TERAPROOF:User:margaretjenningsDate:25/11/2009Time:16:51:14Edition:27/11/2009FeelgoodXH2711Page:2
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Women who over exercise seriously affect their fertility, according to a 10-year study, reports Arlene Harris Kate O’Reilly WHAT’S ON TEA & TREATS: Kenmare teashop An Cupán Tae is having a special treats day to raise funds for cancer treatment on Friday next December 4. Drop into the café between 10am and 6.30pm and enjoy complimentary tea and cakes and a nail file and polish from local beauticians. At 5pm life coach Noeleen Cashin will give a talk on health and wellness. Proprietor Mary O’Leary is a survivor of breast cancer and wants to raise funds for the Aid Cancer Treatment (ACT) charity at Cork University Hospital. In addition d’Arcy’s Restaurant is offering to make a donation to ACT from restaurant bookings made on December 4. For more details call Mary on 064-664-2001. STAMMERING MEETINGS: The Irish Stammering Association’s Self Help Groups provide opportunities for people who stutter to discuss issues around their stammering, as well as providing mutual support. Meetings will be held next week in: Cork Tuesday December 1, 8pm, Room 1.26, Brookfield Health Sciences Complex, UCC; Limerick, December 1, 8pm George Boutique Hotel, O’Connell Street; Waterford December 3, 7pm, St Brigid’s Family and Community Centre; Kerry December 3, 8pm, The Malton Hotel, Killarney. For more details call the association on 01-872 4405 or see www.stammeringireland.ie BLOOD PRESSURE CLINICS: A recent Irish survey showed that 60% of men and women aged over 45 have high blood pressure. The Irish Heart Foundation recommend that people have their blood pressure checked at least every five years from the age of 30 to reduce their risk of heart disease and stroke. Visit their heart health clinics during December in Cork for a free blood pressure and cholesterol check. Clinics will be held next week on Tuesday, December 1 at their Cork office at 42 Penrose Wharf from 10am to noon or on Wednesday, December 2 at the Family Resource Centre in Midleton from 2.30pm to 4.30pm. You can call the Cork office on 021-4505822 or see www.irishheart.ie. MOVEMBER PARTY: Movember is an annual, month-long celebration of the moustache, highlighting men’s health issues, specifically prostate cancer. Mo Bros start Movember (November 1) clean shaven and then have the remainder of the month to grow their moustache and raise funds and awareness for Action Prostate Cancer, Irish Cancer Society. Next Monday Stefan Billing of Koru Chiropractic will host a Movember party at the Ardfallen Medical Centre on Douglas Rd, Cork, from 7.30 to 9:30pm. For more information call 021-4292445 or see http://ie.movember.com/mospace/events-and-ticketing/ ■ Items for inclusion in this column can be sent to koreilly8@gmail.com
Too fit to conceive
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VERYONE knows exercise is good for you — from young children, to pensioners and even pregnant mothers, at least half an hour of daily activity is recommended for a healthy mind and body. But a new report from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology has warned that too much exercise can cause infertility in women. Ten years ago, 3,000 women took part in a survey that focused on how much they exercised. Now, a decade later, the women have been revisited to find out how their physical past has affected their ability to conceive. Researcher, Sigridur Lara Gudmundsdottir, says: “Among all these women, we found two groups who experienced an increased risk of infertility. There were those who trained almost every day, and there were those who trained until they were completely exhausted,” he says. “Those who did both had the highest risk of infertility.” Research consultant, Dr Eric Scott-Sills, of the Sims Fertility clinic, in Dublin, is not surprised with these findings. “Too much of anything is bad for you and the operative word in this study is extreme,” he says. “Exercising to exhaustion on a regular basis puts extra stress on the body, which limits reproductive potential.” But the fertility expert says age is the biggest obstacle when trying to conceive, and this, coupled with excessive exercise,
RIGHT BALANCE: Women who over-train are the most at risk of infertility. Picture:iStock
can add up to infertility. “Advancing age is the biggest enemy of women who are trying to become pregnant,” he says. “The biological clock is very real, and when physiological stress is too intense it will make conception very difficult.” “Moderation is key — exercising too much or too little is not going to be good for you.” Deirdre Mackesey, of the Cork Natural Fertility Clinic, agrees, adding that overexercising can reduce energy levels. “Exercising too much will deplete vital energies that are necessary for conception,” she says. “The optimum age for getting
pregnant is 21 and fertility declines drastically over the age of 35 — couple this with excessive exercise and problems will occur.” “For a pregnancy to take place, both parties need to be in the peak of their health, and diet, lifestyle, and exercise are very important,” she says. “The thing to remember is to increase your exercise if you are not doing enough, and decrease it if you are doing too much. If you obey the laws of nature, you will be on the right track,” she says. ■ For more information, visit www.corknaturalfertility.com, or call 021-4812222; www.sims.ie or call 01-2993920.
HEALTH NOTES VITAMIN D may play a role in preventing relapses in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to new Australian research. While the vitamin has previously been shown to play a part in preventing MS, there has been little research until now on whether the sunshine vitamin can ease MS symptoms. “MS attacks happen seasonally. They’re more common in spring than in autumn and spring is when you have your lowest vitamin D levels,” says one of the researchers, Professor Bruce Taylor, who advises people with MS to take safe levels of the vitamin and to check with their doctor that their calcium levels and kidneys were normal before taking extra vitamin D.
BRANCHING OUT: Project Coordinator Nicola O’Sullivan and Michael Martin TD, Minister for Foreign Affairs at the launch of the Lime Tree Project. Picture:GMC Photography
A NEW family support service aimed specifically at children who are at high risk of coming into care was launched in Cork city on Monday by Foreign Affairs Minister Micheál Martin. The Lime Tree Family Outreach Project, based in Blackrock, is a partnership venture between the Bessborough Centre and the HSE South’s Child Protection Service set up in response to the unique circumstances currently faced by vulnerable/high-risk families and children.
been placed at locations around campus, with each carrying a message about violence against women and its manifestations in Ireland. Information leaflets about services such as Irish Women’s Aid, Cope/Waterside House Refuge, Domestic Violence Response, Galway Rape Crisis Centre and Childline Galway Office are also being distributed around campus. For more info, email becauseshewasawoman@gmail.com.
BECAUSE She Was A Woman is the title of a 16-day action project running at NUI, Galway until December 10, which aims to raise awareness about the issue of femicide in Ireland. As part of the campaign, 16 life-size female figures, constructed of wood, have
AT risk college students may effectively reduce their blood pressure, anxiety, depression and anger levels if they embrace transcendental meditation. This is the message from a new study of almost 300 American university students, which found that stu-
dents practicing transcendental meditation experience significant improvements in blood pressure, psychological distress and coping.
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)/Doctors Without Borders will hold an information evening on December 1. The session will include an informal presentation by returned volunteers who have worked with MSF in many countries, a short film and a Q&A session. Attendees will also discover how they can become part of MSF’s field work. The meeting kicks off at 7.15pm at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Stephens Green, Dublin 2. For more info, visit www.msf.ie. Helen O’Callaghan
feelgood@examiner.ie EDITORIAL: Irene Feighan 021-4802292 ADVERTISING: Niamh Kelly 021-4802215
Feelgood
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2009