FREE
TWO LOVELY BLACK EYES
MAN IN SEARCH OF MID-LIFE CRISIS
BUTT OUT!
MEET CHINA’S LIVING ICON P.26
TRAVELS CAMBODIA ON A MOTORBIKE P.14
‘QUITTING IS PRACTICALLY PAINLESS THESE DAYS’ DR PAT
P.5
Autumn 2011 * Issue Nine
THE SPREAD OF OBESITY TASTY WEAPONS IN THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE P.20
THE PAIN DRAIN EXAMINING ACHES AND PAINS FROM HEAD TO TOE P.11
THE ‘SACRED’ DISEASE NEUROLOGIST, DR COLIN DOHERTY, ON EPILEPSY P.18
SPECIAL REPORT
A‘GROWING’ MARKET Seasoned Campaigner: Two-year-old Beauty Queen, Savanha from Nashville P.8
PLUS BOB QUINN, TERRY FLANAGAN, RECIPES, PUZZLES AND MORE
WWW.WAITINGROOM.IE
EDITOR’S LETTER
inside autumn 2011
Question: What do the GAA and Englishman, Graeme Parish (26), have in common?
And...
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es Hotel, Answer: Hay GAA e h T . Thurles fe there began its li Parish e em ra and G ended his.
e: with • Commonsens and ct ta in its your w drive, your ability to want, u yo re he w to go assisted, to get home un t to no etc., it’s hard u’re nnection conclude that yo better But there the co us birth of r fa io a or guaranteed ends. The gl d a benefitime sober; the GAA has ha lives of e le complain cial effect on th orious end • Logic: peop in Fair gl in if a character millions; the acute om oking, fr e lif e’s em City is seen sm g of the of Gra niiro – g in in th on no is k yet thin alcohol po cials durebrated’ his alcohol commer get all cally, as he ‘cel absolutely or , es ks ak ea m br – e y th ing birthda meone anyone worked up if so while no difference to o young t, tw in s jo hi a es om fr ok t sm apar kenness. s family. accepting drun children and hi en forgotev ly You’d probab ht? sitive What about po ten his name, rigI’m fed , st ne ? ho es To be incentiv cheaper car against the up fulminating cohol abuse • Signif icantly n-drinkers? al insurance for no cases, acceptance of d being in an • Judges, in certated drinkin our society, a Puritan g ic in nv be co g of d rin se fe of cu ac choice e only two drivers the stark up, their – as if there wer le and dull, ve gi op to pe of which types, nice r driving? Puritans drinking or thei boring, teetotal r the sad te af so (yawn) – Mr Parish e are dangers Of course, ther ing smart self-sacrif ice of the status irk of – hordes of sm the breaks upon the altar consider guys availing of eping up quo, I began to mbating while secretly kelearly there other ways of co nal mindC tio na s ou in their drinking. sanctions the ru s no nurturwould have to be hery, like set that require of the ac ts against such tre inal altering by the gian , who just ig ry or st e du th g in doublin alcohol ent, or a ket share. native punishm cheaperfight over mar e th r fo ne fi hefty r. ste at ud th fra es e insuranc Approach has to be But something Parish’s haven’t worked: ctions: e ri done. Ask Graem a new • Negative rest ch are ed hi ne (w e W age-limits children. not incenyway), not enforced an t a approach so why behaviour? no le is sib ch on hi sp (w re price tivise ing time problem), clos t servno (another joke), have ing people who much naill already had too n down Maurice O’Sca lle (i.e. actually fa ey); R O IT ED on or run out of m
Features
08 Growing Pains, Growing Business
Patricia McHale on how childhood innocence is being sexualised away by big business for profit
14 Banksman
Brendan Dolan swaps running the banks of Ireland for biking on the banks of Cambodia’s Mekong River
Health
11 The Pain Drain
How chronic pain affects more than just our comfort. What can we do about it?
18 The 'Sacred' Disease
09 The Wild Man of RTE
Terry Flanagan takes us out into the fields and gardens to look at butterflies and explains why they were once thought to be witches!
26 Two Lovely Black Eyes But are China's pandas suffering more than just black eyes? Vet, Claire Greene, investigates.
28 A Day in the Life of a
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Stone Age family group in Ireland. Archaeologist, Michael Gibbons, takes us back before history began.
30 The Mighty Quinn
Bob Quinn casts a jaundiced eye over life in general, attacking a few golden calves en route.
29 Crossword
Win a fabulous hotel break away in Clifden!
Neurologist, Colin Doherty, on Epilepsy, past, present and future.
20 The 'Spread' of Obesity Nutritionist, Jess Keane, answers readers’ questions on ‘weighting’ around (the middle).
Summer 2011 Winners: SpringBoost Competition: Sinead O’Gorman, Galway and Debra Devereux, Bridgetown, Wexford Hotel Break: Mary Devery, Tullamore, Co Offaly; Pat Coombe, Cavan Town; Rosemarie Mangan, Belmullet, Co. Mayo; Catherine Lyons, Farranfore, Co Kerry. La Roche Posay: Kathleen McCallion, Falcarragh, Co Donegal; Katie Magee, Cootehill, Co Cavan; Jarlath Walsh, Newmarket-on-Fergus, Co Clare; Sinead Boyle, Tramore, Co. Waterford; Crossword: Gerard Hickey, Killarney, Co Kerry Wordsearch: Laura Burke, Lisdoonvarna, Co. Clare
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AUTUMN 2011 | THE WAITING ROOM MAGAZINE
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notebook YOUR RIGHTS MEDICINE
Healthcare Guaranteed?
Andre Corvin Photography
In June, Amnesty International launched a campaign for a Right to Health in Ireland.
Although the right to health exists under international law, successive Irish governments have failed to deliver on those commitments. “A real right to health in Ireland would mean that no matter who you are, or what you can afford, you will be taken care of when you get sick,” said Colm O’Gorman of Amnesty International Ireland, who launched the campaign with RTÉ’s Miriam O’Callaghan. “Almost 250,000 people living in, or at risk of, poverty, do not have a Medical Card. Private insurance costs have gone up by 45 per cent since 2004 and you are twice as likely to have a chronic illness if you are poor. One in five of us experience delays or are denied access to healthcare because of cost. Many find ourselves choosing between seeing the doctor and paying their bills. This is not a system that protects our human rights. But a right to health is also about accountability, about making sure we spend our limited resources effectively, putting the poorest and most marginalised first. The current debate around healthcare reform is a once in a lifetime chance to get our healthcare system right.” You can support Amnesty International’s campaign by logging on to amnesty.ie/health.
Cystic Fibrosis New screening for newborns
A tiny drop of blood drawn from a newborn infant’s heel can be screened for several rare conditions, thus enabling doctors to begin appropriate treatment at the earliest stages. To these has now been added a test for Cystic Fibrosis, a rare disease that has a relatively high prevalence in Ireland. Dr. Kevin Kelleher, Head of Health Protection and Child Health, HSE, welcomed the addition: ‘Screening for cystic fibrosis, along with the existing five conditions, aids early detection and helps babies to begin treatment as soon as possible.’ Parents with newborns should check newbornscreening.ie for further valuable information.
MEDICINE
Natural Born Killers Nature has long provided us with some of our most effective medicines, usually through plant chemicals that are actually highly poisonous. Here are a few, an ABCD list.
Atropine comes from the plant, Atropa belladonna, ‘Deadly Nightshade’ to you and me. The ‘belladonna’ part comes from the Italian, bella (beautiful) donna (woman), because Renaissance women would put the juice of Deadly Nightshade berries in their eyes to dilate their pupils and thus make themselves beautiful. More likely blind them in strong light! Atropine has many uses in medicine and is an essential part of any pharmacy but, in overdose, it is a deadly poison. Patients poisoned with atropine are said to be hot as a hare,
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blind as a bat, dry as a bone, red as a beet, and mad as a hatter. Botox®. The name comes from Botulinum toxin, the most powerful neurotoxin ever identified. It is produced by a bacterium called Clostridium botulinum and causes a fatal muscle paralysis when eaten, even in minute amounts. Highly diluted injections of the toxin are used therapeutically, most notably to reduce wrinkles, but also for non-cosmetic purposes as widely different as preventing migraine, decreasing sweating and correcting squints. Curare, used clinically as a muscle relaxant in anaesthesia, is a poison derived from various plants of Central and South America. It was used in hunting by indigenous peoples who would dip their arrows and blow-darts in it before shooting at their prey.
THE WAITING ROOM MAGAZINE | AUTUMN 2011
Paralysis of the muscles would result and, once the muscles of respiration were paralysed, the animal or bird suffocated. Widely regarded as primitive, the Amazon natives were smart enough to know that it was safe to eat an animal that had been killed by curare because the drug must penetrate the skin barrier to reach the blood; it is not absorbed from the digestive tract. Digitalis. This product of plants of the Foxglove family has been used to regulate heart rate since the mid 18thC, though its use has been largely discontinued due to the development of more suitable, less toxic preparations. Every part of the foxglove plant is poisonous, even when it is dead and dried. Luckily, animals rarely eat it and human deaths are usually accidental, people mistaking the plant for comfrey and making a deadly tea with it! Unlike curare, the toxins in foxgloves are readily absorbed from the gut.
HEALTH
Sweet Music Usually associated with romantic settings, soothing music is being used by staff at The National Children’s Hospital, Tallaght, to calm patients undergoing scans. A 15-minute scan can cause high anxiety in some patients, often requiring sedation, but now, in certain cases, the MP4 player has taken the place of drugs, with encouraging results. Not only does music provide an effective alternative to sedation, but it is also free, familiar, painless to ‘administer’, has no adverse reactions, does not require experts to give it or monitor it, and it frees up beds. Dr Sarah Barrett says, ‘we are able to see more patients over shorter periods of time, so we are working more efficiently, which can only be considered very favourably.’ YOUR FREE COPY
notebook
Your Money orYour Life! Smoking burns up both, fast, so ICGP’s Dr Pat Harrold has some good advice on quitting.
t’s a fair bet that there are several patients in every doctor’s waiting room hoping they won’t be asked about their smoking habits. After years in practice, I’m well used to it – the uneasy grin, the roll of the eyes, the muttered “one or two”, the vague “I must think about giving them up someday.” Actually it’s all a bit of charade. I know who smokes: I can smell it. But I’m not making any moral judgements here; there are two reasons I ask. First, I need to know the dangers my patients are exposed too, and second, I need to tell them what help is available if they want to quit. The good news is that quitting is practically painless these days .The other good news is that your doctor will be delighted to help. But first you must get yourself into Contemplation Mode. If you have no intention of stopping smoking, you’re in PreContemplation Mode. This is like being in a somewhat dirty, dangerous unhealthy place, like you might have
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strayed into when you were younger, but, like the clothes you wore back then, or the music you listened to, you have outgrown the place. You may kid yourself that you still like it, but it really makes no sense to be there. So you start to plan your escape. Straightaway that decision puts you into Contemplation Mode. You start planning your journey, researching it; you ask advice, find companions planning the same journey; you avail of any help going.
SUNDAY IS A GOOD DAY My first recommendation is: ring 1850 201 203, the Smoking Quit Line run by the Irish Cancer Society. A charming expert will be delighted to talk you through the steps and the help available – inhalers, tablets, patches, whatever suits you. This expert will back you up by phone, text, post and e-mail. So you now have someone firmly in your corner.
THE NEWBORNS PITIFULLY CRYING THEIR LITTLE HEADS OFF ARE THE CHILDREN OF SMOKERS, DOING COLD TURKEY, MISSING THEIR NICOTINE FIX.
Eventually, you pick your day. Sundays are good, as you can divert from your ordinary habits and spend the day in bed, or climbing hills, or whatever, and you will already have that precious day down before returning to your weekly routine. But be sensible: don’t pick New Year’s Day if you’re going to a party that night. In fact, try to avoid what used to be known as occasions of sin (putting yourself in the way of temptation). Give yourself a good chance. You are now off on your journey. The craving for a cigarette only lasts seconds. If you take a few deep breaths it will pass. Then take a drink of water. You may feel a bit wired but this is the start of having a lot more energy, so avail of it from the start and get exercising. Cigarettes have a deadly, deadening affect and, when you free yourself from the shackles, you will be able for a lot more. You don’t have to eat more. Smokers have a habit of finishing meals early so they can light up but, with this stimulus to stop eating now gone, don’t plough on until everything is eaten. The journey can be rough, but you will notice the difference. It takes a little while but eventually you will finish the journey and reach a safer, healthier, less guilt–ridden place, where people no longer nag you and you have a lot more money. The main thing to guard against is complacency: you may be reformed, but it is fatal to think you can handle the odd sly puff – you’ll end up being whisked straight back to where you came from. The golden rule is: Don’t start but if you have started, stop. And if you have stopped, keep going. No man (or woman) is an island. In any neonatal ward, you can be sure that the newborns pitifully crying their little heads off are the children of smokers, doing cold turkey, missing their nicotine fix. Smoking continues to affect babies by injuring their tiny respiratory systems when they breath your fumes – even if you don’t smoke in front of them, the harmful substances ooze from your clothes and furnishings. When they get older, children don’t do what you say, they do what you do, and will follow you to the smoking place. So you don’t just damage yourself. Finally, don’t give your money to morally dubious tobacco giants. Save it for the kids. #
Dr Pat Harrold is a GP practising in Co. Tipperary.
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notebook RECORD BREAKER
Answer Ireland’s Call: Annalisa Flanagan, Co. Down, holder of the Guinness Book of Records for the world’s loudest shout, joined forces with former Ireland Rugby International Malcolm O’Kelly
World’s Loudest Shout Schoolmarm with a voice like a jet engine! Annalisa Flanagan, a primary school teacher from Belfast, holds the Guinness Book of Records for the World’s Loudest Shout! Ironically shouting ‘QUIET!’ – a word often used by teachers, Annalisa registered an astonishing 121.7 decibels, about the same as a jet engine or a rock
concert. You might wonder what practical purpose this talent could possibly have, but Annalisa’s shout was put to good use when ‘calling attention’ to the plight of those who live with chronic pain in April at the launch of Can You Feel My Pain? a new Europe-wide campaign which aims to raise awareness of chronic pain, supported by Chronic Pain Ireland and Pfizer Healthcare Ireland. Let’s hope the sufferers in the audience weren’t suffering from chronic earache! See chronicpain.ie
NEW INITIATIVE
The ICE Age Prompt Action Saves Lives – as long as it’s the correct action. With incapacitated patients arriving at A&Es all over the country, doctors must tread carefully until they find out things like blood-group, allergies, pre-existing medical conditions, medication, etc. This can waste precious time or be almost impossible if the patient is unidentified, unconscious or confused. To insure against delay, register your personal details and health history while you’re in full control of your senses. There are now several providers of this service. One is ICE365. For less than 50c per week, you can insure against delay in your treatment or informing your loved ones. The personal ID number you will always carry will allow medical professionals immediate 24/7 access to all relevant data held on a central secure data base. DO IT NOW! WWW.ICE356.IE
COVER Savanha, aged two, from Nashville, Tennessee. Photographed by Susan Anderson, and taken from her book, High Glitz, The Extravagant World of Child Beauty Pageants. Visit highglitz.com. THE WAITING ROOM MAGAZINE is produced and printed in Ireland EDITOR Maurice O’Scanaill maurice@waitingroom.ie MEDICAL EDITOR Dr Sophie Faherty PRODUCTION Helen Gunning helen@waitingroom.ie ADVERTISING Alex Xuereb alex@waitingroom.ie CONTRIBUTORS Dr Pat Harrold, Patricia McHale , Terry Flanagan, Dr John Ball, Brendan Dolan, Dr Colin Doherty, Jess Keane, Claire Greene, Michael Gibbons and Bob Quinn PRINT Boylan Print Group DISTRIBUTION An Post
CONTACT US The Waiting Room Magazine Northampton, Kinvara, Co Galway 091 638205 | info@waitingroom.ie Discover more at www.waitingroom.ie For news, updates, offers and competitions, join us on facebook.com/TheWaitingRoomMagazine
FREE SUBSCRIPTIONS HEARING
Hear and There The Induction Loop System
Wearers of hearing aids can get greatly enhanced ‘reception’ in areas fitted with an Induction Loop System, as shown by the symbol below. Widely used in public areas in Europe, the Loop System is gaining popularity in Ireland. The enhanced quality within the ‘loop’ includes reduction or even elimination of background noise, echo and distortion, and dispenses with the need for wearers to find special seating or otherwise draw attention to their impaired hearing. Only hearing aids fitted with T-coils can benefit from this technology but Celtic Hearing, one of the main suppliers of Loop Systems can upgrade older model hearing aids. Visit celtichearing.ie
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THE WAITING ROOM MAGAZINE | AUTUMN 2011
1,700 clinics already get Ireland’s FREE magazine for patients. Published quarterly, The Waiting Room Magazine is free to medical clinics and free for their patients to take home. Get your FREE delivery of The Waiting Room Magazine to your clinic... simply email your practice address and contact number to subscribe@waitingroom.ie or call 091638205. AUDIT BUREAU OF CIRCULATIONS Total Average Net Circulation 83,002 (JUL-DEC 2010)
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Hey Mister! COVER STORY SEXUALISATION OF CHILDREN
Leave Them
Patricia McHale warns against feeding our children into the insatiable jaws of a ruthless market that will exploit anyone for profit. ODAY, AS ALWAYS, ‘IT TAKES A VILLAGE TO REAR A CHILD.’ Many people think it’s
becoming more difficult in our global village, to be vigilant in protecting children from danger. Some hazards don’t change: we warn them about fire and watch what goes into their mouths, but, at the same time, expose them to new and insidious perils, like early sexualisation. ‘Sexualisation is the imposition of adult sexuality on to children and young people before they are capable of dealing with it, mentally, emotionally or physically.’ (Sexualisation of Young People Review, Dr. Linda Papadopoulos. 2010) Early sexualisation turns a child into a sex object, an outrageous thought, yet it’s happening right under our noses. We have beauty pageants for children; in the USA, approximately three million children, mainly girls, from babies to mid-teens, take part. This bizarre, glitzy world was highlighted during the widely publicised 1996 murder of beauty queen, JonBenét Ramsey (6). The first Irish child beauty pageant (organised by a UK company) took place in May 2011. With an entry fee of €110, it was open to ‘children’ aged from 0-21. [I thought childhood ended at 18, but the Miss Princess Ireland website disagrees].
children, who learn discipline and patience in the hours spent practising the right moves, smiles and level of eye contact needed to charm the judges. Children love dressing up and showing off, they claim, so what’s wrong with doing this in public with a chance of winning a prize? What’s the difference between taking part in a beauty pageant and playing sports competitively? [Well, one huge difference that strikes me immediately is that sport is open to all, whereas beauty pageants are confined to those who are, or who consider themselves to be, beautiful – check out Janis Ian’s 1975 hit song, ‘At Seventeen.’] At the time of writing, the venue for the next Irish pageant is being kept secret to deter paedophiles, a notoriously resourceful bunch. Outside beauty pageants, children also dress up: they wear wigs, fake tan and makeup for Irish dancing competitions, and flash gear for Hip-hop dancing classes and competitions which are very popular. The difference here is that the emphasis is on dancing skills, which are perfected only after hours of dedication, hard work and diligent practice (all very laudable traits to foster in our children), and not just the effortless cashing-in on a natural, and entirely superficial, gift of birth.
The children were judged in sportswear, formal wear and ‘wow’ wear. Imagine what a child of four might choose to wear in ‘Wow.’ Or a 10 year old fed on a diet of Beyonce and Lady Gaga. Another pageant, organised by businesswoman, Stephanie Murphy, was held in Cork in June, with an entry fee of €50. Her daughter (6), a fan of the American TV show, Toddlers & Tiaras, suggested it, took part, and loved it. There were thirty entrants, aged from 8 months to 15 years. Categories were: beauty wear, Irish wear (anything in the Irish colours) and an outfit of choice. Bikinis were banned and the only provocative outfits were clinging jumpsuits slashed in strategic places worn by a couple of teenagers. Stephanie sees pageants as a great family day out and, despite hostile comments from radio listeners and the last minute withdrawal of judges, says, ‘Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.’ Other promoters and supporters claim that pageants encourage poise, maturity and confidence in
This is what one acquaintance said of a recent Hip-hop competition she attended, to see her grand-daughter(4) perform. ‘Children love dancing and music. It’s exercise. Some parents think it’s cute, but you should see the way they’re dressed! False eyelashes, too much makeup, bare midriffs, very suggestive moves, and these children can be as young as seven. They’re being forced to grow up too quickly. Of course, they love the dance outfits – they’re shiny, bright and pretty but they look like twenty-two year olds. They’re sitting ducks. Parents need to be educated.’ Away from the pageants and hip-hop competitions, it doesn’t stop: shops stock padded bras for 10 year olds, sexy knickers for seven yearolds and sexy little halter tops for kids as young as five, while, at home, children are besieged with sex images on TV, online, and in newspapers and magazines. Some of their toys are sexy, like the provocative, big-breasted dolls which little girls love.
‘highlighted by the widely publicised 1996 murder of beauty queen, JonBenét Ramsey (6).’
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THE WAITING ROOM MAGAZINE | AUTUMN 2011
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COVER STORY SEXUALISATION OF CHILDREN
Kids Alone! Left: Beauty, aged 4, from Las Vegas, photographed in 2006 by Susan Anderson
Sexploitation What does early sexualisation do to our children? Why do companies produce these goods? Why do they advertise them? Why do shops sell them? Why do we, adults, buy this stuff for our children? Why aren’t we all screaming about it? A one word answer – exploitation. Children are being exploited by big companies as part of their endless money-making and marketing plans. They don’t care about the ultimate welfare of children. All they see are marketing opportunities which they exploit by producing glitzy tat, often related to the media culture, which children want. Relentless marketing ensures that they pester us until we give in and buy. We adults are being exploited, too, bombarded with images of air-brushed perfection. Women especially, but men too, are being targeted: big boobs and big hair for the girls, impeccable pecs and tight hips for the boys. Incessant marketing makes most of us feel inadequate and puts pressure on us to try to buy our way to ‘perfection’. It works, and this is the selfdestructive mindset we reinforce in our children when we dress them like little tarts. hildren, by nature, are sexual beings. From a young age they’re aware of gender. They have a healthy curiosity about their bodies. That’s natural. At home, they love dressing up, playing at being adults, experimenting with makeup. That’s natural. But bombarding them with images which promote the world of adult sexuality before they’re capable of understanding it, is unnatural, wrong and dangerous. Children want to be loved and if they think that the only way to be loved is to be sexually attractive, then they’re heading for all kinds of trouble. They judge themselves, and others, only by how they look. Thinking they’re not pretty enough brings low self-esteem, eating disorders, depression, discontent, school problems and worse. Peer pressure increases their insecurity so they must look good, which, even among preteens, means ‘look sexy’: off-the-shoulder T-shirts, mini-shorts or skirts, high heels (like 4" heels for five year-olds). Makeup, jewellery and hair all have to be perfect, too. f YOUR FREE COPY
AUTUMN 2011 | THE WAITING ROOM MAGAZINE
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WILDLIFE BUTTERFLIES f
...continued.
What about boys? Boys know how to be cool, and they’re into trendy fashions, but boys’ fashions tend not to be as provocative as girls’. The danger for boys is confusion: they pick up mixed messages from the images portrayed by girls, even as preteens. What are they to make of ten-year old girls dressing like grown women when their lives are saturated by images of sexuality, with girls usually portrayed as one-dimensional teases and objects of male desire? Men are portrayed as dominant and definitely masculine. You know where this is going: highly sexualised children thrown together, thinking they know what they’re doing, in highly charged situations. Children are naturally beautiful. Today, it seems that, with their parents’ shameful and abject collusion, their innocence is being hijacked. Their natural beauty is being sexualised. Their bottom lines are being exploited for the bottom lines of balance sheets and shareholders profits. That is wrong. Wrong and dangerous. #
Butterfly or Flutterby? RTE naturalist, Terry Flanagan, (Mooney Goes Wild) gives us a peek into the the lives of some of our more colourful fauna WHO SAID INSECTS OR BUGS ARE UGLY? TO SEE A BUTTERFLY FLOATING ON THE WIND IN THE GARDEN IS A WONDERFUL SIGHT. SO WHY ARE THEY SO DIFFERENT FROM ALL OTHER INSECTS? THE ANSWER IS THEY’RE NOT!
WILDLIFE Terry Flanagan
The Papadopoulos Review on the Sexualisation of Young People was commissioned by
the UK Home Office Violent Crime Unit as part of the ‘Together We Can End Violence Against Women’ consultation in 2009. Intended as a fact-finding review into the sexualisation of teenage girls, it also includes evidence relating to pre-teens of both sexes, the impact of living in a highly sexualised culture on children’s self-esteem, body image, mental health and personal relationships. Possible links between sexualisation and violence are also considered. Finally, the review suggests strategies for combating these malign influences for parents, educators, businesses and retailers, advertisers, politicians – in fact, for everyone. It’s well worth a read homeoffice.gov.uk /documents /Sexualisation-young-people
THEY WERE BELIEVED TO BE WITCHES IN DISGUISE, WHICH WERE THOUGHT TO STEAL MILK AND BUTTER AT NIGHT
Useful Websites: www.mumsnet.com Let Girls be Girls Campaign 2010. www.education.gov.uk/publications Letting Children be Children Report 2011
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THE WAITING ROOM MAGAZINE | AUTUMN 2011
Butterflies differ from other insects in the fact that they possess very large colourful wings and, because they spend a lot of time flying, they are easily seen. They, and the moths, belong to the Order Lepidoptera, which literally means scale wing, a good description, especially if you get to see one close up. Typically, all insects are composed of three body regions, a head, thorax and abdomen. They have compound eyes and a pair of antennae (or feelers) and their mouthparts vary depending on what they feed on. In the case of butterflies, they have a long proboscis, to all intents, a long tube which they use to siphon nectar from flowers. When not in use, the proboscis is coiled up under the mouth. Other insects, like grasshoppers, have chewing mouthparts, used to eat the leaves of plants, and yet others have piercing mouthparts, like mosquitoes, which they use so suck blood from their victims. Insects normally have two pairs of wings, located on the thorax and three pairs of legs, also located on the thorax. Generally, there are no appendages on the abdomen. Butterflies differ from moths in a number of ways. Butterflies fly by day, moths are nocturnal. At rest, butterflies tend to hold their wings above the head whereas moths hold them open and folded over their backs. A butterfly’s antennae have knobs at their ends whereas a moth’s antennae are featherlike, and the most obvious difference is that butterflies tend to be much more brightly coloured than moths. In Ireland we have 35 species of butterflies and the majority of these can be easily identified on the
Left: Peacock butterfly on Buddleia Above: Cinnabar moth caterpillars on Ragwort.
wing. The Large or Cabbage White, Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell, Red Admiral and Orange Tip are among our most common and easily distinguished. The life-cycle of a butterfly is a complex one. After mating, the female lays her eggs, often on the underside of leaves. Larvae or caterpillars hatch. These are really feeding machines. They have no sex organs or wings. When fully grown, the caterpillar looks for a quiet place to pupate. Long ago it was believed that the pupa or chrysalis was a resting stage, but we now know that intensive change is taking place within the cocoon. Eventually, an adult or imago emerges. Gone are the chewing mouthparts. In its place is a siphoning tube called a proboscis, used to suck nectar. Also, two pairs of wings and sex organs are present. The main function of the adult stage is to find a partner and mate. Some people believe that the name ‘butterfly’ originally was ‘flutterby’. However, the more commonly held belief is that it comes from the combination of ‘butter’ and ‘fly’. Why butter? Many butterflies, like the Brimstone, are ‘butter’ coloured, and the term ‘buttorfleoge’ was an old English term for butterfly. This may be due to the fact that they were believed to be witches in disguise, which were thought to steal milk and butter at night. Another story tells of butterflies appearing during Spring and Summer, just as cows had their calves. Cows would produce milk that would be turned into butter. These flying insects were called butterflies because they would fly around while milk was churned to butter. The German name for butterfly is milchdieb, meaning milk thief! Whereas most people like butterflies, very few like caterpillars. The Large White is also known as the Cabbage White, due to the fact that the caterpillars feed on garden vegetables. However, caterpillars are a very important food source for birds, especially in early summer. Blue tits for instance, feed their young in the nest with these defoliating caterpillars. With approximately 10 young in the nest, the parents need to provide about 1,000 caterpillars a day. Blue tits are important natural insecticides. If you grow cabbages, you might want to squash every caterpillar you see, but otherwise you might just ignore it, knowing that in a short while, a beautiful ‘butterfly’ might ‘flutter by’. YOUR FREE COPY
HEALTH PAIN
Explain Pain Do humans suffer a higher degree of pain than other animals, and, if so, why?
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sit gingerly in my armchair, watching a vet programme and being distracted by my dog, Lady’s, energetic efforts to remove a lampshade-like device from her head. She wriggles and struggles and hacks at it with all four legs, but it doesn’t budge. On the TV, the vet is rummaging shoulder-deep in a cow’s innards, delivering a calf by Caesarean section. The cow stands quietly, chewing the cud, ignoring the proceedings
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which commenced with the opening of an 18" incision in her flank. So that’s three surgeries – the cow’s which is ongoing, Lady’s hysterectomy which took place a mere nine hours before, and my small hernia repair which was done over a fortnight ago. And I’m the only one suffering any discomfort! Lady’s incision, plainly visible as she writhes athletically, and seemingly pain-free, on the rug, is the same length as my own, but Lady, excluding her tail, f
AUTUMN 2011 | THE WAITING ROOM MAGAZINE
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HEALTH PAIN
PEOPLE WHO ARE UNABLE TO FEEL PAIN USUALLY HAVE SHORTER LIFE SPANS
PAIN AS A WEAPON While science has been working on ways to reduce pain, dark ‘science’ has always been refining ways of inflicting it and, in the Middle Ages, the most fiendish engines were designed and built to inflict torture. Sometimes this served a ‘useful’ purpose, like finding out information from a tight-lipped captured enemy agent; at other times it was used merely as a punishment: but why burn Joan of Arc at the stake when there were quicker, less terrible deaths available? Thankfully, nowadays, most civilised countries have given up torture, which is banned by the Geneva Convention. However, some civilised countries go through an extraordinary process, called (meaninglessly) Extraordinary Rendition to have ‘less civilised’ countries do it on their behalf. Country A abducts its target in neutral (or even friendly) Country B, then spirits the target away to Country C, which, being a service provider, doesn’t mind doing a bit of torture. Then, voila! Country A has clean hands. Like Lady Macbeth, who never even touched the dagger, your honour.
Above: Joan of Arc's Death at the Stake, by Hermann Stilke (1803–1860). Below: The okipa ceremony of the Mandan tribe of native Americans
f ...Pain Explained continued.
is less than two feet long, so do the sums. As the vet finishes stitching, and the closing shots show the cow walking easily out into the sunny yard, followed by her still wobbly calf, I have one thought: am I a total wuss, or do animals not feel pain like we do? But hang on! The laterally stoic cow had certainly reacted strenuously to each of the several injections of local anaesthetic the vet had given her in the flank; there was nothing wrong with her pain threshold at that point. And Lady always needed muzzling for her distemper shots, so she obviously could feel, and resent, the tiny prick of a small needle. So it looked like I was, indeed, a wuss, a big girl’s blouse. However... Loosely, it seems that there are several elements to pain, the purely physical and the psychological, and animals are, to a large extent, spared the latter. The higher animals, at least, share with us the same pain detection mechanisms for heat, cold, friction, trauma, pressure, etc., but animals are spared the dread, disgust or fear of consequences that torment us. And to be truthful, when these psychological factors are overridden by the adrenaline rush of combat – even the pseudocombat of sport – then we, too, can be almost unaware of pains that, in normal times, would incapacitate us. This psychological aspect can play tricks on us, giving rise to phenomena like phantom pain where amputees feel pain in their missing limbs, though some of this is physical – one of the As ‘pain’ is the nerve that once reasons on m most com served the big toe, B John all of we asked Dr for instance, being r GP visits, patients can help their fo w stimulated much furthe ICGP ho down the causes: ther up along its shaft, GP to track at the stump. Then Aggravating there’s referred pain Type factors rsen ult, but in which the pain is This can be diffic in as Does your pain wo or going pa th exercise, food ple? try to classify the ng, etc. wi felt at a location away rni am sharp/ heavy/ bu to the toilet, for ex from its cause, and pain that is considered Severity Relieving to be all in the mind y be Sometimes it ma pain factors se – psychogenic pain. useful to grade the Does the pain ea food or Nowadays, psychogenic out of 10. after movement ion? pain is taken as seriously or changing posit as pain for which a cause Location Where is the pain? Medicines
PAIN AS A RITUAL In some cultures, the ability to tolerate pain was a rite of passage to manhood or warrior-hood. One of the more extreme was the okipa ceremony of the Mandan tribe of native Americans, depicted in Richard Harris’ film, A Man Called Horse. Young men went without food, drink or sleep for four days and were then suspended from beams by ropes attached to skewers passed through their chest and shoulder muscles. They hung there until they fainted. Upon regaining consciousness, their left pinkies were chopped off as an offering to the Great Spirit and they then set off on a gruelling race around their village. Aaaah, they don’t make teenagers like that anymore.
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can be identified – after all, just because medical science can’t locate the source doesn’t mean that there isn’t one. There are many other variations on pain. Niedermann, the giant villain of Stieg Larsson’s best-selling trilogy, was portrayed as being totally insensitive to pain. In fact, such cases do occur, though rarely. It might sound great, being pain-free, but there’s a snag: people who have this condition usually have shorter life spans – their lack of pain means they don’t learn to avoid or fear harmful situations. Pain has a vital protective function; it teaches us what to avoid and it ensures that we don’t overuse an injured part, thus allowing it to heal quicker. When pain becomes chronic or repetitive, it can have negative effects on all aspects of our lives, not just our comfort. Pain is by far the most common reason for seeking medical advice, and alleviation or relief of pain, now regarded as a human right, has become a specialty in itself. Until relatively recently, we were expected to suffer our pain in silence, offer it up for the holy souls, but today, thankfully, science can do much to free sufferers from its worst ravages, and advances in the surgical, medical and psychological management of pain mean that grim forbearance is no longer the only option. #
TakeNote
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TRAVEL CAMBODIA
FromBanker to Biker
Brendan Dolan and two, equally middle-aged, friends take the trip of a lifetime, off-roading on motorbikes through the beautiful countryside of Cambodia.
TRAVEL Brendan Dolan
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Being a middle-aged man, and fed up waiting for the mid-life crisis to materialise, I decided, along with two middle-aged friends, to see what all the fuss was about. So, just for research you understand, we decided to do something different, something that people could tut-tut knowingly at and go: ‘Ah, the mid-life crisis.’ Hell, if it wasn’t coming naturally, then it was time to bring it on. Having jettisoned the idea of an affair, for practical purposes, and buying a red Maserati for financial ones, we decided on a good old he-man road trip. But where? Where could a man feel manly about himself?
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Afghanistan and Sudan were inaccessible, bar joining the Foreign Legion (a bit extreme), and for logistical reasons, bungee jumping in Brisbane or power boating in New Zealand were quickly discounted. At last we hit on Cambodia, but, instead of the usual ‘tourist’ trail – Angkor Wot, The Killing Fields, Tuong Sleng (the notorious Khmer Rouge torture prison through the gates of which 17,000 entered but only 12 re-emerged) – we’d rough it, off-road motorbiking. Aaaah, lads, sure where else in the world would you get the adrenaline rush of biking through jungles where there might be land mines awaiting your front wheel! YOUR FREE COPY
TRAVEL CAMBODIA
So, flights booked and bikes rented, off we went. We met our guide, Paeng, became acquainted with our X series Hondas, and took off to explore the Khmer countryside. And what an absolute delight it was. Far from the mayhem we’d expected, it was a real treat to be immersed in Khmer culture (we even got to a wedding), Khmer food (Point-of-Hatching Duck Foetus, Baby Bees, Deep-fried Tarantulas, Ants, Grasshoppers, etc.), Khmer history and Khmer heritage. The Khmers are a beautiful people, always smiling and delighted to meet you, and always ready to help you when they can. Stop for more than a minute and you’d be surrounded by swarms of beautiful children, all trying to have a good look at the strange old men on the motor bikes. We never once felt uneasy in the company of the Khmers. However, on the roads things weren't quite so safe. You never knew what would be around the next bend 'taxis' with 40 or 50 locals on board, buses packed sardine-tight, bicycles, mopeds and motorbikes carrying whole flocks of ducks on the back, or upside-down, squealing pigs, or girls sitting demurely side-saddle at 80kph, or mothers feeding babies while their husbands drove and their other four children somehow all managed to stay on board. By the end of the trip, nothing surprised you. The roads themselves are full of potholes where a family of four could quite happily reside, but could just as easily consume you and your bike! Then there were the non-human roadusers, the ubiquitous dogs, cats, cows, oxen, donkeys, hens, chickens and other assorted fowl, wandering the YOUR FREE COPY
Inset: Fried insects, street food at Central Market of Cambodia
“THE ADRENALINE RUSH OF BIKING THROUGH JUNGLES WHERE THERE MIGHT BE LAND MINES AWAITING YOUR FRONT WHEEL!”
Dancing Roads Tours is a CambodianEnglish partnership combining in-depth local knowledge with Western standards to offer trips to suit everyone from laidback sightseeing tours to intensive enduro tours, not forgetting cycling and 4x4 tours. Check out www.dancingroads.com
roads like they owned it, and sure perhaps they do. But the worst were the drivers of cars, and, more typically, jeeps; they totally ignored us like we didn’t even exist, often pushing us right into the adjoining fields, and, on more than one occasion, we suddenly and unexpectedly got to practice our off-road skills. But the intentional off-roading, what we’d come for, was brilliant. Once you got off those roads, the real fun began. We navigated muddy cart tracks, soared over mountain passes, threaded our way down narrow jungle trails, roared along by the mighty Mekong, crossing smaller tributaries, through
the water or over rickety bridges, and were even blessed with a sighting of a small pod of the almost extinct freshwater Irrawaddy Dolphins. It was all superb and I really started to get what this macho-man, mid-lifecrisis stuff was all about. It was a real blast. The more you fell off, the more you wanted to keep going - one of the lads took more than thirty tumbles, but no harm done, although I do think he talks that little bit slower now. He has promised to take some lessons before our next trip. And come again we will, for as a holiday, it would be extremely hard to beat. Go while you still can. Things are changing very quickly over there. This is, no doubt, a good thing for the populace but not for the inquisitive tourist, especially for the inquisitive tourist in need of his annual fortnight of machismo reinforcement, who may or may not be having, or feigning, some sort of crisis. #
AUTUMN 2011 | THE WAITING ROOM MAGAZINE
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FRIENDS Parents identify peers as the most important influence on their children’s decision to start to drink.
This is understandable – young people who drink regularly are likely to have friends who drink, while those who do not are likely to have friends who do not drink. Whether to drink (or not) is one of the most central decisions during adolescence and influences the selection of friends. Many of us worry about ‘peer pressure’, which is often considered to come from all the peer group in the locality and school. The reality however is that it is the peer group of those selected friends, especially best friends, which matters most.
Alcohol
A GUIDE FOR PARENTS
Young People and Alcohol, can parents have an Influence? by Mark Morgan and Thérèse Hegarty THE PURPOSE OF THIS ARTICLE IS TO
INFLUENCES
HELP PARENTS TO DISCUSS DRINKING WITH THEIR CHILDREN. Although it
Many factors influence the drinking patterns of young people.
is mainly aimed at the parents of teenagers it may also be useful for parents of younger children and, generally, for all adults concerned with the development of children. This article has been prepared by professionals who have expertise in the area of young people and alcohol but it does not set out to tell parents what they must or must not do. Instead it tries to provide useful information, which may help parents to openly discuss the issues with their children. • Parents have an important influence on their children’s behaviour. Many parents may be surprised by this – but it is true! • A key guiding idea is that alcohol consumption requires maturity and responsibility. For this reason postponing a first drink to an agreed age has a lot of merit. The exact age will need to be negotiated between children and parents and we take the view that the age of drinking by many young people is too young. • Better information can help parents to make the right decision. We often think that we know about our children’s drinking but many parents tend to underestimate the scale of consumption. • In Ireland, drinking patterns differ from, for example, wine producing countries – where children are introduced to alcohol in the home. We also differ in where alcohol is drunk, what we drink and in many of our attitudes.
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FAMILY Families are of major importance in children’s drinking. Your exam-
ple is important. We are not saying that all parents who abstain from alcohol will have children who are abstinent r temperate. Nor are we suggesting that the children of heavy drinkers will necessarily have drinking problems. What is clear however is that parents who drink moderately have children whose use of alcohol is quite different to the children of those whose drinking is problematic.
Your school’s Parents Council
How you react to their drinking is also important. The research
Your school’s Home Liaison Officer
shows that a moderate and balanced approach to underage drinking is most likely to bring about positive outcomes. In other words if parents take an indifferent attitude it does not produce positive results and a very strict and authoritarian attitude can also cause problems. Many recovering alcoholics remember their childhood as one where love was not communicated and where they felt they were not valued. The research indicates that children who feel loved and valued are less likely to abuse alcohol. We often worry that alcohol problems ‘run in families’ and will be inherited by the children. This is not necessarily true – alcohol problems develop over several years – and we should focus on those conditions in the individuals lives which give rise to problem drinking.
Your Health Board's Health Promotion Officer
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USEFUL CONTACTS
Your local Residents Association VISIT DRINKAWARE.IE for information on alcohol and drinking, from fascinating facts to practical tips. DOWNLOAD FREE guides including: the essential ‘No Nonsense’ guide for students, ‘Festival Survival Guide’, ‘Alcohol, Sport & You’, ‘Alcohol – A Guide for Parents’ and our ‘Christmas Survival Guide’.
SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY You may know about the Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE) programme, which is now running in most schools in the country. This focuses on the health, personal development, decision making and self esteem of young people and it also deals with the use of alcohol. However we cannot leave it all to the schools and, as parents, we can influence our children’s attitude to school and to participation. ‘She will be taught about alcohol at school soon enough – maybe I should leave alcohol education to the experts. Besides, I don’t want to put ideas in her head before she’s even a teenager.’ When a young person drinks too much it is usually part of a broad set of behaviours. Here are some suggestions that can help prevent these behaviours: • Encourage commitment at school – either to study or sport or other activities; • Find out about your school's policies on alcohol. Partnership between parents and schools is likely to bring about a better outcome than any effort made by either on their own; • Encourage children to read or to take up a hobby that does not involve drink. Moving from Primary to Secondary school is a stressful time – new subjects, new teachers, possibly new classmates and making new friends. If the transition isn’t smooth young people are more likely to become involved in underage drinking. Our children may want to appear ‘grown up’ at this time but in fact they are very vulnerable and we need to be alert to any changes and be available for a chat. Teachers have insights into our children which we may not have. Many are parents themselves and they all play a significant role in our children’s formation. Do talk to them if you have concerns about alcohol abuse.
HOW YOU CAN HELP Alcohol abuse is not confined to any particular sector in society. You can be sure that your teenager (or preteen) will be offered alcohol. You cannot be sure that your children will not make silly mistakes with alcohol (You probably did too!) Young people who come through all YOUR FREE COPY
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this with responsible drinking habits often share many of the following characteristics: Healthy self esteem. They know their own strengths and weaknesses and have the confidence to know they are liked and to like themselves. Because of this they are unlikely to harm or abuse themselves. Parents can encourage self-esteem by being supportive of their children’s efforts from an early age and being willing and interested listeners to their ups and downs. They can make decisions.
There are many influences on young people, often with conflicting messages. These young people can make up their minds without worrying too much what others think. Parents walk a fine line here. Too much control and children have no opportunity to think for themselves – too little and they may feel that decisions are not important. What young people need is encouragement to think on their feet, follow their own advice and resist following the herd at times. They understand that some rules are necessary. Through
learning to live with clear and reasonable rules young people develop personal responsibility. Parents can help by having a few clear rules at home and by explaining the values behind the rules. A rule about telling those at home where you are going and what time you will be home is a great protection. They appreciate the value of money. They realise that they must
manage on a limited amount of money. Parents can limit their children's pocket money or control the amount available from part-time jobs – by, for example, requiring a contribution to collective household expenses from income earned outside the home. They are busy with interesting lives. Some are involved in school,
others in sport, dancing, music or youth clubs. They do not have much time to be bored. Boredom is one of the greatest causes of alcohol abuse. Try to spot their talents early and give them every encouragement to develop them. Their families either drink moderately or are open about their problems. They have seen
their adult relatives drink in a moderate way, and have seen them choose not to drink when driving. They may have had an occasional drink in the safety of the home with their parents. Alternatively, if there are problem drinkers in the family, these issues have been openly and frankly discussed with them. Children of alcoholic parents can use the lessons from frank and compassionate discussion of the issue to help protect themselves and their friends. Children are not taken in by appearances – they are more YOUR FREE COPY
influenced by what we do than by what we say. Teenagers in particular
are rarely fooled at home and honesty is certainly the best policy.
PARENTS’ WORRIES
YOU CAN BE SURE THAT YOUR TEENAGER (OR PRETEEN) WILL BE OFFERED ALCOHOL
along with media pressure can make decision making difficult. Sometimes young people drink in response to this pressure and alcohol consumption can lead to inappropriate decisions. Parents can make it clear to their sons and daughters that sexual activity is always their choice and it is always OK to say "NO". Once again TV and films can provide us with opportunities to discuss this with our young people. “I just don’t know how to begin. I know she drinks sometimes when she’s out with her friends. She’s usually quite a sensible girl, but I just hope she doesn’t take any stupid risks. Should I have drink in the house?” Most households do have drink at home and will often offer a drink to visitors. Drink however needs to be kept in a place where younger children cannot access it by accident. It is unfair to teenagers, especially if parents are away for a night, to leave them in a situation where they have access to a large supply of drink at home especially during the years when they are likely to experiment. #
“How do I explain the dangers of drink?” Most adults in Ireland take a drink when relaxing and socialising and it is helpful to acknowledge the enjoyable aspect of this. It is also helpful to discuss with young people the harmful aspects such as losing control, taking risks and wasting money. A good time to bring up these discussions is when watching TV when the issue arises. We can talk to our teenagers, listen to their views drinkaware.ie was and convey information and guidance developed by MEAS in a distanced way that is not too (Mature Enjoyment of Alcohol in Society threatening for them. This has proven Limited) more useful than scare tactics or MEAS is a drinks punishment, which can turn young industry initiative people off. against alcohol misuse “I worry about the friends they MEAS, are with.” The ‘best friends’ have a Merrion House, lot of influence in the development 1/3 Lower Fitzwilliam of a pattern of drinking. Parents are Street, Dublin 2 wise to be aware of the pattern of Tel: 01 611 4811 drinking among young people in the Email: info@meas.ie area. It is also helpful to get to know www.meas.ie the ‘best friends’ and make them welcome at home. le do not start Often parents criticise 5 All young peop e setting. m sa friends when they fear their drinking in the re th e broad influence. This can lead to TRUE There are st drink'. Own 'fir e a young person feeling torn th for locations ATEMENTS ST E ES TH friend (sometimes E a AR of between parents and friends home or home E? LS FA OR UE TR e away), pubs/offand this is not helpful in when parents ar beginning of e ag mes bought by a e eti maintaining good communiag m er 1 The av licences (so s. ar ye 5 erage), and -1 cation. 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Young peop age, are s ar ye ho have never w 20 r s. ar rlie ye ea behaviour, often under the e an th at er decreased ov pendent minded make decisions influence of alcohol, and to 1 in 4 to d an up e, o tiv ag n ac y tio TRUE A genera ary sexuall clearly state that violence at eir lives earlier. leaving post-prim ce. about th of young people on all levels is unacceptable. en ev ol oh alc ed tri t no school had thout ey earned by Parents can help teenagers r reaching 18 wi amount of mon e work is Today the numbe is quite small, but 7 The tim to think about places that are rtpa in ol young people having tried alcoh y who never try dangerous and how levels of ge drinking. r-a de un rit in ino or m ct a fa there is still a ite alcohol consumption can leave survey (ESPAD) ey earned was qu e alcohol. A 2007 TRUE The mon 16 them vulnerable to involvement h Iris of hile part-tim t W en st. rc pa pe e 42 th at in l th showed substantia s in fights. Young people need the rder to get, it t regular drinker rk has become ha more alcohol year olds were no wo on ) % older generation to be clearly 27 om (fr 15% to buy – an increase of survey results. is now possible concerned with their safety. 3) 00 . (2 ey s the previou for less mon “I’m so worried I can’t sleep.” Parents often worry when their ey th at ow th to talk to your 3 Under 18's kn buy alcohol, 8 The best time teenagers begin to drink. Often cohol is when to al le t ab will not be children abou that fear is not so much about the . to t early teens. even if they wan they enter the drink itself as the consequences 16 m fro ed ag le en ask about op of drinking. At its worst the fear FALSE Young pe ey can get access FALSE Children oft when they are th ing at th ink y dr sa d can be about drink related violence upwards not alcohol an this happens a want to. (We are or poor decision making around sily very young. When to alcohol if they ea s ay alw r than duckis ol alcoh response is bette do not sexual activity. ive g sit suggesting that un po yo at th is y parents is crucial “Are they having sex?” obtained – what ing the issue. Man the subject n). tai ob to sy ea raise We all worry about pressure on people see it as see the need to ns n reach their tee re ild ch our children as they enter puberty until their cities drinking in rt ng sta ki ly in nt dr re e pa or ap and the confusion and anxiety 4 There is m – when they should speak to else. that can follow. The age of sexual ohol. Ideally you than anywhere alc s nd she is likely m all backgrou child before he or th alcohol. activity has fallen and peer pressure FALSE People fro e age. your
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AUTUMN 2011 | THE WAITING ROOM MAGAZINE
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HEALTH EPILEPSY
Epilepsy The‘Sacred’ Disease
Colin Doherty MD, Neurologist at St James's Hospital, writes about this disturbing illness that has been ascribed so many different causes down through the centuries. FIONA D WAS 23 WHEN SHE DEVELOPED EPILEPSY. SHE HAD HEARD OF EPILEPSY BUT WASN’T ENTIRELY SURE WHAT IT WAS – mental illness, brain infection, stress reaction? These are the usual old wives’ tales and clichés that are hard to dispel. Within two years, Fiona was dead, found, ashen and motionless, one winter’s morning, by her family. Fiona’s epilepsy had been very difficult to control, and, despite attending all the right specialists and even getting opinions in London and Boston, none of the prescribed medicines worked. Other options, like surgery, were not considered suitable. For most of Ireland’s 40,000 ‘people with epilepsy’ (a term preferred to the archaic ‘epileptics’), Fiona’s sad fate is but a remote chance. 70% remain free of attacks when on medication and live normal lives. Many come off medicine and go into remission after 9-10 years. The other 30% (12,000) whose seizures and convulsions con-
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Above: Engraving dating from 1736, by B. Picard. The attempted healing of possessed people. Notice the choir in the background and the man lying on the floor at right who is being healed with a large blunt object. The practice of standing on the victims of possession was apparently an attempt to quell their convulsions, it may have been that such cases were, in reality, simply the unfortunate sufferers of epilepsy.
THE WAITING ROOM MAGAZINE | AUTUMN 2011
tinue, despite medication, are the focus of medical professionals. Even in this group, very few will have Fiona’s degree of the condition. Fiona died from SUDEP (Sudden Unexplained Death in Epilepsy), which kills 30-40 people in Ireland every year. Little is known about this syndrome but its cause is linked to sudden adult or infant death syndromes. A bigger killer is SE (Status Epilepticus); patients have constant seizure activity lasting longer than 30 minutes. About 800 SE patients are admitted to Irish hospitals every year; some 15% die, while others may suffer varying degrees of brain damage. After SE and SUDEP, a smaller number of deaths are due to seizures causing accidents such as drowning or road traffic deaths. Like asthma and arthritis, epilepsy affects about 1% of the population, but its annual death toll (some 130) is greater than both those other conditions combined.
Spreading the word about epilepsy, the importance of treating it effectively and managing it competently, is not easy, but the first step is to understand the nature of the condition. WHAT IS EPILEPSY? The word derives from the Greek epilepsía, ‘to take hold of’. Epileptic seizures have been described since 700BC. Throughout history, epilepsy has been conflated with demonic possession and, latterly, mental illness. In some cultures, even today, ‘treatment’ involves some form of exorcism or ritualistic sacrifice. Despite this, Hippocrates, father of Western medical thought, had little time for mystical descriptions and called epilepsy The ‘Sacred’ Disease, believing that, once we understood it, notions of divinity would fall away. In the 19th century the medical model of epilepsy began to take hold but treatments were sparse. People with the unpredictable and frightenYOUR FREE COPY
ing habit of falling to the ground in convulsions, sometimes suffering appalling injuries, were commonly, and unjustly, stigmatised. They were often committed to institutions for ‘epileptics and the insane’. It was in one such hospital, Salpetriere in Paris, that Jean Martin Charcot (1825-93), began his famous clinical description of the epilepsies and was responsible for the first modern scientific understanding of the disease. In the 1850’s, two English researchers, Jackson and Gowers, described the phenomenon of electrical discharges in the brain as the underlying cause. THE MODERN ERA Nowadays, the word ‘epilepsy’ generally invokes any condition of the brain which can cause recurrent, unprovoked seizures. Up to 40 different types are recognised and doctors often refer to the condition as ‘the epilepsies’. The causes are varied and not often well understood. There are acquired (head trauma), and genetic (familial) forms which can pre-dispose people to developing epilepsy. Many of these factors are under active investigation. Epilepsy can begin at any age and affect both sexes equally. In the developing world, the most common cause is chronic brain infection as well as poor peri-natal care. In developed nations, genetic and age-related issues are more common. Of course alcoholism is an important cause of seizures world-wide, regardless of geography. Seizures themselves do not always involve loss of consciousness and falling to the ground, the typical grand mal attack. They may be subtle, such as an unusual body sensation, or brief, blank staring without falling. How the seizure manifests itself depends on where it starts in the brain, and the speed at which it spreads. TREATMENT Ancient treatments include trephination (boring into the skull) and ‘vapours’. In the latter half of the 19thC, bromide became the first effective anti-epileptic drug (AED), being supplanted in 1910 by phenobarbitone. Since then, many new drugs have been developed and there are now 20 plus. Epilepsy may also be treated with dietary regimes, surgery and implants. Despite developments, there is still a stubborn mystery at the heart of epilepsy. What, precisely, killed Fiona D and causes misery for thousands? The next decade, hopefully, will see two important advances: first, an increasing understanding of the genetic nature of epilepsy should yield new treatments, and, second, the HSE is presently training a cohort of population-based nurse specialists to decentralize care to all corners of the country. Watch this space in 2012. # YOUR FREE COPY
IN SOME CULTURES, EVEN TODAY, ‘TREATMENT’ INVOLVES SOME FORM OF EXORCISM OR RITUALISTIC SACRIFICE
Brainwave – The Irish Epilepsy Association Based in Dublin but with nine regional offices, Brainwave is the only organisation in Ireland dedicated to meeting the needs of people with epilepsy. Brainwave provides a wide range of information and support to people with epilepsy and their families, and also operates a pre-employment training course in conjunction with FÁS at the Institute of Technology, Sligo, designed to introduce young people with epilepsy to employment, training and educational opportunities. Brainwave also aims to improve understanding of epilepsy among health professionals and the general public; it represents the interest of people with epilepsy and supports local research into the condition.
For more information on epilepsy, the work of Brainwave, or to get in contact with your local Brainwave office, call 01 4557500 or visit epilepsy.ie
NUTRITION OBESITY
Q
Q&A
Our regular, expert nutritionist, Jess Keane, answers a few of the queries from readers with weighty matters on their minds. My boyfriend likes my curves and I’m comfortable with my body. How much risk do I have, carrying extra weight? JG, Ennis
Q
Most of the family are a little overweight but our GP said that my youngest child (6), is obese. How can I help my children lose weight? AM, Waterford
Q
First off, avoid making an issue of your children’s weight; make small, realistic changes for all the family. Be a positive role model yourself; if you eat healthy foods and get active, your children will, too. Help your child recognise signals of fullness; eat together as a family, don’t watch TV during meals; stop eating when you’re full and turn down helpings when you’re no longer hungry. Kids, especially teenagers, need to refuel after exercise and school but, rather than snacking randomly, plan set times. Here are some ideas: ✽ Half a toasted wholegrain bagel or oatcakes with 1" square of cheese. ✽ Small bowl of homemade soup. ✽ Handful of homemade popcorn. ✽ Small pot of natural yoghurt and fresh raspberries. ✽ Small bowl of cereal – Weetabix or Shredded Wheat. ✽ A piece of fruit. ✽ Small glass of fresh smoothie. Replace all fizzy drinks with diluted fresh fruit juice or water. Remove all biscuits, cakes, chocolate and sweets from the house. Lastly, reward your child for healthy food choices and physical activity: spend time with them doing an activity they enjoy.
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There are two simple ways of checking whether your current weight or body shape is likely to affect your health, Body Mass Index (BMI) and waist size. BMI = w/h² where w is your weight in kg and h is your height in metres. A BMI of 25 to 29 is officially overweight, so you should lose some. BMI of 30+ means your health is at risk. [Note: BMI is not infallible for body fatness. A very muscular person might have a high BMI when
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their body fat is at a healthy level, as muscle weighs more than fat.] *Waist measurement is a good way to check your fat distribution – measure mid-way between your lowest ribs and the top of your hips (usually at the navel). Above 94cm (37 inches) for men and 80cm (32 inches) for women indicates an increased risk of ill health. Excess fat around your middle increases your risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and cancer, even if your BMI score is normal. *UK figures show that, over the last 50 years, average waist size has increased by almost 7 inches!
We Irish may not diet or exercise all that much but, compared to other nationalities, aren’t we reasonably healthy? EB, Cork
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No! An OECD study found that 25% of Irish adults can be classed as obese. Ireland has the second highest obesity rates in Europe. Obesity is a major issue in terms of risks to the individual and burden to us and the health service.
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Since my 30s, I’ve been inclined to put on weight, despite cycling or running to work. My job has changed and now I have little time for exercise. The weight is just piling on around my middle! I’m under a lot of pressure at the moment and really can’t cope with another worry. Any tips to help shift this weight? RC, Dublin
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With your hectic schedule, try these simple tips. ✽ Have a good breakfast, a boiled egg on wholegrain toast with a grilled tomato, or a bowl of Life Force muesli or porridge with a tbsp of natural low-fat yoghurt and 6-10 nuts, like almonds. ✽ Get three regular meals a day. Those eating on the run and missing meals are more likely to gain weight. ✽ Balance your dishes: ¼ protein (fish, meat, eggs, beans, lentils), ¼ carbohydrates (brown rice, pasta, bread) and ½ vegetables. ✽ Locate where you can buy healthy meals. Don’t rely on petrol stations for a quick fix. ✽ Grabbing a snack from a convenience store? Choose a small yoghurt, piece of fruit and 6 nuts, avoiding chocolate bars, crisps and baked goods. ✽ Cutting out fizzy drinks is the easiest way to reduce calorie intake. (Two cans of cola equals over 10% of an adult’s daily energy requirement.) Ongoing stress may lead to elevation of the stress hormone, cortisol. This can contribute to weight gain around the middle. Learn some relaxation techniques or talk to a health professional about ways to reduce cortisol and help your body cope with stress. You may need to do this urgently if you rely on caffeine or energy drinks to keep your energy levels up, or feel sluggish in the morning. Lastly, a personal trainer could give you a quick exercise routine to fit your busy schedule.
I had a baby 10 months ago. Initially, I lost quite a bit of weight but, recently, I’ve started gaining again. I’m permanently tired and find myself picking at the wrong foods. SK, Dublin
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Get your thyroid gland checked by your doctor. Its main function is to control metabolism. After childbirth it may become inflamed, postpartum thyroiditis. Some symptoms of underactive thyroid are: weight gain, constipation, puffy face, feeling cold, depression, poor memory and fatigue. A blood test will assess whether your thyroid is preventing you from losing weight and affecting your energy levels. If your blood test results are normal, speak to your doctor or nurse about local weight loss programmes. With the support of a qualified health professional, you should be able to break the bad habits.
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DO YOU HAVE A QUESTION FOR JESS? EMAIL HER AT NUTRITION@WAITINGROOM.IE
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Jess gives essential, practical advice on food and nutrition – helping you to take control of what you eat to speed up your recovery to feel healthy, strong and energised. Visit www.jkn.ie
THE WAITING ROOM MAGAZINE | AUTUMN 2011
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RECIPES LIGHT AND FILLING
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THE LUNCH BOX
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Light Cooking
Eating for weight loss doesn’t have to be half a leaf of low-cal lettuce on half a slice of see-through Finnish spelt bread once a day washed down with 10cc of distilled water. Here are some very tasty low-fat recipes to delight the heart of even the heartiest foodie!
Macaroni Vegetable Cheese SERVES 4 • COOK 25 mins
175g (6oz) macaroni 125g (4½ oz) broccoli florets 2 carrots, cut into rounds 1 large leek, sliced 150g (5½ oz) frozen petit pois 85g (3oz) half fat Cheddar cheese, grated 2 tablespoons fresh bread crumbs FOR THE WHITE SAUCE: 1 tsp low fat polyunsaturated margarine 3 tsps plain flour 175ml (6fl oz) skimmed milk 1 tsp English mustard powder or Dijon mustard ½ vegetable stock cube Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 Cook the macaroni, following the packet instructions. Meanwhile, cook the broccoli and carrots for 3 minutes, then add the leek and cook for another 1 minute. Add the petit pois to the pan and cook for a further minute. Drain thoroughly and set aside. 2 For the white sauce, melt the margarine in a non stick saucepan, add the flour and stir for 1 minute. Gradually add the milk and whisk continuously until boiling. Stir in the mustard and stock cube, season and whisk well. Simmer, stirring, for 3 minutes, until thickened. 3 Preheat the grill to medium-high. Add the white sauce to the drained pasta and vegetables and mix until combined. Pour into a 900g (2lb) heatproof dish and sprinkle over the cheese and the breadcrumbs. Grill for 10 minutes or until the top is golden. 29 Weight Watchers ProPoints values per recipe
Easy Creamy Salmon Salad Bagel 9 Weight Watchers ProPoints values per serving • SERVES 4 • PREP 5 mins
213g can wild red salmon, drained 3 tbsp (60g/2oz) low fat soft cheese Juice of ½ lemon 4 poppy seed bagels 50g (1¾oz) cucumber, sliced finely 50g (1¾oz) watercress Place the salmon in a bowl and remove any bones or skin. Add the low fat soft cheese, lemon juice and season to taste. Mix together with a fork until combined. Spread the salmon mixture over the bagels and top with cucumber and watercress. Tip: The salmon filling will last for up to three days in the fridge.
Potato & Mackerel Salad 9 Weight Watchers ProPoints values per serving • SERVES 1 • PREP 5 mins
2 tbsp 0% fat Greek yogurt 1-2 tsp grated horseradish 125g (4½oz) cooked new potatoes, quartered 50g (1¾oz) smoked mackerel, flaked (skin removed) 1 tbsp chopped fresh dill 1 spring onion, sliced finely 50g (1¾oz) cherry tomatoes, halved Mix the yogurt with the grated horseradish and season to taste. Place the remaining ingredients in a bowl and gently fold in the yogurt. Check the seasoning; store in a container and chill until needed. YOUR FREE COPY
AUTUMN 2011 | THE WAITING ROOM MAGAZINE
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RECIPES LIGHT AND FILLING
Spiced Carrot & Butternut Soup SERVES 4 • PREP 10 mins • COOK 35 mins
Low fat cooking spray 300g (10½ oz) carrots, peeled and chopped 400g (14oz) butternut squash, peeled, de-seeded and chopped 1 tablespoon medium curry powder 1.2 litres (2 pints) hot vegetable stock 2 teaspoons olive oil 2 large red onions, sliced thinly 1 teaspoon black onion seeds ½ teaspoon cumin seeds 1 Spray a large lidded saucepan with the cooking spray and heat until hot. Add the carrots, squash and curry powder and stir fry for 3 minutes. Add the stock, bring to the boil, cover and reduce the heat to simmer for 20 minutes until the vegetables are soft. 2 Transfer to a liquidiser, or hand blender, and blend until smooth. 3 Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan and cook the onions over a medium heat for 5-10 minutes until golden and crispy. Stir in the onion seeds and cumin seeds and cook for a minute. 4 Serve the soup topped with the onion mixture. 4 Weight Watchers ProPoints values per recipe
Butternut Squash A winter squash with a sweet, nutty taste similar to pumpkin. It has yellow skin and orange fleshy pulp, and turns increasingly deep orange and sweeter when ripe. A good source of fibre, vitamin C, manganese, magnesium, potassium and an excellent source of vitamins A and E.
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As the weight loss experts, we know how to help people learn how to lose weight and keep it off. For nearly 50 years, a combination of healthy eating, activity, small changes in behaviour and group support has been at the heart of the Weight Watchers philosophy. Now, with the new PROPOINTS plan, it’s easier than ever to make the smart food and activity choices that put you on the road to weight loss success for the long term. For class details, Men Only, At Work, By request Lo-call 1850 234 123 see weightwatchers.ie. At Home call 056 77 222 76. Men welcome at all meetings
THE WAITING ROOM MAGAZINE | AUTUMN 2011
Creamy Chicken Pies SERVES 2 • COOK 30 mins Use two individual pie dishes or a 750ml (1¼ pint) ovenproof dish 400g (14oz) potatoes, peeled and cut into small chunks 125g (4 ½ oz) parsnip, peeled and cut into small chunks 300g (10½ oz) skinless boneless chicken breasts, cut into small chunks 1 carrot, peeled and sliced thinly 250ml (9 floz) hot chicken stock 1 bay leaf 60g (2 oz) sweetcorn, frozen or canned 2 teaspoons cornflour 40g (1½ oz) low fat cheese 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley Salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 Bring a lidded pan of water to the boil. Add the potatoes and parsnips. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes until soft. Drain well and mash with a little seasoning.
2 Meanwhile, place the chicken, carrot, stock and bay leaf in a medium sized pan. Bring to the boil and simmer, uncovered for 5 minutes. Add the sweetcorn and bring back to the boil. 3 Mix the cornflour with 1 tablespoon of water, then stir to a paste. Stir the cornflour paste into the chicken mixture and let the mixture bubble for a minute or so until hot. Remove the bay leaf. Stir in the parsley. Preheat the grill to medium. 4 Spoon the chicken mixture into individual pie or gratin dishes or the ovenproof dish, and top with the mash. Grill for 3-5 minutes, until the potato is just golden on the top. Serve immediately. 24 Weight Watchers ProPoints values per recipe YOUR FREE COPY
TRAVEL WALKING FOODTHE LIGHT BÉARA RECIPES WAY
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Man Alive! After his fight with cancer, Paul O’Brien battled the bulge and lost over 3 stone! “THREE YEARS AGO I WAS IN HOSPITAL, BATTLING BOWEL CANCER. While I was there, I met Susan, who was visiting her brother. Over time, we got to know each other, and now I’m happy to say she is my partner. With the cancer gone, I had six months of chemotherapy. After I got the all clear I was conscious of being thin, so Susan and I ate out a lot and, as a result, the weight just piled on me. It got to the point where I could barely walk up the stairs and had to get a spray for angina. Susan was a member of Weight Watchers. She spent a few weeks hassling me to go along and eventually I did, but very reluctantly. During the first two weeks I lost ten and a half pounds. I was hooked and I loved it. I eat plenty of fruit and vegetables and drink lots of water. My leader, Bríd, says that Weight Watchers is not about starving yourself; there’s plenty of good stuff to eat and enjoy. I still eat as much as I did before, so I’m never hungry, but now I’m eating healthly. I have a dog, so I started taking him out for 20 minutes at a time, building it up little by little, and now walk for an hour a day. My energy levels are much better and, best of all, I don’t need the angina spray anymore. Susan has been absolutely brilliant. I never would have got here without her. To think, two years ago I didn’t even know if I’d still be alive today and now look at me, it’s fantastic!” NAME: Paul O’Brien from Ardee LOST: 3 STONE 8LBS / 22KG CLASS: Drogheda LEADER: Bríd Hurley
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rescue remedies potent fish oil test your blood home pedicure dry oil travel sickness seaweed
Wicklow-based company, NOVABRANDS, has launched CLEANMARINE™, an Omega-3 capsule derived from krill, tiny marine crustaceans. They claim that krill oil works faster and is more potent than fish oils, being effective in Premenstrual Syndrome, Weight Management issues and Rheumatoid Arthritis. Health Canada has officially approved krill oil for various conditions. One celebrity devotee of Cleanmarine™ is Seán Óg Ó hAilpín. Seaweeds, long recognised as a rich source of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, form the basis for ME TIME BY VOYA, an Irish company celebrating its centenary next year. Derived from the seaweeds of our coasts, Me Time has a beneficial effect on complexion and skin elasticity, especially on dry skin. For stockist information contact 071 9168956 or purchase online at www.voya.ie.
TRAVELLA contains a unique selection of homeopathic remedies designed to bring gentle relief for the unpleasant symptoms associated with travel sickness. €7.25 from Nelsons Homeopathic Dispensary
ROGER & GALLET’S HUILE SUBLIME BOIS D’ORANGE is extremely versatile. This dry oil can be used on the face, body and hair, leaving a heavenly scent and a sun-kissed satin sheen that is both nourishing and protective. Available from selected pharmacies nationwide.
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THE WAITING ROOM MAGAZINE | AUTUMN 2011
Put your feet up! The new MICROPEDI gives you a great pedicure at home. Safe and simple, this little genius gets rid of hard skin and heel-cracks. Available at leading pharmacies and health stores or visit lifes2good.ie
Most of us know omega-3 is good for us. But how good? From a small prick in your finger, the IDEAL OMEGA TEST KIT measures the level of omega-3 in your blood, and determines the individual requirement of this super nutrient needed to improve your health. It's that simple. Buy from idealomega.ie and receive 25% off!
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ANIMAL-LIFE PANDAS
‘A few weeks later, Xiang Xiang (4) disappeared again, this time permanently.’
Conservation in Black & White Globe-trotting vet, Claire Greene, last year visited China’s Wolong Panda Research Centre and came away with mixed feelings.
EVERYONE LOVES PANDAS, PARTICULARLY THE CHINESE. In July 2005, when China’s oldest captive panda, Mei Mei (36) died, there was a national outpouring of grief. In 1972 a pair of pandas was presented to America, following President Nixon’s historic visit, a gesture now considered to have been a turning point in Sino-American relations. Goodwill gifts of pandas date back to the 7th century, when a Tang-dynasty empress presented a pair to Japan. However, in 2005, Taiwan declined the offer of a pair, citing no suitable place for them, and advising China to let them stay in the wild. Taiwan’s prime minister called the offer propaganda – to camouflage China’s secret intention
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to attack – and was angered that the ‘gift’ had been announced without consulting Taiwan. The Chinese people, who can’t vote for their leaders, had been invited to vote on names for the gift pandas and the winners, Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan, were announced, nationwide, on Chinese New Year TV. The love of the Chinese people and political interests have led to the founding and funding of the Wolong Panda Research Centre, but is this what the panda actually needs? When it was established in the 1950s, the pandas showed absolutely zero interest in breeding. The baffled scientists
THE WAITING ROOM MAGAZINE | AUTUMN 2011
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tried everything, aphrodisiacs, panda-porn films, pelvic muscle ‘sexercise’, but they were finally forced to resort to artificial insemination with sperm collected by electrical stimulation from anaesthetized males, which doesn’t sound like nearly as much fun as panda-porn. Timing was everything as each female has just one 72-hour fertile period during the whole year! A huge achievement for science and research continues with frozen sperm now shipped between zoos and the first panda successfully cloned in the lab. Many of the early panda babies died. The problem was captive mothers didn’t know what to do with them. 84% of pandas born at Wolong are taken from their mothers and raised in a sterile creche. Behind thick glass, you can watch their masked handlers constantly correcting and sanitising the babies, and just over 300 pandas have now been successfully reared in captivity. 300 was a magic number: the government had pledged to begin releases once it had been attained. In April 2006, Xiang Xiang (4) was the first captive to be released. A few weeks later, his radio-collar failed and he was found, injured in a territorial fight with another male. He was patched up and returned to the wild but, a few weeks later, disappeared again, this time permanently. It is thought that he broke his leg and died while trying to escape from another male. Partly due to this failure and partly due to the devastation fol-
Two employees, surrounded by stuffed toy pandas large and small, chatting in the gift shop at Beijing Zoo.
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lowing the 2008 earthquakes, no further release attempts have been made. Pandas are fighting turf wars with people. Since the 1960s the pandas’ habitat has shrunk by half. Only 6 widely separated forested habitats are left, not enough to support its natural life cycle. Every 40-120 years, bamboo undergoes a mass flowering and all of the bamboo in a region can die off. Pandas could once move to unaffected adjacent areas but not now. During the last bamboo die-off (1980s), many pandas wandered into villages. Rewards equivalent to 2 years average salary were offered to anyone who helped a starving panda.
Deforestation These suddenly captive animals formed the core of the conservation programme. They were described as ‘rescued’ but, in fact, they’d just run out of space. Deforestation from natural, cyclical die-off and cutting of bamboo to make charcoal for smoking pork to sell to tourists has destroyed much habitat. A 1998 ban on commercial logging has helped, but illegal logging still persists. Relocating the people who live in reserves is a major problem – it will cost some $80m but the government has only budgeted $13m. The shortfall, it is hoped, will come from international conservation groups. €13m seems like a small sum compared with the wealth generated by captive pandas. All pandas are national property and merely loaned to zoos around the world for up to $1 million a pair per year. Also, China exports large quantities of bamboo to feed its rented-out stars. China clearly loves its pandas. While captive pandas refused to breed, wild populations had to be protected. But, with rampant deforestation and a captive population that is not learning mothering skills, things are looking grim. Until we see meaningful release programmes in place, the success of captive panda breeding could lead to its vanishing from the wild. #
HISTORY EARLY IRELAND
take place in an underground A funeral procession. The burial will to form the entrance, which used been have s stone Large chamber. l. The man will be buried buria the after again up closed will be ils he used when alive. utens and ents ornam ons, weap with (Louis Figuier, 1870). Man itive Prim in shed publi ork Artw
A Day in the Life With modern life becoming ever more difficult, we asked renowned archaeologist, Michael Gibbons, to give us a taste of what it was like in the old days. We didn’t realise how old is ‘old’ to an archaeologist! THE MESOLITHIC, OR MIDDLE STONE AGE (7,500-3,500BC), IS THE EARLIEST AND LONGEST PERIOD OF IRISH PREHISTORY. Small groups (9-15) of gatherers, fishers and foragers moved between the coast and the river and lake systems. Inland, trees blanketed the major mountains and upland areas, apart from exceptionally steep or sharp peaks. Oak, pine, elm and yew covered the lowlands, with willow along the banks of lakes, and bog oaks and pine along the edges of the fens. But forest cover was not total; light broke through in woodland clearings, around lakes and on the banks of rivers, where smaller vegetation, blackberry stems, wild roses, cherries and elder fed animals and people. Flint tools, mainly local, but sometimes traded across long distances, were used to hunt, fish and prepare skins. In the Early Mesolithic, small, triangular microliths (fitted to wooden spears and harpoons) were used, along with awls, stone needle-points, scrapers, and small axes, while, later (after c5500BC), heavier tools began to appear, picks, borers (possibly for woodworking) polished axes and
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heavier blades and flakes known as ‘Bann’ flakes. Seasonal camps with a broad range of resources were reused for generations – in at least one case for over 500 years. Dome-shaped circular wooden huts, probably roofed with animal skins or reeds, from 19-20 feet in diameter have been discovered. Inside, the floor was cleared down to the soil and the centre of each hut was dominated by a fire pit (1 yard across and 1 ft deep). Small wooden structures around the pits suspended food for cooking, and fire-heated stones were used in separate pits to boil water. Most camps were concentrated along the coast near the mouths of river and lake systems. Unlike Britain, Mesolithic Ireland had few large animals: the great Irish deer and reindeer were extinct before the arrival of the first people, but wild pigs lived in the forests and, possibly, herds of deer on the uplands. Freshwater fish, including pollan, salmon, trout and arctic char, could be speared by the sharpeyed from the riverbanks, but most fish were probably scooped from the
THE WAITING ROOM MAGAZINE | AUTUMN 2011
SEASONAL CAMPS WERE REUSED FOR GENERATIONS – IN AT LEAST ONE CASE FOR OVER 500 YEARS.
Michael Gibbons conducts archaeological tours to Newgrange, the Boyne Valley and the West of Ireland. See newgrangetours.com
water using conical wooden baskets, about 1m long and 0.5m in diameter, made of strips of alder and birch woven together. These basket traps, held in position by large stones, were placed in narrow weirs and the oldest in these islands have been discovered in the Liffey’s estuarine silts. Wrasse and conger eels were fished in pools close to camp and shore crabs (and the occasional stranded whale), plus seaweeds such as dulse and carrageen moss, provided valuable nutrients. Oysters, mussels, limpets and dog whelks were collected from sandy and rocky shores, their discarded shells forming large rubbish dumps known as middens. Small flatfish were caught at the water’s edge while larger fish were speared in slightly deeper water. Turloughs or seasonal lakes were an important winter feeding ground for fowl such as ducks and the eggs and chicks of guillemots and gannets were taken from the edges of cliffs. Many groups created shamanic religious systems of ritual and magic to understand and control their world. At Castleconnell, just north of Limerick, the remains of a circular early Mesolithic cremation pit were discovered with a polished stone-axe buried point down resting against a wooden totem-pole or grave marker. In Vedbaek in Denmark a red ochre dye was smeared around the heads of the dead and similar customs may have been practiced in Ireland. At Ferriter’s Cove in the southwest the late Mesolithic middens are dominated by dog whelk which can be used to make an intense purple dye. This will always remain speculation however. Six thousand years divide us from the earliest Irish people who gathered fish and caught birds between the mysterious expanse of the ocean and the edge of the great forest. We have no way of bridging that divide, and what they thought and how they felt about their world will always remain a mystery. # YOUR FREE COPY
The Waiting Room Magazine No.9
QUICK QUIZ
CROSSWORD 1
Question 1
Which of these islands is NOT in the Mediterranean a. Ibiza b. Lanzarote c. Majorca
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The largest ocean is: a. The Indian b. The Pacific c. The Atlantic
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The largest creature that ever lived is: a. Tyrannosaurus rex b. The Woolly Mammoth c. The Blue Whale
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WIN two nights for two
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The Station House Hotel in Clifden, Co Galway
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HOW TO ENTER: Text TWR2 followed by your answer, name and address to 53307 or post your answers to us!
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Question 6
Barack Obama is the X President of the US? a. 44th b. 45th c. 46th
Question 7 The singer, Marvin Lee Aday is better known as: a. Prince b. Axl Rose c. Meatloaf
Question 8
Answers: 1b. 2c. 3b. 4c. 5c. 6a. 7c. 8a.
An Anemometer measures: a. Wind speed b. Haemoglobin levels of blood c. Wavelength.
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ACROSS 1 Old coin of little value, like a distant object. (8) 5 They have a less harsh word for children in Germany. (6) 9 Crab I ate unwisely can cause disease. (8) 10 It ruins the trophies the winners get from war. (6) 12 A bull lies crookedly as they might send one to sleep. (9) 13 Describes the days of yore. (5) 14 See 19 A (4) 16 Lots and lots end with a youth over 12 but under 20. (7) 19 & 14 Original name of old heavyweight champion. (7,4) 21 The word is there’s nothing in the holy sister. (4) 24 Investigate with a long thin instrument. (5) 25 Arthur’s magic weapon. (9) 27 They are not the brightest people around. (6) 28 Feeling for people of the Green party, perhaps? (8) 29 What a waste it is in North Africa! (6) 30 It’s gone before. (8)
DOWN 1 Smaller of the two bones between knee and ankle joints. (6) 2 Remember to phone back. (6) 3 Wild African animal? What a laugh! (5) 4 Not the way the strong silent type lives. (7) 6 It’s an unrehearsed performance. (9) 7 Faded away. (8) 8 Echoing like the destruction of neon star. (8) 11 Finding a use involving Jacob’s hairy twin brother. (4) 15 English cheese county. (9) 17 Doubting Thomases. (8) 18 It will surprise and amaze you to get strangely hit on ass. (8) 20 Can Al run from Red Sea to Med Sea? (4) 21 Power with unclear ramifications. (7) 22 What a ridiculous answer! (6) 23 Worn when fed with ray inside. (6) 26 One of those colourful bloomers? (5)
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AUTUMN 2011 | THE WAITING ROOM MAGAZINE
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Doctor Bob Pronounces When we invited Bob Quinn, film maker, writer, archaeologist, philosopher, maverick, iconoclast and lifelong bête noire of the media establishment, to contribute an article, we knew there was a 99% chance that it would be controversial. It is. But a deal’s a deal so, here, unexpurgated, it is.
OPINION Bob Quinn
WE IRISH ARE FAMOUS FOR BEING LITIGIOUS PEOPLE
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When I asked the pretty young doctor why she smoked a lot and drank gallons of coffee she replied: ‘The smoking narrows my arteries and the coffee thins my blood. One balances the other. It is equilibrium’. Doubtfully, I asked a supplementary: ‘I do the same. Will we die young?’ ‘No,’ she answered, ‘but we will probably have an uncomfortable old age’. And so it transpired. But I’d still rather be an uncomfortable 75-yearold than a complacent corpse. The moral is, enjoy yourself now, you could be run over by a boy racer tomorrow. Worry about getting sick makes us sicker quicker than liquor. We are all potential hypochondriacs and the pharmaceutical industries encourage this with their massive TV advertising. Our tiny insecurities are magnified by commercialism to the point that we’ll buy any expensivelypackaged snake oil that promises relief. We don’t buy what we want; we buy what we’re persuaded we need. Commercial television is, next to the automobile, the greatest cancer of all. It frightens us into conformity and persuades us we are sick. Twothirds of the cost of producing our pills – as advertised on TV – is spent on marketing and packaging. Unless you have been mangled by a bus, stay away from the doctor. The greatest contributors to Ireland’s GDP are the multinational pharmaceutical companies located here. That’s why we bribe them to stay and to hell with the way they mess up our minds. A Hungarian psychiatrist has said: ‘…when science is strong and religion weak, people mistake medicine for magic.’ One thing is sure. Nobody lives forever. Having established this wisdom, I can now announce the real cause of chaos in our health service and why our A&Es are overcrowded: LITIGATION. We Irish are famous for being a litigious people. Gently touch my back
THE WAITING ROOM MAGAZINE | AUTUMN 2011
bumper with your front bumper and I’m out in a flash, red-faced and accusing, examining the tiny scratch on the chrome, working out how much insurance I can claim for whiplash. Cut the branches overhanging my property from your property and you’ll see me in the High Court, shortly after beating me to a pulp. The same applies to illness. Doctors pay a fortune in insurance to protect against allegations of mistaken treatment. That explains the cautionary decision of many a GP to send you into A&E. Just to be sure to be sure. Let the hospital take the responsibility. This, combined with the commercial media persuasion that a common cold might be some deadly form of oriental ’flu, means we crowd into A&E. We have been herded in there like a flock of sheep – or is it Gadarene swine? My granny used to say: ‘Cure one disease and you start another.’ She avoided medicine, smoked fags, loved Tullamore Dew and lived until she was 84. Her husband never wore gloves on the bitterest days, just clapped his hands and said ‘Damn the weather.’ He lived to a ripe old age, too. Alright, my doctor says, lifeexpectancy is all in the genes. However, both my parents died early in their sixties. So what’s their excuse? The body is full of bacteria, good, bad and indifferent which have spent millions of years fighting each other for supremacy. Let them at it, I say. Don’t pour medicine on the battlefield, favouring one or the other. Let the body and your granny’s wisdom be the referee. There is no elixir of life better than a little of the evil you fancy, than fresh air and exercise. Use it or lose it. Unless you have a broken leg, been attacked by a cyclist or guillotined, get out of this waiting room and walk briskly home. And what, pray, am I myself doing in this waiting room? Simple. It’s the only place I get to read this entertaining magazine.
It’s A Miracle! Travelling through Spain recently, we happened upon a town called Calanda. I’d never heard of it, but we spent an afternoon there, visiting, among other places, Casa-Museo Miguel Pellicer. I’d never heard of him either and might not have been moved to commit him to memory were it not for an advert on TV that same evening claiming that a brand of washing powder could work ‘miracles’ on stains. I was immediately moved to paraphrase Crocodile Dundee’s famous, withering phrase (re knives) ‘That Ain’t a Miracle. This Is a Miracle.’ In July 1637, Miguel Pellicer was a young farmer whose leg was broken in an accident. It turned gangrenous and had to be amputated ‘four fingers’ below the knee at the hospital in Zaragoza. Miguel was a very religious man and prayed to Our Lady of The Pillar. According to contemporary reports, he would rub the stump with a little of the oil from the sanctuary lamp in the Sanctuary of the Pillar. Unable to farm, he turned to begging and returned to live with his parents. On the morning of March 29 1640, more than two years after the amputation, Miguel awoke to find the leg back in place, the exact same leg, with the exact same scars and marks. The site at which the leg had been buried was excavated and found to be empty. There were numerous well documented reports from eyewitnesses, who knew Miguel with one leg and later with two, and many detailed investigations both by church and civil authorities. He was even presented at court, where the king knelt and kissed the leg. So, what was it? Divine intervention? Mass hysteria? Could all those people have been fooled? I suppose, to an aetheist, it has to be bunkum, despite the investigations; to believers, we’re back to The Lord Works In Mysterious Ways... We hear the term ‘miracle cure’ bandied about a lot these days, often without much justification. Like many other words, ‘miracle’ has been devalued. It now refers to anything even vaguely remarkable, without having to be totally inexplicable or seeming to contradict the known laws of nature. And the more of nature’s laws we uncover, the fewer miracles there are. But for me, open-minded agnostic that I am, give me leg replacement any day over stain removal!
JOSÉ ANTONIO BIEL SA ARBIOL
BACKCHAT BOB QUINN
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