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kilkennyobserver.ie
The Kilkenny Observer Friday 18 February 2022
Opinion
How now we have a new class in Ireland AS I SEE IT MARIANNE HERON
At first when I came to live in the South I used to think that the 26 counties were a classfree society. It didn’t matter where you went to school, how much money you had or what your accent was as long as you were good craic. Naïve perhaps, maybe I was basing my social observations on the carry-on in pubs where humour was a great leveller. But having lived previously with sectarianism in the Six Counties and in England with its omnipresent class system might explain my innocence. In England accents were a giveaway, dividing working from middle class and these from the upper-class lot: the kind who inherited their furniture and their homes and the aspiring uppers who had to buy both. In the North which foot you kicked with was the dividing factor and surnames and addresses were a giveaway. Having started life across the water I had the wrong accent for Unionists who may love the Union Jack but don’t love the English. Coming to live here where I no longer had to worry
about other folk’s accents or my own was relaxing. It took time before I got know about the nuanced divisions here. There’s always a them and us wherever you go. Here distinguishing factors like GAA versus rugby and cricket, the allegiances of pro and antiTreaty, Dubs v culchies, are fading. But now in the time of Covid I think new varia-
tions of them and us have emerged. There is the us who have obeyed the Covid regulations, going without social contact, celebrations and unable even to stay at the bedsides of departing loved ones and the them who flout the rules, often the very them who have set the rules for us. It’s the inherent unfairness
and the whiff of privilege which raise hackles and inflame opinion. It has given rise to a kind of Valley of the Squinting Windows where we judge rule breakers in the court of public opinion: be they broadcasters together for a maskless photograph, civil servants momentarily sharing a glass of fizzy wine or soldiers at an outdoor barbeque.
This month another them and us has been spotlighted courtesy of Judge Mary Fahy when she dismissed the charges against the organisers and hoteliers involved in Golfgate on the grounds that there was no evidence for the charges. Judge Fahy then commented on the fallout from Golfgate which cost some top people their jobs.
About those attending, she said: “They were all responsible people who would not have gone to a dinner unless they felt comfortable and unless the organisers had not put in place all that was required to make it safe.” And there we have it there is a class of person — Judge Fahy among them — lawyers, judges, politicians, broadcasters, EU Commissioners and the like who form an elite group of ‘responsible people’. Funny that, thinking back over past scandals and known misdeeds I am not so sure that those high office are always shining examples of probity. And where does that leave the rest of us normal people? Maybe there should be a another class for irresponsible folk like myself. ----------------------------------Is anyone else suffering from PCSD (Post Covid Stress Disorder) Although restrictions have been lifted I am finding it quite hard to return to the world after over two years of isolation. And I am not alone? I notice for instance that around 70 men’s sheds — the very places to prevent isolation — are in danger of not reopening. It’s time to start emerging from that isolation, wearing our masks of course and using our cop on.
Are you recovering after Illness? CLAIR WHITTY
ARE you recovering from viral illness? Exhaustion, respiratory problems, aches and pains, cognitive function, and lowered immunity are symptoms of long Covid19. I have a couple of articles recently about tiredness so I won’t address that here. To support immunity the main supplements I think of are vitamin D, C, Zinc, and Echinacea. One Nutrition Revive and Go Immunity is a new one to us at the shop. It contains highly absorbable forms of vitamin C and Zinc in one formula. I like it because the vitamin C is made from a patented formula called Pureway C which is bound to a plant-based fat. This helps the vitamin C to get to the cells where it’s needed without being destroyed. It’s also retained in the cells for longer than other forms of vitamin C. It’s shown in clinical studies to be 223% more absorbable than ascorbic acid. Zinc Citrate is the ideal form to support the immune system. It comes in a one a day capsule and is gentle on the stomach.
I would stay on vitamin D, if you have been on it for the past two years it might be good to take a small break or at least make sure that you take Magnesium too. One of our favourite supplements is Better You Vitamin D3 Oral Spray. It’s easy to use, you simply spray onto the inside of your cheek where it will go straight to your blood stream. If you have a lingering cough, you could consider Irish Botanica Botanical Syrup a syrup that we get great results with. It contains mullein, a herb many of you are looking for as well as plantain, white horehound, and vitamin C. Mullein may be helpful for congestion and chesty coughs. NAC is something everyone is talking about, Davina Dowling Nutritional Therapist explains why; “Traditionally, NAC known for its role in the detoxification system in the body. It is a special
amino acid that dramatically increases glutathione which is needed to support the liver in helping to remove toxins. In terms of its use for Covid 19 purposes, NAC is a powerful antioxidant which reduces inflammatory proteins released due to the virus as well as promoting healthy lung tissue and thinning mucus. It is recommended to take 500mg twice a day.” Magnesium is a good option for aching muscles, either in supplement form, or external products like BetterYou Magnesium Spray that can be sprayed onto the skin. Magnesium is supportive for energy and lung health too. This will combine well with the Oral Better You Vitamin D spray. One Nutrition CoQ10, B vitamins, Omega oils, and healthy gut bacteria may help sluggish cognitive function. Everyone is different, please feel free to ring me or call the shop for more information. Natural Health Store, Market Cross Shopping Centre, Kilkenny Phone: 056 7764538 Email: info@ naturalhealthstore.ie Shop online: www. naturalhealthstore.ie
