Stop-smoking retreat
If you are a smoker with great intentions of stopping at the start of the new year, you may be interested in two support programmes.
The first is a quit-smoking retreat on New Year's Day, at Bellinter House, near Navan, Co Meath. Run by Joe Armstrong, the author of Men's Health - The Common Sense Approach, it aims to provide those giving up smoking with tools to help them through the difficulties of kicking the habit.
The retreat costs £45, including lunch, and tickets are available from 046-21241. Armstrong will run another retreat, at the same venue, on February 13th.
The second programme is the well-established smoking-cessation course at St Vincent's University Hospital, in Dublin. Here, the emphasis is on the shared value of quitting smoking within a group.
Starting on January 8th at 7 p.m., the course runs one night a week for six weeks and costs €45. More details from 01-2094958.
Brain tumour booklet
Between 350 and 420 people develop brain tumours in the Republic every year. The average age for this to happen is between 40 and 50. Beaumont Hospital, in Dublin, has just published Coping With A Brain Tumour, a free guide for patients and their families, containing information on diagnosis, treatment, recovery and support. For copies of the booklet, telephone 01-8092987.
Start anew
Christmas is well known as a potential crisis time for those with or recovering from alcohol problems. Anew, a self-help group for women recovering from alcohol dependency, hosts weekly group meetings in venues around the Republic.
The organisation encourages members to make 10 choices in life that include developing self-esteem, living for the moment and recognising and trusting their feelings. For more details, contact Anew, PO Box 46, Navan, Co Meath (046-21279).
Back pain and fear
What turns an acute episode of back pain into a chronic debilitating problem? According to a recently published paper, an individual's fear of pain and the degree to which they will avoid painful experiences seem to be crucial.
Such "fear avoidance beliefs" are established before the episode of back pain, according to the authors; screening for such beliefs could help identify people at risk of prolonged disability.
Steroids and tonsillectomy
According to an analysis of combined research, a single dose of a steroid given to children who are undergoing tonsillectomy reduces the risk of post-operative vomiting and makes it more likely that a child will progress to a soft diet the day after surgery.
Given the safety and low cost of the steroid, dexamethasone, the authors recommend that it be routinely given during tonsillectomy or adenotonsillectomy.
lifelines@irish-times.ie