Feelgood 02-09-2011

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Feelgood Friday, September 2, 2011

Child benefit

Our kids’ future health is determined by the first 1,000 days of their lives, starting at conception: 8, 9

SIBLING SPATS

Oasis brothers’ rivalry reaches back to childhood: 5

LIQUID LUNCH

Eight juices are put to the taste test: 12

ALL EYES

Picture: Getty Images

Beauty goes retro with lashings of mascara: 14

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2 News front Kate O’Reilly WHAT’S ON ■ BLUE SEPTEMBER: An international health campaign that seeks to tackle the fact that men are more likely than women to develop and die of cancer, Blue September, will be celebrated in Ireland for the first time this year. Designed to be a fun way of delivering a serious message, the campaign is an official partner of the Dingle marathon, which starts at 9am in Strand St tomorrow. To enter either the full or half marathon, register on www.dinglemarathon.ie. To get involved with Blue September, visit www.blueseptember.ie.

■ GREAT PINK RUN: The Great Pink Run, on September 4 at 2pm, is a fun family event that will include a 5km run, jog or walk on the quays in Dublin in support of Breast Cancer Ireland (BCI). It begins and ends at the 02 Point Village, where there will be refreshments, face painting, bouncy castles etc. To register, visit www.greatpinkrun.ie.

■ QUIT CAMPAIGN: Calls to the National Smokers’ Quitline, 1850 201 203, have increased by 300% since the new HSE QUIT campaign began in June and the website Quit.ie has seen a similar increase in smokers accessing support online.

Coinciding with the campaign, HSE South’s health promotion department is offering places on a new smoking-cessation support group in Cork city, starting on Tuesday, September 13. This free course consists of one-hour sessions run over six weeks. To book a place, call 021-4921641.

■ CHARITY OPERA: The London Garden Opera will perform Impersario and Pagliacci at Burren House, Kilbrittain, Co Cork at 5pm tomorrow. The gardens are open from 3pm and visitors can bring a picnic or enjoy the barbeque and local produce stalls. On Sunday night at 7pm, Opera Classics will be performed in a marquee in the grounds by international soloists, the Chorus of Cork Opera Cork and the City of Cork Male Voice Choir. Proceeds go to Cork Simon, Marymount Hospice and local charities.

Tickets are €69 (€4 discount for seniors /students) tomorrow and €35 on Sunday or €99 for both events, available from The Everyman, www.everymanpalace.com or 021-4501673.

■ MOTHER & TODDLER: Mallow late night pharmacy is hosting a ‘mother, toddler, and baby’ event on Wednesday next, September 7, from 10am to 5pm.

On the day, parents can receive free advice from a paediatric nurse, and healthcare representatives (SMA nutrition, Avent, Nuk and Calpol). For more details, call 022-44576.

■ TAI CHI: There will be a free tai chi day for adults at The Bessborough Centre, Blackrock, Cork, tomorrow, from 10am to 5pm. Tai Chi master Jason Chan will be leading the gentle movement and meditation. Anyone who is interested in experiencing tai chi is welcome to go along; please bring a yoga mat and cushion. For more information, visit www.instillireland.com or call 087-9967615. ● Items for inclusion in this column can be sent to koreilly8@gmail.com

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The Irish Hospice Foundation’s Coffee Morning will aid services for the 6,000 who die in hospices, Arlene Harris reports

Dignity in dying

O

VER 30,000 people die in Ireland each year and when preparing to meet their maker, most would rather spend their final days at home or, if that isn’t possible, within the calm, dignified atmosphere of their local hospice.

Every year over 6,000 Irish people chose to live out their final days in a hospice, and while the services offered to the terminally ill are free, funds need to be raised to ensure patients get the high level of care which is necessary to allow them a peaceful death.

On September 15, Ireland’s Biggest Coffee Morning in aid of the Irish Hospice Foundation (IHF) will be held in houses, offices and communities all over the country. Sponsored by Bewley’s, each €2 cup of coffee sold will help to make up the €2 million needed to fund hospices nationwide.

Retired Circuit Court judge, Tony Murphy, from Cork is one of the patients who will benefit from the fundraising effort. At 80-years-of-age, he is suffering from COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) — a crippling lung disorder which quite literally leaves him gasping for breath.

His visits his local hospice (Marymount) on a weekly basis for physiotherapy and also receives regular home care.

“I have been coming here as a patient for about a year and I have to say that everyone I have met is flowing with decency,” he

CUPPA CHEER: You can host a coffee morning to raise funds for the Irish Hospice Foundation.

Picture: iStock

says. “They aren’t just doing a job — each and every one of them has a vocation. I was also on the board of directors here for years so now I am seeing things from the other side of the fence.

“One of my sons died when he was just 38 from cancer (he and his wife Dorothea had four sons). He spent his last days here, so that has also added to the compassion I feel for the place and the staff — I feel incredibly lucky being looked after by some of the kindest people you could ever hope to meet.

“Every one of us will die, but those of us who are cared for in a hospice will have a privileged and dignified exit from this world.”

Caroline Lynch of the IHF says everyone can help to raise funds for this cause.

“We all have lots of demands on our pockets at the moment, but most of us can spare €2 for a coffee,” she says. “When someone is dying, they are at their most vulnerable and need all the support they can get — their local hospice can offer that.

“So host a coffee morning or buy a cup and your donation could make all the difference to a service which benefits everyone of us in the end.”

■ For more information on hosting a coffee morning or to find out about your local hospice visit: www.hospice-foundation.ie or call 1890-717000.

HEALTH NOTES RUDE HEALTH at the RDS, Ireland’s biggest health and wellbeing show, returns to the RDS in Dublin on September 10 and 11.

New speakers include Dr Eva Orsmond, from Operation Transformation and medical herbalist Vivienne Campbell. Patrick Holford will give three free talks each day. There will be over 200 stands; admission is €12 (senior citizens €8) under 12s free; www.rudehealth.ie

Throughout the week free testing and information will be available to detect the early signs of AMD at participating local opticians, eye doctors and public locations. See www.amd.ie for further details.

A free information morning for parents and babies is open to all, thanks to Brookes Pharmacy, Bandon. Along with a display of the latest baby care products, experts will give information on first aid for toddlers, breastfeeding, teething, asthma, nutrition, nappy rash, and dry skin.

Also attending will be a midwife, public health nurse and GP. The event takes place at the Munster Arms Hotel, Bandon next Tuesday, starting at 10am..

The Irish Heart Foundation will hold free Blood Pressure and Cholesterol Testing Clinics at the Irish Heart Foundation Office, 42 Penrose Wharf, Cork from 10am to 12pm next Tuesday and in Midleton at the Family Resource Centre next Wednesday from 2.30 to 4pm. For details call 021-4505822 or if you have questions about stroke or heart disease contact the helpline 1890 432787.

MD Awareness Week, September 17-25, aims to promote early detection of the signs of AMD (Age-related Macular Degeneration), the most common cause of registered blindness in Ireland.

To launch the campaign, photographer Jason Clarke will showcase a unique photography series entitled Over 50s Life Through a Lens on Friday, September 16, from 2-4pm at the RHA Gallery, Ely Place, Dublin 2.

RTE’s Mary Kennedy, Michelin-star chef Derry Clarke, author John Banville and de-

www.irishexaminer.com www.irishexaminer.com

LIFE VIEW: As part of MD Awareness Week, Mary Kennedy is pictured by Jason Clarke with the things she would miss most — her four children, gardening and writing. signer Louise Kennedy are among the celebrities who have volunteered their time in aid of charities Fighting Blindness and the National Council for the Blind of Ireland (NCBI). Their personalised photographs will also be showcased on September 16

www.irishexaminer.com feelgood@examiner.ie

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2011

Future cancer treatments could consist of genetically modified viruses that infect and destroy tumours, new research suggests.

Scientists this week announced results from the world’s first viral cancer therapy patient trial. The study proved that a tumour-targeting virus injected into the bloodstream can find cancer wherever it has spread without harming healthy tissue.

Although the Phase I trial was designed to test safety rather than effectiveness, six of eight patients given higher doses of the therapy experienced shrinking or arrested growth of their tumours.The findings from Ottawa Hospital Research Institute in Canada were published in Nature.

Editorial: 021 4802 292

Advertising: 021 4802 215

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In Profile

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THE SHAPE I'M IN

Paul Reid

On with the show

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CTOR Paul Reid is set to appear in one-man show Man Of Valour as part of this year’s Absolut Fringe, which runs in Dublin this month. The show sold out at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival where it received a host of four and five star reviews.

Doing a one-man show is challenging, says Paul, 29.

“But I’ve got a great team around me so in a weird kind of way I never feel alone.”

From Portmarnock, Paul starred in RTE’s comic-drama Love Is The Drug, as well as alongside Samantha Mumba in Boy Eats Girl. He also played the role of Charlene McKenna’s boyfriend in Raw. “I liked playing Dylan. He’s a strong character, a likeable sort of guy. It was good to play the straight man.

Because of Man Of Valour, I’m not going back on Raw this season, but the crew have been texting me a lot, asking ‘what’s the craic’.”

■ Man of Valour runs September 10-24 at Samuel Beckett Theatre as part of ABSOLUT Fringe 2011, which runs city-wide throughout Dublin this September. More info and bookings at www.fringefest.com or phone 1850 374 643.

SILVA

SELF-HEALING TRAINING

What trait do you least like in yourself?

I think too much.

Do you pray?

I pray before going on stage. It’s a sort of ritual prayer — ‘let us have a good night’.

What would cheer up your day?

Walking through the city and bumping into a good, old friend just by chance.

Helen O’Callaghan

DREAM ON: Actor Paul Reid likes to solve a problem by sleeping on it.

Picture: Maura Hickey.

What shape are you in?

I’m in great shape, other than my right calf muscle. I tore it playing football at the start of July. I shouldn’t be walking but I’m doing physio and stretches every morning. It means I can’t run and I love running. I work out, though not with heavy weights — I do a lot of cardiovascular work. Almost every show I do seems to be physical — Man Of Valour is pretty much running on the spot for 90 minutes. As part of rehearsal, our director had us doing yoga every morning.

creating renewed health easily and naturally 17th & 18th, September 2011, CORK Fee: €295.00

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Through the use of visualisation, imagination, positive thinking and meditation, you can programme your brain to correct thoughts and behaviours that get in the way of experiencing the health and life you desire.

“ I have used The Silva Method of visualisation for many years. It has helped me overcome illnesses and accidents, and avoid surgery.

I urge you to attend Silva’s training sessions” Dr. Wayne Dyer, author “The Power of Intention” “I would say that the Silva Method is the most powerful single tool that I have to offer the patient.”

Dr. O. Carl Simonton, Oncologist and pioneer of Imagery Therapy for Cancer

3-day Life System training - 24th - 26th September, DUBLIN Facilitated by Dr. Alma Quinones-Prone and Dr. Denis Prone, Psychologists and Researchers Bookings & information: www.silvamethod.ie.

Enquiries: info@silvamethod.ie or call 086-3199215

Do you have any health concerns?

Apart from that calf muscle, no.

HEALTH & LIFESTYLE ADVERTISING

What are your healthiest eating habits?

I never used to have breakfast. Now I do, every morning. I have porridge with blueberries, scrambled egg made with three egg whites and yoghurt. Lunch might be something like chicken and salad.

What’s your guiltiest pleasure?

I love peanut butter and jam sandwiches.

What would keep you awake at night?

I wouldn’t get too stressed and I like to solve a problem by sleeping on it. Even if it’s an argument I’ve had with someone, I just sleep on it. That clears the head, gets rid of the badness and gives a new perspective.

Target more females in Munster and Cork than any other daily newspaper.

How do you relax?

Just by watching a good DVD or TV series.

Who would you invite to your dream dinner party?

I’d invite Anthony Hopkins, Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese. I’d just want to hear about their experience — how they grew up, how they came to be actors. I’d also invite Mary Robinson — she’s amazing — as well as Nelson Mandela, the Dalai Lama and Jesus Christ.

To reach them, ‘Feel . advertise in ‘Feelgood’

Call Lori Fraser Frase

What’s your favourite smell?

It’s weird — that smell you get when you walk by a launderette. It nearly puts me in a trance.

Tel: 021 4802265 lori.fraser@examiner.ie lori.fraser@exam

When did you last cry?

In Raw, I had to do a scene where I was crying, but that’s work. Other than that I can’t remember when I last cried — I don’t cry easily.

What would you change about your appearance?

Nothing much really. I wouldn’t mind being fitter and physically stronger.

What trait do you least like in others?

Not being able to trust someone — dishonesty.

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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2011

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Life challenge

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Emma O’Halloran was devastated when her son was struck by leukaemia and then a stroke, Arlene Harris reports

I don’t know what the future holds B

EFORE Gavin O’Halloran reached his fifth birthday, he regularly suffered from tonsillitis and various chest infections. But despite being frequently confined to his bed, the Cork boy was lively, boisterous and inquisitive and had a great sense of humour.

But after a series of antibiotics (11 doses in 12 months), last summer he collapsed at home and was rushed to casualty where doctors discovered he was suffering from leukaemia.

His mother, Emma was distraught, but little did she know that the worst was yet to come.

“For about a year, Gavin had been having lots of episodes of ‘tonsillitis’ and always seemed to be on an antibiotic,” recalls the 25-year-old. “Then one day he collapsed, developed a really high temperature and began to hallucinate. The doctor thought it was meningitis, but when we got to the hospital they did a bone marrow test which confirmed that he had leukaemia.”

It was devastating news for the single mum. The only thing which would save him was a course of intense chemotherapy.

“As soon as leukaemia was diagUNKNOWN nosed, Gavin was FUTURE: Emma transferred to Dublin O’Halloran says her for treatment,” she son got huge help says. “But less than three weeks after the at the National initial diagnosis, he de- Rehabilitation veloped an infection Hospital. and was suffering from headaches and chest pain.

The staff thought it was a side effect of the chemo, but in fact his body was reacting very badly to the drugs and before long his kidneys started to enlarge and he began fitting.

It took an hour for medics to bring his seizure under control, and because they didn’t know what was wrong they sent him for a scan.

“The MRI results showed that the particular mix of chemotherapy which Gavin was being treated with had caused him to have a stroke,” she says. “I had been utterly traumatised by the news that my son had leukaemia and was just coming to terms with it when he had a stroke. I knew there was no time for me to be upset as we had to deal with rehabilitation as quickly as possible.

“But it was so hard — my child was gone and there was another little boy in his place.

He didn’t know who I was and couldn’t do anything for himself, it was heartbreaking.”

Recalling the child Gavin once was, Emma breaks down during our conversation, yet, despite the enormous burden of her grief, she apologises for her tears and continues with her story.

“Before he became ill, Gavin was great fun and loved talking to people,” she says. “After

Feelgood

Patients in the wings WITHOUT surgery or miracle cures, the NRH has been rehabilitating patients for 50 years. A new RTE documentary (The Road to Recovery on RTE One Tuesday, September 6 at 10.20pm) tells Gavin’s story and looks at how the hospital has helped countless other patients including: 1. Hugh Butler — a 19-year-old business student who was diagnosed with a brain tumour. Surgery saved his life, but he was left with severe memory problems and hyperfagia — he is the only known case in the world with this condition which leaves him in a permanent state of intense hunger.

2. Ayeisha Grogan, a secondary school teacher who lost part of her skull after a car accident, causing her brain to swell.

3. Joe Murray who was run over by an oil tanker when he was five and spent years suffering with crippling pain. He finally underwent a leg amputation when he was 21 and is slowly coming to terms with being wheelchair bound.

4. Tim Curran O’Brien, once a rising hurling star, who was involved in a car accident the night after his debs which left him paralysed from the neck down.

5. Terry Kirwan, a roofer who fell two storeys while repairing a roof. He is now paralysed from the chest down and is preparing to spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair.

Stroke: The facts ■ 10,000 people suffer a stroke each year in Ireland — 75% are over 65. A stroke happens when the blood supply to the brain is cut off causing damage to cells.

LASTING DAMAGE: While Gavin is in remission from leukaemia, his reaction to the chemotherapy means he cannot be prescribed a key element of his treatment. the stroke, he was unable to walk, talk, feed himself or communicate in any way. He was transferred to the National Rehabilitation Hospital (NRH) where he spent seven months and when he was discharged in June, was able to move around really well.

“But his understanding isn’t good, he can’t speak very well and he doesn’t know that there is anything wrong with him.

“His sunny nature changed also and for the first few weeks he was very aggressive and got upset really easily — and although he isn’t, and never will be, back to his normal self, he is more settled and happy.

“I don’t know what the future will bring for us,” says Emma. “It is unlikely that Gavin will ever read or write or be an independent

person. And while I have learnt to cope with the shock of my happy, healthy child becoming disabled, I am worried about the possibility of the leukaemia returning.

“He is currently doing well and having a different mix of chemotherapy once a month, but we won’t know how healthy he is until he comes off the drugs completely.

“Physically he is doing well and the NRH really brought him along from the helpless boy he was after the stroke — they also offered great support and told the truth, so I could be prepared to deal with it.

“Gavin was such a lovely child and this was such a bolt out of the blue, but the only thing we can do now, is take each day as it comes.”

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2011

■ The effect of a stroke is immediate and its onset is usually sudden. A stroke may affect speech, movement and/or understanding. Recovery can take a long time.

■ One third of stroke victims will have significant recovery within a month, but most will have long-term problems.

■ There is little awareness about children suffering from strokes and diagnosis is often slow, but because of their age recovery is often good.

■ Symptoms of stroke in children include seizures, fever, speech impairment and paralysis. ● For advice on stroke awareness visit www.stroke.ie or call 1890-432 787 For more information about the NRH visit www.nrh.ie.

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Family life

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Oasis rockers Noel and Liam Gallagher’s fraught relationship — they are now estranged — has its roots in parental favouritism, says Rachel Borrill

Feuding families P

ITY Peggy Gallagher, the mother of Noel and Liam, the estranged Oasis musicians, and of a third son Paul. It must be hard to remember the last time they were all together, such is the sibling rivalry between the two youngest.

Last week, it was reported that Liam had dropped a lawsuit against Noel, who had hinted that Oasis had cancelled a gig in 2009 because Liam had a hangover. On a webchat with fans, Noel said his younger brother was suffering from laryngitis, the official reason given at the time.

According to the Sun newspaper, Liam dropped the lawsuit after speaking with their mum.

Noel and Liam’s fights in Oasis were legendary. One argument was recorded and included as a bonus track on an early album. In 2009, after a backstage fight involving plums being thrown, Noel walked away and has not spoken to his brother since. “I simply could not go on working with Liam a day longer,’’ he said.

Paul says his brothers’ rivalry is because youngest, Liam, was “doted on’’ by his mother and because the two boys shared a room. So Noel had the burden of protecting him, as their parents’ marriage fell apart.

“Favouritism is an absolute disaster,’’ says Karen Doherty, the co-author of the book Sibling Rivalry: Seven Simple Solutions. “I have seen some of the worst cases of sibling rivalry amongst 80-year-olds. They simply cannot let it go, it can be absolutely horrendous.”

Recently, Rupert Murdoch’s family-run company News Corporation has been making the headlines over the phone-hacking scandal. It’s hardly a surprise that his children have fallen out. Murdoch has encouraged his three children from his second marriage, Elisabeth, Lachlan and James, to be competitive, the prize being successor. Five years ago, his youngest son overtook his siblings in the race.

As News Corporation’s share price plummets, Elisabeth, who once declared she would “always strive to be qualified and considered for the (top) position” has vented her anger publicly about James, blaming him for demise of the company.

Sibling rivalry is natural. A recent study by the University of Cambridge’s Centre for Family Research has found that children who squabble and compete with siblings are more likely to develop social skills and dispute-resolving techniques that will help them deal with difficult situations in later life.

“Sibling rivalry is almost a rite of passage.

Four out of five families will find that their children will argue, fight and sometimes do a lot worst,’’ says Karen Doherty. “There are some benefits. It forces children to learn to negotiate, to express themselves, how to share, how to stand up for themselves and put their view forward in a reasonable manner.’’

But it can be destructive. Apparently, Anna Murdoch pleaded with her former husband to end the succession battle, fearing it would bring out the worst in her children.

“It will cause a lot of heartbreak and hardship for the kids,’’ she said to one Australian journalist.

Karen Doherty agrees. “Never, ever, ever compare your children. People wonder why

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Picture: Zak Hussein/PA Wire

Noel and Liam’s disagreements, feuds and fights during their time in Oasis were legendary. One bitter argument was even recorded and included as a bonus track on an early album their children are so competitive, but then they keep comparing them to each other. No wonder the whole household is like a sporting match. Somebody always has to lose,’’ she says.

Most siblings have grown out of their rivalry by adulthood. Serena and Venus Williams, the champion tennis players, say “family is first’’ despite competing against each other many times. “Our love for each other goes deeper than any tennis game,’’ said Serena.

It’s not so cosy with Kim, Kourtney and Khloe Kardashian, the stars of the reality TV show Keeping Up With The Kardashians.

Though there is a veneer of camaraderie, the three sisters compete fiercely with each other.

Khloe was the first to get married, Kourtney the first to have a baby and Kim the highest earner.

Grainne and Sile Seoige were also thrilled to be working together on their RTÉ afternoon show, and promised a disappointed media that there would not be any sisterly “spats or fights.”

“Obviously, we have our moments, every-

body does. But it is like a shower and then it is gone and the sun is out again. There is an honesty between us, even without saying a word, we kind of know instinctively where we stand with each other,’’ said Grainne.

To ease any sibling rivalry, Val Mullally, founder of Koemba, a parenting organisation, says parents should appreciate their children’s different needs and qualities, rather than treating them the same.

“I always say love your child uniquely. One child might be passionate about sport and want you to go with him to his match, another might just enjoy lying on the bed with you, reading a story.

“So what makes you as an individual feel loved, isn’t necessarily what makes me feel loved. We should respond to how ever the child feels uniquely loved. That is so important,’’ Mullally says.

■ Sibling Rivalry: Seven Simple Solutions by Karen Doherty and Georgia Coleridge, €17.50 ■ www.koemba.com

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2011

Tips for parents ■ Create a win-win situation so that neither child feels they are the loser and that both feel happy with the outcome.

■ Stop and think before you get involved — sometimes it is best to let the children resolve the situation themselves.

■ If you do intervene, stay calm.

■ Praise the children when they play well together — it makes them realise it is good to get along.

■ Listen to your children’s concerns. You might not agree with their views, but you have to accept their feelings.

■ Never compare your children — they are individuals.

■ Make sure they feel and are loved equally.

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Psychology

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It can be painful to relive a troubling time in our past, but it is an enlightening experience

Our true self

The

Feelgood Personals

DO YOU HAVE CONSTIPATION?

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Are you male or female, over 18 years of age and would like to participate in a study of a treatment for this condition?

Tel. 021-4802265 email:

Clinical Trials Unit at 021 494 1375 or email

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Tony Humphreys

FRIEND, an avid reader, regularly kindly sends me quotes from writers whose thoughts touch her inner life. A recently sent quote resonated with me: “The more we recognise the neglected and unseen dimensions of our lives, the more enriched and balanced we become.” (John O’Donohue, Echoes.)

John’s words capture beautifully the unconscious (the “unseen”) nature our true selves, often buried during childhood out of fear of further rejection.

In repressing aspects of our true nature we often do it in a way that ensures those qualities remain well hidden behind behaviours opposite to the ones hidden. For example, aggression (hides spontaneity), passivity (hides speaking the truth), manipulation (hides clear communication), violence (hides a need to belong), stealing (hides wanting to be valued), apathy (hides adventuresomeness), being emotionless (hides emotional expression), being cold-hearted (hides a need to be loved), being lazy (hides an eagerness to learn).

These defences, though formed with the intention of hiding what is dangerous to show, become offences to the well-being of others and the sad cycle of repression is perpetuated.

The extent and depth of what is hidden is determined by whether your life has been a series of safe moments with a few dangerous ones or a series of dangerous moments with only a few safe ones.

Obviously, when the latter has been the case then the treasures of your true, unique and individual nature become well and truly buried. Yet, there is no person who has not encountered some dangerous moments — in homes, classrooms, community and church — and the result was to bury the human quality that was punished or ridiculed or dismissed unless, as a child, you had some adult you could talk to about your sad and fearful experiences.

One of the aspects of the sexual abuse of children by clergy and others that has not been considered is: why did these children not have a mature adult in their lives they could talk to about the violations they were experiencing?

Certainly, parents, relatives and teachers and other significant adults would want to have been there for these children but it would appear that their labours of love and care were inhibited by their own childhood repressions. It is crucial that we all reflect on how we are with ourselves and with others, and attempt to recognise the wall of defensive actions, thoughts and feelings that mask the wonders of our true selves.

This is not an easy task, particularly if we are surrounded by other adults who are also masking their true nature, and it is commonly the case that birds of a feather flock together. How then do we break the cycle of neglect?

Philosopher John O’Donohue gives some direction when he says: “Wounds offer us unique gifts but they demand a severe apprenticeship before the door of blessing opens.”

Depression, aggression, anxiety, psycho-physiological illnesses, obsessive-compulsive behaviours, greed, avarice, passivity and helplessness are necessarily painful in nature because without the pain we would not seek to heal the wounds to the soul, to the deep emotional self.

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Picture: iStock

The extent and depth of what is hidden is determined by whether your life has been a series of safe moments with a few dangerous ones or a series of dangerous moments with only a few safe ones

There is a deep wisdom in burying our treasure — the defences help to reduce perceived threats to our wellbeing but they also alert us to what lies hidden.

Consciousness of what we have had to repress can arise from several sources: reading, hearing someone’s sad story, attending a personal development course, a supportive friend or attending a therapist. The critical aspect to consciousnessraising is relationship, after all it is relationship that sends us into hiding and relationship that will bring us out of hiding.

The relationship that is required to raise consciousness has to be radically different to the one that was threatening in nature — it needs to be unconditional and empowering.

Without such safe emotional and intellectual holding, individuals will stay hidden. The depth of repression and the intensity of the wounding experience largely determine the time it takes for full possession of self to emerge. It can be a long apprenticeship, but being on the journey considerably eases the pain. And there is the occasional joy of glimpsing what has laid hidden until a full consciousness emerges.

There is no doubt that becoming conscious of what lies in our inner core is central to personal, interpersonal and professional effectiveness and the more acutely we are conscious of it, the better we will be as a person, parent, worker, professional and leader.

Dr Tony Humphreys is a consultant clinical psychologist, author and national and international speaker. He is also director of several UCC courses. His course on Interpersonal Communication begins in October 2011, 5.15-9.30pm Wednesday nights. Details from Margaret 021-4642394 or www.tonyhumphreys.ie.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2011

ALL NEW INTERIORS SECTION Each week we take on an interiors challenge and give you expert tips and advice on how to get the best results for your budget.

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Cork Physical Therapist brings new technology to Ireland COLETTE Minehane I.I.P.T. (Phys) has been a successful physical therapist for eight years, developing her practice to cater for an ever-growing clientele who flock to avail themselves of therapies to deal with a wide range of problems from emotional or physical trauma to sports injuries.

Now she has expanded further, to accommodate Ireland's very first PST (Pulsed Signal Therapy) Clinic at her spacious and welcoming centre in Ballyvolane. In the midst of a recession, there must surely be something very special about PST that inspires her to make such a major investment? Yes there is, says Colette.

“Generally I am always looking at what other countries are offering in relation to non-invasive healthcare.

While holidaying in France I visited a PST centre and was very impressed with the benefits of this new technology. 8 months later, after poring over volumes of case studies and test results, I was inspired to open the first PST Clinic in Ireland.”

THE NON-INVASIVE ALTERNATIVE TO MEDICATION OR SURGERY Pulsed Signal Therapy, explains Co-

Ireland's very first PST (Pulsed Signal Therapy) Clinic can be found at Unit 2, Fox & Hounds Development, Ballyvolane, Cork lette, involves directing a series of constantly-changing magnetic pulses through injured tissue. Each magnetic pulse induces a tiny electric signal which stimulates cellular repair and works on ALL types of connective tissue (ie cartilage, bone, ligaments, tendons and collagen). To be effective, she emphasises, 9-12 consecutive sessions of an hour each are required.

As you would expect, sports players are making full use of this new treatment. All too often an injured player goes through the strapping/injecting/anti-inflammatory meds cycle to push him or her through championship. This weakens the affected area, leaving damage or degeneration as a result. If PST is used instead, the healing time is usually cut in half, in a non-invasive manner. Alternatively, a player could avail of PST in the off-season to ful-

ly rehabilitate the range of movement, strength and posture of a damaged or degenerated joint. Colette points to an impressive range of personal testimonials on her website to prove the truth of this.

TREAT OSTEOPOROSIS, DEGENERATIVE DISC DISEASE, WHIPLASH AND MORE In fact a whole range of ailments and conditions can be treated most successfully with PST, including arthritis/osteoporosis/degenerative disc disease, or traumatic, such as whiplash or a bad fall. She has also had excellent results with halving the healing time of broken bones from complicated fractures; post-operative care; regeneration of cartilage; treating tendonitis and healing nerve damage. Often degenerated or

Meadbh O’Leary, PST Technician, operating the PST H200i, for treatment of small joints.

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Colette Minehane, Director, Pulsed Signal Therapy (PST) Ltd.

diseased joints come back to normal functionality. You can find a detailed list of treatable conditions also on her website.

The best thing about PST is that it is a safe, non-invasive alternative to the standard treatments usually offered. The technology has been proven, medically tested, and is now accepted all over Europe, even reaching as far afield as Mexico and India. Research studies from major medical universities like Yale, McGill, Sienna, and Munich have all validated the benefits of PST therapy.

DISCOVER WHAT PST CAN DO FOR YOU Colette Minehane's clinic couldn't be easier to find. It's right opposite Dunne's in Ballyvolane, in the development to the rear of the Fox &

Hounds, with plenty of free parking. When you enter the clinic, the first thing that strikes you is the serene and welcoming atmosphere, positively inviting you to relax and enjoy the treatment. Already her large clientele, ranging from babies to the elderly, young mothers to sports enthusiasts, is finding this new and exciting therapy just what they'd always hoped to find. Colette is looking forward to introducing many more to the benefits of Pulsed Signal Therapy - only available within Ireland here at her clinic.

Why not make an appointment today? Contact Colette on 021 4554055 or 087 9888014 or check out: www.pulsedsignaltherapy.ie to see what a huge difference it has made to others’ full enjoyment of life.

Colette Minehane, operating the H300i for treatment of spinal injuries.

Pulsed Signal Therapy - Now at last available in Ireland Feelgood

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Cover story

Child development

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THE CREATIVE FORCE

What they say

Latest research claims the first 1,000 days after conception sets your child’s health patterns up for life, placing the onus more than ever on the mother to create ideal conditions.

Helen O’Callaghan reports

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HETHER your baby will enjoy good health in adulthood may well come down to what happens it during its first 1,000 days of life.

International research is increasingly finding that programming for a whole range of disorders — including obesity, asthma and diabetes, kidney failure, high blood pressure and mental illness — is set down during the 1,000 days from conception to age two.

“It’s generally believed that because the body is complete within the first 1,000 days after conception that everything’s done. It’s not surprising that health for a lifetime is the product of those 1,000 days,” says Professor David Barker, an epidemiologist at the University of Southampton and a pioneer of the “foetal origins” of disease theory.

Baker hit on the connection between a baby’s prenatal experience and later adult disease 20 years ago after he noticed the poorest regions of England and Wales had the highest heart disease rates. Further investigation established a link between low birth weight (often a sign of poor pre-natal nutrition) and coronary heart disease in middle age.

So how could this be? The process by which an egg and sperm become a fully developed child involves a number of crucial stages. If conditions aren’t optimum at each stage the healthy development of organs such as heart, liver, kidneys and pancreas — even the brain’s wiring — are compromised. If a baby’s undernourished

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Picture: iStock images

during pregnancy or infancy, it’s forced to develop until the child is two. Factors influrespond in particular ways, permanently encing development during this vital 1,000 day changing the body’s structure, physiology and timeline include not only metabolism. malnutrition but exposure to A baby prioritises, explains toxins (alcohol, cigarette Barker. “Top priority is the smoke, drugs, environmental brain. Bottom are things it pollutants); mum’s mental doesn’t need when it’s in the health and stress levels; how a womb. It doesn’t need kidneys child is weaned; whether it’s — mother is the kidney. It fighting lots of infections. doesn’t need lungs — there’s no Once the child reaches age air to breathe. It doesn’t need two, it’s a case of what’s done is muscle — there’s nowhere to done — experts believe it’s not go. A baby trades off these possible to undo the damage. ‘non-important’ things to “The baby who doesn’t grow protect the important. A baby well isn’t doomed but it is doesn’t look ahead. It trades off more vulnerable,” Barker bebecause it can. If there are conlieves. “We all know people sequences in the future, so be who have bad lifestyles, yet live it.” to be 100, and others who live The consequences, says Barkblameless lifestyles and die at er, can translate into a whole 50. Conventional wisdom puts spectrum of disease — heart it down to genes — there’s no disease, osteoporosis, Type 2 evidence for that. If you have a diabetes, some cancers — what strong body, you’re resilient. If he calls “disorders of developyou don’t, you’re more vulnerRIGHT TO CHOOSE: A baby ment”. able.”

Most of the vital stages of de- prioritises and the brain gets While most parents know attention first. Bottom of the breast-feeding’s important for velopment occur while baby’s list are things it doesn’t need baby, Barker says many aren’t still in the womb but some — including brain, skeleton and when it’s in the womb such as aware that breast-feeding is the immune system — continue to kidneys, muscle or lungs. baby’s second attachment to its mother. “The first attachment to its mother is the placenta, which is a fragile organ. If it gets inflamed its complicated transporting system — what goes across the placenta — gets perturbed.”

Barker believes good nutrition pre-conceivGOING WITH THE ing is important for a healthy placenta.

FLOW: Prof “A baby doesn’t live only on what its mother David eats but on her body. It lives off its mother’s Barker lifetime nutrition. Many women in the West believes our eat an unbalanced diet — too much protein, health is not enough carbohydrate. In the past 20 years, influenced even the public health focus has relentlessly been on by our alcohol and smoking. This has distracted grandmother’s everybody from the much more fundamental nutritional intake issue of building better people. Core is protect— that we’re the ing the nutrition of young girls and women through their whole lifetime.” product of 100 Since Barker made his first discovery 20 years of years ago, low birth weight has been linked nutritional flow.

with other adverse health outcomes in adulthood. In studies, thin or short newborns have all been found to have high blood pressure in later life and are twice as likely to need blood pressure control medicine towards the end of their lives.

According to Barker, people with kidney failure also tend to have had low birth weight. They have up to three times fewer nephrons (basic functional units of the kidney) than heavier newborns. Their nephrons therefore have more work to do, increasing pressure on them and accelerating their ageing.

Adding to the burden of babies with low birthweight is their lower bone mass, which persists through their lives. “People who were small at birth or who didn’t thrive during infancy have life-long alterations in growth hormone and cortisol, which… lead both to lower peak bone mass and to more rapid loss of bone mass with age,” says Barker, adding that slow intra-uterine growth and during the first few months after birth is accompanied by reduction in the amount of muscle

WATCHING BRIEF: If a baby is undernourished during pregnancy or infancy, it’s forced to respond in particular ways, permanently changing the body’s structure, physiology and metabolism.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2011

laid down, a lifelong problem because little new muscle is made after that age so people of low birthweight tend to have low muscle mass through their lives.

“They’re less fit and….have at least twice the death rates at each age compared to the most fit.”

While the clinical definition of low birth weight is less than 2.5kg, Barker doesn’t name an exact optimum birth weight, instead saying “nine pounds is better than eight, seven pounds is better than six. You want the child’s body to be brain, muscle and bone — you don’t want it to be fat”.

The connection between low weight and later disease isn’t confined to birth weight.

According to Barker, risk of later chronic disease rises further if baby has low weight gain after birth so that at two years it’s thin or stunted. After age two, rapid gain in fatness further increases risk of later coronary heart disease, hypertension and type 2 diabetes.

In infancy, Barker sees a major problem with how babies are commonly weaned. “Weaning’s chaotic.

Babies are weaned onto what their mothers habitually eat — these crazy diets.

“When a baby’s being weaned, its body is learning how to handle food. If it only gets rice or pot noodles, it doesn’t get the experience of breaking down food and absorbing it correctly. Recurrent respiratory and tummy infections also burden the baby — it has to divert attention from growth to fighting these infections.”

For Barker, however, these

1,000 vital days are not the whole story. He believes our health is influenced even by our grandmother’s nutritional intake. Reminding me that “the egg that made you was laid down a long time ago when your mother was herself in the womb”, Barker says we’re the product of 100 years of nutritional flow.

“A baby implants in the mother’s uterus and after a while it lives off her blood supply. The mother’s arteries were laid down when she was in the womb. The structure of the mother’s reproductive tract, on which so much depends, is itself a product of when she was in the womb.”

In Ireland, the ongoing Lifeways Cross Generation study recruited participants from Dublin and Galway maternity hospitals. “The thrust of the study was influenced by what Professor Barker had proposed,” explains Professor Cecily Kelleher at UCD’s School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Population Studies. The researchers recruited not just mums and babies but dads and grandparents too.

“We wanted to see whether there was any relationship between the grandmother’s current nutritional status and that of her grandchild.

And, because infant birth weight is associated with cardiovascular risk, we also wanted to look at the grandmother’s cardiovascular risk factors.”

So far, the study has shown a link between infant birth weight and both mother and maternal grandmother’s body mass index (BMI).

“On the paternal side, the relationship is more strongly with height than with BMI. We also found mothers who ate more fruit and vegetables during pregnancy were less likely to have wheezy babies.”

While growing numbers of experts across a wide spectrum of disease areas are convinced of the importance for future health of the 1,000 day period, they also urge a sense of perspective.

“I would take a rounded view,” says Kelleher.

“What happens in the first 1,000 days is only a component. In western populations, where people have more exposure to good nutrition, these (adverse health problems aren’t absolute outcomes,” says Kelleher.

Barker has two bits of advice for women wanting healthy children. “You are the arena. Furnish the arena — optimise your nutritional state before you conceive. After that, relax.”

■ Visit www.thebarkertheory.org.

PROFESSOR David Barker isn’t alone in his conviction that baby’s experience in the womb and in infancy is critical for a healthy life.

Recent US research found poor pregnancy diets can alter brain development, leaving the child open to lowered IQ and behavioural problems.

Another study found babies born to 40% of women exposed to PAHs — pollutant found in vehicle exhaust fumes, cigarette fumes and factory smokestacks — had subtle DNA damage associated with greater cancer risk.

Further research found foetuses exposed to high PAH levels were more than twice as likely to be cognitively delayed at age three.

Scientists at Oregon State University are looking at how certain foodstuffs, eaten during pregnancy — such as broccoli and cabbage — equip babies with greater cancer resistance. And research conducted at UCD’s Centre for Human Reproduction at the Coombe Women’s Hospital brought dads into the equation, stating last month that if a father is obese his offspring are two to four times more likely also to be obese.

What you do ■ Quit smoking before trying to conceive. It’s not known how much alcohol is safe during pregnancy – so avoid it.

■ Attain your ideal weight before conceiving, thus minimising your child’s likelihood of having weight issues. Watch weight gain during pregnancy.

■ Eat healthily. Choose a variety of foods from all five food groups (grains, vegetables, fruits, dairy, and meat and beans).

■ Take folic acid (400mcg) daily before becoming pregnant and in early pregnancy. Pregnant women should consume 27mg of iron daily. Consider Vitamin D, omega-3 and calcium supplements.

■ Avoid stress. Research from Germany and Israel found stress experienced by pregnant women can alter the structure of a baby’s brain.

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Medical matters

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Q

I RECENTLY had a heart attack and was interested to read afterwards that listening to music can help with recovery. Does it have any other health benefits?

Dr Niamh Houston

FAMILY

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

A. Yes, music can offer a wide variety of benefits for your health. Studies support the benefits of listening to music to relieve pain, reduce anxiety and tension, enhance relaxation, and improve metabolism, as well as improving blood pressure and heart rates in people.

Many people use music therapy as a personal therapeutic tool as it can provide a pleasant coping strategy and give a feeling of control. (See page 13) Melodies that provide pain relief may be different to those that help reduce stress.

There’s no single type of music that provides benefits for each person, but there are several ways to let music into your heart. One-to one with a qualified music therapist is one option or do-it-yourself approach is another.

Find some music that makes you feel good.

Then sit and listen for 20 minutes or so most days.

Researchers have found the effects of music listening on the cardiovascular system can lower BP, slow the heart rate and lessen anxiety in people hospitalised for heart problems. Music therapy won’t clean out blocked coronary arteries or fix a faulty heart valve, but can ease the pain and distress after cardiac surgery, and in otherwise healthy people, music can also lower blood pressure and ease stress. The brain plays a pivotal role in vascular health.

High cholesterol and high blood pressure are important risk factors for heart disease, but some people lacking these risks develop significant heart disease. That may be partly related to their response to stress. If music can evoke positive emotions and counteract negative stresses of everyday life, it could have a key influence on vascular health.

For people receiving palliative care or facing terminal illness, music can provide a source of solace also.

End-of-life treatment is designed to meet the psychosocial, spiritual and physical needs of patients and music therapy has been found to be effective in enhancing pain relief, comfort, relaxation, mood and sense of well-being for such patients.

There are other reported benefits of music therapy for stroke patients, and children

GOOD VIBRATIONS: Listening to music can provide a pleasant coping strategy and give a feeling of control.

Picture: iStock

with ASD. It is true to say that music is good for the soul.

stop and start breathing frequently during sleep) as well as blocking normal airflow and fluid drainage. If a young child is Q. I have a constant stuffy nose and my found to have nasal polyps he may need to doctor noticed that I have “growths” on be tested for cystic fibrosis. the back of my nose during a recent Nasal corticosteroid sprays can reduce checkup. Could these be cancerous? inflammation and may even help shrink nasal polyps. Antihistamines are useful if It sounds like your doctor was referring to allergies are persistent and antibiotics also to nasal polyps, which are soft painless nontreat chronic/recurring sinus infections. If cancerous growths found on the lining of the medication doesn’t work, surgery on an nasal passages or sinuses. It’s not fully under- out-patient basis can be done to remove stood what causes nasal polyps — they can polyps and correct problems with your result from chronic inflammation due to asth- sinuses that make them prone to inflammama, allergies, or recurring infection (for extion and polyp development. ample, sinusitis). Small nasal polyps usually To prevent polyps recurring, avoid nasal don’t cause symptoms, larger growths can irritants — breathing airborne substances block your nasal passage or lead to breathing that are likely to contribute to inflammation problems, or a lost sense of smell or taste. such as smoke, dust or chemical fumes.

A persistent “stuffiness”, runny nose, snorUse a saltwater (saline) spray or nasal ing, sense of pressure over the forehead or washout to rinse your nasal passages. This face, headache or post-nasal drip are some of can improve mucus flow and remove irritant the more common signs and symptoms of or other chronic sinusitis with nasal polyps. allergens. You can make your own saltwater Nasal polyps can lead to complications, in- solution by mixing 1/8 teaspoon of table cluding obstructive sleep apnoea (where you salt in 8oz of purified warm water.

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

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Catherine Shanahan MUM’S WORLD Feelgood

ILLPOWER is dangerously assailable in the face of constant claims that life is meaningless without a games console. Not a day passes by but that my son reminds me how much his happiness — if not my sanity — depends upon possessing one.

His quest for the Nintendo DS started more than a year ago and gathered momentum in tandem with an aptitude for emotional blackmail. “I’d REALLY like to live in my cousins’ house” he sighed the other night as I lovingly tucked him up in bed.

“Why’s that?” I asked, surprised. “They have a DS,” he replied, cutting me deftly down to size.

I have promised he shall own one just as soon as he can afford to, but this is met with wails of what a mean mother I am.

“EVERYONE has a DS,” he protests.

“Why not me?” Why not indeed. Maybe because I detest the DS, but particularly that wretched Mario, whose antics are so captivating that my son has no interest at all in anything else around him for as long as Mario’s performing. I pray that Bowser, his archnemesis, sends him to his maker, sooner rather than later, and that the whole interactive realm of the Mushroom Kingdom is Bowsered out of existence and the Nintendo DS with it.

I try to block out the endless requests for

the DS, or the DSi, or the DSi XL, or the Nintendo Lite, by employing a distraction technique used to great effect by my other half. It involves silently reciting the names of the last 10 winners at Aintree, or the top 10 teams in the British Premier League. The concentration this requires not only neutralises any background noise but it acts as a shield against unwelcome requests, such as cutting the grass. As least that’s what the other half says.

Alternatively, I could use ChatterBlocker, a PC application intended to reduce distraction from unwanted quarters through a variety of speech masking-sounds such as water and bird song.

But I am not convinced another piece of software can end the torture.

I can’t stop the pleading because there is no reasoning with a five-year-old, nor can I compete with the makers of video games because these are the guys who know what it takes to hook a child.

And so occasionally, when I feel my willpower is waning and sanity is challenged by the constant badgering, I send him down to the cousins’ house in the hope that a temporary fix will give him the hit he needs to find peace and give me a reprieve, for an hour at least. As some Scotsman once said, better bend than break.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2011

I try to block out the endless requests for the DS by employing a distraction technique used by my other half. It involves silently reciting the names of the last 10 winners at Aintree or the top 10 teams in the British Premier League

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Watching out

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Teenagers attending the Electric Picnic music festival this weekend are best advised — not lectured — on drink, safe sex and drugs, says Arlene Harris

Strike the right note

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HE school doors may be open again after the long summer break, but the party isn’t over. This weekend will see teenagers (and considerably older veterans) from all over the country packing their bags and heading off to their favourite, mud-caked venue for a weekend of music and mayhem.

Electric Picnic has been running for seven years and attracts up to 35,000 visitors, who make the annual pilgrimage to Laois to soak up the music, chill out at the Body and Soul arena and exercise their laughter muscles at the International Comedy Tent.

And while this event may pack in a more varied line-up than most festivals, there will still be hordes of young music lovers taking part in what has become a rite of passage.

Every year, the festival season sees thousands of teenagers head away from home for the first time, and everywhere they turn there are survival tips — how to get there, what to pack, and most importantly how to behave around alcohol and drugs.

But what about their parents — how will they survive the event without worrying themselves into a stupor, or (God forbid) following their offspring to the festival and making sure they don’t get up to any mischief?

Rita O’Reilly, director of Parentline, the free advisory service for parents, says if you have agreed to let your teenager go to the event, you must go with the flow.

“No-one knows your teenager like you do and once you have decided he is mature and sensible enough to be allowed to go away for the weekend, you must follow that trust through and just let him get on with it,” she says.

“If you have an open relationship with your child, use it to impart your advice about drink, drugs, sex or whatever it is you are worried about. Try not to lecture them as they are less likely to listen. If they are mature enough to go, then all you can do is pass on the relevant information and let them get on with it.”

ALCOHOL: Fionnuala Sheehan, CEO of drinkaware.ie, says parents should talk to their children and make them aware of the pitfalls of drinking too much alcohol.

“Drinking too much at a festival isn’t smart,” she says. “At the very least you’ll wreck the weekend for your friends, if they have to look after you when you’re worse for wear. Then there are the more serious possibilities — headache, nausea, alcohol poisoning and getting lost or robbed.”

Drinkaware.ie has compiled a festival survival guide, which is available to download from their website.

Some of the most basic tips for drinking sensibly include: ■ Pace yourself and alternate alcoholic beverages with soft drinks ■ Don’t drink alcohol on an empty stomach ■ Don’t accept drinks from strangers or leave your own drink unattended.

“We know that, for many people, having a drink adds to the festival atmosphere,” says Fionnuala Sheehan. “However, missing your favourite band because you’re drunk or hungover, or leaving the festival with no recollection of the weekend, is such a waste.”

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■ Parental tips ■ Once you have decided to let them go start treating them as an adult.

■ Let them organise the details, do their own packing and make the necessary arrangements themselves.

■ Trust is very important, never bribe or threaten.

■ Even though you will be anxious, refrain from calling — instead ask your child to send regular texts.

■ Don’t chaperone your Picture: iStock teenager to the festival, if he can’t go alone, don’t let him go.

■ Be realistic, they will probably drink alcohol, may have sex and could be offered drugs. Give as much advice as you can without being heavy-handed.

Picture: iStock

SEX: Niall Behan, CEO of the Irish Family Planning Association (IFPA), says that sexual health is also important to consider as many people let their guards down at festivals, so parents should be aware and speak to their teenagers in advance.

“During the festival season, we’d like to remind everyone to practice safer sex. Ensure you have a supply of contraception to get you through the weekend. It’s important to remember that the pill doesn’t protect against STIs, so it’s always best to use a condom.

“If things don’t go to plan, go to your local pharmacy for emergency contraception,

which can be taken up to 72 hours after sex.

The sooner you take it, the more effective it is. Keep in mind that alcohol can inhibit sexual pleasure and make safer sex more difficult to negotiate.

“Finally, remember that sex is about pleasure, fulfilment and fun, so don’t do anything you don’t want to do,” he says.

ASTHMA: Health is also important and most young people on medication are well able to administer their own prescriptions. But the Asthma Society of Ireland (ASI) says it’s vital for asthmatics to pack inhalers, and, more

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2011

importantly, remember to take them as required. “Weather changes, high pollen counts and second-hand smoke are all part of a large list of triggers at outdoor music festivals that can exacerbate asthma symptoms,” says Dr Jean Holohan, CEO of ASI. “People with asthma need to ensure they are prepared, have their asthma under control before they go, and know what to do in an emergency.

“Electric Picnic has become one of the biggest and most exciting festivals in Europe, and with good planning people with asthma, hay fever, or other allergies should have an enjoyable experience.”

Essential advice for asthmatics: ■ Carry an asthma attack card at all times.

■ Know where the medical tents are.

■ Inform friends of your asthma.

For more information on festival health, see: www.parentline.ie or 1890-927277. www.asthmasociety.ie or 1850-445464 www.drinkaware.ie or 01-6114811 www.ifpa.ie or 1850-49 50 51; 01-8727088 or 01-4597685

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Food survey

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Fair juice to them Roz Crowley

F

RUIT drinks are useful additions to lunch boxes for adults and children.

Aside from it being back-to-school time, an increasing number of workers are bringing pre-packed lunches to save the pennies. So what are we actually drinking?

Because of the processing involved, including making juices into concentrates, valuable micronutrients can be lost, but they can still contain some nutritional benefits such as vitamin C. A piece of fresh fruit is preferable, of course, but as vitamin C is depleted once fruit is picked anyway, we still don’t get the full spectrum of health benefits. However,

quite a lot does still remain over time and it’s still worth making sure we get our five-a-day of fruit and vegetables.

Fruit acids can damage tooth enamel, so ideally we should swish our mouths with water after drinking any amount. There are plenty of natural sugars in fruit juices and if the fruit is of good quality should need no additional sugar or sugar substitutes.

Some chemical sweeteners have been found to have side effects when tested on animals.

While amounts in each individual product can be well below the level of danger, those eating processed foods should be careful as they often contain chemicals to preserve and add flavour and add to the overall chemical intake.

If children have behavioural problems, it is always worth cutting out drinks which have chemical additives for six weeks and watch for any improvement.

My suggestion for giving children and adults a drink with more flavour than water, is occasionally to dilute the best of those we tasted here. Half and half will provide an economical, flavoursome thirst quencher which will prevent dehydration and help concentration at school and work.

Picture: iStock

Mi wadi, 1 litre €1.32

Ribena, 4 x 200ml €1.82

Though the label says no artificial colours or flavours, there are added sweeteners acesulphame k and aspartame, a source of phenylanine (dangerous for those with PKU — the inability to fully break down the amino acid phenylalanine). In bold lettering we are told there is low sugar and the drink contains naturally occurring sugars. This is found in the small enough amount of fruit, 5% each raspberry and strawberry, which is made from concentrate with water. There are also artificial preservatives potassium sorbate and dimethyl dicarbonate.

The result is a sickly sweet mixture.

Made from 10% whole oranges and 10% orange juice from concentrate, the list of preferred ingredients stops here. The additives are the sweeteners aspartame and acesulphane K. Sodium citrate is the acidity regulator. Acesulphane K is up to 200 times sweeter than sugar. The label says there is no added sugar and that it contains sweeteners, with naturally occurring sugars.

All this is true but it suggests that all the sugars are naturally occurring, whereas many are in chemical form. Diluted in the suggested ratio of 1 part to 9 parts water, it is not oversweet, but has a chemical back taste not liked by most tasters.

With a pleasant, fresh blackcurrant taste from 6% blackcurrant juice from concentrate, there is some sugar added to sweeten and there is added vitamin C and citric acid as preservatives. The label states it is not recommended for children under three. .

There are no artificial colours or sweeteners, and with 10.5% sugars, some from the fruit, it is a little, but not too sweet.

Score: 2

Score: 2.5

Robinsons Fruit Shoot, 4 x 200ml €3.09

Sqeez pure orange juice, 3 x 200ml pack €1.99 This orange juice from concentrate comes in a small tetra pack with a straw.

There is no added sugar, which is commendable, and the result is not oversweet and quite rich as the skins have probably been used to give it a full orange, albeit quite acidic, flavour. There is added folic acid and vitamin C. The taste is not very refreshing, but its relative lack of additives makes it worth including in lunch boxes from time to time. Give a bottle of water to reduce acid damage to teeth during the day.

Score: 7

Score: 6

The ingredients list is difficult to read.

Made from purée and juice from concentrate of 29.5% carrot, 13.5% banana, and 11% apple, this is a smoothie-like drink with substance and a slightly creamy texture. Despite a glucose-fructose syrup, it is not oversweet and tastes more of fruit than carrot. While micro-nutrients are often destroyed by making fruits and vegetables into concentrates, there are added vitamins A and C and benefits from the carrot, banana and apple. A natural drink in a recyclable bottle. Fair price, pretty good quality.

Score: 7.5

Marks and Spencer pressed and crushed apple, beetroot and blackcurrant juice, 250ml €1.50 Made in Spain from the juice of apples, blackcurrants and beetroot, the taste is fresh and lively, with an earthy beetroot overtone, and lots of rich blackcurrant in the background. The juices are not made from concentrate which shows here in preserving the flavours. I expect more nutrients are preserved too as it has an energy that is often not found in reconstituted concentrates.

Thirst quenching and with no added sugar, it still has enough natural sweetness to be appealing to those not too accustomed to oversweet sugar substitutes. A good buy.

Rio Doro Cloudy Apple Juice, 1 litre €1.49, Aldi

Rose Cottage Fruit Farm Pure apple and raspberry juice, 750ml €3

This apple juice is fresh and not made from concentrate, with vitamin C and the antioxidant ascorbic acid in tetra packs keeping it preserved. There is no indication on the pack of where it’s made, but it has a deliciously fresh taste and is excellent even diluted by about four parts water to one of juice. With no added sugar, the natural sugars in the apple are quite enough and the result is a well balanced, delicious, thirst quenching drink. Good value too.

Made in Co Laois from the juice of apples and raspberries, it has an excellent balance of both fruits. While quite sweet, it’s natural and thirst quenching and delicious with ice and festive when diluted with sparkling water. A fair price for a good product which can be diluted for school lunches with still water to make it stretch.

In a glass bottle, available at the farm in Monthrath, Co Laois, and many farmers’ markets nationwide. www.rosecottagefruitfarm.ie

Score: 9

Score: 8.5

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Kubus Carrot, Banana and Apple, 300ml 71c, Quish Supervalu, Ballincollig

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2011

Score: 9

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Male health

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Music is the key to sleep S

LEEP is often the first casualty in times of stress — whether that stress is caused by your job or lack of a job. Ongoing broken sleep can play havoc with the immune system and over time lead to depression. According to the HSE, prescriptions for one particular insomnia drug increased by 100,000 between 2004 and 2009.

John B Levine is an Australian with a background in classical music and electronic engineering who claims his music CDs can help to conquer sleep problems, stress, anxiety and other health major issues.

“My father died at 58 from stress-related illnesses — he had diabetes, diverticulitis, a heart attack, bypass surgery, and a stroke before he passed away,” says John, who will be speaking at the Rude Health Show at the RDS, Dublin, on Sunday, September 11.

“Everyone was lecturing him on stopping worrying, but nothing, including lots of tablets from the chemist, worked.”

MUSICAL BALM: John B Levine whose Alphamusic aims to move listeners through the sleep stages of alpha and theta to the deeper, calmer delta state at which the body rejuvenates.

Deirdre O'Flynn MOSTLY MEN

Later, John discovered New Age relaxation music, often marketed as a remedy for stress.

“I was so disappointed when I heard the CDs, so I started to analyse why they didn’t work from a harmonic, melodic, instrumental, production and chord progression point of view. I set my aim at slowing people’s brainwaves down so that they could get a feeling of meditation without needing to do a course or get training.”

His Alphamusic was created — with its aim to move listeners through the sleep stages of alpha, theta to the deeper, calmer delta state

at which the body rejuvenates. John created his first CD, Silence of Peace, in 1984, and in the meantime has had independent verification of its health benefits.

Polish dental surgeons tested the impact of playing Silence of Peace during procedures for 100 patients while another 100 had no music playing. “There was a significant drop in stress and anxiety during the procedures of those with the music playing,” says John, adding that another study on troublesome teen boys in Britain showed a drop in hyperactivity and an increase in academic results.

Get in gear with road safety programme

Help prevent falls among the elderly

YOU can become a Road Safety Ambassador in Co Mayo or Dublin by running a road safety awareness programme in your community.

Protecting Our Community — A Call to Action is an awareness programme on road safety for adults which is made up of a resource pack and accompanying DVD. It was produced by the Road Safety Authority in conjunction with a multi-agency team, including Muintir na Tire.

The Road Safety Authority is running a free training

The ESB Electric Ireland Positive Ageing Week is coming up on Friday, September 23 to Saturday, October 1. If you have older relatives it may be an idea to arrange a pre-homecare inspection to help prevent falls in the home.

Falls are a leading cause of unintentional home injury and death and the risk of falling increases with age. Now, Be Independent Home Care, an Irish company, can carry out a walkthrough of the home to identify and remedy potential fall hazards.

Doing away with loose rugs or mats (especially on a

TAKE 1

HERBAL KIT: A.Vogel Riddance is a herbal head lice removal kit containing Riddance shampoo and a fine comb. The shampoo contains Neem seed extract, which is gentle on the scalp and has natural insecticidal activity that prevents the growth, feeding and reproduction of head lice. The kit is designed to be used every day for four days and again after seven days to ensure your child’s hair stays lice free. Riddance is €9.40 from health stores and pharmacies.

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programme for people interested in delivering Protecting Our Community — A Call to Action in Co Mayo on September 12 and 13 in the Harlequin Hotel, Castlebar, and in Dublin on September 20 and 21 in the Clarion Hotel, Liffey Valley.

For further information, contact Jenny McLoughlin, Road Safety Promotion Officer, Road Safety Authority at 096-25002 or email jennymcloughlin@rsa.ie

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slippery floor), electric leads (trailing across the floor), dealing with wet surfaces (especially in the bathroom), or moving pots, pans, dishes or food items to lower cabinets are all things you could look out for. Measures such as the installation of handles and rails can reduce the risk of falls.

■ For further information, contact Be Independent Home Care in Co Dublin on 018283030 or log on to www.beindependenthomecare.ie

John will be touring Ireland next week to promote his appearance at the Rude Health Show in Dublin. During his Alphamusic tour, at many of the major health stores in Wexford, Waterford, Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Galway, Roscommon, Longford and Dublin, John will answer questions on how his invention, Alphamusic, works.

■ The Alphamusic CDs retail at between €19.99 and €23.99 and are available from independent health food stores in Ireland, www.silenceofmusic.com, on info@silenceofmusic.com or 00-44-203-2398108.

DId you know...

Men, just like women, have a deep drive to have children Source: Prof Gary Brase and Sandra Brase, Kansas State University

HEAD LICE

2

NATURAL SOLUTION: Nelsons Nice ‘N Clear, €14.95, is a 10-minute natural treatment formulated to eradicate head lice and their eggs, available from health stores and pharmacies.

Suitable for use from age six months upwards, Nice and Clear uses Neem, Tea Tree and Lavender essential oils.

Lisa O’Gorman from the Nelsons Homeopathic Dispensary, Duke Street, Dublin 2 also suggests using shampoos which contain fatty aids and coconut or olive oil, for example Burt’s Bees Grapefruit and Sugar Beet Shampoo, €9.95, to help to break down the bodies of lice during an infestation.

For more advice or to mail order products, call the Dispensary on 01-679 0451.

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NEEM SHAMPOO: Blended using essential oils and natural ingredients, Faith In Nature’s Neem & Propolis Shampoo and Conditioner contain insect-repelling Neem oil which may be useful as a preventative measure against head lice. Faith In Nature also recommends using its deep cleansing, anti-bacterial, antiseptic and anti-fungal, Tea Tree shampoo and conditioner for children who have had an infestation. Hair care products in the range cost €4.33 for the 250ml size from health stores.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2011

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BUG BUSTER: Developed by a British-based charity, Community Hygiene Concern, the Bug Buster Kit (£8.41 inc p&p) is designed to work with your usual family shampoo and conditioner, rather than specialised lotions. The kit contains a wide-tooth comb to untangle conditioned hair, three bevel-edged fine tooth combs designed to detect even the tiniest lice, a nit comb to remove unsightly eggshells (nits), a 28-page explanatory booklet and a waterproof cape. The charity’s website, where you can order the kit and find out more about head lice, is www.nits.net and their helpline is 0044-1908561928.

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14 Beauty

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After a dismal summer the new autumn shades give you a chance to play around with colour and even some glamour

Lash it on

TERAPROOF:User:margaretjenningsDate:31/08/2011Time:15:44:40Edition:02/09/2011FeelgoodXH0209Page:14

Emily O’Sullivan

I

DON’T like cold weather, but the end of summer comes as something of a relief. This probably has to do with the fact that I have a dysfunctional relationship with summer clothes. And this year has been particularly bad. I mean, denim cut-off hot pants? Please. I didn’t even look good in that kind of gear when I was 15.

I literally bought one thing this summer — a V-neck white T-shirt. That’s it. And I’ve managed pretty well. I come into my own when the autumn/winter clothes hit the stores — monochrome colours, sumptuous textures, enveloping shapes. That’s more like it. And it’s the same with beauty. I mean, it’s not pleasant trying to faff around with bronzer, aqua eyeshadows and fuchsia lipstick, particularly if you’re not inclined towards Malibu Stacey chic.

Thankfully, the autumn beauty collections are now on the counter with a great range of SCREEN DIVA: In direct contrast to the androgynous look this season, there is a major return new colours, shades and formulations. Of to old-school Hollywood and false lashes abound. course, you don’t HAVE to buy anything new for the new season — if you’ve got a black eyeliner and a red lipstick in your fashion this season, with a menswear directhis means foundation and powder) is back in make-up bag then you’ll do pretty well with- tion running right through the women’s col- a big way. Think old-school Hollywood and out any new purchases. lections with oversized coats, loafers, sharp 1940s chic — hair is done and make-up is Then again, if you’re bored of that liquid trousers and tailored jackets. Beauty has folfull-on. Get yourself a good lipstick, a good eyeliner that’s been lingering around your lowed suit with a homage to manly chic that mascara, a sexy eyeshadow and you’re half bathroom, now’s the perfect time to replace it focuses on angular cheekbones, groomed way there. with something a little more dynamic. Yes, brows, very little eye make-up or a touch of It may pain us to say this — as we do find the ’60s eye is still big this season — still brown eyeshadow and neutral lips. It’s a her really quite irritating — but Fergie from bold, still sultry and still very stylised, but tough look to carry off, especially for older the Black Eyed Peas seems to be the major there’s a lot going on besides. women, and especially in the depths of winreference for the hairstyle of the season: First up is violet. Violet has shimmered its ter where it can almost look as if you’re scraped back into a high ponytail. way through a number of major collections, washed out instead of fashionably masculine.

The pony is a massive look this spring — including Clarins, Dior, Armani and Yves Opt for a slight dab of beige rose lipstick, and and the good thing is that all you need to Saint Laurent. It’s a rich sumptuous look that a slick of barely there blush to keep things on achieve it is long or medium-long hair. It really makes the most of green eyes, if you the right side of the boys. keeps the 40s styling from looking too fanare lucky enough to have them. Keep the There is a major return to excessively high cy-dress, too, so match your Hollywood colour rich, but opt for a smokier look by glamour. False lashes abound, lipstick is deep, screen siren make-up with a fresh bouncy blending with blues and greys. red and very matte and polished skin (and pony tail and you’re good to go.

There’s an androgynous edge at work in

The news on...

FALSE EYELASHES False eyelashes are a big, big, big look this season. They’ve gone from Georgie Shore right to the catwalk. The major way to wear them this season is against a neutral eye, without three inches of dark eye makeup. It’s false eyelashes, done naturally, if that’s possible. I got in a few packets of Just Lashes by Ja’Maal Buster (who works with Britney, Rihanna, pictured, and Beyoncé), and decided to give them a go.

Somehow people use these things every weekend — but I’ve yet to master the art of applying them.

These Bold and Beautiful lashes are insanely over the top, almost drag queen-esque in their massiveness, but if you can quite manage those, there are lots of other options including Whisper, Rock Star Chic and Looking for Love.

Just Lashes are available from all major pharmacies and salons nationwide, and online at jamaalbuster.co.uk. €6.95

Take three...

BLUE NAIL POLISHES Blue used to be in. Then it was out. Now it’s in again. It’s hard to keep up, but blue is most definitely back for autumn. And no, it’s not navy, it’s blue all the way.

Yves Saint Laurent La Laque in 043 and 044, €24. Oooh, if there is one shade that’s likely to tempt us back to blue this season, it’s 043. Oh hang on, 044 is pretty hot, too. These two great shades from YSL are super-cool and bang on trend.

Dior Vernis Haute Couleur Extreme Wear Nail Lacquer in Blue Denim, €22. What a great shade. While some blues can just seem wrong, especially in winter — this seems to hit the nail on the head. It’s nicely matte, has a lovely pretty denim tone and it would definitely be our number one pic for autumn. We know what we’re going to be wearing anyhow.

Essie Nail Polish in Mezmerised, €10.75. A younger, more fun blue — this is a cobalt, royal blue colour. Hard to carry off if you’re prone to wearing dark grey or black clothes, so make sure you keep your outfit in mind before you take the plunge.

It’s still a keeper, though.

STUFF WE LIKE Yves Saint Laurent Ombres 5 Lumieres, €57. It is pricey, but it’s the kind of palette that will get you noticed.

With glorious colours you can mix and match in a myriad of ways to get a whole load of different looks, this investment will take you through to spring.

Bobbi Brown Sheer Finish Loose Powder, €34.50. If you’re going for the foundation-powder combo, it’s really important to get a very light powder that doesn’t

Feelgood

have a powdery texture, or else your complexion is going to look chalky instead of polished. Try this little number from Bobbi Brown. It’s one of our faves, light and flattering. It’s not cheap, but it does last quite well.

If you’re a bit clumsy, opt for the pressed version. Both are oil-free and oil absorbing.

Max Factor Xperience Weightless Foundation, €19.99. You don’t have to spend a fortune on foundation this season, although there are countless deluxe launches

to tempt you to part with your cash.

Released earlier in the year, Max Factor’s Xperience is still high on our list of very good quality foundations giving you good, flattering coverage with a very lightweight, natural feel. We like.

Boots Lash Adapt, €17. We tried this one a few weeks ago and we thought it was okay. But we are now officially impressed. It’s seriously good. Since we’ve started wearing it no less than three people have asked us what mascara we were wearing — one even thought we were wearing lash extensions. Don’t be

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2011

afraid to build it up with several coats for maximum length and thickness.

Estee Lauder Pure Colour Velvet Lipstick in Red Velvet, €23. Pretty much the only shade of lipstick you need this season — if it’s not red, why would you bother? Go for maximum impact and layer it on to make sure it lasts.

Match it with a nude face and massive eyelashes. It’s not subtle but neither was Hollywood.

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Natural health

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

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

As a result of a disability, I have to spend long hours in bed. My bed is totally electric with the power points close to its head.

I also have power points for a radio and table lamp. In the past few months I started to use a laptop also. Recently, I have been getting headaches, which can be severe. Do you think there might be a connection with use of electrics and my headaches?

A. The topic of EMF (Electro Magnetic Field) disrupting the delicate balance required for all human bodily processes has been in debate for as long as there have been electrical devices in all of our homes.

In crude terms it is a combination of both electric and magnetic fields, which is the result of moving and static charges. It is a scientific fact that EMFs have an effect on animate and inanimate objects, it is the magnitude of this effect with respect to health conditions that is the subject of debate.

Of course, it is important to take into account the intensity of the field, and how often you are likely to be exposed to it. In your case, there are a number of contributing fields acting on you — and with you being confined to bed for long periods of time, it may be that you have more exposure to EMFs than the average person. Having said that there is far more EMF activity and intensity within an urban environment than rural, so it does depend largely on your area too.

Last year I read a great book called Earthing, by Clint Ober, which discusses in depth the effect of EMFs and the importance of grounding ourselves. Of course, this energy is discharged by simply walking barefoot on the ground and, given that all the electrical wiring in our homes is grounded to avoid electrocution, this is not a new concept.

Clint has worked together with scientists and researchers to develop a range of earthing products, which reduce the effects of us being surrounded by laptops, televisions, mobile phones — to name but a few of the devices we are constantly exposed to. These products have proved particularly helpful in situations such as yours, where sleeping on the ground on camping holidays, and walking barefoot on a regular basis are not viable.

According to Clint Ober, “research has demonstrated that earthing the body plays a substantial role in the reduction of inflammation and functioning of other physiological processes.”

He also advises that anyone taking medication to thin the blood, regulate blood sugar, control blood pressure, or to regulate hormone thyroid levels, should consult their doctor for advice and a medication monitoring routine before they begin sleeping “earthed”.

For further information and research on the effects of earthing, visit www.earthinginstitute.net/index.php/research. You can purchase Earthing products, such as grounding

15

MAGNETIC FIELD: Earthing products reduces the effects of being surrounded by laptops, televisions, and mobile phones especially if you are bedbound.

Picture: Getty Images

bed sheets, foot mats, mouse pads, seat pads, and wrist bands, online from www.earthing.com.

This is a US company, so if you would prefer to buy closer to home, then try www.groundology.com.

EMF issues aside, I also think it is wise to also consider spinal mis-alignment, no matter how subtle, as a significant factor in your headaches. Contact an osteopath, cranio-sacral therapist, or chiropractor if you feel that this is a likely contributing cause.

Q. A close relative has been diagnosed with schizophrenia. She is on anti-psychotic medication but side effects are affecting her general health. Can you suggest any supportive therapies for her?

Would acupuncture be of any benefit?

A. The side-effects of neuroleptic medication, prescribed for schizophrenia, affect people profoundly and in some cases, permanently — your relative is quite right to be concerned.

Dr Maureen B Roberts, director of the Schizophrenia Drug-free Crisis Centre in South Australia, states that “In the vast majority of cases, schizophrenia is an acute psychospiritual crisis which has usually been triggered by a traumatic life conflict. However, the following physical conditions can also trigger psychotic disturbances: cerebral allergies, vitamin B3 and B6 dependencies, vitamin deficiencies (scurvy, pellagra etc), EFA deficiencies, mineral (such as zinc) de-

ficiencies, toxic reactions to lead, or drugs (including psychiatric drugs), LSD, marijuana and other hallucinogens, infections such as rheumatic fever, syphilis, and food allergies.”

Dr Roberts suggests a comprehensive withdrawal programme, under the guidance of a compassionate GP who practices (drug-free) orthomolecular medicine and who is fully supportive of your wish to withdraw from psychiatric drugs. Of course, this is a huge step to even consider with a condition such as schizophrenia, and not something to be undertaken lightly.

I recommend that your relative do some research first, starting with Orthomolecular Treatment for Schizophrenia, by A. Hoffer, MD and Punishing the Patient: How Psychiatrists Misunderstand & Mistreat Schizophrenia, by Richard Gosden, PhD. The protocol outlined by Dr Roberts includes megavitamin therapy, mineral supplementation, essential fatty acids, homeopathy, flower remedies, herbs, essential oils, exercise and nutrition. The complete programme outline is freely available form the website: http://jungcircle.com/Schizophrenia.html.

In the meantime, a wholefoods diet full of fresh, organic and seasonal produce will support the current medical prescription, along with plenty of fresh water, and daily moderate exercise — say 20 minutes walking, cycling, or tai chi. Avoid processed, sugary, and fatty foods and drinks as these will exacerbate the symptoms.

■ NOTE: The information contained above is not a substitute for medical advice. Always consult a doctor first.

Megan puts the spotlight on:

L

ST week, I discussed the effects of interrupted sleep on obesity. This week the focus is on sleep and alcohol. While many people will have a drink or two to relax them in the evening, it has been shown that alcohol causes sleep disturbance.

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Obviously, sleep issues aren’t solely linked with alcohol consumption — those who avoid drink altogether can still suffer from insomnia, or have trouble returning to sleep after being woken in the wee small hours. However, research has indicated that there is a definite link between drinking in the evening and broken sleep.

One such study, published earlier this month, showed the effect of alcohol on parasympathetic nerve activity during sleep by measuring the heart rate variability of subjects. The parasympathetic nervous system is activated when we are resting, while the sympathetic nervous system is linked to stress and alertness.

The reason why this is important in determining the effect of alcohol on

ALCOHOL AND SLEEP sleep is because by monitoring whether the parasympathetic or sympathetic nervous system was dominant, the researchers were able to determine whether the body was triggered to be in rest or alert mode. The results showed that alcohol disrupts parasympathetic activity, with more alcohol leading to greater disruption.

So, how can you reduce your alcohol consumption, and achieve a more restful sleep? The first step is to consider that alcohol is not only dehydrating, we drink less if we are well hydrated in the first place. The body requires 1-2 glasses (300-600ml) of water for every alcoholic drink, so while it is important to drink a couple of glasses of water before drinking alcohol, it is crucial that you

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2011

continue drinking water during and after alcohol consumption.

Make sure that you eat plenty of nutritious food before drinking, since this reduces the appetite for alcohol, and supports the body in moderating the effects of alcohol.

A good rule of thumb is that you are likely to need an hour of sleep to negate the effects of every unit of alcohol — so add an hour to your sleeping time for each alcoholic drink you consume.

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XH - V1

Introducing the World’s First Invisible In-The-Ear-Canal Hearing Aid...

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HIGH PERFORMANCE FEATURES ARE INTENDED TO: • Reduce listening effort and mental fatigue in noisy environments • Virtually eliminate whistling or buzzing • Let you talk easily on the phone • Provide a comfortable fit, designed for your ear • Suit your lifestyle and budget with a variety of styles and technology levels We also specialise in...

CUSTOMISED HEARING PROTECTION For industrial, music, swimming and motor sports usage OCCUPATIONAL HEARING CONSERVATION PROGRAMMES Workplace noise assessments. Assessment of hearing protection requirements. Occupational audiometry SOFT LASER THERAPY FOR THE TREATMENT OF TINNITUS TOP CONSULTING AUDIOLOGIST LEADING OUR TEAM Graham Quin is a graduate of University College Cork, Trinity College Dublin and holds a Masters Degree in Audiology from the world renowned Institute of Sound and Vibration Research (ISVR) at the University of Southampton.

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GRAHAM M. QUIN BE MSc (Audiology) Dip SHWW Dip Env Eng CEng MIEI MIOSH Consulting Audioligist

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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2011