Opinion
Staying hale and hearty in your retirement
BY JOHN ELLIS, FINANCIAL ADVISOR Retirement is often seen as a reward for a lifetime of hard work and dedication. All those long hours should lead to years of relaxation and freedom. We’re living longer. In fact, today’s retirees can look forward to enjoying two to three decades of life after work. We’re also fitter …
There be giants : why we need more trees
AS I SEE IT MARIANNE HERON Every now and then I come across a mind-boggling fact. Here’s one: a mature native oak tree may host many hundreds of species. Imagine that; whether you are a bird or a beetle, a mouse or a moss, a fungi or a fern, you can call that tree home. …
Natural care for your teeth
BY CLAIR WHITTY Care for your teeth and gums the natural way with Buccotherm, natural oral care for the whole family. Used and trusted by dentists and hygienists in France, Buccotherm make a full range of oral care products including toothpaste, oral sprays and chewing gum. Every Buccotherm product is formulated with thermal spring water, …
How you defeat your anxiety with hypnotherapy
BY ANDREW MCDONALD HYPNOTHERAPIST You have two major parts of your mind. The conscious and the subconscious. The first is responsible for all the things you do deliberately, the second for everything you do on autopilot. All purposeful action is controlled by your conscious. All your behaviours and habits by your subconscious. Which do you …
When women are no longer defined by motherhood
THE FACT OF THE MATTER PAUL HOPKINS Here’s a couple of salient facts: for the first time in the history of humankind, globally, fertility is at its lowest, and there are arguments about how this will impact on climate change. Secondly, for the first time in history, half the women in Ireland, England and Wales …
Pensions: understanding what drives markets
BY JOHN ELLIS, FINANCIAL ADVISOR According to the March Pension Fund Statistics (Q4 -2021) report published by the Central Bank total assets in the sector grew by 4% over Q4-2021 to stand at €135.5 billion. This is due to increases in pension fund reserves (€2.8 billion) and investment fund shares (€1.9 billion). Irish pension funds …
Balance blood sugar naturally
BY CLAIR WHITTY Let’s talk about balancing blood sugar levels and ways to curb sugar cravings for a healthier you. Long term problems associated with blood sugar imbalance can result in problems like diabetes, heart disease, obesity, chronic inflammation, hormone imbalance, and increased risk of cognitive problems. Prediabetes is a health condition where blood sugar …
Saving friendships from the aftermath of Covid
BY ANDREW MCDONALD HYPNOTHERAPIST Two years of limited socialising, or none at all, left scars. We’re out of practice in the art of being around others. Navigating inevitable bumps in the roads of friendships isn’t secondary nature anymore. Psychologists say that two years apart from our friends created new tensions. We’re quicker to overreact to …
Be creative… find 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 be shot down by critical editors with remarks like: “People don’t want …
When I’d ball my eyes out for poor Jesus
THE FACT OF THE MATTER PAUL HOPKINS In the Catholic upbringing of my youth, there was no more an austere day than Good Friday. Curtains were drawn – as respect for the death of Christ – we kids were not allowed play football out on the road – indeed, play at all – and the …
