Winter tasting at the Aloe Tree
The Aloe Tree in Ennistymon, Co Clare is holding a winter tasting evening on Thursday November 22 and all are welcome. Every year the store is packed with Irish suppliers and interested customers.
“The evening is always received really well,” says manager Tessa O'Connor “It’s a chance for us to say thank you with a glass of wine to our customers and we usually have a generous raffle and some voting stations for tasting new products for fun! Our town of Ennistymon is just so supportive of small and local businesses that it’s always a lovely opportunity for producers to meet the customers that support them. We are abundant with talented local producers in our area which we really appreciate. The most popular stand is always the chocolate stand, with Daragh from Magic Mayan stealing the show. El Greco olive oil is always my personal favourite. This year he was nominated for best product at Vitality Expo. Any excuse for a party - we always finish up way too late and stay chatting for hours.”
Simply the best
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.
Angie Myles from Golden Health Store in Longford 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. As one of Angie’s customers said: “She has a formidable knowledge of herbs, supplements and natural products and is always so helpful.”
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Can diet affect my panic attacks?
Naturopath Gemma Hurditch answers for College of Naturopathic Medicine
Although usually associated with an increased stress load, panic attacks can also occur when energy-related chemicals in the blood are imbalanced (elevated lactic acid to pyruvate ratio). If your stress is ‘normal’ I would suggest you try these natural strategies to help your body cope with stress:
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I’m allergic to my pet
It’s officially autumn, so why do you still feel like you have hay fever?
According to airborne allergens expert Max Wiseberg it may be down to more exposure to your pet. “The most common form of pet allergy is an allergy to the tiny particles of dead skin and saliva which are shed by an animal and subsequently become airborne. These microscopic particles are known as ‘dander’. Cats tend to cause more allergic reactions than dogs because the particles they shed are smaller, become airborne more easily and stay airborne for longer. Airborne particles can easily fly up the nose, triggering sore, itchy, watery, red eyes; sneezing and wheezing; and cold like symptoms such as a runny nose and sinus pain.”
Max’s tips for avoiding the allergens and lessen your symptoms include:
- Use an organic, drug-free allergen barrier balm which can be applied to the nostrils and bones of the eyes in the morning and throughout the day, to trap pet allergens before they enter the body.
- Saline nasal rinses, antihistamines, steroid nasal sprays and eye drops, available over the counter, can also be useful.
- Keep pets off sofas and beds, and out of the bedroom altogether if possible.
- Consider using an air filter/purifier with a HEPA (High Efficiency Particle Arresting) filter to capture the pet allergen particles and cool and circulate the air.
- Damp dust surfaces regularly.
- Vacuum regularly. It may also be beneficial to install allergy-friendly flooring, such as wood rather than carpets.
- Use allergy-friendly mattress covers and bedding.
- Keep cuddly toys and blankets in a cupboard to prevent the build up of allergens on them.
Irish honey as good as Manuka?
A research team led by PhD student Saorla Kavanagh (School of Chemical Sciences and DCU Water Institute) and supervised by senior academics Dr Blánaid White (School of Chemical Sciences, DCU) and Prof Jane Stout (School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin) has found that Irish heather honey is quite literally buzzing with health benefits. The findings showed that there was a similar overall presence of powerful antioxidants called phenolic compounds in Irish heather honey as in Manuka honey. These antioxidant compounds help to prevent damage occurring in the cells of the body and are important for health and well-being. The study details were published in the journal Food Chemistry.
The study was the first ever comparison of Irish single-origin honeys; heather, ivy and oilseed rape and multi-floral honeys. 131 Irish honey samples were collected directly from beekeepers between 2013-2015 from 78 locations across Ireland. The majority (124) were multi-floral honeys (55 from urban, 69 from rural locations); three were heather honeys; two were ivy honeys and two were oilseed rape honeys.
Research focused on honey produced in Ireland and the majority of samples came from small private producers. Researchers also found that multi-floral honeys produced by urban bees had a greater level of antioxidant phenolic compounds than their rural counterparts – a finding possibly attributed to the flower diversity and abundance surrounding hives.
Dr Blánaid White, Dublin City University said: “Being able to quantify that Irish honeys have a high phenolic content, and the content in Irish heather honey is comparable to Manuka honey, is very exciting for us. Our research shows that Irish honey is a high-quality product. Interest in beekeeping and honey production is growing in Ireland, and we are delighted to be able to support it.”
Chairs Can Kill Irish health campaign
People in Ireland spend about half their waking hours sitting down and increase their risk of heart disease and stroke by doing so. The Irish Heart Foundation has published research conducted by Ipsos MRBI showing that Irish people spend on average 7.3 hours every day sitting down. The research is published as the Irish Heart Foundation launches a new campaign called Chairs Can Kill to raise awareness of the risks to people’s heart health. People who sit down for long periods of time are more than twice as likely to develop heart disease and stroke.
As part of the campaign, the Irish Heart Foundation has developed a simple online sitting calculator which is available at www.chairscankill.ie. The calculator allows you to see exactly how long you spend sitting down on an average day and gives individualised feedback and tips on how to reduce the time you spend seated.
Janis Morrissey, Head of Health Promotion, Information and Training with the Irish Heart Foundation, said, “We have developed a suite of resources for workplaces which identify the health risks of sitting down and offer advice to reduce sitting time in the workplace. We are calling on workplaces across Ireland to get involved in the campaign and support their employees to sit less and be healthier.”
Read news stories from previous issues of Rude Health Magazine here
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