Feelgood 16/03/2012

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Feelgood

Friday, March 16, 2012

Mother knows best Food writer Lilly Higgins and other celebs share the life lessons they’ve learned from their mum: 8, 9

Picture: Denis Minihane

TERAPROOF:User:desodriscollDate:14/03/2012Time:17:03:44Edition:16/03/2012FeelgoodXH1603Page:1

MOVE IT

FOOD WATCH

IN CONTROL

Shape up with Kate Beckinsale’s Bernard Dunne on managing his Top athlete refuses to let Hollywood fitness trainer: 4, 5 daughter’s coeliac disease: 11 asthma slow him down: 13

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2 News front Kate O’Reilly WHAT’S ON GOING FOR GOLD: This year’s St Patrick’s Day parade in Cork city is celebrating sport in the year of the Olympics and Euro 2012. The theme is ‘going for gold, Cork games 2012.’ Join festival favourites Cork Circus and Dowtcha Puppets, with groups from around the county, for the parade at 1pm tomorrow from the South Mall. St Patrick’s Festival in Cork takes place across three days with families encouraged to ‘take their mum to town’ for free Mother’s Day family events on Monday. Highlights include the Barry’s Tea food market on Patrick Street, street performers and live bands — www.corkstpatricksfestival.ie.

STREET PARTY: A family ‘St Patrick’s Day party on Plunkett’ will take place tomorrow, from 12 noon until 1.45pm, on Plunkett St, Killarney. There will be musicians, face painters, bouncing castles, and a mini animal petting zoo. The parade in Killarney is at 2pm — www.killarney.ie.

DUBLIN FESTIVAL: The St Patrick’s Festival will celebrate Dublin as City of Science 2012. New to the festival is ‘I love my city’, a programme of free music, storytelling and culture beginning today with a workshop in rhythm in the National Museum on Kildare Street at 1pm and 3pm. Learn a song, Irish dancing and bodhrán playing — www.stpatricksfestival.ie.

TOGETHER FOR CARERS: The Together for Carers campaign will sell 250,000 St Patrick’s Day ribbons for €2 each across 12 counties including Limerick, Kerry and Tipperary, up to Mar 17. The Carers Association has teamed up with the ladies Gaelic football county boards to raise €100,000 for carers. The association supports carers by providing services including in-home respite care, training, support groups, a freefone National Care Line 1800 24 07 24 and campaigns for entitlements — www.carersireland.com.

ANXIETY WORKSHOP: A free, six-week day or evening workshop for sufferers of anxiety and panic attacks is starting in Wilton, Cork this month. The Out and About Association is a self-help group with a resource centre supporting sufferers of anxiety, agoraphobia and social phobias.

Call Robert O’Connell on 087-7928579.

HEALTH TALK: Rebecca O’Neill is March’s guest speaker at Skeptics in the Castle, at Blackrock Castle Observatory, tonight at 8pm. Titled ‘Confessions of a (former) Health Food Shop Worker’, Rebecca will talk about how three and a half years working in a health food shop turned a believer into a skeptic. Free; www.bco.ie or call 021-4357917.

ISPCC VOLUNTEERS: The ISPCC in Cork and Waterford are recruiting Childline volunteers. Come to a group information and interview meeting to learn about volunteering. The first meetings is on Tuesday, Mar 20, at 6.30pm at the ISPCC office in the Cleaboy Business Park, Old Kilmeaden Road, Waterford. On Mar 27, there will be a meeting at 6.30pm at the ISPCC Cork office in Penrose Wharf. Contact Sinead McKee at smckee@ispcc.ie or on 021-4509588.

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

FeelgoodMag

Feelgood

FeelgoodMag

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Growth hormone treatment helped Barcelona star Lionel Messi reach his current height and fame, Arlene Harris reports

Growing pains H

E HAS been dubbed the World’s Best Footballer and at the tender age of 17 was signed up with FC Barcelona. But Lionel Messi’s career may never have kicked off if it wasn’t for a forward-thinking manager with the money to pay for growth hormone treatment.

At just 5ft 6in, the Argentinean striker isn’t known for his stature but, diagnosed with growth hormone deficiency (GHD) at 11 years old, he is very fortunate to have achieved his current height and status. Messi attributes his success to the fact that the Spanish football club offered to pay for his treatment in return for him joining their club.

Speaking to Match of the Day magazine, Messi said: “It wasn’t difficult for me to move to Barcelona because I knew I had to.

I needed money for my medicine to help me grow and FC Barcelona were the only club that offered. So, as soon as they did, I knew I had to go.”

Dr Colm Costigan, clinical director of paediatrics at Our Lady’s Hospital in Crumlin, says the growth hormone is vital for the development of children. “Growth hormone is produced naturally in the pituitary gland and contributes in a big way to normal growth in children,” he says. “Growth stops when the growth plates at the end of the bones fuse which normally occurs at 17 years in boys and 15 years in girls.

SLOW GROWTH: Messi treated for growth hormone deficiency. Picture:AFP/Getty Images “Growth hormone deficiency occurs in approximately one in 10,000 children.

However, it can also occur if there is damage to the pituitary area from brain tumours in that area, or from radiation to the area during radiotherapy.”

The consultant says the treatment for GHD is administered by injection and is very costly, running into thousands of euros per year per child.

“Growth hormone is manufactured to be

identical to human growth hormone,” says Dr Costigan. “It is effective and safe but must be given by nightly injections beneath the skin — like how insulin is given to children with diabetes.

“It is very expensive and is given in a dose per kg, so the cost depends on the weight of the child. Growth hormone treatment is continued until the growth plates fuse. Often there happens to be a delayed growth plate fusion and so some young men may continue on growth hormone until 19 or, rarely, 20 years of age.”

Hannah Synnuk of the Child Growth Foundation says there is no one cause which is responsible for this condition.

“Growth hormone deficiency in children can result from the child not producing enough growth hormone themselves, and as a consequence of this they may be of abnormally short height,” she says.

“However most of the time (50-60% of cases), no single clear cause is found — GHD may present at birth, or it may develop after birth, as a result of various medical conditions, or even as a result of a head trauma or a brain tumour.”

As was the case with Messi, once a diagnosis is made, the child will be monitored and if a serious growth delay is apparent, growth hormone therapy will be advised. ● For more advice visit www.childgrowthfoundation.org

HEALTH NOTES An estimated 250,000 Irish people with nerve-related back pain do not seek medical assistance because they believe their condition is not serious enough to warrant treatment, according to a new survey released by Chronic Pain Ireland and Pfizer.

Chronic pain of this kind can damage people’s quality of life, making it difficult for them to work and socialise. It can also lead to feelings of depression and indeed can impact on sexual relationships.

The survey also found that: lower back pain was the most common type of back pain (40%); 48% of people had suffered from back pain for more than five years, while 68% suffered from back pain at least once a week or more.

disease later in life, say scientists.

More than 6,600 women took part in the research, part of a US public health study called the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, between 1999 and 2006.

SGA was defined as giving birth to a baby weighing less than five pounds eight ounces, or 2.5 kilograms, at or after 37 weeks of pregnancy.

Women who delivered SGA infants had a 9.6% chance of developing heart disease compared with odds of 5.7% for mothers of normal weight babies.

Scientists believe low levels of natural substances that simulate blood vessel growth and repair may be involved.

More than 26,000 Irish mums per month are seeking information about their pregnancy and their babies on the Pampers website. Research by the company reveals that Irish mums-to-be online usage has increased for more than 91% of women during their pregnancy. Key searches include maternity entitlements before their pregnancy is announced to employers, personal health advice upon discovering they are pregnant and how they can expect to feel during pregnancy.

Model Rosanna Davison plans to go straight for the heart this Mother’s Day with a special homemade, heart healthy meal from the Irish Heart Foundation’s cookbook I love Good Food.

The former Miss World said: “I believe actions speak louder than words. So instead of flowers this year I’ll be spoiling my mum with a rainbow of colour... all on a plate.”

Packed with 120 heart healthy recipes, I Love Good Food cookbook, published by Poolbeg, is available in bookshops nationwide or order online at www.irishheart.ie

Mothers who give birth to small but non-premature babies may be at an increased www.irishexaminer.com www.irishexaminer.com

PAIN GAME: 250,000 Irish people endure back pain without seeking help. Picture: PA risk of heart disease, research has shown.

Having a small-for-gestational-age (SGA) baby significantly raises the chances of heart

www.irishexaminer.com feelgood@examiner.ie

FRIDAY, MARCH 16, 2012

Editorial: 021 4802 292

Advertising: 021 4802 265

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In profile

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THE SHAPE I'M IN

William Roache

Street wise T

be a worry. Learning lines is also getting harder and they work us hard on Coronation Street — we have to be on set from 8am to 7pm.

What shape are you in?

Generally, very good. I enjoy life. I am very happy and vital. I don’t do any exercise but I used to be pretty sporty. I played cricket and golf.

Do you pray?

I pray but not in a conventional way. I’m not religious at all, but I’m very spiritual. I know there’s a creator of all things and angels and that I have a higher self. When you practise love, kindness and compassion, you’re closer to that higher self.

What are your healthiest eating habits?

I don’t eat meat or chicken — I eat fish. I drink very little alcohol. I did my bit in the 1960s on that score.

Now I just have the odd alcoholic drink.

What’s your guiltiest pleasure?

Already today I’ve had a cake, a chocolate and sweets.

What would keep you awake at night?

Anything going wrong with my children would always

ig

tn rs Hm C r S vc?

nc qu ty c r

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ng!

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How do you relax?

I meditate. I try to do it every day and on Sundays I do an hour-long meditation.

Who would you invite to your dream dinner party?

Probably the Dalai Lama.

When did you last cry?

I cry quite easily, often over very happy things, like seeing a mother pushing a pram and talking to her baby. My wife died three years ago and I know she’s fine where she has gone, yet sometimes at home I can feel quite alone. But that’s crying out of self-pity, which I don’t like. Mostly I cry when I see something beautiful.

What would you change about your appearance?

My teeth. They’re strong, good and all mine but they’re sort of yellowy. I’d love white ones.

What trait do you least like in others?

Aggressiveness.

What trait do you least like in yourself?

I wish I could be more caring of other people, more able to serve and help others.

What would cheer up your day?

Seeing my three Jack Russells happy. I just love seeing happy animals.

Helen O’Callaghan

LIFE EXPECTANCY: William Roache enjoys robust health but his doctor has advised him to cut out sugar. Picture: Neil Marland

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HEALTH & LIFESTYLE ADVERTISING Target more females in Munster and Cork than any other daily newspaper.

To reach them, advertise in ‘Feelgood’.

Call Lori Fraser

I cry quite easily, often over very happy things, like seeing a mother pushing a pram and talking to her baby Feelgood

l

Leamlara, Carrigtwohill, Co. Cork

…… r vi ng t

V SOAP legend William Roache, who has played Coronation Street’s Ken Barlow since 1960, recently divulged that he has been struggling with serious hearing difficulties for the past 50 years.

The 79-year-old has a marked hearing loss in high frequencies and finds normal conversation and speech extremely difficult to understand. Until recently — when he was fitted with digital hearing aids by Specsavers — he coped by relying on visual prompts when playing Ken Barlow on the set of Coronation Street.

“Living with hearing difficulties is a challenge,” he says, adding that his hearing has become much worse over the past few years. “I’ve found myself becoming more and more isolated as a result. Like many, I’ve simply suffered in silence, putting up with mishearing conversations and feeling left out.

“I find it hard to hear people who speak very softly. In crowded areas, where there’s background noise like in a pub, I can’t hear a thing. But I’ve got through somehow.”

Mr Roache, whose hearing was initially damaged by a mortar bomb explosion during National Service 57 years ago, was in Dublin recently to raise awareness about hearing problems.

The dad of four, whose wife, Sara, died three years ago, likes his screen character. “I’m his caretaker. Ken Barlow is a character who tries to make peace with his ever dysfunctional family. He’s a good man who’s struggling to do his best. His big failing is his women.”

Do you have any health concerns?

My mum lived to be 95 and my father to 82 so there are no ailments running in the family. I have a bit of acidity because I eat badly. My doctor has also said that my blood sugar is up so I’m not supposed to eat anything with sugar.

Wh r t pe

Tel: 021 4802265 lori.fraser@examiner.ie

FRIDAY, MARCH 16, 2012

TERAPROOF:User:jaycarcioneDate:14/03/2012Time:13:35:32Edition:16/03/2012FeelgoodXH1603Page:4

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4 Shaping up

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Actress Kate Beckinsale, who has a new movie out today, tells Gabrielle Fagan

What Kate did...

how her strict workout regime helps her stay in shape for her action-packed roles

GET A BECKINSALE BODY: Trainer Ramona Braganza helped Beckinsale get in shape for the film Underworld 4 with a strength work-out. Do three sets of the exercises moving from one to another without stopping, four times a week on non-consecutive days.

Do not undertake exercise if you have a health condition or physical problems without checking first with your GP, and do not continue to exercise if you feel pain or discomfort

H

OLLYWOOD actresses are required to strut their stuff to promote their movies and few do it better than Kate Beckinsale.

Posing and showing off her enviable figure, scantily clad in a billowing blue shirt, a pair of gleaming white pants and pink stilettos, she multi-tasks by simultaneously giving an interview to new magazine, Women’s Health (www.womenshealthmag.co.uk).

“It’s been about two years since I’ve posed in my knickers like this — now I’m at it all the time,” the British-born actress says with a smile as she prances around obligingly on what, from the ground, appears to be a precarious platform set on a rooftop, high over Sunset Boulevard.

At 38, the daughter of the late actor Richard Beckinsale looks every inch a Hollywood bombshell — all big hair and golden skin.

For the last two years, not much has been seen of her. A film she worked on in 2009 with Matt Dillon and Vera Farmiga went straight to DVD, and a Hollywood writers’ strike meant there were few projects.

“I didn’t plan on a sabbatical, there just wasn’t anything I was dying to do and I have to really make a decision — is it worth me being away from my kid?” she says.

She has a daughter, Lily, from her eight-year relationship with Welsh actor, Michael Sheen, who is famous for playing prime minister Tony Blair in the film, The Queen.

“She’s 13 now, so I’ve only got a few more years with her before she goes off to college.

These years are important,” Beckinsale says.

She split with Sheen in 2003, when she met American film director, Len Wiseman, 39, on the set of the first Underworld film.

The couple married in 2004.

As well as a turning point in her personal life, it marked a new direction in her professional one too, as she became known for her action-packed roles.

Last year, she made three movies back-to-back, the action thriller Contraband, opening in cinemas on Mar 16, in which she plays the wife of an ex-criminal played by Mark Wahlberg, then the fourth Underworld film, reprising her role as uber-slinky vampire Selene, and finally Total Recall, opposite Colin Farrell.

It’s all been a surprising development for the academic Beckinsale, who studied languages and literature at Oxford University and early in her career made her name in a variety of serious dramas, such as a film of Cold Comfort Farm, in theatre in The Seagull, and ITV’s Emma.

“It’s not really in my nature to do all this ass-kicking,” she says, revealing that she suffers a lot of bumps and bruises while filming the physically demanding roles.

Feelgood

5

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1

2

FOR SEXY SHOULDERS: Do lateral raise with teapot tilt.

FOR A FIRMER BUM: Do deadlifts.

1 Stand with feet hip-width apart, holding 3-5lb dumbbells.

1 Stand with feet hip-width apart, resting 3-5lb dumbbells against the tops of your thighs.

2 Raise your straight arms out to the side, tilting the heads of the dumbbells forward (rotating internally) as if pouring tea.

Pause at shoulder height, then back to start position.

Do 15 reps.

2 Keeping your back straight, soften your knees and hinge forward at your hips, sliding the weight as far as possible down your legs. Squeeze your glutes as you lift back to the start.

Repeat to do 15.

3 FOR LEANER LEGS: Do single leg squats.

1 Standing in front of a chair, bend and lift one leg in the air.

2 Keeping your weight over the heel of your supporting leg, sit down and back to lightly touch the chair with your bum. Extend your arms forward for balance.

Press through your heel to return. Do 10 times on each leg.

FIGHTING FIT: Kate Beckinsale says when she first started training for action films she couldn’t even run. Picture:PA Photo/James

4

White courtesy Women’s Health

“When I first started training for Underworld, they were like, ‘She can’t even run.’

And I couldn’t.”

But her disciplined professionalism regarding her career has been replicated in her approach to her fitness, even though she described it initially as “a challenge.”

“It’s not a mystery. I just have to get on with it,” she says.

Beckinsale has a strict diet, which includes

lean protein meals every three hours, and works out with routines and yoga, daily, at her home in Los Angeles.

“I have a personal instructor who comes round and we work out in the kitchen near the dog bowl,” she says.

“If I’m away, or she is, we do it on Skype.

I really like that you have a bit of a lie-down at the end, that keeps me going.”

She says her glowing good looks aren’t

FRIDAY, MARCH 16, 2012

down to any artificial help, saying she’s never had any “work done” — not even on her teeth.

“You’re welcome to look for scars,” she says, leaning forward obligingly.

“I haven’t even done Botox. Look, I can move my face. But according to popular opinion, I’ve had everything on my face replaced.

“I read somewhere I had my chin replaced.

I wouldn’t know the first place to get a chin,” she says.

“Maybe I’ll start getting everything replaced when I’m 50 — start at the ankles and work up. You’d probably get a good deal — maybe a Groupon. Len can get his done, too.”

Working with her husband, who directed her in the first two Underworlds and in Total Recall, has strengthened their relationship rather than tested it, she says.

Feelgood

“Being separated for five or six months (working away on set) I think is worse,” she says.

And she says her husband is relaxed about the fact that sometimes, for her roles, she has to get intimate with other actors, as happened with Colin Farrell on Total Recall.

“I’ve done it before on Underworld and Len was all right with it,” she says.

She says “I think it was worse for Colin.

FOR A TIGHTER TUMMY: Do fitness ball roll-out.

1 Begin on your knees with the palms of your hands on a fitness ball.

2 Keeping your body straight, contract your abs as you roll the ball forward, moving from the palms of your hands onto your forearms. Go only as far as you can without bending at the waist. Return ball to start. Do 10 reps.

It’s awkward if you have to fondle the director’s wife. Especially with Len saying, ‘All right, that’s it, you’re fired’.”

Beckinsale jealously guards her privacy and was upset when the couple were photographed by paparazzi while on holiday after filming.

“You don’t see them. They’re on a boat in the middle of the ocean and you feel like you’re completely by yourself. It’s a good

FRIDAY, MARCH 16, 2012

thing we weren’t in Europe or I’d be topless.

“I don’t do Twitter or Facebook or anything, I like to be able to preserve the right to complain about people bothering me in my private life,” she says.

“If I’m constantly saying, ‘Now I’m having a boiled egg’, then I’ve got no right to complain about anything.”

And with that, she heads off to change into jeans and return to her real life off-set.

TERAPROOF:User:jaycarcioneDate:14/03/2012Time:13:35:32Edition:16/03/2012FeelgoodXH1603Page:4

Zone:XH

4 Shaping up

XH - V1

Actress Kate Beckinsale, who has a new movie out today, tells Gabrielle Fagan

What Kate did...

how her strict workout regime helps her stay in shape for her action-packed roles

GET A BECKINSALE BODY: Trainer Ramona Braganza helped Beckinsale get in shape for the film Underworld 4 with a strength work-out. Do three sets of the exercises moving from one to another without stopping, four times a week on non-consecutive days.

Do not undertake exercise if you have a health condition or physical problems without checking first with your GP, and do not continue to exercise if you feel pain or discomfort

H

OLLYWOOD actresses are required to strut their stuff to promote their movies and few do it better than Kate Beckinsale.

Posing and showing off her enviable figure, scantily clad in a billowing blue shirt, a pair of gleaming white pants and pink stilettos, she multi-tasks by simultaneously giving an interview to new magazine, Women’s Health (www.womenshealthmag.co.uk).

“It’s been about two years since I’ve posed in my knickers like this — now I’m at it all the time,” the British-born actress says with a smile as she prances around obligingly on what, from the ground, appears to be a precarious platform set on a rooftop, high over Sunset Boulevard.

At 38, the daughter of the late actor Richard Beckinsale looks every inch a Hollywood bombshell — all big hair and golden skin.

For the last two years, not much has been seen of her. A film she worked on in 2009 with Matt Dillon and Vera Farmiga went straight to DVD, and a Hollywood writers’ strike meant there were few projects.

“I didn’t plan on a sabbatical, there just wasn’t anything I was dying to do and I have to really make a decision — is it worth me being away from my kid?” she says.

She has a daughter, Lily, from her eight-year relationship with Welsh actor, Michael Sheen, who is famous for playing prime minister Tony Blair in the film, The Queen.

“She’s 13 now, so I’ve only got a few more years with her before she goes off to college.

These years are important,” Beckinsale says.

She split with Sheen in 2003, when she met American film director, Len Wiseman, 39, on the set of the first Underworld film.

The couple married in 2004.

As well as a turning point in her personal life, it marked a new direction in her professional one too, as she became known for her action-packed roles.

Last year, she made three movies back-to-back, the action thriller Contraband, opening in cinemas on Mar 16, in which she plays the wife of an ex-criminal played by Mark Wahlberg, then the fourth Underworld film, reprising her role as uber-slinky vampire Selene, and finally Total Recall, opposite Colin Farrell.

It’s all been a surprising development for the academic Beckinsale, who studied languages and literature at Oxford University and early in her career made her name in a variety of serious dramas, such as a film of Cold Comfort Farm, in theatre in The Seagull, and ITV’s Emma.

“It’s not really in my nature to do all this ass-kicking,” she says, revealing that she suffers a lot of bumps and bruises while filming the physically demanding roles.

Feelgood

5

XH - V1

1

2

FOR SEXY SHOULDERS: Do lateral raise with teapot tilt.

FOR A FIRMER BUM: Do deadlifts.

1 Stand with feet hip-width apart, holding 3-5lb dumbbells.

1 Stand with feet hip-width apart, resting 3-5lb dumbbells against the tops of your thighs.

2 Raise your straight arms out to the side, tilting the heads of the dumbbells forward (rotating internally) as if pouring tea.

Pause at shoulder height, then back to start position.

Do 15 reps.

2 Keeping your back straight, soften your knees and hinge forward at your hips, sliding the weight as far as possible down your legs. Squeeze your glutes as you lift back to the start.

Repeat to do 15.

3 FOR LEANER LEGS: Do single leg squats.

1 Standing in front of a chair, bend and lift one leg in the air.

2 Keeping your weight over the heel of your supporting leg, sit down and back to lightly touch the chair with your bum. Extend your arms forward for balance.

Press through your heel to return. Do 10 times on each leg.

FIGHTING FIT: Kate Beckinsale says when she first started training for action films she couldn’t even run. Picture:PA Photo/James

4

White courtesy Women’s Health

“When I first started training for Underworld, they were like, ‘She can’t even run.’

And I couldn’t.”

But her disciplined professionalism regarding her career has been replicated in her approach to her fitness, even though she described it initially as “a challenge.”

“It’s not a mystery. I just have to get on with it,” she says.

Beckinsale has a strict diet, which includes

lean protein meals every three hours, and works out with routines and yoga, daily, at her home in Los Angeles.

“I have a personal instructor who comes round and we work out in the kitchen near the dog bowl,” she says.

“If I’m away, or she is, we do it on Skype.

I really like that you have a bit of a lie-down at the end, that keeps me going.”

She says her glowing good looks aren’t

FRIDAY, MARCH 16, 2012

down to any artificial help, saying she’s never had any “work done” — not even on her teeth.

“You’re welcome to look for scars,” she says, leaning forward obligingly.

“I haven’t even done Botox. Look, I can move my face. But according to popular opinion, I’ve had everything on my face replaced.

“I read somewhere I had my chin replaced.

I wouldn’t know the first place to get a chin,” she says.

“Maybe I’ll start getting everything replaced when I’m 50 — start at the ankles and work up. You’d probably get a good deal — maybe a Groupon. Len can get his done, too.”

Working with her husband, who directed her in the first two Underworlds and in Total Recall, has strengthened their relationship rather than tested it, she says.

Feelgood

“Being separated for five or six months (working away on set) I think is worse,” she says.

And she says her husband is relaxed about the fact that sometimes, for her roles, she has to get intimate with other actors, as happened with Colin Farrell on Total Recall.

“I’ve done it before on Underworld and Len was all right with it,” she says.

She says “I think it was worse for Colin.

FOR A TIGHTER TUMMY: Do fitness ball roll-out.

1 Begin on your knees with the palms of your hands on a fitness ball.

2 Keeping your body straight, contract your abs as you roll the ball forward, moving from the palms of your hands onto your forearms. Go only as far as you can without bending at the waist. Return ball to start. Do 10 reps.

It’s awkward if you have to fondle the director’s wife. Especially with Len saying, ‘All right, that’s it, you’re fired’.”

Beckinsale jealously guards her privacy and was upset when the couple were photographed by paparazzi while on holiday after filming.

“You don’t see them. They’re on a boat in the middle of the ocean and you feel like you’re completely by yourself. It’s a good

FRIDAY, MARCH 16, 2012

thing we weren’t in Europe or I’d be topless.

“I don’t do Twitter or Facebook or anything, I like to be able to preserve the right to complain about people bothering me in my private life,” she says.

“If I’m constantly saying, ‘Now I’m having a boiled egg’, then I’ve got no right to complain about anything.”

And with that, she heads off to change into jeans and return to her real life off-set.

TERAPROOF:User:jaycarcioneDate:14/03/2012Time:13:36:57Edition:16/03/2012FeelgoodXH1603Page:6

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6 Different perspective

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Áilín Quinlan talks to psychiatric nurse Kevin O’Shanahan about his efforts to use music and other creative arts for the benefit of mental health patients

The rhythm of life C

AN music, singing, story-telling and dance help those with mental health problems? Yes they can, according to musician and psychiatric nurse Kevin O’Shanahan.

O’Shanahan, also arts and mental health coordinator for the West Cork Mental Health Services, plans to introduce a range of creative music groups for people in community and hospital settings across the region.

In time, he hopes to further expand this service by introducing painters, dancers, storytellers and other artists who have had experience of working in healthcare settings.

The aim? To allow service-users to experience what he believes to be a range of psychological, emotional, physical and social benefits resulting from creative activity.

O’Shanahan knows music and the benefits that can be gained from playing it and listening to it. Back in the mid-90s he was in a band, the Freudian Slips, which recorded an album and supported the likes of Jools Holland and the Stunning.

But he also points to research to back up his theories — currently studying for a master’s degree on the therapeutic benefits of music, the Limerick man says studies show a range of benefits from the use of music in healthcare settings.

A 2005 HSE and Music Network report found emotional, psychological, cognitive, physical and social benefits to the use of music in health care settings, while research carried out at the University of Canterbury in Britain showed that being part of a choir and actively singing in one on a regular basis lifts the mood and leads to more positive mental health.

Other research carried out in University of Canterbury has found that 15 to 20 minutes drumming per day can have a significantly positive effect on mood.

Music and the arts, believes O’Shanahan, can empower people and divert their focus from being simply a patient.

When he was appointed last November, the 40-year-old’s first step was to introduce a range of creative music groups for people in both community and hospital settings in Skibbereen and Bantry.

Service users now have the opportunity to sing songs and play a wide variety of instruments — from chimes and tin-whistles to drums and the xylophone — in a number of groups which have been established.

An initiative at Perrott House, a mental health facility in Skibbereen, has already attracted an interested following, while similar projects have also begun in the general community in Bantry and Skibbereen. Another music and health programme began in Bantry General Hospital in February.

This is a new development — but one which is badly needed, and which brings the issue of mental health into the community, says Michael Bambrick, director of nursing in the West Cork Mental Health Service, HSE South. “For too long we have been framing mental health around a disease model. For too long our services have been behind walls.

What we are now trying to do is re-frame mental health to acknowledge the person within.”

Creativity may help to bring a person to a

Feelgood

BEAT GOES ON: Kevin O’Shanahan seen here in Tragumna, West Cork, plans to introduce a range of creative music groups for local people with mental health issues in community and hospital settings.

Picture: Denis Scannell

The Creativity programme is attempting to reframe the uniqueness of each individual in the context of mental health point where they can see things in a different light and accept that they have a resource within themselves, he says. “There is within each of us a resource which can enable us to help ourselves and one of these resources may be creativity. It will not be the answer, but through creative arts — music, painting, etc — you can help people to reframe themselves.

“In West Cork this Creativity programme is attempting to reframe the uniqueness of each individual within the context of mental health.” is monitoring the progress of his creativity sessions through feedback from staff and participants. The programme is currently a one-year pilot initiative. “We get an idea of how it is working very quickly,” he says, adding that feedback is crucial.

“The nurses will usually come back and tell us about the effect it had on people and how they feel it is working. And we will also know how it is being received by the level of ongoing participation.”

O’Shanahan hopes to expand the programme to other areas of West Cork in the coming years. However, in the meantime, he plans to introduce other art forms such as drama, visual arts and creative writing in collaboration with the Cork Arts and Health Partnership.

“There are currently about 60 people involved in the different music and I expect this figure to grow as the programme develops,” he explains. “I hope to offer the service to groups in Clonakilty and other parts of west Cork such as Dunmanway and Bandon over the next few years.”

FRIDAY, MARCH 16, 2012

He also has a separate project underway in conjunction with the West Cork Arts Centre in Skibbereen.

“We have a programme called the Open Door which is a music programme open to the general public and to people who have experienced mental health difficulties. It’s about offering a space for people to come and make music.”

O’Shanahan is working with people of all ages — from those in their 20s to people in their 80s, suffering from a range of conditions from depression to schizophrenia and anxiety disorders. ● For information on Open Door, contact the West Cork Arts Centre 028-22090 or email: info@westcorkartscentre.com

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Psychology

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A focus on results can extinguish a natural love of teaching and learning

Failing the test Tony Humphreys

I

HAVE long believed that teaching and learning are separate issues and that the evaluation of a teacher’s effectiveness needs to be based on the personal and professional qualities that make for teaching excellence. However, teacher and school effectiveness today is being measured by student test and examination scores.

This system is a misuse of standardised tests and state examinations to hold individual teachers accountable for their students’ learning outcomes. There is a belief that schools can achieve miracles by treating parents as consumers, students as products and teachers as compliant workers who are expected to ‘teach to the test’ — strategies similar to the ones that resulted in the worst economic crash to hit the western world in 2008.

A results-focussed approach takes the heart out of teaching and is a sure way of extinguishing a love of teaching and learning. This practice continues despite the fact that standardised test publishers warn that the test measures student performance, not teacher effectiveness. The fall-out from this approach is that it is proving more and more difficult to hold onto long-serving experienced teachers. In America, for example, 40 to 50% of young teachers are staying in the profession for only a maximum of five years.

The word education comes from the Greek verb educe — meaning “to draw forth from within”. The original teaching method of Socrates has been largely displaced by professional deference to received scholarly authority.

By and large, students are taught how to take exams but not to think, write or find their own individual path. Teaching is not about instilling knowledge; it is about having the skills to draw out qualities of students’ nature that were present in their earlier years, but somehow can get buried under an avalanche of tests and exams.

Children as young as six and seven years tell us how they are ‘all stressed out by tests’.

The qualities that teachers need to re-awaken in themselves and in their students are natural curiosity, passion for knowledge, fearlessness, adventuresomeness, aliveness, spontaneity, ease with failure and success, eagerness to learn, expansiveness, creativity and confidence. Certainly, equality of educational opportunity, individualised learning plans, portfolio feedback and cooperative learning are necessary accompaniments to the above.

It is essential, too, that teachers are well educated, well prepared and highly respected for what is a hugely challenging profession.

Ongoing personal and professional develop-

Feelgood

There is a belief that schools can achieve miracles by treating parents as consumers, students as products and teachers as compliant workers ment is also essential to teacher effectiveness.

In regard to learning, the experience of our students has become even more urgent given the slippage of literacy levels of Irish 15 year olds from 3rd to 17th place among 39 OECD countries. Of course, there are also economic, social and cultural factors that may be contributing to the fall in literacy levels, but the nature of the school-holding world — that is the network of relationships between teachers-students, teachers-teachers, teacher-principals and teachers-parents — needs to be the central focus of learning excellence.

Finland employs a system of education which is not based on accountability via test scores but on responsibility, and the approach has resulted in it having one of the highest attaining school systems in the OECD. Over the past 40 years, Finland has developed a different educational system by improving and extending teacher training, by minimising student testing (no standardised tests until the end of high school, which are drawn up by their own teachers), by individualising learning programmes, by emphasising cooperative (as opposed to competitive) learning, by the development of each student as an intelligent, active and creative person and by emphasising responsibility and trust before accountability.

Finnish teachers are sensitive to not holding students back or labelling them as ‘failing’ because of an awareness that such responses increase student failure, reduce motivation and increase social inequality.

The story of Finland’s educational achievements is outlined in a must-read book by Pasi Sahlberg, What Can the World Learn from Educational Change in Finland.

■ Dr Tony Humphreys is a consultant clinical psychologist, author and lecturer. His book A Different Kind of Teacher is relevant to today’s article.

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FRIDAY, MARCH 16, 2012

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To mark Mother’s Day, four Irish celebrities tell us about their relationships with their mums, and what they learned from them, writes Sue Leonard

Things my mother taught me Julie Feeney

singer-songwriter

Victor Burke VICTOR BURKE, actor, who plays Wayne Molloy in Fair City, owes his career to his mother, Eleanor.

“She taught me that I could do anything,” he says. “She was a very hard working lady. There was not a lot of money when I was growing up. She never borrowed. If she wanted something she’d work harder. She worked really hard at cleaning and whatever job she could get, and she sent me to drama school. She is currently working at DIT College of Catering, Cathal Brugha Street.

“I’m the second of four children and I don’t know how she did it. I went to the Betty Ann Norton Theatre School from the age of ten. She must have spent everything she’d got on the fees. She never spent any money on herself — everything went on us kids.

“I got my first part in the Abbey Theatre when I was 13. None of my friends went to drama school. But she encouraged me every step of the way.

“Acting in Ireland is very tough.

Five years ago I started a business in motion graphics. We specialise in digital signage. It’s going very well; we have half a dozen staff now, and

Julie Feeney and her mother Teresa, both share a strong work ethic.

JULIE FEENEY says her mother, Teresa, taught her the importance of being independent, and of standing up for what you believe in.

“As a teenager, I was never allowed to go to a disco.

And, of course, I really wanted to. But when I asked, it was ‘no’ and ‘no question.’ I liked that she was absolutely clear, and that she was not afraid of being different. That gave me a sense of inner relief,” she says.

Reared near Tuam in Co Galway, Julie, who is one of six children, was brought to ballet, horse riding and to music.

“We tried everything. She was keen that we should immerse ourselves in something we loved. My mother was principal of the national school in AbbeyKnockmoy.

She played the organ at the Abbey too. She is the most intelligent, independent and remarkable person I know.

And she combines these qualities with being, always,

She believed in building on your strengths and talents, whatever they were. And whatever talent or skill you had, that was the direction in which you should go

Feelgood

Picture: Maura Hickey.

considerate to other people. She’s taught me the importance of being kind,” she says.

Julie is working round the clock these days. She’s recording her third album, as well as writing her first opera to commission. Add to that the preparation required for the ten live shows she’s performing in America, in April and May, and it’s clear she is committed to her work.

“My mother’s influence has definitely helped me in my work,” she says. “She had a wonderful work ethic. It was all about your duty being to yourself. She believed in building on your strengths and talents, whatever they were. And whatever talent or skill you had, that was the direction in which you should go.”

MUM’S BEST ADVICE: “A good start is half the work. She’d also say, ‘Do everything’.”

WORST ADVICE: “My mother has never given me bad advice. But we are different. She is considerably more cautious than I am and if I had been that cautious I wouldn’t have chosen a career in music.”

WHAT TERESA HAS LEARNED FROM JULIE: “Julie is inspiring in so many ways. While I am efficient, she takes it to another level. She doesn’t dilly dally and always crosses the finishing line.

“She is always thorough and enthusiastic about everything she does.”

actor

food writer

Victor Burke with his mother Eleanor at DIT College of Catering.

Picture: Maura Hickey

we have huge deals with Tesco and AIB. I also do voiceover work and write screenplays. I definitely got the ethic of hard work from my mother.”

MUM’S BEST ADVICE: “Love many, trust few, and always paddle your own canoe. She was always say-

Sinead Desmond Sinead Desmond learned her love of reading from her mother. “I have a complete obsession with books,” she says. “She taught me how to cook, too. She’s a brilliant cook.”

But the best thing that she taught her daughter was her ‘can do’, attitude. “My mum would say, ‘If you want to change something, change it. If you want to make something happen, make it happen’. Her biggest gift to me was that if you want to do something you can just get off your ass and do it. And don’t whinge and moan about it if it doesn’t happen.

“Mum has a great work ethic. She left school at 13 or 14, but she went back. When I took my Inter Cert, she took her Leaving Cert. And when I did my Leaving Cert, she took her BA. She’s currently working on her PhD. “She did all that while working, full time, as an archaeologist on digs.

She also spent time teaching my brother Conor, who is profoundly deaf, to speak.

“She and Dad live in Crete now.

They have goats and an olive grove.”

Lilly Higgins

ing that.”

WORST ADVICE: “Be an actor if you want.”

WHAT ELEANOR HAS LEARNED FROM VICTOR: “To always be positive in life, however bad things are.”

TV presenter

Lilly Higgins, right, and her mother Monica share a cuppa at home in Cobh.

Sinead Desmond, right, with her mum Sylvia, who now lives in Crete.

MUM’S BEST ADVICE: “‘Just do it.’ If ever I went to her, even at 14, and said I wanted to go to Paris for a month or two, she said, go.”

WORST ADVICE: “She was always saying, ‘What do you want a boyfriend for? Women these days don’t need to marry and have chil-

FRIDAY, MARCH 16, 2012

dren.’ That was fine for her to say.

She met dad when she was 14. They have the best relationship ever.”

WHAT SYLVIA LEARNED FROM SINEAD: “That the right clothes and make-up can make you feel a million dollars. And it’s possible to look fabulous at 7am.”

Lilly Higgins, author of the mouth-watering recipe book, Make, Bake, Love, says she learned her love of cooking in her mother’s kitchen.

“My mum, Monica, reared eight of us. I come fourth.

She was always baking and she still is. She’s thrifty and enterprising, too. If there was nothing in the fridge, she would still make an amazing dinner.

“We lived in the middle of the countryside. We all had our little jobs to do. We had a brilliant kitchen garden.

We’d be picking berries and she’d be making jams and jellies and bringing them into town each week to sell.

We had pigs and goats, too. It was like a mini-farm.

“During the holidays, I’d spend most of my time in the kitchen. With a big family, cooking seemed to be ongoing. You’d finish clearing up one meal, and it would be time to think of the next. The kitchen was social — sitting at the table or at the island, preparing things. I loved it.

“I studied graphic design in college, but if there was a lecture at 5pm, I’d miss it and go home. I didn’t want to miss dinner.

“I met my partner, Colm, ten years ago. I was waitressing in Cobh with his sister. We met when we were all out and he told me he made pesto. I didn’t believe him.

Picture: Denis Minihane.

We got together by talking about food. He now has an allotment.”

Lilly’s sister, the comedienne, Maeve, loves cooking, too. “She’ll have people round for a big roast and traditional pudding,” says Lilly. “I love all cooking. But, perhaps, especially baking because it’s nostalgic and it looks so gorgeous.”

MUM’S BEST ADVICE: “‘It’s there for the eating.’ She was always saying that. And I love that she doesn’t push her advice with my baby son, Liam, who was born in December. She just tells me I’m doing the right thing.”

WORST ADVICE: “When I was 16, and experimenting with make-up, she was constantly saying, ‘you look absolutely gorgeous’. Looking back at the photos, that can’t have been right.”

WHAT MONICA HAS LEARNED FROM LILLY: “That there is a reason I kept old family recipes. Lilly was able to contemporise a recipe from my grandmother, Lillian, dating back to 1912. That’s amazing. I admire that she’s very practical, but wonderfully creative. She’s a wonderful mother and a gorgeous person.”

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To mark Mother’s Day, four Irish celebrities tell us about their relationships with their mums, and what they learned from them, writes Sue Leonard

Things my mother taught me Julie Feeney

singer-songwriter

Victor Burke VICTOR BURKE, actor, who plays Wayne Molloy in Fair City, owes his career to his mother, Eleanor.

“She taught me that I could do anything,” he says. “She was a very hard working lady. There was not a lot of money when I was growing up. She never borrowed. If she wanted something she’d work harder. She worked really hard at cleaning and whatever job she could get, and she sent me to drama school. She is currently working at DIT College of Catering, Cathal Brugha Street.

“I’m the second of four children and I don’t know how she did it. I went to the Betty Ann Norton Theatre School from the age of ten. She must have spent everything she’d got on the fees. She never spent any money on herself — everything went on us kids.

“I got my first part in the Abbey Theatre when I was 13. None of my friends went to drama school. But she encouraged me every step of the way.

“Acting in Ireland is very tough.

Five years ago I started a business in motion graphics. We specialise in digital signage. It’s going very well; we have half a dozen staff now, and

Julie Feeney and her mother Teresa, both share a strong work ethic.

JULIE FEENEY says her mother, Teresa, taught her the importance of being independent, and of standing up for what you believe in.

“As a teenager, I was never allowed to go to a disco.

And, of course, I really wanted to. But when I asked, it was ‘no’ and ‘no question.’ I liked that she was absolutely clear, and that she was not afraid of being different. That gave me a sense of inner relief,” she says.

Reared near Tuam in Co Galway, Julie, who is one of six children, was brought to ballet, horse riding and to music.

“We tried everything. She was keen that we should immerse ourselves in something we loved. My mother was principal of the national school in AbbeyKnockmoy.

She played the organ at the Abbey too. She is the most intelligent, independent and remarkable person I know.

And she combines these qualities with being, always,

She believed in building on your strengths and talents, whatever they were. And whatever talent or skill you had, that was the direction in which you should go

Feelgood

Picture: Maura Hickey.

considerate to other people. She’s taught me the importance of being kind,” she says.

Julie is working round the clock these days. She’s recording her third album, as well as writing her first opera to commission. Add to that the preparation required for the ten live shows she’s performing in America, in April and May, and it’s clear she is committed to her work.

“My mother’s influence has definitely helped me in my work,” she says. “She had a wonderful work ethic. It was all about your duty being to yourself. She believed in building on your strengths and talents, whatever they were. And whatever talent or skill you had, that was the direction in which you should go.”

MUM’S BEST ADVICE: “A good start is half the work. She’d also say, ‘Do everything’.”

WORST ADVICE: “My mother has never given me bad advice. But we are different. She is considerably more cautious than I am and if I had been that cautious I wouldn’t have chosen a career in music.”

WHAT TERESA HAS LEARNED FROM JULIE: “Julie is inspiring in so many ways. While I am efficient, she takes it to another level. She doesn’t dilly dally and always crosses the finishing line.

“She is always thorough and enthusiastic about everything she does.”

actor

food writer

Victor Burke with his mother Eleanor at DIT College of Catering.

Picture: Maura Hickey

we have huge deals with Tesco and AIB. I also do voiceover work and write screenplays. I definitely got the ethic of hard work from my mother.”

MUM’S BEST ADVICE: “Love many, trust few, and always paddle your own canoe. She was always say-

Sinead Desmond Sinead Desmond learned her love of reading from her mother. “I have a complete obsession with books,” she says. “She taught me how to cook, too. She’s a brilliant cook.”

But the best thing that she taught her daughter was her ‘can do’, attitude. “My mum would say, ‘If you want to change something, change it. If you want to make something happen, make it happen’. Her biggest gift to me was that if you want to do something you can just get off your ass and do it. And don’t whinge and moan about it if it doesn’t happen.

“Mum has a great work ethic. She left school at 13 or 14, but she went back. When I took my Inter Cert, she took her Leaving Cert. And when I did my Leaving Cert, she took her BA. She’s currently working on her PhD. “She did all that while working, full time, as an archaeologist on digs.

She also spent time teaching my brother Conor, who is profoundly deaf, to speak.

“She and Dad live in Crete now.

They have goats and an olive grove.”

Lilly Higgins

ing that.”

WORST ADVICE: “Be an actor if you want.”

WHAT ELEANOR HAS LEARNED FROM VICTOR: “To always be positive in life, however bad things are.”

TV presenter

Lilly Higgins, right, and her mother Monica share a cuppa at home in Cobh.

Sinead Desmond, right, with her mum Sylvia, who now lives in Crete.

MUM’S BEST ADVICE: “‘Just do it.’ If ever I went to her, even at 14, and said I wanted to go to Paris for a month or two, she said, go.”

WORST ADVICE: “She was always saying, ‘What do you want a boyfriend for? Women these days don’t need to marry and have chil-

FRIDAY, MARCH 16, 2012

dren.’ That was fine for her to say.

She met dad when she was 14. They have the best relationship ever.”

WHAT SYLVIA LEARNED FROM SINEAD: “That the right clothes and make-up can make you feel a million dollars. And it’s possible to look fabulous at 7am.”

Lilly Higgins, author of the mouth-watering recipe book, Make, Bake, Love, says she learned her love of cooking in her mother’s kitchen.

“My mum, Monica, reared eight of us. I come fourth.

She was always baking and she still is. She’s thrifty and enterprising, too. If there was nothing in the fridge, she would still make an amazing dinner.

“We lived in the middle of the countryside. We all had our little jobs to do. We had a brilliant kitchen garden.

We’d be picking berries and she’d be making jams and jellies and bringing them into town each week to sell.

We had pigs and goats, too. It was like a mini-farm.

“During the holidays, I’d spend most of my time in the kitchen. With a big family, cooking seemed to be ongoing. You’d finish clearing up one meal, and it would be time to think of the next. The kitchen was social — sitting at the table or at the island, preparing things. I loved it.

“I studied graphic design in college, but if there was a lecture at 5pm, I’d miss it and go home. I didn’t want to miss dinner.

“I met my partner, Colm, ten years ago. I was waitressing in Cobh with his sister. We met when we were all out and he told me he made pesto. I didn’t believe him.

Picture: Denis Minihane.

We got together by talking about food. He now has an allotment.”

Lilly’s sister, the comedienne, Maeve, loves cooking, too. “She’ll have people round for a big roast and traditional pudding,” says Lilly. “I love all cooking. But, perhaps, especially baking because it’s nostalgic and it looks so gorgeous.”

MUM’S BEST ADVICE: “‘It’s there for the eating.’ She was always saying that. And I love that she doesn’t push her advice with my baby son, Liam, who was born in December. She just tells me I’m doing the right thing.”

WORST ADVICE: “When I was 16, and experimenting with make-up, she was constantly saying, ‘you look absolutely gorgeous’. Looking back at the photos, that can’t have been right.”

WHAT MONICA HAS LEARNED FROM LILLY: “That there is a reason I kept old family recipes. Lilly was able to contemporise a recipe from my grandmother, Lillian, dating back to 1912. That’s amazing. I admire that she’s very practical, but wonderfully creative. She’s a wonderful mother and a gorgeous person.”

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10 Medical matters

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Q

TWO years ago I developed an ugly fungal nail infection.

It has since spread to most of my toenails. I wash my feet twice a day and wear cotton socks, but there is no sign of the infection clearing up. I would appreciate your advice.

Dr Julius Parker is a GP with HSF Health Plan’s free 24 GP advice line.

For more information visit www.hsf.ie or lo-call 1890 451 451

If you have a question about your health email it to feelgood@examiner.ie or send a letter to: Feelgood Irish Examiner City Quarter Lapps Quay Cork

A. Toenail fungal infection is common, and often spreads to adjacent nails. It tends to cause thickened, discoloured nails which may become brittle. There is usually little pain unless the skin around the nail becomes inflamed or infected. Most nail infections are related to athlete’s foot, where the webspaces between the toes are also infected.

As you’ve noticed, nail infections are usually persistent and it’s unlikely this is going to get better without treatment. Your GP may send a nail chipping for analysis to confirm infection. Although anti-fungal nail paint (lacquer) may help, in most cases an anti-fungal medication such as itraconazole is a more effective approach. This may need to be taken for several months, although rarely causes significant side-effects. Not everyone needs treatment, but I’d recommend it, especially if your toes have become painful and are affecting your walking, or if you have other conditions such as diabetes or circulatory problems.

You’re quite right to take other steps to keep your feet healthy. Wearing cotton socks and changing these regularly will help. Make sure you wear comfortable shoes that don’t squash your toes. Clip your nails carefully after bathing and ensure your toes and webspaces are carefully dried.

As the fungal infection clears you should start to see a new healthy nail growing from the nail bed. However, it’s important to continue your treatment until your nails are healthy. Recurrence of fungal nail infection is common, so continue to take good care of your feet.

Q. From chest infections to colds, my children have been sick for most of the winter.

They are picky eaters so it’s difficult to increase the amount of fruit and vegetables they eat — I’m lucky if they eat an apple a day. Are there any child-friendly supplements I should get?

A. It’s very common for children to have a

NEWS UPDATE

TERAPROOF:User:jaycarcioneDate:14/03/2012Time:13:37:37Edition:16/03/2012FeelgoodXH1603Page:10

A rise in the practice of swaddling is causing concern among doctors due to the permanent damage that can be done to babies.

Swaddling babies was eradicated in the 1980s after health education programmes demonstrated its dangers — swaddling involves wrapping the baby tightly for warmth, to help them sleep and to avoid the crying associated with colic.

‘Swaddlers’ are now available on the internet and are being used frequently.

According to an orthopaedic surgeon at Southampton General Hospital, Prof Nicholas Clarke, this unsafe form of swaddling is leading to more cases of hip dysplasia and permanent damage to the babies.

Hip dysplasia is caused by a loosening of the hips by the mothers’ hormones to relax ligaments during birth.

After birth, babies recover from this naturally, by flexing and strengthening weakened joints, but babies who are swaddled are unable to do this and consequently require surgery.

Of the babies screened at Southampton General, 5% have some levels of instability. Treatment involves fitting a harness to keep the legs bent up 24 hours a day for six weeks and is successful in 85% of cases, though some

succession of coughs and colds during winter.

Respiratory infections show a seasonal peak during the winter months, and school or nursery classes bring children together in groups where cross-transmission of infections easily occurs. The same principle applies to visiting friends and relatives. It’s impossible to prevent children catching respiratory infections unless they live in a bubble, and remember each infection generates at least a partial immunity to the next exposure.

Fruit and vegetables are a good source of vitamins A and C, which may help reduce the frequency and severity of cold and flu-like infections, although nearly all evidence for this is related to adults. A far more significant factor is to ensure a

INJURY RISK: Swaddling can cause hip dysplasia. Picture: iStock

babies will suffer permanent damage.

Prof Clarke said he was not opposed to swaddling — provided it was done safely.

“I advocate swaddling in the right and safe way, which means ensuring babies are not rigidly wrapped, but have enough room to bend their legs — they don’t need to have their legs straightened, as there is plenty of time to stretch before they start to walk,” he said.

smoke-free environment for your children. The other key approach, and I know this can be tricky, is to encourage your child to cover their mouth when coughing and sneezing, use a tissue, and wash their hands regularly. Although it may sound boring, simple approaches such as these substantially reduce cross-infection.

Encouraging children to eat fruit and vegetables by stressing how good they are for you may be counterproductive. Instead they should simply be seen as a normal part of your family’s meals, provided as a part of each meal, and sometimes be the only option for a snack.

There are several child-friendly over-the-counter multivitamin preparations available, but with a normal varied diet these are not medically essential for good health.

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

S

Joe McNamee DAD’S WORLD

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HOVING the last few bits and pieces into my travel bag before fleeing for a blissfully anticipated family-free night away, I catch No 2 whispering to Dearly Beloved (DB), ‘Mummy, can we get … flake … flake … flakecorns? Can we get Flakecorns when Daddy is away?’

No, this wasn’t a verbal blunder —No 2’s birth cert claims a biological age of four, but we know him to actually be a contrary, middle-aged linguistics professor who rarely errs when it comes to language, certainly never fluffing anything as simple as the word ‘cornflake’. I am merely trying to illustrate his deep unfamiliarity with the nefarious world of breakfast cereals, having known only porridge all his short life.

Despite vowing in my youth to always do the opposite when I became a parent, it seems I am forever fated to repeat the ‘sins’ of my father — his fundamentalist attitude to porridge is yet another of those sins that I am now embracing wholeheartedly.

When I was young, the morning porridge was his speciality. He was Scottish, I should add, hence plenty of salt and a texture so ‘rigorous’, it was sliced rather than poured.

Even the family dog baulked at the leftovers (bountiful, to say the least), pretending to nibble and as soon as my father’s back was turned, hiding them behind a bush at the end of the garden. Yup, it was possible for

the dog to carry it with his teeth.

It was not unknown for us children to pool pocket money and spring for a box of sugar-coated puffed rice thingies, upending them into a large mixing bowl, adding a few pints of milk and devouring the lot like snuffling pigs at a trough. Yet, I am now an equally fanatical opponent of breakfast ‘cereals’, considering them odious muck, cardboard so far removed from actual food it requires ‘fortification’ with ‘nutrition’.

I return the next day, suitably chastened after a night’s frolicking, attempting the usual fibs about bedtime and consumption rates.

No 2, sensing a grave weakness, strikes boldly. ‘We had CEREAL!’ he gloats triumphantly. I am too ‘compromised’ to respond but scan the kitchen. No evidence. As he trudges off in disappointment at his failed provocation, I fix DB with a steely if slightly watery and bloodshot stare. ‘We got a healthy option, wholewheat rice crispie cereal’, she protests indignantly.

That evening, fetching wine for dinner, I notice the offending package in the drinks cabinet, far from removed from any of the food cupboards. Later, after everyone else is retired for the night and I am pouring the remainder of the cereal down the toilet, I toy with the idea of pre-cooking the porridge the next time I head away. I could store it in the fridge. In individually wrapped slices.

FRIDAY, MARCH 16, 2012

It was not unknown for us children to pool pocket money and spring for a box of sugar-coated puffed rice thingies, upending them into a large mixing bowl, adding a few of pints of milk and devouring the lot like snuffling pigs at a trough

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Life’s challenges

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Bernard Dunne’s daughter Caoimhe was diagnosed as coeliac after months of trauma.

With careful control of her diet, however, she’s been thriving, says Holly White

Cure and the cause C

AOIMHE DUNNE was diagnosed as a coeliac when she was 19 months. Since birth she had been constantly sick and tired. Meals would result in projectile vomiting, she had asthma-like symptoms, runny nappies and slept badly at night.

Although this was their first child, retired boxer Bernard Dunne and his wife Pamela knew something was not right. However, their GP could find nothing wrong.

After one particularly bad spell, they ended up in Our Lady’s Hospital in Crumlin. A doctor walking by noticed her protruding belly and suggested tests for coeliac disease.

At home that night the Dunnes looked up the symptoms online and saw that Caoimhe had all seven.

Coeliac disease is a disorder of the lower intestine that is caused by a reaction to gluten in wheat and similar foods.

Soon after Caoimhe was diagnosed, they set about educating themselves and adopted a new lifestyle. They also joined the Coeliac Society of Ireland, which now has 12,000 members.

Already healthy eaters, they simply refined Caoimhe’s diet and noticed an immediate improvement in her demeanour.

When eating out they now know to bring their own burger buns if a burger is on the menu, and they enjoy trips to Beshoff ’s for fish and chips as a treat as the famous Dublin chipper uses a gluten-free batter.

“I remember in the middle of the night I would sit in the kitchen feeding her porridge trying to comfort her. Now I can see how bad that was for her and how much discomfort she was experiencing,” says Pamela, adding that Caoimhe is now thriving at five years of age.

“She was diagnosed at such a young age she knows no different, so there is never a feeling of missing out on anything,” says Bernard. “If she’s going to a birthday party she brings her own cake with her and also the staff at her school in Lucan are very aware of it.”

In terms of eating out they find places very accommodating and understanding. “One in 300 people in Ireland are coeliacs so places need to be aware of how to deal with it,” says Bernard.

Where to eat Judith Cameron is a coeliac and founder of coeliacpages.ie. She set up the site in response to the lack of information online about where suitable food and venues could be found. In Coeliacpages she has created a food directory and review forum for restaurant and food reviews for coeliacs.

The website works on smartphones so you can always check the nearest suitable food venue. She believes that being a coeliac doesn’t have to be difficult and she has just made it even easier.

Here are her top suggestions for eating out as a coeliac: Rustic Stone by Dylan McGrath, South Great Georges St, Dublin — www.rusticstone.ie.

Prices vary but it currently offers a sharing menu for €25 per head.

O’Connells, Donnybrook, Dublin — www.oconnellsdonnybrook.com/coeliac.

Starters average €7-€8. Mains cost on average €20 with steaks around €28.

The Millstone, Dame Street, Dublin — www.millstone.ie Starters from €3.50, main courses average at €17.

McNeans Bistro, Cavan — www.nevenmaguire.com Menus come with a set price and range from €48 for the vegetarian option up to €82 for the prestige tasting dinner menu.

Hayfield Manor, cork — www.hayfieldmanor.ie/hotel-dining Lunch in the Orchids Restaurant is €32.

DADDY’S GIRL: Former boxer Bernard Dunne with his daughter, five-year-old Caoimhe, who was diagnosed with coeliac disease when she was 19 months.

Picture: Nick Bradshaw

Watch for products that contain hidden gluten What are the most common foods with gluten? Nutritional therapist Sally Milne (www.positivenutrition.ie) says gluten is in wheat (including spelt and kamut), barley, rye and oats and products made from them.

Oats are not always problematic for coeliacs, but may be contaminated with gluten in the food-processing factories.

It’s difficult to avoid wheat in our diet and many food additives contain products made from it. In addition to foods coated in bread crumbs, such as fish fingers, chicken nuggets, or contain bread/wheat, like sausages, stuffings, puddings and sauces — modified starch, hydrol-

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ysed vegetable protein, monosodium glutamate, starch or vegetable starch, mustard powder and vegetable gum can all be made from wheat.

If you are gluten-sensitive, watch for malted products (extract, vinegar, syrup, flavouring and maltose). Dextrin or dextrose, used as a sweetener, is also made from wheat.

Not all food manufacturers label these foods with a wheat warning. Read food labels closely.

Typical foods to avoid include: stock cubes, soy sauce, potato crisps, processed meat products like burgers, sausages, where

starch is used as a binding agent, and fruit squashes containing barley. Many sweets and chocolate and/or caramel bars use starch as a thickening agent. Processed cheese and dishes made from it may also have starch as a thickener.

Tomato ketchup, brown sauce, baked beans, canned and chilled soups, and many pasta sauces are on the to-avoid list.

High-quality food is vital when it comes to maintaining a gluten-free diet. Increase intake of fresh fruit and vegetables, and use pulses as alternative carbohydrates to wheat in soups and stews (these also contain protein), which will fill you up and provide healthy, nutritious fuel.

FRIDAY, MARCH 16, 2012

Market Lane Bar, oliver plunkett st, cork — www.marketlane.ie Starters around €5-€8. Mains start around €13 and increase to €25 for the fillet steak.

Castlemurray House Hotel, Donegal — www.castlemurray.com Set menu is €45.

Tamarind, Spanish Arch, Galway — www.tamarind.ie/menus/coeliac-menu.html Starters are priced from €4 for salad and go up to €9.50 for Thai fish cakes. Main courses average around €20. .

Olive Grove, Athlone — www.theolivegrove.ie Starters from €5-€9, main courses range from €16-€25.

Strawberry Tree, Wicklow — www.brooklodge.com/foodanddrink/strawberrytree.asp A set menu is currently €62. ● See www.coeliacpages.ie ● The Coeliac Society of Ireland provides guidelines for gluten-free eating at www.coeliac.ie

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Healthy food

BEHIND THE SCENES

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HESTON AT HOME: Blumenthal gets back to basics in his kitchen.

My journey into the English countryside was worth the effort to see how the most basic of ingredients can be transformed by this celebrity molecular gastronomist

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T was my early Mother’s Day treat and a good excuse to see Heston Blumenthal, the celebrity molecular gastronomist, at work. Our lunch at his gastro pub, The Hinds Head, in Bray, Berkshire, cost £30 a head for a three-course lunch.

Across the road is his famous three-star Michelin Fat Duck restaurant, where customers are charged £175 each for a tasting menu.

My journey into the English countryside was worth it to see how basic ingredients can be transformed by him, getting the best out of every gram. He is not about to stop at fine dining. Joining campaigning chefs Jamie Oliver and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Blumenthal is working on a three-year hospital project in Britain with Reading University, which emphasises the enjoyment of food as an aid to recovery from illness. Apart from the nutritional benefits, he says the kind of food served in hospitals does nothing to make people feel better, giving them little to look forward to on their long days stuck in a bed. He wants food to taste better for everyone, especially those in hospital.

Beyond hospital wards, we all benefit from eating foods that pack a strong flavour punch.

For example, foods can easily be given a kiss of life, says Blumenthal, by adding seaweed as a flavour enhancer, instead of salt, giving the food extra marine nutrients. (Dr Prannie Rhatigan is Ireland’s great proponent of the health benefits of seaweed).

Parmesan cheese has a similar effect and his tip, to put the rind of the used cheese into soups to get its flavour, is an excellent one.

‘Umami’ is a word he uses often, and we have often used it on this page to describe that wonderful sweet, sour, bitter, and salty, satisfying flavour that has a meaty quality. It tastes like monosodium glutamate’s enhancement of food. Blumenthal seeks to achieve it in dishes from a sandwich to a shepherd’s pie.

Little is rushed in his kitchen and for good

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cannot escape.

Blumenthal is careful with vegetables, too.

Retaining their taste means retaining nutrients, so his recipe for glazed carrots is interesting, using no water at all. Braised lettuce is always delicious and his is the best recipe I have found to bring out the flavour of Romaine or Little Gem lettuces, which are in season now. These will keep our vitamin intake up, while we await spring home-grown vegetable treats. (See recipes below) Heston Blumenthal at Home (Bloomsbury hardback £30) is a distillation of Blumenthal’s most achievable recipes for those of us who don’t have dry ice and vats of stock to

hand. And having eaten in his pub (where service was that of a Michelin-starred restaurant), I came home chomping at the bit to make what I ate in Berkshire. A lot of the pub recipes are in the book and many really are a lot of trouble. However, there are plenty that are achievable.

For healthy snacks, try his spiced nuts or puffed spelt, which he shows us how to make.

The memory of my experience at The Hinds Head lingers with the book and the reminder of what a refreshing innovator this chef is. He may be self-taught, but he has learned well and has lots to teach us.

GLAZED CARROTS Serves 6

BRAISED LETTUCE Serves 4

400g carrots, peeled and sliced into thick diagonal chunks of the same size 140g unsalted butter Salt and back pepper 1tsp white caster sugar 4 sprigs thyme, leaves picked

100g brown butter (see below) 2 Romaine lettuces

boiling, add the leaves to the pan for 15 seconds, remove with a slotted spoon and plunge immediately into the iced water.

Remove the lettuces from the cold water and drain on kitchen paper. Remove the root at this point.

Heat the water-butter emulsion in a wide-bottomed frying pan and add the lettuce leaves to the pan for approximately 1 minute or until warmed through. Remove the leaves from the pan and serve immediately.

Roz Crowley reason. Any joint of pork, and economical and highly nutritious offal, can be made meltingly tender and the fat poured off before, as in the case of pork, finishing it off in a hot oven.

The super-chef steams fish, often in sandwich bags in a bain marie, where flavours

Put the carrots and butter in a wide-bottomed saucepan over a low heat and sprinkle with the salt, freshly ground pepper and sugar.

Make sure the carrots form a single layer on the bottom of the pan.

Cover with a lid and cook for approximately 30 minutes, shaking the pan from time to time to ensure even cooking.

Add the thyme leaves and cook for a further 5 minutes until tender and glazed.

Place 300g water in a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Remove the pan from the heat and add the brown butter, a little at a time, while blitzing with a hand blender to emulsify. Season with salt and put to one side.

Cut the lettuces in half lengthways, then half again, retaining the roots to keep the leaves together during the cooking.

Bring 1kg (900ml)water with 5g salt to the boil over a high heat. In the meantime, prepare a bowl or basin of iced water for refreshing leaves after cooking. When the water is

FRIDAY, MARCH 16, 2012

How to make brown butter – beurre noisette Melt unsalted butter in a medium pan over a gentle heat, whisking continuously, until the solids turn golden brown and give off a nutty aroma. Take the pan off the heat immediately, strain the butter through a coffee filter and store in the fridge.

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Male Male health health 13

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Staying on track with asthma

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IVEN that 2012 will see a variety of major sporting events — the Olympics, Euro 2012 — many people with asthma will feel like they can only look on as others participate in sport.

But many Irish men, including Ireland defender John O’Shea, Ireland rugby player Ronan O’Gara, and Derry City midfielder Ruairdhi Higgins all live, train and compete with asthma. More than 470,000 people live with asthma across the country.

So does Olympic hopeful Brian Gregan, 22, who won a silver medal in the 400 metres at the 2011 European Under 23 Championships. Representing Dublin City University, where he studies sports science, he finished fifth at the World University Games in China in August 2011.

“I first noticed my asthma when I was at a training camp in Portugal when I was 16 or 17,” says Brian. “I was short of breath and was assessed after blowing into the peak flow meter. It’s completely under control now, but it’s really important that I take the medication daily. I use an inhaler in the morning and evening and before training. And I make sure I have spare inhalers with me.”

Nasal surgery in 2011 helped to free up his nasal passageways and provide extra relief.

DEEP BREATH: Olympic hopeful Brian Gregan first noticed his asthma as a teenager but now keeps it under control.

Deirdre O'Flynn MOSTLY MEN “That made a big difference to me, as does warming up and cooling down properly.”

But even with all his precautions, Brian is still susceptible to asthma attacks. “Last year at the European indoor championships I had an attack after the race. It was really bad, I was wheezing, I just couldn’t breathe. Luckily, there was a doctor on hand. That’s why, for any adult or child playing a sport, it’s really important that you tell the coach that you have asthma, that you have your inhaler and that your coach has contact details of a parent if needs be.”

Brian is speaking about his asthma, not just to encourage people with asthma to exercise, but to support the Asthma Society’s National Awareness and Fundraising Campaign that will focus on exercise, sport and fitness. The

Picture: Maura Hickey

society is calling on people with asthma, their families and members of the public to organise sporting-themed fundraising events throughout the country during the year. The Society has to raise €160,000 this year to maintain vital services, including its busy

Manual handling cause Fifth of men binge of third of work injuries drinking regularly Manual handling is one of the biggest causes of injury in the workplace, according to the Health and Safety Authority’s (HSA) Statistics Summary for 2009 — 2010.

One in three injuries in 2010 were from manual handling, keeping the injured out of work for three days or more.

The HSA has published manual-handling guides and produced online video case studies. In retail, workers are particularly vulnerable to back injury.

“We recog-

TAKE 1

nise that time and resources are precious in the workplace, but there is no point in waiting until an accident has happened, by then it’s too late,” says Frank Power, Health and Safety Authority inspector. “I would encourage employers to consult with their employees, and together they can come up with solutions that are effective in reducing or avoiding the risk.”

Manual-handling video case studies and sector specific guides are free from www.hsa.ie.

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TIME TO UNWIND: Inspired

by Irish nature, the Naturally Irish range from the Kilkenny Shop is a gift that will help your mum relax and unwind. Choose from the Naturally Irish Sweet Lavender Bath Salts, €6.95, Naturally Irish Dried Heather Sachet, €4.95 or Naturally Irish Soap (3 pack), €14.95. Or how about a scented candle like Irish label Max Benjamin’s Cassis & White Lavender, €18.95? Kilkenny has 10 stores nationwide and an online store, www.kilkennyshop.com.

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Keep an eye on your drinking this weekend — males are more likely than females to binge drink, with one in five male drinkers (18%) reaching or exceeding the recommended daily limits on three or more days that week, compared to 16% of female drinkers.

That’s according to the recently published Adult Drinking Patterns Survey in Northern Ireland 2011, which was conducted on behalf of the Department of Health, Social

Services and Public Safety.

Based on respondents who drank alcohol in the week prior to the survey, it was revealed that most drinking occurs over the weekend and peaks on Saturdays. The most common drinks consumed were wine (48%) and beer (47%). Most of those who drank in the week prior to the survey had either consumed alcohol at home (64%), in the pub (20%), or at someone else’s home (20%).

helpline, which is relied on particularly by parents of children and young people.

■ To speak to an asthma nurse about how to control your asthma while exercising, call the Asthma Helpline on 1850-445464, Monday to Friday from 10am to 1pm.

DId you know...

Working age men across Europe have a higher mortality rate compared with their female working counterparts (Source: Leeds Metropolitan University, UK)

For mum

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BEAUTY TREAT: Treat your mum to some pampering gifts this Mother’s Day with Lidl’s Iseree Anti Wrinkle Night Cream Q10 Max, which was recently named Best Night Cream by Reveal magazine and is a purse-friendly €2.19. If your mum loves perfume, Suddenly Madame Glamour €3.49 is now back in store. This Lidl fragrance, with citrus and floral notes, incorporating bergamot and jasmine, caused something of a ‘scentsation’ before Christmas after a blind test on two radio stations (Newstalk and Today FM) rated the perfume above Chanel’s Coco Mademoiselle. For more details see www.lidl.ie

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BABY GUIDE: Your Bump to Baby Guide is a free booklet launched by Aviva Health Insurance in advance of Mother’s Day. The guide provides an overview of every stage of a woman’s pregnancy including how to develop a birthing plan, feed and bath your baby and care for your newborn, plus real-life birth stories. New Aviva research shows that many Irish women feel unprepared for childbirth, with nearly a quarter (23%) of women stating they did not feel emotionally prepared when they had their first baby, ranking ‘the fear of not knowing what to expect’ as their greatest concern. To request a free copy of Your Bump to Baby Guide, visit www.avivahealth.ie.

FRIDAY, MARCH 16, 2012

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ON THE GO: For busy mums who are always on the go Argos has included this new eco travel mug €9.99, in their Mother’s Day gift suggestions this year. Featuring an easy-grip rubber band, 500ml capacity, double insulated walls and a safety locking lid, this mug is spill-proof, durable and reusable, perfect for a morning coffee on the way to work, or the school run. It is available from Argos stores or www.argos.ie

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Beauty

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The news on...

A SOFT DAY

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Balms get a welcome makeover, delivering an instant boost to parched skin

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T feels like spring is on the way — at last. But my skin is a long way off from feeling the effects of the marginally warmer weather. It has never been as dry.

And this is no surprise.

Despite the fact that this winter was surprisingly mild, it’s still winter, and skin that has been exposed to the dehydrating effects of central heating and cold winds for the last six months starts to really show it. My hands are rough — they look old. And the skin on my face? Well, don’t even get me started.

The solution for now is a balm.

You only have to say the word balm and your skin feels soothed. And it feels just as good when you put it on. Balms have come a long way recently. They used to be oily, greasy and not terribly pleasant to use. Deliv-

SCARAB EYES Scarab or beetle eyes sounds gross, but is actually strangely compelling. It was a big look at the Jason Wu a/w catwalk shows and it’s pretty easy to get, too.

Navy blue is a major trend for summer, and all you have to do is add an emerald green eyeshadow over it.

BM Beauty Minerals (bmbeauty.com, €8.39 per shadow) is a pretty good place to start. The company has gorgeous shades of green, and they’re all natural. Just like beetles.

Take three...

CONCEALERS IF you’re embattled by minor skin issues — dark circles, ruddy noses and blotchy cheeks — that leave your face less than porcelain, then a new concealer could be due. Make sure that you get the formulation right. I don’t like it to be too thick or creamy, as you can’t use it under the eyes. And, unless you want to be carrying around a ton of products, you need to get a multi-functional concealer.

Emily O’Sullivan

ering little benefit to the skin, their main function was to act as a barrier. These days, a lot of so-called balms feel more like a really rich moisturiser, so you don’t get that oily afterglow. And the hydrating benefits have been dialled up to 10.

The great thing about balms is that you can go from super-cheap to super-luxurious, and from super-natural to super, eh, chemical and back again.

I’ve got something of a soft spot for Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Deep Comfort Moisture Balm, €6.57. It feels absolutely gorgeous on the skin, and while it’s definitely more down the creamy scale of things, it is fast-acting and high performance. Balm Balm lives up to its name with a range of top class products. The Rose Geranium Face Balm,

€6.99, is one of its bestsellers. Certified by the Soil Association and 100% organic, it feels really soothing and nourishing and has a lovely delicate scent that we swear might even be mood-altering. And the great thing about Balm Balm products is that they’re multipurpose, so you can use it on the elbows, knees, lips and body, too.

There’s a good reason why Neal’s Yard Wild Rose Beauty Balm has been around for so long — it’s really lovely to use. Soft and comforting, it can be worked as a cleanser, a gentle exfoliant or a deeply nourishing moisturiser. If you love roses and you have skin in need of some attention, you can’t go wrong with this.

Equally natural and soft, but a little bit more pricey, is the Ren Mayday Mayday Rescue Balm, €24. This baby is a heavyhitter in terms of moisture and is another all rounder, so you can use it anywhere you darn well please. Fragrance-wise, it’s a delicate mix of Moroccan rose otto oil and pink violet.

The beauty balm, or BB cream as it’s fast becoming known, is a quick-fix — along the lines of the original Clarins’ Beauty Flash Balm, €35. These days it’s gone high tech: so you can prep the skin with Mac’s Prep + Prime BB Cream, €22, fight wrinkles with Clinique Age Defense BB Cream, €40, or aim for perfection with Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector All in One BB Cream, €14.99.

MAC Mineralise Concealer, €20. It’s loaded with botanicals and minerals, but it’s not just the skincare benefits that make this concealer a good bet. The light and silky texture means it’s a great one for under the eyes — blending imperceptibly into the skin, and leaving you looking a lot more refreshed.

Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer Kit, €33. A dual concealer kit is just what we need. No, seriously. One half conceals your dark side, or, more specifically, the dark circles under your eyes, and the other half is a powder that sets it in place.

Result.

Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat, €35.

Yes, yes, we know, Touch Eclat has been praised as a must-have item for years, but YSL has recently extended the range of shades, which is really a rather good idea. Is it worth all the hype?

Well, yes and no.

I think it does a really good job — the pen makes it really easy to use and the light liquid does give radiance to the face, but it is expensive. There’s always a downside.

STUFF WE LIKE Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Deep Comfort Moisture Balm, €6.57. This is the one winter moisturising cream I couldn’t do without. It’s a huge tub of really soothing moisturiser that instantly puts and end to lumpy, flaky, itchy dry skin. Use it with an exfoliator for maximum results and slather it on just before bed, so that it can work it’s magic overnight.

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Balm Balm Rose Geranium Face Balm, €8.38. If your preference is for natural skincare, and you don’t like using a ton of different products, then this is an ideal choice. It is quite rich, but it does instantly soothe. Smells gorgeous, too.

Neal’s Yard Wild Rose Beauty Balm, €44.06 at feelsunique.com. When my skin is really feeling in the doldrums, then

this is the one I turn to. It’s an ideal pick-me-up when you’re right at the limit of what winter can throw at your face. I love taking a small bit and warming it in my hands, before pressing it gently on my skin. Feels like a mini face treatment.

Ren Mayday Mayday Rescue Balm, €24. REN is generally worth shelling out for. This is the kind of product you keep in the cupboard and only use when you really need it.

Or, if you want to treat yourself,

FRIDAY, MARCH 16, 2012

keep it on your desk like I do, and use it on your hands.

MAC Prep + Prime BB Cream, €22. A lot of beauty balm creams are more hype than anything else, but I do really like MAC’s offering. It feels lovely and smooth on the skin and makes a really great make-up base.

If you want to go all-out, then opt for the Prep + Prime Eye, too, which has an almost peachy shimmery tone and makes a great base for eye make-up.

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Natural health

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Q

rest of my life. I would prefer being medication-free and would like to find a natural alternative. Can you please advise?

I HAVE tendonitis in my Achilles as a result of an ankle injury. Would the supplement glucosamine sulphate help?

Megan Sheppard Do you have a question for Megan Sheppard?

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

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A. Located at the base of your neck, just below the Adam’s apple, the thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland which controls all A. Tendonitis is inflammation in the tenaspects of your metabolism, blood-presdon, often as a result of overuse in a sure, heartrate, libido, breathing rate, and sporting activity, an accidental injury, or in mental alertness. Basically, when the thysome cases it can be caused by an underlyroid isn’t functioning correctly it has an ing inflammatory condition such as arthrienormous impact on your health. tis. The most common areas to be affected Under-active thyroid (hypoactive), is are the elbow, wrist, biceps, shoulder, leg, when your thyroid isn’t producing knee, ankle, hip and Achilles. enough thyroid hormone, which upsets Glucosamine sulphate is a suitable remethe balance of chemical reactions dy for tendon repair, along with organic throughout your body and slows bodily sulphur in the form of Methyl Sulphonyl processes. Symptoms usually include Methane (MSM), which assists in microfeeling cold, tired, constipated, having scopic tissue repair and acts as an anti-indry skin, and becoming depressed and flammatory, making it ideal in the treatforgetful. ment of athletic injuries. Solgar’s GluIt is important to note that symptoms cosamine MSM Complex (€18.38 for 60 will vary between individuals, so the best capsules) is shellfish free for those who way to diagnose is through professional have allergies or prefer not to consume testing. You will need to consult your animal products. This complex also conGP about this. tains ginger root and white willow bark, Dr Patrick Magovern, who has a spewhich help with circulation and pain relief cial interest in the thyroid, uses a combirespectively. nation of conventional and alternative Unfortunately, healing is a long and therapies, including nutrition, acupuncslow process when it comes to tendonitis. ture, homeopathy, and testing for food It is important to limit activity and weight-bearing movements, and to rest HEALTHY OPTION: Nutrition plays an important role in intolerances. He runs a clinic in Dublin, (3 Drummartin Road, Goatstown), and your ankle in an elevated position. If your treating thyroid problems. Picture: iStock can be contacted by phone at injury was a result of a sporting activity, 01-2965993. you will need to take a break until your A treatment plan, including, natural supAchilles tendon is fully healed. port, diet and prescribed medications if necIt is important not to use ice to reduce the essary, is crucial in the management of this inflammation because this stiffens the tendon. condition. Left untreated, hypothyroidism Try using a topical pain relief product, such as trolled rate, eventually forming a lump. can lead to goitre, where the thyroid gland Occurring mostly in men over the age of Natraflex Balm with glucosamine, which becomes so enlarged it can interfere with 50, this disease is quite treatable if it is contains warming capsicum to dilate the swallowing and breathing. There is also a caught early enough — so it’s important to blood vessels in order to loosen up the tenrare, life-threatening condition called be familiar with the signs. don fibres, and Boswellia to help reduce inMyxedema, which is a result of long-term A small gland at the neck of the bladder, flammation and pain. Natraflex Balm (150ml) undiagnosed hypothyroidism and requires the prostate is typically overlooked until it costs €9.99. immediate emergency treatment — sympcauses a problem. Most people believe that it toms include intense cold intolerance and is involved in urine flow regulation, since Q. My father has recently begun a course drowsiness followed by profound lethargy painful, difficult and frequent urination, or of radiotherapy treatment for prostate canand unconsciousness. the presence of blood in the urine, are all cer. Are there any supplements which Unchecked hypothyroidism has also been symptoms of prostate trouble. In fact, the would work to support his immune system associated with an increased risk of heart disprostate is essential for reproduction, with its in coping with this ongoing treatment? ease, mental health issues, and birth defects growth and functioning controlled by testosin unborn children. terone. Because it surrounds the urethra , A. There is a supplement which has been You are correct in that most cases of any inflammation or swelling will directly afshown to help reduce the side-effects of hypothyroidism require a lifetime commitradiotherapy — the adaptogenic herb schisan- fect bladder habits. ment to a treatment protocol.

Men Against Cancer (MAC) is a support dra berry. Schisandra will help to strengthen There are some cases (usually linked with group run by men who have been successyour father’s immune system, and will also pregnancy or viral triggered thyroid imbalfully treated for prostate or testicular cancer. assist his liver in clearing out the toxins preance) where thyroid function returns to norTheir aim is to provide reassurance and insent in his body following radiotherapy. mal over time. formation for men dealing with any stage of Viridian’s Schisandra Berry Extract provides To learn more about the various options this disease. MAC has a FreeFone Cancer the necessary standardised dosage of 200mg; available and to help you make informed Helpline on 1800 200 700 (open Monday to your father will need to take one capsule choices regarding your treatment, I suggest Friday), or email at support@irishcancer.ie. three times daily. Viridian’s Schisandra Berry that you also invest in a copy of Mary J. Extract is available from health stores, where Shomon’s book, Living Well With HypothyQ. I’m currently taking medication for 90 vegecaps cost €21.10. roidism (currently on special at €6.80 from under-active thyroid and have been told Prostate cancer begins with a single damwww.shopireland.ie). it’s likely I will need medication for the aged cell which then divides at an uncon-

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

Megan puts the spotlight on:

G

ETTING your daily dose of leafy greens is one of the most important things you can do for your health. Not only do they contain a whole host of minerals and vitamins, they also provide valuable trace minerals, amino acids, and even small amounts of essential fatty acids.

While there are people who eat salads because they enjoy them, many only eat salads when they are on a diet or health kick — and even then it is a case of forcing the greens down rather than pleasurable eating.

Green smoothies are one way to get around a distaste for leafy greens, or it may be a case of finding your salad style.

All too often the image conjured up by the word ‘salad’ consists of green

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lettuce, tomato, cucumber, perhaps smothered in salad cream or mayonnaise to make it easier to swallow. But, salads can be stunning and delicious — you can even make them part of the main event rather than a token gesture garnish.

For those who do enjoy lettuce-based salads, there are many alternatives to the omnipresent iceberg — such as butterhead, cos, oak leaf, miner’s lettuce, or buttercrunch.

There are also a wealth of other leafy greens which can take pride of place in a leafy salad, such as baby spinach, plantago,

Eat your greens Frocket, cress, beetroot leaves, nasturtium, lamb’s lettuce, endives, chicory, dandelion, mustard, arugula, kale, and mesclun.

As well as being a healthy start to any meal (eating a handful of leafy greens before your meal can improve digestion significantly), the salad is easily tailored to year-round enjoyment. Use vegetables, fresh fruit, seeds, nuts, dried fruit, herbs, cheese, tempeh, edible flowers, and soaked, sprouted or cooked grains (quinoa, whole wheat, pearl barley, rice) to make your salad a meal to remember.

Of course, the salad dressing

FRIDAY, MARCH 16, 2012

can make or break your meal in terms of taste and health benefits. A simple dressing using cold-pressed oil, citrus juice, and herbs is delicious on both leafy and hearty salads, as is an avocado or soaked nut based creamy blended dressing. Avoid pre-packaged dressings full of additives, preservatives, and unhealthy fats.

I love adding edible flowers to salads, since I believe that we eat first with our eyes. Nasturtiums have a slightly peppery flavour, while violets, violas, geranium petals, calendula, red clover, runner bean flowers, blue borage, and dandelions all have a more mild flavour.

Let your herbs go to flower and add those to your salads for a special flavour with a touch of colour.

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FRIDAY, MARCH 16, 2012