The Medipharm Christmas Gift Catalogue with loads of gift ideas:

• Gifts and fragrances for her
• Christmas gifts for him
• Electrical gifts
• Christmas giftware
• Children’s gifts

As advertised in The Metro, on the 1st, 2nd and 3rd of June in the afternoon from 12-5pm we will have an Aveen Skincare specialist In-store to give our customers free consultations on there skincare needs.

Medipharm Pharmacy on 16 South Great Georges street, Dublin 2 is delighted to announce the launch of Eau Thermale Avene Skin Care range.

Avene’s products are recommended by doctors and skin specialists because they are designed specifically for people with sensitive, intolerant or allergy-prone skin. People with skin issues like eczema and psoriasis travel from all over the world to visit this thermal spring water in a small village in the south of France called Avene.

With its low mineral content and a pH close to neutral, Avene’s thermal spring water is rich in silica, is pure of bacteria, and helps to restore the skins natural balance. This stable composition makes it an ideal skin care product for sensitive skin.

To celebrate the launch, Medipharm Pharmacy will be providing an in store complimentary skin consultation for customers with an Avene skincare analyst on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday 1st, 2nd, 3rd June from 12-5pm. Call in to book your appointment now, or just come along on the day to enjoy your free gift with any two Avene purchases.

Avene @ Medipharm, 16 South Great Georges St, Dublin 2. 01 6719765 www.medipharm.ie

Award winning teething toy for newborns ‘Sophie The Giraffe’ (Sophie le Girafe) by Vulli is now available instore and online!

Born in France in 1961, Sophie quickly became a “must have” in baby’s essentials. Designed to stimulate the senses and soothe teething gums, mothers recognise right away the benefits of this little giraffe for their child.

Sophie the Giraffe has been a favourite teething toy in France for almost 50 years. Since her creation in 1961, Sophie the Giraffe has wowed over 20 million babies (and parents!) with her natural beauty and charm. These days in France 9 out of 10 newborn babies are given their own Sophie La Girafe. Buy Now Online!

Most importantly her flexible, renewable, natural rubber materials and non-toxic paint mean Sophie the Giraffe is a safe and all-natural teething toy for your little one.

Vulli, a company based in Rumilly in the Haute-Savoie region of France has continued to keep the jealously-guarded secret of how this wonder toy is made. In today’s fast paced world it is unusual to see a high production toy still “tradionally produced” and made by hand: Sophie requires more than 14 manual manufacturing steps.

Watch this short video about how Sophie is made and why her retro style has ensured that she has remained fashionable for over 49 years!

Slender, flexible and soft, baby can squeeze and chew her in complete safety. Lovable and amusing, Sophie laughs when her body is squeezed.

· Made from 100% natural rubber derived from the sap of the Hevea tree
· Natural Rubber is soft, safe & non-toxic for baby to teethe & chew.
· Lightweight & easy to grasp for tiny hands.
· Painted with non-toxic, food-grade paints.
· Stimulating to baby’s senses with her soft colors & gentle squeak.
· Bumpy head helps soothe sore, teething gums.
· Sophie makes a soft squeak when squeezed – such fun for a baby!
· Slender, flexible & soft – babies love manipulating & teething Sophie.
· Sophie the Giraffe is Phthalate-Free with No Vinyl (no-PVC)!
· Born in France in 1961, Sophie the Giraffe is a classic!
· 7” Tall (17cm)
· 0-12 months +

The manufacturer, Vulli, was founded in 1946 and enjoys an excellent reputation as a specialist in the field of nursery items and toys. Vulli produces around 250 products, with 60% of their production taking place at their Rumilly site in the Haute Savoie region of France, including the legendary Sophie the Giraffe.

Still the same, even after more than 49 years…she hasn’t dated in the slightest…Buy Now Online!

by Niamh Fitzgerald

Ever feel like you are eating all the right foods and still not getting the results that you feel you should be?

Maybe you are eating all the wrong foods for your body.

Eating foods to which you are intolerant can cause many symptoms like Irritable Bowel Syndrome; Bloating; Weight Gain; Chronic Fatigue; Migraine Headaches; Asthma and other respiratory problems; Eczema and other skin disorders; Arthritis and Fibromyalgia.

Dr. Rudy Rivera, author of “Your Hidden Food Allergies are Making you Fat”, says food intolerances are the No. 1 reason why people cannot lose weight, as the body retains water to protect itself from what it sees as toxic substances.

So how do food intolerances develop? Immunologists tell us that our immune systems, if they are exposed to anything often enough, tend to become sensitised to that thing, resulting in an inflammatory response.

It is this response in turn, that leads to the development of different symptoms and diseases in different people. This inflammation will cause an intractable dermatitis or eczema in one individual for example, a migraine headache in another and a reactive arthritis in a third.

And the delay between your exposure to the trigger food and the resultant symptoms is usually about 2-3 DAYS, but can be as long as 7 days…you can eat a food today, and the outcome of your immune reaction to it may only become evident in a week’s time!!

Which is why food intolerances have been also dubbed “hidden” food allergies

With a simple blood test you can show any individual which are their safe or non reactive foods, and if that person eats ONLY those foods, then their hyperactive immune systems will become quiescent – and whatever problem they have that is caused these trigger foods will improve, and often disappear, as if by magic. And even better, if they continue to avoid their reactive foods for 3-6 months the immune memory for their reactive foods will be forgotten, and so these foods may then be reintroduced to their diet, without any fear of an immune reaction. Their reactive button can be reset to zero.

The ALCAT Test and its dietary system requires no magic, no drugs, and no surgery. Just a simple blood test from which a list of safe foods and trigger foods will be identified.

This test has been used for 23 years in over 30 countries worldwide, Oscailt are proud to announce that we are the first clinic in Dublin to offer this test. Also look out for Kathryn Duffy, director of Alcat Ireland, who will be apearing on the Late Late show this autumn to speak about this amazing blood test.

To book an appointment or for further information: please call reception, tel 0818 333 650. For more information on the ALCAT test, please visit www.alcat.com.

by Niamh Fitzgerald

Having suffered with constipation for years, I decided to cleanse my colon using colonic irrigation, natural suppements and a radical diet overhaul. In two weeks (and with the aid of 6 colonic irrigation treatments) I lost over 15 pounds in weight which I believe was mainly impacted stool which had built up in my system. It made sense to me, if I wasn’t passing it, where else was it going to go? Having cleansed my colon I felt younger and more energetic. With a whole new outlook on life I decided to study natural healing and to help people control this uncomfortable symptom.

The most common advice given for the treatment of chronic constipation is to increase dietary fibre and water consumption. I have found that while adding bulk and hydration to the stool is important in the treatment of constipation, it is only part of the solution to the puzzle.

The colon is made up of three layers of muscle which lose their strength if they are not used on a daily basis. Also, once the contents of the colon reach over 5 pounds in weight the transverse colon tends to collapse or prolapse. It is much more difficult for stool to pass through a colon which is atonal and out of shape. Inversion board exercises or yoga postures like head or shoulder stands help to right the position of a prolapsed colon, but something still needs to be done to remove the years of build-up!

Here’s the three step program that we use in our clinics:

1. Dietary changes

• Plant based foods feed good bacteria and animal foods contain and feed unhealthy bacteria. Try to keep your diet 80% plant based and to eat smaller portions of meat.
• Reduce or elliminate mucos forming foods, the two most mucus forming foods are cows milk and white bread.
• Eat small amounts of starchy foods like potatoes and pasta, cook with aromatic herbs to help move them through your system.
• Replace regular tea and coffee which are dehydrating with herbal teas and water.
• Add lubricating healthy oils into your diet. Use olive oil for dressings and coconut oil for cooking.
• Nuts, seeds, beans and grains are high in fibre and beneficial, however they contain enzyme inhibitors which makes them difficult to digest. Soaking these foods overnight destroys enzyme inhibitors.

2. Natural supplements

• Magnesium is required for proper nerve and muscle function and one of the first symptoms of magnesium deficiency is constipation. I have found this suplement to be invaluable in the treatment of constipation. Take 300mg of Magnesium citrate at night.
• Probiotics, or good bacteria, are needed to complete the process of digestion. Probiotics also importantly produce lactic acid which keeps the colon slightly acidic and in turn triggers a bowel movement. Take one capsule on an empy stomach (each containing 5 billion organisms with at least 8 strains).
• Herbal cleansers: it is important to use something to help to break down the old hardened stool in the digestive system. Aloe vera is a simple colon cleansing herb which is gentle and well tolerated. We use a Master Herbalist blend of herbs to cleanse and tone the colon.

3. Colonic irrigation

While it is possible to achieve results through diet and supplements alone, colonic irrigation speeds up results and helps to reduce the side effects of colon cleansing (cramping, gas, bloating and headaches). Colonic irrigation removes the same amount of stool as about 20 normal bowel movements. The gentle action of the water also exercises the colon and helps to tone it. For chronic constipation, it is recommended that you have six treatments over the course of 2-4 weeks. By Niamh Fitzgerald

Niamh is the owner of The Hydro Clinic and has worked with people suffering from digestive health issues for the past three years. Niamh is trained in Naturopathy, Herbal Medicine and Colonic Irrigaiton. The Hydro Clinic has two branches in Dublin.
For more information visit www.colonhealth.ie. To book an appointment with Niamh, call the Oscailt branch on (01) 660 3872.

Open Monday to Saturday we have an in-store health check facility and out of hours patient service. Pay us a visit and we will be happy to go through our services with you one-to-one.

Browse our site to view all our services and expert medical advice that we provide to our customers including:

. Prescription Services
. Free Prescription Delivery
. Maintenance of Patient Repeat Prescriptions
. 24 hour on-call advice & out of hour service
. Dedicated phone line for patient queries
. Additional patient information leaflets
. Dietary advice & food supplement
. Safe disposal of medicines
. Passport Photos €4.99
. Student Discount 15%

Consultation available in-store on:
* Cholesterol
* Diabetes
* Blood Pressure
* Heart Rate
* Weight