow in women.

One study found that females given 3g a day averaged 10 sexual episodes a month, compared with just three in the placebo group. Figs are exquisitely evocative of course, as are oysters. Crucially, all shellfish, like red meat, contains high levels of

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2011

zinc, which is directly linked with every aspect of sexual function.

Zinc is also responsible for maintaining our sense of smell, and Alan Hirsch, founder of the Small and Taste Treatment and Research Centre in Chicago, says the smell of food is a powerful sexual stimulant. For men, the headiest scents include strawberries, cinnamon buns and vanilla, while women are turned on by the aroma of vanilla, cucumber, coriander and cherries.

Sniffing cherries, for example, can increase blood flow to the genitals by 13%. And studies suggest that the smell of champagne mimics that of female pheromones — share a glass or two in a steamy, vanilla-scented bath, light the candles, indulge and engage every one of your senses this Valentine’s night.

TERAPROOF:User:PAULOKEEFFEDate:02/02/2011Time:17:49:35Edition:04/02/2011FeelgoodXH0402Page:7

Zone:XH

XH - V1

Psychology Symptoms are messages we ignore at our peril. Heed them, and begin a healing process

Listen to your body Tony Humphreys

W

E don’t trust our bodies, particularly when we become ill. Think of the millions of processes our bodies carry out perfectly, in billions of cells, every second — compared to that reliable, perfectly-coordinated functioning, the times our bodies manifest distress are few.

The purpose of the symptoms is to alert us that we have been off the wellbeing track, and need to get back on it. The nature of the symptom, its verbal description, its location, and the time of its onset, all contribute to the message the illness wants to communicate. Most often, we shoot the messenger — the body — by seeing it as letting us down rather than alerting us to neglect that is present.

The neglect may have been present for a long time: we may have ignored less-threatening symptoms, such as intermittent insomnia, vague aches and pain, tiredness, over-eating, under-eating, overweight, underweight, lack of fitness, etc. It is also common to resort to various over-the-counter medications to offset these symptoms, but not take any time to examine their true purpose. Testament to this is that there appear to be more pharmacies than pubs in towns and cities throughout the country.

In examining my own recent onset of illness, I have found a creativity and intelligence that really confirms that illness is kindness, a friend that whispers (sometimes shouts) in my ear that change in how I am living is required. The change may be physical — more exercise, healthier diet, meditation, more sleep, more rest, a holiday, less work — but, as often, the change being called for is an emotional one.

Anything up to 70-80% per cent of illnesses are psychosomatic in nature — meaning that the illness presenting has an emotional origin. Naturally, treatment needs to focus on both aspects of the illness, but usually the emphasis is on the ‘physical cure’ rather than the emotional change to which the illness is compassionately and creatively attempting to draw attention.

A recurrence of the illness, or the development of another illness, is likely to follow the non-attendance of the total message of the illness.

My own illness — when eventually diagnosed — was an infection of the gall-bladder that led to the development of an abscess in the liver. When I was admitted to hospital, four weeks after the onset of the illness, I had lost three stone in weight, hadn’t eaten for four weeks and had barely slept. It is not surprising, with the weight loss, jaundiced complexion, exhaustion, that the initial diagnostic was cancer of the liver, which, not surprisingly, caused great fear and panic for those close to me. Because of three, very powerful dreams on the night of the onset of the illness, and because I truly believe in illness as a friend, I did not buy into the critical-illness notion.

Nevertheless, I knew I was seriously, acutely ill and that a diagnosis was urgently needed. It eventually came — thanks to the expertise of an ultra-sound specialist and the initial, intuitive assessment by the consultant. The consequence was that a drain was inserted into the liver and, with a few hiccups, I was on the road to a physical recovery. The emotional recovery also needed attending.

The onset of the illness followed within days of my realising

Feelgood

In examining my own recent onset of illness, I have found it to be a friend that whispers (sometimes shouts) in my ear that change in how I am living is required I was on the point of burnout, due to the pressure I had put myself under to pay off an unexpected, large tax bill and to an old issue of mine, which was still not fully resolved — the difficulty of saying ‘no’ to individuals who are in great emotional distress.

I needed a wake-up-call and the illness weighed in behind the consciousness of being burnt out. The location of the illness — the gall-bladder and the liver — was very significant.

The word ‘gall’ means the daring to assert one’s truth. I had a need to find my voice to prioritise my own well-being, and not jeopardise it because of debt or other people’s therapeutic needs of me.

In any case, I needed to practice what I believe and I had unconsciously allowed myself to slip from that care of myself, particularly over the past three years.

The liver is an amazing organ — it has 60 functions, all having to do with clearing out toxins. There is no greater emotional poison than neglect or abandonment of oneself and, even before the diagnosis, I had a strong compulsion to have clear spaces around me — I was not able to take clutter.

Emotionally, I had much to process — to clear up — around my relationship with self and the clear separating out of my person and worth from anything that I do. Of course, the illness immediately brought attention, through the initial, chronic physical pain to the deeper emotional pain of abandonment — it also got me to stop working and provided me with the time to rest and reflect.

The infection pointed to the underlying emotional infection of abandonment, and the abscess to the accumulation of that ‘toxic’ emotional state. When medical personnel asked me how would I describe my illness, I said: ‘I know that there is something in my body I need to clear out. I don’t believe I am critically ill, but I do believe that I have an illness that has got to do with the here and now, and that it has a deep, emotional basis.’

These words show that at some level of consciousness I was close to the true message of the illness. My emotional response to the illness has been to review my work, for which I have a great passion — but I needed urgently to prioritise my own wellbeing. The source of the pressure to pay the debt came to me during the illness — and that was carrying unconsciously a value of my father — ‘never owe a penny to anyone’.

Now, I am comfortable with debt and I will responsibly pay it, but without compromising my own health. Considerable physical improvement has occurred but, mostly, I am grateful to the compassion and kindness of the illness in bringing attention to the deeper emotional neglects that needed resolution. That emotional resolution is a work in progress.

■ Dr Tony Humphreys is a clinical psychologist, author and international speaker. His recent book with co-author Helen Ruddle, The Compassionate Intentions of Illness is relevant to today’s topic.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2011

7

Are You Interested in Mental Health?

The SOURCE Group are conducting a new study about the mental health needs of adults aged over 50.

In the past few weeks have you:

● lost

sleep over worry? unhappy and depressed? ● or felt you couldn’t overcome your difficulties?

● felt

If you answered yes, are over 50, and have not visited your GP about your mental health, or used mental health support services in the last 12 months, we would like to hear from you.

The objective of this research is to identify new initiatives to assist people over 50 who are experiencing distress. If you are a service professional with such ideas, we would like to hear from you too.

Please note that interviews will be carried out by people aged 50+ and will be completely confidential.

If you would like to take part please contact 086 1906979

or sourcegrp@gmail.com, or write to us at

SOURCE, c/o Information & Resource Centre, Alvira Gate, Burton Hall, Sandyford, Dublin 18.

����������� ����� ������ ��������� ���� 8 WEEK COURSE STARTING Thurs., in CORK � ���� ������ �������� �����March ���� ��3 ����

���� �� ������ ����������� ������ ��������� ���� �������� ������� ��� �������� ������ �������� �� �������� ����������� �� ��������� ���� ������ ��� ���������� Our ���� MBSR �������� training programme can���� help��if��� you ������ suffer from: ��� ������� ��� ����� ������ ������ ������� ��������� ������� ����� ��������� ������ ���������� ������� ���� ������� ����� ������� ��� ����� �������� ��� ���� ����������� �� ���� � ����� ������ ��������

������� ������ ��� �����������

��� ���Tel. ���087-2025976 ���� �� ��� or ������� ������������������������� info@kalyanacentre.com Email ����� timothy@kalyanacentre.com ��� ���������������������

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction 8 WEEK COURSE

THE IRISH INSTITUTE OF PHYSICAL THERAPY EST - 1993 www.iiptcork.com

Beginning 15th February Highly effective in dealing with Stress- Anxiety –Insomnia –Fatigue Pain Management etc.

Weekend Practitioners Diploma Course in: • Physical Therapy • Manipulative Therapy • Cranial Therapy

St. Dominic’s, Montenotte Tuesday evenings 7:30-10:00

“Complimentary Medicine is one of the Fastest Growing Economies”

085-1488634

BE A PART OF THIS!

The Art of Presence

For more info/bookings contact mbsr@eircom.net

Ph: 021 - 4309861 or Email info@iiptcork.com

FEELGOOD

A DIFFERENT VIEW ON LIFESTYLE

Your guide to fitness, health, happiness and lifestyle.

Great writers and mentors. Where you come first.

Every Friday.

TERAPROOF:User:margaretjenningsDate:02/02/2011Time:16:50:14Edition:04/02/2011FeelgoodXH0402Page:8

Zone:XH

Cover story 8 xxxxxxxx

Embracing xxxxxxxxlife

XH - V1

9

Ahead of its Dublin run, Helen O’Callaghan talks to two actresses from Calendar Girls who embody the message of empowerment at the heart of the smash hit stage show

STARS AND SCARS F ROM the very beginning, Calendar Girls has been about empowerment, about standing up in defiance at whatever life might throw at you or take from you.The original Calendar Girls — who inspired the hit Hollywood film starring Helen Mirren and Julie Walters, (pictured below), as well as the subsequent stage play — were a group of women from a Yorkshire Women’s Institute, who decided to pose nude for a cancer charity calendar.

This same defiant spirit is palpable in Calendar Girls, the play, which comes to Dublin’s Grand Canal Theatre on Monday, February 7, where it runs until February 19. The majority of the mostly female cast are women of a certain age, who in true Calendar Girls style take their clothes off without worrying about airbrushing any wobbling, sagging or less-than-toned body bits.

Calendar Girls is essentially a play that celebrates women’s bodies — just as they are.

Here, we talk to two of the show’s stars, 62-year-old Lynda Bellingham, and Bernie Nolan, self-confessed party girl of Irish pop sisters the Nolans. The feisty 50-year-old endured a shock cancer diagnosis last April, undergone gruelling chemotherapy and radiotherapy and had a mastectomy and breast reconstruction.

One in 10 women living in Ireland will develop breast cancer in their lifetime — latest figures show that 2,815 women were diagnosed with the disease in 2008. But right from the get-go, Bernie Nolan had no intention of giving into cancer. “I’ve always been a very optimistic person so you’d think being told I had cancer was a kick in the teeth, but I never once thought I’m going to die.”

This unquenchable spirit has seen her rise to the challenge of performing in Calendar Girls, just three months after her mastectomy. “I was supposed to do the show’s autumn tour but my operation got in the way. The producer said he’d keep a part for me in the spring. I had no doubts at all about doing it.”

Not even post-breast cancer, post-surgery?

“Obviously I have to take my clothes off.

But nobody sees anything of any of us — we’re all covered up with teapots and buns.

Ironically though, I do the part of Cora, the piano-player, so I have my back to the audience and my back is where the scars are. So what? A few scars just mean you’re alive. And if other women with breast cancer see me doing this in front of 2,500 people, it may make them more confident.”

Bernie’s cancer journey began when she noticed in the mirror something amiss with her left breast. “My breast just looked different.

There was dimpling. It was very slightly misshapen. I thought that’s not right. When I went to the doctor, he could find a lump, though I couldn’t.”

Her sisters, Anne and Linda, have each encountered cancer within the last 10 years but Bernie’s diagnosis came as “a big, huge shock”, particularly as hers was an aggressive cancer that had spread to the lymph nodes. After she’d digested the devastating news — away from medics’ eyes, in the privacy of her car — Bernie broke down. Her first thoughts were for her only child, Erin. She said to husband Steve Doneathy: “I have to put Erin through all of this! I’m going to bring cancer into our house and into her life. She’s only a little girl. I want her to have a carefree life.”

It was April 19, a week before Erin’s 11th birthday. “Steve and I wanted to keep the news from her until after her birthday. We thought let her have a good birthday. But children know and she just knew. She said: ‘I know there’s something wrong — Daddy keeps asking are you okay’. So we told her.

“Her first question was ‘Are you going to die?’ I said no – look at Auntie Linda and Auntie Anne. Then she asked ‘Is it big?’ I said no, it’s small, we caught it early. Then I saw one little tear – that was all.

She said: ‘I don’t want to talk about it anymore Mum’, and she hugged me.

“She has been amazing since. I’d be off to chemo and she’d say ‘Okay, see you later’. Having a child is good because you just have to carry on and give them as normal a life as possible. When I got 25 mouth ulcers from the chemo and couldn’t eat or talk, Erin bought a notepad and pen and told me to write down anything I wanted to say.”

Erin’s reactions helped root Bernie in normality during what was, at times, a very surreal journey. “My sister Maureen was getting married in August and Erin wanted to know ‘Does this

I was supposed to do the show’s autumn tour but my op got in the way.

The producer said he’d keep a part for me in the spring. I had no doubts about doing it

Feelgood

A

TUNED IN: Meet the cast (from left to right), Bernie Nolan on piano, Jennifer Ellison, Gwen Taylor, Lisa Riley, Trudie Goodwin, Diana Moran, Lynda Bellingham, Ruth Madoc and Danielle Lineker. [the cancer] mean we can’t go to Spain?’ That made me and Steve laugh so much. It’s so typical of kids, wanting to know how things will affect them. But it was normal and I loved that.

“The other day I was getting out of the shower and she said, ‘Hey Mum, your scars look great, — you can hardly see them’.”

Having her hair fall out in clumps following chemo was tough. “I thought: I’m not having this. I’m in charge, so I shaved it all off. I just thought don’t mope about it.”

She took control too when it came to having a mastectomy. “I told the

CANCER SURVIVOR: Bernie Nolan shaved her hair while undergoing chemo.

Picture: Indigo/Getty Images

surgeon to take both my breasts so I didn’t have to worry that I’d get cancer in the other one. The doctor couldn’t get over it.”

But when genetic testing showed Bernie was not a carrier of the HER-2 cancer gene, medics advised having just one breast removed and she went with that.

“In the end, I was actually looking forward to the mastectomy. The morning I was going to have it done, Steve asked me how I was. I said I’m fine — bring it on. I’m not really that brave though. I hate needles but I’d had six months of having this cancer inside me — I’d had the chemo first — and I just couldn’t wait to get it off. I was like ‘Let’s get this out of me so I can get on with my life’.”

Bernie had breast reconstruction at the same time as the mastectomy, something she’d highly recommend. “I got to keep my own nipple. I had it all done under the NHS. I was very lucky to be in a place with a fantastic cancer facility.”

Confirmation that she isn’t a carrier of the breast cancer gene was a huge relief. “It’s very

important for Erin. It means she has as much risk as anybody else of getting breast cancer, no greater risk. Of course, she’ll be very closely watched when she gets older.”

Bernie says she’s having a ball with Calendar Girls but doesn’t gloss over the challenges. “It’s one of the most gruelling shows I’ve done.

There are an awful lot of quick changes, which are difficult for me. I’m doing everything with my arms that I did before but they are a bit stiff.”

Bernie still attends hospital for administration of breast cancer drug Herceptin and hospital appointments have been set up for her in many of the Calendar Girls tour venues.

Survivors, Our Story, a book penned by four of the Nolan sisters — Bernie, Linda, Colleen and Maureen — is due to be published for Mother’s Day on April 3. “We haven’t read each other’s chapters yet. It goes quite in-depth into our lives so there may be some shocks for all of us,” says Bernie, who — now cancer-free — is determined to enjoy every minute of life.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2011

N ORIGINAL star of Calendar Girls, Lynda Bellingham also presents popular ITV afternoon show Loose Women. The actress admits to similarities between her and Chris, the woman she plays in Calendar Girls.

“There’s quite a lot of overlap between me and her. I’m a doer. I leap up to the point of being bossy. I’m overpowering if I’m not sat on,” says the woman who played Helen Herriot in All Creatures Great And Small and who last year wrote her autobiography, Lost And Found.

“I was adopted in Canada,” says Lynda, who now lives in north London.

“The biggest trauma for us all as a family was when I had my own children. It made me think about where I came from. I was 40 when I met my birth mother in Canada. She’s still alive. I love and respect her but she’s not my mother — my adoptive mother was everything to me.”

Lynda is 62 and married her third husband, Michael Pattemore, on her 60th birthday. She is mum to Michael, 27, and Robert, 22, and has a stepson and stepdaughter. “Given that I’m 62 and that the menopause has taken over, I’m in rude health. All the research shows that, with the best will in the world — women’s body shape changes at a certain age. You can’t get that middle area down unless you eat nothing or exercise forever. I struggle between a size 12 and 14. I’m nearer a 14 at the moment.”

Luckily, Lynda has few health concerns. “I used to get hayfever very badly but I generally don’t have allergies. I did aerobics for many years but I don’t find it good now — it’s hard on the knees. I do pilates. As long as I can touch my toes and keep supple, I’m happy.”

Food is important and she is careful to start the day on a healthy note. “I normally have yoghurt or porridge for breakfast. At night, I always cook for the family. We have a meat or fish dish with lots of vegetables.”

It’s not all healthy eating, however.

“Since my husband and I gave up drinking, I’m partial to desserts. I like chocolate and Twiglets,” says Lynda.

While she loves her career as an actress, it comes with its own stresses and strains. “If you’re self-employed every job you do is the last job you might get.

I’m not a saver. I don’t owe much money but I never have any spare.”

To relax Lynda loves to lose herself in a good book. “My guilty pleasure in the afternoon is to lie in bed, read for half an hour and then nod off. I also love a massage. I have one every two or three weeks.”

Though body confident, Lynda says

There’s quite a lot of overlap between me and my character Chris.

I’m a doer, to the point of being bossy. I’m overpowering if not sat on there are a couple of features she’d like to tweak. “I like my shoulders but I’d change the bit in the middle — I’d have less breast and stomach.”

The British actress does not believe in taking a stiff upper lip approach to life’s ups and downs. “I cry very easily. I believe it’s very good to cry — better in than out.”

Zone:XH

10 Medical matters

XH - V1

Q

Dr Niamh Houston

FAMILY

TERAPROOF:User:margaretjenningsDate:02/02/2011Time:16:36:51Edition:04/02/2011FeelgoodXH0402Page:10

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

CAN you recommend any natural treatments for depression? I’ve read that fish oil supplements can help or are there any other supplements that are also beneficial?

A. Fish oil is a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, which play an important role in brain function.

People with depression may have low blood levels of brain chemicals called eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).

These chemicals are found in fish oil. It appears that supplements containing 100mg-300 mg of either EPA or a combination of EPA and DHA may be helpful in relieving depression.

Supplements aren’t the only way to get more omega-3s. Eating oily fish such as sardines, mackerel, salmon, trout, canned white tuna, or shellfish a few times a week may be the best way to provide your body with enough of these healthy oils. Fish oil shouldn’t be considered a replacement for treatment for depression, but it can be helpful as an addition to prescribed medications.

A dietary supplement called SAMe (S-adenosylmethionine) is a synthetic form of a chemical that occurs naturally in the body. It is used in the production of the brain chemicals serotonin, dopamine and noradrenaline which help regulate mood. People with depression ofDIET BOOST: Fish oil can be helpful as an addition to ten have low levels of these brain chemicals and SAMe slows down prescribed medications for depression. Picture: Getty Images the breakdown of these neurotransmitters. SAMe appears to work well with traceptive pill. It is only available on prepeople with mild depression rather than scription. If you are taking prescribed medipeople with more severe or major deprescation, it is important to talk to your doctor sion. A typical dose of SAMe is between before starting any supplements, herbal or 800 to 1600mg/day. natural treatments.

St John’s Wort is a herb that has been A recent study showed that 30 minutes of used for centuries to treat a variety of conmindfulness meditation every day can help ditions, including depression. It may be in reducing stress and depressive symptoms. helpful if you have mild or moderate deOther important measures of self-care inpression, however it can interfere with a clude regular exercise. While fatigue may be number of medications, including the con-

overwhelming for some people with depression, regular physical activity has been shown to help in the recovery process. Keep to a well-balanced diet, take a vitamin B supplement and reduce caffeine and alcohol to a minimum.

Q. I’m 34 years and have two children. I suffer with a dry vagina especially when having sex. This was never a problem before — is it normal?

A. What you describe is extremely common. Some women produce a lot of vaginal secretion naturally, while others are constitutionally drier. Sometimes after childbirth a woman is so busy looking after young children, she can become less focused on sexual fulfilment, which means the hormones which turn her on are less effective.

Sexual stimulation is essential to increase the level of secretion, so make sure your partner engages in prolonged foreplay.

Female hormones also strongly increase the level of secretion. There is a high-oestrogen dose contraceptive pill that can increase the level of vaginal lubrication. Or consider simple over-the-counter products such as lubricants KY jelly or Senselle.

Replens is a vaginal pessary inserted every day that provides a continuous level of additional lubrication, it’s ideal if you want to enjoy a more spontaneous sex life.

If this is a new problem, it is important to rule out other causes such as hypothyroid disease, vaginitis, Sjogren’s syndrome, early menopause (unlikely at 34 years) or vaginal infections.

Very often no specific cause can be identified. Pain or discomfort is never part of normal intercourse, so if you experience pain during sex, don’t be afraid to tell your partner, who has no way of knowing that you’re uncomfortable unless you talk about what you’re feeling. Also make sure to see your doctor for diagnosis and treatment of the underlying cause.

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

D

Catherine Shanahan MUM’S WORLD Feelgood

UMBED down, uncommitted, stripped of ambition and diagnosed with a lifelong condition, I can kiss my career goodbye. As a member of the gender with the principal role in procreation — viewed as fatal to any prospect of promotion — I am swiftly sidelined in the workforce from the moment my child arrives.

My transgression — never mentioned but always present — causes others to wrongly judge that I can never now be a model employee. I am sinbinned on account of motherhood, viewed less favourably in the workforce than non-moms, and should I change jobs, less likely to be hired.

The Motherhood Penalty is the price we pay in the workforce for the privilege of children. An employer in search of star qualities prizes unwavering dedication and mistakenly believes it is only possible in employees with few personal obligations.

A recent survey found while Ireland is bucking the global trend when it comes to employing working mums, four in 10 employers believe demands of family reduce flexibility and hinder mothers from delivering the kind of commitment necessary to lead a corporation.

The study by Regus warned prejudiced attitudes may have returned with the recession — but the truth is they never left us.

The Motherhood Penalty is based on deep-seated cultural assumptions: that

motherhood dumbs women down, that working mums are less obsessed with the bottom line and that it is not possible to reconcile the desire to be a good mother with personal career ambition.

All of this is utter bunkum but can lead to the kind of discrimination that leaves us counting paper clips instead of rising to chief executives of the organisation.

The weakness of the argument is its refusal to recognise that mothers and fathers view work primarily as a means to feed, clothe and educate their child. This should not lessen their value in an employer’s eyes. He gets their undivided attention whatever the reason and they are just as devoted to the notion of promotion as their childless peers.

Ironically, working fathers are never accused of a lack of ambition. A study carried out in the US last year found working dads benefit from the perception of their competence and commitment. They were also offered significantly higher salaries than non-fathers.

What all of this means is that the stereotypical expectations of the role women should play have not changed in any meaningful way down through the years.

This is in spite of the many women who work doubly hard to prove motherhood makes them no less an asset in the office or less worthy of an august career. We have been told Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did, but backwards, in high heels.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2011

A recent survey found that while Ireland is bucking the global trend for employing working mums, four in 10 employers believe demands of family reduce flexibility

TERAPROOF:User:margaretjenningsDate:02/02/2011Time:16:55:30Edition:04/02/2011FeelgoodXH0402Page:11

Zone:XH

Coping with life 11 Sue Leonard talks to the father of a young boy who died from a brain tumour XH - V1

Life after our son N

EVILLE SEXTONand his partner Barbara seem happy. They’ve a beautifully furnished estate house in Gorey, and they clearly adore their two-year-old son, Dean. And why wouldn’t they? He’s gorgeous, with big blue eyes and a dimpled smile, and he’s chatty, as he watches the huge flat screen TV. He looks the image of his big brother Craig — his brother who died before he was born.

Back in 2006 life for the couple was hectic.

Commuting to Dublin, Neville, 34, worked long hours in IT. Barbara, 42, worked for Trinity Biotech and Craig attended a crèche in Bray. There was never enough time. And one Sunday in June, Neville was watching the World Cup, when Barbara returned from a walk with Craig.

“She was hysterical. Craig had got stuck in a bucket swing at the playground. He hadn’t been able to get out. She felt something was wrong with him.

“I called Craig. He ran towards me. He looked awkward. His head was crooked.

Something wasn’t right.

“We went to accident and emergency at Tallaght Hospital. The doctor said it was hayfever. But he agreed to get someone for a second opinion. They kept him in overnight and arranged tests.

“When they brought us in and told us it was a tumour on his brain I couldn’t speak.

Barbara was roaring crying,” says Neville.

“The tumour was inoperable, Craig was only five. We were sent to an oncologist in Crumlin. They prescribed radiotherapy to give him more time. But there was nothing else they could do. Craig was going to die, and it wouldn’t be a good death.”

The summer was tough on Craig who was seriously ill. But he did improve and was able to return to school for a while.

“The worst thing was that we had no control. We’d always been there for him, and we were letting him go to this thing we are all scared of. I felt helpless. Then one night I thought, I have a choice. We could all go together. We could get in the car, take sleeping pills and run the exhaust. I fell asleep happy, but in the morning reality hit.”

Craig’s deterioration was cruel. He hated needing a wheelchair, and deplored his bad hand writing. Gradually his limbs began to seize up and his speech to slur. Watching, his parents were in agony.

“Towards the end, Craig, now six, was very weak. We’d brought his bed downstairs, and he was on morphine. It was Halloween. He should have been out playing. But he slept all day. Then, at 11pm, he sat up in bed, pulled back the duvet and threw himself on the floor. He tried to walk, but he couldn’t.

“I held him.

“He said he was hungry so Barbara made him some toast. He put it in his mouth, but he couldn’t swallow. That was the final symptom. I could see tears streaming down Craig’s face. That killed me. Back in bed, he covered his head. I wanted to grab him and head for the hills. There was nothing we could do.

Two days later he passed away.”

It was just four months since his diagnosis.

“Afterwards I didn’t understand life. It was as if that past life was a figment of our imagination. We were a couple again, yet we weren’t. We were two people trying to cope with the emptiness of life.”

Feelgood

IN MEMORY: Barbara Sinnott and Neville Sexton with son Dean. Neville has written a book about their six-year-old son Craig who lived for four months after his diagnosis. Picture:Garry O'Neill

We’d always been there for Craig, and we were letting him go to this thing we were all scared of. I felt helpless Neville decided to write a book about Craig’s short but impressive life because he was scared people would forget him.

“Barbara was afraid people would stop mentioning him. There weren’t occasions for him to be remembered, except for the anniversary of his death. His cousins would probably grow up and not remember him.”

The book celebrates the life of a wonderful boy. Craig was charming, mature and friendly, he lived life to the full, and there are many stories to testify to this.

“Craig has changed me, absolutely. I want to make myself more like him. I want to be

more outgoing. He was always a happy child.

He was a divil when he wanted to be, but he was never bogged down by life, and never more so than during his illness. He always maintained that focus,” says Neville.

“Craig just wanted to live. At the end, he was given oxygen. We were told, ‘this is it,’ but he kept going for another five hours.

That was him in a nutshell.”

Neville is a scientist, but since Craig’s death, he has explored areas of the spirit world. And he is convinced that Craig’s spirit lives on. There have been lots of incidences where lights flash or explode, and always at

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2011

moments of high emotion.

It took time for Neville to accept the idea of another child. But the minute he knew Dean was on the way, all that changed.

“It was a lovely bittersweet moment. The boys were never going to meet each other.

But it’s wonderful after almost two years to have life back in the house again.

“It had started to feel like a museum. Now it’s a home.”

■ Craig, The Boy Who Lives, by Neville Sexton is published by Gill and Macmillan, F16.99.

Zone:XH

12

Healthy food

Roz Crowley

XH - V2

A SMASH HIT

W

ITH pasta, pizza and rice now part of our daily diet, we could easily forget the simple spud. This is the time of year to make sure we eat potatoes a few times a week to get their valuable vitamin C. Add an orange, some cranberry juice or a kiwi to your diet during the day and you have some chance of fighting off winter chills which are still hovering. It may be early February, but spring has not sprung yet.

Potatoes have a lot going for them, especially if they are chemical-free so we can eat their skins — a terrific source of fibre.

Potatoes are a good source of protein too, which explains why so many of the Irish population survived on them before the famine and perished without.

With a little bit of self control we don’t have to expand our waistlines as we enjoy this valuable, low-calorie contribution to our vitamin and mineral intake.

Potatoes are anti-inflammatory and useful internally and externally. Many naturopaths recommend the juice of a raw potato as a remedy.

Try rubbing a potato on a burn, or make an old-fashioned poultice with grated potato to draw out an external abscess, or to reduce swelling around the eyes.

Taken as a drink, raw potato juice has been used to help with stomach ulcers, and it has been suggested that it has antibiotic properties and also helps in balancing intestinal bacteria.

In his book Healing with Wholefoods (North Atlantic Books), Paul Pitchford, a nutrition expert, says potato increases the yin aspect of the body, improving our receptive, nurturing and compassionate nature. Yin also includes the body’s structure, he says, and so potatoes can be used to build and maintain body tissues.

So now we are sold on the idea of including more potatoes in our diet, how should we eat them?

Certainly not in the form of crisps if we are watching calorie intake, which on average have 25g-30g fat per 100g of potatoes, depending on whether they are low fat or not.

Chips can have 15g of fat per 100g. Our favourite, crisp roasties, have about 5g of fat (not so bad as a treat).

The best way of course is taking potatoes baked or boiled in their jackets. Retaining all

Vary your spuds

TERAPROOF:User:margaretjenningsDate:02/02/2011Time:14:33:24Edition:04/02/2011FeelgoodXH0402Page:12

Potatoes are a good source of protein which explains why so many of the Irish population survived on them before the famine and perished without Picture: Getty Images

the nutrients in their own wrapping, we can eat the skins too. If we add a lot of butter to mash, that costs us but we do need some fat in the diet, and for me this is one of the best ways to enjoy it.

F

OR a morish dish, try layering barely cooked potatoes, sliced, with fresh or tinned tomatoes, onions, any fresh herb and goats (or any other) cheese and baking at Gas 5 190C for 40 minutes.

Sprinkle a little sugar in the base of the dish first. It will caramelise during cooking and bring out the sweetness of the tomatoes.

■ Curried potatoes are delicious. Potatoes absorb flavours beautifully. For ideas there are loads of recipes online. Try www.bbcgoodfood.com for an easy potato and mushroom curry. I particularly like a potato and pea curry recipe from the doyenne of Indian cooking, Madjur Jaffrey. Her latest Curry Easy (Ebury) has nine recipes with pota-

Feelgood

toes, including South Indian Potato Curry which is finished with coconut milk and fresh coriander. The aroma alone from the chillies, ground coriander and cayenne heats you up and clears the sinuses.

■ Classic French Aligot is a dish which is usually served as a course on its own. For a homemade version use mashed potato beaten vigorously with heated cream and butter, olive oil, grated or finely chopped garlic, cheese (traditionally tomme de Cantal, but Irish cheeses such as Ardrahan, Gubeen, Durrus are delicious too).

A little of this goes a long way and is highly calorific. Serve with green salad to appease the diet gods.

■ With plenty of seasonal celeriac available, try layering it, thinly sliced with potatoes,

If we are watching cholesterol, we can add olive oil as it is, or in the form of pesto for added flavour. To minimise quantity (and calories) swirl some on top, so the flavour hits the taste buds quickly. onions or leeks, leftover ham, cooked rashers or dried ham. Substitute celeriac with parsnips for a change. Top with a salty cheese (Parmesan, any other grana padana, an old cheddar or leftover bits in the fridge). Add stock (if watching your waistline) or cream, or a mixture of both, to come almost to the top of the dish and bake for an hour, covered with foil at gas 6/200C. Remove foil and crisp up for 15 minutes.

■ Try sprinkling a little balsamic vinegar on hot potatoes. You don’t need any butter or oil as the flavour is strong enough and helps to keep the potatoes light and calorie-free.

■ Chop parsley with toasted sunflower seeds and a little salt for extra flavour.

■ Add sweated chilli with crème

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2011

■ NOTE: Green potatoes are toxic. Don’t risk cutting off bits, discard if you see any green at all.

Also be sure to cut out any sprouting stalks as they are toxic too. fraiche to mashed potatoes for a silky zing.

■ Rub potatoes for roasting with curry paste. There is usually enough oil in it to crisp them up. Delicious with chicken and lamb.

■ Next week for Valentine’s Day, buy a heart shaped pastry cutter. Slice potatoes and cut out heart shapes. Rub with olive oil, sprinkle with rosemary or any favourite herb and roast at gas 7/ 220C for 20 minutes or until golden. Serve with mayonnaise spiked with chopped parsley and lemon juice.

TERAPROOF:User:margaretjenningsDate:02/02/2011Time:16:58:52Edition:04/02/2011FeelgoodXH0402Page:13

Zone:XH

XH - V1

Male health

All set for the Six Nations

W

ITH Ireland lining out against Italy in the RBS Six Nations tomorrow, it’s all coming full circle for Brian O’Driscoll, who was first selected for the senior Irish squad in April 1999 against Italy. While he sat out the match on the bench on that occasion, Ireland’s captain will be hoping to play his usual influential role tomorrow.

In the meantime, the discipline required to lead out the team has seen O’Driscoll and his colleagues in camp in Limerick.

“We’ve been out on the pitch, getting our patterns and formulations right,” says O’Driscoll, 32..

“The calls are different in the national squad to the provinces and while guys are used to playing with each other in the provinces, now we need to get used to playing with each other on the Irish squad.”

Having won his first cap at age 20 against Australia, O’Driscoll is well used to the rigours of training and dietary discipline.

“The older you get, the more you know how to manage the workload,” says O’Driscoll, who was voted world rugby player of the decade (2000-2009) by Rugby World magazine. “In the beginning, you do what you’re told, but as you get older, you

Deirdre O'Flynn MOSTLY MEN know your own body and know when to step out of a session.”

That knowledge also comes with a build-up of trust between the coaches and experienced players, for whom injury management is as important as fitness.

“I’ve had trouble with my hamstrings, so I have a weekly workout separate to the others around those,” says O’Driscoll, adding that he and the others on the team also have physio to bring them as close to 100% fit as possible on match day.

Given that Jamie Heaslip, Shane Horgan and John Hayes have been added to the list of no-shows in tomorrow’s Six Nations curtain-raiser, injuries are a constant threat in a rugby player’s life.

“I’ve been very fortunate with injuries.

STRETCHING OUT: Brian O’Driscoll in training for Ireland’s game against Italy tomorrow.

Picture:©INPHO/Dan Sheridan

Mine have been mostly muscular injuries instead of joint injuries, so I’ve had maybe three operations during my career. The shoulder dislocation was the biggest operation,” he says, referring to the infamous injury he sustained in the opening minutes of his captaincy of the Lions’ tour of New Zealand in 2005.

In the meantime, it’s all about balance in training and his diet. “During the season, it’s all about maintenance and having a good balanced diet,” says the Triple Crown winner,

Clooney latest star to contract malaria

Inhaled insulin may soon be option for diabetics

GEORGE Clooney, pictured, has joined Cheryl Cole as the latest high-profile name to highlight malaria, a potentially life-threatening disease.

“Malaria is a disease which can affect any traveller and it is not just found on safari and backpacking holidays but also in some of the major cities which business travellers may be exposed,” says Dr Graham Fry medical director of the Tropical Medical Bureau.

“The malaria tablets

IF you live with diabetes, a new, inhaled insulin option may soon replace injections. Aerogen, a Galway-based aerosol drug delivery company, has partnered with San Francisco biotech company, Dance Pharmaceuticals, to develop this innovation, which would see an end to the numerous insulin injections diabetic patients currently endure.

Diabetes affects more than 200,000 people in Ireland alone, and this number is on the increase.

“Most diabetics avoid

1

TAKE

LUCKY SIGN: The Chinese Year of the Rabbit, which began yesterday, is traditionally a year to focus on home and family, diplomacy and creating a calm and peaceful lifestyle.

The rabbit is a lucky sign and in Ireland celebrations include Dublin’s fourth Chinese New Year Festival (dublincity.ie/cny) which runs until February 14.

One highlight is tomorrow’s carnival where there will be Chinese performances with dragon and lion dances, tai chi and martial arts displays, contemporary Chinese music and a Chinese rock band.

Feelgood

we have nowadays are excellent but they still do not provide 100% cover.

“All travellers returning from an at-risk region of the world should be aware that any flu-like symptoms in the weeks or months following their trip should be investigated for possible malaria.”

Recently there were 82 reported cases of malaria in the 12 months up to end-December 2010, according to the National Surveillance Centre.

■ More info: www.tmb.ie.

4

13

taking insulin for years, because the treatment requires multiple, daily injections. The consequences for the patient, and the healthcare system, due to that kind of delay are dramatic,” says John S Patton, chief executive officer of Dance Pharma.

The product will be based upon Aerogen’s patented, OnQ aerosol technology, which enables drugs to be nebulised into a fine particle mist that can be absorbed through the lungs while maintaining drug integrity.

with Kate O’Reilly

FESTIVE MOOD: At the launch of the Dublin Chinese New Year Festival were Jialanna Lucy Yin with Meili the Rabbit and Amy Yin Zhang of the festival committee. Picture:

2

CALMING PATCH: Patch-It are plaster-style reflexology patches that are worn on the feet overnight and are made from a blend of natural, ingredients, including mandarin wood vinegar.

In traditional Chinese medicine, vinegar has warming and “drawing” properties and Patch-It works by stimulating the reflexology points on the feet and boosting blood-flow to help the wearer feel refreshed overnight.

Clinical trials have found that using Patch-It will enhance sleep by up to 40%.

Fans include Strictly Come Dancing champion Ola Jordan.

Patch-It costs F11.99 for a box of six, from health stores and pharmacies. www.patch-it.info.

Jason Clarke Photography.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2011

whose ideas of a treat is a burger and chips and, maybe, an occasional bar of chocolate.

“As you get older, you see the results of maintaining a balanced diet, so if you sway one way on the food, you know you have to work harder — it’s about being streetwise,” says O’Driscoll, admitting that, when they eat at home, he does most of the cooking for himself and wife Amy Huberman.

Meanwhile, the Gillette Fusion ProGlide endorsed by O’Driscoll is available for F12.99.

DId you know...

Marriage increases male and female longevity and benefits husbands physically and wives mentally ((Source: Cardiff University, Wales)

The Year of the Rabbit

3

HEALTHY DRINK: Green tea has been used as a medicine in China for at least 4,000 years. The leaves in green tea are steamed and dried which prevents fermentation and preserves the polyphenol content, a good source of energising antioxidants.

Green Tea also increases the metabolism and can help with weight control. Another benefit is that it contains an amino acid called l-theanine, which has a relaxing effect on the brain.

Green tea is now widely available in supermarkets and health stores. Clipper Organic Green Tea costs F2.40 for 25 teabags.

Higher Nature’s High Antioxidant Green Tea, F7.50, comes in a granule form or if you don’t like the taste, Solgar do Green Tea capsules cost F14.70 for 50.

4

BALANCING HERB: Also known as women’s ginseng, dong quai is used in Chinese medicine as a female tonic. Research has shown that Dong Quai contains phytoestrogens and that it may also be a muscle relaxant making it useful in helping to maintain hormone balance and in the treatment of menopausal symptoms, menstrual cramps and PMS. Solgar’s Dong Quai is F17.02 for 100 capsules.

Zone:XH

14 Beauty

XH - V2

It may still be dark outside but the key for spring is colour

Emily O’Sullivan

A

ROUND about late January and into early February, the spring beauty collections launch. But it’s hard to think of Côte d’Azur-inspired eyeshadows and beachy lipglosses when the sky is granite-coloured and we’re still wearing several layers of thermals. The same goes with fashion.

It takes a gargantuan effort to get excited about light, strappy, pale-coloured clothes when your skin hasn’t seen the light of day in several months. On the Topshop website last week, we saw a sky blue ruffle bra top. In this weather? Ruffle bra tops are a tough call at the best of times, but at the start of February it sends a chill through our bodies just thinking about taking off our Shetland wool cardi and thick black tights.

Getting into summer beauty is actually easier than it is with fashion. Beauty is not so dependent on the weather for success, and as long as you’re not going to lash on the fake tan and Barbie-ish lipstick, there’s no reason why you can’t incorporate bits of the spring collections gradually. It’s all about choosing well.

One thing we particularly love about beauty is that it’s cheaper than fashion. It might cost a lot to update your wardrobe, but you can update your beauty look for next to nothing. We all need a lift in the dark days of winter, and if buying a new lipstick or a cheeky coloured nail polish can change your mood then we’re all for it.

The key change for spring is colour. Winter has been particularly dreary on that front, with only a few bursts of bright red lipstick to shake us out of our monotoned palette.

Otherwise, there’s been lots of dark eyeshadows, brooding bottle greens and warm

The news on ...

EYE CREAM

The heat is on

TERAPROOF:User:margaretjenningsDate:02/02/2011Time:14:33:03Edition:04/02/2011FeelgoodXH0402Page:14

AS soon as a company launches a super -hot serum, there’s usually an eye cream fast on its heels. Prevage is one of Elizabeth Arden’s most successful products thanks to Idebenone technology, unsurpassed as the most powerful antioxidant around.

The new moisturiser is very pricey at F100 (as is the serum), but in consumer tests 97% saw an immediate improvement in the skin’s appearance around the eyes. Available from Boots and selected department stores.

TAKE THREE MAKE-UP BAGS Make-up bags can be quite horrific things. At least ours is. Shoving stuff into it without lids on, leaky foundation, shattered eyeshadows — it makes us feel a little bit depressed every time we have to open it. Well, it’s February and if you haven’t cleared out your make-up bag already, now is the time to start. A new bag could mean a new you — sort of.

MAC Soft Sac make-up bag, small, F23. There’s nothing fancy about this one. It’s as straightforward as it can get, but it has an underlying chic simplicity that we rather like. A good, purse-sized, pouch-style zip-up option in lightweight nylon.

ON REFLECTION: Take a modern-retro direction with MAC’s new collection Stylishly Yours. chocolates. For spring, naturally, the opposite is the case with a sumptuous burst of pretty feminine shades from the likes of Lancôme, Bobbi Brown, Chanel and Yves Saint Laurent showing graceful, wearable, ethereal and very flattering tones of pinky beige, soft dusky pinks and creamy caramels.

Lancôme has decided to go a step further with a whole collection based around, lavender. It’s difficult to see age-old lavender as a cool colour, and reining in ‘girl of the moment’ Julia Restoin-Roitfeld in a ’70s style is not going to make it any hipper (having said that, we admit to having more than a slight crush on the new Le Vernis in Lavande, which is part of their spring collection).

If you’re after a more directional look,

though, you’re in luck this year. We’re particularly loving the styling of the Dior Couture Shows, which showed models with impossibly glossy red lips teamed with a pale complexion and very retro eyes. It’s a kind of “madly chic” aesthetic reflected in MAC’s new collection Stylishly Yours, a modern-retro clash of colours that works a treat (available online). Technicolour is a hot look for summer but don’t be afraid of injecting a pop of bright into your current look.

Brights, especially zesty oranges or cool blues, look great against a dark fashion palette of black and grey. Nars and M&S have some great eyeshadow shades this season which are perfect for creating a more graphic, high-fashion look.

against a backdrop of pretty pinks and creams for the face. This cream blush from YSL is a good option with a very light and velvety texture that sinks into the skin and leaves you looking all peaches and cream.

Giorgio Armani Transluminence Eye Palette, F52.50. This is a great crossover eye palette because it still packs a punch with shades rooted in the forest, a more autumnal look that can be made more luminous as we edge towards summer.

It also offers a way of achieving a more directional “smoky eye” look. Expensive but we think it’s a smart investment.

Bobbi Brown Cosmetic Case, F35.

Yes, we know it’s kind of expensive and kind of extravagant, but this is a really, really good make-up bag.

It’s well-structured and has good little interior pockets to keep things from jumping all over the place. The sleek black nylon makes it feel pretty nice, too.

Ruby & Millie Gold Cosmetic Bag, F11. Feeling a bit bored of black, well this pencil-case style make-up bag from Ruby & Millie in glittering gold should do the trick. It’s stylish and practical, too.

Sorted.

STUFF WE LIKE Nars Nail Polish in Desperado, F16. We do love this one, and we particularly love it because it doesn’t have any kind of telltale “spring” look. If anything, it’s more Christmassy with its faded antique gold look. Lovely.

Lancôme Le Vernis in Lavende, F16. There’s little we like about lavender — we don’t like the colour and we don’t like the scent, but as antilavender as we might be, this nail polish has won us over. It’s cool and collected.

Yves Saint Laurent Créme de Blush, F42. It’s “all natural” for the cheeks for spring/summer, especially

Feelgood

Chanel Ombres Perlées de Chanel, F50. The softness and beauty of pearls has inspired Chanel’s spring summer collection, and their palette Ombres Perlées de Chanel is delicate and ethereal without being insipid. A good choice for the summer months, it can be blended to create a myriad of different look thanks to the shades of white pearl, rose porcelain, light purple, green-grey and sparkling grey-black.

M&S Essential Colour Eye Palette in Lagoon, F7. This looks like a beach towel it’s so bright, but you don’t have to wear them all at once. A great selection of technicolour shades that’s band on trend at a very affordable price. Choose from bright orange to eye-popping turquoise, great for getting the spring look — on a budget.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2011

VARIED PALETTES: Giorgio Armani Transluminence Eye Palette, F52.50. , left and M&S Essential Colour Eye Palette in Lagoon, F7.

TERAPROOF:User:margaretjenningsDate:02/02/2011Time:16:57:57Edition:04/02/2011FeelgoodXH0402Page:15

Zone:XH

XH - V1

Natural health

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

SORE POINT: Stress is one of the key triggers of headaches, which can be eased by essential oils.

I SUFFER from tension headaches. My neck and shoulders get very tight and the pain radiates from the base of my skull. Sometimes it feels as if I am about to put my neck out of joint just by moving it. I drink plenty of water and try to get rid of the headaches without using paracetamol, but often have to resort to it just to get anything done.

What do you suggest?

A. Essential oils can be very effective in treating headaches as long as you choose oils which resonate with you. Lavender is often touted as a wonderful headache remedy, yet many people find it can worsen their symptoms or simply have an aversion to the scent.

I find that peppermint and sweet basil essential oils tend to work well when applied to the temples, base of the skull and down the neck.

Dilute the oils by using a few drops in an eggcup of base oil and gently mix together before applying the combination. If you can get someone to massage the tense muscles, then by all means do so. However, for some people a massage can make things worse.

You might also want to investigate herbal pain relief in the form of boswellia serrata, feverfew and butterbur, which all work to relax the muscular tension by dilating the blood vessels. They are not fast-acting like paracetamol, so it’s best to take them as a preventative in the short term.

Of course, none of these remedies address the root cause of your stress. Once you have begun to manage this issue, then the headaches and muscle tension should ease considerably. Identifying stress triggers and taking steps to reduce them, such as meditation, journalling, and/or time management, is your best longterm solution.

Bowen Technique can also help to reduce your stress response and current pain levels.

This series of gentle pressures applied to specific areas has proven to be most effective in relieving a number of muscular, skeletal and nerve conditions. For more information regarding this technique, contact Joan Hewetson (087-6448477), a Bowen therapist in Cork City recommended by the European College of Bowen Studies.

Q. In the past you have mentioned that homeopathy is safe for all ages. But what the exact dosage is for babies and children? Do I just give half?

A. People of all ages, including infants and children, can have the same dosage as adults without any risks or adverse effects. This is because homeopathy is a system of medicine which is based on energetic properties rather than a chemical dosage.

The energetic information ‘recorded’ in each remedy is virtually the same for any dosage of a particular potency of homeopathic treatment. The potency is denoted us-

Picture: iStock

ing a number and letter — the number indicates how many times the source has been diluted, while the letter indicates the dilution rate. X is the slowest dilution rate at 1/10, C denotes 1/100 dilution, M is 1/1000 and LM is the fastest dilution rate at 1/50,000.

Each remedy is potentised during this series of dilutions and succussions (a powerful shaking action), which means that the remedy substance is activated while removing any risk of chemical toxicity. The difference between these potencies is in their action rather than the notion of being a stronger or weaker medicine.

Homeopathic remedies are not without side-effects, however — there are some individuals who experience a short-lived aggravation to a remedy depending on their sensitivity rather than their age or body mass. Diluting the remedy further typically remedies this situation.

It is common to find directions on over-the-counter homeopathic remedies indicating a smaller dose for infants and children — this is more a case of meeting consumer expectations rather than being a safety issue. It is also worth noting that it can be far more simple to give a small dose of any given remedy to a baby or child than it is to attempt 2ml or 5 pillules.

Q. I have developed a stye in my left eye and am finding it unsightly and uncomfortable. It is very swollen and red. Is there a natural remedy which can help to get rid of this?

A. A stye is an infection of the oil-secreting glands in the edge of the eyelid, frequently caused by the staphylococcus bacterium. The first step you need to take is to be mindful of

Megan puts the spotlight on: 1. Avoid highly processed foods Once food has been processed to the point where it no longer even resembles the original natural source (sugar cane to sugar, potatoes to crisps, wheat to baked goods) chances are that your body will also have great difficulty in decoding the original source nutrients. And there are many foods which contain more chemical additives than actual food — steer well clear of these.

2. Eat local seasonal wholefoods Buy organic where possible, but do the best you can in terms of budget and local availability. You can always visit your local farmers’ market and

Feelgood

chat with the growers about their use of chemical or natural pest and growth measures. Often it is a case of the farmer being as organic as you would in your own back yard, but the paperwork and expense of becoming organic is prohibitive to many small scale farms and orchards.

3. Include plenty of raw foods Cooking destroys nutrients in foods, while live foods contain enzymes to help break down and digest the food. Of course, the more you cook food, the less healthy it becomes — heavily fried or barbecued foods should be

15

hygiene around the stye to prevent spreading the infection to the other eye or aggravating the existing stye. If you are a contact lens wearer, it is a good idea to switch to glasses for the duration of the infection.

If the area is extremely swollen, then it may be necessary to see your doctor to arrange for the area to be drained. If only moderately swollen, then you can generally treat the stye effectively at home using natural remedies. Do resist the temptation to rub or squeeze the stye.

Relief can be found through eye washes with a dilute solution of chamomile or raspberry leaf tea. You can also use a cotton pad to gently apply this solution topically around the eyelid. I have a friend who swears by a gold ring whenever she gets a stye. She rubs the gold ring over the area and it seems to work.

Styes can also be a sign of vitamin A deficiency. Food sources of vitamin A include liver, carrots, spinach, sweet potato, egg yolk, dried apricots, mango, paw paw, rockmelon, and pumpkin. By contrast, alcohol, coffee, and excess iron supplementation can deplete vitamin A levels, so exclude or limit these if necessary.

If you don’t feel that you are getting enough vitamin A in your diet, you could supplement so that you are getting around 50,000IUs daily from combined sources.

Beef and lamb liver contain around 30,000IUs per 100g serving, while duck liver is highest at 40,000IUs per 100g.

Vegetarians will be pleased to know that carrots have just under 30,000IUs in each 100g serving, which is why they are linked with eye health. In fact, most of the bright orange or yellow fruits and vegetables are high in vitamin A — so when in doubt choose these brightly coloured foods.

Top Tips to Improve your Diet avoided in favour of lightly steamed, lightly stir-fried, baked, or slow-cooked meals.

A small salad or handful of leafy greens before any cooked meal will give the body some living enzymes to digest cooked food and protect against digestive leukocytosis, which is the abnormal increase in white blood cells seen every time cooked food is eaten, because it is no longer in the natural state and cannot be recognised by your immune system. Eating a small salad or similar before a cooked meal reduces this reaction hugely and so helps with di-

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2011

gestion, immunity, and of course energy.

4. Turn your foods into probiotics Fermented foods such as sauerkraut, kim chee, tempeh, natto, miso, homemade yoghurts, pickled vegetables, kefir, and kombucha are all incredibly beneficial for your digestion and your immune health. Check out Weston A Price resources, or a book called Wild Fermentation by Sandor Ellix Katz for more information.

5. Eat a rainbow diet The phytonutrients which give fruits and vegetables their fabulous colours are incredibly beneficial to our health.

TERAPROOF:User:GREGMCCANNDate:02/02/2011Time:15:38:44Edition:04/02/2011FeelgoodXH0402Page:16

Zone:XH

16

XH - V1

Prevention is better than cure

When 34 year old Kenneth Fallon started losing his hair 4 years ago he went to see the HairClinic and was told about a revolutionary painfree laser treatment that prevents hairloss and helps to thicken existing thin hair.

“The trichologist told me that it was important that I caught my hairloss early as when the hair is gone, it’s gone, and the laser can only work on thinning hair. I cannot grow hair on a bald head. I was

Before treatment

also told that the condition I had, known as Androgenic Alopecia, was an inherited condition and as my dad was bald, as was my grandad, I knew I has to do something as I was heading the same way.

“Unfortunately with my work and the birth of my daughter, I didn’t go ahead with treatment straight away as recommended and my hair just got worse and worse. I kept meaning to do something about it but I just

kept putting it off which I know is the worst thing to do as I know once the hair root is dead, it’s too late.

One evening, after we had been out with friends, a friend of mine posted the evening’s pictures on Facebook and I couldn’t believe how bad my hair looked. I hated seeing myself like that and I knew I had to do something. The next day I made another appointment with the HairClinic which was the original Cork City

clinic I had visited all those years ago and I was told that I has lost some hair around the crown so I would always be a little bit light in that area.

But the great news was that the laser treatment would stop my hair from getting any worse and also thicken my thinning hair.

9 months on and there has been a huge improvement in my hair and I am delighted.

I just wish I had done treatment earlier when I first noticed the thinning!

Stops hairloss and thickens hair in 94% of patients

Totally safe and painfree

Works for men and women

FDA cleared as having no side effects

FREE Consultation

After 6 months laser treatment

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, FEBRUARY 4, 2011