DOUBLE PREGNANCIES: Are you pregnant with twins, triplets or more? If so, you may be interested in attending ante-natal classes for mothers expecting more than one baby. Held in the Conference Centre at the Coombe Women's Hospital in conjunction with the Irish Multiple Births Association, the classes run on June 8th, September 7th and December 7th at 7.30 p.m. Details on tel: 01 8749056 or info@imba.ie
BLOOD TESTS: The Diabetes Federation of Ireland (DFI) is currently encouraging people with diabetes to have a regular blood test (known as HbA1c blood test) to check their diabetes is under control. "This test, taken by a healthcare professional, will give an estimate of the blood sugar levels over the past three months. We recommend people with Diabetes Type II have it annually and those with Diabetes Type 1 have it every three months," says Anna Clarke, DFI's health promotion officer.
"A result of over 7 per cent shows that the control isn't optimal and there will be higher risks of kidney, heart, eye and feet problems associated with diabetes," adds Clarke. The DFI helpline is 1850 909 909 or www.diabetes.ie
DRUGS STUDY: The latest class of the widely used non-steroidal anti-inflammatory group of drugs (NSAIDS) are COX-2 Inhibitors. A Canadian study involving over 130,000 older people has shown that one of these drugs (celecoxib) may carry a lower risk of heart failure compared with other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. NSAIDs are commonly used by older people to relieve arthritis symptoms. Users of celecoxib had the same rate of hospital admission for heart failure as people who had never used NSAIDs.
FOOD DANGERS: Poultry, pork, sausages and burgers should be cooked until they are piping hot with no pink meat left and until the juices run clear. This is the advice of Dr Thomas Quigley, science and technical director of Safefood, the Food Safety Board. Issuing this key message at the start of the summer is an attempt to reduce the incidence of food poisoning caused by eating undercooked meat, often cooked on a barbecue.
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