VOLUNTARY AWARDS: The Irish Dental Association last week presented special awards to Dr Triona McAlister and Dr Brendan Fanning for their voluntary work with the Special Olympics and Dental Romania.
Dr McAlister works with special needs children in preparation for the Special Olympics. Dr Fanning founded Dental Romania in 1993 enabling teams of Irish dentists to travel to Romania and Moldova where they work in orphanages.
AVOIDING SALT: School-going children should consume less than 4 grams of salt (or 1.6g of sodium) per day. Yet research has shown that many children who regularly eat savoury snacks and readymade meals consume twice this amount. A range of new soups for children aims to buck this trend. The Avonmore Kidz Fresh Soup range claims to be low in salt, low in saturated fats and free from artificial colours, flavours and preservatives.
SAD TIPS: Sufferers of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) often find their symptoms at their worst in the darkest days of December. Tips to alleviate symptoms suggested in the current issue of Healthy Way magazine include healthy eating, in particular, cutting down on caffeinated and sugary drinks and ensuring adequate amounts of foods rich in Omega 3 essential fatty acids (e.g. oily fish, linseed, wheatgerm, avocados, porridge, brown rice and wholemeal pasta), exercise and light therapy.
GIVING UP THE FAGS: Fear of withdrawal symptoms, crabbiness and failure to succeed are the biggest barriers to smokers who wish to quit their habit. However, the smoking ban has created a more positive environment for those who wish to quit. Since it was introduced, there has been an estimated 10 per cent reduction in smoking. About one in four Irish people still smoke and over half of them claim they intend to quit. See also: www.officeoftobacocontrol.ie
TRIAL SUCCESS: An international trial comparing blood pressure lowering treatments has been stopped early due to the significantly better performance of one of the treatments in the trial. The 19,000-patient Anglo-Scandinavian Cardiac Outcomes Trial (ASCOT) has been comparing a new treatment strategy for hypertension against an old one, in order to discover which is better at preventing heart attacks and strokes. The blood pressure part of the trial has been stopped because of benefits in favour of the newer calcium channel blocker agent used in conjunction with angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor treatment when compared with a combination of a beta-blocker and a thiazide diuretic (water tablet).