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  STUDENT!  HELP'S HERE

Help with Your Studies & Your Well-Being for the rest of this Academic Year and beyond

See Sections below ~  

A regular. very varied. mix of fresh vegetables and fruit is essential for your physical well-being and fighting off infection.

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EAT YOURSELF STRONG

Taking care of yourself should optimally include the following

Some people require the addition of vitamins and other substances in food supplements.  These can be fairly inexpensive to very expensive and could make a difference, even starting today, to how you manage your resistance to infection, supporting energy and sleep levels, during the pre-exam and exam seasons, any time of stress, or just as part of your regular regime.

If you are buying folic acid tablets, for example, buy Folic Acid BP ~ much cheaper than branded versions.   Always ask for a generic brand of any supplement or vitamin you choose to buy. 

As with every product, check the contents to see what percentage of what you want is included, and what percentage is filler.   See below for folic acid rich foods.

BOOST YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM & CARE FOR YOUR MIND & BODY

GARLIC ~ Research has found that people who eat fresh garlic are two-thirds less likely to catch a cold.  This is because it contains allicin, which fights infection.  Odour-free garlic products are available; but I do not know if they are equally beneficial.  The potent sulphur compound in garlic, allicin, is responsible for the anti-inflammatory activity of this plant.  You can increase the activity of allicin by letting garlic sit for about 20 minutes after crushing or chopping it before adding to ingredients or heating it.  Add the garlic about ten minutes towards the end of cooking to retain its nutrients.

MUSHROOMS ~ Many modern medicines come from fungal extracts.  Mushrooms contain Vitamin D, and are great at combating viruses.  They are also a handy source of Vitamin B12, an essential Vitamin which helps with mending cells and with eye care, especially in relation to the maintenance of the essential eye mucous.  Vitamin B12, other than in mushrooms, is difficult to source in ordinary food.

Ordinary white button mushrooms, brown caps, large flats, or breakfast mushrooms, are all good sources of Vitamin B12.  Don't imagine you need to spend a lot on special, expensive, mushrooms for your Vitamin B12 requirements.

Without sufficient Vitamin D, your body’s T-cells lie dormant, and these are what help fight infections. 

Mushrooms also have powerful bioactive components that reduce inflammation.  Try a stir-fry dish, including a choice of mushroom varieties plus, maybe, a few maitake, enoki, or oyster mushrooms. 

Recent research has shown the many health benefits of Maitake mushrooms, including their ability to boost the immune system.  This is due to maitake’s beta glucan content.  Beta glucane is a complex sugar that activates and increases the activity of the immune system to help the body fight illness more quickly and efficiently.  Studies show that beta glucan may also trigger cancer fighting cells,  possibly making chemotherapy more effective.

In addition, maitake mushrooms have been SHOWN to decrease the negative side effects of anti-cancer drugs, including nausea, vomiting, and hair loss, when consumed during treatment.

Enoki mushrooms have a somewhat sweet flavour, and are frequently used in soups and dishes like nabe and sukiyaki.  Similar to the shiitake mushroom, enoki mushrooms are low in calories and in fat, and sugar free.  In addition, like other mushrooms, enoki is high in B Vitamins; it’s particularly rich in niacin, which helps support adrenal functions and is necessary for metabolism.  In a single cup serving, enoki mushrooms offer 23 percent of the daily recommended value of niacin.  This can help reduce the potential for heart disease and may be useful in preventing second heart attacks in those who are at risk.

The Eryngii (King Oyster) mushroom is the largest species of the oyster mushrooms.  It has a thick white stem and a meaty texture and can be thickly sliced and grilled like steak.  Eryngii has naturally occurring antioxidants, including the amino acid ergothioneine, which protects the body’s cells against free radicals (harmful damaged cells), thus reducing the risk of chronic disease.  Ergothioneine, an antioxidant found in eryngii mushrooms, is not reduced by cooking.  Eryngii also contain a disease fighting compound called Lovastatin, which helps clear cholesterol from the body’s circulatory system, improving blood flow.  They also contain significant amounts of zinc, iron, potassium, phosphorus, and folic acid.  They're an excellent source of the essential mineral selenium, and easier to absorb than the inorganic selenium typically found in dietary supplements.

GRAPES ~ Grapes have one of the highest antioxidant levels of all fruit.  These antioxidants are largely concentrated in the skin.  Anti-inflammatory properties of grape skin have been demonstrated.  Grapes have also shown to have anti-microbial, anti-cancer, and anti-allergic activity.  Freeze them and use them in place of ice cubes.  Add them to all your salads.  Add them in the last few minutes of cooking to any sauce, stir-fry, casserole or stew for sweet bursts of flavour.

DILLISK ~ is a seaweed found spread widely in the oceans of the world.  The Dillisk I get comes from the West Coast of Ireland, and is about as pure as one could get.  Dillisk contains astonishingly high levels of Vitamin B12, plus calcium, and other vital trace elements. 

It is very beneficial in reducing inflammation.  I go to Wild Atlantic Seagarden <info@wildatlanticseagarden.com> for my information on the many benefits of the numerous, various, seaweeds.  Don't overdo the quantity used, as Dillisk is so rich in B12 it remains, for a week and more, in the system after the last dish containing it has been eaten.  It could appear as a spike in any blood test results soon after taking it.

CARE FOR YOUR EYES ~ for further information on eye care please see my updated Aricles,

 BEWARE THE LIGHT!! and PARENTS NEED TO ...

CINNAMON ~ A generous sprinkle of cinnamon will help expel toxins from the body.  It is antiviral, antibacterial and anti-fungal: A TRIPLE SHIELD against illness.  Some people cannot bear the taste of cinnamon, so try adding a couple of spoonfuls regularly to curries or to robust, well-flavoured casseroles full of herbs and vegetables, or other strong tasting dishes. 

FOLIC ACID ~ Spinach is rich in folic acid, a key ingredient for repairing cells, this super-food is also a great source of Potassium and Vitamin C, which help keep you healthy.  Young spinach leaves are very good in a salad, and you are retaining all the vitamins. 

KALE and other cruciferous vegetables should be consumed at least five times a week because they are rich in sulphoraphane, which helps eliminate harmful toxic compounds in the body that might otherwise promote inflammation.  Kale stands out among this stellar group, because it is one of the most nutritionally dense foods on the planet.  Try kale in salads, smoothies, soups, casseroles, and stews.  Mix it into pasta dishes near the end of cooking, well chopped and well mixed in.  Bake them in the oven to make kale crisps.  Please see below for further information.

Also, incorporate other cruciferous (brassica oleracea) vegetables like cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts into your diet.  These vegetables are related to each other and are all rich in folic acid.   

Broccoli and cauliflower are great in stir-frys and curries. 

Curried potato and cauliflower with yoghurtis one of my top comfort foods.   

 The shorthand version is green leaf vegetables all contain folic acid, these include rocket and other salad leaves.

 There is an increased risk of the foetus developing a serious birth defect, known as a neural tube defect, if the mother has a poor folic acid intake before and during pregnancy. The neural tube is a narrow channel that eventually forms the brain and spinal cord. 

 Examples of neural tube defects include:

Spina Bifida – where the baby's spine does not develop properly; 

Anencephaly – where a baby is born without parts of the brain and skull; 

Encephalocele – where a membrane or skin-covered sac containing part of the brain pushes out of a hole in the skull.

Please go to the following site, from which I quoted above on neural tube defects, for further information on infertility due to a lack of folic acid in the diet and other matters.

http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Anaemia-vitamin-B12-and-folate-deficiency/Pages/Complications.aspx.

VITAMIN C ~ Taking a high dose of Vitamin C could help shorten a cold if you take it at the first sign of symptoms.  It is not just found in citrus fruit, but in a wide variety of fruit and vegetables.  Potatoes are high in Vitamin C which lies just under the skin ~ scrub your potatoes well however you plan to cook them, and don't peel them.

It could also cut your risk of the common cold in the first place.  However, a good diet full of fresh fruit and vegetables, or those speedily frozen from picking, is an excellent source of all the vitamins and trace elements we require.  

Most vitamin supplements would not give us the essential trace elements found in fresh fruit and vegetables or quickly frozen vegetables and fruit.

MAGNESIUM ~ Taking Magnesium daily helps to regulate your sleep patterns and is helpful in keeping mental well-being in balance.  Any time of stress can cause some people to lose control of their sleep regime, starting to worry, and thus beginning a cycle of poor sleep. Start a Magnesium supplement now and and it will help in the coming weeks and, indeed, years.  Some of us cannot uptake Magnesium from our food and need extra support. Magnesium oil or lotion spray for applying to the body helps those who cannot uptake via diet, and these sprays reduces cramps greatly,which is a constant curse for those with Magnesium deficiency.  

Prepared products containing mixes of various vitamins and supplements are usually expensive and often do not contain sufficient of any of the ingredients listed to have a specific effective impact.  A judicious selection of the basics would be much less expensive and have more impact.

BANANAS ~ Using bananas as your snack of choice while having a break during study, research, tutoring other students, gives you a supply of trace elements not found in any other fruit or vegetable. They are very easy on the digestive tract, and if you add a dribble of honey now and then, between them they will keep your gut active and calm, and help reduce gastric upsets which are common at times of stress. Unripe bananas have a higher starch content.  As they ripen, the starch is converted to sugar (and the fruit becomes sweeter).  

Green bananas are also a good source of pectin, which is a type of dietary fibre found in fruits and helps them keep their structural form.  Pectin breaks down when a banana becomes overripe, which causes the fruit to become softer.  

Bananas are loaded with valuable micro-nutrients, especially potassium.  Potassium is one of the most important electrolytes in the body, helping to regulate heart function as well as fluid balance – a key factor in regulating blood pressure.  The effectiveness of potassium-rich foods such as bananas, in lowering blood pressure and protecting against heart disease and strokes is well accepted and bolstered by considerable scientific evidence.  

Bananas are soothing to the gastrointestinal tract due to their high content of pectin – a soluble fibre that not only lowers cholesterol but normalises bowel function.  The high fibre content of bananas promote satiety (feeling of fullness).   However, as a tropical fruit, bananas are higher in sugar and aren’t a great choice for diabetics.  The resistant starch in bananas also has a prebiotic effect, helping to keep gut bacteria happy by increasing the production of short chain fatty acids for digestive health.

HERBS & OILS ~ Echinacea, Pelargonium herbs and Ahiflower oil are all immunity super-boosters, and can help reduce the number of colds you get if you take them throughout the cold season. These are available in various sources from capsules to powders.  Echinacea and Ahiflower oil are a vital source of Omega 3, 6, and 9, especially for vegetarians and vegans, as it is plant derived, rather than the usual fish oil sources, and so there is no after-taste of fish.

However, halibut and cod liver oil capsules are good value, and easily available sources of Omegas.  A regular fish element in your diet, two or three times a week, would give you all the Omega you require, and it is low in cholesterol.  Less expensive fish rather than the usual salmon, sea trout, cod, and tuna, are equally beneficial nutritionally.  Some may be lacking the flavour of the above mentioned species, but that can be helped by using a strongly flavoured marinade of  dried chilli, garlic, mustard seeds or powder, or whatever you like, plus a tablespoon of rape seed oil, either all mixed in a blender or in a pestle and mortar.  Add more oil if required to coat the fish well. 

Go to a real fishmonger and ask for advice on what types of fish stay together if sealed on the pan and added to a casserole; which ones fall apart easily if fried; which can be added straight to a sauce or casserole without requiring sealing first. 

Adding your fried-off and sealed fish chunks to a gently simmering casserole near the end of the cooking process gives it a great lift and helps the fish keep moist.  Please don't use olive oil for frying fish, it burns at too low a temperature; stick with corn oil or, preferably, organic rapeseed oil. 

KEEP IT CHEAP

Even though they don’t make headlines, many of the foods that are actually super are very cheap. Sarah Keogh is a no-nonsense Dublin-based dietitian and nutritionist, and is dismissive of the whole notion of superfoods. “I don’t think there is anything that is really a superfood, although some foods do have more nutrition then others.”

“ ... kale is full of nutrition and probably deserves the title of a superfood ... so do almonds ... carrots are brilliant and very high in vitamin A.

"Tomatoes are excellent and very high in lycopene, which can help in reducing heart disease.   Even the poor banana is great and is a very good source of potassium.”

She also points to dairy products.  “Many people have turned away from dairy products such as milk and yogurt and most of the time people are avoiding them unnecessarily, and I fear that we will have serious problems with our bones in the next 20 years or so.”

She says studies have repeatedly suggested that not only does dairy not cause cancer, but the people who consume it get less bowel cancer.

When it comes to POTATOES, they are also full of nutrition, especially Vitamin C, as long as the skin is eaten.

Keogh says that to get the best out of food, people need to eat fruit and vegetables, oily fish – particularly mackerel and salmon, with tinned varieties being almost as high in nutrition as fresh fish – nuts and seeds and wholegrains.

TOP AFFORDABLE ‘SUPERFOODS’

MACKERAL ~ An oily fish loaded with protein, Omega-3 fatty acids, B vitamins, selenium and iron.  

SALMON ~ Another oily fish that even those who are not mad about fish can eat. It is high in protein and Omega-3 fatty acids and loads of B vitamins and selenium and more besides.  It is good for the brain and the heart. 

Tinned salmon is almost as nutritiously rich as the fresh variety and costs much less.

ALMONDS ~ This nut is a real superfood and one that is high in monounsaturated fats, vitamin E, copper, magnesium and protein. They also have high levels of bioactive molecules such as fibre, phytosterols, vitamins, other minerals and antioxidants.

KALE ~  This contains Vitamins A, K, C and a range of the Bs.  It also has manganese, calcium, copper, potassium, iron and phosphorus. It is high in beta carotene, antioxidants, great for all round organ health and particularly the heart.  It is good for the skin and mind and a kilogram of kale costs less than a fiver.

CARROTS ~ The humble carrot is loaded with vitamin A, antioxidants and other vitamins, minerals and fibre as well as beta carotene. They are one of the cheapest superfoods on the market.

PORRIDGE OATS ~ Trinity College Dublin has come out with even more good news on the benefits of porridge.  We already know a bowl of porridge for breakfast reduces random, unhealthy, snacking, it fills one until lunchtime; it is very good for the skin; and now we hear that the active parts of the oatmeal work to breakdown cholesterol build-up, and plague build-up in blood vessels.  

It assists in weight loss; and of course it is a very good value food ~ considerably better for us than the processed breakfast cereals claiming to contain seeds and fruit which are hugely more expensive, with their frequently added sugar / sugar-types and salt. Please don't soak your porridge oats overnight, to speed up cooking in the morning, as this reduces some of the benefits of the oats.  We can add our own, in season, fresh fruit, as we like!

For example, LINSEED (flaxseed) cannot be digested by the human system as the coating is too dense for our digestive juices.   Also, bought milled linseed is of little value, except maybe as a very expensive contribution to roughage consumption.  Linseed is very rich in Omega, and should be milled as one has one's breakfast or whenever one plans to use it, as it loses it nutritional value within twenty minutes after milling.

LENTILS, BEANS, PEAS, etc ~ Lentils, chickpeas, beans, and split peas of all sizes and colours are an excellent, very inexpensive source of protein and an excellent source of fibre, which comes without the bad cholesterol of meat. 

I have found the best way for me to have a good, readily available, mix of varied lentils, beans, pulses, and their friends, is to put the largest dried ones you have soaking overnight in cold water, this definitely includes chickpeas which, I think along with cockroaches, will be the only survivors of the nuclear holocaust!  

Packets of dried lentils, beans, etc, are much cheaper than the tinned varieties (and the tinned ones frequently get mushy very fast when added to a dish one is cooking).  The next day when you have time to spend checking on the saucepan, you can build up a wide-ranging collection of cooked protein. 

Having rinsed them from their soaking water, add the largest, toughest, lentils, or beans to unsalted, gently boiling, water to which you have added a good dash of olive oil or rape seed oil; chickpeas go in first, alone, for ages.  Don't put the lid on, and stir regularly and gently. You may wish to add a couple of bay leaves to the water.   As the larger ones soften, add the smaller beans and lentils, etc, down to the tiny ones at the end, keeping an eye on the water level all the time. 

You want to end up with enough water so that nothing sticks to the bottom of the saucepan, but not too much because you will be reducing the liquid quotient as much as possible at the end of the cooking process.  When you are happy everything is heading to nearly cooked keep an eye on the saucepan as you wish to reduce the liquid level to a loose coating of the lentils, beans, peas, etc.  Then turn off the heat, put the lid on the pan, and let the contents cool. 

You will need some of those 1 litre and / or 3 litre ziplock type freezer food bags.  When your lentil / bean etc mixture is cool, spoon it into your ziplock bag with a tablespoon, having folded outwards the opening of the bag by one-third so that the zip closure remains clear of your mix; lay the half-filled bag on a cutting board, and flatten the mixture as thin as you can get it, squeezing it into the corners, expelling any air, and then closing the zip. 

Fills as many bags as you have mixture, and when they are all flat as boards, put them in the freezer, on top of each other on the cutting board, to harden. 

Mark the bags, before filling, with indelible marker before filling them, and let the ink dry; mark as 'mixed cooked lentils, beans, peas, etc', and add the date.

We all think we'll remember what's in freezer bags, but we don't 90 per cent of the time.   Most bags of frozen 'something' look like asteroids.

Because you've added oil to your cooking mix, it will be easy to break off chunks of the thin frozen lentil / bean / split pea mixture, to add to any dish you are cooking, it's like snapping off a piece from a bar of chocolate.  If you are planning a stir-fry, break off your lentil mixture the night before and put in a bowl in the 'fridge to defrost, and to collect the defrosted water / oil mix, which you may or may not choose to use.  If you choose to benefit from its strength of protein, use it early so that it may reduce as much as possible and also help avoid steaming and making soggy the vegetables.  It's like breaking chunks off a slab of chocolate!  You've done the work, and can feel suitably virtuous.

Even if you are cooking a meat based stew or casserole, adding some of your lentil / bean mixture increases the protein level and the roughage content.  You might choose to reduce the quantity of meat used, and so reduce the cost.

Please remember to keep all your lentils, beans and split peas, etc, in airtight jars.  Please cut the name of the lentil, etc, off the packing or bag, plus any particular cooking instructions you think would be useful, and put those in the jar facing out, followed by filling the jar to keep the labels in place; we think we'll remember which is which, but we don't! 

Empty mayonnaise, instant coffee, pickle, and jam jars are all great for storage.  Sterilize jars and lids before use in a diswasher or in a pot of rolling boiling water for 10 minutes minimum, after washing well.  Let them dry fully on a sunny window sill, not in the oven.  Plactic lids don't survive that second sterilizing option!

The above information is based on my general research and my Montessori Training including nutrition and general healthcare; 

https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/nutrition/top-15-anti-inflammatory-foods/;  my keen interest in good quality, good value food, skin, and general physical and mental welfare; the Health Section of the 'Sunday Times Magazine';  

 https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/health-benefits-bananas;   the Holland & Barrett website;  plus advice from a Local Authority Dietitian regarding stress management, and continuous reading of up-to-date research. Conor Pope, Consumer Affairs Correspondence, The Irish Times.

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STRESS IS A SERIOUS SUBJECT

Please bear in mind, that if you are sitting a State exam, or any important exam, are inclined to be a perfectionist, or are a very hard worker, stress can arise at any time, creeping up without notice.  

Please prepare from now to reduce the potential for stress levels increasing by having a good sleep, nutrition, and exercise regime in place, and ensuring time for relaxing and being with friends.

If your School / College / University has a Counsellor, and if you feel stressed seek help immediately. 

Stress is NOT shameful, it IS  manageable, and it should be TALKED about.

If every evening and all weekend end up being spent on research, preparation, and composition, your work has run away with you, and you need to get back in charge.   

Please see my Articles, BEWARE THE LIGHT!!,  PARENTS NEED TO ..., and SMARTPHONES & PGCs on how over-working with a computer screen, especially late in the evening, can harm your health, and affect negatively your sleep patterns.

PLEASE GET HELP as soon as you feel under pressure; when sleep is becoming erratic; when you're beginning to miss deadlines; when your laundry regime has fallen apart; when your mealtimes become hit and miss; when your usual schedule for chores, shopping, cooking, returning books to the library, collecting dry cleaning, and meeting friends, just do not happen any more; when you feel out of control ~ YOU REALLY NEED HELP IMMEDIATELY!

Below is listed a number of links for help or advice on many of the subjects that can worry any of us, at any time.  If a friend has clearly become very stressed, upset, or over-worked, it's up to you to find out what help is available for her or him.  She or he is not necessarily currently in a position to search for the help needed.

The link Turn2MeYouth.ie is focused solely on 16 to 19 year-olds.

STRESS

(www.aware.ie/10+ways+to+relieve+stress  /  www.heartfulness.ie/Anxiety/Relaxation  /   https://www.extension.umn.edu/...stress/four-strategies-for-preventing-or-reducing-stress); 

USE OF STREET DRUGS

(www.drugs.ie/Know-The-Facts  / www.drugs.ie/resourcesfiles/guides/DealingWithDrugUse.pdf  / https://drugfree.org/parent-blog/preventing-teen-using-drugs-persuasion/);

PREVENTING or STOPPING SMOKING in YOUNG PEOPLE

(https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4934164/ / www.facebook.com/HSEquit  / www.quit.ie  /  www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/tween-and-teen.../in...smoking/art-20047069    /  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4934164/  /  www.preventtobaccouse.org/);

YOUTH ALCOHOL USE

(http://www.drinkaware.ie / www.askaboutalcohol.ie); 

PREGNANCY

(B4uDecide.ie / www.crisispregnancy.ie / your GP); 

VACCINATIONS and IMMUNISATIONS

HPV Vaccine essential early teenage girl & boy vaccination to prevent cervical cancer (www.hpv.ie / http://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/vaccines/hpv-vaccine.html); 

SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED INFECTIONS (STIs)

(www.healthpromotion.ie  /   www.hivireland.ie   /   www.healthinfo.ie  /  www.man2man.ie/pep9.html  /  http://www.hivireland.ie/hiv/testing/free-hiv-sti-testing-centre-locator/);

MENTAL HEALTH ADVICE for CHILDREN and YOUNG PEOPLE

(Teenage Mental Health - MyMind.org‎ /  www.mentalhealthireland.ie/teens/  / Adwww.mymind.org / Mental_Health /  Samaritans freephone tel number in Ireland 116 123, or your local telephone book or online /  Email jo@samaritans.org /  www.suicideorsurvive.ie / www.yourmentalhealth.ie http://ow.ly/i/z3BpZ / help@walkinmyshoes.ie

TeenLineIreland #WELISTEN, www.teenlinkireland.ie, Free Phone 1800 833 634, Free Text TEEN TO 50015);

SUICIDE and SUICIDE IDEATION

(PietaHouse, www.pieta.ie, www.mindourmen.ie / 

www.suicideorsurvive.ie / Samaritans freephone tel number in Ireland 116 123, or your local telephone book or online);

HELP DETAILS for YOUNG PEOPLE to CONTACT Iin CONFIDENCE

(Teenage Mental Health - MyMind.org‎ /   www.mentalhealthireland.ie/teens/  /  Adwww.mymind.org / Mental_Health  /  www.aware.ie/‎  / Samaritans freephone tel number in Ireland 116 123  /  Email jo@samaritans.org).

Clearly, most of the the above sites are Irish, but they should give you basic information, and you could then go to your local Health Authority armed with information to obtain links and brochures relevant to where you live.

The following may help you keep a balance, and you may wish to put it on the noticeboards in the corridors or in the canteens.

A Quote from an Article by Marie Louise McConville on Stress Coming up to Exam Time.

Excerpt from St Patrick's Hospital's Website

"Five tips for parents whose children are set to receive their Leaving Cert results"

follow.

The following does not just apply to the Leaving Certificate, it applies to all exams a student faces in his or her academic career.   Apply the thinking to yourself, and while allowing it take pressure off you, it will help you realize that NO exam result can stop you ending up where you want to be.

It’s easy to think that this is an ‘all or nothing’ scenario and although the Leaving Certificate is important, it is not the only deciding factor in any element of life.  (My underlining.)

CEO of St Patrick’s Mental Health Service, Paul Gilligan, emphasized this point when stating: “Your child will be too close to the event to realise this; but the Leaving Certificate isn’t going to determine their whole life’s purpose.  (My underlining.)

“It’s essential that you give them the perspective of knowing that if their results don’t go to plan, it doesn’t mean that they can’t achieve their ambition.”   (My underlining.)

The Walk in My Shoes Helpline for 18-25 year olds is a confidential telephone and email service staffed by experienced mental health nurses, 9am-5pm, Monday to Friday, with an answering and call-back facility outside hours.  You can contact the Walk in My Shoes Helpline service by calling 01 249 3555, or email help@walkinmyshoes.ie.

The Mental Health Support & Information Service is a confidential telephone and email service staffed by experienced mental health nurses, 9am-5pm, Monday to Friday, with an answering and call-back facility outside hours.  You can contact the Support & Information Service by calling Dublin, +353 1 249 3333, or email info@stpatsmail.com.

Copyright: <a href='https://www.123rf.com/profile_auntspray'>auntspray / 123RF Stock Photo</a>

Common Arguments Against Vaccination,

And The Answers to Them

Dr Ramesh Manocha

Vaccines are among the greatest inventions in the history of medicine. 

They have saved countless lives and reduced human suffering by an amount which is impossible to calculate.  However, today there are many rumours and concerns going around about the safety and effectiveness of vaccinations, which have caused many people to reject them.  Here, we will consider their questions and answer them as we can.

Vaccines cause autism

This is a common refrain, but one that has been thoroughly debunked over and over again.  There is no evidence showing a connection between vaccination rates and the prevalence of autism.  This argument also relies on the idea that suffering the worst effects of these preventable diseases, including death, is preferable to an unsubstantiated increased risk of autism, an extremely controversial idea.

Mercury is dangerous! And it's in the vaccines!

Firstly, that's not quite true: the only thing in the vaccines was Thimerosal, which is not the same as the dangerous mercury you are thinking of.  Secondly, the FDA called for (and achieved) the removal of that substance from all vaccines other than the flu shot back in 2001.  And if you like your vaccinations like you like your Jamba Juice (i.e. — a la carte), doses without Thimerosal are available if you are really a stickler for it.

Colouring and highlighting of headlines and text above were done by me, ICOB.

Download from 'Generation Next'.

Read More: Vaccination 101: Here's Why You Should Vaccinate | Big Think

Dr Ramesh Manocha | July 10, 2017 at 3:24 pm | Tags: vaccinations | Categories: Uncategorized | URL: http://wp.me/p2buvd-5wy

Best of Luck!

Regards, Iseult

Iseult Catherine O'Brien

If you see any errors, typographical or factual, or if you disagree with any of my ideas, I should be very glad to hear from you.   If I have left something out you think should have been included, please let me know. 

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‘KNOWING YOUR ENEMY’

Best advice in tackling infectious diseases

Bacteria find ways to get around our antibiotics

Dr Kathryn Holt tells Schrodinger at 75 Conference, Dublin.

Bacteria are formidable enemies that deploy ingenious strategies for getting around our antibiotics, Dr Kathryn Holt of the University of Melbourne told the Schrodinger at 75 Conference in Dublin.

The better we know this enemy, the more likely we are to save lives from infectious diseases.  The key to more information comes from sequencing bacterial DNA, Dr Holt added.  This approach had already revealed surprising ways that bacteria evolve resistance to our drugs.

“Several hospital outbreaks of drug resistant infections have now been traced to transmission of drug-resistant genes between different bacterial species, rather than the typical scenario where drug resistance strains spread between patients,” Holt said at the event hosted by Trinity College.

She outlined some of the ways bacteria swap resistance genes.  “Some bacteria actively steal DNA from neighbouring cells.  We recently learned that cholera harpoon neighbouring cells and reel in their DNA to try it on for size.”  Others swap DNA in mobile plasmids, that can act like parasites, causing bacteria to build tunnels to other bacteria.

BACTERIA STRAINS

Drug resistance genes were just a tiny fraction of the genes that move around between bacteria strains. This created a vast library of genetic diversity that bacteria can tap into.

“If you were to isolate a strain of E coli from my gut and one from your gut, and compare their genomes, on average you find that they share little more than half their genes,” said Holt.  Each strain will boast a few thousand genes that the other lacks.  This only came to light in recent years, due to sharp falls in the cost of DNA sequencing, Holt explained.

“There is a vast gene pool available to the species.  Much bigger than the number of genes we have in the human genome,” said Dr Holt, who called this the “pan-genome”.  It was a surprise that microbes have so much genetic material on hand.

However, advances in technology are helping infectious disease scientists.  Dr Holt pointed to the development of “third generation” DNA sequencing technology, which threads DNA through a tiny pore in a protein.  This would be plugged into a laptop or phone to give real time DNA sequences.  This will deliver huge gains for infectious disease management, said Dr Holt, revealing when and where new strains of microbes emerge.

“This could be taken into the jungle to sequence Zika or Ebola virus or into clinics or hospitals,” she said. “The resulting genomes can reveal a pathogen’s most intimate evolutionary secrets.”

Dr Holt predicted that in future such sequencing will become routine in medicine and public health.

Anthony King, The Irish Times, Sunday 09 September 2018.

Colouring, rearranging and emboldening of headlines and text were added by me, ICOB.

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WE 'CANNOT IGNORE' THE IMMUNE SYSTEM IN ANY DISEASE

Says Trinity College Dublin scientist, Dr Lydia Lynch.

The immune system is recognised as being involved in cancer and depression

The immune system is constantly doing repairs and maintenance in the body and does not sit around waiting for a call to action, Dr Lydia Lynch of Trinity College Dublin and Havard Medical School told the Schrödinger at 75 Conference in Dublin.

Research over the past five years had shown that we cannot ignore the immune system in any disease, Dr Lynch said.

The immune system was now recognised as being involved in cancer, depression, Alzheimer’s disease, obesity and even keeping babies warm.

A major advance in cancer therapy came about when it was discovered that cancer cells use certain proteins (known as checkpoints) to stop our immune cells targeting them. Checkpoint inhibitor drugs switch the immune system back on and allow a patient’s own “T-cells” to begin destroying a tumour.

IMMUNOTHERAPY

Dr Lynch welcomed the approval by the HSE (Health Service Executive - national healthcare body in Ireland) of a major new immunotherapy drug (ipilimumab) for treatment of cancer in Ireland.

She also spoke about how fat has an immune system itself, confirmed by her recent discovery of immune cells in fat tissue. This year she found a type of T-cell that lies between fat cells, but is rare in the rest of the body.

The cells appear in fat a few days before birth.  Her studies showed T-cells were essential to helping generate body heat. “Who would have thought that these T-cells are in our fat to keep us warm when we are born?” she said.

The immune system, she concluded, had a much broader role than protecting people from nasty bacteria and viruses. “It shapes our personalities, responds to our diet, it protects us from and can cause obesity, it attacks cancer cells and can cause autoimmunity disease, especially when we get old.  And it also seems to protect from, and sometimes contribute to, brain disorders.”

Anthony King, The Irish Times, Sunday 09 September 2018.

Colouring, rearranging and emboldening of headlines and text were added by me, ICOB.