A Lullymore Christmas
With the kids off school for the Christmas holidays, why not treat them to a magical trip to Lullymore Heritage and Discovery Park to celebrate the festivities?
The Kildare event which runs until December 23 includes a memorable visit from Santa and a special gift from the busy elves in their workshop. You can welcome him and his merry friends as they arrive on the Lullymore Christmas Express Road Train at 10am on weekends and 2pm from Wednesday to Friday.
The Lullymore Christmas Express will also take you on a trip through ancient woodlands, glassy lakes and a beautiful peatland landscape.
Animals such as donkeys, goats and miniature horses will be in paddocks beside the Indoor Centre. This is the perfect family trip this Christmas and no booking is required, with half-price adult admissions on weekdays.
Hearty teeth
Brushing your teeth daily helps to maintain a healthy mouth and gums – but it turns out good oral hygiene is also beneficial for the heart.
A new study that appears in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology has suggested that cleaning your chompers regularly may reduce the chances of contracting heart failure and atrial fibrillation (A-fib) – a type of arrhythimia.
Dr Tae-Jin Song of Ewha Womans University in Seoul and team examined atrial fibrillation’s associations with both heart failure and poor oral hygiene, using data from 161,286 people.
The research revealed that brushing your teeth three times or more a day was linked with a 10% lower chance of developing A-fib and a 12% lower risk of heart failure.
“Improved oral hygiene care was associated with decreased risk of atrial fibrillation and heart failure. Healthier oral hygiene by frequent toothbrushing and professional dental cleanings may reduce risk of atrial fibrillation and heart failure,” the authors conclude.
Covering all bases
Driving to work in the dark, early morning hours of winter is a difficult enough task, but it can become even more daunting when you have to scrape snow or frost of your windscreen before heading off. Not only does it waste precious time, but will leave you shivering. One way to stop this problem is by getting your hands on a magnetic windscreen cover. The cover quickly attaches to the car with padded magnets and protects your front window from the freezing winter elements. There are also inbuilt flaps to keep it secure from theft and it can be easily removed and stored in seconds. This is a practical solution to a problem that millions of people face everyday and should make your morning commute hassle free. They cost under €20 and would be the perfect gift for the early worker.