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Where Did The Irish Balance Begin? 💁‍♀️ . . 👩‍⚕️Given there are a lot of new faces following here, I decided to put together an IG post to recap on who I am (human + doctor alike), how this platform got started & why! . . 🙋‍♀️HI! I'm Ciara - Boston-born, Dublin-bred gal now living & working in Galway. I qualified as a doctor in 2015, after 5 years of undergrad medicine (1 year before that doing Nutrition&Dietetics). I spent my 'intern' year working in a busy Dublin hospital, & most of my 'Senior House Officer' 2 year training programme there too. Those 2 years were tough but extremely valuable - I did a new speciality every 3 months as part of the training, gaining experience & trying to figure out what I wanted to specialise in. . . 👩‍⚕️I realised my interest as a doc was Prevention - an approach to medicine a little different to the acute hospital setting of my then daily working life. So I started chatting to people working & training in public health medicine. I realised this speciality was where my passion lay - so to dive into it & be sure of that, I forked out some savings & did a 1-year Masters in Public Health & Nutrition - Sept 2018 to July 2019! My thesis was on shift work, diet & physical activity. . . 👩‍⚕️During the Masters I applied to the Royal College of Physicians Ireland speciality training programme for Public Health. Thankfully, I made it in, & am now working in Galway for the next 2 years 😊 . . ☘The Irish Balance blog/social media began nearly 3 years ago as a hub for health promotion articles on various health topics/issues, & for tasty nutritious recipes! I never imagined it would grow the way it has - nor did I think I would have a Podcast or be on the radio 😂 Definitely not in the med school curriculum! . . ☘But I wouldn't change it for a minute. I'm really grateful to have you guys following & as always, any questions or comments pop them below or in a DM! I have a LOT of content planned as I continue to settle into a new job & city & I'm very excited about it 😊 . . #theirishbalance #doctorblogger #irishdoctors #healthandwellness #healthylifestyle

Let's Talk SCREENING 👩‍⚕️ . 👩‍⚕️Most of you will by now have heard the phrase ‘An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.’ ❤ We’ve seen a huge rise in interest in lifestyle behaviours that affect our health – diet, physical activity, sleep, stress, social connection being probably the most popular behaviours we see discussed in the social media world, & yes, they are extremely important in prevention . However, we need to remember the other health behaviours that are crucial to optimising our health - for example sexual health, immunisation, alcohol intake, smoking, plus – Screening, the topic of this week's article on my blog! . . 👩‍⚕️Screening in health care is defined as - the application of a test that detects an unsuspected disease in people that are not showing any symptoms. This means that screening tests are NOT diagnostic tests. Screening tests are performed on people who have NO symptoms of, but who are AT RISK for developing, the disease in question. In contrast, a diagnostic test is performed on a patient who HAS signs or symptoms of a disease to diagnose or refute the suspicion of illness being present. . 👩‍⚕️This is important as knowing the difference between screening & diagnostic tests can help remove a lot of the anxiety surrounding attending for a screening test & hopefully improve uptake! . . 👩‍⚕️The primary reason we have screening programmes is because the evidence tells us that these tests reduce both morbidity (i.e. physical & psychological harm) & mortality (i.e. deaths) from the disease in question, & ultimately improve health outcomes. Screening Saves Lives.🙌 Screening is a form of what’s called secondary prevention – an example of primary prevention would be the HPV vaccine (stopping someone getting HPV in the first place) whereas secondary prevention with cervical screening (smear tests) aims to detect abnormal +/- pre-cancerous cell changes in the cervix due to HPV to act & halt further progression. . . 👩‍⚕️In today's article you can read about the different screening programmes in Ireland, who they're for & why! Link in my bio or swipe up on stories!Photo not my own 🙋 #theirishbalance #publichealth #screeningsaveslives

RECIPE IDEAS RECAP 🥗🥗🥗 . . ❤ I have been feeling really inspired lately to create new recipes each week for myself, you guys & the blog. I am a serious foodie (spoiler alert 😂) & coffee lover, and it's great to be in a new city full of cafes and restaurants to try, especially a culture-hotspot like Galway. BUT I love cooking and eating in as much as I love the fun of eating out - and I enjoy bringing my recipes to you guys just as much. So here's some of the ideas I've come up with since moving - I've found I need to get creative since I'm doing a weekly food shop with the same staples but want to change it up each week of course! All of these recipes in the slideshow are on the blog FYI! You can swipe up on my stories or hit the link on my bio! . . ❤ Simple Salads - These are my go to for work lunches, and they're anything but a lettuce leaf with cucumber. That isn't a salad 😂 My favourite so far is my Falafel Farro Salad - two recipes in one! . . ❤ Easy Midweek Meals - At the weekend I made a huge pot of my Creamy Chickpea Curry & a pot of quinoa - its sorted me out for 4 servings this week and it's a real tummy hug after a busy day 😊 I've also found Stir Fries really handy especially at the end of the week when I've got a mishmash of ingredients left - combining honey, ginger, soy sauce & miso makes a tasty homemade sauce! The final photo is a tasty tempeh scramble I made at the weekend based on my blog Tofu Scramble recipe 👌 . . ❤ Snacks - I almost always have a snack packed, for elevenses or for a fuel up on my way to the gym from work. My Tahini Hazelnut Cookies are the latest recipe on my blog - which have gone down well! Plus this week I tried an energy ball version of the homemade protein bar recipe by one of my favourites to follow for recipe inspiration - @foodflicker_official ! . . ❤ There have been a lot of new faces following getting me to the 10k - thank you again! So I wanted to reshare some recent recipe highlights - and there are MANY more on my blog! #theirishbalance #inmykitchen #recipeshare #recipeidead #healthyeating

I'VE HIT the 10,000!!! 🎉🎉🎉 . . 👉(Followers, not daily steps 😂) . . 👩‍⚕️This morning, I saw that overnight I’ve finally reached that elusive 10k number of followers on Instagram. I actually felt a little bit overwhelmed so I mostly took myself off the app for the day 😂. I know it’s just a number, and I know this app could easily be gone tomorrow, which is why I put so much work into my blog and Podcast – they comprise the platform through which I can share health promotion articles, guest interviews and recipes with YOU guys. . . 👩‍⚕️But that said, there’s a funny thing about reaching 10k on the 'Gram – it does mean something, even if it’s hard to describe what that is. So I wanted to share this post to say THANK YOU. ❤ Thank you to past, present and new followers of my page – I’m so so grateful for each follower, comment and message I receive, and the positivity from you guys reinforces my belief that good can and does come out of the content I share on this app, which is especially helpful when I’m fed up with it/feeling imposter syndrome/generally self-critical of whether what I share provides ‘enough’ value. . . 👩‍⚕️10k to me mostly means I can FINALLY share links in my stories for you guys to SWIPE UP to access, allowing you to read and use my recipes, articles and Podcasts much more easily and feasibly, which is AWESOME.🤩 I can also link other content I’ve consumed which I think might benefit you all! This might seem like a tiny thing, but the time saved for me doing screenshots, and for you guys too, is epic, and will help me add value with what I share. . . 👩‍⚕️I don’t work as hard as I do on The Irish Balance for followers – the term ‘influencer’ makes me cringe, this isn’t my day job, it’s a passion project. Quality over quantity is my priority – both in terms of what I share and who follows/consumes it. But that said, reaching 10k is pretty frickin’ cool, so again, THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH. Here’s to SWIPING UP and bringing more Irish Balance every day. Now to figure out what sort of giveaway +/- party I should do to celebrate - leave that thought with me, but all suggestions welcome! 🤩 #theirishbalance #10kparty #reachedthe10k #10kfollowers

SHIFT WORK SERIES 👩‍⚕️ Let's Talk FOOD 🥗 . . 👩‍⚕️Shift work can wreak a little bit of havoc on our meal timing, meal planning & digestion. Now, it’s really not as simple as saying ‘don’t eat’, ‘eat this’ or ‘eat that’ for shift work - we are all very different, shift work schedules vary widely & more importantly, we aren’t machines that can run on empty. The research tells us that shift work affects dietary quality & quantity for shift workers, plus meal frequency & timing. . . 👩‍⚕️So - Let’s look at some simple basic nutrition tips for shift work. Remember, the same guidance for dietary quality exists both on & off shift – WHAT we eat is still just as important as WHEN we eat. . . 👩‍⚕️1. Try to avoid relying on less nutrient-dense food choices (crisps, sweet treats, chocolate, etc). No, I'm not calling them 'bad foods' - just less nutrient dense options. While these might seem like the ‘thing to keep you going’ (and often is what’s most available, I know from my own experience!), it’s more likely to give you a quick but not sustained energy supply. . . 👩‍⚕️2. The evidence & guidance to date advises for night shift workers, to eat your main meal of ‘the day’ before your shift, & aim to have a small meal before bed - avoiding large meals 1-2 hours before bed as this may disrupt sleep. . . 👩‍⚕️3. If you’re on the night shift, try to avoid big meals during the night shift hours of midnight to 6am - instead, try packing some wholefoods snacks to keep you going that are nutrient-dense and a source of protein, such as hummus and veggie sticks, homemade trail mix or homemade energy bars (I have some recipes on my blog!), or natural yoghurt with raw nuts and fruit is a great option too! . . 👩‍⚕️4. HYDRATE. Water, water water. As is the case for when you’re off shift, aim for 2 litres of water minimum daily – hydration is going to help you stay alert at night. AVOID caffeinating late in the night shift - it has a half-life of 6 hours (& makes you need the loo!), so may disrupt your attempts to sleep during the day. . . 👩‍⚕️5. Try to have your break and snacks AWAY from your workstation, & with a colleague if possible! 🙋‍♀️ #theirishbalance #shiftwork

The HPV Vaccine – Prevention for Both Genders👩‍⚕️ . . 👩‍Background: HPV = Human Papilloma Virus – an infection that cause of 99% of cervical cancers. Most of us will get HPV at some stage, esp. after becoming sexual active with someone who already has the virus. Most of us will clear HPV, but in some it persists (depending also on certain other risk factors promoting persistence, such as smoking) & can cause abnormal cell changes leading to precancerous lesions on the cervix. . . 👩‍Come September, in Ireland (& the UK), the HPV vaccine will be offered to girls (as it already is) AND boys too, starting first year of secondary school - the first of 2 doses, with the second offered in February. If a child is over 15, they need 3 doses for full protection. You might have seen this news in the headlines & asked – why do boys need the vaccine? . . 👩‍Research tells us that girls AND boys can be affected by HPV – HPV doesn’t just cause cervical cancers. HPV infection can also cause cancers of the throat/mouth, back passage (rectum/anus), penis, vagina & vulva. Plus, it also causes ano-genital warts which affect both genders! . 👩‍⚕️So by vaccinating girls & boys, we have the best chance of controlling the spread of HPV infection, a vaccine-preventable infection, & we also strengthen ‘herd immunity’ (this means conferring protection to a population from a particular disease by vaccinating the population in sufficient numbers). . 👩Plus, by preventing HPV infection in both sexes, we have the best chance of preventing and reducing HPV-related cancers and the significant physical and psychological harm, and risk, that comes with such diagnoses. . . 👩‍⚕️ ‘Prevention is better than cure’, right? That phrase is very relevant in this case. All national & international regulatory bodies have stated HPV vaccines are safe, based on literally years of rigorous review 👌. If you have an additional questions about HPV, the National Immunisation Office (www.immunisation.ie) have a massive Vaccines section on their website with lots of helpful info, plus your GP is a great port of call to discuss any queries/concerns too! #theirishbalance #vaccineswork #hpv

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