An estimated 140,000 people suffer from diabetes in the Republic and the figure is rising. Exercise plays an important role in preventing both diabetes and heart disease. A National Exercise Day - of sponsored walks and other exercise - to raise funds for the Diabetes Federation of Ireland will take place next Sunday. In Dublin, the walk will begin at 2 p.m. from the Papal Cross car park in the Phoenix Park. For sponsorship cards and details of events around the country, tel 01-8363022.
People who may be too embarrassed to consult their family doctor - about problems such as piles, wind or excess hair - now have a blush-free alternative. Information on symptoms and treatment for more than 70 "embarrassing" ailments can be found on a website, compiled by Dr Margaret Stearn, author of the book Embarrassing Problems (Health Press). Website: www.embarrassingproblems.co.uk (BBC Health)
Asthma affects 274,000 people in the Republic - one in seven children and one in 20 adults. To mark World Asthma Day, the Asthma Society of Ireland is holding a free seminar with talks by doctors on Keeping Asthma Under Control and Teenage Asthma. Tomorrow, 1-3 p.m. at the Arts Centre, Bank of Ireland, Foster Place, Dublin 2. For more details, phone the Asthma Line 1850 445464 or visit the new website: www.asthmasociety.ie
The effect of caffeine is all in the mind, according to scientists in England. In a computerised test, people who drank normal coffee were faster and more accurate - but only if they thought they had drunk caffeine. People who drank coffee with caffeine, but believed it was decaffeinated, did less well in the tests. (New Scientist)
Nightmares in children are normal and rarely indicate illness or emotional problems, according to a US specialist in sleep disorders. Bad dreams, which affect 20 - 39 per cent of children between five and 12, usually disappear with maturity - although many medicines (such as painkillers and antidepressants) may cause sleep disturbances. However, if nightmares are affecting a child's ability to function during waking hours, parents should consult a doctor. The American Academy of Family Physicians information sheet on nightmares and night terrors is available at www.aafp.org/afp/20000401/ 2044ph.html
People with high levels of iron in their blood may be more likely to suffer strokes and heart attacks because it may increase the production of free radicals in brain cells. A Spanish study adds to the growing body of evidence that having too much iron in the blood is almost as bad as having too little. It is speculated that pre-menopausal women, and men who regularly donate blood, have a lower risk of heart attack because losing blood depletes iron levels. (Neurology)