Feelgood 15-01-2010

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DARK DAYSWhy women are more likelyto get depressed than men: 5

NEW LEAFCabbage makes a comebackas a health food: 11

SKIN DEEPPsoriasis treatment turnsyoung man’s life around: 13

FeelgoodFriday, January 15, 2010

Tough loveHow far should you go when layingdown the law with your child? 8,9,10

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FRIDAY, JANUARY 15, 2010

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Feelgood

EDITORIAL: Irene Feighan 021-4802292 Niamh Kelly 021-4802215ADVERTISING:

HEALTH NOTES

[email protected]

Kate O’Reilly

WHAT’S ON

TOUGH MEDICINE: The pill “doesn’t agreewith almost one in four women”. Picture: iStock

ALMOST one in four women who stop tak-ing the contraceptive pill do so because theyfeel it doesn’t agree with them, according tonew research. One in five women blamed thepill for mood swings, while similar numberssaid it caused weight gain. Side-effects of de-pression and migraine were cited by 12% and10% of women respectively.The research was commissioned by Bayer

Schering Pharma ahead of the launch of newcontraceptive pill Qlaira, which delivers dif-ferent levels of oestrogen and progestogenthroughout the month, with one pill takendaily for 28 days.“It provides a more natural form of the

hormone oestrogen, which is ideal for wom-en who are conscious about what they put intheir bodies,” says Dr Eithne Brenner of theBrenner Clinic.

TOP Irish athlete Derval O’Rourke is set toundergo a smile makeover this year withher treatment expected to be complete byNovember. The Irish record-holder at 100m,60m and 50m hurdles will wear invisiblebraces and undergo crown-replacement andteeth-whitening at the Seapoint Dental Clin-ic in Blackrock, Dublin. “With the World In-door championships and European out-doors this year, I hope I’ll have plenty tosmile about,” says the athlete.

WHY migraine-sufferers shun the light hasalways mystified doctors. Now, new US re-search has found the answer — light intensi-

fies migraine headaches because of a particu-lar group of retina cells at the back of theeye, say researchers at the Beth Israel Dea-coness Medical Center in Boston, who ex-plain that photoreceptors send signals to thebrain via the optic nerve, which stimulatemigraine pain neurons. More than eight in

10 migraine-sufferers are hugely sensitive tolight, a condition known as photophobia.

ONE in five people in Ireland and Britaindid not take all the holidays due to them in2009, according to research conducted byaccommodation website www.hotels.com.Of those with annual leave left to take,more than one in three surveyed in the fi-nal month of 2009 had yet to use up theirremaining days holidays while as many asone in six still had five working days tobook — for the majority of the workforcethis equates to a significant proportion(18%) of their total holiday allowance. Thesurvey also found that one in six had takenfewer holidays in 2009 than they had theyear before — a sign that the recession isforcing us to forego holidays.

PEOPLE who gain more than 9kg/20lbcompared to their weight as an 18-year-oldwill rapidly increase their risk of health prob-lems due to that extra weight, warn the Nu-trition & Health Foundation, which con-ducted a survey that found more than threein four participants had gained 10kg/22lbssince they were 18. Pointing out that fad di-ets don’t work long-term (lose weight rapid-ly and you’ll almost certainly suffer a re-bound effect), the foundation’s advice forpeople making weight-related new year reso-lutions is to ensure goals are small, manage-able and achievable in less than a year.

Helen O’Callaghan

DEPRESSION AWARENESS: NextMonday, January 18 sees the start ofDepression Awareness Week. To markAware’s 25th year, a number of person-alities have come on board to encour-age people to get help. Contact Aware:loCall Helpline on 1890 303 302 or [email protected] for a free informationpack. New online supports, includingchat rooms on www.aware.ieEvents in the south include: Monday

18: Tralee — Open information session,1pm- 3pm at Aware office, CollisSandes House, Oakpark, Tralee. Tues-day 19: Mallow — Open informationsession, 10am-1pm at Mallow library;Tralee — Aware lecture, opening upabout depression, at 8pm in The GrandHotel. Thursday 21: Waterville, Co Kerry— open information session,11.30am-2pm, Tech Amergin.

ACUPUNCTURE SEMINARS: Theinaugural Acupuncture Awareness Weektakes place from January 18 to 23. Thepublic are invited to attend free infor-mation evenings at:Cork — Brookfield Health SciencesComplex, UCC, Wednesday January 20at 6.15pm.Limerick — Strand Hotel, Ennis Road,January 20 at 4.30pm; Waterford —Tower Hotel, Tuesday January 19 at7pm.Dublin — D4 Berkeley Hotel, Balls-bridge, Thursday January 21 at 5.30pm.Galway — G Hotel — Saturday Jan-

uary 23 at 12pm. Visit: www.acupunc-turecouncil.ie. (See page 4)

THERAPIES DAY: Free holistic infor-mation event in Vienna Woods Hotel,Glanmire, Co Cork from 2 to 5.30pm onSaturday January 23. Entry is by passavailable from Cornelia Fitzgerald 0872138446 E-mail: [email protected]; and Joan Buckley 0876749221 E-mail: [email protected]

HEART CLINIC: The Irish Heart Foun-dation will hold a free blood pressureand cholesterol testing clinic at theFamily Resource Centre, Farranree, Corkfrom 2.30 to 4pm on Wednesday nextJanuary 20. Contact 021-4505822.

STUDY SKILLS: To celebrate WorldHypnotism Day Cork hypnotists MartinKiely and Paul Giltinan are offering afree hypnotherapy seminar on ‘LearningEnhancement and Study Skills’ tonightat Brú Columbanus, Cardinal Way,Wilton, Cork from 7.30 to 10.30pm. Con-tact 021-4870870.

Info to: [email protected]

SPA COMPETITIONOur apologies. Due to a production errorthe Brehon Health Squad Weekend com-petition did not appear in last week’s Feel-good. Instead, it ran in the main paper onTuesday — winners are announced today.

Operation donorArlene Harris talks to Darren Cawley, one ofhundreds waiting to receive a new lease of life

PATIENT MAN: DarrenCawley — “somethinghas to happen soon”.

WHILE you are reading this,there are approximately600 people in Ireland wait-

ing anxiously for an organ transplant.Whether through accident or illness, theirlives can be on hold for years as they awaitnews of an available organ.Giving an insight into the daily life of a

hopeful recipient, a new three-part serieson TV3 hopes to open our eyes to the dai-ly struggle suffered by patients on organwaiting lists. The Gift of Life follows thestories of 12 transplant patients and thefamilies of some of their donors in a mov-ing programme highlighting how importantorgan donation can be.When Darren Cawley (featured in the

series) was 20, he was in college, planningto travel the world before embarking on acareer in sports and physical science. Butwhen he visited his optician complaining ofblurred vision, he was referred to hospitalimmediately. It was there, doctors discov-ered he had a rare kidney disease.Now 31, the Westport man is on dialysis

three times a week, he is unable to workand the nature of his treatment means hehas to stay close to home.“I had a kidney transplant almost 11 years

ago, but it wasn’t successful and it stoppedworking after two years,” he says. “Timehas stood still ever since.”Darren has been on a transplant waiting

list for four years and despite the fact thatfamily members have offered to donate an

organ, he is holding out for a lucky break.“I don’t really want to put them through

an operation for me,” he admits. “I havebeen waiting for so long, something has tohappen soon.”But the hopeful patient is just one of

hundreds waiting to receive a new lease oflife through the unfortunate demise of astranger.Professor Oscar Traynor is a consultant

surgeon at St Vincent’s Hospital and direc-tor of the national liver transplant pro-gramme. He says people should think aboutorgan donation and make their feelingsknown before its too late.“If more people were to carry organ

donor cards then waiting lists would invari-able get shorter” he says. “And if applyingfor a card is too time consuming, there is asection on the back of every driver’s licensewhich allows them to state their wishes onthe matter — although people should makeit clear that they have discussed the matterwith their next of kin,” he advises.“The difference an organ transplant can

make to a recipient is like the differencebetween night and day — most peoplewho are waiting for a donor have a terriblequality of life — a successful operationwould transform their lives.”■ The Gift of Life starts on Thursday Jan-uary 21 at 10pm on TV3.

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FRIDAY, JANUARY 15, 2010Feelgood

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Sunday isusually my only

chill out day, whenI stay in pyjamasand do nothing

THE SHAPE I'M IN Sinead Sheppard

STORY TIME: Sinead Sheppard plays Jill in the Cork OperaHouse pantomime, Jack and the Beanstalk.

Woman ofmany partsTO say Sinead Sheppard has many talents is an under-statement. She is a former member of pop group SIX,which had success in Ireland and in Europe with twonumber one singles and a top five album. “SIX had beenvery successful and we wanted to finish up that way. Wealso decided to call it a day because some of us had otherprojects we wanted to pursue,” says the 27-year-old.For the past four and a half years, Cobh-born Sinead

has run her own dance school, where she teaches four to18-year-olds hip hop and modern dance. She is currentlystarring in the Cork Opera House pantomime, Jack andthe Beanstalk, in which she plays Jill, and she was recent-ly talent adviser for the South in RTÉ’s All Ireland TalentShow.“I was part of reality TV myself and lived my dream

through it, so it’s exciting for me to see other young peo-ple coming through,” says the woman, who became theyoungest elected representative in Cobh when she waselected as a councillor for Fine Gael in last June’s localelections. Sinead has been dating engineer boyfriend Ea-monn O’Keeffe for 11 years.Jack and the Beanstalk runs at Cork Opera House until

Sunday, January 24.

What shape are you in?I’m in OK shape. I dance every day. Doing panto reallytests you, with all the dancing, singing and runningaround stage.

Do you have any health concerns?No, I’m pretty sturdy. Last time I was at the doctor’swas three years ago for the flu.

What are your healthiest dietary habits?I drink two litres of water or more a day. I don’t eatany white bread or potatoes and I eat a lot of fruit.

What’s your guiltiest pleasure?The minute Friday comes I’m in the Chinese. I’mgood all week but not at weekends. I’m a big ice-creamaddict as well.

What would keep you awake at night?My grandmother is always telling me to stop stressing.Even though I love the dance school, it can be stressful,hoping it can be the best it can. And dealing with peo-ple’s issues on the council can be difficult — you hear alot of sad stories.

How do you relax?By having a lazy day — chilling out on the couch,watching TV, eating nice food. Sunday is usually my onlychill out day, when I stay in pyjamas and do nothing.

What would you change about your appearance?I’d have said loads of things a few years ago but I findthe older I get, the more comfortable I am in my ownskin — I’m more comfortable now than I’ve ever been. Iwould like better, thicker hair though.

What’s your favourite smell?The fragrance I’m wearing at the moment, which isCalvin Klein’s Euphoria.

When did you last cry?I don’t cry an awful lot. I wouldn’t be too soft. Even ifI’m upset, I hold it in. I honestly can’t remember the lasttime I cried.

Who would you invite to your dream dinner party?The film director Tim Burton — I think he has anamazing mind.

What book are you reading at the moment?The Secret, a self-help book by Rhonda Byrne, whicha friend gave me three weeks ago. I’ve just finished AThousand Splendid Suns, which is the best book I’ve readin recent times.

What trait do you least like in others?It costs nothing to be nice. I have no tolerance for peo-ple who are rude.

What trait do you least like in yourself?Sometimes I talk too much — I’m a yapper. People arealways saying ‘Shh..’

Do you pray?I do, though not an awful lot. I’m likely to say a littleprayer when I’m upset or something’s worrying me. I don’tgo to mass but I have my own personal beliefs and I wouldnow and then say a prayer.

What would cheer up your day?A phone call from a friend. My boyfriend lives in Dublinso it’s always great to get a text from him.

Helen O’Callaghan

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Getting to the pointAcupuncture may loosen palsied muscles, says Richard Fitzpatrick

K EVIN MULCAHY was born with cere-bral palsy, which mainly affects his legs.He has always had limited mobility,

because his leg muscles are tight and rigid.He started to lose the ability to walk inde-pendently at 22 years of age, due to dete-rioration of the muscles in his legs. Hetakes medication for muscle spasms andhe’s had numerous surgical interven-tions, which unfortunately haven’tworked.“I spent a lot of my youth going in

and out to hospital and spending mytime going to out-patient depart-ments, seeing consultants and doingdifferent things that didn’t work,” saysMulcahy, who is now 37. “It made meworse, really, instead of making mebetter. I became very disillusioned andstarted to do a lot of research on theinternet into my own condition, and in-to different remedies that could help it.”Two years ago, the Limerick man started to go

to the Central Remedial Clinic, in Dublin, everycouple of months to get Botox injections intoboth of his hamstrings and his calf muscles,which helps to relax them. They relax his mus-cles. As a result, he can walk with the use of awalker, after years of using a wheelchair. InNovember, prompted by studies he found aboutthe impact of acupuncture in treating cerebralpalsy, he began his first course of Chinesemedicine, with Marase McElduff, at her clinic inDooradoyle, Limerick. He’s had 15 sessions.From the outset, he established long-term goals for his

treatment: to walk straighter, and stand up straighter, andto alleviate the contrac-ture of his hips and knees,

which causes them to bend when he walks.The acupuncturist inserts 15 pre-sterilised needles in-

to his body, including into parts of his quadriceps, intohis knees and the back of his knees, into both of hiship flexor muscles, into his backside, and into hisfeet, ankles and calves.“It’s very relaxing, as a form of treatment,” hesays. “I don’t mind the needles going in, at all.When my quads were very tight, I wouldn’t feelthe needles going in. But because the quadshave loosened up, I can now actually feel a lit-tle pinch going in now, but it’s not pain.“When the muscles become less rigid andless tight, I can do more with them. As a re-sult, I can gain more function in my lowerlimbs. I’ve found that since I’ve been at-tending Marase, I can stand up that bitstraighter. I can walk that bit straighter, aswell.“She also inserts one or two needles into

my hands and into my wrists, because Ihave a little bit of a history of depression

and anxiety, which I suppose is no surprise, givenall that I’ve been through. It certainly has helpedthat as well, enormously. My general well-beinghas improved. I hope my story will be an inspira-tion to others that suffer from cerebral palsy andtheir families.”McElduff has been in practice for 20 years and

treats a range of ailments relating to pain relief,such as migraines, back ache and multiple sclero-sis

“He’s loosened out a lot,” she says. “He’s standingstraighter and with much less discomfort. Hisspirits have lifted as well. You can see it inhim as he walks from his car to the doorand the way he’s holding his head.”

Acupuncture Awareness Week,Monday, 18 January — Friday, 22 JanuaryTHE inaugural Acupuncture Awareness Week kicksoff on Monday with a series of free informationevenings, seminars, and trial acupuncture sessions incentres around Ireland, including Dublin, Cork, Lim-erick, Waterford and Athlone.

Although acupuncture only came to prominence inIreland in the 1970s, it dates back 3,000 years in Chi-na. It is used in conjunction with herbs, and adviceon diet and lifestyle, to unblock the flow of energy ina body. “Chinese medicine believes in a substancecalled ‘qi’, which is energy,” says Dermot O’Connor,chairman, Acupuncture Council of Ireland, picturedbelow.

“In Chinese medicine, blood is moved throughoutyour body with ‘qi’, or energy. If there’s ill health,there’s usually manifestations of a problem with thisenergy that’s in your body. In the case of tumours,for example, that’s seen as an accumulation of ener-gy stagnating, with other bodily fluids congregatingin that area because energy has stagnated.

“The acupuncture channels, which are calledmeridians, are like the motorways of energy thattravel throughout your body. When you put a needleinto an acupuncture point, it’s almost like you’re try-ing to adjust a traffic signal along that motorway.You’re changing the way energy flows in the per-son’s body,” he says.

The World Health Organisa-tion states that acupunctureis effective in treating up to200 illnesses.

■ Visitwww.acupunc-turecouncil.ie.

REGAININGSTRENGTH:Acupuncture hasreduced KevinMulcahy’s musclestiffness. Picture:Brian Gavin Press 22


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Women are up to four times more likely to experience depressionthan men, writes Colette Sheridan who is herself a sufferer

Dark days without a dawn

ON THE surface, best-sellingnovelist Marian Keyes has adream life. She has sold 22

million books worldwide, translated into33 languages. She has a loving husbandand a sparkling personality that shineswhen she is a guest on chat shows. But,as she revealed on her website last week,the 46-year old author is currently laidlow with a crippling bout of depression,an illness that has dogged her for years.Keyes, who was a guest editor of Feel-

good in 2008, has courageously spokenabout her depression in the past. But thiscurrent episode is significantly worse thannormal. “I can’t eat, I can’t sleep, I can’tread, I can’t talk to people,” she wrote ina blog to fans. “The worst thing is that Ifeel it will never end.”This is a common feeling in people suf-

fering from depression. Although Keyescan’t see any light at the moment, shewill, with help, recover.I was diagnosed with depression 20

years ago. I have had debilitating depres-sive episodes and, each time, I believed Iwould never come out of them. But withthe help of a psychiatrist, medication andtalking to friends and family, I have comeout of dark spells. I can never say I’vekicked depression for good. It’s an ongo-ing condition that has to be managed.Keyes probably feels very alone right

now. But she is one of 400,000 people inIreland experiencing depression at anyone time. Women are three to four timesmore likely to experience depression thanmen. High-profile Irish women who havespoken about their depression includepolitician Mary O’Rourke — who suf-fered from post-natal depression — actressMary McEvoy and singer Frances Black.Other women in the public eye who suf-fer from the illness are Iris Robinson,Tracey Emin, JK Rowling, Caroline Ah-erne and Ruby Wax.Lewis Wolpert, professor of biology at

University College London and author ofMalignant Sadness: The Anatomy of De-pression, also suffers from the condition.He entered a state of severe depression 15years ago. “It was the worst experience ofmy life. All I wanted was to kill myself,despite being happily married and havinga fine job at the university.”He points out that severe depression is

not to be confused with mild depressionor feeling low. “More education aboutthe condition would be invaluable, notjust in removing the stigma but in helpingsufferers seek treatment.”Louth-based GP Dr Harry Barry au-

thor of Flagging the Therapy: PathwaysOut of Depression and Anxiety, describessevere depression as akin to “being in adark hole like a well with high walls allaround you and no way of getting out”.Women are more prone to depression,

says Dr Barry, “because men’s brains and

women’s brains are hardwired differentlyand also, there are hormonal differences be-tween men and women. A lot of peopledon’t realise that levels of serotonin (thefeelgood hormone) are much smaller inwomen than in men.”On top of this, women now expect more

from themselves than ever before — amindset that can lead to a feeling of failureand, in time, depression.“Many women, because of the way fi-

nances have gone, have to go out to work.At the same time, they’re trying to rearyoung children and keep relationships go-ing. At the post-natal stage, women can bevery much at risk of suffering from depres-sion. It’s a highly stressful time in a woman’slife,” says Dr Barry, adding that some wom-en compound their stress and depression byturning to alcohol.Approaching depression holistically is im-

portant, says Dr Barry. He stresses the im-portance of 30 minutes of exercise every

day “both to treat depression and to preventit.“Nutrition is important and taking alco-

hol should be stopped immediately. If yourdepression is very significant in that you’restruggling to get through the day, you mayneed drug therapy for six months or so totry and bring your mood up so that youcan start dealing with issues in your life.”Describing himself as “a huge fan of cog-

nitive behavioural therapy (CBT)”, Dr Bar-ry says it challenges negative thinking andfeelings of being worthless.“The important thing is to reshape the

brain so that not only can you get over about of depression but you can build thingsinto your life like CBT, exercise and mind-fulness that can make a difference as towhether or not you get another episode ofdepression.”Where a person experiences depression,

particularly a severe bout, it can affect theirmotivation to seek help, says a spokeswom-

an for Aware, the organisation that sup-ports people with mental health problems.“But we would remind people that access-ing information and support can helpgreatly in alleviating depression. TheAware Helpline (1890 303302) and supportgroups offer a safe and confidential envi-ronment for people to talk through theirparticular concerns with someone who re-ally understands how lonely and dark thecondition can be.“When people are in that darkness, it

may feel like there are no options but thereare always options and it can take someoneelse to shine a light on what there are. Iwould encourage anyone who is sufferingas a result of depression to reach out forhelp and remember that other people dounderstand and want to help.”

■ Depression Awareness Week starts onMonday. For information log onto:www.aware.ie.

■ Feeling depressed, sad, anxious orbored.■ Lacking in energy with slow move-ments and feeling everything is an effort.■ Waking during the night or too early inthe morning, or oversleeping.■ Slow thinking, poor concentration, for-getfulness and indecisiveness.■ Loss of interest in food, work and sex.■ Reduced sense of self worth, low selfesteem and guilt.■ Aches such as headaches, chest or oth-er pains without a physical basis.■ Not wanting to live, suicidal thoughtsor thinking about death.

WARNING SIGNS

DEPRESSIONSUFFERERS:Clockwisefrom main pic,Marian Keyes,Frances Black,Iris Robinson,Mary McEvoyand J KRowling.

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Feelgood

Tony Humphreys

Mindfulness can teach us a lot about how to handlestress and its often serious health implications

Taking care of you

THE relief of stress and other illness-es is a multi-billion euro industry.A cough, a cold, a headache, a

stomach-ache sends the sufferer scurrying tothe medicine cabinet or pharmacy in searchof a ‘cure’. There are over-the-countermedications that either lead to the digestivetract slowing down or speeding up, others torelieve heartburn or neutralise excess stom-ach acid. There are also multiple pain killersavailable.On prescription you can get drugs to re-

duce anxiety — Valium and Xanax — todecrease secretion of stomach acid — Taga-met and Zantac — and anti-depressants foralterations in mood.The problem with the widespread use of

many such medications is that, even thoughthe symptoms are temporarily alleviated, theunderlying issues — physical or psychologi-cal or social or spiritual — are often not ad-dressed. Symptoms arise to tell us somethingis out of balance. If we ignore these mes-sages or, more alarmingly, suppress them, itmay only lead to more severe symptoms anda deepening of the unresolved underlying is-sues.What is more disturbing about people’s

reliance on medication is they become de-pendent on them and do not learn how tolisten and trust their bodies. An alternativeapproach to drug cures is direly needed.Fifteen years ago a stress-reduction clinic

was set up at the University of MassachusettsMedical Centre by Dr Jon Kabat-Zinn. It isan eight week programme and consists ofeight two hour classes plus a one-day work-shop. The course is called MindfulnessBased Stress Reduction (MBSR) and isbased on the essential teaching of Buddhistteachers such as Tich Nath Hahn andEchart Tolle.Mindfulness is more than a meditation

practice, that in itself can have profoundmedical and psychological benefits, it is alsoa way of life that reveals the tender and lov-ing wholeness that lies at the heart of ourbeing, even in times of great pain and suf-fering.The MBSR course is a unique synthesis

of East and West — of meditation and yogawith science and mainstream medicine.The individuals who attended the courses

over the last 15 years were referred by theirdoctors for a wide range of medical condi-tions — headaches, high blood pressure,back pain, heart disease, cancer and Aids.A particularly helpful part of the Mindful-

ness Based Stress Reduction Programme is

that attendees are taught body consciousnessand a body scan method that enables them toget to know their own bodies. The courseemphasises that by training people to listen totheir bodies that they make intelligent deci-sions about obtaining medical attention forany identified pain or discomfort.The work of mindfulness is always carried

out in conjunction with all the medical treat-ments that may be required to relieve pain. Itis not meant to be a substitute for but it canbe a vital complement to medical treatment.Does the MBSR programme work? The

evidence to date suggests a dramatic thera-peutic effect. Before individuals begin theprogramme they fill out a questionnaire inwhich they identify from a list of more than100 common physical and emotional symp-toms — the symptoms they have experiencedin the preceding month. They repeat this ex-ercise at the end of the course.The average number of symptoms out of

100 possibles is 22. When people finish thecourse the average drops to 14 — showing anaverage of 36% fewer symptoms. This is adramatic change in a short period of time, es-pecially for people who have had these symp-toms over quite a while. What is even morereassuring is that several follow-up studies in-dicate that the improvements gained weremaintained. Indeed, most participants ratetheir training as very important to their im-proved wellbeing.All in all, the course has considerable thera-

peutic effects on such conditions as stress,chronic pain, anxiety and panic, headaches,back pain, high blood pressure, psoriasis, ac-ne, insomnia, fatigue.The MBSR course is now available in Ire-

land and is being offered by several practi-tioners throughout the country. For bookingscontact 086-8654326 or for details on coursescontact John Cully on 087-2139076.

■ www.umassmed.edu

■ Dr Tony Humphreys is a clinical psycholo-gist and author of several books on practicalpsychology, including The Power of ‘Negative’Thinking.

PILL POPPER: TheMBSR programme, ablend of Eastern andWestern approaches,can help guide peopleaway from stress-reliefmedication.Picture: Corbis

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THE four parenting styles as de-fined in Building Character, theDemos report authored by Jen Lex-mond and Richard Reeves are:

Tough love (more commonly de-fined as authoritative)A warm and responsive approachto child rearing with firm rules andclear boundaries. Parents are assertivewithout being aggressive or restric-tive and the aim of disciplinarymethods is to reason with and sup-port the child rather than to bepunitive. Children from ‘tough lov-ing’ families are characterised as co-operative, self-regulating and sociallyresponsible.

Laissez-faire (or permissive)Parents who are undemanding inapproach to discipline and generallynon-confrontational. Nontraditionaland engaged in approach, opting fora lenient and democratic householdthat allows children considerable op-portunity to develop at their ownpace.

AuthoritarianCharacterised by firm disciplineand rule-based practices but withoutmuch regard for children’s feelings orperspective. Typically these parentsvalue obedience and structured envi-ronments over freedom and explo-ration.

Disengaged (and, at the extreme,neglectful)Generally hands off in their ap-proach. Low in warmth and disci-pline. Extreme cases make up a fur-ther group of poor parents whosechildren are ‘at risk’: a level of disen-gagement of a small minority of par-ents that would be considered ne-glectful. The lack of engagementcharacterising this approach can re-sult in development of what psychol-ogists call ‘callousness’ in children.‘Callous’ children learn to see othersin a purely instrumental way.

TOEING THE LINE: Firm but fair or tough love?Is it ever okay to smack your child when laying down the law? Father of two Joe McNamee looks at the debate raging over parenting styles and talks to the experts

MOST parents accept theyhave an enormous part toplay in moulding future,

kind, happy and well-adjusted adults butit’s not all Goodnight Moon stories andtucking up at bedtime. At some stage, eachand every parent will know the horror ofstanding in the supermarket aisle as Ap-ple-of-Eye achieves meltdown next tofrozen foods. As other shoppers’ headsswivel, jaws dropping in appalled awe, yousuddenly realise the only creature you aremoulding for the future is some hideousreincarnation of Pol Pot himself.Most adults in Ireland were smacked as

children — more than a few experienced“discipline” of a rather more severe nature,but physical punishment has largely fallenfrom societal favour. We repeatedly hearthe mantra, “didn’t do me any harm”, butbesides the fact such opinions can hardlybe offered objectively, we now have a gen-eration of parents who believe the only re-ally effective disciplinary tool has been re-moved and have little or no idea what todo instead.Parenting gurus have raced to fill the

vacuum but Bernardo’s CEO Fergus Finlaysays: “No models of parenting really takeinto account the stresses and strains youlive with: you come home exhausted atthe end of a lousy day, you find an ESBbill you can’t afford to pay, everyone is in aratty mood and you’re supposed to re-member that effective parenting is aboutloving relationships and knowledge ofboundaries. Human life ain’t that way.”Which is possibly why two academic re-

ports, one promoting tough love and theother advocating the smacking of chil-dren, should have achieved such as-tonishing international attention inrecent weeks.Building Character, authored

by Jen Lexmond andRichard Reeves of Britishthink-tank Demos,tracked 9,000 familiesand concluded, par-ents who practised atough love approach raisedchildren who were more empathetic, emo-tionally stable, better able to apply them-selves and achieve success.In fact, Lexmond and Reeves, hadn’t

stumbled across some radical new trend inparenting but were simply employing defi-nitions that have been standard in psychol-ogy for over 30 years: laissez-faire (or per-missive), authoritarian, authoritative(re-christened, tough love) and disengaged.Tough love is usually defined as harsh or

stern treatment designed to benefit the re-cipient in the long run and prior to theDemos report often described boot campsfor troubled teens with extremes of be-haviour including drug addiction and vio-lence. Such camps have remained contro-versial and many have been openly accusedof child abuse but Lexmond, while ac-knowledging an “excellent media run”,denies the term was used to attract atten-tion.Speaking to the Irish Examiner from

Demos’ London office last week, she said:

“It doesn’t surprise me people have beenseizing on that term because of the conno-tation the term has but I wouldn’t ac-cept that as a criticism of our usingthat term.“I certainly would not be happy to

hear of any group using our report tojustify extreme behaviour towards chil-dren,” says Lexmond. “Nowhere in thesection describing tough love parentingdoes it advocate hitting children or anyform of physical or corporal punishment.The two main elements as we would seethem are love, support and encouragementand the ability to set consistent rules andthe discipline to see those rules are adheredto, that’s the magic combination.”Yet, a Daily Telegraph journalist, while

acknowledging the report does not advo-cate physical punishment, had no problemin making the leap to condone smackingher own child.

Not only has the report been covered inthe mainstream global media but it has at-tracted equal attention from many funda-mentalist religious groups. Family FirstNew Zealand, part of the global and so-cially conservative Family First group,and advocates of the parent’s rightto physically punish their chil-dren, seized on the report asfurther corroboration of

theirprefer-ences. InIreland, theright-wingCatholic newspaper,Alive!, made it a front-page lead, trumpeting it asa challenge to “modern, liber-al ways of child-rearing”.Irish clinical psychologist David Cole-

man and Rita O’Reilly of Parentline agree

it constitutes the bones of extremely sensi-ble parenting. “Parents can’t be too le-nient,” says O’Reilly. “They need to befirm but I’m not too sure about the toughlove. Some discipline is a sign of love andoften kids don’t feel loved ifboundaries are not speci-fied and enforced.”“Firm but fair would be

a much better description,”suggests Coleman. “Discipline isa much broader term than just pun-ishment and the classic method of dis-cipline is to notice and reward the positivebehaviour, praise them for being good andthen put in place punishment or conse-quences when they are not good.”If some of the hype surrounding build-

ing character might be dismissed as a mat-ter of semantics, there can be no ambiguityabout conclusions drawn from her researchby Marjorie Gunnoe, Professor of Psychol-ogy at conservative christian universityCalvin College, Michigan, USA. Gunnoesaid she had empirical evidence to supporther contention that children smacked be-tween the ages of two to six would growup to be happier and more successfuladults than those not smacked. Smackingafter that age, according to Gunnoe, pro-duced more negative than positive effects.She defined smacking as a “slap of thehand on either the hand, legs or buttocks”.Gunnoe’s report may not have been not

been published in any professional journalsand was rejected by the US Journal ofFamily Psychology but it did not stop themainstream media from recycling it as in-disputable fact.Debating her report with Fergus Finlay

on Today FM’s The Last Word recently, italso became clear Gunnoe was not merelypresenting research data but that the resultsalso accorded with her worldview, as shevolunteered the information that she usedregular slapping to discipline one of herthree children.“The notion that you can model an ap-

propriate form of physical punishment,”said Finlay, “the ages at which it can beused, the ages at which it can bestopped, the notion that chil-dren understand what isgoing, it’s all just absurd,it’s nonsensical.”When Finlay asked Gun-

noe if her research included any questionsabout fear or fear of parents relating tophysical punishment she admitted it didnot.After the programme, Finlay is in a re-

flective mood: “I have a memory of when

I was a kid — and it wouldn’t have beenalien to the culture — of being told towait until my father got home and, whenhe got home, of getting two or three beltsof the slipper on the behind.“Now I can’t say it hurt me or did me

any harm but my strongest memory of thesituation is of his arrival home and the ter-ror so that’s why I asked her those ques-tions. I thought her answer was very re-vealing of herself, she said there was agreat deal of empirical evidence aboutthe value of shame as a deterrent,for example, the diminution ofshame in young people hadled to an upsurge in prema-

turesexualactivityand teenpregnancies, ap-parently. I have nodoubt whatsoever that an ability to resistpeer pressure, an ability to make betterchoices, an understanding of the differencebetween right and wrong are all very im-portant things where young people areconcerned but to base them on fear andshame doesn’t seem to me to be produc-tive, to be relying on negative forces to en-able a child to develop and grow.”Like Finlay, I too am a product of my

times and was regularly subjected to cor-poral punishment as a child, both in schooland at home. Unlike Finlay, I make nobones in saying it did me harm, physicallyand mentally: corporal punishment did notteach me one single thing about the differ-ence between right and wrong but it didteach me most of what I know to this dayabout fear and anxiety. No surprise, so,that I should choose not to hit my ownchildren.Yet, one day, when

my eldest sonwas aboutnine, I

completely lost mytemper and gave him

a slap on the leg, the firsttime I had ever laid a finger on

him. His reaction as he looked up atme was immediate and unforgettable andnothing to do with pain: astonished anger,hurt and, most of all, utter betrayal. I neverhit him again and to this day I can stillwork up a nice well of guilt thinkingabout it. Now, a kind, mannerly, intelli-gent and very popular young man of 20,he is an ideal testament to an upbringing Ihope was firm, fair, very loving but not atall tough.

PERMISSIVE NEGLEC

TFUL

TOUGH LOVE

DIFFERENTSTYLES

AUTHORITARIAN

Picture: iStock

Picture: iStock

THEMAGIC COMBINATION: Love, supportand encouragement, the ability to setconsistent rules and the discipline tosee those rules are adhered to

■ PAGE 10: Irish experts give their view ■


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EXPERT ADVICE: from top, David Coleman, RitaO’Reilly and Fergus Finlay.

W E ask some of our Irish ex-perts their opinions on someparenting viewpoints.

■ Firm but fair, the expert way

DAVID COLEMAN“You definitely have to set limits for chil-dren, you have to let them know what’s rightand wrong. At the same time, you have to beunderstanding because they will have feelingsabout that so rather than simply laying downthe law, you might say, ‘I know you’re findingit hard, tough, but that’s the way it’s going tohave to be’.“That’s the warm and responsive bit —

you’re not just coldly doling out punishment,left, right and centre with no explanation.”

RITA O’REILLY“Be open with them, talk with them, makesure they know the boundaries, either explic-itly or implicitly. Sometimes you will have totell them exactly, maybe dealing with an en-tirely new situation, other times they mightmimic what you do and often you don’t evenhave to say it.“In a lot of cases, it’s no harm to give an

explanation as to why you are discipliningthem or imposing a boundary even whenthey are quite small and you have to modifythe language. Usually it is for their safety,now and in the future.”

■ Crime and punishment: discipliningchildren

DAVID COLEMAN“Most punishments will fall in the line ofremoving some sort of privilege, somethingthe child feels entitled to, such as watchingtelly. It has to happen straight away so a childwill associate the behaviour with the resultingdiscipline but it also has to be reflective ofwhat the behaviour was. Say, if a child spilledtheir glass of milk on the kitchen table, a nat-ural consequence would be having to clean itup — an unnatural consequence would begetting sent to bed for making a mess of thekitchen table.“If the child refuses an assertive parent will

say: ‘You are going to clean it up and I’m go-ing to help you if you want me to because Iknow your small and it’s hard to clean upmilk. So here’s the cloth and I’ll help youwipe up some of it. And then you can wipesome more and put this dirty dish into thedishwasher and then we’ll both put the dirtycloth into the washbasket’.

RITA O’REILLY“For older children, 12-13 up, experts saydiscuss it with the kids, what they thinkshould be the sanction. They often come upwith interesting things, but obviously thatwouldn’t work with younger children.“I don’t like grounding them, saying you

can’t go out for the next week or go to yourbedroom. A bedroom should be a pleasant,happy place, particularly for when the child isgoing to bed. I don’t think it’s helpful to haveit associated with punishment.“I am also careful about using something

like, let’s tidy up the room — you don’t wantthem to see household chores as a punish-ment.”

■ The tantrum: discipline is one thing buthow do you defuse the dreaded tantrum?

DAVID COLEMAN

“You take a break from it, you take themoutside, away from all the attention theymight be getting from all the other peoplewho are there, to a quieter place where theymight have a chance to calm down.“Most children have a tantrum because

they want to be noticed or because they aretrying to influence or sway someone else.Usually if you take away the audience, theycalm down quite quickly or if you empathiseit takes a lot of the intensity from thetantrum. Try saying something along theselines: ‘I know you are really bored, I knowyou don’t want to walk around the shops butunfortunately if we don’t walk around theshops there won’t be any food for us to eattomorrow. I know you want food and I wantfood but we’ll take a little break and comeback in when we’re all feeling a little bitmore calm’.”

RITA O’REILLY“No child ever threw a tantrum without anaudience — ignore them, don’t remark on it,don’t engage with them at all. It’s the old oneabout ignoring the bad behaviour and re-warding the good behaviour.“When the child has calmed down, some

time after the tantrum and they are beingwell-behaved, you can say something like,‘You’re a very good child’.”

■ Should you slap your child?DAVID COLEMAN

— NO“When parents say they have resorted tocorporal punishment it is usually as a last re-sort, everything else has failed, which usually

means they are at the end of their tether,quite cross and wound up, which means theonly time you hit the child is when you arenot getting your own way or when you’refrustrated and angry which means when theythemselves are frustrated and angry they hitout as well.“There is also the danger with any punish-

ment system that it can become ineffective,so usually the response to an ineffective pun-ishment is to up the frequency or intensity, sofor a parent when the tap on the hand or thetap on the leg stops working, they may de-cide to hit a bit harder and that just puts chil-dren at risk.”

RITA O’REILLY— NO“How would you feel if a nine-foot persongave you a slap? We teach our children not tobe violent, not aggressive and then if we slapthem we completely contradict ourselves.The slap is invariably given in anger. It is nota planned parenting decision, it is more aboutreleasing stress and anger for the parent. In-variably the parent will feel much moreguilty afterwards.”

FERGUS FINLAY— NO

“Slapping is about two people: it’s aboutthe person being slapped and it’s about theperson doing the slapping. I cannot see howit is possible to express one’s belief in effectiveparenting through physical abuse of one’schildren. I slapped all my children years ago. Ihope that they forgive me for it — in fact, Iknow they have forgiven me for it, thankful-ly, but it was always when I lost my temper.It was an expression of my loss of control andI believe 90% of slapping happens becausethe parent has had enough, has lost control.And you can’t define a model of corporalpunishment when that’s the reality.”

Picture: iStock

What the experts say


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Roz Crowley

Easy Red Cabbage

Half red cabbage3 onions2 tbsps crab apple jelly or any sweetchutneyPinch saltPinch sugar100ml water

Cut the onions andcabbage into thesame size fine slices.Sprinkle with salt,sugar and water.Bring to the boil, cov-er with a lid and lowerthe heat so it steamsgently. Fifteen minutesshould be enough to soft-en. Add the jelly or chutneyand continue to cook for anotherfive minutes. Serve on the side with hotor cold meats — lamb and venison areparticularly delicious, along with anykind of burger. Good on toast too.Keeps in fridge for at least a week.

JANUARY is not a good time to go ona diet. We need to keep our energylevels up and keep warm, so insteadwatch quantities and cut back a little.Eat warming foods such asginger, grating itinto stews,stir-fries andsoups. Eat plenty ofgarlic and onions to keepcolds away.Other warming foods include:

■ parsnips■ butternut squash■ sweet potatoes■ kale■ citrus peel (make hot lemon drinkswith sliced lemons and honey)■ dates■ cherries

WICKLOW Blue FarmhouseCheese, established in 2005 and amulti-award winning product, is agood edition to Irish cheese boards.Like Cambozola, it’s a cross be-

tween a Camembert and a bluecheese, nicely creamy, with a slightlysalty tang which is delicious onbrown bread or added to stirfries to make an easysauce.Made from cow’s

milk with vegetarianrennet, it’s availablein speciality foodstores 150g 3.99. Fornearest stockist:www.wicklowfarmhouse-cheeseltd.ie.

SPECIALLY Selected SweetTomato Irish Country Relishis good to add to stir friesand also goes well with cab-bage. Hot from mustardseeds rather than sweet assuggested on the label, a320g jar is 1.99 from Aldi.

Staying inthe red

C ABBAGE doesn’t sound like thebasis for exciting meals, but forvitamin value and euro stretching

it’s a super-veg. It can also be added to manydishes so it’s not the main feature, but stilldelivers its power.Known in the past as medicine of the poor,

cabbage could well become a recession-fighting piece of kit, keeping us healthy aswell as even curing some ailments. If thethought of a dull cold January and Februarydepresses you, you may even find that cab-bage helps lift your spirits with its iron andfolate which is particularly good for womenof child-bearing age.All types of cabbage have health benefits,

but it’s always a good idea to vary thecolours, making the best of what is available,fresh and local.Red cabbage is traditional at Christmas so

over the festive season I experimented andcame up with the recipe on the right isquick and easy to cook. If we are watchingeuros, we need to keep an eye on cookingtime and not waste energy. This recipe can

be cooked in a pot, but place a steamer (astrainer with a lid on will do) over it andcook potatoes or any other vegetables at thesame time. Towers of food over heat saveshuge amounts of energy. We can even steamfish, chicken and bacon to make the best ofresources.‘Mucilaginous’ is the buzz word of the

cabbage world and means mucous-producing,which is good news for the health conscious.When we produce mucous from cabbage ithas a healing effect on the digestive system

which means ulcers can be prevented or evenhealed.For a cure, cabbage is boiled and a cupful

of the soup from it drunk a few times a daybetween meals for a few weeks, even afteryou feel better. Add other fresh vegetablessuch as celery to make it taste better and varythe flavour.In natural healing medicine, cabbage is also

used to cure constipation and even helps thecommon cold. When the digestive system ishealthy, the skin benefits, so expect to glowwhen you have got into the cabbage habit. Itcan even help acne.While I am always slow to promote claims

about cancer prevention, studies have shownlow rates of some cancers in countries wherecabbage and other brassicas such as broccoli,Brussels sprouts, pak choi, cauliflower, kohlra-bi, spinach and kale are eaten regularly.Particular glucosinolates in the vegetables

act on damaged cells as well as preventingcancer cells from developing. The USA Na-tional Cancer Institute observed a slowdownin the spread of colon cancer in people with ahigh cabbage intake.

A GREAT HEAD START

SIZEMATTERS

CABBAGE

IS KNOWN

AS THEMEDICINE

OF THE

POOR

Picture: iStock


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CatherineShanahan

MUM’S WORLD

CatherineShanahan

MUM’S WORLD

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

Dr Niamh Houston is aGP with a specialinterest in integrativemedicine. If you have aquestion about your child’shealth email it [email protected] send a letter toFeelgoodIrish ExaminerCity QuarterLapps QuayCork

Dr NiamhHouston

FAMILY

EIGHTEEN months into her life not evenJesus the Nazarene could command mygirl to rise, pick up her rattle, and walk.Her physio, the next best thing to a

miracle-worker, has so far failed to breakthe bum-shuffling bind.Through a series of exercises, we’ve got

her to her feet, but no further. When I at-tempt to plant her upright on the ground,she retracts her lower limbs like a scaldedcat tossed on top of hot coals.To force her out of bum-shuffling com-

placency, the physio came up with a plan.“Sew the legs of her trousers togetherfrom the knee up to the crotch,” she said.“That will force her to keep her legs to-gether and bring the bum-shuffling to ahalt.”And so I stitched with all the finesse of a

commi chef sewing the neck of the Christ-mas bird.

I produced the trousers at a time of theday I knew her mood would be good. Islipped them on over her tights and wait-ed for all hell to break lose.For a moment she sat on the floor won-

dering what change had occurred. Shetried to bring her knees up to her chest tostart her bum-shuffling moves. I watchedwith bated breath, willing her to adapt.She would surely be forced to kneel —and a crawl would ensue at last.Instead she sat with legs straight ahead

weighing up how best to proceed. With-out batting an eyelid she wriggled herbum and shot from the room at speed.A Christmas gift of a trampoline was

meant to tempt her to stand. Instead shesits on her worn-out backside, bouncingwith her hands.Her technique for pushing a toy pram is

not what convention dictates — to the

onlooker watching its approach, it ap-pears to be travelling by itself. Only whenthe pram draws level is its source ofpropulsion revealed — a determined littlegirl with firm grasp on the handles, shuf-fling along on her rear.Her brother, a sympathy shuffler, gets

down to her level to play.To get her to stand requires some de-

gree of coaxing and plenty of support forher attempts. Only food can get her goingwithout my intervention — for grub, shewill go to any lengths.Place some pie on a table, lipsmacking-

ly tasty, just in her line of sight and watchher shuffle towards it with breakneckspeed before pulling herself upright.Like Napoleon’s men she performs well

when her tummy is fully replenished. Shebelieves, as they did, that an army march-es on its stomach.

TUNING OUT: Turnoff the TV and anyother distractionswhen your child isdoing homework.Picture: iStock

Q HAVE you any suggestions asto how to help my seven yearold son with his homework?He can’t seem to sit still formore than five minutes, and as

soon as I turn my back he’s out of theroom, watching TV. I often end up losingmy patience with him. Is it normal forboys of this age to behave like this? Othermums I have spoken to have said it is, andnot to worry. I don’t want it to continuebeing a battle between us.A. It seems such a simple process, yetsometimes it can be easier to help someoneelse’s child with their homework withoutgetting so emotionally involved. Homeworkhelps children develop good habits and atti-tudes — it teaches them to work indepen-dently and encourages self-discipline and re-sponsibility.

A parent’s interest can spark enthusiasm ina child and help teach the most importantlesson of all — that learning can be fun andis well worth the effort. Family involvementin education is crucial if we want our chil-dren to succeed in life.

I would encourage you to speak to histeacher and ask if there any concerns abouthis work at school. You may want to men-tion the difficulties you are encountering athome. It may be that he is struggling in oneor more areas, and this could explain whyhe is reluctant to engage with you.

At his age, homework generally shouldn’ttake longer than 30 minutes. If there are dif-ficulties present, your school will be able toadvise with regards to extra teaching or fur-ther assessment to rule out a learning disor-der. In most cases this is not needed.

It can help to set a regular time for home-work, ideally the same time each day, aftersome free time when he comes in fromschool. Routine and structure helps mostchildren concentrate and pay attention.Don’t leave it too late in the evening, orthey will be easily distracted and too tired toconcentrate. Turn off the TV, radio, com-puter and any other possible distractions. Ifhe complains or moans, it can help to sym-pathise with him. Let him know you are onhis side, but insist that homework is a prior-ity.

Help him to organise his work with a listof homework he can check off as he com-pletes each task. Take frequent breaks, set akitchen timer for say 10 minutes. Let himknow how much time he has to go beforehe can take a short break.

Don’t show disappointment if he doesn’tdo it as well as you’d like or if he gets theanswer wrong. Your job is to help yourchild work it out himself. Don’t be temptedto do his homework. This will not help himunderstand, teach him how to use informa-tion or become confident in his own abili-ties. Acknowledge and encourage his efforts,no matter how small. Reward him when hehas completed his work.

It’s best to restrict TV to the evening,and limit it to not more than 30 minutes.When you watch programmes with yourchild, discuss them with him.

Remember it is not a one size fits allwhen it comes to learning. Your son mayfind it easier to learn when he can visualisethe information, by listening or by touch.Try to use everyday tasks and objects tohelp him.

Talk to your child about what you arereading in the newspaper, or get him tohelp make up a shopping list. Encourageactivities that support learning such as li-brary visits, trips to the zoo or museum.At this age, he can also begin to get in-volved in chores that teach a sense of re-sponsibility. Keep persisting and homeworkwill be become part of his normal routine.

Q. My newborn (now three weeksold) has a large, red mark on his fore-head. I showed it to my doctor who saidnot to worry, it is just a “strawberrybirthmark”. What would cause this andwill he be left with it for the rest of hislife?A. Birthmarks cannot be prevented andthey’re not caused by anything done or notdone during pregnancy. The cause of mostbirth marks is unknown. Sometimes

they’re inherited, but usually not. A “straw-berry” birthmark is a type of superficial hae-mangioma.

Haemangioma or vascular birth mark hap-pens when blood vessels don’t form correct-ly, either there are too many of them or theyare wider than usual. These type of birth-marks are usually raised, bright red andsometimes not visible until a few days orweeks after baby is born. Haemangiomas cangrow quickly in the first six months of life,but usually shrink back and disappear by thetime a child is between five and nine yearsold. Some, particularly larger ones, may leavea scar that can be corrected by minor plasticsurgery.

Most strawberry birth marks are found onhead or neck, but they can occur anywhereon the body. Sometimes complications canoccur if their location interferes with sight,feeding, breathing or other body functions.

If the birth mark is large or clearly visible,people may ask questions or stare, It helps tohave a simple explanation ready for whenthis happens. If you have an older child witha birthmark, talk simply and early about it.This makes children more likely to accept itas just another part of themselves, like haircolour.

It’s important to see your doctor if it everbleeds, appears sore or becomes infected.


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Deirdre O'Fly-

MOSTLY MEN

DId you know...

DENTAL CARETAKE4

Deirdre O'Flynn

MOSTLY MEN

DId you know...

Weight Loss for 2010TAKE4

At least 15% ofstrokes inIreland aremisdiagnosed

Source: Irish Heart Foundation

One-third fails to washhands after toilet useA RECENT survey by hy-giene expert Milton has re-vealed that one in three peo-ple in Ireland don’t wash theirhands after going to the toilet.This leads to the spread ofviruses, such as norovirus, ro-tavirus, colds and flu. All ofthese infectious viruses have acommon enemy: clean hands.“To protect your-self, and yourfamily, from pick-ing up or passingon germs andviruses, it is im-portant to be

thorough about hygiene,” saysDr Rosemary Leonard.“Keep your hands clean, andfree from bacteria, by fre-quently washing them withsoap and water, and using analcohol-based hand disinfect-ing gel containing a mini-mum-stated 60% alcohol orethanol, when you are out

and about. Germslurk on hard sur-faces and fabrics,so make sure yourhouse and workarea is kept asclean as possible.”

My psoriasis treatment workedACTIVE LIFE:Kevin’s previousshyness has beenreplaced by a busysocial life.

MORE than 80% of peoplewith psoriasis are embarrassedby their condition. That’s ac-

cording to recent research from www.psoria-sisuncovered.ie, which showed that psoriasishas a dramatic and lasting impact on people’slives, potentially affecting their ability to pur-sue careers, educational opportunities and re-lationships.For Kevin Carthy, 28, psoriasis showed up

just as he made the transition from primaryto secondary school.“From the age of 13 to 18, the psoriasis

was on my scalp, so it was hidden by my hairand didn’t bother me too much,” says Kevin,a singer and wedding organiser with DublinGospel Choir.“But, at 18, it broke out, became red and

inflamed and showed up on my face, legs,arms, back, chest, groin and joints, and evenunder my nails,” he says.Not surprisingly, his confidence was dent-

ed, despite the solid support of family andfriends.“I wouldn’t go out that often, because peo-

ple would look at me and I felt they saw askin disease before they saw me. When I didgigs with the choir, I would leave the roomto change my shirt, because I didn’t wantpeople seeing me. It was the same on sunholidays, I’d wear a T-shirt and go for a swimat the quiet part of the day, when the beachwas less busy,” he says.Kevin’s story is similar to that of thousands

with psoriasis, according to the research fromthe Psoriasis Association of Ireland and Ab-bott. It also highlighted that 85% of Irish re-spondents felt their psoriasis negatively im-pacted on their enjoyment of life. Specifically,two-thirds cited a negative impact on theirsocial life and relationships.Kevin was lucky. His mother had psoriasis,

so he had lived with the condition as a childand she helped him to stay positive throughdifferent treatments.“I tried every cream and therapy, including

light therapy, and none of them worked forme,” he says.When he was 22, he had a breakthrough,

finally, when, after visits to numerous special-ists, a dermatologist diagnosed him with pso-riatic arthritis within five minutes of meetinghim.That diagnosis turned Kevin’s prognosis

around. Biologic treatment for this arthritisworked wonders.A biologic is a protein-based drug pro-

duced from living cells cultured in a laborato-

Free health seminars atRoyal College until MayTO learn more about your health,attend the free public health sem-inars held by the Royal College ofSurgeons in Ireland. Held on thelast Wednesday of every month,between January and May, topicsinclude ethics in medicine, car-diovascular disease, breast can-cer, hospital infection and sex-ual health. Leading health-care experts, including Pro-fessor Arnie Hill, ProfessorHilary Humphries and Pro-fessor Hannah McGee, pic-tured, will deliver thetalks.“The MiniMed Open

Lecture Series affords people theopportunity to learn more abouttopical, health-related issuesfrom leading experts,” says DrKevin McGuigan, director of theRCSI series.The series is free of charge,

but registration is essential toguarantee a place. To register,log on to www.rcsi.ie/min-imed2010, or call 01-4028662. Enrolment is on afirst-come, first-served ba-sis. Location is the RoyalCollege of Surgeons in Ire-land, 123 St Stephen’sGreen, Dublin 2.

ONLINE SUPPORT: Daily support and moti-vation are just the click of the mouse awaywith Perfect 10, a product which combines aslimming supplement with an online supportprogramme. The manufacturers say it in-cludes 10 nutrients, including green tea and Bvitamins, and say Perfect 10 can help manageweight when used in conjunction with a calo-rie-controlled diet and exercise.The support club at perfect10shape.com in-

cludes diet and exercise advice, BMIcalculator, recipes, etc. When youbuy a Perfect 10 pack, 29.99 for60 capsules from health foodshops and pharmacies, you canlog on to the support group usingthe password on the pack.More details are available from

www.naturalife.ie.

NATURAL SUPPORT: Naturalife arealso suppliers of Go-Cal 1,000, whichcontains six ingredients, includinggreen tea and apple cider vinegar (ametabolic accelerator, appetite sup-pressant and kidney cleanser).Naturalife says this natural

weight-loss support supplement worksbest when combined with five simplekey steps: eating regu-lar meals and smallerportions, eliminatingsnacks, increasingphysical activity andbeing realistic aboutyour weight loss.Go-Cal 1,000 is avail-able from healthstores and costs22.99.

MANAGE HUNGER: Higher Na-ture’s FullStop! contains a patent-ed extract from white potato thatthe company says is designed tohelp manage appetite naturally.According to the manufacturer,studies have shown that this pota-to extract increases the release ofthe body’s natural chemical CCK,which supports the feel-ing of fullness after ameal.As this extract helps

you to feel full sooner,it may help you reducecalorie intake and there-fore lose weight. Full-Stop! costs 43.35 for60 capsules.

ry. While traditional systemic drugs affectthe entire immune system, biologics targetspecific parts of the immune system.“Within two weeks, the psoriasis was to-

tally gone, it was unbelievable. I had justbeen expecting that my joints would settledown, but this was brilliant,” he says.Today, Kevin happily goes swimming and

to the gym and lives life to the full.

■ Free copies of the new psoriasis patientinformation booklet can be obtained bywriting to Psoriasis Uncovered, 15Fitzwilliam Quay, Dublin 4, by email [email protected],or by telephone at 01-6188408.

■ For information on the campaign visit:www.psoriasisuncovered.ie.

SLIM WEEKLY: Tohelp with the goal of

losing weight for 2010,you many be interested inSystem: Slim the NewZealand Weight Loss Pro-gramme which waslaunched in Ireland onJanuary 4.Now available in 20

pharmacies around thecountry, the System:Slimprogramme costs an ini-tial joining fee of 99which includes “a onehour health assessmentwith a trained consultant,a healthy eating and per-sonal lifestyle program

and three core supple-ments, designed to sup-port weight loss.”Then each week there’s

a 15-minute consultationwith the consultant,which costs 15.The aim of the weekly

weigh-in is to help keepyou motivated and fo-cused on your weight lossgoal, address any prob-lems you might have andproviding low-calorierecipe ideas and so on.For a full list of phar-

macies and more detailson the programme visitwww.systemslim.ie.


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Feelgood

The news on ...

Emily O’Sullivan

TAKE THREE

STUFF WE LIKE

Brr...owns

Creamy soft andmellow tones aremore flattering andkinder in this harshwinter weather

EVERYONE’S moaning about thebig freeze, but I like cold weath-er. What I don’t particularly like

is our inability to prepare for it — ever. Itrains a lot, but no one seems to own anumbrella. And when it snows, we panic.And so we moan.But cold weather can be downright lovely

— especially if you’re holed up in a cosy logcabin somewhere, or bedecked in cashmerein front of a roaring fire. This is the stuff ofdreams. Instead of languishing in thewarmth, we find ourselves freezing at thebus stop in a pair of Converse and shortanorak or trying to negotiate an icy foot-path in 5 fake Uggs.It’s the same with winter beauty: while

we should be celebrating the cold withdeeply luxurious creams, mellow tones andsilky textures, we seem to cover ourselves infake tan, lash on the black eyeliner andhope for the best.MAC’s new collection is a great celebra-

tion of all things good about winter,though. Titled Warm & Cosy, there’s a soft,sensuous attitude here with relaxing essentialoils, rich moisturising lotions and a range ofmake-up shades that have a soft-candlelight,creamy feel in tones of brown and nude.These are not going out colours — theysuit snuggly wools and cashmere far betterthan leather trousers and lace, but they arebeautifully flattering and very easy to wear.The best place to start adding a touch of

comfort is with your base. Stripping thingsback to basics on the face and letting yourreal skin tone shine through is easy as canbe. Fake tan looks downright dodgy in thewinter, especially when the skin takes onmore of a blue-ish tone. Give it a miss and

instead treat your skin to a bit of whole-some goodness with a luxurious moisturiser,such as Trilogy’s Vital Moisturising Cream,29.95, with comforting rosehip.For luxurious foundations in pale shades

that give the skin a beautifully velvety tex-ture, try Max Factor’s Second Skin, 21.50,which hits the right note between goodcoverage and a beautifully sheer finish. Ifyou feel your skin needs more of a lumi-nous pep-up, mix it with a little highlighteror luminiser.Also striking a chord this winter is Estee

Lauder’s Resilience Lift Extreme, 42. Ithas medium coverage and is better suited tomore mature skins, but the silky texturesinks into the skin and keeps it really wellhydrated despite everything that the winterweather throws at you.

Colour wise, the look to go for is caramelmeets nude. Don’t go too pale with thenude tones, though, you do need a bit ofcolour in the skin and lips at this time ofyear to prevent a Marilyn Manson effect.MAC’s Warm & Cosy covers a palette of

shades that stretch from a super-palebleached-out yellow (chamomile) to darkand sexy spiced tea.Uber-make up guru Bobbi Brown is a

maestro of the nude shades and her creamshadow shades (particularly Long-WearCream Shadow in suede) are great ways ofgetting a pretty natural look. Make sure tomatch whatever creamy shades you are go-ing for with a strong, lash-lengthening mas-cara to give the eyes good definition.All you need now is a roaring fire, a shag

pile rug and Bob’s your uncle, as it were.

Lash lengtheners

MASCARAS may have come on leaps andbounds over the past decade, but if you’renot exactly blessed in the eyelash depart-ment, a good mascara won’t work miracles.New from Mavala is a product, however,

which claims to giveyou healthier, thickerand longer lashes infour to five weeks.Mavala Double Lash

Cream, 9.95, is de-signed to be brushedonto clean lashes eachnight to do its work while you sleep.We’ve yet to try it, but we’ll report back

in a month to let you know whether it’stransformed our lash life. Or not.

Take three… Lip balms

IF YOU’RE currently finding yourself a littlecrusty of lip, then you’re not alone.January is a time when our poormouths get assaulted by the ele-ments and you need a good deal ofprotection to keep things soft andsupple.

Vichy Aqualia Thermal LipsSoothing and Repairing LipBalm, 5. Apparently, Vichy’s clini-cal tests have proven that 91% oftesters reported that their lips werenourished and hydrated. It’s certain-ly a balm that does give an instantlysoothing effect. And it lasts well, al-though it is quite greasy, so makesure to only use a little if you’re not a fan ofslippy slidey lips.Score: 8

Burts Bees Beeswax Lip Balm, 4.95.This is Burt’s Bees classic lip balm, but it’snot for everyone. It has a distinct pepper-minty aroma and a waxy nature means it’snot enormously spreadable. Still, it doesgive a very good shield from the wind andthe cold, and does keep lips soft throughthe day.Score: 6

Clarins Extra-Firming Lip and ContourBalm, 39.50.This one is not just for pro-tecting and hydrating lips, it’s also meant tofirm them up. While we didn’tnotice a tightened pout, it is anice balm to use. It lasts agesand has a lovely silky feel, al-though, from a hygiene pointof view, it’s not great, as youhave to use your finger to ap-ply it.Score: 6

Trilogy Vital MoisturisingCream, 29.95. Trilogy’srich moisturising cream is agreat choice for the depths ofwinter. It has a texture that isrich without being excessive-ly creamy and it keeps skin

well hydrated throughout the day.

17 Lasting Fix Lipstick inChocolate Éclair, 5.69. If youwant a bit of depth to yourcaramely-nude look, then take itdown the colour spectrum a littleand opt for 17’s Chocolate Éclairlipstick. It’s not too brown to look

dodgily ’80s, but it does give a flatteringeffect.

Ziaja Cocoa Body Butter,9.99. There’s only one thing tospread on your skin this winter —and that’s cocoa butter. It’s richly

moisturising and feels luxu-rious to the touch — justthe thing to put on beforeslipping into a pair of silkpyjamas. Ziaja is awell-priced cocoa rangewith a good-quality bodybutter, butter creams and abutter body balm.

are among the best around. Try the shadesof suede and bone. Only problem is thatthey do tend to dry out in the pot after awhile, but if you’re using them every daythis shouldn’t be a problem.

MAC Warm & Cosy Eyeshad-ow in Modelette, 19.This mid-tonecaramel eyeshad-ow has a satinytexture andlooks reallypretty teamedwith a nude or

pale pink lip gloss.

Estée Lauder Resilience Lift Ex-treme, 42. Some lifting foundations cangive the skin a slightly weird look — al-most elasticy — but Lauder’s new foun-dation has a delightful texture that re-tains moisture in the skin and blendswell. Expect medium coverage andgood staying power.

Bobbi Brown LongWear Cream Shadow inSuede, 24. BobbiBrown’s cream shadowsare just the ticket for thistime of year and theirnude and natural shades

Cosy up and try some

in the cold


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Megan puts the spotlight on: Five foods experts won’t eat

Megan Sheppard

Do you have a questionfor Megan Sheppard?Email it [email protected] send a letter toFeelgoodIrish ExaminerCity QuarterLapps QuayCork

Q I AM 35 weeks pregnant withmy second child. During thefirst pregnancy I suffered fromsymphysis pubis dysfunction.

This time round it has recurredand seems to be getting progressivelyworse. I had been attending physio and pi-lates to try and pre-empt it, but it cameback at 30 weeks. I am currently havingacupuncture and get some relief, but theyare unable to insert any needles near thepubic bone where it is most painful. I amafraid it is going to get much worse as lift-ing my toddler and going up and downstairs is now getting painful. Do you haveany advice on remedies which could bringrelief? I am currently sitting on a ball andtrying to do exercises which the physio-therapist gave me. It can be particularlypainful when turning in bed at night andgetting out of bed. I am 38 years old.

A. It is rare that symphysis pubis causesbirthing complications, so rest assured thatdelivery of your baby will likely be straight-forward and bring relief from the pain andmobility issues associated with this condition.Some women experience ongoing issues inthis area following the birth of their child, sothe following information is also relevant tothem.

There is a chiropractic method known asthe Webster technique which is often usedspecifically for pregnancy-related conditionssuch as symphysis pubis. Initially developedto help turn babies from breech to cephalicpresentation, this method uses gentle adjust-ments with a focus on the pelvis, sacrum,spine and surrounding tissue. Back to BasicsChiropractic (with clinics in Dublin01-2354975, and Louth 087-4150858) haspractitioners who are specifically trained inthis technique and are experienced in dealingwith a range of pregnancy-related issues.

I’m afraid this is one of those areas, muchlike morning sickness, where what works forone person may not work for another, andwhat was effective in a previous pregnancymay not be effective in the next. You maywell have tried some, or all, of these ideas al-ready in your efforts to ease the pain.

Sitting on an exercise ball (also known as aFit, Swiss, or Gym ball) is a great idea, andwill usually help to bring some relief, as willavoiding lifting your toddler as much as youcan possibly manage — this is probably themost difficult to put into practice in reality.

Wearing flat shoes, taking relaxing bathswhen you get the opportunity (and providedthat someone is available to help you in andout of the bath), swimming and pregnancyyoga are all useful things to try and you mayfind one or more that makes a real differenceto you.

Avoid squatting positions since they placestrain on the pubic symphysis at the front ofthe pelvis, which is basically ‘loose’ due tothe sacroiliac joints at the back of the pelvisbeing ‘tight’.

Of course there are many other factors in-volved, which vary between individuals andpregnancies.

Be wary of bracing the area — it can bringsome symptomatic relief, but this is a timewhen the pelvis needs to be as flexible aspossible rather than compressed, and may al-so cause compensatory pain and issues else-where in the spine. If you do find that sup-port brings much needed relief, then bemindful not to use it constantly, and opt fora soft tubigrip support which is a compres-sion bandage in the shape of a tube whichyou wear from your hips right up to underyour bust.

Finally, a calcium and magnesium combi-nation supplement can help immensely, par-ticularly if you feel muscle strain is a factor.This is also a wonderful remedy for helpingwith sleep and stress issues in the final weeksof pregnancy and the post-partum period.

For those wanting to read more on how tohelp treat pelvic pain and instability, there isa great book by Cecile Rost called RelievingPelvic Pain During and After Pregnancy:How Women Can Heal Chronic Pelvic In-stability (available from www.thebookdeposi-tory.co.uk where delivery is free worldwide).

Q. Do you know of any Human Givenspractitioners in the Cork area? I’ve

checked the website but all are in the Le-inster area. And do you have any tips formouth ulcers? I grind my teeth then bitemy tongue. I'm drinking fennel tea, takingvitamin C and honey. Is there anythingelse?A. You are quite right, the only Irish prac-titioners registered with the Human GivensInstitute are all in Dublin, Kildare, West-meath and Cavan. It is worth contacting thepractitioners on the list to find out whetheror not they travel — often therapists work inconjunction with other clinics around thecountry. The other option would be to ei-ther contact the Human Givens Institute(www.hgi.org.uk) or the training college forHuman Givens practitioners, MindfieldsCollege (www.mindfields.org.uk).

Regarding the mouth ulcers, it sounds as ifthey are stress related since you are alsogrinding your teeth and biting your tongue.I suggest you spend some time consciouslyloosening your jaw, if you notice you havetensed up then simply drop your jaw open tohelp release the tension. You can also mas-sage the area from the chin to behind theears with your fingertips, using a gentle cir-cular motion then tapping lightly with yourfingertips.

Check your oral care products for sodiumlauryl and/or sodium laureth sulphate wheremouth ulcers are an issue, as research showsthe two are linked. Fennel would not be myfirst choice of herbal remedy, rather a myrrhtincture, of which you only need three to sixdrops in a little water to rinse with.

PREGNANCY PAIN: A calcium andmagnesium supplement can helprelieve symphysis pubis. Picture: iStock

Tinned tomatoesFredrick vom Saal, an en-docrinologist at the Uni-versity of Missouri whostudies bisphenol-A(BPA), refuses to eat

tinned tomatoes becausethe linings of tin canscontain the synthetic oe-

strogen compound, BPA. Hesays the acidity from tomatoes en-ables the BPA to be absorbed into thisfood.

The alternative: Use fresh toma-toes, preserve your own in glass jars,or purchase tomatoes and tomatoproducts in glass containers.

Corn-fed beefJoel Salatin, co-owner

of Polyface Farms andauthor of books on sustain-able farming, laments the

modern farming methods used widelyin the USA where cattle are fed grainsrather than grass. Fortunately, Irishcattle are raised on lush pastures andconsequently have a much healthierprofile of fatty acids and minerals thanthose fattened up on grains.

The alternative: Enjoy the wonder-ful quality of local Irish beef.

Microwave popcornDr Olga Naidenko, a scientist

for the Environmental WorkingGroup avoids microwave popcorn asoften the bag lining contains perfluo-rooctanoic acid (PFOA), which is linked

to liver, testicular, andpancreatic cancer. PFOA isalso thought to be associ-ated with infertility. Theprocess of microwavingensures that the chemicalsare absorbed by the corn

and accumulate in your body.The alternative: If you like pop-

corn, then pop it the old fashionedway in a pot on the cooker.

Conventionally grown rootvegetablesJeffrey Moyer, chair of the Na-

tional Organic Standards Board, statesthat root vegetables readily absorbherbicides, pesticides, and fungicides

from soil. Potatoes, forexample, are oftentreated with fungi-cides during the grow-ing season, thensprayed with herbi-cides to kill off the fi-brous vines beforeharvesting. Afterthey’re dug up, theyare treated yet againto prevent them from

sprouting.The alternative: Choose organic orspray-free root vegetables.

Conventionally grownapplesMark Kastel, codirector of the

Cornucopia Institute, a US farm-policyresearch group, believes that if au-tumn fruits held a “most doused inpesticides contest“, ap-ples would win.Recent studies have

linked the cumulativepesticide load in ourbodies with Parkinson’sdisease.The alternative: Growyour own, or buy organic andspray-free produce. The highest chem-ical concentration is found just underthe skin, so wash and peel convention-al apples.

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Feelgood

NewYear New Hair!

WHEN 61-year-old Kerrygrandmother-of-six VivienO’Sullivan noticed that herhair was falling out more thannormal she assumed that it wasdue to stress caused by a recentfamily bereavement.“I noticed it mainly when Iwashed it, the plughole in theshower used to clog up withhair,” said Vivien. “I started toreally worry though when Iwoke up one morning and no-ticed several hairs on the pillow,I have always had really thickhair and my hair was definitelystarting to thin out.

“I was so worried about itthat I went to see my GP,” saysVivien. “He said it could bea lack of iron in my diet soI started taking iron tablets.“Over the next six months Itook lots of different supple-ments, as well as iron tablets,but the thinning seemed to begetting worse.”

Vivien went back to see herGP who this time advised herthat she should seek advice

from a hair loss specialist.Vivien visited several hair loss

specialists and was advised byone clinic that her best optionwas a wig and by another thatFUE transplant surgery was herbest option.

“I didn’t like the sound ofeither option to be honest,”says Vivien. “I was worried andunhappy with my hair loss butI didn’t feel as though it haddeteriorated enough to weara hairpiece! I basically justwanted to stop it from fallingout and thicken it up.”

Vivien considered the optionof surgery but again decidedthis was too radical and ex-treme. “The most importantthing to me was to stop it fromfalling out and to hopefullythicken it up,” said Vivien. “Iwas told that surgery wouldreplace the hairs that had beenlost but would not stop anyfurther hair loss, I was at a totalloss as to know what to do.

“Then one day my husbandcalled to say he was reading an

article in the newspaper about alaser that can help to stop hairloss and to thicken existing thinhair without the need for anysurgery, I researched into it onthe internet and I found thatit was clinically proven to stophair loss in 94% of patients aftersix months of treatment andwas suitable for both men andwomen, it was also totally pain-free with no side-effects.

“I then found there was aclinic in Cork offering thistreatment, so I contacted them

and went for a free consultation,I discovered I was sufferingfrom a condition called CTE(Chronic Telogen Effluvium). Iwas told this causes excessivethinning down the centre ofthe scalp and affects the hair’sgrowth cycles. It can also leadto androgenic alopecia, whichcan cause the hairs to get thin-ner and thinner until they stopgrowing altogether.”

Vivien was informed thatsurgery was inappropriate asshe was still losing hair, and was

also unnecessary as she still hadthe majority of her hair whichcould be saved and thickenedusing a combination of lasertreatment and medication.

“I completed my course oftreatment just over nine monthsago and I can’t believe thedifference in my hair. It hasstopped falling out and it hasthickened up massively. I amdelighted. I would recommendanyone who is worried aboutthinning hair to do somethingabout it before it’s too late!”

No 2 Camden Place,St Patricks Bridge, Cork

t: (021) 4552424

OPENINGTIMES: Monday to Friday 8am-9.30pmPlease log on to www.thehairclinichlcc.com

“I found that it was clinicallyproven to stop hair loss in 94%

of patients after six months of

treatment and was suitable for

both men and women, it was

also totally pain-free with no

side-effects.”

Vivien O’Sullivan

Documents

Feelgood 15-01-2010