Real Health with Karl Henry

On this week’s Real Health episode, I’m bringing you the top ten tips you’ll need to overhaul your diet.   No fads, no gimmicks, just easy things you can do to improve your health. I’ll be looking at why we shouldn’t skip meals, the importance of hydration and why incorporating colour into every meal can be a simple yet effective way to improve what you eat.   To discuss all this, I’m joined by Dietitian with the Dublin Nutrition Centre, Aveen Bannon.    Aveen says we can over complicate health. She says we need to get back to basics and should be inclusive rather than exclusive when it comes to food: “It’s as unhealthy to focus on the health of the food as it is the  “unhealthiness” of a food. You want to have a relationship where you are still enjoying food but are still getting the nutrients you need.”   We also talk about how fibre has become the forgotten nutrient and why it’s so important to shake oat or almond milk in the carton, every time we have it.  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 Twitter 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 show I’m talking about sex, the importance of communication and the stigma around seeking help for sexual issues. My guest is sex and relationship educator Grace Alice O’Shea. Grace has a qualification in Occupational Therapy and a master’s in Health Promotion, specialising in sexual health. She says she is passionate about making Ireland a more sex-positive country, where people can talk about all aspects of sexuality, without feeling a sense of shame or stigma. Grace says while sex education in Ireland has come a long way, there is still room for improvement. She believes sex education should start from a young age, addressing age-appropriate topics like consent and making sure to use the correct names for body parts: “Its madness we don’t have more education and more honest conversations with young people. It really does young people an injustice not to given them proper fact-based, sex positive, comprehensive education.”We also discuss how people can address sexual problems they’re having with their partner. Grace says it’s important not to have conversations about sex when the situation is already emotionally charged. Instead, she suggests avoiding these kinds of discussions about sex when in the bedroom. Grace says just because a couple is experiencing problems with sex, doesn’t mean it’s the end of the relationship: “There is this stereotype that couples who are having problems with sex, are doomed. That’s not the case at all. Most couples will have issues at some point. It absolutely isn’t the end of the world. There is help.” 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 Twitter andrealhealth@independent.ie.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this week’s show, how to get motivated and how to stay motivated. Many people feel they put on weight over the summer with a change in routine and increased alcohol consumption. This is totally normal. We’ve all been through a tough year and a half, and we’ve had the chance to enjoy a slice of normality over the summer so don’t beat yourself up. Get a pen and paper out when you’re listening and take note of the tips that you think will work for you. Give it a little bit of time. One, two or three weeks following these tips will deliver massive results. These tips are not rocket science, but after 22 years as a personal trainer I know they are effective. 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 Twitter andrealhealth@independent.ie.Don’t forget to follow and like on Apple and Google Podcasts, Spotify, orwherever 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 show, I’ll be talking about the menstrual cycle.For far too long periods have been a taboo subject. Each month many women are faced with bleeding, severe pain and a litany of menstrual problems.However, with new attitudes, treatments and technological developments things are changing.Joining me to talk about periods, pain and irregular cycles is leading expert Dr. Caoimhe Hartley, GP & Menopause Specialist.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 Twitter and realhealth@independent.ie.Don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe on Apple and Google Podcasts, Spotify, orwherever 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 show, I’ll be talking about Suicide Awareness in Ireland. Every year suicide accounts for over 800,000 deaths globally. Even though attitudes have changed in recent years, there is still a stigma surrounding suicide. We can all play a role in reaching out to someone we think in is in need – no one should suffer in silence. Last month Pieta House launch their: ‘Know the Signs Campaign’, which aims to help people recognise suicide warning signs and what someone can do to help. Joining me to discuss suicide awareness in Ireland is Leigh Kenny, Qualified Therapist & Pieta House Regional Manager for the Greater Dublin Region. 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 Twitter 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 show I’ll be talking about the prevalence of smoking in Ireland.Ireland is recognised as a global leader in tobacco control having developed extensive treatment programmes for those struggling with tobacco and nicotine dependence. But can the country reach its goal of becoming tobacco free by 2025? Joining me on this week’s podcast is Dr Damien Lowry, Senior Counselling Psychologist and chartered member of the Psychological Society of Ireland. Damien has lot of really good advice on how to quit smoking. 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 Twitter andrealhealth@independent.ie.Don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe on Apple and Google Podcasts, Spotify, orwherever 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 show I’ll be talking about pelvic floor physiotherapy.One in three women leak urine – it is a massive problem in this country.Some women will have a severe urge to pee, which can happen very often, hourly, or more and it can have them up several times at night. These women though they are not leaking, their lives are ruled by their bladders. It is also an issue for many men. But there is help out there.Joining me on this week’s podcast to discuss the pelvic floor and the treatments that are available is Aoife Ni Eochaidh, Chartered Physiotherapist and Clinical Specialist Women’s & Men’s Health & Continence. Aoife has lots of expert advice on how to prevent pelvic floor issues as well as manage them. 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 Twitter andrealhealth@independent.ie.Don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe on Apple and Google Podcasts, Spotify, orwherever 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 the Real Health podcast, I'll be discussing anxiety, what it is and how we can offer support to someone who has it. I’m joined by Counselling Psychologist and anxiety expert Dr Rachel Allan, to talk about how we can help somebody with anxiety, by becoming better listeners, supporting them when they try to make a change and how to look after our own mental health in the process. Rachel’s new book, How to Help Someone With Anxiety, looks at just that. It's a practical guide to help you be there for a loved one, while giving you confidence to assist them in navigating their journey with anxiety. “Really anxiety is partly a mental response but it's so much in our bodies. Anxiety has one purpose and one purpose only and that is to keep us safe - to protect us, to tune us into a threat that might be in our environment.”Rachel says the pandemic has undoubtedly made people more anxious. “We like a sense of predictability. The pandemic has really played to our vulnerabilities in terms of anxiety. On the one hand, we’ve got the illness itself...in addition to that, we have all the stuff that’s happened around the pandemic; lockdowns, change in employment, massive changes in how we live our lives, distance from loved ones. With all that comes a sense of unpredictability.” We also discuss how to help someone we know who has anxiety. Rachel says oftentimes, we think the best way to tackle anxiety is to remove the cause or to completely avoid certain situations. Instead, Rachel believes this can prolong the problem: “When someone close to us is suffering the most natural response is to want to make it go away. We want to make them feel better...One of the really important steps to supporting someone to live better with anxiety, is to get a little bit of an understanding of what anxiety is but also what keeps it going. And often the one thing that keeps anxiety going is the stuff we try to do to not feel anxious.”Rachel also gives us great tips on how to be better listeners, what the right questions to ask are and how to resist the urge to fix the problem. 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 Twitter andrealhealth@independent.ie.Don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe on Apple and Google Podcasts, Spotify, orwherever you get your podcasts from.The Real Health podcast is in association with Laya Healthcare.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week’s Real Health episode is all about pain.Chronic pain is something that impacts many in Ireland, with chronic back pain one of the most common forms that people suffer from.On the show, I’ll be talking about what pain really is, our understanding of it and how some pain can be contagious.I’m joined by doctor and clinical fellow at Oxford University, Monty Lyman, who is an expert in pain. Monty’s new book, The Painful Truth explores the world of pain. It looks at cutting-edge research, how our emotions impact the pain we experience and how hypnotherapy and virtual reality can play a role in pain relief.Monty believes that most of us don’t fully understand pain and its purpose. He says we need to acknowledge the role of pain and by properly understanding it’s function, he says it can help in dealing with chronic, persistent cases: “Understanding that pain is trying to be a guardian angel...that it's trying to protect you, even if it is completely ruining your life...is the first step to understanding how to live with, reduce and even eliminate persistent pain.”Apart from studying pain itself, Monty has also looked at pain relief. Not just the traditional forms of painkillers, but alternatives, like the use of virtual reality and hypnotherapy. The latter is something he says helped him with persistent pain he was suffering from: “I was very skeptical about hypnotherapy. I had never been taught about it during medical school. I had seen some really good evidence [of] hypnotherapy [used] for a number of pain conditions. I have suffered with occasionally really bad irritable bowel syndrome since I was fifteen. I interviewed a hypnotherapist for the book who offered me a session and my IBS was completely cured...it was near miraculous.”Monty has also examined how we can feel others' pain and how we’ve developed this ability in order to protect ourselves from experiencing the same hurt: “Research shows we’re all mirrors. If you see someone hurt whether it's in real life or in an action movie or rugby match - you see these hits and you flinch. That’s because the same areas in the brain that are activated when you experience pain yourself, are being activated.”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 Twitter 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.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this week’s show, I’ll be talking about cocaine addiction in Ireland. The latest figures released by the Health Research Board, shows the number of people seeking treatment for problem cocaine use has increased, with the number of crack cocaine cases increasing by 400 per cent in recent years. The HRB says last year, cocaine was the only substance where they saw an increase in those entering treatment for. To discuss cocaine use in Ireland, I’m joined by Consultant Psychiatrist, Professor Colin O’Gara. Colin is the head of addiction services at St John of God Hospital in Dublin, where they provide specialist services in substance misuse. Colin says all the indicators are pointing to a rise in cocaine use in Ireland, which he says is a result of the drug becoming normalised as well as widely available: “There’s probably been two peaks [in cocaine use]. The first was around the Celtic Tiger and with the economic crash, it almost disappeared. Then as the economy improved from 2013 onwards, we saw on the clinical frontline, reports of cocaine increasing quite substantially and up to recent years it's been quite dramatic. It's really become very normalised from our point of view, and the availability is huge. So when you have normalisation and strong availability you have serious problems.” Colin says cocaine impacts all parts of the body when taken: “Cocaine is a stimulant that affects all systems of the body...the heart, the lungs, the brain, everything. All of the above is affected by cocaine. It's a very potent stimulant that initially leads to a massive release of dopamine...The problem with stimulants as opposed to opioids like heroin, is they tend to create a very edgy experience...it can create a lot of anxiety and paranoia.” We also discuss what somebody should do if they feel they need to seek help for cocaine addiction, as well as all the different types of addiction services that are 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 Twitter andrealhealth@independent.ie. Don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe on Apple and Google Podcasts, Spotify, orwherever you get your podcasts from. The Real Health podcast is in association with Laya Healthcare.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.