Health & Wellbeing

Everyone’s health and immune system has been put to the test over the last two years and now more than ever, we have all been forced to look at our lifestyles and how we take care of ourselves.

In strained times, such as those that we currently live in, it’s easy to let certain aspects of health and well-being slide in order to make other parts of our lives slightly easier to manage. For instance, those looking after their children full-time may find that diet and exercise have taken a back seat during their tenure as stay-at-home parents or those holding down two jobs to make ends meet may find they haven’t a second to even think of their health routines, let alone put an exercise routine into practice. The same can be said for those that are working from home and are finding it difficult to draw lines between where their personal and professional lives meet.

Of course, mental health can also be severely affected in times like these, with personal tragedies to endure, news media constantly barraging us with troubling events, loss of employment and income, to mention just a few.

If when reading this article you find that you are guilty of not spending enough time on yourself and your health, then read on, as help is at hand.

Join Our Team Of Caregivers

Caring for seniors is a humbling experience that requires a special person and just the right touch. Home Instead Westmeath, Longford and Offaly are looking for caring,  compassionate individuals to join their team. Home Instead believe in caring for their employees as much as they do caring for seniors. With a 4,000 strong Caregiver team working across every county in Ireland, they are the country’s largest non-medical home care provider. If you are living in Athlone or surrounding areas, there is a job for you, and whatever your career aspirations, there is a pathway for you. 

The most important trait which Home Instead seeks is a person who is kind and caring at  heart. Someone who shares their mission and values and who would like to help enhance the lives of older people and their families in Home Instead Westmeath. If you would like more information, give Home Instead a call on 044-938-5260 or if you prefer, check out the website www.homeinstead.ie and follow the links to become a caregiver.

Smile Please

Proper dental healthcare and hygiene are often overlooked when it comes to maintaining overall good health. On reflection, we all know someone who has struggled for years with dental issues and as a result, their overall health deteriorated, with one problem leading to another, and all because of the correct dental care.

Gum and tooth issues and overall dental healthcare can cause all sorts of other problems – gastric issues (from not being able to digest your food properly), blood disorders (from bleeding / infected gums) to mention just a few. Regular dental check-ups are a must for everyone, whether you have your own teeth or dentures or even if you have no apparent dental issues. It does no harm to get a professional dental practitioner to carry out a general dental check-up every now and again, as per their advice.

Maguires Dental Clinic on the Green Road in Mullingar, operating for over 22 years, come highly recommended. They have state of the art diagnostic equipment and offer both general and cosmetic treatments. Take an hour and dedicate it to your dental healthcare this week -give the very friendly dental team at Maguires a call today on 044 938 5459 to make sure you continue to have a winning smile.

Help Is at Hand – Confide in your pharmacist
The most important thing to remember when your health is not as it should be, is that you are not alone and help is always at hand. Whether it’s your pharmacist or your doctor or even a friend that you speak with, the main thing is to share your worries and that’s half the battle over with. Acknowledging ill health is important for you to enable you to focus on what you need to do to get well again.

Years ago, depending on the ailment, the first port of call for many was usually someone who had “the cure” and there was always someone who knew someone who had the cure! While that tradition still exists for minor ailments, it is no longer a common practice.

A pharmacist is also a very important point of contact for anyone who might feel slightly unwell but doesn’t like the thought of going to a doctor, for whatever reason. Some might think “there’s nothing wrong with me” or “it’ll go away” and thinks they may be wasting the doctor’s time with their “little” problem. That is not the case, but a first step of approaching a qualified pharmacist is always a help and they generally will professionally advise you the best course of healthcare from there onwards.

The pharmacies who have advertised with us for this feature, Tedders Pharmacy in Edenderry, Mary Street Pharmacy and Whelehans Pharmacy, both in Mullingar, are all extremely professionally qualified and will always make time to best advise you on healthcare. Whether you have just a question about vitamins or maybe you have issues with skincare, never under-estimate what your pharmacist can do for you. Please note that for more serious ailments such as broken limbs, serious cuts, you should always ensure your doctor is the first point of contact.

All the better to hear you with my dears!

Our hearing is something we take so much for granted, giving little or no time to our precious ears. In fact, our ears, for their unique shapes and sizes, get nothing but grief as they are either too big or too small or stick out or are crooked! Be grateful we have ears and be grateful for the gift of hearing; our lives would be very different without this blessing.

Our ears are one of the most delicate parts of our body, and we should do everything we can to protect them. That means keeping them warm in winter, protecting them from constant loud music and noise and avoiding the urge to stick cotton buds or the like into them to clean them as the interior of your ear canal is very tender and sensitive and can easily be torn or damaged. There was meaning behind the old saying “never stick anything any smaller than your elbow into your ears”! Use a twisted corner of a soft washcloth to clean your ears instead.

Our ears are also key to our physical balance – if the inner ear gets damaged it can lead to all sorts of diseases, vertigo being the most common. You generally know right away once something in your ear is damaged as your entire body tends to react. Don’t try to fix any ear problems yourself – leave it to the professionals. The professionals at Shanagher Hearing in Roscommon will take excellent care of you when you visit their state of the art, family run audiology clinic. They have been in business for over 20 years and are well versed in all things ear related. Give them a call today on 090 6643030 or email them on info@shanagherhering.ie to make your appointment.

Supplements and Vitamins
There are plenty of outlets locally that offer a wide range of supplements and vitamins to give your body a boost, working with your diet and exercise regime. Your body requires a minimum of certain nutrients to function at its best, and it can be difficult to work these into your diet every single day without fail. If you are unsure about what nutrients you think you may be lacking with your diet, talk to your doctor or pharmacist and they can recommend some supplemental vitamins or minerals that you can take to boost your immune systems or body in general.

There are a number of ways that we can look after our health and well-being; reviewing what we eat and considering a cleaner, healthier diet, get more exercise, paying attention to your mental health, ease up on work stresses, are just a few of the steps you can take towards a healthier you.

Balance your workload for optimum health
With many people working from home, the line between your professional and personal life can become blurred. If you are working from home and find that you are constantly thinking about work, or that colleagues and employers are calling you at inappropriate times, establish a schedule with your employer to which everyone needs to adhere. Try and stick to a regular routine as much as possible, which includes getting up and ready at the same time, meals, breaks, etc. Remember to take regular breaks from computer screens to allow your eyes a rest.

If you are back in the office or workplace, and find that you are spending evenings fretting about work-related matters, try and speak with your employer or supervisor about your worries and how you can work together for a more balanced home-work life. Any kind of stress is detrimental to productivity; employers know this and want consistent workflow from their employees as it benefits the company as a whole. Schedule a few days off, even schedule a few hours off or a half day off here and there until you get your schedule back on track and you’re happy with your work-life balance again.

Value of exercise

The value of exercise cannot be emphasised enough – for general health and well-being as well as for our mental state of mind. Most people who exercise regularly will tell you – “it’s great to get outside and get active”.

We have an abundance of walkways, greenways, parks and forests in the midlands that we can make good use of by being outdoors, walking and cycling. Most of our lakes are perfectly safe to swim in and almost every village has a GAA or soccer club that are always looking for new members players.  Most villages also have active groups for the older members of society and most offer gentle exercise classes and sporting events that is open to all ages.

Exercise keeps the body at its best for longer. It oxygenates the blood supply which works in turn with every organ of your body, the most important of which is the brain. Exercise drastically improves mood by synthesising hormones and neurotransmitters and sending them where they need to go, giving you an emotional lift that encourages your brain to remember where it got its last ‘hit’, which leads to a craving to exercise more. Exercise wards off diseases and unsavoury conditions that come as a bi-product of simply getting older. Regular exercise of essentially any nature can prevent or manage conditions such as depression, anxiety, arthritis, cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke, and even dementia.

Day to day exercise can include a brisk walk, run, or cycle. It doesn’t have to be a marathon to make yourself feel better. If you’re breaking even a slight sweat, then you’re probably doing ok. Obviously, the more you do, the better it will be in the long run, but if you’re just starting out, it’s best to start small.

Getting off the couch is the first step. Some find that joining walking or running groups can add to their motivation. But, everyone is different and what may work for some, may not necessarily appeal to others. Discipline can be a huge deciding factor in how much exercise you may be willing to do at any given moment, but don’t be too hard on yourself and do not feel that you have to fo what everyone else does. Find your own routine, and try to stick with it. But do exercise.