Health Board

Understanding your familyFacilitator of the workshop programme, A Course of Miracles, Duane O'Kane will give a talk on understanding your family of origin (ie the family you grew up in) at 7.30pm on Thursday in The Central Hotel, Exchequer St, Dublin. Admission €10. See also clearmind.com

Day for fighting blindness

The patient-led charity, Fighting Blindness, will hold a public engagement day from 10.30am-4.15pm on Saturday at Certus Head Office, 124-127 St Stephen’s Green, Dublin.

Chaired by geneticist Aoife McLysaght, the day will focus on the latest research into blindness. See also fightingblindness.ie. Tel: 01-7093050.

Healing arts workshop

The Waterford Healing Arts Trust will host a workshop on Saturday from 10am-1pm on Arts and Health. It will be facilitated by the arts director of the Waterford Healing Arts Trust (What), Mary Grehan, and assistant arts director, Claire Meaney, in the What Centre for Arts and Health, Waterford Regional Hospital. Advanced booking on tel: 051- 842664 or email What@hse.ie.

Small food business opportunities

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) will give small food businesses the opportunity to meet food safety experts at its “human library” event next Tuesday from 9.30am-4pm in the FSAI offices on Lower Abbey St, Dublin.

Experts will offer one-to-one advice on food labelling, calories on menus, food hygiene, and so on, as part of Library Ireland Week. Advance booking essential on tel: 01-8171354.

Everyday health

Medical herbalist and GP, Dr Dilis Clare, will give a public talk on Herbal Medicine for Everyday Health at 7.30pm on Thursday, November 15th, in Harrons Hotel, Roscommon.

Tickets €10. Tel: 091 583260.

Treating psychosis

Dr Rob Dudley of Newcastle University and visiting professor at Trinity College Dublin will give a public lecture entitled How can we treat psychosis without medication? at St Patrick’s University Hospital in Dublin on Thursday, 6pm-8pm. Admission is free.

MEDICAL NOTES

Pre-eclampsia funding:A consortium led by University College Cork (UCC) has secured €6 million in research funding to combat pre-eclampsia, a life-threatening pregnancy complication. The condition, whereby high blood pressure arises in the second half of pregnancy, accounts for up to one-quarter of maternal deaths in Europe and more than 500,000 infant deaths annually worldwide. This FP7-health framework research funding from the EU will bring a readily available predictive test for pre-eclampsia closer to fruition.

Health awards: St James's Hospital was awarded the overall prize for its study on understanding and managing persistent cancer-related fatigue at the Irish Healthcare Awards on Thursday. It also received the award for Best Hospital Project. Cardiologist Dr William Fennell was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award. The Irish Cancer Society won an award for its Care to Drive programme. Sligo Regional Hospital, the Mater hospital and the National Cancer Screening Service were also winners.

Sleep diet: A study in the Annals of Internal Medicine suggests fat cells might work better if we get enough sleep.

For the study, seven lean, healthy adults spent 8.5 hours a night in bed for four consecutive nights. In another period of the study they spent 4.5 hours in bed for four nights. Food intake was identical in both periods. Biopsies of fat cells showed even after four nights of short sleep, the fat cells were less sensitive to the hormone insulin. “We found that fat cells need sleep to function properly,” said University of Chicago researcher Matthew Brady.