Feelgood 17-02-2012

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Feelgood

Friday, February 17, 2012

Wake-up call Poor sleep habits caused by late-night texting and online pursuits can seriously damage your teen’s health: 8, 9

Picture:Thinkstock Picture: Thinkstock

LOVIN’ IT

When Dave met Aoife – what happened on their blind date: 4, 5

HIGH AND LOW

Musician speaks out about living with bi-polar disorder: 11

PANCAKE CHOOSE-DAY We test what’s on the shelves for you: 12

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2 News front Kate O’Reilly WHAT’S ON ■ WORLD VISION: World Vision Ireland would like to meet the 1,063 Cork people who currently sponsor children with them. The Christian charity is inviting all Cork sponsors and anyone interested in finding out about its work in Africa, to a supporter evening which will take place in the Best Western Montenotte Hotel next Wednesday at 7.30pm. Further information from Rosaleen at 01-4980800 or ireland@wvi.org.

■ COPE CONCERT: Mayfield Garda Community Policing Unit will present an Evening of Music and Song with Cara O’Sullivan & the band of An Garda Síochána, the Wilcollane Singers and the Cork Garda Choir, at Our Lady Crowned Church, Mayfield, Cork on Thursday next Feb 23, at 8pm. Tickets are €20 and are available from Blackpool Shopping Centre, COPE Foundation and Pro Musica. All proceeds will go to COPE Foundation: www.copefoundation.ie ■ FREE COURSE: WRAP, the Wellness Recovery Action Programme is designed to help individuals manage stress in their everyday life. These free courses are currently being run by SECAD in Midleton, Ballincollig, Cobh and Carrigaline. For more details or to register for a place on one of these courses, 021-4613432 or email noconnell@secad.ie.

■ SCIENCE EXHIBITION: ‘Physics of Scrummaging in Rugby’, ‘The impact of economic decline on social patterns’ and ‘Do redheads feel more pain?’ are among some of the prize-winning projects by Cork entrants to the BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition now on display at the Lifetime Lab Visitor Centre until Mar 3. Located at the old Cork City Waterworks on the Lee Road, Lifetime Lab also has a children’s playground and is open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm and weekends from 11am to 5pm. Further information from 021-4941500 or www.lifetimelab.ie ■ CHOLESTEROL CHECK: Last year, the Flora pro.activ Cholesterol Roadshow carried out nearly 1,500 cholesterol checks on members of the public in towns throughout Ireland. This year’s roadshow is now underway and will be at SuperValu stores in Cork City and county from Feb 23 to 25. The nurses will conduct the cholesterol checks, which take just five minutes, and offer tailored dietary advice based on your results. A full schedule of testing dates and venues is available at the margarine manufacturer’s website, floraproactivroadshow.ie ■ CANCER EVENING: Leinster Rugby are treating their female supporters, as well as raising funds for Action Breast Cancer tonight, when the boys in blue take on Scarlets in the RDS. Before the match (7.35pm kick-off), ladies will be pampered in the Serpentine Hall with beauty treatments, drinks and live music, as well as a Q&A session with Brian O’Driscoll. For a small donation in aid of Action Breast Cancer, they can enjoy the VIP area, as well as getting a goodie bag, free entry to Krystle nightclub and the chance to win a trip to see Leinster take on Aironi in Italy. After the match there will be more live music and an opportunity to meet some of the players. See www.leinsterrugby.ie. ● Items for inclusion in this column can be sent to koreilly8@gmail.com

FeelgoodMag

Feelgood

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One pupil’s difficulty with the times tables led an industrious mother to publish a book, Arlene Harris reports

Maths magic M

OST of us remember the ritual of reciting maths tables. Although it might have felt like a boring drill at the time, getting to grips with these basic sums is the foundation for understanding more difficult mathematical problems in the future.

But what if your child just can’t make any sense of it? Stephanie Moraghan from Dublin had noticed her 10-year-old son Harry was having difficulty understanding his multiplication tables, causing him to fall behind in school and become withdrawn as he struggled to keep up with his classmates.

Instead of berating her youngest child for his lack of comprehension, the innovative mother-of-three devised a unique system to help him learn more effectively. Stephanie says: “It was heartbreaking watching him struggle, he is such a good boy and practised his tables over and over, writing them out and even singing them — but nothing worked.

“He began to hate homework. Then he began to dread going into school at all. The final straw was he began to call himself ‘stupid’ — a word we would never ever use.”

Stephanie, who used to work as a Montessori teacher, devised a rhyming system — three 9s fly off to heaven = 27; four 7s run when they are late = 28 — which was both fun and easy to learn.

“Harry and I sat down together to try and solve the problem. I drew fun pictures

and made up rhymes to go with it and he coloured them in”, she says. “After hours of drawing and colouring, he pointed out that I had too many rhymes and pictures which almost defeated the purpose of making it easier.

“So we came up with the ‘flip-it rule’ which meant we could use the same rhyme twice by flipping it over, so 9x8 got flipped to be 8x9 and we applied this rule wherever possible.”

Harry had almost instant success with the method and his friends were soon asking for help. So Stephanie recreated a few rhyming books for them. Her work proved so popular the rhymes have been published.

“There was an immediate improvement in Harry’s understanding of multiplication, it was like removing a blindfold and he could see for the first time,” says Stephanie.

“And without any help from me, he began applying the method in reverse for division — this brought tears to my eyes, he had finally got it.

“Through word of mouth, I helped other children who had been struggling at school.

Then one evening when my husband Paul and I were out, Harry and his granddad secretly sent off an email to some publishers and three weeks later, Gill and MacMillan replied and that was the beginning of Harry’s Magic Tables publication.” ● Harry’s Magic Tables is available to buy in stores now for €6.99.

TIMES TWO: Stephanie Moraghan and her son Harry, the inspiration behind his mother’s book, which has recently been published.

HEALTH NOTES DIG DEEP: Garden expert Gerry Daly will be holding gardening clinics at the Over 50s Show in Cork. Picture:

Doctors are warning of the “significant danger” of home treadmills after reports of children suffering deep burns and trapping their hands in the running belt.

New research found youngsters suffering injuries to their arms, with more than half needing skin grafts following an accident.

The researchers, from Birmingham Children’s Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and the Welsh Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board, said there was a need to “promote public awareness of this type of injury”.

People who struggle to sleep through the night could be at an increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, research shows.

Scientists from Washington looked at the sleep patterns of 100 people between the ages of 45 and 80 over two weeks who weren’t suffering from the disease, which can lead to a loss of brain function.

The research showed that people who slept less efficiently or woke up more than five times an hour were likely to have amyloid plaques, proteins associated with the disease, in their brain. The findings were presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s annual meeting in New Orleans this week.

■ For more information on the importance to teens of a good night’s sleep — and a guide to getting one — see page 8,9. www.irishexaminer.com www.irishexaminer.com

Sasko Lazarov / Photocall

The Cardiac Support Group North Cork is holding an open meeting on Monday at 8pm in the Mallow Day Care Centre. Anne Marie O’Connor will speak on the topic — Know your labels, know your fats. For details, phone 086-8900886.

Commissioners. Trace your roots in the new genealogy section and get free golf lessons from golf pro Alan O’Meara. The event will also include keep-fit classes, hearing tests, advice on wildlife in your garden and holiday giveaways.

City Hall in Cork is the venue for the sixth annual Senior Times Over 50s Show on March 3 and 4, featuring finance expert Jill Kerby, gardener Gerry Daly, coin and stamp expert Mike Kelly and tax experts from the Revenue

The Body Shop Ireland held a free threading day in their stores on January 31 in support of the Irish Cancer Society. A total €2,868.58 raised for the charity through the support of its customers.

www.irishexaminer.com feelgood@examiner.ie

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2012

Editorial: 021 4802 292

Advertising: 021 4802 265

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In profile

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THE SHAPE I'M IN

Deena Payne

Life after TV

J

UST over a year ago, Deena Payne performed her final scenes as Viv Hope, the passionate but gossip-hungry postmistress she’d played on TV soap Emmerdale for 18 years.

“I’ve been working non-stop since then. Getting back on stage was like putting on an old pair of slippers. I don’t miss Emmerdale but I miss the people I worked with. Since leaving the show, I’ve picked up with all my family and friends, which has been great,” says the mum-of-one, whose son was six months old when she started on Emmerdale. “Emmerdale pretty much brought him up,” she says.

Deena, 57, now stars in Calendar Girls, which returns to Dublin’s Grand Canal Theatre from Feb 27 to Mar 3.

The play is based on the film about a group of women from a Yorkshire Women’s Institute, who pose nude for a charity calendar — it has been one of the most successful ever to tour Britain. “It’s very well-written, very well-put-over. It presses all the buttons. It’s very sad, poignant, very funny. It makes people laugh and cry hard,” Payne says.

In Calendar Girls, Payne plays Cora, a single mum, vicar’s daughter and church organist. “Cora’s a bit of a rebel, but a rebel without a cause. She went off to university, fell pregnant and left the village to have the baby.

As a single mother, she’s had to deal with all that on her own,” she says.

Based in north Yorkshire, Payne’s married to musician and hypnotherapist Steve Grant and is qualified as an aromatherapist and reflexologist.

What shape are you in?

I’m in pretty good shape for my age. I’ve always worked out — I love dance, it’s my soul’s expression. I also do yoga and Pilates, as well as salsa aerobics. I’ve always preferred dance to going to the gym.

Do you have any health concerns?

Not really. I have slightly high blood pressure, but I’m aware of it. I sit quietly and have some tapes I listen to.

Coming back on stage after being away so long, I got a bit of stage fright and actually blanked out a few times. My husband, who’s a hypnotherapist, gave me two or three treatments and now I’m happily buzzing around the stage.

my husband and son. I’d like Judi Dench and French and Saunders too — we’d have a scream.

What’s your favourite smell?

A combination of lavender, patchouli and jasmine.

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When did you last cry?

My father died three years ago. That provokes tears occasionally.

What would you change about your appearance?

My height — I’ve always wanted to be taller. I’m five foot two — five foot four would be nice.

What trait do you least like in others?

Rudeness and lack of manners.

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What trait do you least like in yourself?

I’m a bit of a worrier, but that’s because I’m a perfectionist. If I didn’t strive so much I wouldn’t worry as much.

Do you pray?

I wouldn’t call what I do prayer — I’d call it meditation.

Stilling the mind and asking for assistance is the same as prayer, I suppose.

What would cheer up your day?

Walking down my garden with my husband and son and my fabulous dogs, when there’s a blue sky and the roses are in bloom.

Helen O’Callaghan

THE WORLD’S A STAGE: Deena Payne is performing in Calendar Girls, in the Grand Canal Theatre, Dublin. At home she grows her own vegetables and enjoys cooking.

What are your healthiest eating habits?

I enjoy eating good food and when I’ve got time I enjoy cooking. Breakfast is porridge, but I also make my own pancakes with ground almonds, a couple of eggs and rice flour. I grow my own vegetables and have a lot of fruit in the garden. I’ll make soup if there’s stuff in the garden, or a nice salad if there’s lettuce.

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What’s your guiltiest pleasure?

If I’m going to have chocolate, I’ll have dark chocolate. I like Horlicks with semi-skimmed milk at night-time. It’s nourishing, though it’s quite fattening, but it gives me a night’s sleep. I drink the occasional glass of wine. Many years ago, I had the habit of having a glass of wine while cooking, a glass of wine with dinner and a glass while watching TV — I realised that was too many.

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What would keep you awake at night?

Finances — and also if I’m working on a new show. All the lines from the panto would be coming into my mind at night.

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How do you relax?

By doing Pilates, listening to music and dancing.

Who would you invite to your dream dinner party?

I’d have the leading actor from Garrow’s Law. I’d invite him as Garrow. I’d also have

Feelgood

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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2012

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4 Gabrielle Fagan discovers how we can use each day to change our life’s direction

I

F you’re still struggling to feel energised and can’t seem to overcome a general feeling of dissatisfaction about life, you’re not alone.

Many of us spend our working lives wishing our weeks away until we can say, ’Thank goodness it’s Friday’. All too soon the weekend flies by and the cycle begins again, according Peter Hawkins, life coach and author of a new book, No Regrets On Sunday: The Seven-Day Plan To Change Your Life.

A strategy can be formulated, he believes, over a seven-day period which will allow us to recognise what makes us happy or unhappy, help us identify aims, and put us on the road to fulfilment and success.

Follow his seven-day plan to change your life.

Blind date: Week 2

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Our first couple Dave and Aoife clicked on their first get

We definitely connected

GOOD START: Aoife McKenna and Dave O’Rourke hit it off on their first date and may meet again. Picture: Maura

Hickey.

MONDAY: MINDSET “Take one small pro-active action today, such as arranging to meet with a colleague who has a positive outlook every month to keep you on track,” says Hawkins.

Keep a diary of three things you are grateful for each day to remind you of what makes you happy.”

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together, but our dating coach Avril Mulcahy says they need a quick follow-up ■ Meet our new couple: Jayne and Míchéal ■ Name: Jayne O’Connor.

Name: Mícheál McGrath.

Age: 28.

Age: 33 years.

From: Ballynilard, Tipperary Town.

From: Ballyrobin, Cloyne, Co Cork.

Star Sign: Libra.

Star sign: Sagittarius.

Occupation: Primary school teacher.

Occupation: Farmer.

Build: Slim.

Build: Medium.

Height: 5ft 5in.

Height: 6ft 3in.

Smoker: No.

Smoker: No.

Drinker: Social.

Drinker: Social, but I socialise regularly.

Describe yourself: Motivated, competent, energetic, chatty, positive.

Describe yourself: Friendly, funny, hardworking, loyal — modest.

Interests: All forms of exercise: gym, swimming, running. I have tried surfing, canyoning, caving and skydiving. I love visiting new destinations. I have travelled to Africa, America, South America and numerous countries in Europe.

Interests: Watching hurling and rugby, kayaking, skiing.

Three things you cannot live without: iPhone, ice-cream, pretty shoes.

What makes you smile: Chocolate.

TUESDAY: TIME Making the most of the time we have is crucial, says Hawkins. “Draw four circles representing your current working, learning, playing and giving — the size of each circle being time spent, and the overlap being how connected they are. Sketch out what you’d like your ideal blend to be in a year’s time.

“Play around with possibilities and think laterally.”

WEDNESDAY: WHO? “The answer lies in the roles you play today and in being honest with yourself about what you consider are the most important roles for the future,” Hawkins explains.

THURSDAY: TALENTS Many of us underestimate the unique skills we possess. Look at the skills you’re not exploiting and which opportunities are available today for you to use in working, learning, playing or giving.

FRIDAY: FULFILMENT “True fulfilment comes when you combine your passions with purposes or causes that are meaningful to your lives or those of others,” he says.

Pick one or two passions or purposes that would bring you alive and commit some ’me’ time to them.

SATURDAY: SATISFACTION Create your ’Golden Ticket’ which will bring together the ideas and actions you’ve considered throughout the week and help you formulate an inspiring vision for your future life. “Draw up your ’Golden Ticket’ combining all your potential successes and achievements five years from today.

SUNDAY: SUPPORT Sometimes we can find it hard to ask for help, or allow the needs of others to assume more importance than our own, says Hawkins.

Find someone close to you who can act as ’chief motivator’, who will push you to reach your goals. ● No Regrets On Sunday: The Seven-Day Plan To Change Your Life, by Peter Hawkins, published by Vermilion.

Feelgood

Describe your ideal holiday: A visit to my brother in Bolivia.

We introduced the first of our three blind date couples, Dave O’Rourke and Aoife McKenna last week and here is what they have to say about their first get together: DAVE O’ROURKE First impressions: Aoife walked in and I was immediately relieved as I was a little nervous about what I was letting myself in for. She looked great and obviously wasn’t shy. Best of all, she seemed up for a laugh. There’s nothing worse in my mind than people who take themselves too seriously.

Conversation: The conversation came free and easy, we talked non-stop all night about a wide range of topics. It never felt forced and we discovered we have quite a bit in common.

Connection: Took a while to develop what I would call a genuine connection, but you can’t expect miracles on a first date, especially a blind date.

As the evening wore on and the topics of conversation meandered into more personal territory, I found myself running through my mental checklist and struggling to find an un-ticked box.

Table manners: No, in actual fact she was a thoroughly pleasant dining partner.

Although we did have to use our hands to get the prawns out of their shells.

Did you kiss? After what was probably the most eventful first date I’ve ever been on, it wouldn’t have seemed right not to end it with a smooch.

However, it was rudely interrupted by a foreign taxi driver who roared out the window, “YOU GUYS WANT TAXI?” Ahh the romance.

What happened at the end of the night? We swapped numbers. There’ll be a second date for sure. My brother’s birthday party is coming up — I might invite her to that.

Would you do anything differently? No. Rate the date out of ten: A resoundingly successful 8.5.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2012

Describe your dream date: Someone who is chatty, easy going and up for a laugh.

AOIFE MCKENNA

What type of relationship are you looking for: A happy one

First impressions: I didn’t know what I was getting myself into and I was a little nervous walking into the restaurant. However, Dave greeted me in a friendly manner with a big smile and immediately put me at ease. I also noticed that Dave was actually very handsome.

Conversation: We had loads to talk about. It seems we had so many things in common and I felt we were on the same level in many ways; family, dating experiences, favourite music and movies.

Connection: There was an instant connection from the first moment we met. From the start, I was really comfortable in his company.

I don’t think there was an awkward moment all night, despite the first-date scenario.

Table manners: I didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary with his table manners. So, he gets the thumbs up there.

Did you Kiss? Yes, we had a small kiss at the end of the night.

Would you do anything differently? No, actually I felt the date was just right.

What happened at the end of the night? There was a quick smooch at the end of the night and Dave was the real gentleman and put me in a taxi. I’m waiting for his text, but I’d go on another date with him all right, but maybe this time without the cameras.

Rate the date out of ten: 8

Five attributes you’d like in a partner: Willing to try new experiences, ambitious, romantic, taller, broader and heavier than me — a skinny man does nothing for a girl’s self-esteem.

What irritates you about people? Lack of manners, mean, self-absorbed, poor hygiene.

Three things you cannot live without: Food, sleep, water.

What makes you smile? Beer.

Describe your ideal holiday: Where you could ski in the morning and lie by the pool in the afternoon.

Describe your dream date: I don’t dream about going on first dates. I’d have nightmares.

What type of relationship are you looking for: A good one.

Five attributes you’d like in a partner: funny, easygoing, nice smile, friendly, has all her teeth.

What irritates you about people: Smelly, rude, selfish, cranky, lazy.

What are your blind date expectations? A nice dinner, meet a nice girl and I totally expect a major slagging from the lads when they see the paper.

What are your blind date expectations: Good banter, good food and good fun.

● Read how Jayne and Míchéal’s blind date went in next week’s edition of Feelgood

● The date was kindly sponsored by: Rigby’s Dining Rooms, 126 Upper Leeson Street, Dublin 4, www.facebook.com/rigbylovescooking

Watch Jayne and Michael meet for the first time: http://exa.mn/36

● Catch up with how Dave and Aoife got on in the meantime, in Feelgood on Friday, Mar 9.

Feelgood

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2012

AVRIL’S VIEW There was an instant connection between Dave and Aoife. Yes, both of them had their reservations and nerves before the date, but on the night they used lots of humour to make themselves at ease and get over any awkwardness. This is great tip for any first-time date.

The couple are well matched in values and drivers. Equal in age and both from Dublin, their hobbies, interests and family values easily intersect. Both are very sociable, so small talk flowed very easily before crossing into more personal experiences. This is where the deeper connection happens.

Where to next? It’s simple, there needs to be a second date. The first date was a great success but they are still at the ‘getting to know you’ stage. This second date needs to happen within a week to ensure the connection stays alive.

Both are busy business owners, but they need to make this relationship a priority. I’m traditional in my approach, so Dave needs to step up to the mark and ask this woman out.

Avoid numerous texts over and back, and avoid going back into the friends zone. The second date setting should be different, which will allow them to get to know different parts of their personalities.

There are great prospects for this twosome but it’s up to each party to put in the effort.

Avril Mulcahy, singlelista.ie

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4 Gabrielle Fagan discovers how we can use each day to change our life’s direction

I

F you’re still struggling to feel energised and can’t seem to overcome a general feeling of dissatisfaction about life, you’re not alone.

Many of us spend our working lives wishing our weeks away until we can say, ’Thank goodness it’s Friday’. All too soon the weekend flies by and the cycle begins again, according Peter Hawkins, life coach and author of a new book, No Regrets On Sunday: The Seven-Day Plan To Change Your Life.

A strategy can be formulated, he believes, over a seven-day period which will allow us to recognise what makes us happy or unhappy, help us identify aims, and put us on the road to fulfilment and success.

Follow his seven-day plan to change your life.

Blind date: Week 2

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Our first couple Dave and Aoife clicked on their first get

We definitely connected

GOOD START: Aoife McKenna and Dave O’Rourke hit it off on their first date and may meet again. Picture: Maura

Hickey.

MONDAY: MINDSET “Take one small pro-active action today, such as arranging to meet with a colleague who has a positive outlook every month to keep you on track,” says Hawkins.

Keep a diary of three things you are grateful for each day to remind you of what makes you happy.”

5

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together, but our dating coach Avril Mulcahy says they need a quick follow-up ■ Meet our new couple: Jayne and Míchéal ■ Name: Jayne O’Connor.

Name: Mícheál McGrath.

Age: 28.

Age: 33 years.

From: Ballynilard, Tipperary Town.

From: Ballyrobin, Cloyne, Co Cork.

Star Sign: Libra.

Star sign: Sagittarius.

Occupation: Primary school teacher.

Occupation: Farmer.

Build: Slim.

Build: Medium.

Height: 5ft 5in.

Height: 6ft 3in.

Smoker: No.

Smoker: No.

Drinker: Social.

Drinker: Social, but I socialise regularly.

Describe yourself: Motivated, competent, energetic, chatty, positive.

Describe yourself: Friendly, funny, hardworking, loyal — modest.

Interests: All forms of exercise: gym, swimming, running. I have tried surfing, canyoning, caving and skydiving. I love visiting new destinations. I have travelled to Africa, America, South America and numerous countries in Europe.

Interests: Watching hurling and rugby, kayaking, skiing.

Three things you cannot live without: iPhone, ice-cream, pretty shoes.

What makes you smile: Chocolate.

TUESDAY: TIME Making the most of the time we have is crucial, says Hawkins. “Draw four circles representing your current working, learning, playing and giving — the size of each circle being time spent, and the overlap being how connected they are. Sketch out what you’d like your ideal blend to be in a year’s time.

“Play around with possibilities and think laterally.”

WEDNESDAY: WHO? “The answer lies in the roles you play today and in being honest with yourself about what you consider are the most important roles for the future,” Hawkins explains.

THURSDAY: TALENTS Many of us underestimate the unique skills we possess. Look at the skills you’re not exploiting and which opportunities are available today for you to use in working, learning, playing or giving.

FRIDAY: FULFILMENT “True fulfilment comes when you combine your passions with purposes or causes that are meaningful to your lives or those of others,” he says.

Pick one or two passions or purposes that would bring you alive and commit some ’me’ time to them.

SATURDAY: SATISFACTION Create your ’Golden Ticket’ which will bring together the ideas and actions you’ve considered throughout the week and help you formulate an inspiring vision for your future life. “Draw up your ’Golden Ticket’ combining all your potential successes and achievements five years from today.

SUNDAY: SUPPORT Sometimes we can find it hard to ask for help, or allow the needs of others to assume more importance than our own, says Hawkins.

Find someone close to you who can act as ’chief motivator’, who will push you to reach your goals. ● No Regrets On Sunday: The Seven-Day Plan To Change Your Life, by Peter Hawkins, published by Vermilion.

Feelgood

Describe your ideal holiday: A visit to my brother in Bolivia.

We introduced the first of our three blind date couples, Dave O’Rourke and Aoife McKenna last week and here is what they have to say about their first get together: DAVE O’ROURKE First impressions: Aoife walked in and I was immediately relieved as I was a little nervous about what I was letting myself in for. She looked great and obviously wasn’t shy. Best of all, she seemed up for a laugh. There’s nothing worse in my mind than people who take themselves too seriously.

Conversation: The conversation came free and easy, we talked non-stop all night about a wide range of topics. It never felt forced and we discovered we have quite a bit in common.

Connection: Took a while to develop what I would call a genuine connection, but you can’t expect miracles on a first date, especially a blind date.

As the evening wore on and the topics of conversation meandered into more personal territory, I found myself running through my mental checklist and struggling to find an un-ticked box.

Table manners: No, in actual fact she was a thoroughly pleasant dining partner.

Although we did have to use our hands to get the prawns out of their shells.

Did you kiss? After what was probably the most eventful first date I’ve ever been on, it wouldn’t have seemed right not to end it with a smooch.

However, it was rudely interrupted by a foreign taxi driver who roared out the window, “YOU GUYS WANT TAXI?” Ahh the romance.

What happened at the end of the night? We swapped numbers. There’ll be a second date for sure. My brother’s birthday party is coming up — I might invite her to that.

Would you do anything differently? No. Rate the date out of ten: A resoundingly successful 8.5.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2012

Describe your dream date: Someone who is chatty, easy going and up for a laugh.

AOIFE MCKENNA

What type of relationship are you looking for: A happy one

First impressions: I didn’t know what I was getting myself into and I was a little nervous walking into the restaurant. However, Dave greeted me in a friendly manner with a big smile and immediately put me at ease. I also noticed that Dave was actually very handsome.

Conversation: We had loads to talk about. It seems we had so many things in common and I felt we were on the same level in many ways; family, dating experiences, favourite music and movies.

Connection: There was an instant connection from the first moment we met. From the start, I was really comfortable in his company.

I don’t think there was an awkward moment all night, despite the first-date scenario.

Table manners: I didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary with his table manners. So, he gets the thumbs up there.

Did you Kiss? Yes, we had a small kiss at the end of the night.

Would you do anything differently? No, actually I felt the date was just right.

What happened at the end of the night? There was a quick smooch at the end of the night and Dave was the real gentleman and put me in a taxi. I’m waiting for his text, but I’d go on another date with him all right, but maybe this time without the cameras.

Rate the date out of ten: 8

Five attributes you’d like in a partner: Willing to try new experiences, ambitious, romantic, taller, broader and heavier than me — a skinny man does nothing for a girl’s self-esteem.

What irritates you about people? Lack of manners, mean, self-absorbed, poor hygiene.

Three things you cannot live without: Food, sleep, water.

What makes you smile? Beer.

Describe your ideal holiday: Where you could ski in the morning and lie by the pool in the afternoon.

Describe your dream date: I don’t dream about going on first dates. I’d have nightmares.

What type of relationship are you looking for: A good one.

Five attributes you’d like in a partner: funny, easygoing, nice smile, friendly, has all her teeth.

What irritates you about people: Smelly, rude, selfish, cranky, lazy.

What are your blind date expectations? A nice dinner, meet a nice girl and I totally expect a major slagging from the lads when they see the paper.

What are your blind date expectations: Good banter, good food and good fun.

● Read how Jayne and Míchéal’s blind date went in next week’s edition of Feelgood

● The date was kindly sponsored by: Rigby’s Dining Rooms, 126 Upper Leeson Street, Dublin 4, www.facebook.com/rigbylovescooking

Watch Jayne and Michael meet for the first time: http://exa.mn/36

● Catch up with how Dave and Aoife got on in the meantime, in Feelgood on Friday, Mar 9.

Feelgood

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2012

AVRIL’S VIEW There was an instant connection between Dave and Aoife. Yes, both of them had their reservations and nerves before the date, but on the night they used lots of humour to make themselves at ease and get over any awkwardness. This is great tip for any first-time date.

The couple are well matched in values and drivers. Equal in age and both from Dublin, their hobbies, interests and family values easily intersect. Both are very sociable, so small talk flowed very easily before crossing into more personal experiences. This is where the deeper connection happens.

Where to next? It’s simple, there needs to be a second date. The first date was a great success but they are still at the ‘getting to know you’ stage. This second date needs to happen within a week to ensure the connection stays alive.

Both are busy business owners, but they need to make this relationship a priority. I’m traditional in my approach, so Dave needs to step up to the mark and ask this woman out.

Avoid numerous texts over and back, and avoid going back into the friends zone. The second date setting should be different, which will allow them to get to know different parts of their personalities.

There are great prospects for this twosome but it’s up to each party to put in the effort.

Avril Mulcahy, singlelista.ie

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Male challenges health 6 Life’s

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Cricketer Emma Beamish’s sporting prowess and architect Clare Nolan’s perseverance show that epilepsy is no bar to an independent life, says Helen O’Callaghan

Staying well ahead

I

RISH international cricketer Emma Beamish hasn’t let epilepsy stop her.

The 29-year-old Dubliner is one of 37,000 people in Ireland affected by the condition. A brief and temporary malfunction of normal brain activity, an epileptic seizure is often compared to a computer crashing — anyone can have one if the brain is exposed to a strong stimulus.

Emma got her first attack — a tonic-clonic seizure involving loss of consciousness — when she was 14 and doing her Junior Certificate. “I saw a neurologist and had tests done, which all came back normal. I was told I had mild epilepsy — the attacks were sporadic. To a 14-year-old, being told the tests were normal but that I had epilepsy — well, it just didn’t compute,” she says.

With medication, Emma’s condition quickly stabilised. “As a teen, you test the boundaries. I was a bit of a brat and at times stopped taking my meds, so I had random seizures through my teens. But I wanted to drive a car so I made sure I was very good in the lead-up to being 18,” she says.

Her university years in Exeter were “fantastic. I played hockey for the university and got my colours for cricket. I began playing cricket for Ireland, which meant travelling back and forth through my college years.”

In 2005, Emma played for Ireland in the Cricket World Cup in South Africa. “I was so proud,” she says.

One year later, having been seizure-free for seven years, Emma’s epilepsy returned. Again, it was a tonic-clonic attack — brought on, she says, by exhaustion and stress.

“I was in the car and was stopped in traffic.

I remember being very frightened when I came to and not knowing what was going on. There was a taxi driver at my window asking was I alright — my car had rolled into his. I was so upset that it was back after seven years of nothing. My confidence took a battering. I wasn’t allowed drive for six months.

That loss of independence was very upsetting.

“For about a year, I tried lots of medications and suffered side-effects, from rashes to feeling down, to tiredness. From being someone who’d be out bopping all night, I went to having no social life at all. I was looking after myself, but I continued having seizures.

I felt so frustrated and angry,” she says.

Emma knew only she could turn things around. “Things didn’t magically get better.

It was baby steps. I didn’t want to leave the house, but I’d take the dog for a walk. It was a slow process and took a lot of dogged determination. My sports mentality helped — you just keep going, no matter what,” she says.

She signed up for a diploma in journalism and got a first. She played hockey and took up kick-boxing. She qualified as a level-two cricket coach and is about to do the same in hockey. During her mid-20s struggle with epilepsy, she stepped away from the international playing scene, but in 2009 she returned and was on the team that won the European Cricket Championship that year.

Now studying at Queen’s University, Emma expects to qualify as a teacher of English in September. She has a boyfriend and is on medication. She also rows for Queen’s.

“Rowing’s very intense. I trained too much

Feelgood

last week and was exhausted. Tiredness is one of my triggers and I realise I can’t train so intensely. It’s a lifestyle-management thing — I bargain with my epilepsy all the time. When I go to a party, I have to leave when it’s getting good. I have to make sure I sleep the day after. It’s frustrating to have to keep myself constantly in check but I’ve never allowed epilepsy be an excuse for not doing something,” she says.

Kildare woman Claire Nolan also illustrates what RTÉ 2FM presenter Rick O’Shea said about people with epilepsy. “They work, play sports, drive cars, sing out loud in the shower and live as full a life as everyone else.” O’Shea is a Brainwave — Irish Epilepsy Association patron, and has epilepsy.

Junior architect Claire, 24, was diagnosed when she was 19 and studying. Weeks after finishing her first year at college, Claire was in hospital recovering from two tonic-clonic seizures. The medics laid down “ground rules. I was told I’d have to give up college immediately, that I wouldn’t be able to hold down a full-time job, I wouldn’t be able to travel, live on my own or drive,” she says.

Devastated but determined she wouldn’t subject herself to wondering ‘what if?’ every time she passed a gorgeous building, Claire persevered with her studies, graduated and found a job in the midst of recession. Despite being told she’d never travel, she has paraglided off mountains in New Zealand, eaten sushi in Tokyo and partied in Beijing.

Claire’s diagnosis of focal epilepsy, which affects her brain’s front temporal lobe — the area controlling fear — sees her suffer complex partial seizures.

“I get a severe sense of déjà vu, advancing into intense fear. I lose control of my thoughts, my ability to speak, my awareness of what’s around me. During attacks, I tend to shout — the more intense the attack, the louder I shout. Afterwards, I never remember shouting — embarrassing if I’m in public,” she says.

“I can predict an attack. Sleep deprivation or stress will bring one on. Aside from working, I can have what I call three strikes — three things I can do during the week — without risking seizure. A strike could be an evening with my boyfriend, a night out with friends. If I stay within these limits, take every second night off, have one day a week during which I do nothing, get good sleep, I can avoid attacks.”

Emma’s and Claire’s successes dispel the myth that people with epilepsy are limited in what they can achieve. The most common serious neurological condition in Ireland (one in 115 people are diagnosed with it), epilepsy

MY WAY: Architect Claire Nolan, was told on diagnosis that she would have to cease her studies and would never work. Picture: Maura Hickey.

FIGHTING FIT: Emma Beamish, right, played cricket for Ireland despite a relapse. Picture:

Martin Lahousse

remains poorly understood by the public, says Brainwave CEO Mike Glynn.

“Many myths linger on, resulting in people with epilepsy still being subject to negative attitudes. Common misunderstandings include the belief that epilepsy’s a mental illness and that it’s contagious. There are also common misconceptions regarding seizure first-aid, which can be dangerous,” he says.

A survey conducted by Brainwave found 51% have experienced stigma as a result of their condition, 56% who are in employment don’t feel comfortable telling their employer and work colleagues they have the condition, while 50% found that employer and work colleague attitudes towards them changed after they told them of their epilepsy. ● For more on epilepsy, visit www.epilepsy.ie or call Brainwave 01-4557500.

Things didn’t magically get better. It was baby steps. It was a slow process and took a lot of dogged determination.

My sports mentality helped — you just keep going, no matter what FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2012

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Psychology

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A tragic event can bring out the best of what lies in our hearts — compassion, consolation, support

A time to love ...

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HEALTH & LIFESTYLE ADVERTISING

T

HE recovery last week of the fifth and final body lost in the fishing-boat tragedy in Union Hall allowed family and friends to grieve. What was striking about the catastrophe was the love, support and compassion provided by the Union Hall community, and beyond, and by the divers who risked their lives in search of the missing persons.

In a poem at the outbreak of World War 11, the poet W H Auden wrote: “We must love one another or die”. How accurate Auden was, and how much that lesson still needs to be learned in so many war-torn and politics-torn countries. However, the paradox is that in catastrophic times people find it in their hearts to reach out with love, compassion, consolation, support and cooperation and to be self-sacrificing for the sake of others.

I am not suggesting we need disasters and wars to awaken our true nature, which is love, but this phenomenon certainly begs the question: how is it that we often struggle with loving others in times of plenty? How was it that during the economic ‘boom’ times, sight was lost of fairness, equality, individuality, justice? How was it that a ‘me féin’ ethos predominated?

The Dalai Lama echoed this absence of emotional and social care when he said that “love and compassion have been omitted from too many spheres of social interaction for too long; their practice in public life is considered impractical, even naive. This is tragic”.

I believe that loss, death and difficult times provide emotional safety for people to express their hunger to give and receive love. These times also allow individuals an opportunity to mourn their own experiences of loss of love and of loved ones, alongside those who are mourning.

Men often come more to the fore during calamities, as if somehow their real reticence around the expression of love can be suspended in the face of those people who so openly manifest their grief and distress, and even more poignantly when the bodies of their loved ones cannot be found.

Great gratitude and appreciation need to be extended to all those in Union Hall, and beyond, who pulled out all the stops to find the missing bodies and to allow family members, relatives and friends to put the souls of their loved ones to rest.

People talk about this as drawing a closure around the tragedy, but I believe there is no such experience as closure around the loss — tragic or expected — of a loved one.

There is certainly a need to have the body of the loved one laid to rest, but one never truly gets over the finality of death. What we learn is to live with it and maintain the love connection that, to my mind, is both timeless and infinite.

Rainer Marie Rilke, the German poet, says that “to love is to cast light”, while “to be loved means to be ablaze”.

Certainly, the love shown by individuals in Union Hall ‘cast a light’ not only on those who were suffering loss, but on us all. Equally — and not often appreciated — the very evident receiving of that love by those who were so bereft set us all ‘ablaze’.

There is a secret about human love that is frequently overlooked: receiving is much more frightening than giving.

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DEEP COMPASSION: Members of the emergency services seen searching the water near Adam’s Island near Union Hall, Co Cork, where people joined from near and afar to help in the search for the missing fishermen.

Picture: Dan Linehan

I believe that loss, death and difficult times provide emotional safety for people to express their hunger to give and receive love It has been touching to witness the love expressed and received so powerfully by all involved in the Union Hall tragedy.

The lesson for us all is not to wait for tragedy to be expressive of, and receptive to, love.

Dr Tony Humphreys is a consultant clinical psychologist, author, national and international speaker. His book Relationship, Relationship, Relationship, Heart of a Mature Society is relevant to today’s column.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2012

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

To reach them, advertise in ‘Feelgood’.

Call Lori Fraser

Tel: 021 4802265 lori.fraser@examiner.ie

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Young people’s increasingly chaotic sleeping patterns can result in problems with obesity, poor social interaction, lower school results and depression, writes John Hearne

IT’S BAD SNOOZE FOR TEENS

S

leep. The last two years have seen a flood of research on just how badly we need it, and how little we’re getting. Teenagers in particular seem to be suffering something of an insomnia epidemic.

A poll conducted by the Sleep Council in Britain found that one in three 12- to 16-yearolds are only getting four to seven hours sleep each night, instead of the eight to nine hours recommended for their age group. US research data suggests only 15% are getting as much sleep as they need.

While we don’t have research on Irish teenagers sleep patterns, anecdotal evidence suggests we’re experiencing the problem too.

Liz Crummey is a learning resource teacher in a secondary school in Stillorgan. She says that kids fall asleep in class regularly. Crummey sees poor sleeping patterns as part and parcel of the chaotic lives that many teens are now leading.

“In the last five or ten years, there’s less structure on their lives. There won’t necessarily be a parent there when they get up in the morning, they won’t necessarily have breakfast, they won’t necessarily have dinner. They eat on the hoof. Very often, there’s no actual ‘bedtime’.”

The result is junk sleep, and its every bit as damaging as it’s nutritional equivalent.

In their recent book, Nurture Shock, science journalists Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman report on research which debunks many of the myths surrounding child rearing. One of the findings they discuss is that sleep deprivation is directly related to obesity.

“There’s at least seven hormones that we know of that are produced during sleep and a number of them relate to metabolism,” says Ashley Merryman.

“These hormones are responsible for hunger and satiation, and they become disregualted if you don’t sleep.”

You wonder why you get so hungry if you’ve been up all night? It’s because your brain panics. “Total sleep deprivation for an adult would be the equivalent metabolically of going on a 900 calorie starvation diet. Your brain thinks it’s starving to death even though you’re actually eating normally.”

Merryman is keen to point out that this is not an American phenomenon. Research f rom New Zealand, Australia, Japan, Tunisia, Hong Kong and Singapore all bear out the relationship between eating and sleep.

Adolescents, she says, need 9¼ hours sleep a night.

“For every hour of sleep that they need but they’re not getting, their likelihood of becoming obese increases 80% per hour… One of the researchers we spoke to found that when secondary students fall below eight hours sleep, they double the likelihood of clinical level depression. I’m not talking about a little depression, I’m talking clinical level depression.”

THE LINK: Ashley Merryman points out the connection between sleep deprivation and obesity.

Feelgood

Given this finding, Merryman suggests that the archetypal sullen teenager may all come down to the fact that they’re simply not getting enough sleep.

“All of the symptoms of teen moodiness — short tempers, erratic behaviour, short term memory loss, impulse control problems, all can be related to sleep deprivation.”

Nor does it stop there. Research by the National Sleep Foundation in the US found that students obtaining lower grades went to bed later and had fewer hours sleep than their higher-achieving classmates.

Teenage lifestyles sit at the core of the issue.

As academic pressure builds and social lives blossom, making time for 9¼ hours sleep becomes an impossible dream.

From her classroom in Stillorgan, secondary school teacher Liz Crummey says once you get past Junior Cert, social lives really kick into gear. Texting during the night is a big issue. “I have that with my own teenagers,” she says.

“One of the kids sleeps in the attic over my bedroom, and I can hear the throb of a phone.

When that happens, I take the phone off them, but the kids at school often would not have someone to do that for them. They say, ‘oh so-and-so texted me in the night, or so-and-so rang me.’ If anybody rang me in the middle of the night, I’d think there was somebody dead.”

A Belgian survey of 2,500 teenagers, published in the Journal of Sleep Research found that almost 10% of 16-year-olds are roused from their sleep several times a week by the bleeping of an unwanted text. A further 20% are being woken up to three times a month.

Dr Catherine Crowe is a specialist in sleep disorders at the Mater Private Hospital. She says that sleep is as fundamental as food and water. “It is important that people sleep well, and that’s for physical wellbeing, emotional wellbeing and for intellectual wellbeing. A good sleep allows you to concentrate well and be focused, and it keeps your short-term memory functioning properly.”

Experts have identified a clear shift in teenage sleep patterns, she says. For younger children, there’s little difference in sleep times between weekdays and weekends, but from adolescence on, children tend to stay up later on the weekend and consequently get out of bed later the next day. This is not news of course, but there are implications.

“Say, for instance, they get up at seven o’clock for school, then at the weekends, they get up at ten. That’s not a huge shift, lots of kids will do that, but it’s three hours nonetheless. The body clock takes it cue from getting up time rather than going to bed on time. It takes one day to recover a one hour shift, so if it’s a three-hour shift over the weekend, then it takes three days to get back on track.”

Parents, she points out, will often indulge weekend sleep-ins on the basis that their teen is tired, but by keeping the body clock out of whack until at least Wednesday, this kind of ‘shift’ will cause more problems than it creates.

In addition to the particular risks to teenage sleep, they are of course prone to the having their sleep disturbed by all the things the rest of

Power down before you drop off We’re often told how teens are naturals when it comes to technology. Trouble is, they never turn any of it off. According to research from The Sleep Council in Britain, nearly all 12 to 16 year olds have either a phone, a music system or TV in their bedroom, and two-thirds have all three.

With all of this technology competing for their time, not to mention how central it is to their social lives, making room for sleep isn’t easy. Almost a quarter of teenagers polled

POWER SURGE: Most teens are surrounded by technology at bedtime. Picture: Thinkstock

in that same survey admit to falling asleep watching TV, listening to music or engaged with some other piece of technology more than once a week. The quality of sleep they get tends to be compromised as a result.

According to a study by the Sleep Research Centre at Loughborough University, using a mobile phone just before going to bed can double the time it takes to fall asleep.

The message is clear: power down before you turn in.

That extra sleep-in is out If you’re tired during the week, don’t reward yourself with a five-hour sleep-in at the weekends. It takes one day to recover from a one-hour shift in sleep patterns, so that five-hour time difference is the equivalent of going to New York for the weekend.

Restrict sleep-ins to one hour later than you would normally get up.

Stay fit: People who are physically fit sleep better than those who aren’t, and that’s got nothing to do with being exhausted from running around.

Taking regular exercise will help established healthier sleep patterns.

JUNK SLEEP: Teenagers’ constant interaction through texting and social networks results in their sleep being interrupted, with some being woken up several times a week. Picture: Thinkstock us are prone to — alcohol and drugs, caffeine and anxiety.

“Often, that experience of sleeping poorly will create an anxiety,” says Crowe. “‘God I won’t sleep ‘til 2am…’ So instead of lying there quietly, they’ll be anxious, and trying

to get themselves to fall asleep; there will be sleep-related anxiety. And of course anxiety in relation to school or family can certainly disturb your sleep.”

Nor does there appear to be any light at the end of the tunnel. British research shows that

No alcohol or drugs: Limit your caffeine intake to no more than three cups a day and make sure you get the last one in before four o’clock in the afternoon.

US research has found that teenagers who drink more caffeinated soft drinks sleep less, are more likely to wake during the night and tend to be sleepier during the day.

Don’t nap: If you are having difficulty sleeping at night, avoid napping during the day; this will only take the edge off your drive to sleep at night-time.

No TV in the room: Your bedroom should a place of security; you should not have news and information pouring in when you should be trying to wind down for sleep.

No screens: Cut down on screen-time before bed. Leave the laptop downstairs.

Tell your friends there’s no point in texting you at night because your phone will be turned off.

Don’t eat: Try not to eat too late. Going to sleep on a full stomach can cause discomfort and limit your ability to stay asleep.

Offload: If anxiety is interfering with your night’s rest, find someone to talk to: a parent, a friend, a teacher, a counsellor.

only one in ten teenagers gives sleep much thought and make the connection between poor sleeping patterns and things like energy levels, mood, schoolwork, hair, skin and weight. Moreover, the impact of all this poor sleep is also being borne out by

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2012

research. Four out of ten teenagers admit that they generally feel tired, a proportion that rises to five out of ten for girls aged between 15 and 16.

Junk sleep is going to be a hard habit to break.

by Aoife Dowling Alan Coultry, 13, goes to bed at 10pm most nights but sometimes it can be later. He has to be up at 8.30am on schooldays so he generally gets over 10 hours sleep.

“I think it’s enough sleep for someone my age because I’m never really tired in school or even when I come home.”

Alan says sometimes if he can’t sleep he will text his friends.

“I never really turn my phone off at night. I also have a television and Xbox in my room so at the weekend I play it sometimes before I go to sleep but they do make me to stay awake much longer, so I am more tired at the weekend.”

Lauren Keenan, 19, doesn’t go to bed until after 1am and gets up around 11am. A student in Crawford College of Art and Design, if she is not exhausted she will text her friends while she’s in bed but usually she falls straight to sleep.

“I have a radio, phone and laptop in my room which can sometimes be a distraction from sleep,” she says.

A lot of the time Lauren finds herself very tired but she thinks it’s because she is oversleeping.

“I probably only need eight hours but I’m getting 10.

Sometimes I find that my energy levels are low and I have trouble staying alert in class.”

During school nights Gráinne Clark, 14, is in bed before 11pm and is up at 7.30pm.

“Then at the weekends I would stay up until midnight and have a lie in until 11am.

“I have a television and laptop in my room and I leave my phone on but turn it to silent. Usually, I wouldn’t text while I’m in bed. I’d rather read and that puts me off to sleep.”

Gráinne says she is getting enough sleep because she never has trouble concentrating.

“I never have low energy during the week but if I haven’t had enough sleep it does affect me as I’m not as lively and feel grumpy.”

The time Leaving Cert student Donal Rice, 17, goes to bed varies. On school nights he could be up until 1am watching television or doing homework. Then on weekends he meets up with friends so he don’t go to bed until three or four in the morning.

“On school days I have to be up at 8.30 every morning so I get between six and seven hours sleep. On the weekends, since I go to bed to bed later, I sleep in until 11 or 12.”

Donal says texting, watching TV or going on Facebook will keep him awake at night.

“Occasionally, I will text people while I’m in bed depending on whether I can sleep or not.”

Overall he is happy with the amount of hours sleep he gets but sometimes finds he is tired during the day.

“If I am tired my concentration is affected a lot. I find it hard to pay attention in school when I haven’t had enough sleep.

“Sometimes if I’m very tired I have low energy and will fall asleep on the couch for an hour or two after school.”

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Young people’s increasingly chaotic sleeping patterns can result in problems with obesity, poor social interaction, lower school results and depression, writes John Hearne

IT’S BAD SNOOZE FOR TEENS

S

leep. The last two years have seen a flood of research on just how badly we need it, and how little we’re getting. Teenagers in particular seem to be suffering something of an insomnia epidemic.

A poll conducted by the Sleep Council in Britain found that one in three 12- to 16-yearolds are only getting four to seven hours sleep each night, instead of the eight to nine hours recommended for their age group. US research data suggests only 15% are getting as much sleep as they need.

While we don’t have research on Irish teenagers sleep patterns, anecdotal evidence suggests we’re experiencing the problem too.

Liz Crummey is a learning resource teacher in a secondary school in Stillorgan. She says that kids fall asleep in class regularly. Crummey sees poor sleeping patterns as part and parcel of the chaotic lives that many teens are now leading.

“In the last five or ten years, there’s less structure on their lives. There won’t necessarily be a parent there when they get up in the morning, they won’t necessarily have breakfast, they won’t necessarily have dinner. They eat on the hoof. Very often, there’s no actual ‘bedtime’.”

The result is junk sleep, and its every bit as damaging as it’s nutritional equivalent.

In their recent book, Nurture Shock, science journalists Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman report on research which debunks many of the myths surrounding child rearing. One of the findings they discuss is that sleep deprivation is directly related to obesity.

“There’s at least seven hormones that we know of that are produced during sleep and a number of them relate to metabolism,” says Ashley Merryman.

“These hormones are responsible for hunger and satiation, and they become disregualted if you don’t sleep.”

You wonder why you get so hungry if you’ve been up all night? It’s because your brain panics. “Total sleep deprivation for an adult would be the equivalent metabolically of going on a 900 calorie starvation diet. Your brain thinks it’s starving to death even though you’re actually eating normally.”

Merryman is keen to point out that this is not an American phenomenon. Research f rom New Zealand, Australia, Japan, Tunisia, Hong Kong and Singapore all bear out the relationship between eating and sleep.

Adolescents, she says, need 9¼ hours sleep a night.

“For every hour of sleep that they need but they’re not getting, their likelihood of becoming obese increases 80% per hour… One of the researchers we spoke to found that when secondary students fall below eight hours sleep, they double the likelihood of clinical level depression. I’m not talking about a little depression, I’m talking clinical level depression.”

THE LINK: Ashley Merryman points out the connection between sleep deprivation and obesity.

Feelgood

Given this finding, Merryman suggests that the archetypal sullen teenager may all come down to the fact that they’re simply not getting enough sleep.

“All of the symptoms of teen moodiness — short tempers, erratic behaviour, short term memory loss, impulse control problems, all can be related to sleep deprivation.”

Nor does it stop there. Research by the National Sleep Foundation in the US found that students obtaining lower grades went to bed later and had fewer hours sleep than their higher-achieving classmates.

Teenage lifestyles sit at the core of the issue.

As academic pressure builds and social lives blossom, making time for 9¼ hours sleep becomes an impossible dream.

From her classroom in Stillorgan, secondary school teacher Liz Crummey says once you get past Junior Cert, social lives really kick into gear. Texting during the night is a big issue. “I have that with my own teenagers,” she says.

“One of the kids sleeps in the attic over my bedroom, and I can hear the throb of a phone.

When that happens, I take the phone off them, but the kids at school often would not have someone to do that for them. They say, ‘oh so-and-so texted me in the night, or so-and-so rang me.’ If anybody rang me in the middle of the night, I’d think there was somebody dead.”

A Belgian survey of 2,500 teenagers, published in the Journal of Sleep Research found that almost 10% of 16-year-olds are roused from their sleep several times a week by the bleeping of an unwanted text. A further 20% are being woken up to three times a month.

Dr Catherine Crowe is a specialist in sleep disorders at the Mater Private Hospital. She says that sleep is as fundamental as food and water. “It is important that people sleep well, and that’s for physical wellbeing, emotional wellbeing and for intellectual wellbeing. A good sleep allows you to concentrate well and be focused, and it keeps your short-term memory functioning properly.”

Experts have identified a clear shift in teenage sleep patterns, she says. For younger children, there’s little difference in sleep times between weekdays and weekends, but from adolescence on, children tend to stay up later on the weekend and consequently get out of bed later the next day. This is not news of course, but there are implications.

“Say, for instance, they get up at seven o’clock for school, then at the weekends, they get up at ten. That’s not a huge shift, lots of kids will do that, but it’s three hours nonetheless. The body clock takes it cue from getting up time rather than going to bed on time. It takes one day to recover a one hour shift, so if it’s a three-hour shift over the weekend, then it takes three days to get back on track.”

Parents, she points out, will often indulge weekend sleep-ins on the basis that their teen is tired, but by keeping the body clock out of whack until at least Wednesday, this kind of ‘shift’ will cause more problems than it creates.

In addition to the particular risks to teenage sleep, they are of course prone to the having their sleep disturbed by all the things the rest of

Power down before you drop off We’re often told how teens are naturals when it comes to technology. Trouble is, they never turn any of it off. According to research from The Sleep Council in Britain, nearly all 12 to 16 year olds have either a phone, a music system or TV in their bedroom, and two-thirds have all three.

With all of this technology competing for their time, not to mention how central it is to their social lives, making room for sleep isn’t easy. Almost a quarter of teenagers polled

POWER SURGE: Most teens are surrounded by technology at bedtime. Picture: Thinkstock

in that same survey admit to falling asleep watching TV, listening to music or engaged with some other piece of technology more than once a week. The quality of sleep they get tends to be compromised as a result.

According to a study by the Sleep Research Centre at Loughborough University, using a mobile phone just before going to bed can double the time it takes to fall asleep.

The message is clear: power down before you turn in.

That extra sleep-in is out If you’re tired during the week, don’t reward yourself with a five-hour sleep-in at the weekends. It takes one day to recover from a one-hour shift in sleep patterns, so that five-hour time difference is the equivalent of going to New York for the weekend.

Restrict sleep-ins to one hour later than you would normally get up.

Stay fit: People who are physically fit sleep better than those who aren’t, and that’s got nothing to do with being exhausted from running around.

Taking regular exercise will help established healthier sleep patterns.

JUNK SLEEP: Teenagers’ constant interaction through texting and social networks results in their sleep being interrupted, with some being woken up several times a week. Picture: Thinkstock us are prone to — alcohol and drugs, caffeine and anxiety.

“Often, that experience of sleeping poorly will create an anxiety,” says Crowe. “‘God I won’t sleep ‘til 2am…’ So instead of lying there quietly, they’ll be anxious, and trying

to get themselves to fall asleep; there will be sleep-related anxiety. And of course anxiety in relation to school or family can certainly disturb your sleep.”

Nor does there appear to be any light at the end of the tunnel. British research shows that

No alcohol or drugs: Limit your caffeine intake to no more than three cups a day and make sure you get the last one in before four o’clock in the afternoon.

US research has found that teenagers who drink more caffeinated soft drinks sleep less, are more likely to wake during the night and tend to be sleepier during the day.

Don’t nap: If you are having difficulty sleeping at night, avoid napping during the day; this will only take the edge off your drive to sleep at night-time.

No TV in the room: Your bedroom should a place of security; you should not have news and information pouring in when you should be trying to wind down for sleep.

No screens: Cut down on screen-time before bed. Leave the laptop downstairs.

Tell your friends there’s no point in texting you at night because your phone will be turned off.

Don’t eat: Try not to eat too late. Going to sleep on a full stomach can cause discomfort and limit your ability to stay asleep.

Offload: If anxiety is interfering with your night’s rest, find someone to talk to: a parent, a friend, a teacher, a counsellor.

only one in ten teenagers gives sleep much thought and make the connection between poor sleeping patterns and things like energy levels, mood, schoolwork, hair, skin and weight. Moreover, the impact of all this poor sleep is also being borne out by

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2012

research. Four out of ten teenagers admit that they generally feel tired, a proportion that rises to five out of ten for girls aged between 15 and 16.

Junk sleep is going to be a hard habit to break.

by Aoife Dowling Alan Coultry, 13, goes to bed at 10pm most nights but sometimes it can be later. He has to be up at 8.30am on schooldays so he generally gets over 10 hours sleep.

“I think it’s enough sleep for someone my age because I’m never really tired in school or even when I come home.”

Alan says sometimes if he can’t sleep he will text his friends.

“I never really turn my phone off at night. I also have a television and Xbox in my room so at the weekend I play it sometimes before I go to sleep but they do make me to stay awake much longer, so I am more tired at the weekend.”

Lauren Keenan, 19, doesn’t go to bed until after 1am and gets up around 11am. A student in Crawford College of Art and Design, if she is not exhausted she will text her friends while she’s in bed but usually she falls straight to sleep.

“I have a radio, phone and laptop in my room which can sometimes be a distraction from sleep,” she says.

A lot of the time Lauren finds herself very tired but she thinks it’s because she is oversleeping.

“I probably only need eight hours but I’m getting 10.

Sometimes I find that my energy levels are low and I have trouble staying alert in class.”

During school nights Gráinne Clark, 14, is in bed before 11pm and is up at 7.30pm.

“Then at the weekends I would stay up until midnight and have a lie in until 11am.

“I have a television and laptop in my room and I leave my phone on but turn it to silent. Usually, I wouldn’t text while I’m in bed. I’d rather read and that puts me off to sleep.”

Gráinne says she is getting enough sleep because she never has trouble concentrating.

“I never have low energy during the week but if I haven’t had enough sleep it does affect me as I’m not as lively and feel grumpy.”

The time Leaving Cert student Donal Rice, 17, goes to bed varies. On school nights he could be up until 1am watching television or doing homework. Then on weekends he meets up with friends so he don’t go to bed until three or four in the morning.

“On school days I have to be up at 8.30 every morning so I get between six and seven hours sleep. On the weekends, since I go to bed to bed later, I sleep in until 11 or 12.”

Donal says texting, watching TV or going on Facebook will keep him awake at night.

“Occasionally, I will text people while I’m in bed depending on whether I can sleep or not.”

Overall he is happy with the amount of hours sleep he gets but sometimes finds he is tired during the day.

“If I am tired my concentration is affected a lot. I find it hard to pay attention in school when I haven’t had enough sleep.

“Sometimes if I’m very tired I have low energy and will fall asleep on the couch for an hour or two after school.”

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10 Medical matters

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Q

I’VE been told to drink lots of water — up to three litres a day — to help with my weight loss. Is it safe to drink this much? And should I be drinking filtered water?

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. This advice is quite commonly given and the short answer is yes, drinking three litres of water a day is safe. There is also some evidence it may also help with weight loss.

Drinking water between meals is likely to reduce snacking, as you’ll feel less hungry, and drinking water at meal times tend to reduce the amount of food you eat. It also helps digestion.

We all lose water each day, when we go to the toilet, sweat and breathe. These losses increase in hot weather or with exercise, but an average adult needs to replace about one and a half litres a day.

Food contains water, especially fruit and vegetables, some of which are over 90% water, so replacing lost fluid isn’t simply a 1:1 exchange of liquids as there are significant amounts of fluid in foods. Contrary to some stories, caffeinated drinks, such as tea and coffee, will also on balance replace fluids.

Although a few people have medical conditions which can affect water balance, especially kidney disease, most of us can safely manage three litres a day. It’s best to space this out and drink at regular intervals, so get into the habit of carrying a water bottle and re-filling it yourself, or you’ll find that you are a major contributor to the bottled water industry.

The quality of tap-supplied water in Ireland is carefully monitored and there’s no medical reason for it to be filtered. It may also not taste different — you can try blind testing to see which you prefer, and you may be surprised.

Q. My 12-year-old son has picked up a verruca on his foot at the local pool. We have started to treat it with duct tape — taking it off at night.

It’s slowly improving but I’m wondering

NEWS UPDATE

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A study into a rare genetic disorder may give new hope to diabetes patients as it may speed up progress towards stem cell treatments.

The research provides insights into how unspecialised stem cells could be programmed to become insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells.

In the disorder — pancreatic agenesis — the body is unable to produce a pancreas, which plays an essential role in regulating the body’s blood sugar levels.

The new research links the disorder to a gene called GATA6, which appears to play a key role in the development of pancreatic cells.

Scientists identified a defective form of GATA6 in 15 out of 27 individuals with pancreatic agenesis.

Professor Andrew Hattersley, from the University of Exeter, said: “This rare genetic condition has provided us with a surprising insight into how the pancreas develops.”

He said the study suggested GATA6 plays an important role in programming cells to become pancreatic beta cells and that it was hoped that this discovery will help in the work to try to make beta cells for patients with

if we need to see a doctor about treatment.

A. Swimming pools remain one of the commonest places for wart virus cross infection.

Verruca is the name given to warts on the sole of the foot, these often have a flattened appearance. There’s no doubt that some verrucae can be stubborn in responding to treatment. One good question is whether any treatment is needed at all. If your son only has a single verruca and it’s not causing any problems, it may be best to leave it.

Over half of all verrucae will go in a year, leaving no scar. All treatments can be quite time consuming and may be uncomfortable.

The good news is that there are several different treatments available. I’m not sure how long you’ve been using duct tape, but after six to eight weeks it may be time to try a dif-

TEST TIME: Scientists are looking to make beta cells for patients with Type 1 diabetes.

Picture: iStock

Type 1 diabetes. Type 1, or insulin-dependent diabetes is an auto-immune disease in which the body’s defences attack and destroy pancreatic beta cells. Patients have to inject themselves with insulin.

Most patients with diabetes have the Type 2 version which is linked to lifestyle and obesity. It produces a gradual decline as the body stops responding to insulin and beta cells slowly cease to function.

The new research is published in the journal Nature Genetics.

ferent approach, as the main study in this area revealed about 70% resolved after two months.

The main treatments are salicylic acid and freezing. You can buy over-the-counter salicylic acid paints and plasters. Be sure to read the instructions carefully, as the applications can make the skin around the verruca become sore.

If this happens it’s best to take a break for a few days. It may take up to three months of daily treatments for the verruca to go, but most studies report about a 70% success rate, if your son, or, more likely, you are conscientious.

The other approach is freezing the wart, normally with liquid nitrogen. This is known as cryotherapy. Treatments are usually every two or three weeks and many GPs and practice nurses offer this service. It’s not suitable for younger children under ten, as it is uncomfortable, but most 12 year olds will be fine. Good luck.

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

E

Catherine Shanahan MUM’S WORLD Feelgood

NTHUSIASM is not the word I’d use to describe the Other Half ’s interest in choosing a baby name. It’s not half as exciting as studying form at Cheltenham.

And the odds are much slimmer for picking a winner. At least that’s what he tells me anyway.

I have thought of handing him a betting slip with a list of names on it and telling him to back the favourite. The flaw in this plan is that Tommy, or Archie, or Bertie, are unlikely contenders for the 3.30 and I could end up with a child called Hurricane Fly. In a way, I understand his reluctance to engage. When our first child was born he wanted him to go by Philip, his own and his father’s name. I saw no point in duplication.

Both could choose to ignore me whenever I found myself in a spot of bother. I could just hear it: “I thought it was the other Philip you needed,” each would say by way of a defence for his insouciance.

Eerily prescient is the meaning of the name ‘Philip’. As a ‘lover of horses’ a path to the bookies was always predestined. It’s like being surprised that your child ends up working for Birdwatch Ireland when his name is Niall Hatch. I’ve considered Braxton to mark the contractions but would be afraid that any mention of the name would bring on stabbing pains for which no doctor could find an explanation.

The birth of our first child did result in a Mexican stand-off. We were told we could register the birth at the hospital to avoid queuing in an office elsewhere at a later date.

We went to meet the official overseeing the registration process. She asked for the name of our then week-old baby. Having failed to reach agreement, we sat, stoney-faced and unresponsive. Mortified by our silence, she advised us to leave it.

Our son left the hospital nameless. In the end it took 11 days and several letters from relations enquiring if we had yet found a name for the baby before finally, we did decide.

To avoid altercation, we had a shortlist of names prior to the daughter’s arrival. I picked from that list, given she had her father’s surname. He sent out the texts, name misspelt. “Dearbhail” was circulated as “Dervla”. We’re still correcting that mistake.

My son, convinced he will be gaining a brother, has come up with a number of interesting suggestions for the next addition, none of them runners. “Harry Walsh” was his first offering. I tried to explain the difference between a Christian and a surname. “That’s ok,” he said.

“How about we go with Neville O’Shea?”

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2012

I have thought of handing him a betting slip with a list of names on it and telling him to back the favourite. The flaw in this plan is I could end up with a child called Hurricane Fly

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Coping Male with health life 11

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When Tony Wright was told he had a bipolar disorder, he was relieved. He now encourages anyone with concerns to seek help, Maretta Dillon reports

The ups and downs A

N estimated one in four people in Ireland will experience a mental health problem during their lifetime. That’s a very high statistic, but as a population we are still very shy about discussing mental health issues. Bipolar disorder, in particular, remains very much a taboo subject. As a society, we understand little about its complexity and tend to be suspicious of those who need psychiatric help.

Tony Wright is different. He wants the world to know it’s possible to live a full and productive life, despite having bipolar disorder.

Tony is a musician, he’s 30 years old and had suspected “everything wasn’t right for a long time”. But when his mother died in his teens, alarm bells started to go off. In mid-2010 he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and the confirmation was a relief to him after denying it for so long.

Tony talks about the smörgåsbord of emotions in his teenage years, but for him it didn’t seem to lessen as he got older. He describes being very extroverted one day but introverted the next. He often felt “that people around me thought I was being difficult” and that a lot of people with bipolar “feel like a burden all the time”.

While things were going well professionally — he has been in bands since his early teens — the darkness was always there and tinged everything. He admits that he did entertain harmful thoughts, including suicide, and that there were “a few very bad times when I put myself in situations I shouldn’t have”, but thoughts of his family kept him from going any further.

After the diagnosis he took antidepressants for about a year, but was never happy with this as a long-term solution and “wanted to tackle the issue myself ”. When he was taking medication he says he “felt like me on 75%”.

Tony acknowledges that having lived with the condition for so long, he “enjoys the highs and at the same time, in a weird way, the darker side of me. It has been around for a long time and it’s a facet of my personality.”

Looking back, he thinks that his mother, who was ‘the strong silent type’, might also have suffered with bipolar, but this was never referred to or discussed within his family. It was his mother who was herself very musical, who first taught him to play the guitar.

Once diagnosed, he told members of his former band And So I Watch You From Afar and a few close friends. The band played in the FirstFortnight festival — which aims to challenge mental health prejudice through the arts — in early 2011.

At that point he ‘came out’ publicly with the diagnosis and now encourages anyone with concerns to speak to family, friends, teachers or the medical profession. He makes the point that “help won’t come to you” and that you have to go and seek it.

Bipolar disorder is often linked to highly creative people, but Tony is not convinced about this. For him “the best outcome is to be honest and be true to oneself. Accepting the condition helped me be more honest and that makes me a better artist.” He has now struck out on his own with new group VerseChorusVerse.

Feelgood

LEAP FORWARD: Musician Tony Wright, above, and below, is determined to lead a normal life, unconstrained by his bipolar disorder.

Pictures: Ruth Woodside

The response of people to his admission of living with bipolar has generally been positive. Nowadays he manages his condition himself, admitting that sometimes “you need to be a bit selfish” and look after yourself.

When things aren’t going well he retreats, to

try to get “some space inside my head.”

Distractions, such as reading or watching films, sometimes help. His real friends understand and accept this behaviour. His guitar is never far away and singing — he claim the very act of expelling air releases endorphins

Mood swings part of the condition Bipolar disorder – what is it?

nations and delusions

■ Mood swings which range from feeling extremely happy (mania) to extremely sad (depression) ■ Periods of mania and depression often follow each other.

■ Episodes can be extreme and without treatment often interfere with everyday life ■ Bipolar disorder tends to run in families so genetics is an important factor ■ Sometimes severe mania or depression is accompanied by periods of psychosis.

Psychotic symptoms can include halluci-

What treatments are available?

■ Medication including: mood stabilisers, antipsychotics, antidepressants ■ Talking therapies ■ Self-management ■ Complementary therapies ■ In rare cases, ECT (electroconvulsive therapy) may be suggested Useful sites: ● www.bipolarireland.com ● www.mentalhealthreform.ie ● www.seechange.ie

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2012

— is often incredibly helpful.

Negotiating life is never easy for anyone, but Tony remains upbeat — “life is generally great, don’t get caught up in the dark view of the world”, he advises. “You are a human being and you are here to live.”

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12 Food survey

Roz Crowley

M

AKING pancakes is simple — mix an egg with flour, milk and some melted butter, pour on a hot pan and you have a treat. Fill them with savoury fillings — just about any kind of leftovers will do — and, for a change, top with cheesy brown and crumbled crisp bread or breadcrumbs, before toasting under the grill.

Fry some leeks slowly in butter or olive oil, add to a cooked pancake, fold over and top with toasted hazelnuts and a little goat’s cheese for a treat. Lightly cooked, grated beetroot mixed with cream cheese and a little horseradish is delicious.

Fruit pancakes work as a sweet follow-up to a light main course. While a substantial meal can be made by enclosing a bolognese or ragu-style meaty sauce with a pancake, more elegant, shredded smoked fish is tasty too. The classic sweet filling is lemon juice and sugar, but try caramelised pears or apples, sticky and contrasting with the soft crepes.

Stewed prunes with a little grated chocolate is amazing.

We looked at readymade pancakes to see if they could come near our homemade ones and found that they were all more like English muffins, soft and spongy and often quite

Green’s pancake mix, 232g, 99c, Aldi This box holds a packet of mix, to which is added an egg and 500ml water. The mix already has whey powder and lactose as well as skimmed milk powder, so has plenty of milk products. Our first attempt with this mix was successful and the result was very close to a homemade mixture. No additives makes this our clear winner. A fair price for a quantity that makes 10 pancakes.

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Make it all pan out heavy. Compared to many oversweet biscuits, nutritionally pancakes fare well, but we found they were all quite sweet, so adding sugar and lemon juice, chocolate spread, maple syrup and other sweet fillings did them no justice.

They are better paired simply with butter, or with smoked fish.

We also tried three ready mixes, which, while saving time on ingredient gathering, gave variable results. This time, homemade is definitely best and being sugar-free means you can have an extra one.

SWEET ’N’ SAVOURY: Pancakes can be used as a main course or dessert — depending on what you put with the mix.

Picture: Thinkstock

Pancake recipe This is a fail-safe recipe. The mixture can be used straight away and there is no need to worry about flour type — any plain or self-raising flour will do. Watch sell-by dates on eggs and buy the freshest possible. Choose a frying pan with the lowest sides, so steam can evaporate efficiently to keep them crisp as they cook.

125g flour 3 eggs

Connell bakery, eight pancakes, €1.15, Lidl

Six Scotch pancakes, 95c, Marks & Spencer

36% buttermilk is a proud boast here, with wheat flour, sugar, 4% egg, vegetable fat and a few raising agents and preservatives as found in the other samples. The result is a little heavy and they are quite sweet. Reasonably priced and good with savoury toppings. Try salty cheese.

These tidy-sized pancakes have a slightly heavy mouth feel, with a natural sweetness and hints of vanilla from the fermented flour or the golden syrup. Free range egg is used. The listed additive, E450, is a raising agent and is part of quite a long list of ingredients, which we would prefer to be simpler. Fair value.

Score: 6.5

Score: 6

250ml milk 30g melted butter.

Mix all ingredients together in one go until well-blended. Rub hot pan with butter paper or oil. Too much oil will make the pancakes soggy, so tip the free oil out and add back to the pan after every second pancake. Pour a little of the mixture onto the hot pan and tilt to get a good spread. Allow the first side to cook well before turning. Beginners should keep them small to make flipping easier.

Baker’s Basket at Dunnes, €1.90 Eight medium-sized pancakes are quite well-browned on one side, while the other is less coloured. Buttermilk and whole egg are used with sugar and invert sugar syrup, providing sweetness.

They were quite tasty, but better toasted. The E450 listed is potassium and sodium di-phosphates used as emulsifers and bread enhancers. Like all samples, the pancakes are more bread-like than like pancakes.

Score: 6

Score: 8

Pat the Baker, eight pancakes, €1.99 While the pancakes are quite thick, they are not heavy. In the mouth for a few seconds, they become a little sticky. Made from buttermilk, the flavour is full and whole egg is included, so some nourishment. Invert sugar syrup, which is sweeter than regular sugar, is included along with sugar and the result is quite sweet. It would be best to pair with savoury flavours, such as cream cheese and smoked salmon, rather than sweet toppings.

Score: 6

Feelgood

Rankin six Irish pancakes, €1.30 Lots of E numbers here are off-putting, but amount to various emulsifiers and humectants to keep an even texture for shelf life. Buttermilk at 31% is high and egg is also included. The result is nothing special, with the typical bread-like texture instead of eggy panckake. These are better heated or toasted and with savoury toppings.

Score: 6

Betty Crocker Shake to Make pancake mix, 155g €1.50

Odlum’s quick pancake mix, 250g, €3.25

This mix requires just water to be added to the plastic jug it came in, and it mixes up quite easily when shaken.

However, the result was a soggy mass that was difficult to crisp-up, even when we tried smaller amounts in the pan. There are raising agents, a skimmed milk powder, egg-yolk powder, vegetable fat and dextrose, but none of them helped our efforts to make this work.

The plastic bottle notes this mix is crepe-style, suggesting a light texture.

We add 450ml milk, which is shaken with the mixture, saving on washing up. We tried this mix several times and ended up with a lumpy pancake burnt in places. Egg powder is used which means there is no need to buy an egg, but the result is not worth it. There is anti-caking agent and a stabiliser, but they didn’t help the texture.

Score: 2

Score: 2

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Male Male health health 13

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Fewer heart deaths I

N Britain, heart attack deaths have halved in eight years due to fewer smokers, better diet and improved care, according to research carried out

by Oxford University. Between 2002 and 2010, the death rate from heart attacks in men fell by 50%.

“In Ireland, we don’t have such detailed data for the last 10 years, but Central Statistics Office (CSO) data suggests that myocardial infarction (heart attack) deaths fell by 39% in the last 10 years,” says Dr Angie Brown, medical director of the Irish Heart Foundation. “Research funded by the Irish Heart Foundation showed that, between 1985 and 2000, cardiovascular deaths fell by 47%.

“Although we do seem to have a similar reduction in heart attacks in Ireland, as in the British study, the trend in Ireland, Europe, the US — the developed world — is that cardiovascular deaths are plateauing out, but it may increase because of obesity, hypertension and diabetes.”

The British researchers analysed data on 840,000 people who either suffered a heart attack or who died suddenly from one. The research revealed that lifestyle and treatment played an equal role in preventing cardiovascular deaths.

“In the 1985-2000 data, it showed that a reduction in population risk factors had the biggest impact,” says Dr Brown. “These include a reduction in smoking, cholesterol, and blood pressure. Awareness is better. Also, people with angina are getting treatment quicker, people who have a heart attack are getting to hospital more

Deirdre O'Flynn MOSTLY MEN

WORTH GRASPING: Better lifestyle and medical care have contributed towards a drop in cardiac arrest mortality rate.

Picture: Thinkstock

quickly, and treatments have evolved.”

In addition, the British research showed that the number of men having heart attacks fell by one-third in 2002-2010. But the bad news is that all these gains could be reversed by increasing levels of physical inactivity, particularly in young men and women.

The study found that the positive impact was biggest in the middle-aged group, says Dr Brown, and not in younger people.

Young men and women have increasing incidences of obesity and diabetes, both risk factors for heart disease.

While the British research is good news, in Ireland, one in eight deaths in those under 65 — regarded as premature deaths — in 2006 were as a result of coronary heart disease, according to the CSO. For more information about heart health can be found at www.irishheart.ie.

New website offers Protect yourself treatment alternatives against malaria A new website for Irish men’s health has been launched. It provides information on alternative treatments for infertility, stress, depression, weight issues and insomnia.

“Most men will worry about everything but their health — they are preoccupied with everyday stresses from work, to getting their car serviced, paying the bills and their family’s well-being,” says acupuncturist Karen Costin, who set up the website. “But when it

TAKE 1

comes to looking after their own health, it’s more often than not an afterthought. I often find, when treating male clients for issues relating to infertility, that a lot of the focus is on the woman, with men often feeling isolated and helpless.”

Based on Traditional Chinese Medicine, acupuncture is based on the belief that it can improve blood circulation and relax muscles. ● www.acupuntureformen.ie.

4

STYLISH PUSHCHAIR: The new Quinny Moodd is available exclusively in Mothercare in five colours, with a black or white frame. This stylish new pushchair has a similar chassis to the popular Quinny Buzz, with an improved folding mechanism. It has three recline positions, including lie-flat in forward and rearward directions, and includes a baby nest to make it comfortable from birth. The Moodd can be combined with a Maxi Cosi car seat or Quinny carrycot (sold separately). The Quinny Moodd is available from Mothercare stores for €700 or shop online at www.mothercare.ie.

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If you’re planning a business trip abroad shortly, check out if malaria affects the city and country you are visiting.

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

“If you are feeling ill upon your return, please ensure that you make an immediate appointment,” he says.

“The malaria tablets we have nowadays are excellent but they still do not provide 100% cover against this serious disease.

All travellers returning from an at-risk region of the world should be aware that any flu-like symptoms in the weeks or months following their trip should be investigated for possible malaria.” ● For safety tips, check the Tropical Medical Centre at www.tmb.ie.

DId you know...

Male tummy tucks increased by 15% in Britain between 2010 and 2011 (Source: British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons)

For baby

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TRAVELLING LIGHT: Created by Irish entrepreneur Grainne Kelly, the BubbleBum is an innovative, inflatable car-booster seat for children aged between four and 11. It easily deflates and folds flat, so that kids or mums can carry it in rucksacks or handbags, making it perfect for holidays, taxis, carpooling, etc.

Now on sale in 23 countries, the BubbleBum booster seat is available for €34.99 from selected Heatons stores, including Blackpool, Cork.

3

VITAL VITAMIN: Vitamin D, produced when the skin is exposed to sunlight, is needed for growth and development of bones in children. Numerous studies have confirmed the importance of supplemental vitamin D for infants and the recommended daily intake for babies, from birth up to 12 months, is 5µg (200 IU), regardless of whether babies are breast-fed or formula-fed. Sona Infant D3 is a vitamin D3 food supplement formulated for infants up to 12 months, which can be added be added to water or baby formula, or given directly in the mouth.

It costs €7.65 from pharmacies and health stores, www.sona.ie.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2012

4

WELCOME BABY: Getting ready for the birth of your baby is a busy time, so to help with packing your hospital bag, Pampers has come up a way of making things easier. The new, free Pampers baby welcome pack will be sent to every mum-to-be when she is approximately 28-32 weeks pregnant, once she has registered on www.pampers.ie.

The pack contains 10 Pampers new-baby nappies and Pampers sensitive wipes, as well as other information and money-off coupons.

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Beauty

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This spring, stay bang up to date with peachy cheeks, pale lips and blemish-free skin

Emily O’Sullivan

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NEW season is upon us. It’s only February but there’s a hint of light in the evenings, and soon there will be daffodils springing up. There are also fantastic new products to get excited about — products that make us smell gorgeous and look better.

With pale pastels a trend for spring/summer, the emphasis is on getting your skin in such good condition that you’ll barely need any base come May. Cheeks are peachy and fresh, lips are pale, and hair is healthy and swept back off the face. Skincare is full-on for healthy complexions, with new launches that promise to replenish radiance. If you think it’s too early for fake tan — think again. Adding a little bit to your body moisturiser (for a DIY gradual tan) will warm your skin and make you feel healthy, fresh and ready to wave winter goodbye.

Here are my top ten products for spring: MOISTURISER Shisedio bio performance advanced super revitalising cream, €88 I have been using this product on a daily basis and I’m ready to pronounce this a truly excellent moisturiser. It has a light, yet indulgent texture that manages to be rich, light and silky all at the same time, but, best of all, it has given a real radiance to my complexion. Yes, it took a few weeks to see results, and it is really expensive, at €88, but if you have the money and you need skin refreshing, this is the one.

Boots airbrush away primer Minimalism is a trend for spring — but the no-make-up look can be hard to carry off.

Still, if you get it right, it can make you look younger and fresher, with low accents of colour on the cheeks and a sweep of quality lip balm (we like Avene’s new lip creme). Make sure your eyebrows are in good condition to frame the face, leave off the mascara, and perfect your skin with a quality primer such as Boots’s new airbrush primer. This trend is all about the skin, so make it look the best you can.

FOUNDATION Chanel Perfection lumiere long-wear

METALLICS Giorgio Armani palette yeux spring, €58.50 Metallics are usually a trend confined to Christmas, but this year they’re shaking up spring, with soft pretty shades that bring an edge of shimmer.

You don’t want to go too OTT with this look (throw in a bit of bronzer and you can easily end up looking more decorative than something you’d hang on the Christmas tree), but keep it soft and understated and it’ll see you through to summer.

NEW BRIGHTS Bobbi Brown atomic orange lip colour, €24 It’s the minimalist flipside — spring is going big for colour and it is peacock-like in its embrace of everything bright. I’m talking yellow lip gloss, blue lip gloss, bright purple for eyes — it’s all going on.

I’m loving Bobbi Brown’s take on the whole look, which pitches nude against neon with gorgeous results. The key here is to wear the brights in isolation. Yes, the catwalk rule decrees that you should throw it all together, but you’d want to be very brave, and under 25 to pull it off.

Instead, go with one bright, and wear it against a very natural and nude backdrop for ultimate impact.

flawless fluid make-up, €44 Of all the new foundation launches for spring, this one comes tops. It is very good and manages to perfect your complexion and let your skin look natural and soft. No mean feat. It’s not easy to get a ‘perfect’ foundation, but this is long-lasting, without any cakey or gluey effect. A great one to see you through the last days of winter, when your skin needs a little more oomph.

LIPSTICK Mac Dazzleglass lip gloss in ready or not, €20 Pale lips can be hard to wear, but it’s all about balance. You need a lot of youth on your side if you want to carry off nude lips and pale eyes, but if you balance darker eyes with pale lips then it starts to make a bit more sense.

Otherwise, keep things simple with pale lips and a little bronzer over the skin — this will help to warm things up.

If you don’t want to go too Dusty Springfield, opt for a gloss. It’s a softer,

The news on...

Daphne Guinness for MAC Sadly, the fact that Miss Piggy is currently doing a collection for MAC, and the fact that uber-cool Beth Ditto is set to do a collection for the company in the summer, means the Daphne Guinness collection is somewhat in the shade. But this limited edition collection is very, very cool, so you should check it out while you still can. There’s a gorgeous dark, moody eye palette; a perfect grey eyeliner — a beautiful purple shade of lip gloss (Cremesheen Glass in Narcissus) and Nail Lacquer in BlueBlood. Fab.

Feelgood

A good blush will get you going places this spring, and Lauder’s nailed it, with a new formulation that feels silky soft on the cheeks and brings the requisite pop of colour.

Housed in a large square-shaped palette, this one is guaranteed to last and last. Comes in a great range of shades too.

SEASONAL ADJUSTMENT

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more flattering look.

EYELINER L’Oreal super liner Gel intenza eyeliner, €14.99 The feline 1960s eye was big on the catwalk again for spring. We are not surprised.

It’s a glamorous look that was perfected by the screen sirens of the era — lavish, seductive and very gorgeous.

Of course, you can use false eyelashes towards the edge of the eye to get a true 1960s effect, but it’s a lot of trouble, and a good liquid eyeliner will do you just as well.

This new one from L’Oreal comes with it’s own little brush, is easy to apply and lasts well throughout the day.

BLUSH Estée Lauder pure colour blush, €36

SERUM L’Oreal youth code luminize, €37.99 You gotta love a good serum, and L’Oreal really puts it out there for spring with their youth code luminize. Working hard to combat pigmentation, unevenness and dullness, the serum feels beautiful to the touch and gives your complexion a more luminous appearance over several weeks.

It’s designed to wear beneath a moisturiser, but if your skin is not particularly dry, then you’d probably get away with wearing it on its own.

FRAGRANCE Tom Ford beauty private blend collection in lavender palm, €155.

It’s the kind of price tag that would make your jaw drop in shock, but the private blend collection from Tom Ford really is the creme de la creme of fragrances for spring. Updating old-school lavender with more than a touch of cool, the scent is a new take on a classic favourite, with lavandin, lavender absolute, lemon, bergamot, palm leaf and lime blossom. Expect sultry bottom notes of benzoin, tonka bean and rich green moss.

Take three...

Citrus scents It’s not exactly spring yet, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t move gradually away from winter’s warmer, more voluptuous fragrances. A change is as good as a holiday after all, and moving into a light Mediterranean fragrance can set the tone for spring. Here are three to try...

grance, but you can’t really appreciate its transformative powers until you actually smell it. Apparently, it’s worn by George Clooney, but it’s also worn by us — every spring. You can really get the fizzy sunny notes of Italian lemon leaves as soon as you spray it on.

Carthusia Mediterraneo, €56.25 at feelunique.com.

You might guess from the name that this is a citrus fra-

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2012

DKNY Eau de Parfum, €52.85. This tall, skyscraper- like bottle houses a scent that you might not expect to be fresh and spring-like at all. But it is. The very sweet

orange notes in this scent have an almost hypnotic quality. Sweet and citrussy, it’s a fragrance for those who like to be remembered by their scent.

Clarins Eau Dynamisante, €36.60 at debenhams.ie. If this fragrance feels like it’s been around for ever that’s because it probably has. Or it’s been around since 1987 at any rate! It has a really distinctive aroma thanks to lemon, patchouli, white thyme and rosemary.

And because it has a non-photosynthesising formula, it can be safely used in the sun.

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Natural health

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

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

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I have an ongoing problem with my lips and the area around them. They have always been prone to dryness, but since September they have been constantly dry and itchy. My GP recommended 1% cortisone, which heals the area for a few days, but once I stop the problem returns. My GP then recommended an antibiotic cream, but after three weeks the problem is worse.

Barrier creams sting and I have tried every lip balm invented. I would appreciate your help.

A. You need to find something that will address the root cause of your problem so that you can fix the dryness issue for good.

Dryness and itching of the skin are often a symptom of an allergy or intolerance. While it is common for topical reactions to be of a direct nature, such as lipstick, toothpaste, mouthwash etc, a product which is further removed from the irritation could be the cause — shampoo, nailpolish, air fresheners, or recently dry-cleaned clothing.

Using natural products and minimising your contact with synthetics and irritants will help considerably. If you are aware that you have a food sensitivity, then it is worth addressing this by cutting it out of your diet completely.

Having said all of that, allergic reaction is only one possible scenario. Dryness around the lip and mouth indicate that your body requires moisture, as you are already aware.

While external moisturising products can help to a certain extent, the core issue is generally getting enough good fats through your diet.

Coconut oil is a wonderful remedy for mystery rashes and dryness, and is perfect for internal and external use. Make sure you use an organic, virgin, and cold pressed oil — avoid deodorised and refined products.

Because coconut oil has antifungal, antibiotic, and antiviral properties, it will also address any incidence of potential bacterial or fungal overgrowth. Apply externally as required, use between 1-3 tablespoons daily as an internal remedy. You can eat it straight from the spoon, or add it to a juice, smoothie, or salad if you prefer.

Finally, ensure that you are well hydrated, and that your water comes from a pure source. The skin is the largest organ of elimination, so water will help your body through the process of detoxification and purification.

Q. Do you know of a natural remedy to treat helicobacter pylori?

A. Mastic gum is one of the best natural treatments for helicobacter pylori (H pylori).

The resin of the pistacia lentiscus tree, mastic gum works to destroy H pylori while helping

LIP SALVE: Dryness around the lip and mouth indicates that the body requires moisture.

Moisturising products can help, but getting good fats through diet is vital in addition to drinking lots of good quality water . Picture: iStock to restore digestive function and reduce intestinal inflammation. Mastika is a supplement containing 500mg of mastic gum and can be purchased from health stores or www.hereshealth.ie; where 60 x 500mg capsules cost €27.17.

You will need to take three 500mg capsules before bed each night for the first months, then reduce the dosage to two 500mg capsules before bed for the following month. If you are still experiencing symptoms, continue with this dosage for longer. Once you are no longer experiencing symptoms, reduce the dosage to one 500mg capsule for a further month before discontinuing.

Mastic gum has been proven to cure stomach ulcers, killing off H Pylori, and repairing the site of the ulceration. Conventional treatment of H pylori with antibiotics can cause the bacteria to develop a resistant strain, which means that stronger medication is required. Mastic gum can help to destroy even these resistant strains of H pylori as well as providing symptomatic relief.

Q. In a recent article you recommended activated charcoal and probiotics for the treatment of diarrhoea when travelling

abroad. Can these be taken in tablet and capsule form? And should the charcoal be taken daily or as needed?

A. The capsules/ tablets that you mention will certainly help. When it comes to probiotics I prefer a fermented product, such as Dr Ohhira’s OMX probiotics — however there are plenty of excellent widely available probiotics on the shelves. It may be worth finding a product which can be used without requiring refrigeration, since this makes life much easier when travelling.

The activated charcoal tablets should be taken as needed. I usually use a powder, so take a teaspoon in a glass of water. To simplify converting this amount between tablets and powder, and also to enable fast results, you can crush the tablets and add them to water when/if you need them.

It is a good idea to take probiotics before you leave for a destination where diarrhoea and food/water poisoning is likely — ideally for two to three weeks before departure, but even for two to three days in advance will help.

In cases of food poisoning, take three times the recommended dose immediately, continuing to do so for an entire week.

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

Megan puts the spotlight on:

E

RECTILE dysfunction was once an issue reserved for males well past retirement age, however, it is now a problem increasingly in younger men. In many cases it is a side effect of medications, such as anti-depressants, but in most cases it is an early symptom of heart disease.

It is for this reason that erectile dysfunction is considered as a signal that something is amiss; if you know for sure that it is not the result of a medication you are taking, then you can almost guarantee that you have vascular disease.

And if you have vascular disease in any part of your body, it will often affect other parts of your body.

All too often a little blue pill is pre-

Feelgood

scribed to help with this particular issue, but this is a quick-fix solution. Side effects include bladder pain, blood in the urine, dizziness, diarrhoea, stomach pain, and urinary discomfort. Add to that list the fact that it only works in around 50% of the men who take it, and you have a ‘solution’ that it may not worth the trouble.

So what can you do about vascular (and cardiovascular) disease? This is one condition which is clearly linked to diet. While many people would rather go under the knife or take long-term medication than change their diet and lifestyle, it is worth making a few changes if it will prevent or even reverse some of the leading causes of death —

Erectile dysfunction heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes.

A plant-based wholefoods diet, including at least 2 litres of water daily and 30 minutes of physical activity, will help. Dr Caldwell B Esselstyn Jr. recommends just this in his popular book, Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease, based on his research on cardiovascular patients who had an advanced form of the disease — all of whom managed to successfully reverse their heart disease simply by following this wholefood diet plan.

If you or a loved one is already dealing with this early warning signal of erectile dysfunction, then it is worth following the protocol set out in Essel-

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2012

styn’s book, since in most cases this results in permanent reversal of this problem without any negative side effects.

By simply changing the foods you eat, you can change your life for good.

DIET ROLE: A plant based wholefood diet has been found to help patients with heart disease.

Picture: iStock

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16

XH - V1

Everything you want in a hearing aid and more...

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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2012