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Feelgood
Friday, September 9, 2011
Hooked on pleasure Whatever your fix – food, sex, meditation or fundraising for charity – we are all hardwired for bliss: 8, 9
STAYING ALERT
Information pack educates schools on children’s chronic illnesses: 4, 5
FLIRTY FORTIES
Why older women find it difficult to date: 6
DOUBLE ACT
Picture: iStockphoto
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How to budget and cook delicious meals for two: 12
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2 News front Kate O’Reilly WHAT’S ON ■ PEDAL POWER: Rebel Pedal!, the annual Cork Environmental Forum bicycle parade which is part of the An Post Rebel Tour takes place tomorrow, Saturday, September 10. All are welcome to take part in this free colourful cycling cruise, which begins at 1pm from the Grand Parade and will arrive at CIT at 2pm via a 7.5km route around the city centre. Registration is from 12pm and all are welcome, particularly families. Please note that under 16s must be accompanied by an adult. See www.cef.ie ■ CONSOLE WALK To mark World Suicide Prevention Day tomorrow, Console will hold their annual Memorial Walk in the Phoenix Park, Dublin. Starting at 11am at The Papal Cross, this special 5km walk is dedicated to all those who have been lost to suicide. If you would like to take part, please register online at www.console.ie or by contacting Console on 01-6102638. Console is also holding a concert at Vicar St tomorrow night at 7.30pm, hosted by Joe Duffy, with The Beermats and surprise guests. Tickets are €15 from www.ticketmaster.ie ■ RUDE HEALTH: Rude Health at the RDS, Ireland’s biggest health and wellbeing show, returns to the RDS in Dublin this weekend. New speakers include Dr Eva Orsmond from Operation Transformation and medical herbalist Vivienne Campbell. Patrick Holford, Dr Marilyn Glenville and Professor Jane Plant are also among the speakers. Free tickets are available from your local IAHS health store or admission is €12 (senior citizens €8; under 12s free). www.rudehealth.ie ■ YOGA FUNDRAISER: The Stretch Your Heart for Cork Simon yoga fundraiser returns to Cork Movement Centre on September 17. Classes will be taught by Lalit Kumar of Himalaya Yoga Valley (www.yogagoaindia.com) and will include asana (postures), pranayama (breathing techniques) a short meditation. The beginners class starts at 10am and intermediate is at 2pm. Early booking is advised. Call 086-0700048 for or see www.corkmovementcentre.ie ■ FIRE WALK: Muscular Dystrophy Ireland is looking for volunteers to take part in a fundraising Fire Walk Challenge in Cork park on September 16. After a motivational training session, those taking part will walk across 20 feet of wood embers burning at 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit without experiencing pain or injury. Funds raised will go towards respite support services for the 590 people in Ireland who have condition. To take the Fire Walk Challenge please contact Amy Bramley at 01-623 6414 or see www.mdi.ie ■ MALLOW AWARE: The Mallow Aware support group meet on the first and third Thursday of each month in Le Cheile Family Resource Centre, Community Campus, Fair Street, Mallow. Anyone who lives with depression or anxiety is welcome to attend. More details available from www.aware.ie or Kate Donnellyat 087-2993142. ● Items for inclusion in this column can be sent to koreilly8@gmail.com
FeelgoodMag
Feelgood
FeelgoodMag
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In advance of Migraine Action Week, Arlene Harris reports on an intriguing treatment for sufferers using Botox
New head start O
WE have all suffered from headaches in our lifetime, but how many of us have experienced the crippling pain of a migraine? Well, more than 13,000 Irish people know only too well what it entails, and suffer with intense pain daily. In fact, the amount of work days lost by sufferers is estimated to cost the economy €250 million annually. Migraine Action Week takes place from September 12 to 18 and researchers at Trinity College, supported by the European Headache Alliance, have investigated the potential for those affected by migraine in the workplace to be protected by EU employment laws. “International bodies, such as the World Health Organisation, have made it clear that migraine is a disability,” says Dr Caoimhín MacMaolain, director of research at Trinity’s Law Department. “Those suffering from this condition in a manner that affects their day-to-day activities, even on a transitory basis, should therefore be covered by the existing employment laws in all of the EU member states, including Ireland.” But the Migraine Association of Ireland (MAI) maintains many sufferers are being discriminated against in the workplace. “We have heard stories about migraine sufferers receiving warnings or being threatened with dismissal because the unseen nature of the condition means it’s often not fully understood by employers or colleagues,” says Donna Ryan of the MAI.
THROBBING TEMPLES: Migraine is more than just a headache, and employers need to recognise it for the chronic illness that it is.
Picture: iStock
Migraine Action Week aims to make employers more aware of the condition and help sufferers to find respite from pain. Meanwhile, a new treatment is proving quite successful. Botox has been achieving surprising results in the treatment of migraine. Esther Tomkins, a specialist nurse at the Migraine Clinic at Beaumont Hospital, says the introduction of Botox could make a huge difference to sufferers. “The toxin is injected into 30 specific sites around the head and neck and results have shown a dramatic reduction both in the severity of pain and the regularity of migraine. Side effects are quite low and include bruising and flu-like symptoms but the results overall are proving to be a success.”
The treatment, which lasts for up to three months and costs about €1,000, is only suitable for patients who have been unsuccessful with regular treatment and have been referred to a specialist by their GP. ■ Up to 15% of the Irish population suffer with regular migraine. ■ Migraine usually starts with a one-sided throbbing ache. It can last for several days and the sufferer is often sensitive to light, sound and smell. ■ 60% of migraine cases are hereditary and it can affect people of any age. ● For more information about coping with migraine pain and Migraine Action Week visit www.migraine.ie or call 1850 200 378.
HEALTH NOTES IT’S time for the National Dairy Council’s Milk it Secondary School Advertising Awards. Secondary school students are invited to experience the creativity, challenges and thrills of working in their own “advertising agency”; taking on roles such as creative directors, designers, copywriters, research directors, media directors and project managers. Students who register now for the project will be given a brief and guidelines to help them research, design and plan an advertising campaign aimed at their own teenage peers and encouraging teenagers to meet their nutritional dietary recommended levels of five dairy portions a day. To register see www.milkitawards.ie; 01-5224835; info@milkitawards.ie.
A heal-athon in aid of East Africa, where more than 12 million people facing starvation, will be held at the Clarion Hotel, Lapps Quay on Sunday October 2 from 10.30am to 6pm. Therapies on offer include integrated energy therapy, Reiki, reflexology, emotional freedom technique, massage, cranio sacral therapy. All Treatments cost €20 or donation. For details contact Gretta: 086-8347729 www.alchemygretta.com, www.facebook.com/croinafeile In association with the Irish Cancer Society,
www.irishexaminer.com www.irishexaminer.com
The offer includes overnight accommodation with full Irish breakfast and a glass of pink champagne on arrival and a choice of beauty treatments. Rate from €69 pps. See www.carlton.ie/pink for details.
THE WHITE STUFF: National dairy council chief executive Zoe Kavanagh with Hannah Adams and Caoimhe Devaney, both second-year students from Holy Child Secondary School, Killiney, Co Dublin, at the launch of the NDC Milk Secondary School Advertising Awards Picture:Colm Mahady / Fennells
Seriously ill stroke patients may be safer if treated with a cocktail of drugs than surgery to open up their arteries, a study has found. The US trial was halted early after patients undergoing angioplasty were found to be twice at risk of potentially fatal events than those on medication alone. Dr Shyam Prabhakaran, from Rush University Medical Centre in Chicago, one of the researchers whose findings were published this week in the New England Journal of Medicine, said: “This study provides an answer to the long-standing question of what to do to prevent a devastating second stroke in a high-risk population. All patients should be managed aggressively with medications.”
the Carlton Hotel Group has launched its Pink Ribbon Package to support breast cancer awareness month in October. The hotel group will be donating €5 per booking. The package will be available until the end of the year.
Expecting a baby? Midwife Brenda Barry and pharmacist Áine Byrne will host an information evening for expectant parents on Thursday September 15 from 6.30pm to 7.30pm at Horgan’s Pharmacy, Market Square, Mallow. Admission, tea/coffee and cup cakes are all free. For details phone 022-50555.
www.irishexaminer.com feelgood@examiner.ie
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2011
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In Profile
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THE SHAPE I'M IN
Cian O Brolcháin
High achievement
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UBLINER Cian O’Brolcháin is not one to shy away from a challenge. Not only did he set himself the task of climbing the highest peak in each of the 32 counties this year, he’s also planning to climb six mountains on five continents, culminating with Mount Everest, which he hopes to begin next spring. The 31-year-old from Drumcondra has a clear goal in mind — he wants to raise €250,000 to establish a national lung transplant support fund for Ireland, which will benefit cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. So why CF? “I used to coach kids in tennis and one of those children had CF. It was quite amazing to see how he was able to compete with other kids who didn’t have this challenge,” says Cian, an avid mountain climber, who feels being at a high altitude helps him empathise with how CF patients feel all the time. “When you climb at altitude, you feel a similar effect to what CF patients would feel at sea-level. Air is very thin at high altitudes so you’re not getting in as much oxygen and the body’s organs don’t work as well.” Working for a US-owned finance company in Dublin, Cian has been lucky to get time off to pursue the project. His girlfriend, Marama, is half New Zealander, half Australian and likes trekking and hill-walking, but draws the line at mountain climbing. For more information, visit IrelandtoEverest.com.
What would keep you awake at night? I’ve never had bouts of insomnia. I have a pretty full-on schedule on a day-to-day basis and I’m so active and working so hard on this current project that I’m asleep the minute I hit the pillow. How do you relax? I relax when I’m up mountains, just enjoying nature and the peace and quiet. I like going to the cinema and to concerts. What would you change about your appearance? Some people would say I need a haircut! I’d like to
Feelgood
Diploma in Social and Psychological Health Studies (Level 7 - Minor Award)
When you climb at altitude, you feel a similar effect to what CF patients would feel at sea-level. Air is very thin
An exciting, two-year, twelve-module course offered by The Social and Health Education Project, in association with UCC, on Wednesday evenings (and 10 weekend days) from September to May
Closing date - September 15th
What shape are you in? I’m very fit and strong. I need to build on that. I use every opportunity I can to train and stay in shape. I walk to the HELPING HAND: Cystic fibrosis patient Sean Kavanagh, 12, gives a hand to climber gym with a big back-pack. I Cian O’Brolcháin at the launch of the Ireland to Everest: 32 steps for cystic fibrosis cycle to work. I use the stairs Picture: Mark Stedman / Photocall Ireland instead of the lift. Every spare fundraising event. two or three hours I get, I train. put on a bit more weight — when you’re going up these high mountains, you need that extra weight. Do you have any health concerns? No. I was in hospital for ligament damage to my anWho would you invite to your dream dinner party? kle eight years ago. Roger Federer — as a tennis player, what he has done in the last seven or eight years has been quite inspiraWhat are your healthiest eating habits? tional. He has stayed at the top of tennis for so long and I eat three good meals a day. Sometimes, I eat two he’s always so calm in tough matches. breakfasts, one before going to the gym, the other after. I’d have fruit and porridge. Lunch is soup and a sandWhen did you last cry? wich and my evening meal would be meat, pasta and When my Uncle Ciarán died in October 2008. veg. I eat fish a lot. I take a daily multivitamin and when I’m training I take protein shakes. What’s your favourite smell? I like the smell of herbs and spices in Asian cooking. What’s your guiltiest pleasure? I don’t smoke or drink but once every two or three What trait do you least like in others? weeks, I’d have pizza with my girlfriend and watch a I don’t like people who are angry. DVD. What trait do you least like in yourself? I feel I sometimes try to do too much. Maybe I could delegate a bit more work to others. Do you pray? Yes, I do, not often, but I’ve prayed in some tricky situations on top of mountains. What would cheer up your day? Some good news about Ireland, such as a company setting up here and creating lots of jobs. Helen O’Callaghan
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2011
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Guidelines which will inform teachers about how to deal with chronic illness in the
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Health education 5 classroom have been welcomed by children and parents, says Áilín Quinlan
Top marks for new school health pack W
HEN nine-year-old Jack Mitman heads off to school each morning, his mother Gina waves goodbye — and wonders if this will be the day he gets a major anaphylaxis attack. If he comes into contact with peanut, Jack’s mouth and throat may swell. He may experience sudden difficulty in swallowing or speaking. He may lose consciousness. In a worst case scenario, he may even die. Jack can become extremely ill if he as much as smells peanut –— he cannot safely be exposed to even airborne particles, explains Gina. Even sharing school equipment likes books or sporting equipment could cause a problem if they have been contaminated. “For example if a child in a different class had a peanut butter sandwich and then handled a ball and passed it to Jack, he could become ill because of the residue of peanut on the ball. It’s very stressful,” says Gina. Anaphylaxis is a reaction by the body to an allergen which can be anything from food to latex or a medicine –— so Jack, now in third class at Christchurch National School in Waterford, has to be very careful. “Since he started school, life has been difficult. I can monitor what Jack eats at home and what he has in his lunchbox, but I cannot monitor what everyone else has and Jack can become ill if he even smells peanut. “Every day when he heads off to school I wonder if today will be the day that he gets a big attack. Not every parent understands what can happen if Jack happens to inhale a nut product. Now that he’s in school, it’s simply about appealing to other parents to treat this as a serious thing.” The school has been extremely helpful, informing parents about the problem and making Jack’s class into a “nut-free zone,” says Gina, but, as she explains, it’s very hard to monitor everything in his environment. “We’re constantly appealing to other parents not to send their child to school with nut products. It is hard to get the message across about how important this is.” Gina is one of the thousands of parents who will welcome the arrival in schools this month of a new resource pack explaining to teachers how to manage children with chronic health conditions such as asthma, diabetes, epilepsy and anaphylaxis. Managing Chronic Health Conditions at School is the result of the combined efforts of the Asthma Society of Ireland, Diabetes Federation of Ireland, Brainwave the Irish Epilepsy Association and Anaphylaxis Ireland. The pack is primarily, explains Elaine Newell of the Diabetes Federation of Ireland, a tool-kit packed with advice. It contains everything from information on developing or updating guidelines on managing students with chronic health conditions, to a standardised healthcare plan and template forms/letters that can be adapted to gain information on students with chronic conditions. It provides a clear outline of the responsibility of parents, teachers and board of management and gives practical information including an emergency plan on each condition, as well as guidance on safe storage and safe disposal of medications. “The administration of medicines in school
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When I exercise I get shortness of breath
Since he started school, life has been difficult. I can monitor what Jack eats at home and what he has in his lunchbox but I cannot monitor what everyone else has and Jack can become ill if he even smells peanut
INVALUABLE RESOURCE: Jack Mitman at home in Waterford — he can become critically ill if exposed to peanuts. Picture:Patrick Browne is an area for which all schools welcome support and this new resource will be of enormous benefit to us, not only in assisting us with drafting protocols, but also in helping to de-mystify the use of the Anapen [used to reverse anaphylactic shock] for example,” says school principal Peter Gunning. With the support of the Irish National Teachers Organisation, a nine-minute DVD on managing each condition at school is also available on www.into.ie. The cost of the pack, which is being sent to primary and second-level schools all over
the country, is being met by the four organisations. For teachers, the pack will provide a valuable support: “Having a student with diabetes in the class is manageable as long as the resources are in place,” says Catherine Murphy, a teacher in Cork. “These would include information on the student’s condition, regular contact with their parents and in addition, an emergency plan in the staff room so that all staff can see the steps to follow, if necessary.” It will be a reassurance for parents, believes
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2011
Gina Mitman. “I certainly hope this pack will be of help –— I hope people take the time to read it and will get to grips with the reality of anaphylaxis and how dangerous it is.” Gina hopes the pack will create increased awareness about what’s involved for a child with a chronic condition and an understanding that parents of a child with a serious allergy are not over-dramatising the situation, but that it could be a matter of life or death. The campaign began after the four organisations compared notes and realised that each was regularly getting calls from parents and teachers concerned about how to manage a child with chronic condition in class. They were looking for guidelines to help teachers and school principals in terms of the day to day management of conditions like diabetes, and how to manage crisis situations: “We’ve had principals on to us saying a child in the school had a ‘hypo’ which means their blood sugar level fell too low — and the staff didn’t know what to do,” says Newell. “The school would have called the parents and the situation would have been resolved, but the staff would then be anxious to get guidelines to follow if something like that happened again.” Useful contacts: www.into.ie, www.asthmasociety.ie, www.diabetes.ie, www.epilepsy.ie www.anaphylaxisireland.ie
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IALL CARROLL, 12, is a world champion kick-boxer — with exercise-induced asthma. “I was worried when he started school, but it’s a very small school close to home and the teachers know all the children and parents,” says his mother, Sandra. “Niall would have got breathless or wheezy in school, but carries the inhaler in his bag and can use it whenever he needs to. I think the information pack is vital because there are a lot of asthma symptoms other than the serious wheeze attack and it’s important people learn to recognise them. “One of the signs with Niall, for example, is that he cannot complete a sentence with-
BRAVE GIRL: Sarah Murphy, who had her first seizure aged seven, with her dad, Alan. She has not had a seizure in two years. Picture:Denis Scannell
Staff got educated about Sarah’s seizures
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EN-YEAR-OLD Sarah Murphy who has epilepsy, first got her first seizure when she was seven. “We met the teachers and told them about it,” says her dad, Alan Murphy, from Rathcormac, Co Fermoy. Sarah has had a number of tonic/clonic or grand mal seizures. “She loses consciousness and her arms and legs shake and her mouth tightens. It can be quite frightening for someone who is not familiar with it,” he says. After hearing about Sarah’s condition, the staff at her school met with representatives of Brainwave, the epilepsy support organisation. “Sarah had a number of minor episodes in school that the teacher had to deal with,” says Alan.
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For over two years, Sarah has been seizure-free as a result and has just come off the medication. “This information pack is a brilliant idea — not every school would be as well informed as ours, so the booklet would be a very good resource for teachers,” says Alan. “It is also reassuring for parents to know that the school has the necessary information in the event of a problem, that they will know what to do. “The big thing is not to panic and to keep the child in a safe place. It’s important that the school would know that no physical intervention is required — for example, the old notion of putting a spoon in the mouth to prevent the child from swallowing its tongue is the very last thing you should do.”
FIGHTING SPIRIT: Niall Carroll from Co Kildare, the reigning WKC world kick-boxing champion and youth ambassador for the Asthmatic Society of Ireland, in a kick-boxing pose. Picture: Michael O’Rourke.
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out stopping,” she says. Niall, a world champion kick-boxer, has just returned to his home in Allenwood, Co Kildare, from Wales, where he competed in the world games and won two gold medals. “When I exercise, I get shortness of breath and a pain in my chest and I cannot say a full sentence without stopping to take a breath — but I take the inhaler and after 10 or 15 minutes I can breathe perfectly. I did have attacks in school and my teacher told me to stay calm and I took my inhaler and got better,” he says. Niall takes the inhaler before competing or training, and sometimes after. He trains four or five times a week and is “highly active,” says Sandra. “The information pack will promote good communication between parents and the school about asthma, and reassure parents. “The pack will also help teachers to recognise the various symptoms and give them more confidence in dealing with the conditions — that they know what to do and to keep them calm.”
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Relationships
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Sinead O’Connor’s public search for a new man has put the spotlight on the plight of women of a ‘certain age’ seeking romantic relationships, says Arlene Harris
Checking the male
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EW of us will forget the haunting voice and stunning looks of the young songstress Sinead O’Connor. During her 20s, the often-controversial singer was never short of a partner, but now, two decades, several children and partners later, she is very publicly, on Twitter and TV, looking for love. But finding ‘the one’ during those awfully termed ‘middle age’ years can be more difficult than it seems. More often than not, prospective partners will have been through the relationship mill at least once and are quite likely to have the added responsibility of parenthood and the financial strain of keeping two households afloat. And if that wasn’t enough to dull the potential pulse of passion, there is also the very real issue of self-doubt, negative body image and lack of dating practice to contend with. So apart from heading to the annual matchmaking festival in Lisdoonvarna, how can women (and men) in their 40s and beyond, go about finding a soul mate? Yvonne Jacob-
NOTED QUEST: Sinead O’Connor spoke last Friday on RTÉ’s Late Late Show about her quest to find a new man. Picture: John
Dardis
son of Relationships Ireland says one of the you did wrong in your previous relationships for love should look at the dating process as a barriers to successful relationships in older is a step in the right direction, hitting the lo- marketing exercise. people is reluctance to change. cal night spots is not necessarily the best “When a woman (particularly if she’s older) “People with life experience are clear route to finding the love of your life. decides she would like to find a man she about their likes and dislikes and as a result “It’s not always a good idea to actively go must first take a look at herself. If she has had more particular about who and what they out looking for a partner,” says Jacobson. negative relationships in the past, she must want from a partner, so this can make it more “They can crop up in unexpected places erase all of the bitterness which may have left difficult to find a relationship,” she says. such as a family or social event. Also being a mark — anger is not very attractive. “Having established a successful or at involved in activities outside of work can “She must also start working on herself — least regular lifestyle as a single person, it open up all sorts of ways to meet people.” get a makeover, join a gym and get in shape, can be hard to make the changes reAnn Marie Cussen is the managing director dress well to suit her figure, embrace her quired for a committed relationship. of It’s Just Lunch dating agency. She agrees femininity and work a bit harder at looking Learning to compromise is that searching good. not always easy when you for a life partner “I often tell clients that are used to doing things is not a good they need to market themyour own way.” idea. Instead, selves correctly or no-one The relationship counselwould-be daters else will find them attraclor says we also need to pinshould focus on tive — most men want to point why previous relaa healthier apmeet a woman not a tionships may not have proach, which is ladette.” worked out. simply meeting But before hitting the “We all have new people. dating scene, family psyour blind spots “I always adchologist, Peadar Maxwell and being able vise people who says it is important to conto identify reause our service sider your children when sons why a relathat we are embarking on a new relationship didn’t first-date spetionship. work can help cialists and if “Before any introductions towards underthey are looking are made or the new friend standing what for a guaranteed is invited round the parent mistakes to wedding on the might want to think about avoid next horizon, they’ve what this relationship time around,” come to the means to them,” he advises. RIGID STANCE: Couples she explains. MAKING FRIENDS: Dating wrong place,” “If there is no commitcounsellor Yvonne Jacobson ment then introductions are agency MD Ann Marie “Being she says. says one of the barriers to Cussen says getting to know hurt is a “Getting to only confusing and may be natural re- new people should be the know new peo- successful relationships in upsetting. sponse to ple should be “While openness is essenolder people is reluctance to main aim of anyone who is the ending looking for a partner. the main aim of change. tial, it is unhelpful and unof a relaanyone who is fair to expose your child to tionship looking for a numerous new relationships but experiencing such partner — when someone is desperate to find that may go nowhere or lead to additional feelings can also make a certain type of person, to get married or to separations and feelings of loss.” you a more sensitive, have children — this will come across during Before you think of introducing your child understanding and their date and can cause problems for both to a new adult you should: aware person. Peoparties. ■ Be in a committed relationship ple who keep mak“Being very specific about likes and dislikes ■ Be able to envision making this person a ing the same misis also a barrier to success as compromise has part of your family takes in relationships to happen, particularly for clients over 40 — ■ Talk openly with one another about what need to figure out why this their lives will have changed since they made that would mean happens and what they can do to their original ‘perfect partner’ checklist aged ■ Be as assured as you can be that your child rectify it.” 25, so this needs to be realised.” is safe with this new person. And while trying to discover what Cussen also says women who are looking “At the same time, parents also have a right to companionship and intimacy with another loving adult,” says Maxwell. “Don’t let your worries about your child’s adjustment prevent you from embracing happiness. Any family transition that is well thought out and openly discussed in advance has a better chance of success.” While many people say that nothing compares to your first love, let’s hope Sinead O’Connor finds what she is looking for and has a great deal of fun in the process.
Finding ‘the one’ during those awfully termed ‘middle age’ years can be more difficult than it seems. More often than not, prospective partners will have been through the relationship mill at least once
Feelgood
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2011
● Visit www.itsjustlunchdublin.com or call 01-6724060. ● For relationship advice visit www.relationshipsireland.com or call 1890-380380. ● Throughout September, anyone seeking love can head to the annual Matchmaking Festival in Lisdoonvarna Co Clare — www.matchmakerireland.com.
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Psychology
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It is never the behaviour of another that triggers bullying but the unresolved issues of the perpetrator
Under attack
Certified Training and Tuition in...
Manual Lymphatic Drainage - Dr. Vodder Method COURSE DETAILS 2011 BASIC:
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Cork Buteyko Course for Snoring and Asthma commencing Sunday, September 18th
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OME children dread and hate returning to school due to a fear of a renewal of bullying by their peers and, sometimes, by a teacher. Their progress educationally and socially can be severely interrupted by their response to the bullying behaviour. What I find most disturbing is that so many children or teenagers do not report these threats to their wellbeing to their parents or school principal or empathic teacher. This passivity is also found among older teenagers who experience depression and do not seek help from the significant adults in their lives or, indeed, health professionals. It suggests they believe they either won’t be listened to or will be ridiculed for not standing up for themselves. It can sometimes be the case that young people believe they deserve the bullying or that there is something wrong with them that attracts bullying. It is of considerable relief when they discover that bullying behaviour belongs to the person who bullies and is evidence of considerable fear and insecurity on the bully’s part. It is never a behaviour of another that triggers bullying — it is inner unresolved conflicts about one’s worth or value or goodness or intelligence or physicality or some combination of these that lies at the root of bullying behaviour. Until these inner turmoils are resolved, it is likely that the bullying behaviours will persist, unless the person at the receiving end of it takes action for himself and not against the perpetrator. Often, our instinct is to stop the bullying by fighting back. And sometimes, fighting back may work for the person who is being bullied, but the insecurities of the individual who is engaging in the intimidatory actions are not only unresolved, they are not even identified. True resolution of a bullying situation is where the young person who is being bullied takes action for self by creating a solid boundary around his own person and worth; he requires help and support to find an inner stronghold so that he (or she) can best withstand the threats from others. One of the best boundary responses I have come across is a young man’s response to being taunted by female fellow factory workers on his first day of employment: “It must be terrible to be in a place where you try to make me feel bad so that you can feel good.” There is wisdom in his response — it sets a boundary and lays responsibility back at the door of the individuals who were bullying. It is especially the responsibility of those in charge of educational, social and work environments to be vigilant about the presence of bullying. However, it can sometimes be the case that those who occupy top positions can be the worst offenders and, as a result, they can turn a blind eye to lower or middle managers’ intimidating practices. Some individuals will choose to leave these organisations rather than confront the untenable interpersonal dynamics. Parents, too, can transfer their child who is being bullied to another school and this move may, indeed, resolve the unhappy situation for the child, but the bullying behaviour
Feelgood
Picture: iStock
Given that silence is the most common phenomenon at staff meetings — no matter the nature of the organisation — passivity is as much a challenge to people’s wellbeing as is bullying
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The
has not been resolved and others will continue to be at risk as will the person perpetrating the bullying. Confrontation is an act of caring for the person being bullied, the person doing the bullying and other staff and children in the school. Staff turning a blind eye to a colleague’s or a leader’s intimidatory behaviour lets himself or herself down as well as everyone else in the school. When any adult finds it difficult to maturely challenge another’s bullying behaviour, this person’s passivity needs as much examination and resolution as does the aggressive responses — whether robustly or subtly manifested. Passivity is as much a neglect of self and others as is aggression, a reality that has not been faced by many individuals. Given that silence is the most common phenomenon at staff meetings — no matter the nature of the organisation — passivity is as much a challenge to people’s wellbeing as is bullying. Mature parents, teachers, managers, leaders are vigilant for the presence of passivity and bullying and they work to support both the individuals who intimidate others or who stay silent about their needs or opinions to develop sound boundaries around their self-worth, dignity and responsibilities. Dr Tony Humphreys is a consultant clinical psychologist, author and national and international speaker. His course on interpersonal communication begins in October, 2011, 5.15-9.30pm Wednesday nights in UCC. Details from Margaret 021-4642394 or www.tonyhumphreys.ie
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2011
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Cover story
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Addicted to pleasure
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Whatever gives you pleasure, be it shopping, drinking, sex or a do-good deed, it’s all in your head. Helen O’Callaghan reports on the latest buzz in neuroscience
BRAIN PLEASERS S
O what’s your poison? A bowl of kung pao chicken, a glass of Merlot, a flutter on the horses? Or do you get a buzz from a five-mile run and a spot of salsa dancing? Is your feelgood factor switched on with a bit of charity fundraising or a half-hour’s meditation? Whatever ups your particular bliss quotient — whether it’s an illicit vice or a lauded virtue — it turns out that pleasure is all in the head. So says American author David J Linden, who has just published How Our Brains Make Junk Food, Exercise, Marijuana, Generosity And Gambling Feel So Good. A professor of neuroscience at John Hopkins University in Baltimore, Linden argues that most experiences in our lives that bring us to the heights of pleasure — whether forbidden vices or socially-approved practices like exercise, prayer or donating to charity — activate “an anatomically and biochemically defined pleasure circuit in the brain”. “Shopping, orgasm, learning, high-calorie foods, gambling, prayer, dancing untll you drop, playing on the internet — all evoke neural signals that converge on a small group of interconnected brain areas called the medial forebrain pleasure circuit. It is in these tiny clumps of neurons that human pleasure is felt,” says Linden. To be precisely scientific about it, a key region within the brain’s pleasure circuit is the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and crucial here are dopamine-containing neurons. Experiences — as Linden puts it, “anything from crack to cannabis, meditation to masturbation, Bordeaux to beef ” — which activate these neurons cause dopamine to be released and are felt as pleasurable.
WHAT A LIFT: Your sources of pleasure can be found in forbidden vices or socially approved practices like exercise, prayer or donating to charity. Either way, they activate a biochemically defined pleasure circuit in the brain. Picture: iStock
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PLEASURE AND PAIN: We are hardwired to feel pleasure. We work for it, go into debt for it, even go to jail for it. As Linden points out, our relationship with it is complicated. It’s a key motivator of our lives (we must find food, water and sex rewarding in order to survive and procreate). We can see pleasure as transcendent — prayer, music, dance — or as something to be controlled by law (drinkdriving regulations being just one example). Yet, for all this, Linden’s not prepared to say that pleasure is the big pursuit of our lives. “In psychological terms, there’s a concept called salience”, he tells Feelgood. “Salient things are emotional, whether positive or negative, and they’re very likely to be important for our future survival. Things that are pleasurable are salient but so are things that induce fear or pain. Observing some of the neurons that are activated by pleasurable stimuli, we find a subset of these neurons that are activated by painful stimuli. The brain interprets as super-salient a mix of pain and pleasure — it devotes a huge amount of cognitive power to these sensations.” This, he says, might contribute to the popularity, in some quarters, of sadomasochistic sex, or even of tasty food loaded with chilli peppers. PLEASURE’S DARK SIDE: But while our brain — specifically our medial forebrain pleasure circuit — makes us feel good, it’s also implicated in addiction, the dark side of pleasure. Drugs that strongly activate the dopamine-using pleasure circuitry regions of our brain, such as heroin and cocaine, are precisely the ones that carry a substantial risk
of addiction. “Drugs that weakly activate it, like alcohol and cannabis, carry a smaller risk of addiction, while the drugs that don’t activate it at all, like SSRI antidepressants, carry little or no risk of addiction,” explains Linden. Liking can very soon turn into wanting and the irony is that as you search for more of what turns you on, you end up unable to feel much pleasure at all. Addiction, says Linden, produces a long-lasting re-wiring of the addict’s brain. “You might think someone becomes an addict because they feel a greater degree of pleasure from the substance than someone who isn’t addicted. It’s just the opposite. Addicts want their pleasure more but like it less. They’re doubly cursed — they crave it more but, when they get it, it’s not as good. “As addiction progresses, changes happen in the pleasure circuit that make the pleasure even more blunted, so the full-blown alcoholic is mostly drinking to avoid withdrawal symptoms and the full-blown sex addict isn’t taking pleasure from sex but just to be able to sleep at night, to be able to concentrate, to not feel anxiety.” Linden also finds a scientific basis for why it’s so difficult to lose a substantial amount of weight and — yes — it involves the brain’s pleasure circuit again. He points to studies, which suggest that when you’re trying to lose a significant amount of weight, the reduction in leptin — a protein secreted only in fat cells — alters the pleasure circuit to make food actually seem more appealing. Linden’s study of the brain’s reward system raises some interesting questions. For example, a recent US study found that about 35% of people who try injected heroin become heroin addicts, while 80% of all those who try cigarettes become addicted. So why is cigarette smoking so addictive when its psychoactive punch is so subtle compared to that of heroin? Turns out that the quantity of pleasure jolts capable of being delivered within a span of time is what matters here — a typical heroin addict may get two strong, rapidly delivered hits per day, the pack-a-day cigarette smoker will get 200 weak, rapidly delivered hits per day (20 cigarettes in a pack, 10 puffs per cigarette).
GENETIC IMPACT: Isn’t there something rather sterile, though, about reducing pleasure to mere brain processes? Not at all, says Linden, who explains that the human being’s reward circuit is very complex, being interwoven with brain centres involved in decision-making, planning, emotion and memory-storage. “Pleasure is embedded within contexts and it’s the context that determines the nature of the pleasure. Pleasure, as we actually experience it, is quite multi-faceted. The pleasure you get from eating a delicious meal is a holistic thing and is influenced by all the associations you make — that you’re with someone you love in nice surroundings having a good conversation. Pleasure isn’t a sterile thing at all.” While a rat will get pleasure from eating food and
We are hardwired to feel pleasure. We work for it, go into debt for it, even go to jail for it. It’s a key motivator of our lives
from illicit sex and gambling? According to Linden, it’s a mix of one’s life experience and one’s genetics. “About 40% of our propensity for addiction can be accounted for by genes. There’s no single gene involved, rather it’s down to a configuration of genes. Individual variations in the reception, production and delivery of dopamine all impact on one’s genetic propensity for addiction.” Stress contributes too, partly because of its impact on the brain’s pleasure circuit. “We think of stress as being an entirely psychological construct but it’s a very biological thing. The adrenal glands secrete stress hormones, which pass into the brain and they bind with receptors on the surface of neurons within the pleasure circuit, setting in motion a series of anatomical, chemical and electrical changes that cause cravings.” Which is why, says Linden, if you’re a recovering addict, you need to pro-actively engage in stress-reducing behaviours.
ALL BAGGED: It may be hard to sell the idea to some, but the desire to shop is linked to the pleasure centre of your brain. Picture: iStock
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2011
having sex, Linden points to the “miracle” in human beings. “Utterly arbitrary things have become able to activate our pleasure circuit, such as celebrity gossip or a particular sport. Only a human being can take pleasure from abstaining from sex if they hold a particular belief. Mere ideas can be pleasurable for us humans.” In his book, Linden refers to his old friend, Sharon, who used to say she’d never met a man who excited her as much as a jacket potato with sour cream, highlighting the obvious fact that we all have preferences when it comes to our pleasures. So why do some people seem to get more pleasure from the virtuous social encounters and others
MEDICAL ISSUE: If nothing else, what Linden’s book says about the dark side of pleasure — addiction — should make us less judgmental. “There’s this notion that you can succeed entirely on your own terms. The truth is that — while free will and willpower are important — everybody is fighting different cravings. Just because I’m overweight and lose 20lbs because I did lots of exercise doesn’t mean that it’ll be easy for someone else to do that. The kind of cravings I feel may be very different to what they feel — everybody’s not fighting the same battle. “In the US a lot of people are in jail for simple possession of drugs. My view is that simple possession should be viewed as a medical issue, not as one for which you should be sent to prison. Of course, understanding that addiction is a disease and being compassionate towards the person doesn’t mean you write them a blank cheque for anti-social behaviour. Once you know you have a problem — whether heart-disease or addiction — it’s your responsibility to do something about it.” When it comes to making pleasure more a part of your life, Linden advises spreading your pleasures as widely as possible rather than concentrating on just a few. “Indulge in a wide number moderately and take as much pleasure as you can in a social context because we’re highly social beings.” ■ Pleasure, How Our Brains Make Junk Food, Exercise, Marijuana, Generosity And Gambling Feel So Good, by David J Linden costs €14.50.
Future trends
HOW might we expect progress in our understanding of the neurobiology of pleasure to affect our lives in the next few decades? ■ According to David J Linden, pictured right, author and professor of neuroscience, one area that’s certain to develop in the not-too-distant future is genetic screening to predict one’s risk of developing addictions. “Genetic screening is non-invasive — it involves simply swabbing the inside of the cheek to collect some cells — and it will become relatively inexpensive once the test is standardised.” But when this happens, he predicts that we will have to grapple with the complex ethics of using and sharing the information. “If reading genomes shows you’re at high risk of developing addictions, does this mean society should compel you to do certain things?” ■ Drugs that target the biochemical systems crucial in addiction already look promising. “In the next 15 years, we will see several safe and effective anti-addiction drugs. In the near-term, we will have therapies and drugs that blunt cravings.” ■ Because stress is a common trigger for relapse in most addictions, scientists are working on finding a drug that will block receptors for stress hormones in the brain. The hope is that such a therapy will blunt cravings. ■ Pleasure on tap — a specially-wired cap that will guarantee you round-the-clock, unlimited access to guilt-free pleasures? Linden’s not prepared to swear on the likelihood of this happening — he uses phrases like “imagine a distant future” and “neurophysiologist’s dream” — but he does ask: “When anyone can precisely control his or her pleasure circuits with an inexpensive head-mounted non-invasive device, how will this ability be used, abused, commercialised and regulated?”
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Medical matters
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Q
Dr Niamh Houston
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Dr Niamh Houston is a GP with a special interest in integrative medicine. If you have a question about your child’s health email it to feelgood@examiner.ie or send a letter to Feelgood Irish Examiner City Quarter Lapps Quay Cork
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IS it true chocolate can be good for you? And if so, does it depend on which type and how much is recommended?
A. A little of what you fancy appears to do you good. Chocolate dates back to the time of the Aztecs when cocoa beans were so valued they were used as currency during the reign of Montezume. The Aztecs consumed chocolate in the form of a sweetened drink, which was believed to increase wisdom, boost energy levels and have a powerful aphrodisiac action. Recent research in Britain, which looked at seven studies involving more than 10,000 people, found that those with the highest level of chocolate consumption in any form (including chocolate bars, chocolate drinks, biscuits, desserts, cocoa drinks) on a daily basis had a 37% lower risk of cardiovascular disease and 29% lower risk of stroke, compared with people who ate the least amount of chocolate. There was no difference between dark, milk or white chocolate and chocolate consumption varied but was never more than once a day. Why individuals who ate more chocolate should be better off than those who shun it is not altogether clear. While chocolate contains antioxidant flavonoids, known to be protective, it also contains sugar and milk powder, which are implicated in weight gain. And obesity is a well-established cause of heart disease. The authors of this study do not suggest we eat chocolate to improve heart health, but what they seem to say is that those who don’t deny themselves a sweet treat of chocolate — white or brown — have better cardiovascular outcomes. These favourable effects seem to be due to the high content of polyphenols present in cocoa products. This may lead to an increase in nitric oxide, which in turn may lead to improvements in endothelial function, additional beneficial effects on blood pressure, insulin resistance, and blood lipids. Cocoa butter, although a rich source of saturated fatty acids, does not appear to raise cholesterol much, because the major saturated fatty acid in it is stearic acid, which neither raises nor lowers cholesterol. Its benefits may also be due to the perceived relaxing effect of eating chocolate. Before you tear off the wrapper of your favourite bar of chocolate, it’s worth noting that the cocoa content in products sold in
SWEET TREAT: Chocolate can be beneficial eaten as part of a balanced diet, but moderation is key. Ireland and Britain is much lower than in continental Europe. Many people here eat chocolate-covered sweet bars, which have very little flavonoid content. In a separate study, 100gm of dark chocolate (at least 70% coca solids) eaten every day along with fish, fruit, vegetables, almonds, garlic and 150ml wine, reduced the risk of coronary heart disease by 76%. So you can still eat chocolate as part of a balanced diet, but moderation is key. If you want to reduce your heart disease risk, it won’t be found at the bottom of a box of chocolates. Q. I was told at work that I should get the flu vaccine. I’m allergic to eggs and am worried the vaccine may not be safe for me. A. The flu vaccine is made using eggs. As a result, the vaccine has tiny amounts of chick egg protein in it, and there are theoretical concerns that traces of egg protein could trigger a serious allergic reaction. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that if you’re allergic to eggs that you can’t get a flu shot. If you’ve had a reaction to eggs in the past, talk to your doctor before getting a flu vacci-
Picture: iStock
nation. It depends on what kind of reaction you have or had when you eat eggs. Also, if you have a severe anaphylactic reaction (difficulty breathing, hives, swelling of the lips and tongue), you would not be suitable for the flu vaccine. If your egg allergy is mild and you just get a rash, you can probably still get the vaccine as it contains such a small amount of egg protein. This is really an issue that has to be looked at on a case by case basis. Your doctor may send you to a medical allergist. A skin test can help determine if you are truly allergic to eggs. This involves a tiny amount of egg protein scratched onto your skin and then you are observed to see if a reaction develops. If it is decided that the flu vaccine is suitable for you, the doctor who is administering it may want you to wait 30 minutes before leaving, in case you have a reaction. Some doctors recommend giving 10% of the vaccine in one injection, then the remaining 90% in a second, if there is no reaction to the first dose. In most cases, the vaccine can be given safely to someone with an egg allergy. But discuss it with your doctor first.
NOTE: The information contained in Dr Houston’s column is not a substitute for medical advice. Always consult a doctor first
Building blocks of a healthy lifestyle by Chris Dunne
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HEN Jacqueline O’Farrell inherited 100 acres and a farm house, she was at a loss to know what to do
with it. Her late mother always had an interest in wellbeing and often spoke about the high instance of cancer to her daughter. “She believed that the toxic substances we feed our bodies contributed to feeding cancer, says Jacqueline. “And that prevention involved a different lifestyle.” Jacqueline, a former Irish and music teacher put her future plans for the estate on hold while she and her husband Richard raised their three children in the tranquility of Shanballymore, surrounded by cows, sheep and fresh produce. The idea of a spa that promoted health and wellbeing occurred to Jacqueline when she and her cousin Claire Barry, an or-
thodontist, visited the Hippocrates Centre in Florida. “The centre extolled the virtue of raw food together with the ingestion of green juices and wheatgrass to build the immune system so that it stays healthy and ready to fight off disease,” says Jacqueline. “While there, we learnt that cancer cannot survive when the body is alkaline and that cooking and processing destroys the nutrients in food.” The idea of a mini-Hippocrates longevity centre was born and in 1999 Grove Health Spa was opened. “My mother’s legacy of preventing cancer and promoting a healthy way of life was to be given birth,” says Jacqueline. Now it had to be nurtured. Jacqueline made contact with Bernadette Bohan, who promotes a raw food diet and is author of the bestseller The Choice. “Bernadette had adopted the approach of cutting out toxicity from the body in the form of additives, fast food and microwav-
ing. She had conquered cancer as a result of removing known carcinogens from her diet.” Bernadette Bohan now runs regular workshops at Grove Health Spa. “We promote the growing of wheatgrass, the importance of raw fruit and vegetables that give vital enzymes to keep disease at bay. And to put a pep in your step. “Yes, many people are having a massage in the former hay barn and a facial in the milking parlour, says Jacqueline. “But that’s just another perk here at Grove Health Spa. I think mother would approve.” ■ Grove Health Spa 022-25518; www.grovehealthspa.com; longevity@eircom.net
HEALTHY PERSPECTIVE: Jacqueline O'Farrell, owner of the Grove Health Spa, where a raw food diet is promoted. Picture: Daragh Mc Sweeney/Provision
NOTE: See extended version of Catherine Shanahan’s Mum’s World, on her son’s first day at school, on page 11
Feelgood
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2011
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Parenting
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Catherine Shanahan’s son is delighted to start big school but her daughter is just as anxious to spread her wings
SLÁN LEAT
BAGGED FOR SCHOOL: Catherine Shanahan with her son Lughaidh who’s kitted out for school and his younger sister, Dearbhail. Picture: Denis Scannell
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HE day finally arrived when my son would find out that much of what he’d learned at his mother’s knee was at best incomplete or tinged with fiction and at worst, downright lies. Yes, the first day at school is momentous for more than one reason: it marks the start of a formal education and the process of bankrupting parents and it calls to a halt your reign as The Oracle. From now on, whatever you say is no longer a given because your child has access to other adult opinions and will call your bluff before you know it. For the child, it’s a pivotal step on the road towards greater independence and for you, an opportunity to resume those leisurely elevenses or boot camp Pilates or whatever the latest dance craze is, or simply to get the shopping in. As always, the day dawned bright and sunny because some weather god up there thinks it’s funny to mark start of term with temperatures guaranteed to send ’em home sweating in their oversized woolly jumpers and to ensure they associate forever the return to school with the best of our summer weather. Lughaidh was ecstatic. For him, Day One symbolised the fulfilment of a three-year dream that began the day we moved house across the road from the school. Every day he watched with envy as his older cousins made their way to their classrooms and he made his way to the naíonra. Every day he asked the same wistful question: “When can I go to the big boys’ school?” and inevitably, I gave the same killjoy answer: “Not yet. But soon.” And so when the day came, nothing was going to get in his way, least of all needless emotion. I equally saw no need for tears. School, like death, is inevitable, and in this respect I am practical.
Feelgood
We all accompanied Lughaidh to school — myself, himself, the sister, the nana, the grandad and grand-aunt I have nothing but awe for teachers who not only act as free babysitters but also take on the challenge of imparting knowledge to barely-tamed animals. The sister was a different kettle of fish. She bawled enough for all of us — not at the loss of her big brother’s company but because I reneged on my promise that if she used her potty, she too could go to school. For weeks she had resisted ‘til the day in question. Then all of a sudden, she went for it. I had to break it to her gently that the school was not yet ready to accept her. She cried like a jilted prom queen. I have not yet been forgiven. My Other Half was the proudest dad on the planet and despite being tired and emotional post night-duty, he managed to hold it together. He spent the day contemplating where the last five years had gone, but no-one could really help him. “He was five in the blink of an eye,” he said, as though realising for the first time that time indeed flies. We all accompanied Lughaidh to school — myself, himself, the sister, the nana, the grandad, the grand-aunt and anyone else who cared to tag along. He marched in ahead of us without so much as a backward glance. The sister, rucksack on her back, had to be hauled from the classroom with promises of ice-cream to avert a first-day meltdown. A week later, her enthusiasm for school has not
waned and the potty-use continues apace. While Lughaidh likes school, come noon, he’s wired to the moon, and it’s best to head straight for the park where much pent-up steam is let off and the rough and tumble knocks some of the high jinks out of him. “He’s lively,” the headmaster said on Day Two, a slightly ambiguous word that could strike fear in the heart of someone more paranoid. Some may even say it’s a polite word for ‘troublesome’, or ‘ungovernable’. I myself prefer the more positive spin and an interpretation of ‘animated’ or ‘high-spirited’. It’s hard to find out what goes on at school. I have asked, but in the tradition of children keeping their parents in the dark, Lughaidh is slow to elaborate. “The boss came in today,” he said, throwing the odd morsel my way. “Who’s the boss?” I asked. “You know, your man who’s in charge,” he said, proving that at least he can pinpoint authority. And so begins an era many identify as the best days of our lives, where opportunity is endless for those clever enough to recognise it — where lasting friendships are forged and individual talents honed, where two and two may or may not make four, where the gift of reading is handed down freely and where a good teacher can bring out the best in a child who might not otherwise shine.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2011
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Social net can be a trap by Terence Cosgrave
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HEN the American Academy of Pediatrics described a new phenomenon, Facebook depression, and claimed that the social networking site caused a new form of depression/anxiety, it didn’t come as a surprise to Irish consultant child and adolescent psychiatrist, Dr Keith Holmes. International experts are now divided on whether the social networking site actually Picture: iStock causes a new disease, or merely accentuates problems that were there already, but as far as Dr Holmes is concerned, the phenomenon is a very real one in this country. “Teenagers tend to use Facebook the way adults use the phone and it invades every aspect of their lives. For teens with problems, Facebook can provide a stage on which a lot of their problems are played out,” he says. He says that in order to make an impression on Facebook, you have to ‘shock’ your audience and that the normal rows and arguments teens have are more intense. “For those who are less able [to deal with it] it leaves them with a level of rejection they’re not used to.” Dr Holmes has encountered parents whose children have left messages on their Facebook pages saying, ‘I want to die and kill myself ’. Others have left ‘checking out’ messages which are in effect suicide notes, while others have received phone calls from their children’s friends warning them of the content of their children’s Facebook pages. “Because these things happen in a conversational way it [Facebook] seems to make permanent a conversational remark,” says Dr Holmes.” These types of worrying conversations happen quite frequently — even outside the groups that tend to talk about self-harm, says Dr Homes. And parents are often completely unaware of what’s going on. “Some feel that because they have the computer in a public place in the house they can monitor the child’s behaviour online. But with kids able to access the Internet from their phones now, it’s getting more and more difficult to monitor.” Dr Holmes advises parents that the better communication they have with their child (and their child’s friends) the more they will be able to help them if they become depressed.
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Healthy food
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Just the 2 of you Our tips will help you eat well for your health and your pocket
Recipe ideas 1. Stir fries for two fit an average frying pan perfectly. Use small amounts of meat, thinly sliced, with lots of vegetables. Start with a thickly sliced onion, chopped garlic and fresh ginger in olive oil on medium heat. Add vegetables such as broccoli and cauliflower cut into small florets, chopping the stalks into matchstick size. Grate carrots, white turnip and kohlrabi thickly and chop green beans. Quarter tomatoes and add last. Finish with a little sweet chilli sauce or chutney. Taste and if in need of more flavour, add soya sauce. Serve with noodles, rice, couscous, quinoa or mashed potatoes.
Roz Crowley
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2. A few prawns are a treat and affordable occasionally just for two. Do as little as possible to them by bringing to the boil and serving with a garlic mayonnaise and green salad. Wash leftover salad leaves and dry well before storing in the fridge in a plastic bag with a flick of water.
HETHER you are newly weds, empty nesters or a pair cooking in a flat together, meals for two need to be worked out in advance. Food in supermarkets is often packed in larger quantities than needed, so we have to be clever. It all starts with shopping wisely. After that, cooking smart is the order of the day. Here are my tops 10 tips for economising, with five simple recipe ideas for making quick meals for two people.
3. Scallops are delicious at this time of year. Two each is enough with plenty of vegetables. Serve with stir fried or steamed mixed vegetables. For extra style serve each one on a bed of cooked and mashed peas mixed with a little crème fraiche.
1. Markets are a good idea for food shopping as you can buy as much as you need and no more. Avoid the temptation in supermarkets to buy in bulk. Vegetables don’t last long and lose their nutritional benefits with time. Beware of leaves of cauliflower cut off. It can mean they were wilting. If florets of broccoli have been cut off the sides, they are probably on the way out too. The stalks should be perky and crisp, not soft. 2. Count the number of tomatoes you expect to eat, allowing one each for each sandwich. If making a salsa or pasta sauce allow two each. Freeze the tomatoes from cans if not using immediately, THE case for and against raw milk, due to or make be banned in Ireland by the end of the into year, is well presented by Ella McSweeney soup. If in a balanced report for RTÉ’s Ear to the you do Ground available online on YouTube. overbuy fresh ■ Midleton Food & Drink festival takes tomatoes, place tomorrow all day with lots of put them tastings and demonstrations to inspire in the freezand entertain. er for later use
Some tidbits
Picture: iStock
box. Before freezing, think about what you are likely to do with it. If you plan to use it for breadcrumbs, make them before freezing.
3. The larger carrots are, the better they keep, so eat the smaller ones first. Buy one each for a few days of the week. No more. If you do have leftovers, grate them and freeze. They can be added to stir fries or soups later
5. Ovens cost a lot to run, so make a few meals ahead. This means baking for four and freezing two portions. Lasagne, shepherds pie, fish pie, fruit tarts, cakes, pastries all freeze well. Always freeze leftovers. You will be glad of them on a tired night. Keep freezer bags to hand. Used yoghurt cartons are useful for sloppy food. Make scones, biscuits and cakes while the oven is hot, cooking main courses.
4. Freeze half a bread loaf. Quarter it before wrapping so you don’t have to eat all of it. Bread can be put in a supermarket bag, cling film or freezer bag, or kept in its own plastic
6. Buy small single portion tubs of ice cream. You may even be able to share one with a sizeable portion of fruit to stretch it, save on calories and get at least one of the
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recommended five portions of fruit a day. 7. Cut off the legs (and maybe the wings if they are large) of a chicken before roasting and keep for a casserole at another time. Freeze them separately. Also freeze leftover cooked meat once cooled, to keep for another day. Whole (ideally organic and free range) chickens are more tasty than supermarket packaged joints. 8. Freeze food the day it is cooked. Food deteriorates overnight so always freeze it as soon as it has cooled down. 9. Leftover baked beans, lentils, chickpeas and peas can make delicious soups. Add to stock (made from a vegetable stock if no meat stock available), with grated onion, a little ginger and garlic. Cook for five minutes and mash or liquidise. 10. Reheat leftover coffee. Freshly ground or plunged coffee is often thrown away. Freeze it for pouring over ice-cream or mixed with sugar to drizzle on a plain cake or individual buns. It’s good added to icing sugar for toppings too.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2011
4. One of the easiest last-minute dishes for busy couples is to spice up pasta. A simple drizzle of olive oil with cooked peas, chopped ham (parma, prosciutto, iberico or leftover bacon) and a few fresh tomatoes is delicious. Chopped anchovies, olives or smoked salmon are quick and easy too. Heat them all together for five minutes. Add the cooked pasta to the pan and toss well. Just before serving, add grated hard cheese such as Grana Padano, Parmesan, Romano, Gabriel, or any leftover cheese you fancy. 5. One duck breast is plenty for two. Sprinkle the breast with some spices or dry herbs. Place it, skin down, on a dry frying pan and over the lowest heat to allow the fat of the skin to melt into the pan. After 30 minutes it will be cooked most of the way. Remove and add slivered vegetables to the pan and cook in the duck fat on medium heat until barely tender — about five minutes. Meanwhile, slice the duck breast thinly. Add back into the pan along with some grated ginger and garlic. Add in straight-to-wok noodles and stir until warm. Finish with a splash of soya sauce to taste.
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Male health
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Rude health for Paddy P
ADDY STACK was just 15 when his father died from a massive heart attack at the age of 37. Like many young men, he thought he was immortal. “Thirty seven was a whole lifetime away,” says the 44-year-old Bray, Co Wicklow father of three. “But before I knew it, I was 37. I had always weighed in at around 12½ to 13½ stone when I was playing sport. But, after I got married, I found my weight creeping up and found myself touching 19 stone.” Running alongside the excess weight, he also experienced at different times high cholesterol, high blood pressure, low energy levels and sleep difficulties. “I was doing it all wrong on the plate,” says Paddy, who works as a butcher. “I’d often survive during the day on just coffee alone and then I’d pig out in the evening with plenty of meat, plenty potatoes and a little bit of vegetables.” Four months ago, though, Paddy turned a corner, and contacted a Zest4Life tutor
Deirdre O'Flynn MOSTLY MEN NEW ZEST: Butcher Paddy Stack who has changed his attitude to what he puts on his plate.
whom he knew personally. Zest4Life is a wellbeing, weight management and nutrition process designed to educate and motivate people to change and improve their body, health, and wellbeing for good. After an initial health assessment, participants follow expert nutritionist Patrick Holford’s low GL (glycaemic load) diet. “I learned to bulk up on vegetables and to have smaller portions of meat and potatoes,” says Paddy, who’s speaking to highlight Patrick Holford’s attendance at the Rude Health Show in the RDS in Dublin on September 10-11. “Now, in the mornings, I
Picture: Nick Bradshaw
have porridge with berries on top. I drink eight to 10 glasses of water a day. I’ll have an apple and a small piece of cheese and ham at 11. “At lunch, I’ll have a wrap with fish and some veg. Then a snack of some fruit or nuts in the afternoon and, at dinnertime, as much veg as I want along with small portions of meat. I’m eating more than ever and I have energy to burn.” Along with a smaller waistband, his blood pressure has improved and his sleeping pat-
Miles of support for those separated
Making links with others can be good sport
IF you’re in Limerick, check out the new office of Miles (Men In Limerick Experiencing Separation) at 25 Glentworth Street. Miles offers support to families with relationship difficulties and to men who are going through a separation. Support meetings are held on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 8pm-10pm and Miles also offers support to individuals by appointment. Miles can be contacted at 087 2603 603 or by email at info@miles.ie.
IF YOU have an interest in sport and are feeling lost, due to unemployment, you may want to check out a joint initiative by Wicklow Local Sports Partnership and the Wicklow Mental Health Association. They’re hosting an information evening on Tuesday, September 20 at 8pm at the Grand Hotel in Wicklow town to make people aware of the sports clubs which exist and sporting opportunities which are available in local communities. This initiative is part of Wicklow Men-
TAKE 1
DIFFICULT TIME: Separation is often hard on dads but there are support groups that can help. Picture: iStock
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IMMUNE BOOST: To avoid kids ending up on the couch with a dose of September sniffles, AVogel recommend a combination of Echinacea Junior tablets, €11.80 and Nature C, €6.45 a natural form of this immune-boosting vitamin. Echinacea works to strengthen immunity. Vitamin C helps to support the production of antibodies, helping your child’s immune system to work more effectively. AVogel products are available from pharmacies and health stores nationwide.
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tal Health’s Association’s Building Resilience Together programme which is aimed at involving the people in building stronger personal, family and community links to improve the county’s community and lifestyle. It’s based in today’s reality that many men — and women — are facing challenges and setbacks. The programme aims to build a sense of purpose at individual and community level by people getting involved in community organisations and developing friendships and a sense of belonging.
tern. “I think I had sleeping problems because I was so overweight, though I’m going to be checked for sleep apnoea,” he says, adding that everyone in his house, including wife Ali, and children Dean, Michael and Aoife, are eating better. “I feel a hell of a lot better, I’m looking to do things now, not falling asleep in the chair in the evenings.” ■ For more information, check out www.zest4life.eu and www.rudehealth.ie
DId you know...
Risk for high blood pressure increases with poor sleep quality (Source: Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School in Boston, Mass.)
September suplements for kids
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SUNSHINE VITAMIN: Vitamin D3 is absorbed via sun exposure on the skin and research shows most Irish people are deficient (especially during winter months). A deficiency is linked to a range of conditions including weak bones and poor immune health. Nature’s Plus Source of Life Animal Parade Gold, €11.95 for 60 tablets, provides a range of essential vitamins and minerals, including vitamin D3 (the form thought to be most beneficial in a supplement). These chewable animal-shaped, fruit-flavoured tablets are blended from more than 20 organic wholefoods and sweetened with xylitol. Nature’s Plus supplements are available from health stores. There are also vitamin D3 chewables and drops and a multi-vitamin liquid in the Animal Parade range.
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ELDERBERRY SYRUP: Pukka Herbs Organic Botanicals Elderberry Syrup, €10.99 for 120ml, contains a naturally sweet and soothing blend of organic black elderberry, manuka honey, ginger and thyme, formulated to support the respiratory system and seasonal health. This anti-viral formula can be used by all the family to help fight off irritating coughs and colds. Manuka honey is renowned for its medicinal properties and elderberry can help boost a flagging immune system. Pukka Elderberry Syrup is free from artificial flavourings and sweeteners and can be found in health stores.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2011
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OPTIMAL NUTRITION: Higher Nature Dinochews are multivitamin and mineral chewables with a dinosaur design, sweetened with fruit and sorbitol (a natural sweetener). In the Food for the Brain primary schools pilot project in Britain with Patrick Holford, children who followed a healthy diet and exercise programme and whose diet was supplemented with Dinochews, showed significant improvements in learning ability and behaviour. Dinochews, €6.90 for 30 tablets, are suitable for kids aged four upwards and can be either chewed or crushed and sprinkled over desserts.
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14 Beauty
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An itchy scalp can drive you to distraction and look unsightly, but help is at hand thanks to some special hair products
Emily O’Sullivan
I
HAVE scalp psoriasis. I’ve had it for about 16 years. I’ve tried Chinese herbal medicine, acupuncture and eliminating certain foods. I’ve also tried nuking the daylights out of it with all manner of prescribed lotion, potion and ointment. But I still have it. It doesn’t go away. It can sometimes be worse, sometimes better, but it never disappears. Ten years ago, I went to a dermatologist who told me I’d have it for the rest of my life. He then charged me a hefty fee for the privilege. I didn’t really believe him. An eternal optimist, I was sure I would beat it even just to prove him wrong, but I didn’t and I haven’t. And so, instead, I’ve learned to live with it. At it’s worst, it rages and burns with an itch that is impossible to relieve. An itch that nothing will improve. It is, quite frankly, horrible. I went back to the doctor recently and tried all the usual prescription suspects and they made it worse, it went from dry to crusty and stayed that way. Last week, though, I’d had enough. I had booked an appointment at the hairdressers and I didn’t want to arrive with the scalp of crusty foulness. After buying the usual over-the-counter psoriasis suspects (Capasal shampoo and Cocois scalp treatment), something else caught my eye in the chemists – it was a range of “skin disorder” treatment I hadn’t seen before called MooGoo. Quirkily packaged in cartons that look like they’ve come straight out of a dairy factory, the leaflet was filled with all sorts of fabulous customer testimonials, even from people who suffered from scalp psoriasis. I decided to give it a go and bought the Scalp Cream, €15.70, and the Milk Shampoo, €14.86. The shampoo, as it says on the website, was inspired by a family member “that had a scalp so itchy they went to bed with olive oil with cling wrap around their head”. (Done that, incidentally). And if you’re wondering about
The news on... Red Door WE love a good bottle of perfume – something that looks as good and it smells. Elizabeth Arden Red Door, €33, for 30ml, is being relaunched with roasting hot packaging that still exudes late ‘80s glamour. Scent wise you can expect a heady mix of lily of the valley, freesia, wild violets, red roses, Moroccan orange flower, honey, sandalwood and oakmoss.
Stay ahead
TERAPROOF:User:margaretjenningsDate:07/09/2011Time:16:03:59Edition:09/09/2011FeelgoodXH0909Page:14
Take three... Wine-coloured lips LAST season it was pillar box, this season it has gone down a few shades and burgundy coloured lips are definitely the hottest shade of the autumn. No, it’s not for everyone, and yes, it can be difficult to wear and can only be done with full-on make-up, but if you’re looking for a glamorous screen siren edge, then this is the shade to go for.
the origins of the MooGoo brand — and why it has such an attachment to cows, it was adapted from a cream used in dairy farms to treat udder problems. Nice. Still, I’ve been using both for a week now, and it’s already making a difference. I had a particularly bad patch of psoriasis behind my ear that has more or less gone, and overall my scalp is less scaly, less inflamed and definitely less itchy. This isn’t a miracle treatment — it’s relatively expensive for what it is and it very well may not work for everyone, but for me it’s a natural treatment (I had been using coal tar for far too long) that relieves the symptoms in a very agreeable way. Of course, not everyone has such serious scalp problems, but the scalp is still a part of the body that tends to get neglected, and as we all know if you have a dry, tight or itchy scalp it can really affect the way you feel. Dandruff is a common scalp condition that
can be relieved with a fair degree of effectiveness. Caused by a yeast that lives naturally in hair follicles, it affects about half the population and at its most serious is known as seborrhoeic dermatitis. If you’re concerned about what type of dandruff you have (it’s important to know so it can be treated properly), it’s best to consult your doctor. Or you could try a few treatments yourself and see if they work. Sensitive scalp is another common issue, with itchiness, dry scalp, tightness and burning as sensations common with the condition. Sometimes, something as simple as switching your shampoo or hair drying can cause it. The good news is that the right shampoo will more than likely sort it out, and if you want to take things a step further, then give your scalp a little TLC with L’Occitane’s Soothing Concentrated Mask – comfort in a bottle.
ELF Lipstick in Posh, €1.70. What can we say, it’s super cheap and it’s a great cherry shade – not too dark, just the right amount. It’s not a lipstick that’s going to change your life but if you want to dip into the look, without making a full financial commitment, it’s a good place to start. Maybelline Moisture Extreme in Burgundy, €10.45. It’s better to go for a super-moisturising formulation if you’re taking the burgundy plunge or lips can get dry and flaky, which looks particularly bad with a dark colour. We like this Maybelline option, as it’s got a lovely silky texture and this burgundy shade pretty much nails it. Bobbi Brown Creamy Lip Colour in Black Cherry, €22.50. You need to be a committed deep lipstick wearer to go for this one. It really is very dark. Opt for a lip liner to prevent bleeding and feathering if you’re going for a full pout or else just use it in small doses and pat it onto the lip for a more casual look.
STUFF WE LIKE Korres Laurel & Echinacea Shampoo Against Dandruff and Dry Scalp, €10.33. This all-natural shampoo relies on Mother Nature’s finest ingredients to do the hard work. It balances sebum levels, has antiseptic properties thanks to the echinacea, while fennel extract has been added to reduce itching. Redken Dandruff Control Shampoo, €11.68 with free delivery at feelunique.com. Head & Shoulders may have the market cornered, but if you’re
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looking for a salon shampoo with dandruff fighting benefits, then this is a good choice. It tackles dandruff flaking, itching and irritation while leaving your hair looking pretty hot, too. Philip Kingsley Shampoo for Flaky and Itchy Scalps, €21.90. If you like your shampoos to come with a few credentials, then this award-winning number is for you. Yes, it’s expensive, but it’s Philip Kingsley — and this shampoo was created personally for Sir Lawrence Olivier. Plus it claims not to strip the hair of colour, which
is handy, especially if you’ve just spent a fortune on your highlights.
can apply it easily to the scalp without covering your hair.
L’Occitane Soothing Concentrated Mask, €18.95. Some scalp treatments (especially medicated ones) can smell horrific. I know because I’ve tried all of them. This one doesn’t, and that’s probably because of all the essential oils in it, including chamomile, mandarin, cedar and basil. It’s important to note that this won’t treat any scalp conditions, but it’s an option for sensitive scalps that just need a little loving. The handy nozzle also means you
Aveda Scalp Remedy Anti-Dandruff Solution, €16.81 at lookfantastic.com. Quite incredibly, Aveda claim to reduce dandruff flaking by 41% within a week of using this shampoo. We like results, and plan to use it again and again. Apply after shampooing, leave-in, and let the combination of salicylic acid, rosemary, echinacea and sage do its work.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2011
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Natural health
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Q
IS there a natural product for teeth whitening that works? All of the popular brands seem to be loaded with chemicals, so I am wondering if teeth whitening is possible without chemical help?
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
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donor in transplant operations, the missing portion typically grows back. Of course, this is not an excuse to go on a drinking binge, believing that the liver will heal of its own accord. It is far more beneficial for health and longevity to take great care of this valuable eliminatory organ and protect it from damage in the first place. The two herbs I recommend to support liver detoxification and regeneration are milk thistle and dandelion, both of which are usually sold together in supplement form. They can also be mixed with other liver-supportive herbs and nutrients.
A. You are quite right — most of the dental whitening products contain ingredients that you wouldn’t want to ingest and some may even trigger the release of mercury vapour from existing amalgam fillings. Fortunately, there are quite a few natural/home remedies. Simply rubbing strawberries on the teeth each morning will go a long way Q. I have just been diagnosed with to a brighter smile. Not only do strawgallstones. I have been told that berries work very well to remove stains lemon and olive oil will help to get and whiten the teeth, they are also an rid of these naturally, do you know effective way to even out skin tone of a suitable recipe? I would also apwhen crushed and applied as a mask preciate your opinion as to whether (particularly useful in cases of melasthis is effective ma/chloasma). Another surprising remedy is activatA. The long standing lemon/olive oil ed charcoal. This might seem somerecipe you refer to has many versions, what unusual because brushing your all claiming to be the original or best. teeth with a black powder seems like Here is one which I have personally the last thing you should be doing to found to be successful for clients make your teeth shine, but it works. wanting to do a gallbladder flush: Activated charcoal is carbon (typical2.5ml (½ teaspoon) lemon juice ly from willow bark or coconut fibre) 60ml (3-4 tablespoons) olive oil that has been subjected to air or steam Combine these two ingredients toat incredibly high temperatures, causgether, and drink the mixture straight ing it to develop an extensive network down in one or two gulps. You will of fine pores and become incredibly need to do this five times each day adsorbent. Absorbency is different to until the stones pass (usually within 48 absorbency in that it binds to the mahours of the first drink). terial in question and then carries it Cholesterol is the main ingredient out of the body. in most gallstones, so be sure to reAll you need to do is dip your duce your dietary intake of ‘bad’ toothbrush in water (or use a little natcholesterol. The pain experienced ural toothpaste, such as Green People, FRUITY TUTTI: Strawberries will remove stains and whiten during a gallbladder attack is due to Lavera, Weleda) and then dip it in the teeth, and can also help to even out skin tone when crushed the bile duct being blocked by gallactivated charcoal. It is messy and turns and applied as a mask. Picture: iStock stones, leading to pain in the upper your mouth black, but after a rinse right area of the abdomen along with with pure water your teeth will be nausea and even vomiting in some shining. Carbon also works to remove plaque cases. wondering what you would recommend as well as stubborn coffee stains. Removing all fat from your diet is not the Other kitchen remedies for teeth whitening to take alongside this programme. answer — essential fatty acids, such as those include walnut bark, sage leaves, dried orange found in oily fish (mackerel, salmon, kipA. The liver needs to be in good shape so peel, baking soda, lemon juice and salt but I pers, herrings, sardines and so on, are useful that it can act as a filter to remove toxins find both the strawberry and charcoal methin reducing gallbladder symptoms. such as bacteria, viruses, and environmental ods the easiest and most effective ways of Constipation is another factor linked with pollutants from your blood. The liver keeping a fresh mouth with white teeth and gallstone formation — best treated using cleansing diet is a great start, and has helped healthy gums. psyllium husks. Mix 1-2 tablespoons of psylmany people achieve better health with ■ Activated charcoal can be purchased from lium husks in a large glass of water first some very simple changes. This is an effeclocal health stores, Nourish Health stores thing in the morning and last thing at night tive long-term diet for overall health, even (01-6337070), or Sona Nutrition and drink straight away before it forms a though it has been designed to support the (01-4515200). If you are only able to source solid gel. You can also combine psyllium liver specifically, since it improves the funcit in capsules, then open the capsules and with juice if you find this combination diffition of all of the internal organs and syspour the contents into the bottom of an cult to swallow (it has no specific taste as tems. eggcup for ease of use. such, however the texture doesn’t appeal to Fortunately, the liver responds incredibly everybody). This will help with internal well to natural remedies, and given the right Q. I would like to take some herbs which cleansing and support intestinal and organ nutrients and conditions, it will regenerate will support my liver. I am following Dr health even if constipation is not an issue for Sandra Cabot’s liver cleansing diet, and was itself — if a section is removed from a you.
■ NOTE: The information contained above is not a substitute for medical advice. Always consult a doctor first.
Megan puts the spotlight on:
I
F your child comes home from school or childcare with little grey/transparent hitch-hikers on their head then I’m afraid you have a job on your hands to ensure that they leave for good. Headlice are about the size of a sesame seed, and, contrary to popular belief, they travel by crawling rather than hopping or jumping. Once you have identified lice on your child, then you will almost certainly have a case of nits (the eggs of the louse) as well. These are quite a bit smaller than the lice, and are attached to the hair shaft — usually right at the base near the scalp. Popular laying spots include the darkest warmest parts of the head, so check well behind the ears and
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on the nape of the neck. Everyone in the family will need a head-check, and since the eggs hatch around seven to eight days after being laid, you will need to perform any treatment weekly for at least two to three cycles. When it comes to treating lice, stronger solutions aren’t necessarily more effective, since the best way to get rid of these annoying creatures is by hand — much like aphids on your roses. You will also need to put all bedding and headwear through a hot wash and dryer cycle, and again, this will need to be repeated weekly for two to three weeks to eliminate any new hatchlings. Hairbrushes and hair accessories should also be washed. Adult headlice
HEAD LICE can live for up to five weeks, and the females lay around four to five eggs daily, which means the problem can get out of hand if left untreated. In our house we have a “Nit-Finding Friday” session each week in which we use a small head torch with a powerful light (available from camping or cycling stores) to check through every member of the family. Once everyone has been deemed nit and louse-free, we then use a homemade preventative spray (lavender, tea-tree, and thyme essential oils in witch-hazel). If we find any lice or eggs, then we follow the full treatment protocol for everyone and check daily until they are clear. Fine-toothed metal combs can be
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2011
useful for removing the adults, but the only way to effectively get rid of the eggs is to pull out each one with your fingernails. Effective natural products usually include lavender, tea tree, quassia, or neem. Slathering the hair in conditioner makes it easier to track down lice since they are unable to crawl away and the hair can be combed more easily.
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XH - V1
Introducing the World’s First Invisible In-The-Ear-Canal Hearing Aid...
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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2011