How do I know if I need to see a Psychologist, Psychiatrist, Counsellor or Psychotherapist? If you do not know the difference between a Psychologist, Psychiatrist, Counsellor or Psychotherapist do not worry you are in the majority. We even have patients querying whether we have shrinks in our clinics
Diets – Do they really work?
When it comes to losing weight regrettably there is no magic wand. The first step you need to take is to think about ways of changing your behaviour and developing new healthier habits if you are serious about losing weight and keeping it off in the longer term.
Mindfulness in Simple Terms
Mindfulness is awareness of and deliberate focus on the present moment. It’s living here and now. Through mindfulness, you are freed from becoming entangled in thoughts of your past, and you are freed from worrying about the future. In the here and now, everything just is…and there is great peace in that. It is accepting things as they really are now without judgment, not what our minds say it is.
How to lose weight: Tip 1
Our Clinical Manager, Dietetics, Michelle Butler has provided a few simple tips on how to lose weight without the undesired effects of extreme dieting and weight loss.
What is Cognitive Analytic Therapy (CAT)
An introduction to Cognitive Analytic Therapy as outlined by our Clinical Psychologist Austin Bayley. This is one of the many methods of treatment which are employed by our Psychologists.
Diet Review 1: The Baby Food Diet
Ok so here it goes – are you ready for it……… THE BABY FOOD DIET!!! Yes that’s what I said… These delectable blends of rice and vegetables and ‘god knows what else’ are now the centre of the latest “weight loss trend” and fad diets.
Test Your Stress Levels!
The experience of stress can be very damaging for your emotional, mental, and physical well-being. Too much stress in our lives limits our enjoyment of our relationships, brings our mood down, and can make fulfilling our family and work commitments very difficult.
Wheat Allergy, Wheat Intolerance and Coeliac Disease
Wheat Allergy, wheat intolerance and Coeliac Disease are often confused with each other due to their similar symptoms. However there are differences between them and it is important for your health and your food choices to know these differences because the effects. Our dietitian Michelle Butler outlines the differences between wheat allergy, wheat intolerance and Coeliac Disease…
New Clinic Locations Update - April 2015
In April 2015, we opened a brand new clinic within the Bellview Clinic in Mullingar. Within this clinic we will operate a Physiotherapy service alongside a psychology and counselling service.
How to Lose Weight: Tip 2
Our Clinical Manager, Dietetics, Michelle Butler has provided a few simple tips on how to get that weight off without the undesired effects of extreme dieting.
Diet Review 2: KEN diet
Our dietitian and Clinical Manager of Dietetics at Spectrum Health reviews the second diet of a series of fad diets…
Ok so crazy diet Number 2………… THE KEN DIET or otherwise known as theKetogenic Enteral Nutrition diet and sometimes referred to as the feeding tube diet!!
Social Anxiety Disorder : Self-Help Techniques
Social Anxiety is an extreme apprehension or nervousness about social situations, which leads to a person experiencing significant anxiety within a dreaded situation or a desire to avoid the situation altogether. Social Anxiety is a common problem which affects a large number of people. Our blog today discusses a number of self-help techniques for Social Anxiety disorder which can be undertaken to help individuals manage the disorder.
Multiple Sclerosis – Tips to help Swallowing Difficulties
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) patients may have swallowing difficulties as a consequence of this progressive illness. Swallowing difficulties can be mild or severe depending on the stage of progression of Multiple Sclerosis. A multiple sclerosis patient more than likely has swallowing problems if they have any of the following symptoms: choking and coughing during meals, feeling as if food is stuck in your throat or recurrent infections in their lungs (from food and liquid passing into the lungs instead of stomach).
THINKING TIPS! Becoming More Aware of Problem Thinking (Part 1)
This is the first part of a two part blog. Today’s blog is split into numerous sections. The blog discusses different types of cognitive distortions, or thinking errors, that we all find we use now and again. Cognitive distortions are unhelpful ways of looking at the world or ourselves because they do not allow us to see the full picture.
Top Tips for healthy cooking
Although you may be already making a concious effort to improve the nutritional quality of your meals, you may not be aware of some of the bad habits you have picked up over the years. Despite our best efforts, we often ingest ‘mindless’ calories; meaning calories we eat that we don’t really think about or register as calories… just an extra spoon of oil here and little more salt there. Overtime these bad habits and mindless calories can be become an issue for our weight and health.
Here are some helpful tips to put an end to these bad habits and transform your regular recipes into healthier alternatives effortlessly
Fats
Frying: use a non-stick pan and dry fry
If you want to use oil make sure it is an oil that is high in polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats – the ‘good’ fats- for example olive oil or rapeseed oil
Add water instead of more oil to your food if it is beginning to dry out
Add less oil than the recipe tells you to
Fat Fact: roughly 45 calories in a teaspoon of oil – an extra teaspoon of olive oil per day can lead to 5lbs weight gain in a year!!! Although olive oil is very good for your heart – it does contain a lot of calories so you need to be careful that you don’t get too carried away. I would recommend limiting your fat intake to 2 portions per day.
Salt
Use alternative seasonings such as pepper, spices, dried herbs or lemon juice to flavour foods
Avoid adding salt to food when cooking as your palate becomes immune to the taste
If using soy sauce in stir-fries use sparingly or chose low salt variety (1tsp contains almost a 1g of salt)
If adding salt to your meal, taste it first
Salt Fact: GDA for salt is 6g for both men and women – The average daily salt intake in Ireland is approximately 10g in adults. Cereal products including breakfast cereals, bread, cakes and biscuits provide about a 1/3 of the salt in our diet
Fibre
Choose brown rice, pasta and bread to increase fibre content and to keep you fuller for longer.
When baking:
You should use a mix of white flour and wholemeal flour
You can also add porridge oats to the mix to increase fibre content
Use mashed potato instead of pastry for dinner pastry dishes (pies, bakes etc.)
General Healthy Cooking Tips
Soups or Stews
when it cools, skim off the layer of fat that forms on the surface
use pulses such as lentils, peas and beans instead of the usual fatty meat in stews
Mayonnaise
In salads: replace it with natural yoghurt or vinaigrette dressing
In sandwiches: use a low fat variety and do not use butter as well
Vegetables
Instead of oil and butter, uses herbs for seasoning and flavour
Make a vegetable version of dishes like lasagne, shepherds’ pie and casseroles every other time instead of meat to help lower the fat and make the dish healthier
We are not suggesting that you change your meal choices entirely or alter your dietary habits dramatically, but are offering you some simple suggestions and small changes that can make a big difference to your meals and health.
THINKING TIPS! Becoming More Aware of Problem Thinking (Part 2)
Following on from our previous blog, we are discussing cognitive distortions or problematic ways of thinking. It is helpful to become more aware of how your mind works, in order to increase the chances of being better able to manage it. Once you know that sometimes you fall into flawed thinking, you can make steps to respond to these thoughts in a different and more helpful way.
Parkinson’s Disease – LSVT
The following blog was written by our Speech and Language Therapist, Emer Foley. Emer is trained in the use of Lee Silverman Voice Treatment (LSVT) and is experienced in managing communication disorders associated with Parkinson’s disease.
THINKING TIPS (PART 3): Helping with Problem Thoughts – Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) helps people to notice and challenge their thinking errors, assumptions, and biases, in order to improve their well-being and functioning. The following is a brief description of some useful CBT techniques, which will help you to become more conscious of problematic thinking and to begin to systematically challenge unhelpful thinking.
How to Lose Weight: Tip 3
Following on from last weeks blog, here is tip number 3 for How to Lose Weight as outlined by Michelle Butler, clinical manager for Spectrum Health’s Dietetics services.
Aphasia – What You Might Not Know
Aphasia is a language disorder or impairment which affects many people. Today’s Speech and Language blog provides some interesting facts which you might not have known about the condition.