Real Health with Karl Henry

This week on Real Health, we’re talking about weight loss surgery. It’s a topic we have touched on before on the podcast, but this week we are taking a deeper dive and bringing you everything you need to know about the procedure. There’s now a general acceptance that the “eat less move more” approach to dealing with complex obesity isn’t suitable. That means treatments like bariatric surgery are getting more attention. But what exactly is involved, and what do people need to know before they decide to undergo the procedure? Joining me to discuss this, is Consultant Bariatric Surgeon at St. Vincent's University Hospital, Helen Heneghan. Helen says people should understand how difficult it can be to lose excess fat. “Your body is designed to prevent you losing weight...So everything is going against you to maintain weight loss. It’s important that people acknowledge that it isn’t their fault.” For those with obesity who have struggled to keep the weight they have lost off, Helen says there are other options people can explore. “Patients who come for surgery have lost weight [before]. They’ve lost stones and stones over and over again...if they haven’t managed to keep weight off that they’ve previously lost, there are medical treatments available.” For more episodes, tips and advice from the show just go to: www.independent.ie/podcasts/the-re…health-podcast/ And you can get in touch - I’m @KarlHenryPT on Instagram and realhealth@independent.ie. Don’t forget to rate, review and follow on Apple and Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts from. The Real Health podcast is in association with Laya Healthcare.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Love can be complicated; it can be hard work, but it can also be amazing and life changing too. We’ve all heard the idea that if we wait just long enough and look hard enough, we’ll find the right person for us. But is love something we need to actively seek out? And do we really understand the meaning of what love is and what it looks like? Well today I’m joined by author and meditation teacher, Conor Creighton to talk to us about love, and how many of us don’t fully understand the power it can have. His new book, The Truth about love, shows us how to change ourselves and the world around us, by simply opening our hearts up. Conor says while loving others is important, a greater focus needs to be placed on the importance of self-love. “We all run around with this feeling of, if I can perfect myself. If I can just perform at a higher level, then I’ll be worthy of love...That’s where I think you can train this idea that hey, I’m actually enough.” We also discuss how to find your own tribe, learning to trust your instincts about people and how best to accept and own a breakup. For more episodes, tips and advice from the show just go to: www.independent.ie/podcasts/the-re…health-podcast/ And you can get in touch - I’m @KarlHenryPT on Instagram and realhealth@independent.ie. Don’t forget to rate, review and follow on Apple and Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts from. The Real Health podcast is in association with Laya Healthcare.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we all start to settle into our new ways of working, be it fully remote, back in the office or a mix of both, it’s important that we develop positive healthy habits around that. That’s why on this week’s Real Health, I’m taking you through my top tips for transforming your work health. One of the easiest changes you can make, is to introduce more movement and standing to your day. That doesn’t mean you have to start introducing crazy exercise regimes into your schedule. It can be as simple as standing up from your desk and having a walk around regularly. The aim is to break the long periods of sitting, which we know can have a serious and negative impact on our health. Working from home can make it hard to keep that movement up. Introducing some exercise in place of your commute, like a walk for example, is an effective way to make sure you aren’t becoming too sedentary. On the flip side, if you are back in the office, consider getting off the train or bus one stop earlier. Or park the car a little further away from the front door. I also talk about the importance of organisation, from planning your meals, to time management and keeping control of the tasks you have to do. For more episodes, tips and advice from the show just go to: www.independent.ie/podcasts/the-re…health-podcast/ And you can get in touch - I’m @KarlHenryPT on Instagram and realhealth@independent.ie. Don’t forget to rate, review and follow on Apple and Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts from. The Real Health podcast is in association with Laya Healthcare.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I’m sure like me, you find life is bit of a juggle sometimes. From work, relationships or money, it can be difficult to find the time to fit it all in and have some space leftover for yourself. Even trying to change your routines or habits for the better can be a real challenge. It’s no wonder many of us can feel stressed and overwhelmed, meaning our mental health takes a hit and we get into a negative thought pattern. But are there simple techniques out there that we could incorporate into our day, to help ditch the thoughts that can be harmful to our mental health? Well, this week on Real Health, I’m delighted to be joined by psychotherapist and former NHS Clinical Lead for Mental Health, Owen O’Kane. His new book, How to be Your Own Therapist gives just these kinds of solutions to help us form a healthier perspective on things. Owen says thoughts that are mostly negative can be a burden in people’s lives, so changing the feeling around them can be liberating: “Neuroscientists tell us we have about 60,000 to 80,000 thousand thoughts a day, which is a lot of thoughts. They know that about 60pc of those thoughts can be either negative or critical in nature...if you have fallen into those [negative] thought patterns, there’s a way out of that. You can see them for what they are, which is just unhelpful patterns.” We also discuss how to view failure, the importance of self-compassion and how there is still some stigma around therapy today. For more episodes, tips and advice from the show just go to: www.independent.ie/podcasts/the-re…health-podcast/ And you can get in touch - I’m @KarlHenryPT on Instagram and realhealth@independent.ie. Don’t forget to rate, review and follow on Apple and Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts from. The Real Health podcast is in association with Laya Healthcare.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this week’s episode of Real Health, we’re discussing obesity in Ireland, the main causes of the disease and what treatments are available for it. Last month, the World Health Organisation released a report that said obesity has reached “epidemic proportions” in Europe. It showed that the disease is causing 200,000 cancer cases and 1.2 million deaths a year. Here in Ireland, over six in 10 adults are overweight or obese and we rank ninth in a table of 53 countries for obesity. To discuss obesity and the impact it has on our health, I’m joined by Donal O’Shea, HSE Clinical lead for Obesity. Donal says for adults who have severe and complex obesity, the treatment is not to eat less and move more. “You develop obesity because you have a genetic predisposition, and you get too much energy from the environment for those genes...what we have now is surgery as a very effective evidence-based treatment and we now have medication that’s coming and is now licensed in Europe.” We also discuss calories appearing on restaurant menus, something Donal says can have a positive impact on people’s health: “The calories on menu boards...it works. It’s proven to impact by about 100 calories per purchase for 30pc of people who are looking at the menu. That’s a massive reach at population level. Only vaccination would have that kind of population reach as a health measure.” For more episodes, tips and advice from the show just go to: www.independent.ie/podcasts/the-re…health-podcast/ And you can get in touch - I’m @KarlHenryPT on Instagram and realhealth@independent.ie. Don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe on Apple and Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts from. The Real Health podcast is in association with Laya Healthcare.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have you ever considered that being sad could actually be a good thing? Or do you avoid that emotion at all costs? Well, my guest this week will help us understand what sadness is good for, and how to transform pain and vulnerability into strength. Susan Cain is the New York Times bestselling author of the book Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking and her Ted Talk The power of introverts has gotten millions of views online. Her new book Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole aims to help readers to embrace sadness and understand that it can be a superpower. Susan says embracing sorrow is not about wanting to be sad but understanding it is a part of being human: “It’s not that sadness is a pleasant state. You didn’t realise it was pleasant, but it really is. That is not the thing. It’s rather that sadness is an inevitable part of human life...it also happens to be a way that connects us to each other.” We also discuss why it is important for leaders to show more than just the strong or angry emotions traditionally associated with positions of power. Susan says embracing a wider range of emotions can help people relate to those in those kinds of roles: “When leaders are willing to express sorrow about something that’s happened...that is seen as a more relational power. What people will say about those kinds of leaders is that they feel like they’re on their side and that they are in it together.” For more episodes, tips and advice from the show just go to: www.independent.ie/podcasts/the-re…health-podcast/ And you can get in touch - I’m @KarlHenryPT on Instagram and realhealth@independent.ie. Don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe on Apple and Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts from. The Real Health podcast is in association with Laya Healthcare.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this week’s episode of Real Health, we’re busting some of the biggest food myths out there. There’s no doubt that you’ve heard some of the more common ones, like the claim that sugar is toxic, or dairy can cause cancer.Bringing us the latest research and debunking some of the widely shared food myths, is registered dietitian Sarah Keogh. With years of experience working as a dietician, Sarah has heard all the misconceptions out there: “I overhear some hilarious conversations...it’s people saying, ‘oh I’ve heard this or heard that’ and then suddenly, nobody is drinking milk” she says. While sometimes it is people misinterpreting the science, Sarah says this can lead to people becoming fearful of some foods or ingredients: “The other thing I hear a lot is that sugar causes cancer. That one actually has frightened a lot of people. If I’m doing talks, and people are [asking] ‘does it feed cancer?’ and ‘should you not give up sugar if you have cancer?’. The studies again, are not showing that.”We also discuss myths that surround fruit and vegetables and chat about saturated fat and the suggestion that it is actually good for you. For more episodes, tips and advice from the show just go to: www.independent.ie/podcasts/the-re…health-podcast/And you can get in touch - I’m @KarlHenryPT on Instagram and realhealth@independent.ie.Don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe on Apple and Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts from.The Real Health podcast is in association with Laya Healthcare.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this week’s episode of Real Health, we are looking at phone usage and when it can start to have a negative impact on our lives. With daily tasks and communication more dependent on smart devices than ever, how can you recognise when normal usage has tipped into dangerous territory? To discuss this, I am joined by psychotherapist and author of the Phone Addiction Workbook, Hilda Burke. Hilda says that although phone addiction has not been officially recognised as an addiction, those who use their devices a lot can show signs of addictive behavior: “There are some of the hallmarks of addiction amongst heavy phone users...it is that thing of, if I cannot get the hit, how disturbed do I feel? If I am without it overnight or during the day, how on edge do I feel?” Hilda explains that a key indicator of addiction is when someone starts putting the substance ahead of things we would highly value in our lives: “You go to the nearest playground, and you will often see a mom or a dad that are looking at their device. The kid can be hanging upside down, breaking their neck but what is on the phone is more important.” We also discuss what phone usage does to your brain, why it can be a highly addictive activity and some ways to help you break the cycle of overuse. For more episodes, tips and advice from the show just go to: www.independent.ie/podcasts/the-re…health-podcast/ And you can get in touch - I’m @KarlHenryPT on Instagram and realhealth@independent.ie. Don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe on Apple and Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts from. The Real Health podcast is in association with Laya Healthcare.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s fair to say, I’m a bit obsessed with my fridge. My weekly routine of organising the food shop into glass containers is something I look forward to doing. Aside from making it look good, can fridge organisation help reduce food waste? What goes on each shelf and are there some foods that should never be kept in there? Joining me to answer all these questions, is home economist at TUS Midwest, Agnes Bouchier-Hayes. I always sort my food into separate glass containers to keep in the fridge. While it does look neat and tidy, does it help keep food fresher for longer? Well, according to Agnes those glass containers can help with this: “The glass absorbs the cold, so when you open and close the fridge, you are keeping the food at a more constant temperature.” Agnes points out that there are a lot of foods that should not be taken out of the packaging they come in: “Plastic is not great. However, there are small laser holes in packaging that reduces the oxygen exchange. When you take something out of the packaging, you are opening it up to the environment and to the oxygen. Whereas when it is kept in its plastic packaging...[food] is more stable and you will get longer out of it.” We also discuss why it is so important to keep your fridge clean and I ask the all-important question, should eggs be kept in or out of the fridge? For more episodes, tips and advice from the show just go to: www.independent.ie/podcasts/the-re…health-podcast/ And you can get in touch - I’m @KarlHenryPT on Instagram and realhealth@independent.ie. Don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe on Apple and Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts from. The Real Health podcast is in association with Laya Healthcare.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this week’s episode of Real Health, I’m bringing you my top tips for weight loss. Weight loss is about more than simply wanting to change how you look. We know weight is one of the big predictors of health-related issues as we get older. By carrying more of it on our bodies, you are putting pressure on your joints and aging the body quicker. So, wanting to lose some excess fat is a great thing to do for your health. Now that we’re coming into the summer, it's the perfect time to try and make some positive changes, both with your movement and your diet. While many people might think the focus should be on upping the amount of exercise, diet is arguably more important. Making changes to what you eat, contributes to about 60pc to 70pc of the results that you will experience. One of the easiest changes you can make to your diet, is ensuring you leave twelve hours between dinner and your breakfast the next morning. By doing this, it gives your body time to digest the food you’ve eaten. If for example, you have your breakfast at 7am, aim to finish eating by 7pm that evening. Not only does this ensure you are leaving a good amount of time before you start eating again, it also helps stop you snacking late into the night too. I also give you tips for tracking your food, how to incorporate movement into your day and how intense your exercises should be, so you achieve the results you want. For more episodes, tips and advice from the show just go to: www.independent.ie/podcasts/the-re…health-podcast/ And you can get in touch - I’m @KarlHenryPT on Instagram and realhealth@independent.ie. Don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe on Apple and Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts from. The Real Health podcast is in association with Laya Healthcare.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.