DATED ULTRASOUNDS:Almost half of all ultrasound screening machines used in maternity hospitals are more than five years old, according to the first survey of national ultrasound screening services in Ireland.
Also almost half of ultrasound examinations performed on pregnant women during the day are carried out by staff without adequate qualifications, according to the same study, which was published in the Irish Medical Journal. The authors of the study from Trinity College Dublin School of Nursing and Midwifery call for standards for staff training and screening machines.
PIP ADVICE:Older people on medication and those with chronic health conditions should consider keeping a Personal Information Pack (PIP) with details on medical history, conditions, current medication and contact details for GP and family members. These small plastic containers are best kept in the fridge (the place most likely to survive fire or flooding) with a notice inside the frame of the hall door signalling that they are there. PIPs can be purchased in pharmacies throughout Ireland for €2.
VITAMIN B STUDY:Scientists at the University of Ulster (UU) are about to start a study to see if giving women vitamin B supplements could reduce their risk of developing osteoporosis. The scientists, based at the Northern Ireland Centre for Food and Health at the Coleraine campus, are recruiting healthy post-menopausal women, aged 45 and over, for the bone study. Helene McNulty, professor of nutritional science at UU, says: "Increased amounts of homocysteine in the blood has been suggested as a new risk factor in osteoporosis and studies have found that when B-vitamin intake is improved, homocysteine levels are lowered which offers the possibility of a novel way to reduce osteoporosis." For details, tel: 048 7032 4583.
COMBINED HOLIDAY:Interested in combining skiing with yoga and meditation? Yoga teacher June Durkin from Rusheens Yoga Centre in Co Kerry and meditation teacher Marjo Oosterhoff from the Passaddhi Meditation Centre in Co Cork have a programme of morning and afternoon meditation which can be combined with skiing in the French Alps from April 8th-15th. Cost is €1,500 for travel, accommodation, meals, meditation and yoga. See www.highlife.ie or tel: 01 6771100.
Lifelines is compiled by Sylvia Thompson