Health Matters Dr Andrea Fitzgerald   Autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) is a group of neurological disabilities that start in early childhood and are life-long. ASD encompasses a range of disorders, the commonest of which are Autism and Asperger’s syndrome. Symptoms are characterised by difficulties in communication, social interaction, and behaviour. ASD seems to be on…

In any chemist or health food section you will find a phenomenal array of vitamin and dietary supplements. Many of these can be quite expensive. So, are they of any real benefit? Since Victorian times, there has always been a ready market for ‘cure alls’. Research has shown that many of these dietary supplements are…

  Keeping a healthy,balanced diet is actually fairly simple, writes Rory Fitzgerald   We are what we eat. That can be a curse or a blessing — depending on what you eat. The greatest health problem facing us in Ireland today is not the lack of food, but a surfeit of it. In a race…

Health Matters Dr Andrea Fitzgerald   These days, almost everyone owns a mobile phone. It is increasingly common even for young children to have their own mobile phone. Ever since their advent, there have been public fears about their safety, especially in relation to cancer risk. Concerns about mobile phone health risks are particularly acute…

  The Earth is currently hurtling through space at about 67,000 miles per hour; its orbit beginning to tilt Ireland closer to the giant fireball the planet is currently spinning around. This year, Americans will choose who gets the next go at being the most powerful man in the world. This year, the Arab spring…

Health Matters Dr Andrea Fitzgerald   Depression is a common illness, affecting more than one in 10 people in Ireland at any one time. Nearly 20 per cent of us will suffer from depression at some point in our lives. Depression is so common globally that the World Health Organisation has predicted that by 2020…

  January can be a strange month. The post-Christmas blues begin to set in and everything seems a little flat after the hectic Christmas period. Bills are pouring in, the focus is back on the cheerless news about the economy and it’s difficult to get back to the reality of our mundane existence with the…

Health Matters  Dr Andrea Fitzgerald   Happy new year! I hope that, after the inevitable excesses of Christmas, your new year’s resolutions include some plans to optimise your health and fitness this year. Research has consistently shown that physical fitness is vitally important to health. Indeed, it may be healthier to be overweight and fit…

Cliona Byrne explains how to make decorations for Christmas   Sewing projects are perfect during Christmas, they can be done while sitting by the fire or watching the television. Since I can remember I have worked on sewing projects over Christmas holidays with my mother, from angels for the top of the tree to little…

Rory Fitzgerald shares ideas for family fun in wintertime Autumn has passed, and winter has begun in earnest. The season’s cold tentacles now wrap themselves ever deeper into our daily lives. The biting winds and early nights leave us housebound, as the shortest day of the year draws ominously closer. Yet during these long dark…