Now that the sun has finally arrived it is time to enjoy it. But enjoy it safely! Remember, the sun is one the most serious carcinogens we are exposed to. Getting sunburned is the equivalent of going out and smoking about 20 cigarettes! Don’t believe me?! Let’s look at the facts. Skin cancer is the…
How to lower your cholesterol through your diet
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Heart disease is the leading cause of death in Ireland today. The good news is that 80% of heart disease is preventable simply by changing your lifestyle. Cholesterol is a type of fat that is found in your blood. When your blood has too much cholesterol, it can start to stick to the walls of…
The scourge of the anti-vaccination movement
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It hard to overstate the impact of widespread vaccination programmes to human health. Outside of clean water and sanitation it has saved more lives than any other public health measure. And yet, despite this, since its arrival in the 1700’s any discussion on vaccinations remain controversial. Discussions on the topic remain plagued by scare mongering…
How to manage your hayfever
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Hayfever can dramatically alter your perception of the hot weather! For 20% of the Irish population the good weather at this time of year can herald a variety of annoying symptoms, including itching, sneezing, nasal congestion (stuffy nose), runny nose, and a postnasal drip (the sensation of mucus draining from the sinuses down the back…
25% of kids in Junior infants are overweight
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Figures show that worldwide obesity has nearly doubled since 1980. In Ireland, 60% of men, and 50% of women, are overweight or obese. Set against this backdrop, it is even more worrying that the levels of childhood overweight and obesity are also exploding. We now know that 1 in 4 boys and 1 in 5…
Why is there a GP famine?
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Recent national media reported an increasing shortage of GP’s across Ireland. Indeed, the Irish College of General Practitioners (ICGP) has warned about this fact for quite a while. Existing elderly and vulnerable patients are and will increasingly find themselves without a GP as retirements occur. This also affects a lot of young families in every…
How to spot a serious threat to your life in time!
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Down through the years I have heard many tragic stories about people who unwittingly failed to spot an impending health disaster coming their way. The general public’s understanding of these symptoms is sometimes tragically misinformed. It amazes me, how something as simple, as knowing when to see a Doctor urgently, is not thought religiously in…
Is Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) for me?
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“H,R,T” are three little letters that spread fear into the hearts of most female patients! This is predominantly due to media reporting of a study in the 2002 that suggested that HRT was linked to a “markedly increased risk of breast cancer”. Now, nearly 20 years later, it is widely felt that menopausal symptoms are…
Diabetes and “pre diabetes”
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A recent Healthy Ireland study showed that about 850000 adults over 40 in Ireland are at increased risk of developing (or have) Diabetes. Perhaps more worryingly, there are another 300,000 people in the 30 – 39 year age group that are at increased risk of developing diabetes. This predominantly lifestyle illness currently costs us a…
What everyone needs to know about concussion in sport
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In 2011 Ben Robinson, a boy of 14 years of age, from County Antrim, was playing a rugby match for his for his school, Carrickfergus Grammer. This was an important game for Ben and for Carrickfergus, it was the second round of the prestigous medallion shield in Northern Ireland. Ben is all action. Very committed….