Malta. They drive on Royal Bloodbath! the left, speak English A countess’ not-so and bask in the sun! -secret beauty tip Kate O’Toole
Medical History: Rasputin – Healer or Fake? Autumn 2009 Issue One
Life on the Road with ‘Tudors’ star
The ‘luck’ of the Irish have we the highest prevalence of Coeliac Disease in the world?
“Mummy, look who I brought...” unwelcome guests your kids bring home from school
Breast Cancer? R EA L LI FE
“...but I’mtooyoung!”
NICOLA RECALLS HER BATTLE
inside
“...but RIC I’m... aMAN!!”
WIN
HARD’S DOUBLE MASTECTOMY
LUXURY HOTEL BREAKS AWAY
Neal McDonough interview
From Ireland to Hollywood, we meet the Band of Brothers and Desperate Housewives star
e e frGAZI€500 NE
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CAMERA PRESS IRELAND The Waiting Room Magazine Magazine will not be responsible for, nor will it return, unsolicited manuscripts. Transparencies or prints submitted for publication are sent at the owner’s risk and, while every care is taken, The Waiting Room Magazine cannot accept any liability for loss or damage. The views expressed in the magazine are those of the authors and not necessarily those of The Waiting Room Magazine. The entire contents of the magazine are the copyright of The Waiting Room Magazine and may not be reproduced in any form without the prior written consent of the publishers.
inside 09
welcome
On previous visits to your doctor, did you ever notice how someone else always seemed to have the only magazine you fancied? And if you did manage to get hold of it, how come your name was always called just as you were getting to the exciting part of the only story that interested you? Well, we are happy to inform you, those days are now over. The Waiting Room Magazine introduces a wholly new concept in patient welfare. Written specially for the broad cross-section of the 64,000 patients that pass through the waiting rooms of Ireland’s GPs every day, The Waiting Room Magazine contains something of interest for everyone, an article, a quiz, a brain teaser, a nugget or two to help you pass the time. Regardless of your age or your interests, our sole purpose is to provide you with an interesting diversion. This copy that you are now reading is actually already yours. You own it. It is free for you to take away so you can finish that article, or work on that prize crossword at your leisure. Or even just take it home for other family members – they’ll find lots to interest them, too. As The Waiting Room Magazine is a totally new concept, we would welcome feedback from any reader who has suggestions or comments. After all, it’s your magazine. All we want is to make it as patient-friendly as we can. On behalf of all the staff at The Waiting Room Magazine, I wish you a speedy recovery and continued good health.
features
lifestyle
09 Neal McDonough we talk to Desperate Housewives star about work and the private side of his life
21 Walk of Life
10 Breast Cancer Nicola’s Story – a young Dublin mother tells her tale. Richard Roundtree and Male Breast Cancer
22 Travel – home and away
14 Lefties if just ten per cent of people are ‘lefties’ – why were six of the last 12 US presidents?
25 Skin Deep
15 Bad Blood the Czarina, her frail son and Rasputin, Russia’s ‘Mad Monk’ 16 Coeliac Disease five out of six sufferers don’t know they have it! Could you be one of those?
get up and go advice, for those of us who don’t – at least not often. Six of the best – for those who do! Malta – island of history and mystery, sun and fun, and must-go places to visit in Ireland ‘for the complexion, take the milk of 700 asses...’ and you think today’s women have it tough!
regulars 05 Notebook short snippets of interest 28 Kidz Bitz fun stuff for our younger readers 30 In My Own Words actress Kate O’Toole on Life on the Road
parenting 18 Fostering a good start is... a priceless gift. Could you help a needy child?
competitions
20 Creepy-Crawlies dealing with your children’s ‘inseparable friends’
07 Break Away win four luxury hotel vouchers worth €500 each 27 Puzzlers’ Place test your wits and skills and win €500!!!
10 22
Maurice O’Scanaill, Editor Editor Maurice O’Scanaill (087 120 2486) Medical Editor Dr Sophie Faherty Art Director Helen Gunning (091 638205) Advertising Manager Susan Maher (087 981 2503) Contributors Maureen Corbett, Ellen McDonough, Breandan O’Scanaill and Kate O’Toole
Northampton, Kinvara, Co Galway 091 638205 info@waitingroom.ie YOUR FREE COPY
30 AUTUMN 2009 | THE WAITING ROOM MAGAZINE 3
notebook A phobia is an anxiety disorder usually learned from others or associated with a frightening experience, often so far back in childhood that it has been forgotten.
Sorry, darling? You'll have to speak up!
Phobias Phobias are sometimes described as irrational, though why having a great fear of, for example, sharks or snakes, should be regarded as irrational is not clear. On the other hand, arachnophobia, for the people of northern Europe, is totally irrational as all the spiders we ever experience are completely harmless and relatively tiny – we have much more reason to fear bees and wasps, yet they don’t even figure. Arachnophobia is the most common phobia of all and has probably come down through our folk memory from our earliest ancestors in East Africa where fear of the many tropical venomous spiders was a
healthy and extremely rational one. Behaviour therapy is often used to treat phobias, repeated and ever increasing exposures to the feared object or situation. It has varying degrees of success. The website phobia-fearrelease.com gives the following list as the ten most common phobias: Arachnophobia (fear of spiders); Social Phobia (fear of being judged negatively in social situations); Aerophobia (fear of flying); Agoraphobia (fear of open spaces); Claustrophobia (fear of small, confined spaces); Acrophobia (fear of heights); Emetophobia (fear of vomit); Carcinophobia (fear of cancer); Brontophobia – (fear of thunderstorms) and Necrophobia (fear of death or dead things). Other common phobias are Nyctophobia (dark); Ochlophobia (crowds); Xenophobia (strangers); Zoophobia (animals). YOUR FREE COPY
The Sense-less Elderly? It’s a sad fact of life that we sense less as we get older, especially via sight and hearing. Back in our Caveman past, we rarely lived long enough for our senses to begin to dim, but if by any chance you did get to be a hoary old forty-five, then the reduced ability to see and hear, not to mention the slowing of the impressive turn of speed, and that much-envied, eluding, jinking run that got you to 45 in the first place, meant that a passing sabre-toothed tiger would make sure you didn’t see 46! But we’ve made it this far, and the sabre-toothed tiger hasn’t. His problems are over, but we’re left with having to cope with our imperfect, diminishing senses.
It’s fairly easy to tell when the eyesight is going – you can’t read newsprint, it’s a strain to drive, etc., but a diminution in hearing is more difficult to gauge. How can you tell when what sounds quiet to you, isn’t, in fact, loud to most people? You can’t. So you don’t do anything about it until it may be too late. Roughly speaking, by age 50, you have a 50 per cent chance of having hearing difficulties, by 60, a 60 per cent chance, etc. Our much extended life-expectancy has laid us open to many different problems but they all have one thing in common – the sooner they are identified and dealt with the better.
Have ‘sense’. Book a hearing test today!
Recession Buster Cut your drugs bills by up to 40% with ‘Off-patent’ or ‘Generic’ medicines. Companies that develop new drugs are granted a PATENT, giving them sole production rights for a number of years so that they can recoup their development expenses, but once the patent EXPIRES, other companies are free to produce that drug and use their own brand name. In both cases, however, it’s THE SAME MEDICINE, PRODUCED TO THE SAME EXACTING STANDARDS; they differ only in name and, usually, price! Doctors prescribe drug treatments based on a professional assessment of their patients’ conditions. With potential savings of up to 40 per cent in some cases, you should make a point of asking your GP if there’s a more cost effective GENERIC brand of the particular drug treatment prescribed for you. After all, you’re paying for it!
AUTUMN 2009 | THE WAITING ROOM MAGAZINE 5
notebook
Recession Buster We’re Talking Rubbish... ...tons upon tons of the stuff. Everyone knows about composters, brilliant things that take all our waste vegetable matter, but you can’t put meat into a composter so you’re left with storing the bones of last Sunday’s roast until the next collection day. Or are you? Wouldn’t it be great if there was a meat composter? Well, there is. It’s called Green Cone and it’s available in Ireland. For some reason, Green Cone is not as wellknown as it ought to be, because it is a fast, clean, efficient and environmentally sound way to get rid of all organic household waste. What goes into Green Cone? All food waste – cooked and uncooked meat, fish, bones, bread, dairy products, vegetables and fruit. What comes out? A small amount of nutrient-rich soil conditioner for your garden. For €165 (inc VAT), your Green Cone will be delivered free anywhere in Republic of Ireland. Check it out at greencone.ie
Nice one, Rover! Rover, an aptly-named Labrador, was not happy when his owner, Emily Harrison, put an antirambling collar round his glossy neck. These work by emitting a warning buzz when the dog approaches a buried perimeter wire: if the dog keeps going, the buzz gets louder, then becomes a slight electric shock. The smart animal soon learns to turn back as soon as it hears the buzz. So Emily was surprised when, after just a few days, Rover went back to his rambling ways. She fetched him home and changed the dead collar-battery. That very same afternoon, Rover took off again. And again the battery was dead. This time, Emily took the ‘faulty’ collar back to the vets and exchanged it. Same result – within a few hours, Rover had absconded again. And, mysteriously, the brand new battery in the brand new collar was found to be dead again! So Emily replaced the battery once more and, this time, decided to keep an eye on the escape artist. From her open kitchen
window, Emily watched Rover creep slowly towards the perimeter. At the very moment when the buzzing began, he lay down. Proud of her clever pet, and annoyed at the same time, Emily continued to observe. After a while, the buzz began to weaken; then it faltered, spluttered once or twice, gasped and died. At that point Rover sprang up and, tail wagging gleefully, took off out through the gate. When asked what she was going to do next, Emily replied: ‘Change his name to Houdini, and keep the gate closed!’
notebook The traditional line was that we, the Irish, are the descendants of the Celts from central Europe who spread furthest west, who kept going until they came to the end of the world.
The Irish. Celts or Atlanteans? And that was that – at a time when our educators dealt in certainties, when a famous scientist declared science to be finished, as everything that could be discovered, had already been, this pat theory suited everyone. But some people are not good at accepting pat theories and, on the west coast of Ireland, one man, who had long been noting odd similarities between the customs, artefacts, folklore and even the language of Conamara and far-flung areas he had visited in North Africa, the Mediterranean and the MiddleEast, began to wonder if such deep-rooted connections could really be ex-
plained away by mere casual contact between coastal traders. Bob Quinn’s ‘wonderingsaloud’ were listened to politely at first but, gradually attracted support and now, after almost thirty years, there is actual hard DNA evidence to indicate that we are indeed, at least partially, the descendants of a coastal spread from those areas, rather than just an overland migration of peoples from Central Europe. The overwhelming evidence for our exotic ancestry has been gathered into Quinn’s compelling book, The Atlantean Irish, and presented in his three-part TV documentary, Atlantean.
Who said that...
“If I’d known I was going to live so long, I’d have taken better care of myself.” Bob Hope
Some ‘Spectacular’ Facts Nobody knows who invented spectacles but the magnifying property of curved glass has been known for centuries
The Fantastic Four
IUN W Y X LU R
TAKES L HO E R B AWAY
Four fantastic luxury hotels got together to offer you one of four breaks-away worth €500 Four lucky winners can choose from four fabulous destinations across Ireland
A luxury Spa Break in Johnstown House, Enfield
A City Break in The Marriott Courtyard in Galway
An Away From It All Break in The Station House Hotel, Clifden, Co Galway
Southern Break at The Holiday Inn, Killarney Which mountain range can you see from The Station House Hotel, Clifden? a) The Galtees or b) The Mournes or c) The Twelve Bens. Answers on a postcard, with your name, address and number to The Fantastic Four Competition, The Waiting Room Magazine, Northampton, Kinvara, CoGalway or email info@waitingroom.ie by 14 October 2009.
Called ‘Reading Stones,’ mediaeval monks would place curved crystals on the pages of their books In the late 13th Century an Italian wrote: “I am so debilitated by age that without the glasses known as spectacles, I would no longer be able to read or write.” This was the first recorded mention of ‘spectacles’ Some years later, another Italian said: “It is not yet 20 years since the art of making spectacles, one of the most useful arts on earth, was discovered.” It took another 400 years before ear-pieces were added to the spectacles, thus liberating both hands Some three per cent of people are colour blind, a condition more common in men The normal human eye can distinguish some ten million different colours
YOUR FREE COPY
AUTUMN 2009 | THE WAITING ROOM MAGAZINE 7
in the know The Caring and Sharing Association (CASA)
eat out
Eat out in a place where you can dine well and be charitable to others at the same time. The Caring and Sharing Association did something novel and opened a restaurant in Clontarf last year. One year on and the restaurant has been a hit with both critics and customers alike Standing on Clontarf’s seafront, Restaurant Ten Fourteen is a classic up-market bistro serving fresh, quality produce in elegant surroundings. The restaurant came about because of a need for fundraising, CASA’s Mags Travers explains. “We are a charity that has quite a low profile, even though we’ve been around since 1981,” she says. “CASA is renowned and appreciated by its disabled members, however its public profile in terms of its fundraising is not well known.” The chef, Gareth Smith, formerly of Chapter One, offers a
real commitment to serving good, honest food by using carefully chosen organic and seasonal produce. Delicious starters include pan-seared Irish king scallops with a clam, chilli, chorizo and pea butter or warm Carlow beef and parmesan salad with marinated capers and Ballyferriter honey. A fabulous choice of mains include seared Challans duck breast with confit leg spring roll and 16-hour braised Connemara lamb.
Even the kids can enjoy good wholesome food when homemade free-range organic chicken nuggets and O’Mahony’s pure pork sausages are on the menu. The wine has been chosen carefully, and there are plenty of critically-acclaimed wines on the list. Contact Margaret Butler to book your table. 01 8054877
...dine in On 19th June 2009, at Ten Fourteen, CASA’s restaurant on Clontarf Rd., RTE’s Miriam O’Callaghan launched the ‘Dine-In For CASA’ fundraising initiative. Scheduled to run from July to September, it is hoped that the Dine-In will provide much needed funds to help CASA with its work in support of those in the community who cope daily with disabilities. The idea behind the Dine-In is that you host a lunch or dinner party for a group of
8 THE WAITING ROOM MAGAZINE | AUTUMN 2009
friends but request that, instead of bringing you, the host, the customary gifts, they make a donation to CASA. If you would like to get involved, you can get full details and a Registration Card by contacting CASA on 01 8725300 or log on to www.casa.ie
In 1981, a group of volunteers decided to act to improve opportunities for social interaction for people restricted by disabilities, both intellectual and physical. CASA has long since spread out from its original Dublin base, with 21 local groups and some 1,000 members and volunteers scattered throughout the country. Socialising and friendship are fostered through four main programmes, regular social events at local level, holidays, respite breaks and pilgrimages to Lourdes. Social events are run at least once a month by CASA’s local volunteers. There is no set pattern: activities take whatever form members enjoy most, from outings to sing-songs. Joint meetings of neighbouring groups are not uncommon and are keenly looked forward to. Holidays are appreciated and enjoyed by all CASA members. The weeklong breaks at CASA’s Malahide and Swords Breakhouses are very popular. Groups enjoy activities like shopping, cinema, bowling, crafts, outings to the park, sports, nights out, day trips and excursions, etc., and many other treats that are organised as part of their holiday. Four to six holiday breaks, accommodating members in each Breakhouse are arranged during the summer months. Members, staff and volunteers all enjoy the activities together. Respite breaks are person centred and are enjoyed by our disabled members at one of CASA’s Breakhouses. Pilgrimages to Lourdes. Twice a year, a group of 130 members, volunteers and medical staff travel to Lourdes and participate in the ceremonies. These pilgrimages are undoubtedly one of the highlights of CASA’s year. Being a voluntary organisation, CASA is self-funding, and financing is derived from the following sources: • The Ten Fourteen Restaurant, Dublin • Seven charity shops in Dublin, Cork, Longford and Mullingar • Local fundraising events • Direct Debit Campaign – see website • The Dine-In-For-CASA campaign, running from July to September. Vist www.casa.ie for more.
Supporting People with Disabilities
YOUR FREE COPY
interview
Neal McDonough Neal McDonough is known to those of you who are ‘Desperate Housewives’ fans as the revenge seeking Dave Williams from this past year. The character ended the season in the loony bin after exhibiting a roller coaster of good guy/bad guy personalities that highlighted his depth of acting abilities. The Waiting Room Magazine was lucky enough to have a chat with Neal on his Irish family and the long road to fame.
CAMERA PRESS IRELAND,
Neal, let’s start with the Irish connection. Give us the story. My mother, Kitty, was born in Carrick on Suir, Co Tipperary and brought up in Clonmel. Her mother, Nell, was raised on a farm in Kilrossanty, Co Waterford that still thrives. My father, Frank, is from Clifden, Connemara, Co Galway where my sister now runs the regional newspaper, the Connemara View. My parents met in Boston as they had both emigrated as so many did. The Irish community in the early fifties was vibrant and there were many Irish who met in Boston who might never had if they had stayed in Ireland. I’m the youngest of six, one sister and four brothers, all born in Dorchester, one of the numerous conclaves of Irishness in Boston. Our home was filled constantly with Irish accents from all counties and mimicking the various brogues was probably the first indicator of my desire to perform. One of my first stage credits was in Jim Sheridan’s Away Alone. (Neal won the Best Actor in a Dramalogue in LA in 1991 for this role – Ed) I auditioned with a Cork accent and they were all surprised to find out later that I was a Yank.
Dramatic Arts and Sciences. I started my career in 1988 and I am so glad that she got to see me in guest starring roles in numerous television shows before she passed away in 1993. I know that she is still sitting on my shoulder cheering for me. It took 20 years for you to become known worldwide through Desperate Housewives. Has it been a tough road? I have been lucky enough to work regularly over that time. The roles that I have played have had a huge range of character in television, on stage and in and films including Lieutentant Hawk in Star Trek: First Contact, Lou Gehrig in The Babe Ruth Story, and Private Reich in Ravenous. The real breakthrough came when Steven Spielberg cast me as Buck Compton in the World War II miniseries Band of Brothers which first aired in 2001. That role was the turning point for me on another level altogether. I met the love of my life, Ruvé Robertson, on St. Patrick’s Day while filming in London. We have been together ever since and have been blissfully married for five years.
How much time have you spent in Ireland? Not enough. In fact, I was just about to come over to visit my sister in Clifden when the Desperate Housewives role came up last July. Sister Ellie was very disappointed not to be able to show my wife, Ruvé, and our kids, Morgan and Catherine, around Connemara but she was thrilled with my new acting job. I have visited home many times, but more so when I was based in London filming Band of Brothers. I hope to get back very soon.
You are based in Los Angeles. What is family life like there? Los Angeles gets a bad rap for being a selfish unfriendly city. It doesn’t have to be that way. Ruvé and I are enjoying bringing up Morgan (4) and Catherine (2) in a great section of the city where children of friends from the industry and neighborhood kids are always playing in our backyard. The more the merrier! It’s all about family and we are so exciting to be expecting our third child.
I understand that you chose to go into acting early on. How did you get started? My mother encouraged me as far back as I can remember to be myself and that instilled a lot of confidence in me to put myself out there. I acted in high school on Cape Cod where my family moved to when I was young and went on to drama school at Syracuse University and the London Academy of
You have been playing bad guys a lot lately. Do you enjoy that? It’s pretty funny reading lines like “his ice blue eyes” in reviews when I am playing an evil character. I am really a pussycat – most of the time! I have played all types of individuals at this point. The bad guys seem to get the most attention. I try to bring the integrity of the written character to life. That’s my job whether he is nice or not.
YOUR FREE COPY
Who have you worked with that most impressed you? Working with Al Pacino in 88 Minutes was spectacular. I was absolutely starstruck when we first met. Still am. He’s a real legend. All the wonderful gals of Wisteria Lane are gorgeous and lovely people, plus a joy to work with for the past year! The list of impressive people in the industry that I have had the pleasure to work with is pretty long. How much space do you have? So will your fans see you back on Desperate Housewives? All I can say is that my character did not get killed off – as some might have expected. I don’t write the scripts, so you’ll have to wait and see.
Want to see more of Neal? Check out the following on DVD: Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li; Traitor;88 Minutes; I Know Who Killed Me; Forever Strong; The Hitcher; Flags of Our Fathers; The Guardian; Walking Tall and Minority Report.
AUTUMN 2009 | THE WAITING ROOM MAGAZINE 9
BreastCancer October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The Waiting Room Magazine hears a survivor’s story and looks at the disease in men and in some recent celebrity cases.
“Support for one another is all-important.” Nicola’s Story ‘Well, what did the doctor say?’ Paul asked me, not looking overly concerned. ‘She told me to come back in a week.’ To be honest, although I’d felt a momentary chill when my kneading fingers stumbled upon the hard little mass this morning, I wasn’t all that worried either – I was fit, not yet 34, and we had no family history of breast cancer. ‘Why?’ ‘That’s how they always deal with lumps. Check them, then see if there’s any change after a week. Unless it’s a very obvious nasty. She asked me had I been checking, and I told her that I’d just noticed it after my shower, accidentally, when I was rubbing in body lotion,’ I “...I’d had a moment said, reaching to take ten-month n he w et ui sq old Emelie of chill di from him. my fingers touched the The week passed unevent..” ng. rni mo this ss ma le fully. I can’t say hard litt I never thought 10 THE WAITING ROOM MAGAZINE | AUTUMN 2009
about the lump – you’d have to be made of iron not to – but I kept reassuring myself: I didn’t fit the age profile, and besides, the majority of lumps turn out to be benign. But with each succeeding day, with the lump still stubbornly there, I became a little less sure and, on the morning of my next appointment, I walked into my GP’s clinic without the customary spring in my step. After examining me again and checking her notes, the doctor looked up and pulled a face. ‘Still there, Nicola, I’m afraid. No bigger, but no smaller. Best have it checked out. I’m referring you. Beaumont. Professor Hill.’ She moved to her desk and began to write. SURREAL If the week between GP visits had been strange, the week that followed was nothing short of surreal. Paul and I attended a wedding and then went on holiday to Spain – there didn’t seem to be any point in cancelling it. It was not the greatest of holidays; my doctor’s concerned frown had travelled all the way with me and, if she was worried, then, despite the fact that I felt great and had no pain, so was I. Fortunately, Paul is fantastic, calm, reassuring, a great listener and comforter; without him, it would have been very hard going. We discussed telling the families but decided not to – it was probably just a nothing lump, a cyst maybe, no point in getting them all worried over nothing.
GLEN MULCAHY WWW.REDEYE-PHOTOGRAPHY.COM, CAMERA PRESS IRELAND
Author’s Note: My main reason for agreeing to this article was to deliver two vital messages: A. EARLY DETECTION IS VITAL B. IF YOU’RE WORRIED, ACT IMMEDIATELY! I’m not a typical candidate - I’m too young. Supposedly. I’ve also got positives going for me that others may not - I’m strong, have relatively few worries, a very supportive family, an understanding boss, a beautiful daughter to live for, and the health service worked for me as it should for everyone. We’re all different, yet all of us who have been touched by this disease share a deep, common bond, making mutual support all-important. My other reason was the hope that my story might give some comfort, courage and hope to a frightened woman in those first desolate days after diagnosis. Nicola Turley, Dublin 2009
breast cancer Back to Ireland, back to reality. My initial check-up in Beaumont consisted of an ultrasound scan and a mammogram of each breast, for comparative purposes. The people I met were calm, friendly and reassuring. Next day I had to go back for a needle biopsy because, they explained, they don’t take any chances. That weekend, Paul had to go away for a couple of days so I took Emelie to Galway to stay with my brother and his wife, who is my closest friend. When dinner was over, I told them about my lump and, after the initial shocked silence, they rallied around – it would all turn out fine, they knew lots of women who’d had lumps, turned out to be nothing... They almost had me believing it, and I slept well until Emelie woke about 4am. But, in the dead of night, worries and fears gain massive strength and I didn’t get back to sleep again. For the first time, studying the reposed face of my beautiful little vulnerable daughter, with no Paul to comfort me, I began to fall prey to fears of the worst possible outcome. NASTY The surprisingly youthful Professor Hill saw me on the Monday. His demeanour was so calm and his approach so positive that it took a while for me to realise that, in fact, the news was bad – my lump was indeed a busy little tumour, a nasty aggregation of traitorous cells. As far as I can recall, he never once mentioned the dreaded word ‘cancer’ but when I left his rooms, I was in no doubt that I was going to have to have my left breast removed. And soon. My brother had made me promise to call him as soon as the test results were back, but, as Paul and I struggled to come to grips with our stark new reality, it took us a while to gather the strength to call them in Galway, and, by then, they had guessed there was something wrong. Within the next few hours, the news spread through both families and, next day, the full support system kicked in, with my sister on my doorstep when I got home from work, and calls from concerned relatives on both sides. MASTECTOMY Over the next few weeks, I had batteries of further tests, all with promising results, then, on October 24th, less than two months after I’d first been diagnosed, I had my operation. I’m not YOUR FREE COPY
superstitious, but a matter of a few hours before her mother went into hospital, Emelie took her first few faltering footsteps. Incredibly auspicious timing, everybody said. The surgery took 10 hours as the mastectomy and re-construction were done at the same time. Plastic surgeon, Nadeem Ajmal, had explained that he intended to do a Diep flap: instead of artificial implants, he would use some of my own tummy fat to replace my mammary tissue, linking the blood vessels so that the transplanted tissue would continue healthy – just in a different part of me. A minor setback meant that I needed further surgery next day, but, after that, recovery was uneventful, and I returned home nine days after I’d left, to find Emelie tottering around in an almost accomplished manner. Recuperation was uncomfortable but steady. It also took a long time, which surprised me a bit: at my age, you’re inclined to believe that you can overcome any hurdle, clear all obstacles, but a brush like I’d had soon teaches you the hollow folly of such pride. Thankfully, the Oncologist had decided that I needed no further treatment, neither chemo- nor radiotherapy, and, again thankfully, all my check-ups since have given the results we’ve been praying for. There’s a period of dread as I approach each check up but, with each succeeding all-clear, these have diminished in both intensity and duration. SUPPORT I don’t know if the fear will ever go fully away, or for how long I’m going to have to go on having the tests. For now, almost a year on, I embrace each day, treasure every moment with Paul and Emelie, and look forward to the day when we are given the green light to try for another baby, a cherished wish we’ve had since before I fell ill. Even after recovery, support is all important to help you through those inevitable darker moments, and I’ve found wonderful friends at the ARC in Eccles St., Dublin (www.arccancersupport.ie) where I meet regularly with women of all ages who have passed through the same ordeal. There are other such organisations around the country. I would also like to thank the Marie Keating Foundation for their support. (www.mariekeating.ie).
Richard Roundtree Surprisingly, some reports claim that 1% of breast cancers occur in men! Nowadays, it is seen mainly in men over 60, but in earlier times, it was thought that stokers, men who spent long hours shovelling coal into open furnaces, were particularly prone. Diagnosis is often at a more advanced stage than in women because the alarm bells are not quite as strident when a man finds a swelling in his ‘breast’. Little study has been done on male breast cancer and at present it is treated in the same way as for women. There are regional variations in incidence throughout the
world – high in subSaharan Africa, low in Japan. One of the best known male survivors of breast cancer is onetime NFL player, male model, and actor, Richard Roundtree (SHAFT, Roots, and a host of other TV shows and films.) At age 51, Richard underwent double mastectomy and chemotherapy, and today, at 67, he is still working.
AUTUMN 2009 | THE WAITING ROOM MAGAZINE 11
breast cancer It’s vital to check your breasts properly! Here’s how...
The Facts
Sheryl Crow US megastar singer/songwriter was diagnosed in 2006, aged 44. Surgery and Radiotherapy soon had her back doing what she does brilliantly. Her ex-boyfriend? Lance Armstrong, seven times Tour de France winner and survivor of testicular cancer!
A lump will show up on mammogram before it can be felt 80 per cent of lumps detected are not cancerous
Be REGULAR Check once a month at the same time, either a few days after your period or, if on contraceptive pills, every time you start a new pack.
Stick to a ROUTINE Don’t take shortcuts. It only takes about 10 minutes but it’s so important.
Irish women have a one in 11 chance of developing breast cancer in their lifetime Survival rates are improving mainly due to increased attention to early detection Each year, over 2000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer More than 25,000 women in Ireland are living following a breast cancer diagnosis
Be THOROUGH Check lying and upright. Use left hand on right breast and vice versa. Chose a three-finger circular motion or an up and down pattern and stick with it. Check all of each breast and out into the armpit.
Be THOROUGH When lying, place pillow under shoulder of side being checked and that arm behind your head. When upright, move the arm on the side being checked, behind the back.
Mammographic screening is effective in reducing breast cancer mortality rates – women should participate in breast screening from the age of 50 Only five to ten per cent of breast cancers are hereditary The risk of developing breast cancer increases with age - 75 per cent of breast cancers are diagnosed over the age of 50 and 37 per cent in women over 65 27 men were diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005 – a significant rise on earlier years
Kylie Minogue Australian pop princess, diagnosed in 2005, aged 37, underwent surgery and treatment and has resumed her hectic and demanding career.
Be THOROUGH
CAMERA PRESS IRELAND
In front of mirror, squeeze each nipple to check for any discharge.
Be SAFE If there’s anything different from last month, have it checked at once.
Some Predisposing Factors: family history , early puberty (before 12), late menopause (after 55), first pregnancy at age 30+, never getting pregnant at all, current or recent (in last 10 yrs) use of oral contraceptives, regular, frequent alcohol use and age
Some Unproven ‘Myth’ Factors: deodorants, antiperspirants, tight-fitting bras, underwired bras, cosmetic implants injuries, psychological stress
Sonique UK singer/songwriter/DJ. This year, Sonique’s amazing career has had to be put on hold while she battles Breast Cancer. She is 41 and her treatment is ongoing. We wish her well. YOUR FREE COPY
Cynthia Nixon Sex & The City star found she had breast cancer in 2006, when she was 40. Surgery and treatment were, thankfully, a success. AUTUMN 2009 | THE WAITING ROOM MAGAZINE 13
lefties
Who said that...
“Damned infernal gizmo. My kingdom for a left-handed can opener.” Mr Burns, The Simpsons
Not the right sort of people What have Angelina Jolie, Prince Charles, Fidel Castro and Jimi Hendrix got in common? They are all left-handers.
With just ten per cent of people estimated to be left-handed, ‘Lefties’ or ‘Southpaws’ seem to do very well indeed. Barack Obama is 44th US President, yet he is the 8th left-handed president, doubling the incidence for the general population. Of the last six US Presidents, only two, Jimmy Carter and George W Bush, have been righthanded, and, of the last twelve, six (50 per cent) were lefties. Is this a trend? Who knows, but there has been an increase in the number of left-hand users in recent decades, since society decided that it didn’t care what hand children wrote with, and left us ‘lefties’ alone. The reasons for discrimination against lefties are unclear but they’ve been around forever. According to the Bible, on the Day of Judgement, the good and righteous will sit at God’s Right Hand. We speak of someone very helpful as being the ‘right-hand man’. Even the word ‘right’ itself means proper, fair, correct, good. The Latin words for right (dexter) and left (sinister) carry, in their present forms, very unambiguous connotations of good and bad. But it wasn’t universal discrimination. In some cases it actually made some sense: when slow-drying liquid ink was introduced into schools, it could be smudged by the heel of a left-hander’s palm following the pen across the page. But left-sided children went largely ‘uncorrected’ in art classes, at mealtimes, in sport, etc., suggesting that the ‘discrimination’ commonly practiced up to a generation or so ago may have been based more on practicality than superstition and ignorance. In man-to-man sports, lefthanders are used to dealing with right-handed opponents but not vice versa and so
Recession Buster Forgotten Gold As gold is now at record prices, it makes sense to convert some of those old pieces of jewellery you never wear into much-needed cash. ForgottenGold’s service is an ideal way to do this. There are three simple, secure and confidential steps.
1 Request an Insured, Pre-paid Gold Recycle Pack from 1890 350 350 or from ForgottenGold.com. 2 Send on gold items for rapid, expert valuation. 3 Agree with valuation and get cheque by return, or disagree and have items returned at once. State-of-the-art technology is used to assay gold content. Recycling gold brings environmental benefits – 20 tons of waste ore are produced when extracting enough gold for one ring.
14 THE WAITING ROOM MAGAZINE | AUTUMN 2009
lefties have an advantage. In ancient warfare, this was equally true, and left-handed swordsmen were in high demand to fight their way up spiral staircases that had been deliberately constructed with a clockwise twist to make it almost impossible for [righthanded] attackers. The reasons for lefthandedness are not clear though a gene has been isolated which may contribute.
Lefthandedness is more common in men than in women Lefthandedness is more common in lesbians than in straight women Lefthandedness is not learned: since the advent of ultrasound, we know that just ten per cent of foetuses put their left hands to their mouths If one identical twin is left-handed, then the other is 76 per cent likely to be, too Lefthanders are better with their right hands than right-handers are with their left; they have to be because they live in a right-handed world It is difficult to buy lefthanded implements, like scissors and can-openers Left-handers are passively discriminated against by society because of this – if you’re right-handed, try using scissors with your left hand Sinister, isn’t it?
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medical history
Bad blood
Not everything we receive from our forebears is good
P
arents can pass on diseases to their children, even though they themselves do not show symptoms. This is called an hereditary condition, the parent, a carrier. Haemophilia, a deficiency of a factor essential to the clotting of blood, is a typical example. In haemophilia, the mother is always the carrier and only sons are affected. A son of a carrier mother has a 50% chance of being haemophiliac. The most famous haemophiliac in history was Alexis Romanov, the son and heir of the last Czar of Russia. Alexis never became Czar. He, his sisters, and his parents were shot by the Bolsheviks in 1918. When blood is unable to clot, the tiniest knock can lead to massive bruising; the merest nick of the skin can become a full-blown haemorrhage. Nowadays, doctors provide the missing clotting factor and blood-transfusions are routine, but in the early 20th century, no therapy was available. POSITIVE EFFECT It was Alexis’ condition that provided the gateway into history for one of the most bizarre characters of any age. Grigori Rasputin, a self-styled holy man, born in Siberia in 1871, arrived in St. Petersburg in 1911. Wild, uncouth and unkempt, he soon found himself a close confidante of Alexis’ mother, the Czarina, who believed that he was able to cure her son’s illness. Contemporary records indicate that the Czarina might not have been completely wrong: Rasputin did in fact have a very positive effect on the boy’s condition, much more so than the royal physicians.
Alexei Romanov, 1904-1918
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Grigori Rasput in, 1869-1916
Rasputin’s reputation and influence spread quickly, and soon he became a powerful figure. The Czarina fell totally under his spell and there were even rumours of an affair. He was hated by the establishment and was at one time exiled at the insistence of the prime minister. However, a serious deterioration in Alexis’ health caused the Czarina to demand his recall. When word of this reached him, Rasputin immediately sent a telegram to say that Alexis’ condition would begin to improve, and, when it did, his reinstallment was unchallengeable. LEGEND Rasputin, in the final hours of his life, became somewhat of a medical legend himself. Towards the end of 1916, some of the greatest noblemen, having resolved that for the good of Mother Russia, Rasputin should be killed, lured him to the palace of Prince Felix Yussopov. There, he was fed cakes and wine laced with cyanide. The assembled noblemen, feigning friendship and genial hospitality, waited in vain for the poison to work. Eventually, despairing of getting the job done with mere cyanide, Prince Felix shot the monk at close range. Rasputin fell to the ground and the prince rushed off to summon his co-conspirators. When they returned, Rasputin was up again, and, launching himself in fury at the prince, almost succeeded in strangling the terrified man before he was pulled off him. The nobles struggled to hold him but they were no match for the furious holy man, who, despite being poisoned and shot, managed to break away and fight his way to the snowcovered courtyard of the palace. There, in the freezing night air, he was again shot and bludgeoned heavily and repeatedly. Thinking that they had at last killed him, the exhausted aristocratic assassins paused to catch their breath, then bound him and dumped his ‘body’ into the frozen river Neva. When the corpse was recovered next day, the authorities found that the bindings had been broken! A subsequent post mortem showed that Rasputin had died from drowning.
They were no match for the furious holy man, who despite being poisoned and shot, managed to break away CLAIRVOYANT But the almost supernatural aura of mystery surrounding Rasputin doesn’t stop at his strange life and bizarre death at the age of 45. He is also reputed to have had clairvoyant powers. Rasputin is said to have written a letter to the Czar in early December, a matter of weeks before his death. In this letter, he predicted that he [Rasputin] would not live to see the New Year. He also told the Czar that if he was killed by people unconnected to the Czar, then there would be no implications for the Empire. However, if his killers were royal relatives, then neither Czar nor Empire would last longer than two years. Rasputin died on 30 December 1916. The Bolshevik revolution took place in October 1917 and, in a hut in a forest near Ekaterinaburg, on 17 July 1918, the Czar and his entire family were shot and buried in an unmarked mass grave. AUTUMN 2009 | THE WAITING ROOM MAGAZINE 15
food It has been claimed that Ireland has a higher incidence of Coeliac Disease than the European average, but, officially, this is classed as an urban myth.
Coeliac Disease In fact, the truth is quite hard to establish. The actual incidence is thought to approach 1per cent of the population, but, incredibly, less than 20 per cent of coeliacs realise they have the condition. This is mainly because the symptoms can be so varied and vague. Obviously, digestive disorders are common, from constipation or diarrhoea to indigestion to bloating to weight loss, but these are not invariably present, and may vary considerably in intensity. Other more common symptoms include mouth ulcers, listlessness, tiredness, and anaemia. Undiagnosed children can actually have their growth retarded, and Coeliac Disease is thought to play a role in certain bowel cancers. So Coeliac Disease is a lot more than a discomfort and ought to be dealt with accordingly. Anybody suffering nagging, non-specific symptoms for any length of time, should ask their GP for a blood test to screen for the condition, though a definitive, final diagnosis depends on
microscopic examination of a biopsy taken from the intestinal lining with an endoscope. The culprit in all this is gluten, a protein commonly found in the B.R.O.W. cereals – barley, rye, oats and wheat – and their products. Gluten, of itself, is not actually harmful but, in certain individuals, it triggers a reaction in the intestine that sets off the chain of events that leads to Coeliac Disease. Inflammation in the gut causes semi-digested food to pass along the tract faster than it should, thus reducing the time available for absorption of nutrients, and so a coeliac person, despite eating well, may, over time, begin to suffer from a kind of pernicious malnutrition. At the same time, the arrival into the latter part of the large bowel of fast-moving food in an unacceptably liquid state often gives rise to chronic diarrhoea. Early exposure to gluten may be a triggering factor and it is recommended that, for the first six months of a baby’s life, no gluten whatsoever be fed. A wide range of
gluten-free weaning diets is available. There is a tendency for Coeliac Disease to run in families, though the responsible factors are not fully understood. No predisposing gene has yet been positively identified, nor have the triggers that set off the condition. However, once gluten hypersensitivity has been activated, it remains a problem for life, though the severity of the reaction may fluctuate. Fortunately, once the condition has been identified, it can easily be controlled by avoiding the B.R.O.W. cereals and any products containing even traces of ingredients from them. In response to the high incidence of gluten intolerance, a comprehensive range of gluten-free flours, breads and confectionery is now available in most towns. Warning: If you are thinking of getting checked for gluten intolerance, DO NOT go on a gluten free diet beforehand. You may end up with a false negative result, and, in the mistaken belief that you are not gluten intolerant, go back to eating everything – with disastrous results!
Noreen Whelan, a coeliac sufferer from Sligo, is mum to two daughters, Sinead and Meadhbh, who are also coeliac. “We all hope that our children will inherit some of our traits but I was devastated to find that the girls were both coeliac, just like me. Although I suffered from quite severe symptoms for many years, it was not until after the birth of my youngest that I was finally diagnosed. It was amazing how quickly our health as a family improved with the changes we made to our diet. I love to experiment in the kitchen and even my husband, who is not coeliac, enjoys the meals that I prepare for myself and the kids. Here are a couple of my favourite recipes. There is no reason for coeliacs not to enjoy their food especially as the gluten free products in shops seem to be getting better all the time.” Further information and tasty recipes for gluten-free meals are available from Coeliac Society of Ireland, 4 North Brunswick Street, Dublin 7, 01 872 1471 and e-mail coeliac@iol.ie 16 THE WAITING ROOM MAGAZINE | AUTUMN 2009
Delicious, easy and gluten-free! NOREEN’S SALMON AND RICE SOUFFLÉ “My family love this supper recipe. Give it a try and I’m sure yours will love it too!” 425g tin salmon, drained; 4 eggs; 2 cups of cooked rice; 1 cup milk; 1 onion; 1 tbsp butter; 1 tsp lemon juice; salt and pepper and chopped herbs (dill or coriander) Melt the butter. Chop up the onion. Mix the salmon, cooked rice, milk, onion, lemon rind and butter. Add salt and pepper and chopped herbs to taste. Separate the egg. Beat the yolks and add them. Beat the egg whites till stiff and fold them in. Put mixture in a greased oven-proof dish and bake until firm – about half an hour. Serve with potatoes and some steamed asparagus or broccoli – heaven!
TEENAGER-PROOF CHOCOLATE BROWNIES “These deliciously sticky brownies disappear fast so make extra if their friends are calling round. Try using broken pieces of your favorite chocolate bars – mint or honeycomb.” 100g / 4oz butter; 3 eggs; 75g / 3oz cooking chocolate; 100g / 4oz gluten-free flour; 100g / 4oz chopped walnuts; 200g / 8oz sugar and 1 tsp baking powder (not needed if self-raising gluten-free flour is used) Melt together butter and chocolate. In another bowl, mix flour, baking powder, sugar and nuts. Beat in the eggs and then add the melted butter and chocolate. Put mix into oiled and lined baking tray (150x200mm or 6x 8inches) Bake for 30 minutes at 180°C / 350°F or Gas Mark 4. When cool, cut into slices.
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INCREASE YOUR HOME’S
Olde Recipes Boxty – a type of pancake made from mixing grated potatoes, flour and milk was a staple in poorer families. “Boxty in the griddle, Boxty on the pan. If you can’t make Boxty, you’ll never get a man.” Drisheen – a black pudding made from sheep suet, sheep’s blood and milk all steamed together in sheep’s intestines.
Crubeens – pigs’ feet (trotters) boiled with carrot and onions. Tripe is the stomach of a cow or sheep. It was rubbed with salt, then thoroughly rinsed. One recipe, still in use, is to boil in salted water, which is then discarded. Now thoroughly cleaned, the tripe is simmered slowly with onions for between one and three hours.
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much actual ‘food’ out of eating an artichoke as you would from licking 40 postage stamps.” Miss Piggy
From Crubeens to Drisheen our food history has been a varied and interesting one. Old staples from our nottoo-distant past are now conspicuously absent from our butchers’ counters. These include tasty cuts of hedgehog or badger and, from the sea, porpoise and seal by the kilo. Even rabbits and hare are now rarely eaten, though venison (farmed) is making a comeback. As well as that, most wild birds were eaten – remember ‘four-and-twenty blackbirds baked in a pie’? No part of the animal was wasted, tail and tongue of ox, stomach and intestine of
sheep and the head and feet of a pig. Like the Masai warriors of Africa, we sustained ourselves in times of scarcity by draining the blood of the cow; however, unlike the Masai, who drink the blood directly, we used it to make black pudding, sometimes still called ‘blood pudding’. Eggs of most birds were eaten – seagulls especially in coastal areas, and men would descend sheer cliff-faces to gather them. A goose egg was considered a rare delicacy to be saved for special occasions such as Christmas and Easter.
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17
parenting There are 5,338 children under the age of 18 in the care of the HSE.
Self Esteem When we hold ourselves in high self esteem, we can live comfortably with both our strengths and weaknesses because we accept and respect ourselves. We have the ability to feel secure, trust ourselves and others, enjoy life, accept credit for what we do, feel confident, be decisive, be assertive, communicate effectively and respect self and others.
4,700 of these children are in foster care, 410 in residential care with the remainder in other placements.
Could you foster a child? Tips for positive self esteem: • take time for yourself, exercise and eat healthily on a daily basis • set regular achievable goals by deciding what you want • replace negative self talk and self doubt with encouraging and positive messages like – I can, I will, I am able, I will succeed • develop positive attitudes. www.mentalhealthireland.ie
Reminders What vaccines do they need? At what age? Are boosters due? If so, when? Which ones have they had already? To solve these perennial problems, irishhealth.com offers an invaluable FREE service, the Child Vaccination Tracker Service. Just go on line and register each child under 18 years, giving date of birth. Total confidentially is assured. Reminders are sent to your e-mail when vaccinations are coming due and there is much valuable up-to-date information on vaccines.
Sadly, for one reason or another, it is sometimes just not possible for a child to remain in his or her home and, in these cases, foster care is the main form of alternative care provided by the HSE. Most people never even think of providing such long term help for a needy child, yet many of
you reading this would probably make very good foster parents. Do/did you interact well with your children’s friends? Do/did you take an active role in entertaining them? Can/could you deal calmly with minor crises like falls, cuts, arguments? Foster parents aren’t super-mums and –
dads. We just need loving, generous and, sometimes, patient people – its different from raising your own children but just as rewarding. As a foster parent, you would be part of an expert team. Each fostering family has two ‘LINK’ workers attached, expert social workers, one for the parent(s) and a separate one for the child. HSE also provides weekly funding: €312 for a child under 12 and €339
after. Normally this ends when the child reaches eighteen, but if the young person is in college or training, funding may continue. HSE wants the vulnerable children who need fostering to have the best possible chance of a normal life and takes very seriously its duty to ensure that potential foster parents are of sound character, so be prepared for a searching interview process.
The Irish Foster Care Association works in partnership with HSE – see info@ifca.ie. The staff there are very friendly, helpful and delighted to chat with you. You can call them on 01 296 1083.
18 THE WAITING ROOM MAGAZINE | AUTUMN 2009
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parenting Back-to-school time marks the beginning of the weeks when your children will start to bring home new friends, most of whom you will like, but it’s also the time when they may bring home some very unwelcome guests – head lice and bowel worms.
Creepy-Crawlies Getting Rid of Head Lice! Tips from Parents “The obvious I suppose is to keep the hair tied back and as short if possible.” “Even after I’d treated my daughter and fine combed (a million times) there were still dead eggs in her hair! The only thing I could do was pick them out myself (one by one) hence the term ‘nit-picking’. Luckily, as my daughter was 6ish I was able to plait her hair as I was picking them out so she didn’t mind, knowing she’d have crinkles the next day.”
another during head-to-head contact. Admittedly, with today’s better housing standards, these parasites are not as plentiful as before but they’ve
been around forever, and they haven’t gone away. As only a third of people with infestations have itchy scalps, careful weekly inspections are recommended. You may not actually see the lice but their eggs (nits) usually turn up on a trawl with a fine-tooth comb. There are several good remedies available. I know of one house where ‘the shampoo’ is used once a month anyway, just in case. You can’t pick up lice from your pets – they have their specific lice and we have ours. Bowel worms are probably even less common today than head lice. They come in two forms – tape-worms, which are acquired by eating underdone beef or pork, and roundworms which are passed literally from hand to mouth.
20 THE WAITING ROOM MAGAZINE | AUTUMN 2009
Worm-eggs are passed from the host’s body with the stools and, with poor sanitary practices, especially not washing the hands after using the toilet, eggs can adhere to the fingers and pass on to food much later. The hands should always be thoroughly washed before eating because, at some point, you could have picked up worm eggs from someone else, just by normal contact, shaking hands, exchanging money, people passing you the salt, etc. Again, routine worming with any of several available products is recommended. Some worms of dogs and cats can cause serious problems in man so it is most important to keep pets wormed on a very regular basis. And, remember, animals use their tongues to clean themselves all over, so be just a bit careful about the closeness of your contact with them. From a health point of view, being licked (kissed) by your dog is probably not the wisest move.
“Try covering the hair with parrafin gel (available in any chemist), put on a shower hat and let them go to bed in it. In the morning wash out and fine comb. It needs to be done for three to four nights to get rid of eggs and all. Labour intensive maybe but successful.” "My home made remedy is olive oil – just leave it in the hair and keep fine combing. My daughter suffers from this endlessly – it’s awful.” "We swear by RobiComb, a little comb with an electronic buzzer that goes off when it picks up lice or eggs. You keep combing until you don’t hear any buzzes any more.” “I go through my kids’ hair twice a week, and keep the head lice at bay. Problem lies with other kids in school whose parents are not vigilant!” The information for these tips are a compilation of advice and suggestions for helpful remedies from visitors to RollerCoaster.ie discussion boards – it is not a substitute for medical advice.
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COURTESY OF VINCENT S. SMITH, NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM, LONDON
H
ead lice live on the scalp and feed by sucking blood. They can’t fly or jump so they spread by crawling from one host to
lifestyle
Walk of Life
Fancy gyms and clubs are great for those who live nearby and can afford them but, for the rest of us, walking is one of the best forms of exercise; it’s extremely healthy and benefits general fitness, weight, blood pressure, cardiac health, bone density, joint mobility, muscle and God knows what else; there’s even a mental dividend: it gives time to think and reflect, important in the modern stressful world. See ‘A Handy Guide to Walking for a Healthier Heart’ on healthpromotion.ie
Walking is free, always available and safe – provided you use your head. Walking about during the day doesn’t count. To benefit, you need to walk purposefully and routinely. One way to encourage this is to earmark a regular period each day. Better still, hook up with a fellow-walker – you won’t want to be the one to cry off and each of you will push the other. You’ll need suitable footwear and comfortable, lightweight, waterproof clothing, preferably of a highly visible colour, with reflective strips for night. Buying the gear before you actually get going is not as silly as it sounds; if you’ve already spent the cash, you’re more likely to stick with it, even after the initial enthusiasm passes. Of course if you have a medical condition, check first with your GP. After that, it’s just common sense. Start slowly and build gradually on distance, speed and difficulty; do warm-ups and warm-downs;
avoid dangerous areas; let someone know your route and times; carry a phone; on long walks, take water and a snack; use a walking stick if it suits you; remember, on windy days, or with earphones, you may not hear warning horns, bells or shouts, though the traffic may assume that you have. Aim for at least an hour a day. Opinions differ as to whether this should be done in one chunk or is just as good in several shorter bouts. It helps to set yourself a goal. The Irish Heart Foundation’s ‘Slí na Sláinte Challenge’ awards a silver ‘Slí’ pin for walkers who log 500km, while those who log 1,000km receive a gold one. Of course, walking isn’t a cure-all – diet and dealing with smoking and/or alcohol are also vital. Some progress to power-walking, a whole different thing, best not undertaken without expert advice. It’s your body. ‘Take steps’ – lots of them! – to keep it healthy.
Six of the best... Ireland’s National Parks For those who enjoy outdoor pursuits, Ireland’s six National Parks offer magnificent facilities in the most spectacular settings in the country. Strung out along the west coast – apart from The Wicklow Mountains National Park on the east coast – the main purpose of these large tracts of land is conservation of both landscape and flora and fauna. Each Park provides the visitor with individual experiences of Ireland’s timeless heritage. Managed by The National Parks and Wildlife Service, entrance is free. Outdoor activities include, walking, nature trails, hill-walking, rock-climbing, horse-riding, water-sports, fishing, orienteering, cycling, picnicking, though not all parks provide the full range. Visitors are advised to phone ahead if they wish to indulge in any activity other than just visiting.
Killarney National Park in Co Kerry contains The Lakes of Killarney, and the Killarney Oakwoods, the largest remaining area of Ireland’s ancient oakwoods. Red deer roam the uplands, the last wild herd of native large mammals. The Park is also home to aspects of cultural heritage such as Muckross House, now housing the Kerry folk-life museum, Muckross Abbey and Ross Castle. (10,289 hectares) 064 35960 Glenveagh National Park in Co Donegal, lies along the Derryveagh mountains in the northwest of County Donegal. It consists of mountain, bogs, lakes and woods and is divided by the valley of Glenveagh. It has two Statutory Nature Reserves – Lough Barra Bog and Meenachullion Bog. (16,958 hectares) 074 9137090
Connemara National Park in Co Galway. Rugged quartzite and schist terrain of north Connemara, stretching from sea level at Letterfrack up the slopes and over some of the peaks of the Twelve Bens mountains. The nucleus of a herd of native deer has been re-introduced, and there is also a herd of Connemara ponies. (2,957 hectares) 095 41054 The Burren National Park in Co Clare, includes all the main habitats typical of the Burren area – limestone pavement, hazel scrub, deciduous woodland, lakes, turloughs, springs, fen and limestone grassland. Many of the flowers growing in narrow fissures on the limestone terraces are rare elsewhere and the combination of plants usually found in southern Europe is remarkable. (1,673 hectares) 065 6822694
Wicklow Mountains National Park in Co Wicklow. Include the Glendalough valley and the 2 Nature Reserves located there, Glendalough Wood and Glenealo Valley, as well as the areas of the central uplands, including the internationally important Liffey Head Bog and adjoining lands north-east of the Sally Gap. (15,925 hectares) 0404 45656 Ballycroy National Park in Co. Mayo. Atlantic blanket bog in the Owenduff/ Nephin Beg area of North West Mayo. Ireland’s western blanket bogs are the most important remaining in Western Europe and north-west Mayo contains some of the most extensive examples. The area of the National Park is a candidate Special Area of Conservation and part of the Natura 2000 network. (11,800 hectares) 098 49888
During Heritage Week a number of the Parks have organised recreational events – see www.heritageweek.ie or contact the Parks directly. For further information, see www.npws.ie
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AUTUMN 2009 | THE WAITING ROOM MAGAZINE 21
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Its position, right in the middle of the narrow ‘waist’ of the Mediterranean, made
sons, many visitors from our northern islands feel very much at ease in Malta and Gozo. The different occupiers have left a fascinating architectural legacy, and it a vastly important naval base, so the Maltese Islands were occu- the famous prehistoric temples scattered throughout the islands pied by a succession of world powers almost continuously, up are the oldest man-made standto recently. Despite this, Malta’s ing structures in the world. Ggantijja (Jig-an-tee-a) on Gozo culture and language have remained intact. The British were is the oldest of all. Though Malta is not rich in the last occupiers – invited in beaches, the incredible historical 1800 to expel the unpopular record it holds makes for a really French – and so English is fascinating holiday. To start, visit widely spoken and British cusThe Malta Experience, a multitoms are still evident; they even media show in Valletta, Malta’s drive on the left. For these rea-
Malahide, Co Dublin
O1 845 3600 22 THE WAITING ROOM MAGAZINE | AUTUMN 2009 www.kingtravel.ie
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travel Staying Home Sixty miles south of Sicily, Malta is Europe’s southernmost state
Malta and Gozo
Places you’ve been meaning to visit... so do! by Breandan O’Scanaill Holy Cross Abbey This Abbey, near Thurles, Co. Tipperary, was a Cistercian Abbey founded around 1180 by Donall Mór O’Brien, King of Munster. It was originally built to house a relic of the True Cross, from which it takes its name. Built on the typical Cistercian plan, it was renovated extensively during the 15th century. It contains many interesting features, including some richly-carved sedila, or altar seats, bearing the coats of arms of England and the Butlers, earls of Ormond. There are also some fragments of wall paintings. The abbey was restored in the 1970’s.
National Museum of Ireland, Kildare Street Established by statute in 1877, the museum began to collect important works internationally and soon built up a fine display of Mediterranean and Indo-European artefacts. But it was after the amalgamation of the Royal Dublin Society and the Royal Irish Academy that the collection really began to grow in importance, and it now houses the finest Irish archaeological treasures, including the Ardagh Chalice, the Tara Brooch and Derrynaflan Hoard. Its early Celtic gold collection is unique.
Giants Causeway
16th Century capital. This gives you a potted history and sets you up for a fulfilling tour of the many beautiful and impressive sites and sights. Like all Mediterraneans, the Maltese are colourful and boisterously noisy, and a visit to a village ‘festa’ is a must. Every weekend in summer, there’s at least one village saint, and probably several, being feted, and, above the thronged pjazza (village square), narrow streets packed with happy crowds, marching bands and holy statues, the black-velvet skies glitter
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with incredible fireworks. There are many good hotels and fine restaurants on both islands, and nightlife, mainly in Paceville (Paatch-a-vil), Buggibba (Budge-ibba) and Sliema on Malta, and in Xlendi (Shlend-ee) and Marsalforn on Gozo, lacks for nothing. On Sunday mornings, markets under the bastions of Valletta and at Marsaxlokk (Marsa-shlock) (more fish and produce), are both worth a visit. By mid-May, most of Malta’s vegetation has succumbed to the heat but, in winter, the
abundant wildflowers are quite beautiful. July to mid-September is the hottest time, with high humidity. Winter days can be cold if the wind is from the north, sweeping down over the frozen Alps and Apennines, or hot if the wind is coming up from the Sahara, a mere 200 miles further south. Gozo is smaller, greener, quieter and less developed. So far. Malta is not cheap, but it’s well worth it. Air-fares have dropped considerably and there are no particular health precautions required to go to Malta.
One of the most distinctive geological features in Ireland, or indeed anywhere, this volcanic formation is located on the Causeway Coast north-west of Portrush, Co. Antrim. It was formed some 60 million years ago in the Tertiary period. The honeycomb structure of the basaltic lava columns was brought about by the cooling and contraction of the lava. Various parts of the Causeway have been give fanciful names, depending on their shape. The name, Giant’s Causeway, reflects the ancient belief that it was constructed by Fionn Mac Cumhaill who wanted to do battle with his Scottish rival, Fingal.
Cliffs of Moher Rising a sheer 196m from Co Clare’s foaming Atlantic coast to the north of Liscannor Bay, these awe-inspiring cliffs have a most dramatic profile. They date from the Carboniferous period and the flagstones, shale and grits of which they are formed give them a layered look; this can best be appreciated on the many sea stacks just out from the cliffs. Seabirds abound, including puffins, razorbills, fulmars and guillemots. The cliffs afford wonderful views of the Aran Islands, and of the Connemara and Kerry mountains, and have been shortlisted for nomination as one of the Seven Wonders of the modern world.
AUTUMN 2009 | THE WAITING ROOM MAGAZINE 23
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skin deep
Beauty
by Maureen Corbett
is only skin deep... thankfully! Peasants and royalty alike have sought the perfect skin complexion for centuries. No substance or ingredient was omitted from the lotions and potions, including animal dung, viper soup and human blood.
Ancient Egyptians used animal dung to cure skin conditions and skin problems
In Ancient Egypt, an early treatment for psoriasis was the application of cat faeces. Other skin care treatments included goose oil and semen, wasp droppings in sycamore milk and soup made from vipers!
In Ancient Rome, people applied a strong smelling facial preparation at night made from the sweat extracted from sheepswool
In 17th century Britain, one treatment for acne recommended taking two young puppies, before their eyes were open, chopping their heads off and hanging them up by the heels to drain their blood. The blood was then mixed with white wine and applied to the affected areas
In Elizabethan times raw meat was applied to the face to minimise wrinkles
A common treatment for eczema, gangrene and fungal skin infections in Ancient India and China was to immerse the sufferer in a bath of cold human urine
In Japan the Geisha smeared excreta from nightingales to the face for a clear complexion
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BLOOD COUNTESS In 1610 Elizabeth Bathory (The Blood Countess), sister of the King of Poland, believed that the blood of young virgins contained the elixir vitae (source of youth and beauty). She secretly murdered around 300 young handmaidens in a hidden passageway in her castle and smeared her skin with their blood. SKIN WHITENING In Elizabethan times the Tudor ideal of pure beauty was a woman with a snow-white complexion and red cheeks and lips. Queen Elizabeth 1, in keeping with this belief, applied a ‘skin whitening’ makeup called ceruse, which was a mixture of powdered eggshells, poppy seeds, borax, white lead and vinegar. The lead unfortunately, was highly poisonous and eventually ate into her skin, resulting in severe skin damage and hair loss! ASSES’ MILK Egypt’s fabled queen, Cleopatra, took baths in asses’ milk as it was believed to render the skin more delicate and to preserve its whiteness. Legend has it that the milk of 700 asses was required to fill her daily bath!
“...and eventually ate into her skin...” AUTUMN 2009 | THE WAITING ROOM MAGAZINE 25
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ACROSS 1 Battle with a ‘beam’ end (6) 4 Type of herring makes up most of boat's captain (7) 8 Order I’ve made, straight at the beginning (9) 10 Unyielding (5) 11 A string is confused by looking at it for a long time (7) 13 Somehow aspire to speak highly of? (6) 15 See her on set or on stage? (7) 16 Using old mowing implements, cuts a clean swathe through (7) 19 Farewell and get what sounds like a bargain! (7) 22 A tool which is good unless it gets in the works! (7)
24 'The - - - - - - cometh’ Play by Eugene O'Neill. Anagram of cinema (6) 25 No different in army clothing? (7) 28 The creme de la creme (5) 29 Washerwoman (9) 31 Stir up a famous London art gallery in the end? (7) 32 Entertains (6)
6 Shingle stirred up by language? (7) 7 Enemy or rival? (9) 9 Does one who is this feel the need for a drink? (7) 12 Sharp taste or smell (5) 14 Look like the pub did well when it haggled (9) 17 What is written under the picture (7) 18 Got an entanglement for the South American dance? (5) 20 A way in? Or out? (7) DOWN 21 None more courageous 1 Verdi opera giving help at than the one with two the beginning? (4) items of underwear! (7) 2 Is this ahead of the rest? 23 Helper in the clerical (5) sense? (6) 3 Car crash on part of the 26 Dances on fishing rods? circle? (3) (5) 4 Wild and untamed (6) 27 Requests (4) 5 Depict. A type of wine 30 Mother could be across first then a flat fish (7) the river (3)
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BIG CASH
ANSWERS Brain Teaser Brenda turns on two of the three switches, waits a minute, then turns off one of those two. She then goes to the attic. The switch she left on will be for the bulb still lighting. The switch she turned on and then off after a minute will be for the bulb that is dark but still warm to the touch. The switch she didn’t touch will be for the bulb that is dark and cold. Body Wise 1 Middle Ear 2 Thorax and Abdomen 3 Hair 4 Larynx 5 Trachea 6 Towards 7 Kneecap 8 Femur 9 Hormones 10 Scapula
CROSSWORD
SEE THE
LIGHT An electrician has installed three lights in Brenda's attic, with a switch for each, two floors below, in the hall. Unfortunately, he has neglected to mark which switch is for which light so Brenda decides to do it herself. None of the bulbs is visible from outside the attic, but, because of a bad hip, Brenda can only make one, single trip up there.
Body Wise
Do you know your body? 1 Where, in your body, is there a hammer? 2 What two body compartments are separated by the diaphragm? 3 If a person suffers from alopaecia, what does s/he not have? 4 What is the correct term for your Adam’s Apple? 5 What is the correct term for your windpipe? 6 Is the flow of blood in a vein towards or away from the heart? 7 What is the common name for the patella? 8 What is the correct name for the longest bone in your body? 9 What substances are studied by an endocrinologist? 10 What is the technical name for the shoulder blade?
HELP TO SUPPORT YOUR CONCENTRATION
How does she mark the switches correctly?
SUDOKU 9
Fill in the grid so that each row, column and 3x3 square contain all the digits from 1 to 9
3 3
2 1
8
9 5 1 7 7 4 3 2
7 5 6 9 6 8 2
4
WIN c500 CASH ACROSS 1 Medical man with medical problems gets dentists’ instruments (6) 5 Covering an animal, was in the lead, but rolled up (6) 10 Take a drop of wine and get back up? (7) 11 Widespread use of wellcamouflaged man-trap? (7) 12 Like a desert raid gone wrong? (4) 13 Dream about having a weapon (5) 15 How to cause a storm in a 25 Across, or at least a whirlpool? (4) 17 The head is inclined to agree that number 500 is correct. (3) 19 At the end of a fast time, steer a complicated course? (6) 21 Having sorted debris, misses no more (6) 22 Be judged to have been given a severe scolding? (7) 23 Bought out of confinement or sick in bed? (6) 25 Leaves in such a vessel, possibly from Ceylon (3-3) 28 Appear in a film or play about a cat? (3)
for delivering babies? (6) 14 March on in loose formation, being head of state? (7) 16 Reel in black leader, as he’s anti-establishment (5) 18 More than a request to have an alternative colour returned? (5) 20 Mild shade for a girl? (3) 21 After the first letter from Athens, you can put money on it that you’ll get all the letters (3) 23 Inquire in 21 down if you DOWN can have a container for your shopping (6) 2 The salesman is not truthful in his answers (7) 24 They are from another 3 It turns up an implement country; I’m involved in that’s been stolen (4) sport. (7) 4 About turn as the heavenly 26 Delighted to have a cleaner body appears? (6) lady doctor? (7) 5 Shaped like the first person 27 Might an old writer attempt in a car? (6) some verse? (6) 6 Sounds like a poem for the 28 Trees like writers? (6) young. By Frost? (4) 29 Was inclined to be looked 7 With difficulty, a decent law after? (6) was put through parliament. (7) 33 Came around like you and I came around, alright? (4) 8 All that’s left of an oriental country (6) 34 It’s just a lake, nothing 9 Are they the bearers of bills more. (4) 30 Takes all ones strength to pass around this (4) 31 Pale like a chicken? (5) 32 The price of a ticket from the Far East? (4) 35 Peer with honour at the listener’s fleshy bottom! (3-4) 36 Wild red mare for one who might have a nightmare? (7) 37 Consider the value of having a ship on the stormy seas. (6) 38 Fears the consequences of sadder complications? (6)
DIDN’T GET TIME TO FINISH? NO WORRIES! THIS MAGAZINE IS YOURS TO TAKE
5
1
All competitions are open to readers aged 18 or over, who are resident in the Republic of Ireland, except employees and their families of The Waiting Room Magazine, its printers, or anyone connected with the competition. The magazine cannot be responsible for entries lost, delayed or damaged in the post. Proof of postage cannot be accepted as proof of delivery. Any number of entries will be accepted. Winners will be the senders of the first four correct entries to be drawn at random after the closing date. The winners will be notified by post, and only their names and the county in which they live may be published in the next issue of the magazine. All personal information obtained through entry into this competition will be destroyed following its completion. Entry implies acceptance of these rules.
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MAKE SURE YOU ARE IN WITH THE CHANCE TO Simply send us your completed crossword, with your name, address and contact information to THE WAITING ROOM MAGAZINE PRIZE CROSSWORDS, Northampton, Kinvara, Co Galway before 17 October 09.
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AUTUMN 2009 | THE WAITING ROOM MAGAZINE 27
kidz-bitz.,
STARS
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did you know...
ANSWER: A RIVER AND
A TOWEL
28 THE WAITING ROOM MAGAZINE | AUTUMN 2009
Nothin aved it just w
Lighthouses have been used for centuries – The Great Lighthouse of Alexandria in Egypt was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World – but they remained little changed until the mid-19th Century. Initially, buoys only had bells to warn mariners at night: the difficulty lay in designing an oil-lamp which could burn while unattended and not be extinguished by waves and storms. Then, Dublin-based inventor, John Richardson Wigham (18291906), invented the Oil32Day Light. This would burn solidly for 32 days and it was mounted on Not to be buoys in harbours and on towers. Later, a confused more sophisticated gas version was made, with his cousin the then mirrors were added, and Rockabill, shipbuilder off the coast of Dublin, beJohn Wigha came the first ever ‘group m Richardson! flashing’ lighthouse, that is one with a signature flash pattern. Wigham made What type many other inventions of house for maritime safety. His weighs the 32-day oil lamp is in least? the National Maritime Museum of Ireland. A lighthouse
thing e m o s draw ious here delic
What gets wetter and wetter the more it dries?
id What dan e c the o he say to t se? lighthoug;
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Simplex Crossword Answers ACROSS: 1 affray 4 skipper 8 directive 10 rigid 11 staring 13 praise 15 actress 16 scythes 19 goodbye 22 spanner 24 iceman 25 uniform 28 elite 29 laundress 31 agitate 32 amuses DOWN: 1 aida 2 first 3 arc 4 savage 5 portray 6 english 7 adversary 9 thirsty 12 acrid 14 bargained 17 caption 18 tango 20 opening 21 bravest 23 curate 26 reels 27 asks 30 dam
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AUTUMN 2009 | THE WAITING ROOM MAGAZINE 29
in my own words
Kate O’Toole My father was giving his Petruchio in The Taming of the Shrew, which, performed in full, begins with a rag-tag assemblage of strolling players who have been travelling the country looking for places to set up their tent. It was decided that this troupe should include a babe in arms, and thus I made my stage début, began a lifetime of living on the road.
30 THE WAITING ROOM MAGAZINE | AUTUMN 2009
In his Divine Comedy, Dante describes exile as a form of living death: You will leave everything you love most This is the arrow that the bow of exile Shoots first. You will know how salty Another’s bread tastes and how hard it Is to ascend and descend another’s stairs... People go to considerable lengths to ameliorate this effect. Wilson, Keppel and Betty, the British Music Hall act famous for their popular sand-dancing routine, were once invited to perform in Las Vegas. They packed their costumes, favourite biscuits and tea – and brought their own sand as well. Just in case. I’m no match for Wilson, Keppel and Betty in the anxiety department but I too now bring a couple of familiar items with me when I travel, for the dressing rooms at work, and even when staying at the ritziest hotels. A mug, a bit of music, pictures I choose to live with and which cover the ones I don’t. Yet none of this really makes me feel at home. We don’t exercise as much control over the habits and familiarities that create a sense of homeliness as we like to imagine we do. Thus it comes as no surprise that, appalling as it is, I feel most secure and comfortable whenever I’m in transit. It’s not that I don’t have a perfectly nice house to live in, but my true home lies somewhere in the wholly disproportionate sense of bliss felt when being on the road. Repeated so often, the habit has become a source of solace. When she’s not travelling, Kate O’Toole lives in Co Galway, ‘in the second last house in Europe.’ Daughter of actors Peter O’Toole and Sian Phillips, Kate is, herself, an award-winning actress, and works in theatre, television and film. She also, somehow, finds time to write.
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COPYRIGHT © KATE O’TOOLE
Actors are curiously in exile in their own land. Judy Garland’s Vicky Lester sang that she was “born in a trunk in the Princess Theatre in Pocatello, Idaho” and from there moved on to live in a “crazy world of dressing rooms and hotel rooms and waiting rooms and rooms behind the scenes”. I made my entrance with considerably less pizzazz in a Stratford-upon-Avon maternity home somewhere near the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. Yet no sooner had I arrived ’home’ to my parents’ temporary lodgings behind the theatre, I was brought into their workplace and did in fact spend quite some time in dressing rooms or tucked into capacious wicker baskets in the costume department. My father was giving his Petruchio in The Taming of the Shrew, which begins with a rag-tag assemblage of strolling players who have been travelling the country. It was decided that this troupe should include a babe in arms, and thus I made my stage début, began a lifetime of living on the road. My mother describes a moment when, aged three, I was accompanying her as she played the UK provinces. We arrived at our digs in Manchester and I made an experienced beeline for the bed in order to test the mattress. Finding it lumpy and hard, I apparently passed judgement with a weary “Oh f***”. Mother says it was then she began to question the sanity of our domestic arrangements.
My first professional engagement in the eighties found me travelling the length and breadth of Ireland with Brian Friel’s theatrical and literary company, Field Day. Stephen Rea played my husband and, already an established actor, could afford to lay his hat in nice hotels. Or perhaps they were nasty hotels; the point is they weren’t lowly lodgings like mine. Nowadays, even the shabbiest B&B has to provide an en-suite bathroom, but back then, there were no such niceties. One thing those B&Bs took great pride in was their ability to have their guests awake to a Full Irish Heart-Attack Platter. Not what you wanted if a) you were up all night drinking post-show whiskeys with Messrs. Friel and Rea, and b) you’re a vegetarian. Having made a spectacle of myself by requesting cornflakes during a mid-tour stay at the chilly Mon Repose Guest House in Sligo, I ventured frigidly into the front parlour one bitter February morning to receive the blessed sacrament of the cornflake, pausing to wish the elderly man of the house a good day as I entered. He was sitting in his usual spot, a greasy old armchair in front of the turf fire next to which you would normally find a sofa but, this being a B&B, it had been replaced with a postage-stamp sized table for two lone guests to have breakfast while the man of the house read his newspaper and coughed up a lot of sputum. Never a keen conversationalist, he completely ignored me this particular morning. I sat with my back to his armchair and started crunching on the noisy cornflakes. Horrendously loud in the absence of any small talk. No newspaper rustling, no sputum. The sky blackened, and as the heavens opened I made a flaccid attempt at conversation by remarking on the sudden deluge outside the window. Again no answer. I turned around from time to time, trying to make eye contact, elicit some form of response. Then after a longer stare at those glassy, open eyes I understood. He was stone cold dead. Mon Repose indeed. I was having my healthy breakfast with a corpse.
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Local Attractions and Things to Do
Local Attractions and Things to Do
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Clifden Station House Museum, Dan O’Hara Homestead, Connemara Smokehouse Tours, Clifden Castle, Derryinver Standing Stones, Kylemore Abbey, Inis Boffin Island, Alcock & Browne Drive and Walk Tours, Roundstone, Dog’s Bay and Station House Theatre
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