Opinion
How I improve my eyesight naturally
BY CLAIR WHITTY Looking after my eyesight has been on my mind as I have noticed changes in my vision. I get regular check-ups so I know everything is ok medically. However, I have started to squint and frown more, in particular when reading or on the computer. My eyes are definitely getting tired more …
Ten reasons pets improve mental wellbeing
BY ANDREW MCDONALD HYPNOTHERAPIST Pets reduce anxiety: Studies have shown that playing with animals, even just for five minutes, helps fight stress hormones. This makes having a pet, particularly one you can engage with physically, a powerful aid for anxiety sufferers. Cats and dogs v depression: Serotonin and dopamine, the body’s own calming and pleasure …
Ashes to ashes, dust to dust
By Ned Egan Dust. We are surrounded by it. ‘Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, if God doesn’t get you, the Divil must,’ we used to sing at school playtime. There’s a great book called ‘A Handful of Dust.’ Then there is the dust of our ancestors, dead and gone. The dust of a thousand …
An income protection plan that works for you
BY JOHN ELLIS, FINANCIAL ADVISOR Income protection is the most tax efficient means to provide an income should you become ill or have an accident and be unable to earn. Who would pay for your mortgage, gas, electric, phone, food, children’s education, car payments, holidays, insurance, pension, home repairs etc, if your income dried up …
Creativity, and finding your everyday nugget
AS I SEE IT MARIANNE HERON The thing about working as a journalist is that you spend lots of time trying to have bright ideas about things to write about. Some of the ideas may not be so bright and are likely to shot down by critical editors with remarks like: “People don’t want to …
Bogged down in dealing with rising fuel poverty
THE FACT OF THE MATTER PAUL HOPKINS There I was, barely knee-high, struggling to put on my underpants on a bitterly cold winter’s morn, crouched down over the one-bar electric fire. And then walking to school, in short trousers, my knees exposed and eventually chapped. That was the norm back then. At night my dear …
Tough love with Doc Grumpy
By Ned Egan Well, a little tale about doctors. You know, those selfless fellas and gals who spend their lives slaving away in the interests of their flock {us, allegedly} – spending even more time worrying and panicking about our treasured health than would have the loving and caring J Stalin or A Hitler. I …
Cost of living now, officially, a crisis
BY JOHN ELLIS, FINANCIAL ADVISOR The cost of living in Ireland “isn’t a trend, it’s a crisis!”according to the all-Ireland research report recently published by The Foundation, a Belfast-based branding, design and digital marketing agency. The report was commissioned to examine the impact of the rising cost of living on shoppers’ behaviour and how this …
Support for dealing with exam stress
BY CLAIR WHITTY It’s almost exam time which can be stressful for students, parents, and teachers. How are you coping? I know everyone is different and that some of you will sail through with flying colours. Either way you might be interested in these facts I read in a study done on 1,000 parents of …
Alcoholism – fighting fire with fire
Alcoholism leaves a trail of destruction wherever it appears. It devastates the health and wellbeing of sufferers and tears apart their relationships. Furthermore, it is inherently sneaky, frequently making its presence known to all but the person struggling with it. It has a close cousin, problem drinking. There is debate whether people who regularly consume …
