Whelehans Health News

  By Eamonn Brady MPSI, pharmacist and owner of Whelehans Pharmacy, Pearse St and Clonmore, Mullingar   Including more fruit and vegetables in children’s diet will improve growth, development and vitality and prevent a range of chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and cancer in later life. Research shows that the more fruit and veg are available and easily accessible for children, the more likely they are to eat them. Therefore if fruit is chopped up and ready to eat, children will eat more of them. There is evidence that children need to try...

Last week I discussed medicines used for chronic pain such as paracetamol, anti-inflammatory drugs and stronger codeine type opioid painkillers. This week I discuss a few other options.   Anticonvulsants Anticonvulsants for example gabapentin (Neurontin®), pregabalin (Lyrica®) and carbamazepine (Tegretol®) are commonly used to treat epilepsy but they can also help nerve pain. They can stop nerve impulses causing some types of pain. Side effects may be worse in the first few days when your body is getting used to new medication. Side effects can include dizziness; drowsiness; weight gain; rash; dry mouth; feeling sick; and being sick. Less common...

Last week I discussed types, causes and diagnosis of chronic pain. This week and next week I discuss treatment   Treatment   There is substantial evidence based on WHO figures that chronic pain is massively undertreated across the globe. Individuals with chronic pain often do not seek help with pain This occurs for a variety of reasons including religion, fear, finance, culture and a feeling that health care professionals may feel the individual’s pain is ‘imaginary’. Indeed, the fear of stigma and disbelief, especially with females is the most common reason in Ireland for not seeking help with chronic pain....

One question clients ask me more than just about any other is, “How do you change your mindsets?” We all want optimism, self-esteem, the ability to develop strong relationships, and the sense that we control our destiny. We all want to be gracious, loving and have the courage to take risks and be vulnerable in our lives. The question is, how do we train our minds so that these qualities are second-nature? The good news we have developed a unique, simple, powerful, easy-to-learn and duplicate technique that shows you how to uncover your natural ability to let go of any...

We often associate pain with some direct cause. It could be from a sports injury, or toothache, perhaps an accident which has resulted in a broken limb. For most of these there is a standard action and recovery process, with no pain once healed. For many though, pain is something for which there is no simple “cause and effect” making it more difficult to fix the problem. Pain is a constant factor in the lives of many. The 2006 National Disability Survey Ireland (CSO, 2008), stated that pain was one of the most common disability types reported. 50% of individuals...