Feelgood 16-09-2011

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Feelgood

Friday, September 16, 2011

Picture: Dan Linehan

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Embracing life Despite being paralysed in a rugby accident, Mick O’Connell underwent a punishing exercise regime to reclaim his independence. Along the way he met Colleen: 8, 9

DOUBLE TROUBLE

Health challenges posed by underweight twins: 4, 5

GO FIGURE

20 stress-free ways to get in shape after a lazy summer: 11

OVEN PROOF

Breads from independent and in-store bakeries tested: 12

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2 News front Kate O’Reilly WHAT’S ON ■ AMD TESTING: AMD Awareness Week, from tomorrow until September 25, is promoting the early detection of Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD), the most common cause of registered blindness in Ireland. AMD is thought to affect one in 10 Irish people over the age of 50. Free testing and information will be available at participating opticians and public locations nationwide including Limerick City Library and Castletroy Golf Club on Wednesday and Waterford City Library and Waterford Golf Club on Thursday. see www.amd.ie for details.

■ CLASSIC CARS: This weekend, 60 people will take to 40 classic cars and travel around the four provinces of Ireland in aid of Ireland’s first children’s hospice, The Children’s Sunshine Home / LauraLynn House. The Triumph Classic Owners Club (TCOC) departs from Dublin today and stops include Clonmel and Cobh. Follow the rally and donate at www.4provinces.blogspot.com.

■ SPRING CLEAN: Spring Clean for Charity in aid St Vincent de Paul is on in Cork City Hall on September 24. The sale features bric-a-brac, trinkets and fashion. Roy Keane and Rachel Allen, are among those who have pledged to support the event. To book a stall, visit www.springcleanforcharity.ie, or call Dearbhla on 086-8221751.

■ FAMILY YOGA: The Well Within Centre MacCurtain St, Cork, is holding a yoga family day on Sunday. Parents of three- to five-year-olds can try a class with their child, while five- to eight-year-olds and nine- to 12-year-olds will be able to try a class on their own while their parents experience gentle meditation. Contributions are invited in aid of the ISPCC. Classes must be booked in advance on 021-4509588.

■ ANXIETY COURSE: A free six-week day or evening workshop for sufferers of anxiety and panic begins in Wilton, Cork, this month. The course is organised by the Out and About Association, a voluntary self-help group for sufferers of anxiety, agoraphobia and social phobias. Call Robert O’Connell on 087-7928579 for more details.

■ DAISY DAYS: Aware, the support organisation for people affected by depression, is inviting people to donate a few hours this weekend to help with the organisation’s largest annual fundraiser: Daisy Days. Call 01-6617211 or see www.aware.ie.

■ MBS FESTIVAL: The Mind Body Spirit Festival returns to Cork City Hall today from 1 to 9pm and continuing tomorrow (10am to 6pm) and Sunday (11am to 6pm). Admission is free and there are free lectures on topics including angels, crystal healing, feng shui, dreams and parenting. See www.mindbodyspirit.ie.

■ MINI MARATHON: Cork Simon Community is looking for runners/walkers to take part in the Evening Echo Mini Marathon on September 25. To help, please ring Mary at 021-4929410. ● Items for inclusion in this column can be sent to koreilly8@gmail.com

FeelgoodMag

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The food pyramid has been tossed aside in the US, and replaced with plate-sized portions, says Oliver Moore

I

Pick ’n’ mix

N the US a new plate-shaped logo, divided into basic food groups, has been launched by its Department of Agriculture. This replaces their previous design, a food pyramid.

The new design is clear and simple. It places a significant emphasis on fruits and vegetables — these two take up half of the plate. Protein and grains make up the other half, with a side portion, shaped as a circle, for diary.

The plate has been launched to a chorus of approval from health-related organisations, such as the American Heart Association and the American Dietetic Association.

The American Heart Association (AHH) “applauds the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) for developing the new food icon”. It claimed that this design will “help guide consumers towards healthier diets”.

Marion Nestle, professor of nutrition at New York University, gave a measured welcome to the new plate-shaped icon. She pointed to numerous positives, including how easy it is to understand, even for children.

However, Nestle is concerned about the use of the word protein. “I’m a nutritionist,” she wrote in her foodpolitics.com website. “Protein is a nutrient, not a food. Protein is not exactly lacking in American diets. The average American consumes twice the protein needed. Grains and dairy, each with its own sector, are important sources of protein in American diets.”

Richard Burton of the Irish Institute of Nutrition and Health says this new US Plate is “definitely an improvement”. He says a pyramid design is too abstract, whereas a plate is more “realistic”.

The messages that accompany the plate are especially helpful, according to Burton.

Indeed, on the main promotional website, www.choosemyplate.gov, these can be clicked through on the relevant sections of the plate itself.

“The message – ‘Make at least half your grains whole grains’ – that’s a good message,” he says.

Burton believes the recently revised Irish advice, issued by the Food Standard Authority of Ireland, still places too much emphasis on bread, cereals and dairy.

“As many servings of carbohydrates and dairy are recommended as for fruits and vegetables,” he says.

Some, including Professor Nestle, have pointed out that the plate does not reflect US agri-food policy. According to the US Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine: “More than 60% of agricultural subsidies in recent history have directly and indirectly supported meat and dairy production. Less than 1% have gone to fruits and vegetables.”

NUTRITION SCOOP: The US Department of Agriculture’s plate-shaped logo places a strong emphasis on fruit and vegetables.

Picture: iStock

HEALTH NOTES THE Borrisoleigh Co Tipperary Charity Cycle 2011 takes place tomorrow in aid of the cystic fibrosis group TLC4CF. The 50-mile group will leave Borrisoleigh at 1.30pm and the 25-mile group will leave at 2.30pm.

Refreshments will be served in the local hall after the race from about 5pm. For more details contact Ruairi on 087-6708265.

In support of Cork Walking Month 2011 and National Trails Day, the HSE has organised a free Introduction to Trail Walking workshop at Farran Woods on October 2.

This workshop is designed to assist those who are new to trail walking in planning safe enjoyable walks, including map-reading and appropriate walking gear. Places are limited. Contact Valerie Murphy on 021-4921641. For more information on walks during Cork Walking Month, see www.corkwalkingmonth.ie.

FUND RUN: Running to the finish line to promote Team Eamonn Coghlan for this year’s National Lottery Dublin Marathon were (left to right) Keith Smith, Finn Smith, Ruth MacMahon, and Sophie MacMahon, with the former world champion and Olympian Eamonn Coghlan.

Picture: Leon Farrell / Photocall Ireland.

The Cardiac Support Group North Cork is holding an open presentation evening this Monday September 19 at 8pm in Mallow GAA Complex. Dr Tom Kiernan, consultant cardiologist at Mallow General Hospital and CUH will be the guest speaker. All are welcome, enquiries to 086-3883180.

tal. Each trekker needs to raise €4,600 to complete their fundraising challenge.

The trek visits many trails throughout the Himalayas and wanders through some of the most spectacular scenery in the world, including Kathmandu, Nagarkot and Pokhara. To join Trek Nepal, see www.templestreet.ie

From November 3 to 14, a team of trekkers will take to the Himalayas in a challenge to raise funds for lifesaving equipment for Temple Street Children’s University Hospi-

A recent survey into Irish people’s exercise habits found that for nearly three out of four people (71%) the main motivation to exercise is to stay slim and trim. A health-conscious

www.irishexaminer.com www.irishexaminer.com

www.irishexaminer.com feelgood@examiner.ie

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2011

64% say they exercise for the health benefits it provides while more than half (54%) say that it makes them feel better.

The survey was carried out by the Children’s Medical & Research Foundation (CMRF) to raise awareness of its Team Eamonn Coghlan for the Dublin Marathon on October 31. The Foundation aims to raise funds for Crumlin hospital and National Children’s Research Centre as part of its Kilometres for Kids Campaign.

To join Team Eamonn Coghlan see www.kilometresforkids.ie.

Editorial: 021 4802 292

Advertising: 021 4802 215

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In Profile

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THE SHAPE I'M IN

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Regina Nathan

In fine voice

ONSIDERED Ireland’s premier soprano, Regina Nathan stars as Maria Callas in Casta Diva, The Life, Loves And Music of Maria Callas at the National Concert Hall on Saturday, September 24 and Sunday, November 6.

Regina’s career in opera, concert and recital has taken her from her native Ireland across Europe and as far as Kuala Lumpur and New York’s Carnegie Hall. She has appeared in opera in many of the world’s most prestigious theatres including Madrid’s Teatro Réal, Brussels’ La Monnaie, the Hamburg Staatsoper, Opéra de Genève and the Israeli Opera, as well as Opera Ireland.

Brought up in Terenure, Regina now lives in West Clare with husband Joe Lynch and seven-year-old daughter . “Jessie was a beautiful surprise,” says Regina, who was 44 years old when her daughter was born.

It was Jessie who prompted a lifestyle change for the singer two years ago. “I was very conscious that I didn’t want her facing the same issues both my husband and I faced around food and exercise.”

The family’s dietary changes were initially guided by a nutritionist and involve eliminating dairy, sugar, wheat, peppers, chilli, aubergines, tomatoes and potatoes from the menu, while including as much organic and fresh food as possible.

What shape are you in?

I feel pretty good. I’m happy with my weight. I’m very balanced hormonally and around sugar levels. I love walking and pilates but I’d like to fit in more exercise. I’d love to get into yoga and also to do something more strenuous. I don’t like exercise that makes me sweat, yet you have to sweat to really get the benefits. I have a bicycle and a trampoline and I try to get on those every day.

Do you have any health concerns?

Tension builds if I have a concert coming up. I usually go for a massage. Exercise loosens everything up too.

What are your healthiest eating habits?

I’ve cut out all processed sugar. I get sugar in a bio-digestible form in maple syrup, agave syrup and apple juice. I don’t eat wheat but have spelt instead. We make beautiful home-made bread with spelt. I’ve got rid of the nightshade vegetables – potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, chilli, mushrooms.

Both Joe and I find these have an adverse effect on our mood.

What’s your guiltiest pleasure?

I tend to pick one thing and eat a lot of it before I go off it. There’s a sweet, nutritious dish I make with almond and sunflower butter mixed with maple syrup, ground cashew and walnuts, seeds and dried fruit. I have that on baked sweet potato.

What would keep you awake at night?

If I haven’t completed something, if I feel I’m not on top of something. I much prefer to stay up to 1am or 2am to complete a piece of work. Then I’m able to sleep.

How do you relax?

I read, walk or just sit and listen to music.

Who would you invite to your dream dinner party?

Nobody famous. I love small intimate dinners so I’d have the people I connect to,

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HEALTHY PHILOSOPHY: Regina Nathan walks and does pilates but would like to start yoga and some aerobic exercise.

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people I can have fun with.

What would you change about your appearance?

Nothing — I’m happy with where I’m at.

I accept that this is my body. I’ve stopped colouring my hair and I love the natural feel of it. They’re talking about putting in a rinse for the Maria Callas performance so that I’ll look more like Callas – I don’t even feel comfortable with that.

What’s your favourite smell?

I love rosemary and juniper. When I burn oils, I find those very clean. I also like pine and peppermint.

When did you last cry?

About five days ago. I was thinking about things changing. I think the trigger was looking at some photos of Jessie when she was a baby. I enjoy everything about her and I’m so aware of time passing so fast. I just can’t believe seven years have gone by.

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What trait do you least like in others?

Meanness — people who are very close-fisted.

What trait do you least like in yourself?

I wish I didn’t take things so personally.

I’ve improved a lot in this regard though. I realise that, even when people hurt you, a lot of it is never meant personally.

Do you pray?

I don’t pray in the Catholic sense. I was never good at meditation but in the last year I’ve read that meditation is about stilling yourself so that you can listen to God and bring out the God-ness that is inside. In that, I find a prayer.

Burning pain

Crawling pain

Stabbing pain

Shocking pain

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What would cheer up your day?

Myself and Joe and Jessie laughing.

Helen O’Callaghan

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2011

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Sue Leonard says bowel and breathing problems and neonatal death increase

Family life 5 when one twin is heavier by at least 18%. Non-identical babies are not as vulnerable

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Double the concern Joanna and Sarah

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HEN a couple learns they’re tions and of premature birth. expecting twins, often their “We monitor these pregnancies closely. If reaction is shock. They worthe weight difference happens before the ry about the expense, the work, and the 20th week of pregnancy, we sometimes use higher risk of birth complications. laser treatment [to destroy abnormal blood According to a recent all-Ireland study, car- vessels in the placenta responsible for poor ried out by Perinatal Ireland and the Royal blood circulation between twins]. But this is College of Surgeons, there is an increased rare. If it happens over 20 weeks, we monirisk of neonatal death, bowel and breathing tor, measure and assess, and get the pregnanproblems where the difference in weight becy to a stage where it is viable. But the probtween twins is more than 18%. lem can be that one twin is sick and the othAt the highest risk were identical twins er healthy,” he says. who shared one placenta. The larger twin was found to have an equal risk as their Rob and Edith Cosgrove, from Cork city, smaller partner. were interBut such is ested to the high stanread the redard of neonaport. After tal care, the rea port found a white-knucklow rate of inle pregnancy, fant death, esthey consider pecially in their twins, non-identical born on twins.

March 20, This is good 2009, somenews, especially thing of a given the inmiracle. crease in the “Edith is a numbers of GP. She’s twins. done a lot of According to neonatal CSO figures, work over the there were years, and 1,297 sets of when, during twins born in the scan, we 2008, (the last were told, year for which ‘oh, there’s figures are another one,’ available.) This she knew the compares with extent to 726 pairs in which twins 2000. could, mediTHE HACKSHAWS: Myles weighed 6lb but was put on a “The high cally, be trourate is partly ventilator for lung problems; Michael weighed 3lb 11oz and ble,” says Rob due to IVF,” was put on a high-calorie diet. Picture: Nick Bradshaw Cosgrove. says Dr Peter His wife’s Boylan, a forconcerns were mer master of The National Maternity Hoswell-founded. Before Christmas, the couple pital, and author of The Irish Pregnancy learned that the twins were identical, and Book. “It’s also partly due to the rate of older were sharing a placenta. And at Christmas, it mothers” (the average age of a mother in Ire- was clear their sizes were unequal. land is now 31.1. It’s risen a year in the past “It looked like a condition called decade). twin-to-twin transferable syndrome. We were Dr Boylan was not surprised by the report. told the odds were we could lose one of the “We’re very aware of the dangers, particularly twins. in identical twins. There’s a risk that one “And if we lost one, the other one could be twin transfuses into the other, or one will get born damaged. Edith stopped working after the bulk of the nutrition.

Christmas. She’d read studies that said bed “There’s a much higher rate of complicarest could be beneficial.

“On Valentine’s day, with three months to go, she went into hospital for bed rest, and twice-a-week scans. By then the growth difference had stabilised. But it was still significant, and on March 20 their consultant obstetrician decided it was time to deliver them.

They were born at 30 weeks and five days,” he says.

THE COSGROVES: At birth twins Joanna and Sarah was born first, weighing 2lb 7oz; then Joanna arrived at 2lb 15oz. “They were Sarah weighed just 2lb 15oz and 2lb 7oz, tiny,” says Rob. “Especially compared to out respectively. eldest daughter, Niamh, who weighed 8lb Picture: Dan Linehan

Evie and James

Myles and Michael

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THE MORONEYS: Evie was 5lb 13oz and James 6lb 5oz at birth, both were healthy and have since thrived.

Picture: Garry O’Neill

13½ oz.” The twins went straight to ICU, where both needed oxygen. One of them had feeding difficulties, and another had an infection.

“It was critical for a while. They were quite sick,” says Rob. “Joanna stayed in for five weeks, and Sarah for seven.”

Two and a half years on, the twins are doing well. They are a little behind developmentally. “Joanna is talking well and is sociable, but she’s not as nimble as her sister. Sarah crawled two months before her, and walked eight months before, but Sarah is more timid.

She understands everything, but is speech-delayed. But it’s only a setback. These things will pass,” he says.

Dublin couple Niamh and Conor Hawkshaw had twins on April 18.

“We wanted our children close together.

But Matthew was only one when I became pregnant. During the scan we were telling

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the consultant we’d bought a new house, and, seeing twins, he turned and said, ‘how big did you say the house was?’,” says Niamh.

Her twins were non-identical. But when she was 20 weeks pregnant, a scan showed that one twin wasn’t thriving as much.

“They weren’t sure why. But they worried about chromosomal abnormalities. He had a short femur and arm length.

“I went on sick leave from my IT job just after Christmas, and was put on partial bed rest. Every scan looked brighter. But they were worried about the smaller twin, and they were induced at 35 weeks,” she says.

It was a natural delivery. Michael arrived first, weighing 3lb 11oz, followed by Myles at 6lb. But it wasn’t just Michael who needed special care.

“Michael’s main problem was that he needed to gain weight. He was in an incubator, then a hot cot, and he had high-calorie formula for two weeks. But Myles had a prob-

lem with his lungs. He was on a ventilator,” she says.

Myles got home after one week; Michael after two, and at five months old they’re settled, sleeping from 7pm to 7am. “Myles is nearly 15lb now, and is tall. Michael weighs 12lb. He’s small height-wise, but may catch up later on. Developmentally, the twins are doing really well. Myles is right on track, and Michael is four weeks ahead.”

Co Wexford couple, Peig and Steven Moroney are the proud parents of two-year-old twins James and Evie. They couldn’t be more thrilled.

“We already had two children, Hannah, 14, and Max, eight. After that I had an ectopic pregnancy. I lost a tube, and was told I wouldn’t conceive again. I was 36 when I became pregnant. I felt shocked and delighted. I’d always wanted four children.

“From the start, the pregnancy felt quite

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2011

different. When I was five months pregnant, I looked full-term. Because of my size, I stopped sleeping at around five months.

“I went to 38 weeks, and I was induced. I couldn’t walk at that stage, I felt disabled. My waters were broken and I had the easiest of labours. They both shot out,” she says.

Born on February 24, 2009, Evie weighed 5lb 13oz, and James 6lb 5oz. They were both healthy and have done well.

“They are incredibly hard work. It’s hard sometimes, as I run a shoe shop called Tresur, in Rathwood, Tullow. If one wakes, the other won’t be far behind. We didn’t get a full night’s sleep until September, 2010.

“Overall they are fantastic. When they’re not killing each other, they are thoughtful. I heard them, the other day, asking each other if they were okay.

“I love the fact that they have each other, and always will. They won’t be going into the big bad world alone.”

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Covering yourself

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Many people are not putting enough money aside to cover their medical and dental costs or are trying to cut corners by avoiding check-ups, says Rachel Borrill

Health expenses A

T LEAST half of all Irish households are underestimating and failing to budget for their routine medical expenses. As a result, many of them are now choosing not to have their health checked regularly, according to health insurer HSF Health Plan.

According to HSF — their survey, carried out early this year over a three-month period — revealed that families with young children were underestimating their medical bills by 45%; that a large majority, 82%, were finding it very hard to budget for these expenses and 58% of households say they will end their regular dental checks.

Roy Smith of HSF says the research revealed that families had real worries whether they could pay their medical bills and may not attend their doctor, dentist or other practitioner because of this fear.

“There has clearly been a huge shift in the balance of money coming into Irish households over the past year and coupled with rising medical costs, families have a real concern about meeting their everyday medical bills,” he says. “The lesson for households is to take a proactive approach to managing these costs so that they can be afforded and the worry or the decision not to make the visit can be avoided.’’

Doreen Keane, a mother of four children from Craughwell, Co Galway, who took part in the survey, admitted she was shocked that she had underestimated her family’s medical expenses by 44%.

“I had underestimated it by €345. To say I was shocked was an understatement,’’ she says. “I was sickened by it, and even worse, because I know this is ongoing, these were our expenses over a random few months.

Over the year that is lots of money. Last year I sent in €4,000 worth of bills to our health insurer, yet I got nothing back.’’

To save money, Doreen says she will only visit her doctor when there are several things she need to discuss with him. “You can neglect yourself, but you can’t neglect you children, so I would actually write down and make sure I get all the things I need, like a prescription or a cert, because you have got to get value for money,’’ she says.

Dr Ronan Bolan, president of the Irish Medical Organisation and a GP from Blackpool, Cork, says the survey’s findings are not surprising, given the current economic climate, but are very worrying.

“There are significant health risks if patients delay attending or do not follow up appointments because a delayed diagnosis can mean that the person may end up in hospital, miss work or have a more serious ailment,” he explains.

Dr Bolan cites the high cost of medical treatment for people suffering from asthma or diabetes as a “real problem”, with a high majority of patients unable to afford their prescriptions.

“There are very effective drugs for these conditions but they are quite expensive and most people cannot afford them so are not managing their condition properly, or attending the doctor when they should.

“They are simply saying to us, ‘I cannot afford to pay for this medication that you have

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GUESS WORK: Doreen and Kevin Keane from Craughwell, Co Galway, with three of their four children Emmet, Senan and Ruth. Doreen says she was shocked when she realised she had underestimated her family’s annual medical costs by €345. Picture: Ray Ryan prescribed for me’, which is a very difficult conversation for any doctor to have with a patient,’’ he says.

Fintan Hourihan, chief executive officer of the Irish Dental Association, argues that failing to attend a dentist regularly can be a false economy, costing the patient more in the long run.

“Yes, there is a noticeable decline in people attending their dentist because people are obviously under severe financial pressure, yet there is evidence that regular attendance is ultimately cheaper.

“If someone requires a filling, and they don’t have it restored or filled, they might ultimately find it requires an extraction or

■ Tips to help you budget ■ Shop around — make sure you get the best deal.

■ Contact your insurer to make sure your needs are met. Visit www.hia.ie and fill in their health insurance comparison questionnaire to see that you get the best price.

■ If a particular hospital or consultant is important to you, then check that your insurer covers these aspects in advance.

■ Read the small details — tiresome, but could be vital in an emergency.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2011

maybe a partial denture so you could within the space of 12-18 months be looking at a situation where you might have to spend double, five or 10 times more on dental treatment simply because you decided to put off going,’’ he explains.

John Lowe, who runs the Money Doctor financial advisory company, fears the situation is only going to get worse and says his mantra is simple: stop spending, prioritise your costs and save.

He suggests families should write down everything they spend during one month, from petrol and food to a magazine and a cup of coffee, to see exactly where their income is going, and then try to cut costs and save. “It is crucial for families to know exactly how much it costs to run their household. I always say the rainy day fund is so important — you should have three to six months annual net income saved.

“Be disciplined — my mantra is to stop spending and if you must then, make sure you get the best value for money. Prioritise, ask do I really need this, and if you really, do make sure that you get the best option,’’ he adds.

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Psychology

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Anti-depressants are usually prescribed for the treatment of depression but there is an alternative

Placebo effect D

Tony Humphreys

EPRESSION is a distressing experience. Individuals can feel unbearably miserable, chronically anxious and sometimes suicidal.

They endure deep feelings of worthlessness and despair, and either suffer from not sleeping enough or sleeping too much. And getting out of bed in the morning can be tortuous when you feel you have nothing to get up for.

What is often not appreciated by health-care professionals is that depression is unconsciously created by the person to draw attention to what was repressed in childhood, a response to painful violations of one’s person and hypercriticism of one’s behaviour.

There are annual global sales of €15bn of anti-depressants. In Ireland, the HSE annually spends €67m on anti-depressants in the belief that these pharmacological compounds relieve depression. This figure does not include the larger majority of those who are not on medical cards.

According to the drug companies which manufacture these anti-depressants, 80% of individuals who are diagnosed can be treated successfully. These companies also claim — even though there is strong evidence to the contrary — that anti-depressants are significantly more effective than placebos (best known as ‘dummy pills’).

A new book by Irving Kirsch, The Emperor’s New Drugs, Exploding the Antidepressant Myth, seriously questions the claims of the drug companies and presents convincing research that any improvements shown by individuals who experience depression are not due to the anti-depressants but to the placebo effect.

Kirsch, who is a lecturer at the Harvard Medical School, says that while there is a slight non-significant difference between the use of anti–depressants and placebos, this difference is due to what he calls an ‘enhanced placebo effect’.

Let me explain. When drug companies carry out their clinical trials they employ what is known as a double-blind research design. In these trials neither the individuals who have a diagnosis of clinical depression nor the researchers know who is taking what pill — the anti-depressant or the placebo pill. However, because, inevitably, individuals on the anti-depressants experience distressing side-effects — not so those on the placebo pills — the former group’s expectations are heightened, leading to the slight difference between the two groups or an ‘enhanced placebo’.

Kirsch’s findings — and he is not alone — raise an important question: how can we harness the power of the placebo to benefit individuals who are feeling depressed without having to employ expensive anti-depressants that have no therapeutic effect in themselves but do act as powerful placebos?

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Despair and hopelessness are strong accompaniments of depression and it now appears that the provision of hope lies at the core of the placebo effect — whether you prescribe pharmacologically constituted drugs or sugar pills.

When any treatment is received by the client with the internalisation of the medical doctor’s expressed belief and conviction in it, a placebo effect immediately comes into play. In other words, when the promise of improvement evokes hope, it counters the overwhelming aspect of depression — hopelessness.

Kirsch is not saying that anti-depressants don’t work. Like him, I believe that anti-depressants are genuinely prescribed.

But what he is saying is that these drugs are not any more powerful than a placebo. Following on from this, he invites his readers to consider how to employ the placebo effect without having to use anti-depressants.

Kirsch points out several factors that bring about the placebo effect: ■ Relationship between doctors and clients ■ Clients’ beliefs and expectations ■ Socially-held associations of pills and injections with therapeutic effects.

The most powerful factor appears to lie in the therapeutic relationship. To what degree do individuals who seek help for their depression find that their doctor engages with them, makes eye-contact, actively listens, gives space and time to describe how they are feeling and the story that lies behind the symptoms being experienced, asks relevant questions, is kind, comforting, empathic, supportive and empowering? Furthermore, does the doctor’s surgery provide privacy, physical comfort and is it tastefully decorated with a window with a view of nature?

All of these factors have been shown to produce improvements, not only in people who experience depression, but with many physical illnesses as well.

Kirsch misses out an important aspect of the placebo effect — the client’s creativity.

Depression is a creation that seeks to draw attention to deep-seated, unresolved childhood emotional conflicts that become increasingly distressing as a person gets older.

The need then becomes more urgent to find some mature individual — health professional — who will provide the relationship through which resolution of one’s sense of worthlessness can be finally resolved.

All the evidence indicates that psychotherapy — which is essentially about relationship — is the most beneficial therapy for depression. However, there are people who are not ready to go to psychotherapists and doctors are left with the alternative of Picture: iStock prescribing anti-depressants.

In such a situation, does it really matter if the person responds because of the placebo effect of the anti-depressant as long as improvement occurs? The problem with this attitude is that many anti-depressants have harmful side effects and that many people stop taking anti-depressants due to finding these side effects intolerable. Surely the way forward is harnessing the power of the placebo effect — which is largely due to the inner actions of the person who is depressed coupled with the power of the therapeutic relationship.

A final note of caution: any person on anti-depressants who wishes to discontinue taking them needs to discuss it with their doctor.

Dr Tony Humphreys is a consultant clinical psychologist, author and national and international speaker. He is also director of a UCC course on interpersonal communication which is due to re- start on Wednesday, October 5. Details from Margaret 021-4642394.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2011

The

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8

Cover story

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M

ICK O’CONNELL doesn’t do bitterness or dwell on if-only scenarios. The 33-year-old has every reason to rage against the sport that robbed him of his ability to walk, his independence and, for a time, his dignity. Regardless, rugby remains at the centre of his life — he regularly attends matches — and, in a perverse way, it has given him the mental toughness to push through endless hours of exhausting physiotherapy and training.

The preparation began while at Christian Brothers College, Cork. His trainer was the renowned rugby coach Garrett Fitzgerald. “He used to chase us around Patrick’s Hill [a near-vertical incline], shouting, ‘You can run faster’. He instilled in us the belief that if you wanted something you had to work hard for it.”

It was an ethos that stood to O’Connell.

From being hooked up to a ventilator and dependent on others to wash, dress and feed him, today he lives with his physiotherapist girlfriend in a ground-floor apartment in Turner’s Cross, Cork. And though it takes time, he can now get out of bed, shave and dress himself. He also drives a car — a sleek silver Mercedes C180 — and is planning to go to college, once he decides on the best career path to follow.

Nine years ago life looked very different. He was a self-employed carpenter and a prop forward with the Dolphin senior team. On a Sunday afternoon in November 2002 he was playing in the Cork Charity Cup against the local team in Clonakilty. A scrum was called and, as Mick engaged, his head came in contact with the opposite man’s shoulder.

“It was my own fault. I simply made a mistake. It was something that happened. I didn’t have any anger about why it happened,” he says with impressive stoicism.

He was rushed by ambulance to Cork University Hospital where it was discovered he had dislocated his spinal column at C5 and C6. The diagnosis was grim and final — paraplegia.

His surgeon, Charlie Marks, had to work quickly to fuse the spinal column by grafting bone taken from his hip. He was given a tracheotomy to help him to breathe but soon developed pneumonia. More worrying was the unexplained internal bleeding.

An operation to remove part of the gut and bowel was recommended but his older brother Douglas — just 28 at the time and who had power of attorney — vetoed it, saying it was too dangerous and even if Mick did survive, his quality of life would have been seriously undermined. Seventy-two hours later, the bleeding stopped and a bleeding ulcer was diagnosed. No operation was needed.

At the time of the accident a 6ft Mick weighed 14 stone, within weeks of arriving in hospital his weight plummeted to seven stone.

Three months later and out of danger, he was transferred to the National Rehabilitation Hospital in Dun Laoghaire. It was the start of 12-months’ punishing physiotherapy, with little let up.

“You need your physio to be tough on you, to push you,” says Mick as if commenting on a team’s trainer. “We all want to lie down and say that’s enough. But their job is to get you ready to go home, so you can live your life.

Otherwise, they are not doing their job.”

Though surrounded by people in dire circumstances, an air of solidarity ran through the hospital, aided no doubt by the no-frills open-plan wards that afford little privacy — or self-pity.

“I met people who were worse off than me.

But they had a smile on their face and got on with what they have to do. I took a leaf out of their book.”

Complaining, it seems, was never an option.

Did he ever want to give up? Like 23-year-old Daniel James, an English schools international rugby player, who decided to take the Dignitas route to assisted suicide?

“Everyone reacts differently to being paralysed. I had tough days and times when I was angry. But there were never dark days — I

Feelgood

Life’s challenges

9

Blood, sweat and tears wiped Despite being left paraplegic in a rugby accident, Mick O’Connell has refused to give into self pity. He tells Irene Feighan about his determination to lead a fulfilled life

HAPPY COUPLE: Former Dolphin rugby player Mick O’Connell and his girlfriend Colleen pictured at the Marina, Cork. They met five years ago when she was working in a physiotherapy clinic he attended.

Picture: Dan Linehan

never got that depressed.”

His determination not to sink into an abyss was shaped in no small way by the massive outpouring of support he received after the accident. Through a series of charity events organised by Paul Mitchell — an ex-Dolphin player and retired bank official who headed the trustees of the Mick O’Connell Appeal — huge funds were raised to pay for his complex needs.

There was also generous help offered by the Irish Charitable Trust.

Thanks to engineer Michael Mescall — who gave his services for free — and builder Fergus O’Donoghue, the family home in Douglas Road, Cork, was remodelled to make it wheelchair-friendly. There were also endless hours of private physiotherapy to be paid for and, eventually, a car.

“Obviously people were very generous with their money but also with their time, their expertise, their thoughts and prayers. That was the gift they gave me. It would have been a sin not to try [to get better] — even when the doctors said, ‘That’s your injury. That’s your lot’.”

From the outset he was aware of the impact his injury had on those close to him, particularly his brother and parents. With this in mind, he drove himself even harder to regain as much mobility and independence as possible.

He recalls a day at home with his mother Mary shortly after he came home from hospital. “My legs were shaking and in spasm. I could see the love and heartbreak in her smile and realised how my accident was affecting all around me in a huge way. I knew I had to get a grip and do something about my condition.”

After four years of “sweat and tears”, Mick achieved the all-important goal of being able to transfer from the bed to his wheelchair, from the chair to the car, from the wheelchair to his walking frame. This huge achievement helped him to reclaim a vital degree of independence.

“At the start, your dignity, your privacy ... your self-esteem, your self-worth — all those things go out the window. I went through a long stage where I needed someone to wash, dress and tuck me into bed at night time. And then I had to wait for someone to get me out of bed in the morning,” he says.

Today he is off all medication for spasms and no longer gets infections.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2011

People were very generous with their money but also with their time, expertise and prayers. That was the gift that they gave me. It would have been a sin not to try to get better — even when the doctors said, ‘that’s your injury, that’s your lot’ “That’s all gone now. Thank God. It’s all due to the physiotherapy. I do a lot of exercise on my own — with my father Gerard, uncle Micheal and brother.”

A person from the Centre for Independent Living still comes in every day to help but these days it’s to help move things along.

While Mick can do a lot for himself, he has limited control over his hands — only two fingers on his right function, albeit at a low level.

Adopting the philosophy of eating an elephant one bite a time, he says: “You set these little goals for yourself and I reached them.”

This translated into five hours of gruelling exercise a day — three in physiotherapy and two at home. “There was blood, sweat and even a broken bone [he broke his left ankle in June during an exercise session]. There were tears of frustration — but you can’t put a price on what I’ve achieved.

“Matt Hampson [the English international rugby player who is paralysed from the neck down] would love to have the ability to achieve a fraction of what I have accomplished.”

I look around his neat-as-a-pin apartment —

home since 2007 — and comment that he seems able to manage the housework too.

“Well that would be herself,” he says, referring to Colleen his girlfriend, who moved in three years ago. She caught his eye when he attended a private physiotherapy clinic in Cork in 2006. Colleen, 28, who is German, was on a student work placement. He got to know her well enough to send a text, saying he was going to a charity event and maybe she’d like to come along. She texted back to say, no problem she would go if he was stuck.

“It took a bit of work to coax her around,” he says with a glint of mischief in his eyes.

Not surprisingly, it was far from the classic boy-meets-girl romance. “She had her own questions to answer at the start of the relationship,” says Mick. “It takes a lot to love someone in a chair. She has to give up a lot of her life, too. Just doing the basic things, down the road, going for a swim, there are hundreds of small things.”

And does he think about getting married?

“You’re really putting me under pressure here,” he laughs. “But if I was to get married Colleen would be the ideal woman. To be

honest, marriage, kids — I love the idea.”

So he hasn’t ruled out the possibility of children? “No, no. Like anyone else.”

His inspiration comes from Mallow man Brendan Glynn, a fellow rugby player also paralysed by a rugby accident and with a similar level of injury. Glynn is about 10 years older than Mick and “he did get married. He does have kids and he did get a job”.

Then there was the day two years ago when out exercising with his dad and uncle, he decided to go it alone with one crutch. At snail’s pace, he took five steps. It was, he says, “the best day I had”.

The steps came at a price. He was left with ligament damage and a lot of muscle strain.

I ask if his aim is to walk again. “Obviously, I want to walk. But my goal is to stay fit and healthy.” Later, when we talk about getting pictures taken, he is keen to be photographed in his wheelchair — his accustomed and accepted mode of transport.

Always pragmatic about his disability, he has started using an electric wheelchair for outdoor journeys, an impressive beast of a machine, which he held off using for seven years, wanting to push himself as far as he could on a manual wheelchair.

With a top speed of 8km, it’s hardly a road burner, but it gives him valued independence.

“I can’t get into the car on my own but I can go to the shops on my own; go to my parents (a 10-minute journey) on my own; go to Musgrave Park on my own.

Though clearly enjoying a good quality of life, he is not about to forget the many, many people who helped him along the way. “I knew that I needed the support — I was very grateful and it very humbling. It changed my life. It gave me a chance to get from the way I was to living independently.”

And today, how is he doing? “I’m pretty content. I have no complaints,” he says with a smile that would melt ice.

It’s the smile that probably melted Colleen’s heart. As the interview comes to a close, she returns from work. Beautiful and willow-like, she would not look out of place on an international catwalk. But she has plans to study genetics in UCC this autumn, with a career in science in her sights.

As we chat about what lies ahead, the pair look the picture of happiness — just like any other young couple in love, with big plans for their future.

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Medical matters

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Q

EAT UP: Making mealtimes as enjoyable as possible encourages children to eat without fuss.

My six-year-old daughter has always been a terrible eater but has recently become even more fussy about what she will and won’t eat, and meal times are turning into a battle zone. I’ve discussed it with her doctor, who is happy that she is growing and is healthy. He said she will grow out of it, but I’m beginning to despair.

Dr Niamh Houston

FAMILY

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

A. Some children can be stubborn about what they will and will not eat. It can be frustrating not being able to persuade your daughter to eat a healthy diet, but try not to let your daughter see how concerned you are about her eating habits, as this can only make meals more tense and make her less likely to enjoy her food.

Make mealtimes as enjoyable as possible.

You and other family members should aim to sit down together at least once a day. Eat with her and give her lots of attention. Set a positive example by eating lots of fruit and vegetables and show her how much you enjoy them. Once you’ve set up this kind of routine, you can try a little ‘bargaining’.

The main portion on her plate needs to consist of food she likes, but add a small portion of something she would normally refuse — say a teaspoonful of peas or a couple of slices of apple.

Tell her if she eats those, as well as her main meal, she can have a small reward. It could be something you know she likes, or something unrelated to food, like watching a favourite TV programme. But if she doesn’t eat the extra portion of food, then she doesn’t get the reward.

If it’s not eaten, don’t make a fuss and avoid spending ages trying to cajole her into finishing the extra portion. If you do, you’re giving her a message that she’ll get more of your attention by refusing food. Just remove her plate from the table when she’s finished everything else on the plate. Emphasise it is a shame that she can’t have her reward, and suggest that she may like to try again the next day.

Do offer her different foods during the week, because there may be some that she’s more willing to try than others. Whenever she does eat the ‘extra food,’ praise her and give the reward straight away, if possible, so she can clearly see that trying new foods brings her positive results.

It is reassuring to hear that she is growing and is healthy — keep this in mind the next

Picture: iStock

time you feel anxious about her diet. Be patient and persistent and you will see your daughter gradually eat a more balanced diet.

Try drinking different water, some tap water is very acid, drinking mint or chamomile tea may help. Foods that have been suspected of making symptoms worse Q. What do you recommend for heart in some people include peppermint, tomaburn and indigestion? I’m seven months toes, chocolate, fatty and spicy foods, fruit pregnant and am taking Gaviscon frejuices, and hot drinks . quently. Will this settle after my baby arRaise the head of your bed by 10-15cms rives? (with books under the bed’s legs), this will help gravity to keep acid from refluxing into A. During pregnancy, hormones relax and the oesophagus. soften the muscles in the valve between the For many women with mild symptoms, oesophagus (gullet) and stomach. Also, in the making the above lifestyle changes is last few months of pregnancy the pressure of enough to bring relief. But if these changes the uterus on the stomach may allow gastric do not help, medication can help. acid to flow upwards into the oesophagus.

Most antacids, like Gaviscon, are safe to This acid reflux occurs at some point in take in pregnancy, but they can interfere around half of all pregnant women. with the absorption of iron, therefore they Symptoms can include heart burn, upper should be taken apart from food. Antacids abdominal pain, bloating, quickly feeling containing sodium bicarbonate or magne‘full’ after eating or even, in some cases, feel- sium trisilicate should be avoided during ing sick and vomiting. Occasionally, pregnan- pregnancy. cy may bring to light a hiatus hernia, where If your symptoms continue to remain there is a weakness in the valve between the troublesome, your doctor may prescribe a stomach and the oesophagus, causing heartH2 antagonist or proton pump-inhibitor burn. medication that can be taken during pregIf you’re not doing so already, eat small, nancy. In some instances, they need be takfrequent meals every three hours, Eat a light, en regularly, and not just when you have reslow-burning snack before sleep, such as flux symptoms, to be most effective. oat-biscuits or rice-cakes. Avoid strong cofAlways check with your doctor or pharfee, fizzy drinks, alcohol, fatty or heavy macist which are the safest medications to meals. take when pregnant.

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

C

Catherine Shanahan MUM’S WORLD Feelgood

OMPLACENCY exists in retrospect, obvious only when it is shattered. No sooner had the freedoms of less dependent children made life less stressful when events overtook us to shake things up again.

After five years of relentless attending to wants, needs, we could finally identify some breakthroughs. I had a five-year-old child who could sit on the loo without too much ado and remember to wash his hands because that’s how you stop the spread of germs, and who understood that flushing is best practice because others also use the bathroom. Moreover, gold stars were no longer necessary to reward good performance and he even understood that lowering the seat was part of toilet etiquette, particularly in a household where females are part of its make-up.

We were at that point where dinner time suddenly becomes more civilised and cutlery is finally recognised as more than a weapon to jab the sister with. And the sister herself is doing well on most levels, although clapping and cheering are still part of her bathroom routine and dressing herself is sort of on a par with her father’s attempts, with every good chance of her appearing in her brother’s pants.

Still, both had mastered the act of brushing their teeth and of wiping their feet and of saying “please” and “thank-you” and both understood that telling tales was not good

and that probing for bogies was rude and that sharing was caring and that biting was something dogs did and that telling mammy to get lost was never a wise move. And that supernanny was not just on the telly but sometimes made house calls if children were extra specially bold.

Yes, there were several slight but gradual signs that the toughest times were moving slowly behind us and that those we had worked hard to mould into decent human beings were indeed making their way towards better behaviour and a growing awareness of their place in the world around them. The upshot for mammy and daddy was a long-awaited and eagerly embraced moment of liberation.

It was short lived, that sense of deliverance.

Sometime back in May nature had a say and come next March, all going well, the whole exhausting process will start from scratch again and it’s back to Milton and purified Lanolin and midnight feeds and snatched sleeps and an end to any sense of emancipation.

Yes, life has a funny way of not letting you dictate the pace and can turn on its head just at the moment when you think you are finally out of the woods. The best approach therefore is never to plan, to go with the flow and never ever get complacent about birth control.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2011

Sometime back in May nature had a say and come next March, all going well, the whole exhausting process will start from scratch again and it’s back to Milton and purified Lanolin and midnight feeds and snatched sleeps

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Lifestyle

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11

Have the summer holidays left your clothes feeling tight? Sarah O’Meara finds out 20 pain-free ways to bring change into your daily routine to get back into shape

Every little helps I

They’re less fattening, yet just as satisfying.

T’S TOUGH. Just when your favourite jeans become a little snug and your confidence takes the accompanying nosedive, most diets ask you to give up things that make you happy, like food and booze.

But according to author Alex Buckley, the moment we begin sacrificing life’s little pleasures, the more likely our pound-ditching quests will fail.

“We’re creatures of habit and need to make small and simple changes to the way we eat and behave,” explains the author of Ssh! Lose Weight in 20 Minutes.

Speaking from personal experience, Buckley, who’s neither a fitness guru, dietician nor a scientist, points out it might be better to accept your own habits, and work around them.

“I’m a fundamentally lazy person who enjoys good food and drink and doesn’t want to lose those pleasures from life. But incorporating small changes into our daily routines can contribute to gradual but significant weight loss.”

Setting grand diet targets that disrupt your life are a recipe for failure, says Buckley. By making minor adjustments, the writer lost more than three stone over the course of a few months.

So see what a little everyday effort could do to your silhouette...

PERFECT WITH PASTA If you’re cooking pasta — like spaghetti Bolognese — always give yourself lots of sauce and less pasta than you would usually have. This way you can still enjoy the food and fill up on the less fattening aspect of the meal. Also, swap parmesan for salt and pepper.

DILUTE YOUR DRINKS Fruit juice is packed with calories and sugar. So, if you drink a lot of it, dilute it 50/50 with water. Not only will it last longer, you’ll also consume fewer calories.

GRAB A BAG Treat yourself to a bag of grapes.

They’re sweet, easy to pop in the mouth and often crunchy.

MIX IT UP If you can’t give up sugary cereals, mix them with healthier alternatives like fruit or yoghurt. Be experimental and find a way to eat less of them.

BUCK THE FIZZ Try to drop sugary drinks from your diet (at least in the short-term) and if you have to drink them, go for the diet option instead.

DON’T MISS BREAKFAST It really is the most important meal of the day. Apart from anything else, if you eat breakfast, you’ll be less hungry before lunch, meaning you’ll be less likely to snack.

THE HEALTHY CHOICE A healthy diet should consist of plenty of fruit and vegetables, starchy foods such as rice, bread, pasta and potatoes, protein-rich foods such as meat, fish, eggs and pulses, some milk and dairy foods, as well as small amounts of foods high in fat, salt and sugar.

HAVE A BIG BOWL OF SOUP FOR LUNCH After a low-calorie but filling lunch, you’ll feel less hungry during the afternoon and won’t be tempted by sugary treats.

SLOW SNACKING Allow yourself a snack — but eat it slowly.

The likelihood is you’re not that hungry at all, but are looking for a burst of energy or a sugar rush. If you eat snacks quickly you’ll want another one as soon as you’ve finished the first. So, the more you practise eating slowly, the less you’ll be craving.

STEP IT UP It’s really not hard to be a little more active on a daily basis. And it will really burn those calories. Think about how you can be more active without disrupting your daily routine.

It can be as simple as carrying baskets around the supermarket instead of pushing a trolley.

Picture: iStock

GET BRUSHING If you do have a fattening treat, such as chocolate, brush your teeth afterwards. It’ll stop you from wanting more... and more.

but don’t cut them out entirely. Try taking the crust off your toast in the morning, cutting the fat off your bacon or having one and a half sugars in your tea rather than two. Little changes will make a big difference.

SLOW DOWN Eating slowly tricks the stomach into thinking it has had more food than it actually has, because it takes longer to finish the meal.

Train yourself to eat more slowly. It really does work.

REDUCE THE BOOZE Alcohol is very fattening, so drink small bottles of beer instead of large ones and use small wine glasses for that evening tipple.

Don’t forget — always sip your drinks slowly.

It makes them more enjoyable.

SERVE UP When dishing up your food, arrange it on small plates. Not only will it look more attractive, but it will encourage you to eat less.

Remember, quality over quantity.

MAKE MORE When making a meal with fresh vegetables, such as carrots, cauliflower and peppers, prepare more of them than you’re going to eat.

Put the extras in a bowl in the fridge so that you have fresh, healthy snacks at

SMALL CHANGES Cut down on fat, carbohydrates and sugar,

Feelgood

hand whenever you feel peckish.

GET SAUCY If you buy takeaway food, order the main dishes without sauce and vegetable dishes with sauce — as these tend to be less fattening. This way, you get a healthier sauce with the meal.

DRINK UP Drink water with every meal, even if it’s an accompaniment to another drink. It helps you fill up more quickly. Water’s also good for your health and practically free.

CAFFEINE FIX Drinking coffee or tea during the day helps control hunger in much the same way as drinking water. But don’t over do it. If you like to drink a lot of coffee, try switching from milk-drenched drinks, like lattes or cappuccinos, to Americanos.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2011

GET FIT AND BURN CALORIES Try doing these activities for 20 minutes for a quick-fix fitness solution...

■ Ironing — 30 calories ■ Cleaning windows — 56 calories ■ Playing pool — 66 calories ■ Walking — 70 calories ■ Dancing — 90 calories ■ Gardening — 106 calories ■ Cycling — 124 calories ■ Jogging — 130 calories ■ Football — 140 calories ■ Tennis — 144 calories ■ Swimming — 150 calories GET COOKING Making a meal from scratch reminds you just what you’re eating. So buy a cookbook and begin avoiding pre-packaged food. Your taste buds will soon start craving personalised lunchtime sandwiches and fresh suppers, above bland, salt-heavy supermarket versions. ● Ssh! Lose Weight in 20 Minutes by Alex Buckley is published by MX Publishing, €10.50.

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Food survey

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Not all that well bread Roz Crowley

L

OOKING at in-store bakeries and discovering what they had to offer seemed like a good idea for this week’s survey. We wondered just what in-store meant, where and how bread was baked and if there were many supermarkets with a bakery.

What we found was that most supermarkets with bakeries had ovens designed to finish the baking of frozen or chilled bread with little if any handling of the bread — no kneading, no mixing, no shaping. There were at least three supermarket chains which finished mainly Cuisine de France pre-baked goods, so we had less choice than we had hoped.

Whether or not this method of finishing Quay Co-op white loaf, 500g €2.50 Located on Cork’s Sullivan’s Quay, Cork, the bakery on the premises also supplies their Ballincollig and Carrigaline shops.

They don’t do small rolls here so we bought a substantial white loaf which came with a soft crust. This was probably the most flavoursome bread of the samples, though not by much, with a depth of taste not found in most. A little heavy in style, yet it didn’t cling to the palate. Tasters liked its yeastiness and it was not over salted. Fair price.

bread should merit the title of bakery is debatable.

Last year, the British Advertising Standards Authority upheld a complaint made by the Real Bread Campaign contending that the advertising of Tesco in-store bakeries’ claim to be ‘baking from scratch’ was untrue as only less than a quarter of them did so while the others just finished pre-baked bread.

In Ireland 34 of SuperValu stores bake mostly from scratch with just a few baking from semi-scratch which means there is pre-mixing done elsewhere with water added in the store, then proved and baked.

Ingredients for all in-store bakeries are bought centrally so there it is more economic and keeps prices down.

In convenience-led Centra stores, Cuisine de France supplies pre-baked products which are finished in-store. In Tesco Irish branches only one supermarket — Naas — bakes from scratch while the others finished pre-baked bread from companies such as Cuisine de France. The company points out that they do have bread tables with freshly baked bread delivered daily from local suppliers.

Dunnes Stores HQ did not reply to my query, but when I rang and visited a number of stores they all reported finishing pre-baked bread products from Cuisine de France.

75% of Lidl stores have in-store bakeries which finish off bread only. No baking from scratch. Aldi don’t do any in store baking.

This all explains why we found so little variety in our survey. As we didn’t have a full

IT’S good to see a Hungarian bakery surviving and providing us with variety.

Made on the premises in Marlboro Street, Cork, with no half baguettes or small, long rolls available, we tried these round Kaiser rolls. They are often made with a starter fermented dough, like sourdough, which adds to the depth of flavour. The Kaiser typically has a starfish pattern stamp on the top as this one has, though the finish is often more richly coloured.

This plain bread roll had a slightly uneven texture with quite a large hole in the middle. Tasters liked it even though it didn’t quite deliver the full flavour expected.

Picture: iStock.

complement of eight samples, we also looked at one sample of bread that we finished ourselves at home.

To provide further contrast we looked at a few bakeries in and around Cork that produce and sell their own. This time we didn’t include past survey top scorers which sell in retail outlets and markets.

We had also planned to survey small rolls or half baguettes, but found some of the smaller bakeries didn’t make them, so instead we

Marks & Spencer half baguette, 150g 89c

Country Kitchens Bakery, Dunnes Stores, four petits pains, €1.59

With a fairly soft crust which looked crisper, the texture of the crumb was substantial. Some light, yeasty flavour and not over salted, it made a good base for fillings.

These four long, pale rolls are vacuum packed and take seven to nine minutes to bake at 210c/Gas 7, an expensive exercise if the oven is not being used for something else. The rolls were crisp and golden after seven minutes with a good crust and crumb texture. While low on flavour, they were not over salted. This company also produces own brand for Supervalu and Centra stores.

Score: 6.5

Score: 7

Bakery Union Kaiser roll, 25c

ON A ROLL: There is nothing quite like fresh bread but not all in-store bakeries produce it from scratch.

Tesco petit pain, 75g 34c This Cuisine de France roll, finished in store, was heavy and damp in the mouth and tasters did not like it, compared to other samples.

Score: 5

Score: 7

Quish’s Supervalu Ballincollig, Cork, six 50g white rolls, €2 This was the only supermarket with a real in-store bakery where bread is made from scratch. And it shows. A light roll with quite a good crust which is nearly crisp, the crumb is light. A bit short on flavour but not too salty and a good all rounder. There is with plenty of variety in the range available.

Score: 7.5

Brackens bap 100g, 85c Located on the Old Mallow Road, Cork, this bakery and confectionery, despite its out-of-city location, had a long queue of customers buying a wide selection of cakes and a smaller selection of bread. There were no baguettes or small long rolls just ciabattas and crusty plain loaves which we tasted as well as this floury bap. Typically dusted with flour and with a soft crust, the inside was light as it should be with an even texture.

Tasters all liked this one.

Score 7.75

Score: 6.5

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tried some variation of their white bread.

Overall, most of the bread tasted much the same, so we expect that most bread makers use the same flour, yeast and methods. This was a disappointment.

The good news was that while low on depth of flavour, these breads were not over-salted as some health surveys have found recently when testing pre-packed bread.

The textures provided a good base, ideal for fresh sandwich rolls or for light toasting.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2011

Hassett’s of Carrigaline, Cork, 100g half baguette, 50c Once a bakery selling its bread and cakes, this enterprise has expanded to hold a café. As a result the bakery is now located in a custom-built facility just a walk away. One of the best samples of a good crusty half baguette, the crumb had a good texture too. The taste is mild without too much salt.

Score 7.75

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Male health

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It wasn’t just a sore mouth

S

TRANGE pains at the back of his mouth were the first sign that not all was well with David Magee’s health. Initially, neither he nor his GP could see anything, and, some time later, David took the situation in hand and examined every part of his mouth in the bathroom mirror.

“I saw what I thought was a big ulcer at the side of my tongue,” says David, a psychiatrist who practises in Dublin and Cavan.

Aged 57 at the time, in 2007, David became one of the 400 people diagnosed with oral cancer in Ireland each year. A moderate wine drinker and smoker of rolled cigarettes, it was an old friend, also a GP, who recommended that David attend his dentist.

From there, it was on to a dental hospital where the ‘ulcer’ turned out to be a low-grade cancerous tumour.

Surgery to remove David’s tumour followed, along with surgery to remove the lymph glands from his neck. “I can’t say enough about the oncology team who

Deirdre O'Flynn MOSTLY MEN HARD TO SWALLOW: Dr David Louis Magee’s noticed an ulcer-like growth in his tongue. It was oral cancer, one of 400 such diagnoses in Ireland every year. Picture: Nick Bradshaw worked with me,” says David, who’s also a psychotherapist and part-time farmer. “I had a strong sense of becoming part of the team and they allowed me to participate fully in discussions,” he says.

David is speaking to highlight World Mouth Cancer Day on Wednesday, September 21, when dentists will offer free oral examinations. Oral cancer is the sixth most common cancer worldwide. Its incidence has

increased by 30% over the last decade, with the big risk factors being smoking and alcohol consumption, according to the Irish Dental Association.

“They took a fair bit of my tongue but it’s amazing how the body adapts,” says David, who was surprised at how his mouth and throat developed a new swallowing reflex after his surgery.

“I was also worried about my speech, but

Easy Pease guide to good communication

Growth in young males using Net rather than GP

EVER wished your partner came with an instruction manual? Or your boss? You might want to check out Allan Pease’s talk in Dublin on September 20 at the D4 Berkeley Hotel in Ballsbridge.

Allan is the author of Why Men Don’t Listen and Women Can’t Read Maps and promises a witty and irreverent presentation for anyone who wishes to learn how to use powerful communication techniques at work or at play.

The

MORE than 55% of younger males would consult the internet rather than their GP if suffering from an embarrassing medical problem.

That’s according to new research by QUINN-healthcare that looked at attitudes nationally towards the use of the internet for medical diagnosis.

Both men and women surveyed said the cost of visiting a GP was the reason for consulting the internet.

The internet as a source of health information should be treated with caution, says Dr

TAKE 1

best-selling author has spent seven years researching the complex communication differences between men and women to explain why we each have a different reaction to the same event.

■ To book for this evening seminar, see www.seminars.ie

TALKING THE TALK: Allan Pease will be in Dublin to discuss relationship communication.

4

PORTION CONTROL: A Yakult survey, with www.loveyourgut. com to mark Gut Week last month found we are eating double or more than what we should of foods like cheese, chips, and chocolate and that a third of us have no idea what out daily calorie limit should be.

Christian Jessen, co-presenter of C4’s Embarrassing Bodies says: “Regularly consuming large portions can significantly increase your risk of excess weight gain, digestive problems, type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease.”

Yakult supports digestive costs €3.59 for a seven-bottle pack. For more information is available on www.yakult.ie.

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David Ward, of QUINN-healthcare’s GP Helpline.

“Other forms of communication technology are also having an impact on the healthcare sector, including text message (SMS) alerts from chemists when prescriptions are ready and virtual doctor-visits via Skype,” he says.

“Both are emerging trends in the US and Britain.

I could certainly see this trend catching on, in particular in rural Ireland, and more generally if we are in for another winter of extremely cold weather.”

with wonderful help from the speech-therapy team and my partner, Damien, my speech improved rapidly,” he says.

Now, he’s adjusting to new taste sensations.

“I used to love savoury food, but now food hits off my sweet taste buds, so I’m happily addicted to chocolate,” he says.

“I would advise anyone to go to their dentist if they have a lesion in their mouth that doesn’t clear up after two weeks.”

DId you know...

Boys who are close to their mothers are more likely to have better relationships with friends during the teen years (Source: Wayne State University, Michigan, US)

Digestive health

2

HEARTBURN RELIEF: Heartburn and indigestion are generally caused by consuming food and drink too quickly, overeating, drinking alcohol or fizzy drinks or smoking, but can also be caused by stress or anxiety. In a survey carried out to mark the launch of Rennie Ice, nearly half of those surveyed (47%) said they find white bread the most difficult to digest, with alcohol second (30%). Three quarters of people said that eating too fast is the main cause of their indigestion and over a third (39%) take an antacid product to relieve the symptoms. Rennie Ice, available in packs of 24 (€3.29) and 48 (€5.69), is a coolmint flavoured antacid which is designed to relieve symptoms in two minutes.

3

BLOOD SUGAR: Produced with the low GL diet in mind, Cinnachrome is a supplement formulated by Patrick Holford. It contains cinnamon, chromium and niacin and is designed to support balanced blood sugar levels, while you are following an exercise and weight loss programme.

Cinnachrome costs €17.95 for 60 capsules from health stores; for more information visit www.parickholford.com.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2011

4

BANISH BLOATING: Women suffer twice as much as men from digestive problems like bloating, sugar cravings and problem skin, according to A.Vogel which recommends Molkosan Vitality — a prebiotic drink that stimulates the digestive process — as a remedy. Molkosan encourages the growth of friendly gut bacteria which helps to improve digestion and also contains antioxidant green tea to boost metabolism.

A.Vogel herbal adviser Nicola Murphy says, “Molkosan Vitality is particularly good for the kind of bloating that accompanies sugar cravings and attacks of thrush or candida. Simply stir into a glass of water and drink once a day.”

Molkosan Vitality is €17, for 125g, from health food stores and selected pharmacies. See www.avogel.ie for further information.

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14 Beauty

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You can glam up the new season’s natural androgynous look with statement lipstick, eyeshadow or a spritz of a sensual scent

A heady mix

BED FELLOWS: Julianne Moore with Colin Firth in A Single Man. Violet Blonde eau de parfum from Tom Ford is the type of scent you would expect Moore’s character Charley to use liberally.

The news on...

Korres make-up NATURAL make-up isn’t quite as prolific as it should be. And there’s a reason for that.

It can be tough getting the right textures and formulations without using chemicals.

Korres seems to have nailed it, though, with their make-up collection which they have just released for autumn/winter 2011.

There’s a fantastic brown-gold eyeshadow, €14.50, that has a great texture and is just right for giving a bit of edge to daytime looks (and it lasts well without creasing), while lip shades are sexy and delicious — the Mango Butter Lipstick, €18, is probably the juiciest we’ve tried. Bring it on.

Take three...

Coloured Liquid Eyeliners

I

’VE looked at the autumn beauty collections and decided one thing: it’s hard to pull off androgynous minimalism when you’re over 35.

I know this because it’s pretty much my day-to-day look right now. And that’s not necessarily by choice either, largely it’s because I don’t have time in the morning to flounce around applying the perfect pout of red lipstick, and I frequently forget that I even own a blusher.

So it’s all very “natural”, which is fine, but it’s not particularly good for the self-esteem when you pop into the office toilet at 2pm and realise that you look like you’re the sleep-deprived mother of 17 children: dark circles, ruddy skin and a head of hair that is typified by lacklustre frizz.

Thankfully, alongside all the cool boyish beauty going on for autumn, there’s a totally opposite aesthetic that I couldn’t be loving more. And it’s encapsulated by a fragrance from the ubermeister of glam, Tom Ford.

The new Violet Blonde eau de parfum is straight out of the 1970s. It makes me think of cigarettes and flares and red lipstick and platforms and big hair and dressing tables.

It’s the type of fragrance that Charley (Julianne Moore) from Tom Ford’s film A Single Man would spray all over herself with abundance. The slim gold and glass bottle looks

Emily O’Sullivan like a retro men’s cologne, and is so beautiful that it’s hard not to keep stroking it, which might slightly upset whoever you live with.

Inside, the scent is a heady mix of violet and iris, a dramatic night-time fragrance that really celebrates glamorous retro drama.

And that’s no bad thing. Beauty was starting to get a bit dowdy and boring and serious there for a while, and ultimately it should be about having fun, and about feeling glamorous — a feeling that most of us are sorely lacking in our lives right now.

What’s inspirational about this season is that it brings gloss, sex appeal and voluptuous glamour right back into the equation. Tom Ford’s equally amps up the glam factor with a

make-up campaign for autumn 2011 that nails that 1980s Robert Palmer video look — polished skin, glossy red lips, chiselled cheekbones, lashings of eyeshadows and scraped back hair.

On the catwalk, the look was similarly high end with Hollywood screen sirens being referenced all over the place. If there was any doubt that beauty was trying to kick back against the aesthetic effects of the recession, the catwalk look for 2011 ended it — glam is most definitely back.

Of course, the key to this look is context: this is not a 8am public transport type of look. Instead, it’s all about rediscovering slowly, indulgent, luxurious dressing up. Yes, make-up is superficial, it’s frivolous and it can often be woefully overdone, but also can have a mini-transformative effect. A red lipstick, carefully applied eyeshadow and a spritz of a sensual scent does indeed make most of us feel a lot more attractive, which is where 2011’s edge of glam really comes into its own.

So if you’ve spent your day wallowing in dark-circled, wan-faced, limp-haired hell, you might find that coming home, blow drying your hair, putting on some red lipstick and going out (even just for a cut-priced drink in the pub) might well be the mini kick of glam you’ve been waiting for.

I LIKE my liquid eyeliner as black as can be. I’ve tried other colours and they just don’t suit me, but beauty is moving beyond the black this season with new shades that take liquid eyeliners into new dimensions.

Estée Lauder Pure Color Liquid Eyeliner in Silver Zinc, €26. It looks like a great shade in the pot, but it doesn’t really make the impact on the eye that you’d expect.

It’s a good choice if you’re looking for a subtle look, but if you’re after the big liquid eyeliner sweep then this one is a little too pale.

Bobbi Brown Long Wear Gel Eyeliner in Black Plum Violet, €21. Okay, so the amount of times I’ve recommended this liner is getting ridiculous, but it is very, very good.

If you want to shake things up a little, shimmy away from the black and try this dark violet tone.

L’Oreal Paris Super Liner Luminizer in Dark Sapphire Blue, €9.85. This is a very good eyeliner. Despite a very fine nib, it gives a good dark dense inky line (a bit of precision handling is required), and lasts well. A good buy.

STUFF WE LIKE Tom Ford Private Blend Lipstick in Cherry Lush, €45.

Yeah, this is a crazy amount to be spending on a lipstick, but it’s like having a new outfit, it makes you feel that good.

It’s super-luxurious with a white and gold casing and this red shade packs a powerful punch.

High shine deeply coloured lips are very much of the moment, so for maximum impact opt for a slick of Max Factor’s Vibrant Curved Effect Lip Gloss in Understated.

Feelgood

Clarins Everlasting Compact Foundation, €37. Delivering medium to full matte coverage, Clarins’s new foundation is all you could ask for on the flawless skin front. It manages to have a very light, very flattering look while still giving you the kind of polished matte effect that is central to this season’s uber glam look.

Lancôme Hypnose Doll, €25.50.

Think major lashes this season. It’s all gone completely over the top, and if you’re tired of faffing around with half-hearted mascaras, then

this is definitely one for you. Once you’ve used it a couple of times, you quickly become an expert.

It’s got a great wand that’s fat one end and thin the other, which means it’s effective at coating every lash.

For the proper 60s look this season, use Clinique’s Bottom Lash mascara to give those really wide doll eyes.

Lancôme Les Oeillades Eye Palette, €45. It doesn’t sound right saying that brown is at the heart of the glam look, but it’s true.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2011

Brown has edged its way back out of our grungy 1990s associations and is now seriously chic once more. Make sure to match it up with a red lip.

Ciaté Nail Polish in Talent Scout, €10.50. Never thought I’d be a big one for purple nail polish, but this shade kind of nails it in a way with its great tone and matte formulation.

Furthermore, it works really very excellently with a red lip in a cool, kind of clashy way.

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Natural health

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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

15

Sharing with you I

N making decisions around your health, it is important not only to stay informed and keep an eye on current research — one of the most valuable resources is word of mouth. From time to time, I get letters from readers who have come across wonderful local products and suppliers, some who are willing to share a tried-and-true family remedy, or others who have simply had great success in treating a particular ailment using a specific treatment or product. This week, I’ve selected a few of these suggestions.

tact the Clermont Clinic in Douglas Road, Cork, 021-429 4590.

3. Cystitis remedy This last reader suggestion was a brief note, simply to let us know that the homeopathic remedy, cantharis, is valuable in treating cystitis.

Most women suffer from some form of urinary tract infection or inflammation at least one time in their lives — all too often ending with either a course of antibiotics or a kidney infection.

Cantharis is prescribed for the feelings of burning, irritation, and constant urination 1. Natural Hair Colour urge which all typically indicate that cystitis Rory Canning from Herb (Ireland) Ltd is present. advised us of Colour Herbe, a range of The good news, is that this remedy revolutionary natural and gentle perma hair works quickly when taken as an acute remcolour without ammonia, designed to give edy (a low dose remedy taken at 15 minute 100% coverage of grey hair. I checked out intervals, to achieve a fast result). You the website at www.colourherbe.com, and would need to continue taking cantharis it seems Colour Herbe has been used in for a few days, or according to the direcsalons for a number of years, offering natutions of your natural practitioner, since ral and fashion colours. It also has a reputathere will be residual inflammation and tion for giving great results without any bacterial imbalance still present. chemical irritation.

Cystitis is usually the result of a bacterial While I haven’t tried this brand, it is infection of the lower urinary tract (urealways good to find quality local products, thra), although in some cases the bladder and to support local businesses. lining can become inflamed due to use of Natural hair colour has come a long way, certain soaps, talcs and toiletries. For and it is worth finding a reliable product, long-term prevention, you can take Uva since the common brands from the superursi, a herb which has an affinity with the market or pharmacy typically carry ammourinary system, which works by toning and nia, resorcinol, paraphenylenediamine healing the urinary tract — this is also an (PPD) and peroxide — which is why so WASH ’N’ GO: Natural hair dyes are gentle on the hair excellent herb for stress incontinence. many people develop Drinking plenty of pure water (2-3 and scalp, unlike common supermarket brands. Picture: allergies or scalp irritation. litres daily) and avoiding processed, sugiStock ary and 2. Labyrinthitis/TMJ fatty foods is also a beneficial long term (Temporomandibular Joint) plan where cystitis is an issue. Many people A reader explained that after four separate it took further diagnosis in the form of an drink cranberry juice, since it helps to stop courses of antibiotics, each for a form of audiology test and MRI scan — which unthe bacteria from sticking to the bladder Labyrinthitis, she was referred to an ENT covered precisely nothing. wall, specialist who discovered that the cause of the If it were labyrinthitis, where the inner but make sure that any cranberry juice you symptoms (pain, dizziness, and tinnitus) was ear/labyrinth becomes inflamed after an inchoose is unsweetened. an issue with the temporomandibular joint fection of the inner ear or of the nerve conIf you are a sufferer of IC (interstitial cystirather than the original diagnosis of necting the brain with the inner ear, then tis), then it is worth seeing a homeopath labyrinthitis (affecting the inner ear). these tests would have certainly shown inabout the use of cantharis as a potential remThis letter illustrates how important it is to flammation as the cause of the dizziness, tinedy. IC is a condition which results in chronget second, and even third opinions. There nitus, and other related symptoms. ic pain in the bladder and pelvic areas, often are so many people who steadfastly follow Instead, the ENT specialist located an leaving medical professionals puzzled. through with treatments and remedies ( conalignment issue with the temporomandibular The symptoms vary widely between sufferventional medicine and natural/alternative joint (TMJ), which is now being treated acers and can include vaginal infections, bladtherapies) only to find that they are no closer cording with a series of exercises and the der cancer, bladder inflammation, kidney to a solution. nightly wearing of a mouthshield under the stones, endometriosis, neurological disorders, It can be as simple as finding a set of fresh guidance of an orofacial pain specialist. sexually transmitted diseases, and prostatitis. eyes for your particular situation — seeing For more information take a look at the Cantharis has brought relief to some indithat which no one else could see. In this case, very helpful website www.jawpain.ie or conviduals, so is certainly worth a try.

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

Megan puts the spotlight on:

W

E spend all summer worrying about getting too much sun, and forget that during the colder months we need to optimise our vitamin D levels through sun exposure.

As a result, around half of the population is short on vitamin D, with the number of people suffering from vitamin D-deficiency-related conditions increasing every year.

At this time of year, we need to get as much daylight as we can — especially since this is the perfect weather to go SPF-free. Even when the sky is overcast, you can still get enough natural light to manufacture vitamin D. All you need is to get out for about 20-30 minutes daily to produce around

Feelgood

10,000 IU of this valuable vitamin.

In fact, vitamin D is more like a hormone than a vitamin — since it interacts with cell receptors to produce a specific biological response within the body.

This small amount of sunlight helps to minimise free-radical damage within our bodies, and is a wonderful anti-ageing

Our need for vitamin D move, since it not only helps the skin to maintain moisture levels, it is also one of the best things you can do for strong, healthy bones. Healthy functioning of the immune system is dependent on vitamin D, along with cell proliferation and differentiation.

A recent study by the University of Tampere, in Finland, has found that vitamin D helps to

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2011

prevent respiratory infections. In the study, supplementing with vitamin D resulted in more than half the participants who took it staying healthy throughout the trial, compared to just over 30% in the control group.

A similar Japanese study, where schoolchildren were given 1,200 IU of vitamin D daily, showed that the children who were supplementing their diets with the sunshine vitamin had a much reduced chance of getting the flu.

Most adults should be getting around 2,000-4,000 IU daily. If you feel that you aren’t getting enough vitamin D, and it seems that most of us aren’t, then supplement with vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol).

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16

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The Hair Clinic, Cork: 15 years of experience and expertise

Confidence restored!

“I am amazed at the results and my confidence has been restored. I can honestly say it was the best thing I have ever done!”

Before

After 6 Months

After 12 Months

RECENT studies show that Hairloss is a topic close to the hearts of up to 40% of Irish people. It affects both male and female alike and can be extremely upsetting, irrespective of the age or sex of the sufferer.

When 24-year-old Corkman Tomas Horgan noticed his hair was getting thiner his confidence hit rock bottom. “I hated it” said Tomas. “I became very conscious about my hair and I started wearing a baseball cap whenever I was in company, my confidence was very low, especially around women, I felt they were looking at my hair.”

It was at this point that Tomas started to research on the internet about various treatments to combat hairloss. “Both my father and grandfather were bald and I read that thinning hair leading to baldness was heriditary so I knew I had to do something.”

Tomas discovered, after hours of trawling through various websites, that hair transplant surgery only replaced hair

follicles that had already died, it did not prevent further hairloss. “It was during this research that I read about a laser treatment pioneered in the US that has gained full FDA which can stimulate hair growth and thicken hair, but ONLY if the Hair Root is still alive, it CANNOT grow hair if the root is dead, so I knew it was important to do something as soon as possible, before it was too late.”

“I found a company in Cork, one of only a handful in Ireland to offer this treatment. I went for a free consultation to find out more at their clinic just off Patrick’s Bridge. I was told that as I had lost some roots already and that my hair was never going to be as thick as it once was but treatment would help stop any further hairloss and thicken the hair that I did have.”

“I am amazed at the results and my confidence has been restored. I can honestly say it was the best thing I have ever done!”

Bouncing back from hair loss “I found that it was clinically proven to stop hair loss in 94% of patients after six months of treatment and was suitable for both men and women, it was also totally pain-free with no side-effects.”

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

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

“I was so worried about it that I went to see my GP,” says Vivien. “He said it could be a lack of iron in my diet so I started taking iron tablets. “Over the next six months I took lots of different supplements, as well as iron tablets, but the thinning seemed to be getting worse.”

Vivien went back to see her GP who this time advised her that she should seek advice from a hair loss specialist.

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

“I didn’t like the sound of either option to be honest,” says Vivien. “I was worried and unhappy with my hair loss but I didn’t feel as though it had deteriorated enough to wear a hairpiece! I basically just wanted to stop it from falling out and thicken it up.”

Vivien considered the option of surgery but again decided this was too radical and extreme.

“The most important thing to me was to stop it from falling out and to hopefully thicken it up,” said Vivien. “I was told that

surgery would replace the hairs that had been lost but would not stop any further hair loss, I was at a total loss as to know what to do.

“Then one day my husband called to say he was reading an article in the newspaper about a laser that can help to stop hair loss and to thicken existing thin hair without the need for any surgery, I researched into it on the internet and I found that it was clinically proven to stop hair loss in 94% of patients after six months of treatment and was suitable for both men and women, it was also totally painfree with no side-effects.

“I then found there was a clinic in Cork offering this treatment, so I contacted them and went for a free consultation, I discovered I was suffering from a condition called CTE (Chronic Telogen Effluvium). I was told

this causes excessive thinning down the centre of the scalp and affects the hair’s growth cycles. It can also lead to androgenic alopecia, which can cause the hairs to get thinner and thinner until they stop growing altogether.”

Vivien was informed that surgery was inappropriate as she was still losing hair, and was also unnecessary as she still had the majority of her hair which could be saved and thickened using a combination of laser treatment and medication.

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

Vivien O’Sullivan.

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

OPENING TIMES: Monday to Friday 8am-9.30pm Please log on to www.thehairclinichlcc.com Feelgood

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2011