A public lecture-series on medical ethics and the future of healthcare begins tonight with An Overview of Bioethics on the Brink of the New Millennium by Prof James Childress, co-director of the Virginia Health Policy Centre, USA. Further lectures in February are: Ethical Issues in Women's Health (8th); Ethics and Holistic Care (15th); and Ethical Considerations in the Allocation of Resources in Healthcare (22nd). All lectures take place in the lecture theatre of the Education Centre, the Adelaide and Meath Hospital, Tallaght at 8 p.m. (cost £3). For further details, tel 01 4142071.
There are more than 25,000 glaucoma sufferers in Ireland and this figure is generally expected to rise due to under-diagnosis and increased life expectancy. High-risk groups are people over 40 and those with a family history of glaucoma. A sign of glaucoma is the worsening of peripheral vision: without treatment, the condition will lead to blindness. To provide information and advice, the Irish Glaucoma Association (IGA) has been established. It is chaired by consultant opthalmic surgeon at the Mater Hospital, Colm O'Brien. The IGA helpline will be staffed by qualified medics. Tel 01 8032884
Ireland has one of the lowest levels of vegetable consumption in Europe. Yet, a low intake of fruit and vegetables greatly increases the risk of heart disease and cancer. A review of 170 studies of fruit and vegetable intake and cancer risk showed that in 78 per cent, a significant protective effect was observed. Professor of Nutrition at Trinity College, Michael Gibney, will lecture on the health benefits of vegetables at the Royal College of Surgeons on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
Chronic tension headaches could become a thing of the past, but the price might be impotence. A Danish study published in the Lancet has found a substance which blocks the production of nitric oxide, a cause of tension-type headaches. However, any pill would inhibit the production of chemical required to make tissue erect. Then you'd need to take Viagra too.
Gum disease could be more serious than we realised. US researchers have found a link between severe gum disease and premature babies, as "gum bacteria may cross the placental barrier from mother to child". Left untreated, gum disease can lead to serious health problems, including heart disease. (BBC)
A course beginning in Dublin on February 10th will cover meditation, yoga, diet and language and is aimed at people suffering from chronic pain or a life-threatening illness. For further details, contact the Body Mind Consultancy 01 6713187.
The US Food and Drug Administration recently approved the experimental use of thalidomide as a possible treatment for a host of diseases including leprosy and cancer. Thalidomide, which caused thousands of birth defects in the 1950s and 1960s, is an angiogenesis inhibitor which means it causes blood vessels to stop growing. "Thalidomide will rob the damaged tumour cells of the oxygen and food that the breast cancer cells need to repair themselves," a US doctor said. (Ivanhoe)