Feelgood 21-10-2011

TERAPROOF:User:irenefeighanDate:19/10/2011Time:16:48:07Edition:21/10/2011FeelgoodXH2110Page:1 Zone:XH

XH - V1

CALM WATERSBreast cancer survivors paddletheir way back to health: 4, 5

OVERCOMING HURDLESSelf-hypnosis helps showjumperto get the right result: 6

FeelgoodFriday, October 21, 2011

SHAPE SHIFTERMan drops 23 stone andturns his life around: 13

Picture:iStockphoto

Use of body-building supplements amongteens in sport is a cause for concern: 8, 9Use of body-building supplements among Use of body-building supplements among Use of body-building supplements among Use of body-building supplements among Use of body-building supplements among Use of body-building supplements among Use of body-building supplements among Use of body-building supplements among Use of body-building supplements among Use of body-building supplements among Use of body-building supplements among Use of body-building supplements among Use of body-building supplements among Use of body-building supplements among Use of body-building supplements among Use of body-building supplements among Use of body-building supplements among Use of body-building supplements among Use of body-building supplements among Use of body-building supplements among Use of body-building supplements among Use of body-building supplements among Use of body-building supplements among Use of body-building supplements among Use of body-building supplements among Use of body-building supplements among teens in sport is a cause for concern: teens in sport is a cause for concern: teens in sport is a cause for concern: teens in sport is a cause for concern: 8, 98, 9

Bulk order

TERAPROOF:User:margaretjenningsDate:19/10/2011Time:16:52:24Edition:21/10/2011FeelgoodXH2110Page:2 Zone:XH

2

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2011

XH - V1

Feelgood

HEALTH NOTES

Kate O’Reilly

WHAT’S ON

www.irishexaminer.com www.irishexaminer.comFeelgoodMag FeelgoodMag www.irishexaminer.com [email protected] Editorial: 021 4802 292 Advertising: 021 4802 215

News front

■ OVER 50’S SHOW: The Over 50’sshow begins today at the RDS and con-tinues until Sunday at 6pm. Visitors canavail of a number of free health checksincluding blood pressure, AMD andhearing. Tomorrow at 1.30pm there willbe an open mic session for peopleconcerned about urinary difficulties. Thetalk, ‘Let’s Talk About Washroom Wor-ries’ will provide information on BPH(Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia) and OAB(Over Active Bladder). It is estimatedthat up to 750,000 people in Ireland maysuffer from OAB and one in four menmay be suffering from BPH. Symptomsinclude urgency (a sudden and desper-ate need to go to the toilet), and fre-quency (needing to go too often). Aphysiotherapist will also be present todemonstrate pelvic floor exercises. Formore details on the show, visitwww.seniortimes.ie

■ DONOR RUN: The Irish Kidney Asso-ciation’s Run for a Life, will take placethis Sunday October 23 to highlight andpromote organ donation. Those partici-pating in the Fun Run can walk, jog orrun in either a 3.4km, 6.7km or 10kmevent in Park West, Dublin 12, com-mencing at 12 noon. There will also bean option to enter a team of three in a 3x 3.3km relay race. For further detailslog on to www.runforalife.ie

■ STRESS COURSES: SHEP (The Socialand Health Education Project) havethree courses on offer in Ballincollig thismonth. Each of the courses runs oneevening a week from 7.30 to 10pm, foreight weeks, and costs €50 (or €25 un-waged). Introduction to Personal Devel-opment is on Tuesdays starting October25; Men’s Health and Wellbeing beginson October 26 and Managing Stress inOur Daily Lives, runs from October 27.For further information contact021-4666180.

■ MATHS WEEK: The sixth annualMaths Week Ireland, a national celebra-tion of mathematics, runs until October22 and to mark the occasion there willbe a free maths bootcamp at CIT Black-rock Castle Observatory tomorrow. Call021-4357917 for more details;www.mathsweek.ie

■ BREAST CANCER: The Royal Collegeof Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) has an-nounced its MiniMed series of free pub-lic health lectures for this year. Diseaseprevention, treatments and the latestadvances in medical research will be ex-plored by some of the Ireland’s leadinghealthcare experts across a broad rangeof topics. Each event will comprise oftwo lectures. On October 26, ProfessorArnold Hill, professor of surgery atRCSI, will examine ‘Breast Cancer – ad-vances in effective treatment’ and DrPaul Byrne, senior lecturer in the De-partment of Obstetrics and Gynaecolo-gy, RCSI, will discuss ‘Cervical Cancer— can we prevent it?’. The lectures willtake place in the O’Flanagan LectureTheatre from 7pm to 9pm in the RCSI,123 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2. Reg-ister online at www.rcsi.ie/minimed

● Items for inclusion in this column canbe sent to [email protected]

LIGHT WORK: Nehal Mehta, 3, helps launchthe prized ‘spooky spotlight’ mini torch keyrings which are on sale this month to raisemuch-needed funds for Temple StreetChildren’s University Hospital.Picture:Shane O’Neill / Fennells

IF you are running the Dublin Marathon onOctober 31 and hoping to support a charity,you can still join Team Eamonn Coghlan byregistering and then calling Crumlin on1890-507508 for their fundraising pack.Funds raised will go towards a number ofmajor initiatives including research into child-hood obesity as well as the upgrade of theBone Marrow Transplant Unit on St John’sWard where children and teenagers with can-cer are treated.Visit www.kilometresforkids.ie for further

information.

MICHAEL MURPHY — RTÉ newsreader andauthor of At Five in the Afternoon, a bookabout his experience with cancer — will bea guest of the Kinsale Peace Project at afree talk in the Blue Haven Hotel next Thurs-day October 27 at 8pm. For further informa-tion, see www.kinsalepeaceproject.com orcontact Padraig Fitzgerald on 086-8583185.

THE 42nd annual Concern Fast, which takesplace this year on November 10, waslaunched this week. Over a quarter of a mil-lion Irish people have taken part in the Fastto date and funds raised will go to help the3.5 million children in the developing worldwho die of hunger-related diseases each year.To sign up, visit www.concernfast.org or call1850-505055.

THE Irish Heart Foundation will hold a freeblood pressure and cholesterol testingclinic at the Parish Centre, Carrigaline CoCork, on Wednesday next October 26 from10am to 12pm.For further details call 021-4505822 or if

you have questions about stroke or heartdisease you can also contact their helpline1890 432787.

THROUGHOUT October, spooky keyrings will be on sale for €2 nationwide toraise much-needed funds for Temple StreetChildren’s Hospital. As part of the 10thTrick or Treat for Temple Street, peoplecan also host a ‘frightfully good’ fancy dressparty at school, work or home.To find out more, call the Temple Street

fundraising office on 01-8784344 or visitwww.templestreet.ie.

THE “Your Good Self” programme, thefirst of its kind in north Co Cork, will belaunched on Thursday October 27 at 6pmin Mallow library.The main focus of the programme is the

bibliotherapy scheme, which offers read-ing materials for therapeutic purposes.Healthy reading schemes are well-estab-lished in Britain and existing Irishschemes include “Mind Yourself” in Wex-ford and “The Power of Words” in Dublin.

A new study reports that using the Pill may have a hormonaleffect on which partners you choose, saysArlene Harris

Love influenceCHEMICALREACTION:Women maybecomeinterested inalpha maleswhile they areovulating, andin more caringmen when theyare not. Picture:iStock

S INCE it was first introduced inthe 1960s, the contraceptive pillhas been both heralded and

lambasted. On the one hand, women wereliberated from the constraints of unplannedpregnancies and there were reports that thisform of birth control could help to preventcancer and heart disease but, on the otherhand, the Pill could also cause weight gain,lack of libido (surely a contraceptivemethod in itself) and various deadly condi-tions such as thrombosis and stroke.In short, the Pill has rarely been out of

the news — but the latest study regardingits potential side-effects are somewhat moreunusual.Published in the journal Proceedings of

the Royal Society B, researchers haveclaimed that women who are on the Pill aremore likely to choose safe and sensiblelovers than those who are not, as natural fe-male hormones fluctuate throughout eachmonth causing a woman to become inter-ested in alpha males while she is ovulatingand more caring men when she is not.“The implications of our study seem to

be that by changing your hormone profilethrough using the Pill, you might shift yourpreference from cads in favour of dads,” ex-plained chief researcher, Dr Craig Roberts.“Choosing a non-hormonal barrier

method of contraception for a few monthsbefore getting married might be one wayfor a woman to reassure herself that she is

still attracted to her partner.”However, Dr Bernadette Carr — medical

director of VHI Healthcare — says mostwomen will rely on their instinct ratherthan their hormones to help choose theirlife partner.“There has been some interesting re-

search regarding the Pill and its potentialeffect on women’s interest in sex over amonthly cycle,” she says. “But overall, anymarginal effects of a woman’s normalmonthly hormonal fluctuations will behugely out-weighed by her brain.”Clinical psychologist Nicola Hunt says

some women in relationships have reported

that they notice their level of attraction andemotional warmth towards their partner isaffected by their hormones.“Others have reported that the Pill can

negatively or positively affect their attrac-tion. However, these effects are minimaland transient and would not significantlydetermine who they choose as a partner.“There are many other psychological fac-

tors that determine a woman’s choice ofpartner such as her value system, her emo-tional needs, her relationship with herself,and subconscious elements such as her rela-tionship with her father and her relation-ship with men in general.”

TERAPROOF:User:jaycarcioneDate:19/10/2011Time:16:57:45Edition:21/10/2011FeelgoodXH2110Page:3 Zone:XH

3

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2011Feelgood

XH - V1

THE SHAPE I'M IN KT Tunstall

KT is on song

SHOW GIRL: KT Tunstall’s 90-minuteperformances are perfect cardiovascularworkouts.

SCOTTISH singer songwriter, KT Tunstall, joinsElvis Costello at this year’s Sligo Live, whichruns over the October bank holiday weekend.

KT, whose hit songs include Black Horse And TheCherry Tree, has a Brit Award as well as a GrammyAward nomination to her credit. She has also received theIvor Novello Award.Aged 36 and married to Luke Bullen, the singer says

her attitude to healthy living has been most influenced byher mum, who adopted KT when she was a baby. “She’sincredibly healthy, phenomenal for her age. She’s in bettershape than I am. Ever since we were babies (KT has twobrothers), she provided us with a really healthy diet. Itwas very normal in our house to have a healthy meal,”she says.KT performs at Sligo Live — Ireland’s folk, roots and

indie music festival — on Friday, October 28. Her guestsinclude Sam Lewis and Rozi Plain. The concert takesplace in IT Sligo’s Knocknarea Arena.

What shape are you in?I’m glad you’re asking me towards the end of a tour,where I’ve been on the road permanently gigging for 18months to two years. I’ve got dreadful will-power anddon’t go to the gym, but the gigs provide a ready regimeof a hardcore work-out. Because the shows are really vig-orous, physical affairs, I get an hour and a half of solidcardiovascular work.

Do you have any health concerns?I was born with under-functioning kidneys and things re-ally flared up when I began working very hard, when mycareer took off. I’m now on medication for it. At first, Ifound that very frustrating but it’s just something to pre-vent infection. Last summer, I had a period of reallyquestioning whether I can physically do what I do, but Ican lead a pretty normal life. There are no limits on alco-hol, though I definitely drink less than Iused to, since discovering this.

What are your healthiest eating habits?I’m a big fan of fish. My husband and I eatanchovies in sauces. It’s oily fish, so it’s richin omega 3.

What’s your guiltiest pleasure?I find crisps and chocolate so addictive. Butif I just eat dark chocolate with nuts andraisins, it doesn’t have the same addictiveeffect.

Do you sleep well?I’ve always found it very difficult to go tosleep. My brain whirrs around like a ma-chine for a good hour before I fall asleep.Worry rarely keeps me awake — it wouldbe making decisions and excitement, if I’mspinning a lot of plates at the same time.

How do you relax?I find it difficult to slow myself down. Butwhere I live, in Berkshire, is an amazing an-tidote to a stressful life. It’s a rustic place outin the country. When you travel the world,it’s important to make life at home smaller.

Who would you invite to your dreamdinner party?David Attenborough, American comedian,the late Bill Hicks and Patti Smith.

What would you change about yourappearance?I’d love to try being taller. I’ve always been a

right shortie. Being six foot two for a week would be a lotof fun.

When did you last cry?I don’t cry very often, but I came close when I was inJapan recently. I was doing an interview on a show inTokyo and I couldn’t sleep the night before. I was goingfor breakfast that morning and wondering how am I goingto get through the show.

What’s your favourite smell?I’ve always been a real fan of flowers. In Vietnam, we visit-ed a temple that had frangipani flowers. It’s a proper com-plex perfume that you could put straight into a bottle.

What trait do you least like in others?I find it very hard when people exclude others. You see itin my line of work — people behave differently to differ-ent people.

What trait do you least like in yourself?I’d like to be a better listener. I’m a very good talker. It’dbe great if I shut up for a while and listened.

Do you pray?I don’t — I’m not a religious person. But I’m a huge fanof nature. The closest I come to prayer is asking the uni-verse to provide answers.

What would cheer up your day?A little bird. I’m a huge fan of birds. I’ve had many an ex-perience of being in a foreign city and feeling really dis-jointed and a little bird lands on my table. I know I’m real-ly depressed if a little bird doesn’t make me happy.

Helen O’Callaghan

In Profile

Ireland’s firstPulsed Signal Therapy Clinic

has opened in Cork

Contact:ColetteMinehanePhysical Therapy Clinic

Unit 2, First Floor, Fox and Hounds Development,Ballyvolane, Cork.

E: [email protected]: 087 9888014 or (021) 455 4055 / F: (021) 455 4055

Pulsed Signal Therapyis a non-invasivetreatment usedfor a variety ofmusculo-skeletaldisorders anddegenerativeconditions:• Arthritis• Osteoporosis• Degenerative Disc Disease• Sciatica/ Neuralgia• Cartilage Regeneration • Ligament Repair• Tendon Repair • Whiplash • Muscle Ruptures• Post-Op Care, and many more.

Formore information, check outwww.pulsedsignaltherapy.ie

• Degenerative Disc Disease

The perfectkeepsake to celebrate

a baby’s birth

A framed Irish Examinerfront page from the day

baby was born.Contact the Irish Examiner on

Tel. 021 4272722 Email: [email protected]

€50


4


5


XH - V1 XH - V1

Feelgood Feelgood

What is lymphoedema?Primary lymphoedema involves an over-

all problem with the lymphatic system.Secondary lymphoedema affects manypost-cancer patients. It is a noticeableswelling of tissue in a limb and may occurafter the removal of lymph nodes, or afterthe nodes have been damaged as a resultof radiation therapy.

What causes it?Secondary lymphoedema is often theconsequence of conventional cancer treat-ment and can become a serious problemif not treated.

■ Itching of the legs or toes.■ A burning feeling in the legs.■ Trouble sleeping.■ Loss of hair.

Is there specialised help?Manual Lymph Drainage Ireland is theprofessional association of health carepractitioners.Members of this association are trained

to provide treatment in the managementof lymphoedema and other lymphatic-re-lated disorders.

● For details see www.mldireland.com.

How to recognise it:It is important to note that other condi-tions may cause the same symptoms. Adoctor should be consulted if any of thefollowing problems occur:■ Swelling of an arm or leg, which mayinclude fingers and toes.■ A full or heavy feeling in an arm or leg.■ A tight feeling in the skin.■ Trouble moving a joint in the arm orleg.■ Thickening of the skin, with or withoutskin changes such as blisters or warts.■ A feeling of tightness when wearingclothing, shoes, watches, or rings.

It’s easy tostart saying you

cannot dosomethingbecause

something bad hashappened, but the

dragon boatingpushes you tobring yourself

back to the bestrecovery possible

SPLASH

How to spot the symptoms of lymphoedema

MAKING ADRAGON BOATING STRENGTHENED MY ARMS AND HELPED REDUCE THE SWELLING

MAKING WAVES: Dympna Watson prepares to practice with the Plurabelle Paddlers at the Grand Canal basin in Dublin last week.Picture: Barbara Lindberg.

DRAGON boating helped Dympna Wat-son to return to her beloved basketball af-ter the chairwoman of the advocacy

group Europa Donna, renounced the sport fol-lowing a breast cancer diagnosis in 2003.“Your world gets rocked. You are stunned —

nothing can prepare you for the diagnosis ofcancer,” she says.An intensive treatment programme, including

radiotherapy and chemotherapy, was completedby mid-2004 but left her exhausted.“My energy levels were very low and I was

trying to exercise, but I found it almost impossi-ble because of the fatigue.“In the past, I used to play basketball, but be-

cause the lymph glands under my left arm hadbeen removed, I couldn’t go back to the gameas it was all taking a long time to heal.”Three years after surgery, Watson was diag-

nosed with lymphoedema. “To this day, I wear acompression sleeve if I’m exercising or doinggardening,” she says.Watson heard about the Plurabelle Paddlers

last year through an article someone brought in-to a Europa Donna meeting.“I thought it would be perfect for me. I love

team sports. I like to try different things and Ihad never done any water sports. I contactedthe group — it was very new, they were justsetting up,” says Watson, who is in her 40s.“I found that it was very beneficial in reduc-

ing pain and swelling — also my arms becamestronger. It’s a repetitive, upper-body exercise,which, according to the research, is actuallygood for lymphoedema.”But there was an even bigger benefit: “The

really good thing about dragon boating is that Ihave actually got back to playing basketball oncea week. This is completely down to the drag-on-boating, which strengthened my arms andreduced the pain and swelling of the lym-phoedema.”

A group of women in Dublin have taken to dragon-boat paddling along the canals as part of their recovery from breast cancer, writesÁilín Quinlan

GREAT OUTDOORS: Tara Byrne who went to Malaysia with the Dublin-based PlurabellePaddlers for the world dragon-boat racing cancer championships. Picture: Barbara Lindberg

SHOULD you happen to strollalong the banks of Dublin’sGrand Canal some bright Satur-

day morning, you may see a dragon’s headrearing up from the water. It will probably beaccompanied by rhythmic splash of paddlesand the unmistakable sound of drumming.Nothing to worry about — it’s simply the

Plurabelle Paddlers on their regular weekendrun. Every Saturday morning, two longdragon-boats, Anna and Livia, one pink, oneblue, each capable of holding more than 20people, glide through the waters of the canalbasin to the rhythm of the drum and thesplash of many paddles.The name of the group and the canoes

comes from the memorable title given to theLiffey by the writer James Joyce in his bookFinnegan’s Wake.The paddlers are survivors of breast cancer

who have formed an unusual support group.For businesswoman Tara Byrne, it’s a tonic

in more ways than one. Byrne, who was di-agnosed with breast cancer in May 2010,finished her in-hospital cancer treatment lastJuly, though she still takes daily medication,Tamoxifen, something she will have to do sofor the next four years.The diagnosis, she recalls, hit her like “a

ton of bricks” and the treatment left her list-less and without energy for a time. After herattention was drawn to the PlurabellePaddlers by her mother, the 36-year-oldmanaging director of Dataconversion Directjoined while still on treatment. However, itwas when she was diagnosed withlymphoedema following her surgery, thatByrne really began to feel the benefits ofdragon-boating.Research carried out in 1996 in Canada

has shown that the repetitive upper-bodymovement required for dragon boating canbe beneficial to patients with breast cancer —and the use of dragon boating as a means ofhelping women with the condition hasresulted in the establishment of 150 dragonboating teams around the world.Portrane-based Byrne has secondary

lymphoedema, which is a chronic swelling ofthe arm and/or breast. The condition, whichcan sometimes arise as a result of cancer, or asa consequence of breast cancer treatment, canpresent at any time, even years after all thera-py has stopped.The most common type of secondary

lymphoedema can arise when the surgeonhas removed the lymph nodes under the armas part of breast cancer surgery, though thisonly happens in some of the more than 1,700new cases of breast cancer diagnosed in Ire-land each year.It is not a curable condition but it can be

treated or managed with the help of a certi-fied lymphoedema therapist.Byrne underwent a specialised type of mas-

sage called manual lymphatic drainage forfour months, and was later fitted with a spe-cial sleeve.“I found the dragon boating was brilliant

for lymphoedema,” she says. “It keeps it un-der control, it has stopped any furtherswelling and has stopped any tightness in my

arm.“As part of the surgery I also had a muscle

removed from my back and this affected myreaching movements.“The dragon boating has helped me build

up strength in my upper right body whichwas quite badly affected by the surgery andthe lymphoedema in my right arm and hand.

“I find the dragon boating has helped meregain strength. It’s easy to start saying youcannot do something because something badhas happened, but the dragon boating pushesyou to bring yourself back to the best recov-ery possible.“It makes you get over that wall — it is a

constant positive focus on living and life,”

says Byrne, who along with 23 other mem-bers of the Plurabelles, headed off to Malaysiaearlier this month to participate in the worlddragon-boat racing cancer championships.“There is a lot of evidence to say that exer-

cise is beneficial after breast cancer — andpaddling fits in very well with the recom-mendations,” says Síne Vasquez, clinical spe-cialist physiotherapist at Beaumont Hospital.“Paddling such as dragon boating has been

proven to be beneficial for breast cancer sur-vivors including those with lymphoedema.”This type of moderate intensity aerobic and

resistance training has been proven to be ben-eficial for lymphoedema. It also contributesto good survival rates and helps counteractfatigue among cancer sufferers.“Up to 30% of people who have had all

their lymph nodes removed following breastcancer may get lymphoedema at some stagein their lives,” says Vasquez.

And although it is not curable, says thephysiotherapist, lymphoedema can be treatedor managed with the help of a therapist.“The full treatment involves special massage

immediately followed by compressive bandag-ing,” says Vasquez.The process takes place on a daily basis or

every second day during the acute treatmentphase. “This will continue until the swellingis reduced as much as possible. Exercise andskincare is very important.”Following the acute treatment phase, pa-

tients must wear a made-to-measure sleevewhich is usually replaced every six months.

● For more information about the PlurabellePaddlers, visit plurabellepaddlers.com or theIrish Dragon Boat Association on Facebook.

● See page 10 where cancer survivor sharesher tips in self-help book.

Meeting life’s challenges


4


5


XH - V1 XH - V1

Feelgood Feelgood

What is lymphoedema?Primary lymphoedema involves an over-

all problem with the lymphatic system.Secondary lymphoedema affects manypost-cancer patients. It is a noticeableswelling of tissue in a limb and may occurafter the removal of lymph nodes, or afterthe nodes have been damaged as a resultof radiation therapy.

What causes it?Secondary lymphoedema is often theconsequence of conventional cancer treat-ment and can become a serious problemif not treated.

■ Itching of the legs or toes.■ A burning feeling in the legs.■ Trouble sleeping.■ Loss of hair.

Is there specialised help?Manual Lymph Drainage Ireland is theprofessional association of health carepractitioners.Members of this association are trained

to provide treatment in the managementof lymphoedema and other lymphatic-re-lated disorders.

● For details see www.mldireland.com.

How to recognise it:It is important to note that other condi-tions may cause the same symptoms. Adoctor should be consulted if any of thefollowing problems occur:■ Swelling of an arm or leg, which mayinclude fingers and toes.■ A full or heavy feeling in an arm or leg.■ A tight feeling in the skin.■ Trouble moving a joint in the arm orleg.■ Thickening of the skin, with or withoutskin changes such as blisters or warts.■ A feeling of tightness when wearingclothing, shoes, watches, or rings.

It’s easy tostart saying you

cannot dosomethingbecause

something bad hashappened, but the

dragon boatingpushes you tobring yourself

back to the bestrecovery possible

SPLASH

How to spot the symptoms of lymphoedema

MAKING ADRAGON BOATING STRENGTHENED MY ARMS AND HELPED REDUCE THE SWELLING

MAKING WAVES: Dympna Watson prepares to practice with the Plurabelle Paddlers at the Grand Canal basin in Dublin last week.Picture: Barbara Lindberg.

DRAGON boating helped Dympna Wat-son to return to her beloved basketball af-ter the chairwoman of the advocacy

group Europa Donna, renounced the sport fol-lowing a breast cancer diagnosis in 2003.“Your world gets rocked. You are stunned —

nothing can prepare you for the diagnosis ofcancer,” she says.An intensive treatment programme, including

radiotherapy and chemotherapy, was completedby mid-2004 but left her exhausted.“My energy levels were very low and I was

trying to exercise, but I found it almost impossi-ble because of the fatigue.“In the past, I used to play basketball, but be-

cause the lymph glands under my left arm hadbeen removed, I couldn’t go back to the gameas it was all taking a long time to heal.”Three years after surgery, Watson was diag-

nosed with lymphoedema. “To this day, I wear acompression sleeve if I’m exercising or doinggardening,” she says.Watson heard about the Plurabelle Paddlers

last year through an article someone brought in-to a Europa Donna meeting.“I thought it would be perfect for me. I love

team sports. I like to try different things and Ihad never done any water sports. I contactedthe group — it was very new, they were justsetting up,” says Watson, who is in her 40s.“I found that it was very beneficial in reduc-

ing pain and swelling — also my arms becamestronger. It’s a repetitive, upper-body exercise,which, according to the research, is actuallygood for lymphoedema.”But there was an even bigger benefit: “The

really good thing about dragon boating is that Ihave actually got back to playing basketball oncea week. This is completely down to the drag-on-boating, which strengthened my arms andreduced the pain and swelling of the lym-phoedema.”

A group of women in Dublin have taken to dragon-boat paddling along the canals as part of their recovery from breast cancer, writesÁilín Quinlan

GREAT OUTDOORS: Tara Byrne who went to Malaysia with the Dublin-based PlurabellePaddlers for the world dragon-boat racing cancer championships. Picture: Barbara Lindberg

SHOULD you happen to strollalong the banks of Dublin’sGrand Canal some bright Satur-

day morning, you may see a dragon’s headrearing up from the water. It will probably beaccompanied by rhythmic splash of paddlesand the unmistakable sound of drumming.Nothing to worry about — it’s simply the

Plurabelle Paddlers on their regular weekendrun. Every Saturday morning, two longdragon-boats, Anna and Livia, one pink, oneblue, each capable of holding more than 20people, glide through the waters of the canalbasin to the rhythm of the drum and thesplash of many paddles.The name of the group and the canoes

comes from the memorable title given to theLiffey by the writer James Joyce in his bookFinnegan’s Wake.The paddlers are survivors of breast cancer

who have formed an unusual support group.For businesswoman Tara Byrne, it’s a tonic

in more ways than one. Byrne, who was di-agnosed with breast cancer in May 2010,finished her in-hospital cancer treatment lastJuly, though she still takes daily medication,Tamoxifen, something she will have to do sofor the next four years.The diagnosis, she recalls, hit her like “a

ton of bricks” and the treatment left her list-less and without energy for a time. After herattention was drawn to the PlurabellePaddlers by her mother, the 36-year-oldmanaging director of Dataconversion Directjoined while still on treatment. However, itwas when she was diagnosed withlymphoedema following her surgery, thatByrne really began to feel the benefits ofdragon-boating.Research carried out in 1996 in Canada

has shown that the repetitive upper-bodymovement required for dragon boating canbe beneficial to patients with breast cancer —and the use of dragon boating as a means ofhelping women with the condition hasresulted in the establishment of 150 dragonboating teams around the world.Portrane-based Byrne has secondary

lymphoedema, which is a chronic swelling ofthe arm and/or breast. The condition, whichcan sometimes arise as a result of cancer, or asa consequence of breast cancer treatment, canpresent at any time, even years after all thera-py has stopped.The most common type of secondary

lymphoedema can arise when the surgeonhas removed the lymph nodes under the armas part of breast cancer surgery, though thisonly happens in some of the more than 1,700new cases of breast cancer diagnosed in Ire-land each year.It is not a curable condition but it can be

treated or managed with the help of a certi-fied lymphoedema therapist.Byrne underwent a specialised type of mas-

sage called manual lymphatic drainage forfour months, and was later fitted with a spe-cial sleeve.“I found the dragon boating was brilliant

for lymphoedema,” she says. “It keeps it un-der control, it has stopped any furtherswelling and has stopped any tightness in my

arm.“As part of the surgery I also had a muscle

removed from my back and this affected myreaching movements.“The dragon boating has helped me build

up strength in my upper right body whichwas quite badly affected by the surgery andthe lymphoedema in my right arm and hand.

“I find the dragon boating has helped meregain strength. It’s easy to start saying youcannot do something because something badhas happened, but the dragon boating pushesyou to bring yourself back to the best recov-ery possible.“It makes you get over that wall — it is a

constant positive focus on living and life,”

says Byrne, who along with 23 other mem-bers of the Plurabelles, headed off to Malaysiaearlier this month to participate in the worlddragon-boat racing cancer championships.“There is a lot of evidence to say that exer-

cise is beneficial after breast cancer — andpaddling fits in very well with the recom-mendations,” says Síne Vasquez, clinical spe-cialist physiotherapist at Beaumont Hospital.“Paddling such as dragon boating has been

proven to be beneficial for breast cancer sur-vivors including those with lymphoedema.”This type of moderate intensity aerobic and

resistance training has been proven to be ben-eficial for lymphoedema. It also contributesto good survival rates and helps counteractfatigue among cancer sufferers.“Up to 30% of people who have had all

their lymph nodes removed following breastcancer may get lymphoedema at some stagein their lives,” says Vasquez.

And although it is not curable, says thephysiotherapist, lymphoedema can be treatedor managed with the help of a therapist.“The full treatment involves special massage

immediately followed by compressive bandag-ing,” says Vasquez.The process takes place on a daily basis or

every second day during the acute treatmentphase. “This will continue until the swellingis reduced as much as possible. Exercise andskincare is very important.”Following the acute treatment phase, pa-

tients must wear a made-to-measure sleevewhich is usually replaced every six months.

● For more information about the PlurabellePaddlers, visit plurabellepaddlers.com or theIrish Dragon Boat Association on Facebook.

● See page 10 where cancer survivor sharesher tips in self-help book.

Meeting life’s challenges


6


XH - V1

Feelgood

Mental control

Powers switched on

I now focus on positive thoughts when I am competing

IN FOCUS:Showjumper NicolaFitzGibbon hasbenefitted fromhypnosis, and right,competing onPuissance, duringthe Aga Khan Day atthe Dublin HorseShow earlier thisyear. Picture: BarryCregg / SPORTSFILE

Showjumper Nicola Fitzgibbon and boxer Steve Collins have attended the samehypnotherapist to psychologically enhance their performance, says John Tynan

D ELVE into the world of ZakPowers and you will be presentedwith Mickey Mouse, blue biros,

the Pope and boxer Steve Collins.Collins is easily explained: Powers, a

Dublin-based hypnotherapist and cognitivebehavioural therapist, helped him in hisworld title defence against Nigel Benn. Theother ‘items’ are part of Powers’s work.Powers’s involvement with Collins enabled

him to ‘box’ his way into the mainstream insports psychology and the latest sports per-sonality to vouch for Powers’s influence isshow jumper Nicola Fitzgibbon, who creditshim with an approach that has seen the Trin-ity College Dublin electronics graduate makethe Irish show-jumping squad to contest theEuropean Championships.Powers says he has been working with ath-

letes since the middle of the 1990s and takesa “fatherly” satisfaction when they succeed.“Over the last 14 years, in regards to Irish

sports people, I have worked with about 15well-known athletes. Steve Collins was myfirst big, high-profile sports star and, thank-fully, he won. It opened many doors.“I use mainly cognitive behavioural therapy

(CBT) and hypnotherapy. Many athletes seehypnotherapy as giving them an extra edge. Iwork with boxers, snooker players, swimmersand soccer footballers, but the GAA ladshaven’t been in touch yet,” he says.Altering how an athlete thinks is the first

step, with hypnotherapy dramatically boostingits effects. “CBT, essentially, is a technique tochange your thinking patterns. What youthink determines how you feel, thereforehow you behave. And if you can change thethinking pattern, you change the emotionalresponse, which changes the behaviour.

“I would talk clients through errors wemake in our thinking pattern. We set aboutputting in place an alternative thinking pat-tern. This is when the hypnotherapy comesin. It can be a slow process with talk therapy,but with hypnotherapy it has an eight-timesgreater chance of sticking in the brain.“Hypnotherapy is so effec-

tive for the athlete. The prin-cipal I work on is that thebrain does not understand thedifference between what youvividly imagine and what youactually experience. If, whilein a hypnotic state, you getthe client to imagine the endresult, standing on the podi-um, a clear round in showjumping, for example, if youget them to imagine this endresult, the unconscious setsabout creating this end re-sult,” Powers says.In many ways, it is about

channelling the emotional re-sponse in a positive direction.“People’s emotions get in

the way of what they are try-ing to achieve. To be a worldchampion, you have to behighly emotive. The emotionis the passion. We can subduethe anxiety and we can chan-nel the emotion, harnessing the adrenalin andturning it into an explosive power when youneed it in competition. This explosive powercan be produced in a calm way, because, de-pending on the sports person — a snookerplayer a boxer, a show jumper — they needto produce the power differently,” he says.

Powers teaches his clients to self-hypnotise.“I would teach every client how to hypno-

tise themselves. In the past, hypnotists wouldhave induced the hypnosis and it would havebeen very ego-based. Now, it’s about em-powering the client and giving them thetools to treat themselves. Some athletes

would be very visual, somewould work well with audio.Depending on their creativesense, I would have tofine-tune the programme forthe individual.“When undertaking self-hyp-

nosis, for example with a box-er, to get visual about theirfight you would exaggerate thedetail. They could visualisetheir opponent with MickeyMouse feet, or with webbedfeet and a colourful costume.Essentially, you use car-toonesque pictures to create astrong image to diffuse the ten-sion or sense of threat they getfrom the opponent.“My service does not suit

all. But I am very proud of theresults I have got with athletes.When a client goes on andwins a competition, you get asort of fatherly pride that youparticipated in helping them

reach their goal,” says Powers.For all his involvement in sports, his gener-

al practice forms the main part of his ‘game’.Powers lists off some of the phobias he hastreated and while it may seem that laughingat what people obsess about is unforgivable,he says the opposite is the case when it

comes to therapy.“I have come across a range of phobias,

including onions, blue biros, brown chairs,the Pope and vegetables. I am never closerin shared therapy than when we share laugh-ter. Often, the client laughs when they pre-sent their fear. We can be afraid of everydayitems, just like we can be addicted to alco-hol to drugs, work, sex, bad relationships,the list is endless. Thankfully, though, mostphobias can be cleared up in three or foursessions.“Therapy is hard work and, if not, it isn’t

working. Patients must do a lot of journalwork. Many have obsessive-compulsive dis-orders. Part of the treatment is to writedown their thoughts and feelings and scalethem. Often without medication, CBT ispowerful.“Another part of the homework is gradat-

ed exposure. This goes for phobias as well.You get the client to slowly and, in a con-trolled way, expose themselves to the origi-nal threat and help them cope better andthis helps them to diffuse the anxiety theyhad,” he says.Powers is also involved with students, who

often suffer the same anxieties in the run-upto their exams.“I work a lot with third-level students.

Some institutions, through student supportprogrammes, would refer their final-year stu-dents to me, if they are undergoing emo-tional problems and often exam fears comesup,” he says.As for FitzGibbon, he is confident she is

poised to make the next big leap. “I reallybelieve Nicola is ready.”

● www.zakpowers.com

INFLUENTIAL METHODS:Hypnotherapist Zak Powershelps people to change theirthinking patterns.

NICOLA FITZGIBBON doesn’t need todelve too deeply into her subconscious toknow she benefits from self-hypnosis.

The 23-year-old showjumper credits the therapywith helping her to stay calm and focussed in therun-up to her debut in the Nations Cup at DublinHorse Show. It led to a performance that sealed herplace in the senior squad for the EuropeanChampionships in Madrid, Spain.Her first experience of hypnosis began fol-

lowing an upsetting ex-perience with her ponyMiami Bound as a

15-year-old. Ironically, itwas as she was aiming for theteam to contest the Euro-peans.“We were great in the

run-up to the selection, buton the day, I froze. I don’tknow why, but I panickedand was left off the team.They went on to win amedal and I was sitting onthe sidelines. I did not wantit to happen again.”Her mother Kathryn, who, sadly, died in 2009

from cancer — arranged for her to see hypnotistZak Powers.“It really was a good move that she recommended

Zak,” says FitzGibbon.“My concern was that I could not hold my con-

centration and my nerves were getting to me. Ineeded to deal with that.“I had two sessions with him. He chats with you

and goes through your concerns and worries andthen you tell him the areas you want to get yourmind around.“You go off and he devises a programme for you,

which is your relaxation recording.“The next session he gets you into a deep relaxed

state, going through mental exercises, clearing yourmind. For example, you focuson each part of your body,getting it to relax.“Anyone can do this, and

each part begins to feel a bitheavier as they relax.“Then, he starts approach-

ing how you feel about yourconcerns. He gets you to vi-sualise your competition, fo-cussing on positive thoughts,not allowing the pressure getto you. It helps you deal withthe problems that you arefacing.“I have recording on my

iPhone of Zak talking me through the process. Iused it before the Nations Cup in Dublin and thecompetitions on the day before. Basically, I use itbefore each major competition. to ensure I am inthe right mindframe and I am always amazed at thesubtlety of his instructions.”

TERAPROOF:User:gerarddesmondDate:19/10/2011Time:18:37:57Edition:21/10/2011FeelgoodXH2110Page:7 Zone:XH

7


XH - V1

Tony Humphreys

Psychology

Not only ispsychotherapy a

relationship and alearning experience,

clients are alsoreassured that they donot have an underlyingbiochemical disorder

for which they have nocontrol

Psychotherapy represents a less invasive, less riskyalternative, to treatment using psychiatric drugs

A listening ear

IN last week’s column, I pointed to the growing bodyof research and expert opinion that states psychiatricdrugs work, not for their chemistry but because of

psychological factors. The main psychological factors arethe relationship between the psychiatrist and the client, andthe client’s expectations of getting better. This challengesthe use of psychotropic medication in the treatment of peo-ple’s troubled and troubling behaviours.Psychotherapy represents a very different approach.

Psychotherapists are trained to provide an unconditionalregard for their clients while offering an empathic andauthentic response to their clients’ problems in living.Within this caring environment, their intention is to arriveat the affective meaning of their clients’ presenting distress— depression, hallucinations, paranoia, obsessions, etc —and to replace the hopelessness of their inner turmoil withan enduring loving relationship with self, belief in theirpotential and a sense of hope and faith in their future.These aims are part of the essence of psychotherapy.There have been hundreds of studies done on the

effectiveness of psychotherapy and they all point to oneinescapable conclusion: it works, in the short-term, buteven more so, in the long-term. While there are manydifferent kinds of psychotherapies, for the most partresearch indicates that the differences in effectiveness arenot significant and it is up to clients to discover what bestfits for the resolution of their unhappy state.Psychotherapy has a number of advantages over drugs.

The glaringly obvious one is that it does not have theside-effects or other risks that accompany taking drugs.A crucial advantage is that it can be used safely to helpchildren, teenagers and young adults who present withdepression, attention-deficit behaviours and other suchproblems in living — and for whom the risk of suicide canincrease when taking drugs.A further strength is that people are less likely to drop

out of psychotherapy, compared to many who stop takingmajor drugs due to the upsetting side-effects. The greatestadvantage of psychotherapy over drugs is that it reducesthe likelihood of relapse. Not only is psychotherapy arelationship and a learning experience, clients are alsoreassured that they do not have an underlying biochemicaldisorder over which they have no control, and that theirdistress is a creative means of bringing attention tolong-term unresolved conflicts.Furthermore, before ending psychotherapy they will be

advised that any future downturns in mood are meaningfuland not a return of a sinister underlying bio-chemicaldisorder, an expectation that is common among peoplewho have been taking medication and who are seeking todiscontinue its use.Yet another advantage is that psychotherapy alone is

as great as the combined effects of psychotherapy andmedication, so why bother with the drugs? Surprisingly,psychotherapy costs less than medication. This claimruns contrary to popular belief — the cost of a week’smedication is less (not always, depending on the drugcocktail) than an hour session of psychotherapy. But, in thelong run, psychotherapy is cheaper because many clients in

the psychiatric system are kept on long-term medication andwarned of a relapse should they stop taking the medication.The issue is that the cumulative costs of medication continueto rise, whereas those of psychotherapy do not.The problem is that there are not enough psychotherapists

available. Currently, in Britain there is in place a ten-yearplan in which 10,000 psychotherapists will be trained andthe creator of the plan, Lord Richard Layard, says that notonly will the programme pay for itself, but will generate aprofit.After two years, this programme’s two pilot studies have

been deemed a success and ten new training sites have beenestablished.In Ireland, where the HSE’s record on the care of those

who are troubled and troubling is poor, the British initiativewill hopefully point the way for the present government,which is under pressure to cut the health budget. In themeantime, for those individuals who are on long HSE waitinglists for psychotherapy, there are several low-cost counsellingcentres available throughout the country.What is uplifting about the demise of the chemical-imbal-

ance theory, the stark revelations about drugs not working fortheir chemistry but because of psychological factors, and theundisputed evidence of the effectiveness of psychotherapy, isthe hope it will bring to millions of people throughout theworld looking to recover from their ‘problems in living’.

Dr Tony Humphreys is a clinical psychologist, author, nationaland international speaker. His recent book with co-authorHelen Ruddle, Relationship, Relationship, Relationship: TheHeart of a Mature Society is relevant to today’s topic,www.tonyhumphreys.ie.

Picture: iStock

HEALTH &LIFESTYLE

ADVERTISING

Target more femalesin Munster and Cork

than any otherdaily newspaper.

To reach them,advertise in ‘Feelgood’.

Call Lori FraserTel: 021 4802265

[email protected]


8


9XH - V1

Feelgood

Cover story Sports supplements

The IRFU strongly advises against the use ofnutritional ergogenic aids, in particular crea-tine, in players under 18.”Damien Philpott, chairman of Munster

Schools Rugby, says he’s concerned that devel-opment squads in a number of sports mightadd extra pressure on young athletes to try andimprove on their performance. “There’s a cul-ture and a drive for excellence that goes downto age 15. People are trying to identify talentearlier. I’d be concerned that this would addextra pressure on young athletes.”Philpott isn’t aware of any coach of young

players who ac-tively promotestaking creatine.Asked whatwould be the pol-icy if a teen play-er was found tobe taking creatineor a muscle sup-plement, Philpottsays, “We’d call

him aside and re-educate him in nutrition andin the healthy-eating programmes operatingwithin the school or sports organisation.”Professor Buckley says ultimately responsibil-

ity comes back on the players, their trainersand parents. But he also calls for a more activepolicy in schools around re-examining the im-portance attached to competitive sport and“whether it has a position disproportionate toits benefit and is putting young players at riskof injury”.“A cultural change needs at least to be con-

sidered,” he says. “A discussion needs to hap-pen about 30 lives revolving around a coupleof games in the latter end of secondary schoollife. Are people prepared to look at how theyapproach the concept of winning and the risksthey may be taking with youngsters’ health?”

● The IRFU has developed web-based nutri-tion education. It informs young players onhow to eat and drink well to best support theirtraining and competitive performances.www.irishrugby.ie/eat2compete

While creatine and other body-building supplements are hugely popular among young sportsmen,Helen O’Callaghan talks to experts who urge caution in their use

FOR weeks they harnessed our heartsand our souls as they triumphed overa string of nations — the US, Aus-

tralia, Russia, Italy. And, while the Irish rugbysquad lost the dream in the end, they are stillour heroes, champions from a small countrywho went in pursuit of a World Cup prize.It’s epic stuff, heady stuff, even for those of

us who have never been in close quarters witha rugby ball. How intoxicating must it be thenfor our rugby-playing schoolboys, some ofwhom can quite realistically hope to one dayline out in a green jersey, be the next RonanO’Gara, the next Brian O’Driscoll?Former Munster and Ireland hooker Frankie

Sheahan recalls schools rugby being extremelycompetitive in his time. “Yet, we were playingfor an amateur game,” says Sheahan, whoplayed the first of his 163 games for Munsterin 1996. “The advent of the professional era— the Munster juggernaut and all of that —has added a serious lure to it. All of a sudden,kids can say ‘I could become a professional’.Rugby is fashionable — there are some greatrole models. And starting with your local teamyou could dream of eventually playing in parksall over Europe and beyond. If you’re luckyyou could be paid to do what you love to do.”But to what lengths are our teen rugby play-

ers prepared to go to score that extra edge onthe boy standing next to them, trying out forthe same team? The Irish Rugby FootballUnion (IRFU) acknowledges anecdotal evi-dence that there’s “widespread use of sportssupplements in rugby, which includes use byyoung players”. Such sports supplements in-clude creatine (this allows rapid recoverybetween multiple bouts of high-intensityexercise) and other protein supplements.Professor Brendan Buckley, chairman of the

Anti-Doping Committee of the Irish SportsCouncil and Professor of Pharmacology atUCC, says such supplements are extensivelyused in team sports where power is a require-ment. “Rugby and Gaelic football would bethe main ones qualifying under these require-ments. Use of these supplements in rugby inschools and among senior adult players at theupper end of amateur is very substantial.”While no comprehensive data exists on use

of bulk-building and other sports supplementsamong Irish sports players, a study led by DrSuzanne Guerin of UCD’s Department of Psy-chology reported a few years ago that 12% of agroup of 165 school-aged rugby, Gaelic andsoccer players had used creatine. “There’s a lotof peer pressure,” says Irish Sports Councilchief executive John Treacy. “You have a fel-low trying out for a team and beside him is alad who’s using a supplement. There’s a wholemarketing campaign that makes it difficult foryoung teens to see the wood from the trees.”Creatine, a normal component of muscle

(meat and fish are dietary sources — the bodyneeds about two grams a day to replace theamount broken down), is not illegal in Ireland,nor is it a banned substance. Personal trainerMarc Smith points to creatine’s positives. “Youneed less recovery time, you have decreased fa-tigue and your performance improves. Yourmuscle bulk will increase but your body fatwon’t necessarily drop — you’re not going toget your six-pack by taking it.”Frankie Sheahan took creatine when he was

19 or 20. “It didn’t suit me. It put half a stone

on me straight away. To my knowledge, therewere no other adverse effects. I took it for acouple of three-month spells, then stopped.”Creatine’s long-term safety isn’t known and

recognised adverse effects include gastrointesti-nal discomfort, muscle cramps and headaches.Expert opinion is that high-dose creatine maypotentially damage kidneys and liver. Lack ofresearch on the long-term safety of usingsports supplements and ergogenic aids (ofwhich creatine is one) under age 18 led theAmerican Academy of Paediatrics to recom-mend they not be used by children and adoles-cents. The American College of SportsMedicine also recommended creatine shouldn’tbe used by anyone under 18.Use of such supplements by under-18s is

causing youngsters to bulk up at a level forwhich their skeleton isn’t prepared, says Profes-sor Buckley. “They’re much more injuryprone. Collisions occur that cause injurieswhich damage bones.”Marc Smith warns of the opposite outcome

to the one intended by the youngsupplement user. “Making muscles bigger arti-ficially, by giving yourself extra creatine, meanstendons won’t develop as quickly as the mus-cle. Yet, they’re going to have to take on theextra pressure of bigger muscles. The fearwould be of detached tendons, which couldspell the end of a potential career.”Stress and conditioning specialist Padraig

Murphy says most teens aren’t disciplinedenough to take a substance like creatine.“Most of these young lads aren’t taking it

properly,” he warns. “There’s a loading period,which has to be done correctly. Kids aren’tdisciplined enough to do that. Also, if you’regoing to supplement you need your body tobe tuned and healthy. Your body should bevery clean — not consuming rubbish pro-cessed food or fizzy drinks. A lot of teenshaven’t got that straight so, if they’re drinkingalcohol and eating bad food, the supplementwon’t be as effective.”He also cautions that young players, hungry

for results, don’t question claims made by sup-plement manufacturers. Take the popularmuscle-building supplement Arginine Al-phaketoglutarate (AAKG). “A study in the In-ternational Journal of Sports Nutrition lookedat its effects in 24 men who used it. Researchshowed it had no significant impact and thatthe increase in blood flow was attributable toexercise rather than to the supplement.”Another worry is that some of the

bulk-building products have been contaminat-ed with steroids or banned substances. Sportspsychology consultant Dr Kate Kirby warns:“If they’re bought on the internet, you couldget an accidental false positive in a dopinganalysis test. It’s such an unregulated industrythat even if you’re buying them from a trustedsource — a gym or healthfood shop — there’sno guarantee there hasn’tbeen cross-contamination.”Professor Buckley is also

concerned about fosteringa mindset among youngsports players that takingpowder out of a plasticbarrel will make them bet-ter players. “It’s worryingbecause it’s very close tothe doping culture. In a

small minority of users, it might be a precursorto worse [doping]. And if you think you canbecome the next Paul O’Connell out of a bar-rel, you’re removing focus from what youshould be concentrating on — natural talent,skill-development, training.”Dr Kirby, who completed a PhD in the psy-

chological and social factors associated withdoping in sport, says some research exists tosuggest supplementation is a gateway to steroiduse.Frankie Sheahan believes you can’t generalise

about sports supplements. “If, for example,you finish training at 7pmbut don’t sit down to din-ner until 8.30pm, that oneand a half hours is crucialin recovery — the quickeryou get a recovery drinkinto you, the better. But ifyou’re ignorant aboutwhat you’re taking, youcould find yourself introuble very fast both

from a health and regulatory point of view.Yet, there are some fantastic supplements andthere are few professional players in any sportwho are not taking them.”Professor Buckley also points to the real issue

for sports players who train at very high inten-sity and frequency. “It’s not that easy to get allthe calories they need from an ordinary diet.Supplements have an appropriate place here. Aprofessionally supervised nutritional regime,which uses dietary supplements sensibly, is anecessary element for any athlete who is usingtwo to three times as many calories as thosewho sit at desks all day.”But underage sport is an alto-

gether different matter. IRFU per-formance nutritionist RuthWood-Martin cites their policy onsports supplements and the youngrugby player. “The use of proteinsupplements shouldn’t be recom-mended by schools, coaches,teachers or others involved in thetraining of young rugby players.

ACCORDING to the Irish Rugby FootballUnion, athletes take supplements:

■ to compensate for an inadequate diet■ to meet demands of hard training■ because team-mates take them■ because they’re recommended by influ-ential people■ because they believe supplements willimprove performance.

Successful individual performance insport is related to:■ talent■ coaching and skill acquisition■ structured training and conditioning■ motivation and dedication■ optimal nutrition■ adequate sleep and recoveryNone of these can be replaced by use of

supplements. Taking supplements mayseem the quick-fix for acceleratedgrowth, but young players will gainsize and strength from well-plannedtraining and recovery, along withadequate nutrition and hydration.

Sports supplements can bedivided into two broad cat-egories:

■ Dietary supplements,such as sports bars anddrinks, provide nutrientsfound in everydayfoods. Some can beconsidered useful inhelping playersmeet nutritionalgoals — sportsdrinks duringtraining andmatches, sportsbars and liquidmeal replace-ments to sup-port high-en-ergy require-ments. How-ever, somedietary sup-plements —proteinpowders,vitaminsand miner-als — are oftenused without evi-dence of need or takento ‘rectify’ a poor diet.

■ Nutritional ergogenic aids contain morenutrients than are typically found in every-day foods and claim to have a directwork-enhancing effect on performance.They often rely on theoretical or anecdotal

support rather than sound scientific evi-dence.Commonly used ergogenic aids include

creatine, caffeine tablets, individual proteins(amino acids), chromium picolinate, herbalpreparations and fat burners.

No quick-fix alternative to goodnutrition, hydration and training

IRISH STUDY: 12%

of a group of 165

school-aged rugby,

Gaelic and soccer

players had used

creatine

TACKLES AND MUSCLES...

The IRFU strongly

advises against the

use of nutritional

ergogenic aids, in

particular creatine, in

players under 18Picture: iStock images


8


9XH - V1

Feelgood

Cover story Sports supplements

The IRFU strongly advises against the use ofnutritional ergogenic aids, in particular crea-tine, in players under 18.”Damien Philpott, chairman of Munster

Schools Rugby, says he’s concerned that devel-opment squads in a number of sports mightadd extra pressure on young athletes to try andimprove on their performance. “There’s a cul-ture and a drive for excellence that goes downto age 15. People are trying to identify talentearlier. I’d be concerned that this would addextra pressure on young athletes.”Philpott isn’t aware of any coach of young

players who ac-tively promotestaking creatine.Asked whatwould be the pol-icy if a teen play-er was found tobe taking creatineor a muscle sup-plement, Philpottsays, “We’d call

him aside and re-educate him in nutrition andin the healthy-eating programmes operatingwithin the school or sports organisation.”Professor Buckley says ultimately responsibil-

ity comes back on the players, their trainersand parents. But he also calls for a more activepolicy in schools around re-examining the im-portance attached to competitive sport and“whether it has a position disproportionate toits benefit and is putting young players at riskof injury”.“A cultural change needs at least to be con-

sidered,” he says. “A discussion needs to hap-pen about 30 lives revolving around a coupleof games in the latter end of secondary schoollife. Are people prepared to look at how theyapproach the concept of winning and the risksthey may be taking with youngsters’ health?”

● The IRFU has developed web-based nutri-tion education. It informs young players onhow to eat and drink well to best support theirtraining and competitive performances.www.irishrugby.ie/eat2compete

While creatine and other body-building supplements are hugely popular among young sportsmen,Helen O’Callaghan talks to experts who urge caution in their use

FOR weeks they harnessed our heartsand our souls as they triumphed overa string of nations — the US, Aus-

tralia, Russia, Italy. And, while the Irish rugbysquad lost the dream in the end, they are stillour heroes, champions from a small countrywho went in pursuit of a World Cup prize.It’s epic stuff, heady stuff, even for those of

us who have never been in close quarters witha rugby ball. How intoxicating must it be thenfor our rugby-playing schoolboys, some ofwhom can quite realistically hope to one dayline out in a green jersey, be the next RonanO’Gara, the next Brian O’Driscoll?Former Munster and Ireland hooker Frankie

Sheahan recalls schools rugby being extremelycompetitive in his time. “Yet, we were playingfor an amateur game,” says Sheahan, whoplayed the first of his 163 games for Munsterin 1996. “The advent of the professional era— the Munster juggernaut and all of that —has added a serious lure to it. All of a sudden,kids can say ‘I could become a professional’.Rugby is fashionable — there are some greatrole models. And starting with your local teamyou could dream of eventually playing in parksall over Europe and beyond. If you’re luckyyou could be paid to do what you love to do.”But to what lengths are our teen rugby play-

ers prepared to go to score that extra edge onthe boy standing next to them, trying out forthe same team? The Irish Rugby FootballUnion (IRFU) acknowledges anecdotal evi-dence that there’s “widespread use of sportssupplements in rugby, which includes use byyoung players”. Such sports supplements in-clude creatine (this allows rapid recoverybetween multiple bouts of high-intensityexercise) and other protein supplements.Professor Brendan Buckley, chairman of the

Anti-Doping Committee of the Irish SportsCouncil and Professor of Pharmacology atUCC, says such supplements are extensivelyused in team sports where power is a require-ment. “Rugby and Gaelic football would bethe main ones qualifying under these require-ments. Use of these supplements in rugby inschools and among senior adult players at theupper end of amateur is very substantial.”While no comprehensive data exists on use

of bulk-building and other sports supplementsamong Irish sports players, a study led by DrSuzanne Guerin of UCD’s Department of Psy-chology reported a few years ago that 12% of agroup of 165 school-aged rugby, Gaelic andsoccer players had used creatine. “There’s a lotof peer pressure,” says Irish Sports Councilchief executive John Treacy. “You have a fel-low trying out for a team and beside him is alad who’s using a supplement. There’s a wholemarketing campaign that makes it difficult foryoung teens to see the wood from the trees.”Creatine, a normal component of muscle

(meat and fish are dietary sources — the bodyneeds about two grams a day to replace theamount broken down), is not illegal in Ireland,nor is it a banned substance. Personal trainerMarc Smith points to creatine’s positives. “Youneed less recovery time, you have decreased fa-tigue and your performance improves. Yourmuscle bulk will increase but your body fatwon’t necessarily drop — you’re not going toget your six-pack by taking it.”Frankie Sheahan took creatine when he was

19 or 20. “It didn’t suit me. It put half a stone

on me straight away. To my knowledge, therewere no other adverse effects. I took it for acouple of three-month spells, then stopped.”Creatine’s long-term safety isn’t known and

recognised adverse effects include gastrointesti-nal discomfort, muscle cramps and headaches.Expert opinion is that high-dose creatine maypotentially damage kidneys and liver. Lack ofresearch on the long-term safety of usingsports supplements and ergogenic aids (ofwhich creatine is one) under age 18 led theAmerican Academy of Paediatrics to recom-mend they not be used by children and adoles-cents. The American College of SportsMedicine also recommended creatine shouldn’tbe used by anyone under 18.Use of such supplements by under-18s is

causing youngsters to bulk up at a level forwhich their skeleton isn’t prepared, says Profes-sor Buckley. “They’re much more injuryprone. Collisions occur that cause injurieswhich damage bones.”Marc Smith warns of the opposite outcome

to the one intended by the youngsupplement user. “Making muscles bigger arti-ficially, by giving yourself extra creatine, meanstendons won’t develop as quickly as the mus-cle. Yet, they’re going to have to take on theextra pressure of bigger muscles. The fearwould be of detached tendons, which couldspell the end of a potential career.”Stress and conditioning specialist Padraig

Murphy says most teens aren’t disciplinedenough to take a substance like creatine.“Most of these young lads aren’t taking it

properly,” he warns. “There’s a loading period,which has to be done correctly. Kids aren’tdisciplined enough to do that. Also, if you’regoing to supplement you need your body tobe tuned and healthy. Your body should bevery clean — not consuming rubbish pro-cessed food or fizzy drinks. A lot of teenshaven’t got that straight so, if they’re drinkingalcohol and eating bad food, the supplementwon’t be as effective.”He also cautions that young players, hungry

for results, don’t question claims made by sup-plement manufacturers. Take the popularmuscle-building supplement Arginine Al-phaketoglutarate (AAKG). “A study in the In-ternational Journal of Sports Nutrition lookedat its effects in 24 men who used it. Researchshowed it had no significant impact and thatthe increase in blood flow was attributable toexercise rather than to the supplement.”Another worry is that some of the

bulk-building products have been contaminat-ed with steroids or banned substances. Sportspsychology consultant Dr Kate Kirby warns:“If they’re bought on the internet, you couldget an accidental false positive in a dopinganalysis test. It’s such an unregulated industrythat even if you’re buying them from a trustedsource — a gym or healthfood shop — there’sno guarantee there hasn’tbeen cross-contamination.”Professor Buckley is also

concerned about fosteringa mindset among youngsports players that takingpowder out of a plasticbarrel will make them bet-ter players. “It’s worryingbecause it’s very close tothe doping culture. In a

small minority of users, it might be a precursorto worse [doping]. And if you think you canbecome the next Paul O’Connell out of a bar-rel, you’re removing focus from what youshould be concentrating on — natural talent,skill-development, training.”Dr Kirby, who completed a PhD in the psy-

chological and social factors associated withdoping in sport, says some research exists tosuggest supplementation is a gateway to steroiduse.Frankie Sheahan believes you can’t generalise

about sports supplements. “If, for example,you finish training at 7pmbut don’t sit down to din-ner until 8.30pm, that oneand a half hours is crucialin recovery — the quickeryou get a recovery drinkinto you, the better. But ifyou’re ignorant aboutwhat you’re taking, youcould find yourself introuble very fast both

from a health and regulatory point of view.Yet, there are some fantastic supplements andthere are few professional players in any sportwho are not taking them.”Professor Buckley also points to the real issue

for sports players who train at very high inten-sity and frequency. “It’s not that easy to get allthe calories they need from an ordinary diet.Supplements have an appropriate place here. Aprofessionally supervised nutritional regime,which uses dietary supplements sensibly, is anecessary element for any athlete who is usingtwo to three times as many calories as thosewho sit at desks all day.”But underage sport is an alto-

gether different matter. IRFU per-formance nutritionist RuthWood-Martin cites their policy onsports supplements and the youngrugby player. “The use of proteinsupplements shouldn’t be recom-mended by schools, coaches,teachers or others involved in thetraining of young rugby players.

ACCORDING to the Irish Rugby FootballUnion, athletes take supplements:

■ to compensate for an inadequate diet■ to meet demands of hard training■ because team-mates take them■ because they’re recommended by influ-ential people■ because they believe supplements willimprove performance.

Successful individual performance insport is related to:■ talent■ coaching and skill acquisition■ structured training and conditioning■ motivation and dedication■ optimal nutrition■ adequate sleep and recoveryNone of these can be replaced by use of

supplements. Taking supplements mayseem the quick-fix for acceleratedgrowth, but young players will gainsize and strength from well-plannedtraining and recovery, along withadequate nutrition and hydration.

Sports supplements can bedivided into two broad cat-egories:

■ Dietary supplements,such as sports bars anddrinks, provide nutrientsfound in everydayfoods. Some can beconsidered useful inhelping playersmeet nutritionalgoals — sportsdrinks duringtraining andmatches, sportsbars and liquidmeal replace-ments to sup-port high-en-ergy require-ments. How-ever, somedietary sup-plements —proteinpowders,vitaminsand miner-als — are oftenused without evi-dence of need or takento ‘rectify’ a poor diet.

■ Nutritional ergogenic aids contain morenutrients than are typically found in every-day foods and claim to have a directwork-enhancing effect on performance.They often rely on theoretical or anecdotal

support rather than sound scientific evi-dence.Commonly used ergogenic aids include

creatine, caffeine tablets, individual proteins(amino acids), chromium picolinate, herbalpreparations and fat burners.

No quick-fix alternative to goodnutrition, hydration and training

IRISH STUDY: 12%

of a group of 165

school-aged rugby,

Gaelic and soccer

players had used

creatine

TACKLES AND MUSCLES...

The IRFU strongly

advises against the

use of nutritional

ergogenic aids, in

particular creatine, in

players under 18Picture: iStock images


10


XH - V1

Feelgood

Medical matters

CatherineShanahan

MUM’S WORLDMUM’S WORLD

The infantbrain is makingconnections at arate faster than

the speed ofsub-atomic

particles and allof our reactionsare clocked at arate of knots bythese tiny, butperceptive, tots

CatherineShanahan

CAREFUL out there. You never knowwho’s lurking behind that high chair,or if the tot on the bean bag is hard-

wired to become a psychopath and live a lifeof violent crime.Flippancy aside, the findings of a New

Zealand study, presented recently in Dublin,are enough to put the heart across any par-ent whose child displays signs of aggressionor restlessness.The research, carried out over a 20-year

period, began with a 90-minute observa-tional study by nurses of the behaviour ofthree-year-olds, whom they subsequentlyclassified as ‘at risk’ or ‘normal’.The toddlers were revisited in early adult-

hood to measure outcomes, and, alarmingly,those boy toddlers tagged ‘at risk’ — be-cause of restless, aggressive or negative be-haviour — were nearly five times more like-ly at age 21 to have abused their partners.They were also two and a half times more

likely to have a criminal conviction, regular-ly characterised by violence.For the ‘at risk’ girls, fewer were engaged

in antisocial behaviour, but three in 10 hadteen pregnancies and, by age 21, more than40% were in violent or abusive relationships.The good news for those of you contem-

plating locking up your children on foot ofsuch hair-raising revelations is that you, theparent, hold the key to their salvation. What

we all need to realise is the infant brain ismaking connections at a rate faster than thespeed of sub-atomic particles and all of ourreactions are clocked at a rate of knots bythese tiny, but perceptive, tots.The baby who constantly smiles at its

mother, but sees no reciprocal action, willeventually stop seeking a response and with-draw into itself. The tot who throws thingsfrom the cot as part of a game that it wantsits father to engage in will, sooner or later,give up when daddy fails to pick up on hisefforts to communicate.The baby whose cries of anger or sadness

are punished or ignored may learn to hidethose emotions because the message he’sgetting is that both are somehow unaccept-able.Yes, our infants need constant reassurance

that we are registering their presence in away that makes them feel safe and loved andcared for. When it comes to emotional andsocial development, it’s all about positiveparenting, particularly in infancy, and, if thestudy mentioned above is anything to go by,a lack of empathy could create the kind ofmonster none of us ever wants to meetdown a dark alley.The message, therefore, is clear. Nurture

those you hold dear and the odds of themever doing time will reduce in line with thequality of that parental investment.

Sharing my journeyCathy McCarthy has written an upbeat self-help book for cancer sufferers

RECORD REPLAY: Cathy McCarthy has devised helpfultips for those are diagnosed with cancer from keeping arecord of her own experience.

I WAS diagnosed with breast cancer in November 2007.I found a lump, went to my GP who referred me tothe Triple Assessment Centre in St Vincent’s Hospital.

After waiting a week for the results, I was given the news thatI had breast cancer. And so my can-cer journey began.My treatment plan was surgery, six

sessions of chemotherapy and 33 ses-sions of radiotherapy. From the out-set, I decided that I was going tomake the most of an unexpected yearin my life. It was not the year I hadplanned, but it was the year I hadbeen given.My book, Not The Year You Had

Planned (published by Ashfield Press,€12.99) aims to provide tips and in-formation to those going throughcancer treatment. I decided to donateall of my royalties to the TallaghtCancer Support Group and to theSligo Cancer Support Centre.A selection of tips from Not The Year You Had Planned,

are as follows:

One step at a time Try not to be too daunted by the roadahead. If you see your treatment as a year out of your life, itcould overwhelm you. You have to go through each stage toget on to the next stage. Taking each step as it comes canmake the treatment more manageable. To quote AbrahamLincoln, “The best thing about the future is that it onlycomes one day at a time”.

Go with the bad days You will have bad days, go with it,feel sad, and do whatever you can to get through it. Don’tdeny these days, they are real. Remember you don’t have tofeel strong all the time.

Get help: Don’t try to do it all on your own, seek help fromfriends, or whatever it takes to get through. Talk about yourfears. Seek help from a Cancer Support Centre.

Treat yourself: Be kind to yourself, If you can, buy yourselfsomething after each treatment. It does not have to be expen-sive, just something to give you a lift. You deserve it.

Choose your attitude: It is important to have the right atti-tude. From the first moment I got my diagnosis I made a veryconscious decision that I was going to beat my cancer. Toquote Charles R. Swindoll, “I am convinced that life is 10%what happens to me, and 90% how I react to it. And so it iswith you…We are in charge of our attitudes”.

Spirituality: Explore what that means for you. It could be yo-ga, meditation or buying a book that explores the inner self.For me, it was the book Benedictus by John O’Donohue, agift from a friend just after I was diagnosed.

Exercise: There is a lot of emphasis on the importance of ex-ercise today. I know that some people can be extremely tiredduring treatment, but if you can, walk even for 5 to 10 min-utes a day and try to build it up. Exercise is beneficial for bothmind and body.

Be careful after treatment: This is a difficult time. It is nor-mal to feel depressed or low. You may not be aware of theemotions and feelings you will encounter when the treatmentis all over. That part for me was unexpected. I felt well physi-cally, but emotionally, I was very fragile.Where once you had a treatment plan, attended hospital ev-

ery few weeks, saw doctors and nurses on a regular basis, youare now on your own. Even though at the time you probablydid not wish to be in hospital, there is a sense of security at-tached to being minded, to being able to ask questions andget immediate answers.If you have not received help up to now, please consider

getting it at this stage. Talk to your GP or go to a supportcentre. I went for counselling and found it very useful.For the majority of people life does not end with a cancer

diagnosis, you can get through it and live the rest of your lifein a more fulfilled way.To quote Caroline Joy Adams: “Your life is a sacred journey,

and it is about change, growth, discovery, movement, transfor-mation, continuously expanding your vision of what is possi-ble, stretching your soul, learning to see clearly, deeply, listen-ing to your intuition, taking courageous challenges at everystep along the way. You are on the path … exactly where youare meant to be right now … and from here, you can only goforward, shaping your life story into a magnificent tale of tri-umph, of healing, of courage, of beauty, of wisdom, of power,of dignity and of love. ”


11


XH - V1 Kids stuff

Eleven-year-old Oisin Aylward has swapped computers for Beyblade, a simplering-pull game. He hopes to be world champion, saysArlene Harris

LET IT RIP: Beyblade fans and brothers, Oisin and Darragh Alyward, prepare for theforthcoming Irish Beyblade championship qualifiers in Dublin. Picture:Marc O’Sullivan

L IKE most 11-year-old boys, OisinAylward has a passion for gadgets.But unlike most of his counterparts,

he doesn’t need an electric current or batter-ies to play his favourite game. Instead, theWaterford boy just hunkers down and gets togrips with his Beyblade.Something like a modern version of a spin-

ning top, this simple toy appeals to childrenall over the globe, and, keen to encouragemore players, Oisin has organised tourna-ments in Ireland, has set up a website forumdedicated to the game and is currentlypreparing for the Beyblade world champi-onship qualifiers in Dublin next month.If he makes the grade, the young en-

trepreneur will be heading to Canada to rep-resent Ireland in this fast-paced game of skill.A Beyblade is a small toy that originated in

a Japanese comic strip. Just like an old-fash-ioned spinning top, the Beyblade is‘launched’ by a ring pull to the words ‘3, 2, 1let it rip’. Battling opponents will launchtheir Beyblades into a customised ring (anyflat surface will do), and the top that outma-noeuvres its rival and continues to spin is thewinner.“I got into Beyblades when someone at my

karate class told me he was playing it,” saysOisin. “I had no idea what they were, but Ithought they sounded great and after savingup my pocket money I went to the shop tobuy one and they were such good value thatI decided to buy two.“Then, once I got my first couple, I got

hooked and started collecting them. After awhile, my friends and my eight-year-oldbrother Darragh wanted to get involved, sothey got them as well and we were able tobattle together.”Oisin and his gang became so engrossed in

their new-found toys that they lost interest incomputer games and focused all their energyon Beyblading. After a few weeks of playing,the schoolboy wanted to further challenge hisskills, so (with a little help from his parents)he organised a tournament in the People’sPark in Waterford.“I love to Beyblade and would definitely

play them instead of playing computergames,” he says. “They are great fun and easyto use and are so small that you can carrythem everywhere. They also don’t cost much,so most people can use them and now all myfriends spend more time with Beyblades thanon computer games, too.“But we wanted to have battles with other

children, so I set up a tournament at thebandstand in my local park and told myfriends to tell their friends about it. Then,simply by word-of-mouth between players,we ended up with around 30 people — someeven came all the way from Cork and Wex-ford,” he says.“We didn’t have an entry fee, because we

want to get more people into the game andits so easy — for example, two childrenwalked passed our tournament and asked tojoin in, so everyone got their spare parts to-gether so they could play.“Our tournaments aren’t about the money

— they’re just about being able to play withother children. So far, we have had two tour-naments this year and we brought cakes(baked by our mums) and drinks to sellcheaply, then used that money to buy Bey-blades as prizes.”

Currently holding second place in hiscounty finals, Oisin is hoping that his gameskills will prove to be sufficient to secure aslot on the Irish squad.“There isn’t really a secret skill to Beyblad-

ing, but launch practice is very important,”he says. “It is also good to customise yourBeyblades and I have different techniques foreach of my blades.“For attacks, I would do a thing called the

sliding shot that makes it move around in aflower pattern and strikes the opposing Bey-

blade in the middle. Then, for defence, I alsodo the Sliding Shot, but they move around ina small circle defending off all attacks .”With the nail-biting qualifiers taking place

next week, the go-getting schoolboy hopeshis skills will be sufficient to help him winthe chance to represent Ireland at the WorldBeyblade Championships in Canada nextMarch.“The qualifiers will be very hard, but with

my secret combination (of launch styles) andmy customised special launcher, I think I

have a big chance,” he says. “I would love towin, but I know it will be hard so as long asI do well, I’ll be happy.“I hope to continue playing this game for a

long time and getting more people into it.I’ve set up my own web forum and I havefive members already — but I need more tojoin, so if anyone is interested they can meetme at http://irishbeyblade.zxq.net/ to talkabout the game or even organise a battle.”The world championship qualifiers are be-

ing held in Smyth’s toys superstores, Blan-chardstown, on November 2 and in Smyth’stoys superstores Carrickmines on November3.

● For more information, see: www.face-book.com/smythstoys

New spin on gamesA vital boostof confidenceDR Erika Doyle is a psychologist whoworks with the Children’s ResearchCentre in TCD. She says developinginterests outside of academic studiesand away from modern technology isvital for promoting self-confidence inchildren.“Parents can unwittingly support

their child’s lack of self-esteem bystriving to make them feel good aboutthemselves, by molly-codling and do-ing everything for them, by surround-ing them by passive activities such asTV that require no talent, effort orcommitment,” says Dr Doyle.“Children need to be challenged

positively and crucially be encouragedto take responsibility for as much aspossible in their lives at an early age.“Giving your child time is the major

positive factor and a commitment tosupport children in their activities is vi-tal,” she says. “However, listening isthe key when a child wants to embarkon a new activity and offering gentleadvice rather than taking over.“In the pre-teen years it is important

to allow and encourage children tostart making choices and trying thingsout for themselves. Show them howto find out information on the web,safely and how to make a phone-callto find out information politely.”The biggest gift you can give chil-

dren is to help them discover and ex-plore their passions, talents andstrengths.Think about:

■ What projects evoke the child’s in-terest and commitment?■ What are the child’s unique talentsand strengths?■ What activities allow them to ex-press these talents?


12


XH - V1

Feelgood

Healthy food

Roz Crowley

News bites

There is plenty to be gained from taking a leaf out of a strict veggie diet

■ CORK Free Choice Consumer grouppresents The Global Food System -—modern food production and trade andits consequences for health and theenvironment. This talk given by Dr Col-in Sage, Dept of Geography, UCC willtake place on Thursday October 27 at7.30pm. Entrance €6, including tea andcoffee.

■ Good news from The Burren Smoke-house in Lisdoonvarna, Co Clare,which is now supplying Smoked IrishOrganic Salmon (hot and cold-smokedvarieties)to the fa-mousDean &Delucaoutletsin NewYork.This is

a bigcoup at atime of recession and a great credit tothe producers and the marketing per-sistence of Peter Curtin and his wifeBirgitta Hedin-Curtin, pictured, who es-tablished their rural-based artisan busi-ness in 1989.

■ Folláin extra fruit jams has a deli-cious rhubarb and ginger in the rangewith just the rightamount of ginger. It’sgood to use in the baseof an apple tart.Recipes are available atwww.follain.ie whereyou can get ideas forusing their savoury aswell as sweet sauces. €

2.45 in supermarkets.

V-Day for vegan

W ITH World Vegan Day onNovember 1, it is a goodtime to decide if there is

anything meat eaters can learn from this diet.There are plenty of celebrities who have em-braced it as a way of living as well as just forthe diet — avoiding wearing fur, feather,leather, silk and wool. They also avoid soapsmade from tallow (the fat of nimals) andwatch the cosmetics they use, which oftenhave some animal content.Eggs, dairy produce and honey are off the

menu as well as the obvious meat, poultryand fish, so there is a lot to consider beforeembracing this restrictive lifestyle.Leonardo da Vinci was a vegan, and

President Bill Clinton went vegan (thoughnot fully) after his quadruple bypass. Up tothen he was partial to a burger and chipsand doughnuts.A long list of celebrities includes Natalie

Portman who relaxed from vegan tovegetarian when she was pregnant with herson. She was concerned that she might notbe getting the required range of nutrients foranother dependent.This seems to be the main concern of

dieticians who preach balance.“Vegetarian and vegan diets have good

principles,” says nutrition consultantPaula Mee. “A diet that reminds us of theimportance of fresh fruit and a wide rangeof vegetables is good to see, but to be adedicated and healthy vegan and get thespread of nutrients we need for good healthtakes a lot of attention.“It can also be expensive as foods have

to be top quality to deliver as manyvitamins and minerals as possible. It canalso be socially disruptive, as well asmonotonous so that a good diet may notbe easily sustainable.”Mee is concerned that the vegan regime

lacks iron and calcium, which are often lowin the Irish diet anyway. Meat provides uswith a source of iron that is easily absorbedby the body, while dairy produce has beenadapted by our bodies over the years so itdelivers the necessary calcium for growth. Ofcourse, we still need fruit and vegetables tohelp absorb the minerals and vitamins from adiet that includes meat.We Irish often don’t get that balance right,

still eating too much processed food whichhas less nutrients while laden with unhealthyfats and salt.In some households, there is no fruit bowl

for children and adults to reach intowhen they need a snack. These days withapples at their cheapest, this is easy andnutritionally much better value than fizzydrinks or salty snacks.The vegan diet has its pluses and

the body adapts to it, taking morenutrients from foods and maximis-ing nourishment. Nuts and seedscan deliver some calcium and thenecessary oils and fats for digestiveand heart health, but often notenough unless watched carefully.Paula Mee says it’s a good idea

to learn from the vegan diet andcut out processed and fatty forms

of meat such as salamis, sausages andpatés, and cut down (not out) onlean red meat. We need to becomeomnivores with more emphasison fruit and vegetables and oilyfish. “Kids learn to like certainfoods so give them plant-basedprotein such as peas, chickpeas aswell as beans such as butterbeans, aduki and cannelini whichare an important part of the vegandiet,” says Mee.The key is to look at how

we can replace fattening andunhealthy foods with healthieroptions such as agave syrup for

sweetening instead of sugar. We can avoidsweets, biscuits and crisps by replacing themwith nuts, seeds and treats such as edamamebeans (Marks and Spencer have a deliciouslightly roasted and salted version) and driedfruit such as cranberries so that eating be-tween meals delivers nutrients as well as be-ing satisfying. There are plenty of packets ofnuts and dried fruit in supermarkets andwholefood shops.To celebrate this World Vegan Day,

examine your diet and think aboutembracing the bean. The fibre and proteincan make a delicious meal. I might throw insome chopped bacon to a bean stew, but thebenefits of a vegetable stew are enormous.

TRIM UP: Nutritionconsultant PaulaMee says we canlearn from the vegandiet and cut outprocessed and fattyforms of meat.

Picture: iStock


13


XH - V1

You and your baby

Male health

Deirdre O'Flynn

MOSTLY MEN

4TAKE

Why couples dig up the dirt

IRON COUNT: Pregnant womenneed a good supply of iron, especiallyin the second and third trimesters.Spatone is a 100% natural iron sup-

plement and although each sachet contains5mg of iron — one third of RDA — researchhas shown it to be easily absorbed, with upto 40% bioavailability, compared to 5 — 20%from food and other iron supplements. Gen-tle on the stomach, it can be taken diluted inorange juice and is suitablefor children over the age oftwo. Spatone costs €11.43for 28 sachets from pharma-cies and health stores.

COUGH RELIEF: Helpbring gentle relief tocoughs with Nelson’sSootha, a honey-rich for-

mula which contains a 6c homeo-pathic potency of Bryonia, puri-fied honey and zesty lemon juice.Sootha cough syrup is free of ar-tificial colours and flavours anddoes not cause drowsiness. It issuitable for childrenaged 12 monthsonwards and costs€7.25, for 150ml,from pharmaciesand health stores.

NURSING WEAR: Following the suc-cess of her Bubí Bainne breast-feedingcover last year, Irish mum EmerMcInerney, who also runs baby

online store Once Born, has designednew nursing tops and sleep-wear forher range. The pyjamas, €28.95, andnightdresses, €23.95, are 100% cotton,stylish and are comfortable for agrowing bump, as well as offeringdiscreet access for breast-feeding.The maternity/nursing tops, €27in green, pink and orange, are95% cotton and 5% elastane.Nursing covers are €22.95, in arange of colours. This new rangeof nursing wear is available fromwww.onceborn.com.

DOUBLE TROUBLE: Getting outis a concern for parents of twinsaccording to research by nurserysupplier Clever Clogs. Parents also

say there are notenough products fortwins. Clever Clogshave launched theMountain Buggy Duetin Ireland. It accommo-dates two kids frombirth to four years. Le-inster rugby player IsaNacewa, seen here withhis kids, says, “I waslucky enough to receivea Mountain Buggy Duetfor my twin girls.”www.cleverclogs.ie;and retailers, for €569.

NEW LOOK: Rob Walpole seen before andafter he lost 23 stone and who now runs aweight loss clinic in Gorey, Co Wexford.Picture:Andres Poveda

321 4

IN JANUARY 2010, Rob Walpoleweighed in at a significant 38 stone.Less than two years later, he’s an im-

pressive 23 stone lighter.“It crept up on me throughout the years,”

says the 50-year-old, who lives in Camolin,Co Wexford. “I wasn’t eating breakfast, thenI’d have a small lunch, eat too much in theevening and never exercise. I’d been on vari-ous diets since I was 15, going from being afew stone overweight to 38 stone last year.”Despite friends and family, including wife

Mary Ellen, pleading with him to loseweight for the sake of his health, it was anincident at his father’s funeral that was theall-important trigger. “My mam and dadwere sick for two years and died within ninemonths of each other. My dad died in Jan-uary 2010 when I was at my heaviest, proba-bly 38 stone. My back was so sore that Icouldn’t stand to shake people’s hands afterthe funeral, I had to lean against the funeralcar, so I said, ‘That’s it, no more’.”He attended a Motivation Weight Manage-

ment Clinic in Dublin and was on the roadto success. “I had heard Dr MauriceLarocque, the programme founder, sayingthat it’s not what you eat but why you eat,”says Rob, who worked for as a regional man-ager for two different companies, beforeworking as a self-employed consultant andcaring for his parents. “This changed my life,nothing else worked for me before.”Rob reckons he overate because of

boredom, frustration and tiredness, becomingso angry with himself that he reacted badlyto others’ concern. Now, he runs aMotivation Weight Management Clinic inGorey, Co Wexford, and hopes to open asecond franchise in Wexford shortly.“Losing weight is the easy part, it’s keeping

it off is that hard part. This is a maintenanceprogramme to keep you at your ideal weightover time.” For Rob, that involves varying hisexercise regime between the gym, swimmingand walking; eating three meals a day withprotein at each meal; and going to bedbetween 9-10pm each night.He is also busy running his business. “My

goal now is to help others, because I knowwhat it’s like.”

● See www.motivation.ie

From there to hereTwo years later Robis 23 stone lighter

HOUSEHOLD chores are a prime cause ofarguments between couples, according to astudy of 350 Irish homes.Although 67% of men say they do an

equal share of the housework, three quar-ters (75.5%) of women say they do all thework, according to the survey carried out byPivotal Research Ltd on behalf of Malone’s,the Irish range of natural cleaning products.“Many men are under the illusion that if

they empty the dishwasher, they are doingan equal share of housework,” says clinicalpsychologist and Feelgood columnist, DrTony Humphreys.

Sixty three percent of parents felt it wastheir job and not their children’s to pickup, clean up and wash up. “It is often anunconscious motivation for carers to doeverything, to prove they themselves areneeded, and, in some cas-es, children are a parent’swhole reason for living,”says Dr Humphreys. “Butthey are fundamentally do-ing a disservice to thosechildren, especially theboys, who are often ex-pected to do less.”


14


XH - V1

Feelgood

Beauty

The news on...

Emily O’Sullivan

Take three...

Budgethighs

LIMITED EDITIONEIGHT-HOUR CREAM

WE’RE not really that hung up on thiswhole “limited edition” business. Yes, oc-casionally beauty companies release spe-cial editions, but it’s really just a way ofencouraging you to buy. Still, we are will-ing to allow Elizabeth Arden a little limitededition craziness because they’re doing itwith the rather fabulous Eight HourCream.Released for Christmas, the classic

cream is housed in red and is still thesame formulation — after all, it’s beenaround since 1936, and if it ain’t broke…

Eight Hour Cream Skin Protectant Pot,€24, Eight Hour Cream Lip ProtectantStick SPF 15, €22, and Eight HourCream Intensive Moisturising HandTreatment, €14, are available fromBoots and selected department storesnationwide from October 30.

RICH BODY CREAMSIT’S autumn. Cue dry, rough, bumpy andscaly skin. Soften your skin with one of thesethree, luxury body treats.

The Handmade Soap Company Body But-ter with Aloe Vera,€22.95. Though thishas the consistency oflard, once you put it onyour skin it smoothes toan oil as you rub it in.It’s heavily-fragranced,but not in a bad way,and if you like your bodycreams rich and

high-density, this is a good one for you.It’s 100% natural.

L’Occitane Ultra Rich Body Cream Co-coa Flower, €23.95. Packaged in a limit-ed-edition, colourful tin, this body creamis inviting before you even smooth it on.It has quite a cooling effect and rubs inwell. The fragrance is gentle and subtle.

Nuxe Reve de Miel Ultra Comfort-able Body Cream, €27.50. More like alotion, it’s good if you’re looking for alighter texture with a rich punch. Deli-cately-fragranced, it instantly hydrateswithout being sticky or greasy.

Get the latest designer beauty look at a fraction of the price on the high street

RIGHT PRICE: Expensive products can enhance the feelgood factor, butthere are lots of quality budget products on the shelves. Picture: iStock

I ’VE a bit of a weakness for posh beau-ty products. I know it’s pointlessspending loads of money on them, but

sometimes it’s hard to resist. Of course, thereare lots of different reasons that I might ulti-mately be tempted to shell out — but, most-ly, it’s because I’ve used them before, I’vetried them and, importantly, I know theywork.There are few products by the likes of

Bobbi Brown, Giorgio Armani and Clarinsthat nearly always win me over. Clarins doesreally amazing skincare and great foundations;Bobbi Brown blows everyone else out of thewater when it comes to concealers, tintedmoisturisers, blushers and powders and Gior-gio Armani does the most divine eyeshadowsaround (although we’re recently a convert tothe mid-range, natural brand Korres).Sometimes, I simply buy posh beauty prod-

ucts because of the way they make me feel.Tom Ford’s lipsticks are shockingly expensive,but they deliver a dose of instant glamour.And as for Chanel nail polish — well, I defyanyone not to feel good parting with theircash for a bottle.There are some beauty products that just

are, in my opinion, worth spending moneyon — fragrance is one place that you getwhat you pay for. And I would prefer to saveup for a fancy bottle of Miller Harris scent,with real essential oils than to spritz chemi-cally engineered fragrances. The scent lastslonger, doesn’t make you headachey andsmells divine. And once you’ve started wear-ing expensive, good quality fragrance, it’shard to go back.Similarly, foundation and powder are two

other products I splash out on. You can getgreat mid-range foundations — like MaxFactor — but luxury foundation and powderfeels and dramatically better. Plus, you usuallyget better skincare benefits from expensivefoundations. Other people mightn’t thinkthey are worth the money, but that boilsdown to skin type and preference.A long time ago, though, beauty followed

fashion down the mix and match route.Cheaper companies began making excellentversions of their posher counterparts, and themark of a true beauty creative was the abilityto match super-budget products with bits and

bobs that are top of the range. So while youmight wear a Giorgio Armani eyeshadow,you might line it with a Topshop Kohl. Oryou might opt for an expensive skincream,but wear a cheaper foundation.The thing about budget beauty products to

remember is that you shouldn’t feel like theyare a “cheap” option. A value product is onlyreally worth mentioning if itdoes the job just as well as amore expensive option — theyshould be high-performingitems in their own right. Andonce you start approachingthem this way, you realise thatthere are tons of must-haves onthe shelves that will keep your

wallet happy. Here are my favourites:

The Nail Polish: Barry M Nail Paint,€4.50We love Chanel polishes for its excellent,

super-cool range of colours but they don’tlast that long, and while they may not be themost expensive polishes on the block, they

are pretty pricey. Instead ofsplashing out on one bottle ofChanel, you could always optfor several bottles of Barry Mnail paint. Or simply saveyour money, and buy one.These nail polishes come in

every conceivable colour,from Cobalt Blue to the

rather more demureMushroom.

The Hand Product: Avon Planet SpaAfrican Shea Moisturising Gloves, €4I wouldn’t be the biggest fan of humiliating

beauty products, and going to bed with plas-tic gloves on is pretty much up there withgoing to be covered wearing a thong whilecovered in mahogany fake tan. Still, if youhave hands that are relentlessly rough, thesegloves are a lifesaver because they do reallywork. Plus, you can get a great effect withany old cheapie hand cream (although we’dopt for anything by Neutrogena).

The Liquid Liner: Rimmel Glam EyesLiquid Liner, €6.95Anyone who reads this page with any regu-

larity will know that the only liquid (or gel)eyeliner I like to use is Bobbi Brown’s LongWear Gel Eyeliner. But If I was going to usea different liquid liner it’d be this one. It real-ly is very good, easy to apply and lasts verywell. And at that price, we’ll take two.

The Mascara: Maybelline The FalsiesMascara, €12.39.Okay, okay, admittedly this is not the most

inexpensive mascara on the market, but withmascara sometimes you get what you pay for.You can find decent enough mascaras in Aldi— ones that work really quite well, but ifyou want a dramatic lookthen shell out a few more eu-ro and you can nab yourselfthis little baby.

The Body Cream: Neutro-gena Norwegian FormulaDeep Moisture ComfortBalm, €6.57I tested this moisturiser last

year for this column, and Iwas immediately addicted.I’ve tested a wide range ofbody creams over the years, and this is defi-nitely up there as one of the best.It is excellent for dry, dehydrated skin. It

feels rich and luxurious, has a simple, not toooverpowering smell and it leaves skin soft andbeautifully hydrated, especially if you use itovernight. There are much more expensivecreams on the market that are only a fractionas effective. It’s not fancy, but it works a treat.

The Eyeliner: ELF Brightening Eye Liner,€1.70 (not including delivery) fromeyeslipsface.co.ukKohl eyeliner is one of the most basic

beauty products that you can get, and smudgeis one of the worst aspects of it. Even ifyou’re super-diligent about what product youuse, you can still get that telltale smudge aftera little while.This gel-powder formulation from the su-

per-cheap ELF is a good bet. It’s not a bigsmudger, and it even comes with its ownsharpener. For under €2, we just can’t argue.


15


XH - V1

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

Megan puts the spotlight on: Beating coughs, colds and flu

Natural health

Megan Sheppard

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

Have testing done to find out whichvitamins and minerals you truly needrather than taking a blanket approach

Picture: Getty

AS we move rapidly into the seasonof coughs, colds and flu, it is im-portant to ensure that we are pre-

pared with natural remedies, so that wedon’t need to reach for the pseu-doephedrine or other prescriptionmedicines designed to suppress symp-toms.If nasal catarrh is your winter woe,

then goldenrod is the herb for you. Notonly does it help to moderate excessivemucous production, it also helps withurinary tract health and can be benefi-cial in supporting an anti-candida di-et/lifestyle. Eyebright is another greatherb for nasal issues. It helps to treat in-fection of all the mucous membranes —eyes, nose, throat, along with infections

of the middle ear.Elderberries and flow-

ers are great for immunesupport and balance, be-ing an effectiveall-round winter tonic.Ear infections, coughs,colds, allergies, catarrh,and hayfever are all con-ditions where using thedelicious elderberry ordelicate elderflower canhelp.Barberry bark is ex-

cellent for respiratorytract problems, but if itis a nagging coughwhich has you down

and miserable this winter,then you can’t go pastthyme. Thyme is ideal forindividuals prone to asth-matic conditions, and canalso benefit those whosuffer from sinusitis.The herb supports the

immune system and is anall-round wonderful coldand flu herb to have inyour garden or kitchen.In fact, Weleda has acough elixir, which is theonly remedy I choosewhen one of my childrencomes down with a bark-ing cough. The tried-

and-true recipe has been used since1954.Weleda’s cough elixir includes herbs

such as thyme, aniseed, marshmallowroot, and white horehound, along withhomeopathic ipecac, drosera and pul-satilla all in a base of raw, cane sugarsyrup and malt extract.It doesn’t suppress symptoms, rather it

works to stimulate the body to effec-tively rid itself of catarrh and clear theairways. It costs €6.95 for 100ml (con-tact the Natural Medicine Company on045865575 for stockist information).We usually add the elixir to a shot glassof warm water, and find that this is apleasant-tasting remedy to take for chil-dren and adults.

Q I HAVE a friend who insiststhat vitamin and mineral sup-plements do nothing, exceptcreate expensive urine. Whatis your opinion on this?

A. I have mentioned before that I don’t be-lieve supplements are the most effective wayof obtaining our key nutrients — rather thefocus should be on how we eat and live firstand foremost. Having said that, if you arechoosing supplements which are naturalrather than synthesised and doing what youcan to make the best choices in your diet andlifestyle, then chances are they may be havinga positive overall effect. This is particularlythe case where extreme illness or deficienciesare present.In all instances, I would suggest you first

have testing done to find out which vitaminsand minerals you truly need rather than tak-ing a blanket approach.As for expensive urine, you don’t hear too

many people berating a host who prepares anexquisite meal accompanied by a fine bottleof wine complaining that all they are doing iscreating expensive urine.

Q. I am interested in using homeopathywith my family, however, I was wonderingif there were any side effects or problemscaused by taking the wrong remedy?

A. This is certainly one of the areas wherehomeopathy is a far cry from conventionalmedications. It will not poison the individual,nor can it produce side-effects that are toxicor dangerous, since it is what we consider an‘energetic/energy medicine’. This means thatit works by stimulating healing via the subtleenergies within the body.It is this energetic connection which allows

the fast healing that one often witnesses withhomeopathy. When the energy of the remedyis well matched to the present energy of theill person, the body is able to heal quicklyand effectively. Conversely, if the wrong rem-edy is taken — one that doesn’t match thesymptoms experienced by the individual —then, typically, there will be no change insymptoms but not a worsening.Having said that, there are a couple of situ-

ations where a short-lived aggravation ofsymptoms can occur. The first of these iswhen the remedy matches the symptomsclosely but is given too frequently or at toostrong a dose. The second is where the reme-dy is not a good match for the symptoms, butis close — so will trigger a response withouthealing. This aggravation is not cause foralarm, since the symptoms are typically verymild and don’t last very long.. If the doses aretoo frequent, or too strong, then you will feelbetter swiftly by ceasing or reducing thedosage. When the remedy is not the exact fit,your symptoms are not likely to improvesince the remedy was not a close enough

match. Rather than reducing the dosage orfrequency, you should choose a remedywhich is a better match.

Q. Where can I get Dr Christopher’s Ear &Nerve Formula in Ireland or Britain?

A. This is one of the popular formulas devel-oped by the late Dr John R Christopher, aNaturopathic Physician from the US. DrChristopher was the only practicing herbalistin the US Army, using black walnut tinctureto cure impetigo, fungus infection and junglerot. Very popular in the United States, theDr. Christopher range of herbal products isnow available in Britain through a companycalled Vitamin UK (www.vitaminsuk.com; 0044 800-0568148), where 2 fl oz costs£13.02.Ear and Nerve Formula is widely used to

help with ear infection, earache, epilepsy, ver-tigo, to help manage MS., swimmers ear, andeven to stop hiccups. It is particularly usefulin cases of motor nerve injury, hearing loss,and tonsillitis. There are only five ingredients:black cohosh, blue cohosh, blue vervain,skullcap, and lobelia. For ear infection, use4-6 drops of the Ear & Nerve formula ineach ear, and then plug the infected ear/earswith cotton wool dipped in garlic infused oil.Take the formula and the oil, and rub them

into the base of the skull and along the jaw-line. You can also massage some into thesoles of the feet and cover with cotton socks.For young infants, reduce the dosage to 2drops of Ear & Nerve formula.If it is epilepsy that you are dealing with,

then take this same dosage internally (4-6drops, three times daily) as well as using thedrops in the ears and massaged into the backof the neck.Many people have used this formula to

successfully treat vertigo. Vertigo can stemfrom a number of conditions, including mid-dle ear infection, Meniere’s disease, epilepsy,toxaemia, brain disease, or it can appear as aresult of unknown causes. Once again, usingthe drops directly in the ears, massaging itinto the lymph glands at the base of the jawand down the nape of the neck, along withtaking the drops internally (6-10 drops, threetimes daily) is recommended. Using garlicinfused oil on cotton wool to plug the ears istypically advised in conjunction with thisremedy, since it will help to fight off or pre-vent any infection.Everyone experiences healing at a different

rate, so you can adjust the dosage accordingto how you feel you are progressing, andbear in mind that pre-existing conditions,along with diet and lifestyle play an impor-tant role in how quickly one heals.

Picture: iStock

TERAPROOF:User:noelcampionDate:19/10/2011Time:14:55:12Edition:21/10/2011FeelgoodXH2110Page:16 Zone:XH

16


XH - V1

Feelgood

��

��

��

��

��

Documents

Feelgood 21-10-2011