Rude Health News & Events

The latest news, research and events from the world of natural health

The Pat Curran Award goes to:

Rude Health magazine was proud to be associated with the Pat Curran Award for Excellence in Customer Service this year. We can now announce the winners.

Teresa Callaghan from Healthy Beings in Strokestown, Co Roscommon was voted the overall store assistant winner – she received a €500 cash prize and her store received €500 to donate to a charity of their choice.

Rude Health readers who voted for their favourite store assistant were entered into a draw to win a €300 hotel break gift card from irelandhotels.com and a big hamper full of Eskimo-3 goodies. The winner of this fabulous prize is Anna McInerney whose local store is Aloe Tree, Ennistymon, Co Clare.

Three runners-up received hampers of Eskimo-3 goodies. They are Louise Coyle whose local store is Evergreen, Eyre Square Galway; Ciaran Boyle whose local store is Food for Thought, Buncrana; and Janet O’Brien whose local store is Health Matters, Ashleaf Shopping Centre, Crumlin, Dublin 12.

What can I do to support my winter health?

Winter can be a challenging time for most people. Less sunlight, falling temperatures, central heating, coughs and colds - all contribute to us all feeling a little SAD, but there are many foods in our kitchen cupboards and in nature to help keep us in better shape.

Bone or fish broths, rich in fats and oils help top up vitamin D levels – valuable support for low moods. Chuck in carrots, onions and raw garlic and you have a powerhouse of nutrients.

Read the full story here...

Vitality Expo 2019

The power of meditation, child-friendly fitness and moving to a more sustainable lifestyle were the top topics at Vitality, Ireland’s largest health and wellbeing festival which took place at the RDS Simmonscourt on 28-29 September.

The two-day event featured a range of talks, cooking demonstrations and fitness classes across four stages as well as over 150 exhibitors, showcasing the latest products and innovations from the natural health and wellness sector including supplements, beauty products and make-up, eco cleaning, honey, fermented foods, sheep’s cheese, a massage station and eco toys for the little ones to enjoy.

Read the full story here...

Afternoon naps good for your health?

Researchers from the University Hospital of Lausanne in Switzerland, the Faculty of Biology and Medicine of Lausanne and the Swiss National Science Foundation randomly recruited 3,462 adults from the city of Lausanne aged 35 to 75, to assess the effect daytime napping has on health. Their report was published in the peer-reviewed medical journal Heart. Between April 2009 and September 2012, study participants were asked about their sleep habits, afternoon napping, physical activity and medical history.

In the group, there were 155 heart attacks or strokes over the study period. The majority of people in the study (58%) said they had not had a nap in the past week. However, 19% reported one or two naps, 12% reported three to five naps and 11% reported daily naps. The researchers found that people who had one or two naps a week were less likely to have a heart attack or stroke, compared with those who did not nap. Having more than two naps a week was not linked to any benefit.

The face of parenting in Ireland

New Sudocrem #RealParenting research into the realities and challenges of being a parent in modern Ireland has found that childcare costs and lack of sleep are the most challenging aspects of being a parent (both 52%), followed closely by tantrums (50%) and coordinating childcare logistics (39%). Just over a third (36%) of parents claim that posts that portray ‘perfect parenting’ on social media generally makes them feel worse.

The research was launched with a panel made up of Ireland AM anchor and new mum, Ciara Doherty, Dirtbirds comedic duo, Sinead Culbert and Sue Collins and women’s wellness coach and yoga therapist Lydia Sasse.

MS Readathon

The MS Readathon 2019 will take place from 11 October to 11 November. Funds raised by young readers around the country directly support vital services such as physiotherapy and exercise classes to help people with MS remain independent. Young readers can get their reading lists ready by checking the 2019 lists on www.msreadathon.ie featuring great books for kids from the new to the classics. For more information on MS and MS Ireland, visit www.ms-society.ie.

Optimism linked to longer life

Researchers from the National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder of the Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System, Boston University School of Medicine, Harvard Medical School and other institutions in Boston, US looked at whether optimism was linked to living longer and published the results of their study in the peer-reviewed journal, PNAS. The study used information collected from male war veterans and female nurses taking part in two long-running studies in the USA. The participants were around 60 to 70 years old when they completed optimism questionnaires. People who had the highest optimism scores were revealed to have a lifespan of about 9% longer than those with the lowest scores. This research highlights the importance that mental health and wellbeing can have on physical health.

Vegetarian diets and how they affect heart health

Researchers from the University of Oxford funded by the UK Medical Research Council undertook a study into links between a vegetarian or vegan diet and the likelihood of developing heart disease. The results of the study were published in the peer-reviewed British Medical Journal. 48,188 volunteers were recruited from across the UK via GP surgeries and advertisements between 1993 and 2001. Vegetarians were targeted through adverts in health food stores, magazines and newsletters sent out by the Vegetarian Society and Vegan Society.

Volunteers filled in a questionnaire which included questions about their diet, lifestyle, health, education, age, height and weight, and where they lived. They were sent a follow-up questionnaire in 2010. During the 18-year study, it was found that people who said they followed a vegetarian or vegan diet were less likely to develop heart disease. Scientists concluded that the heart disease results may be partly linked to vegetarians having lower body mass index (BMI), lower blood pressure and lower cholesterol levels.

Soft drinks study reveals worrying links

Researchers from a number of institutions across Europe, led by the International Agency for Research on Cancer in France conducted research on the effects of soft drinks on health. The research results were published in the peer-reviewed journal JAMA Internal Medicine. The scientists asked more than 450,000 adults from 10 European countries about their consumption of soft drinks, including sugary and artificially-sweetened fizzy drinks as well as diluted cordial.

The researchers followed up the participants for an average of 16 years and found that people who drank two or more glasses of any type of soft drink a day were 17% more likely to have died during the study, compared to people who drank less than one soft drink a month. Swapping soft drinks with tap water is not only likely to be healthier but could save you money.

November Events

World Vegan Month
www.vegansociety.com

Find more natural health events here...

Read news stories from previous issues of Rude Health Magazine here