News
Time to relax
Isn't it about time you took a break? Here are seven ways to help you relax - the good news is that you can achieve each one in less than 20 minutes!
Meditate
You can practise this anywhere and at any time. Ensure you are sitting comfortably, with your back straight and your hands lying loosely in your lap. Shut you eyes and concentrate on your breathing for ten minutes. Keep it slow, deep and rhythmic. If you start to drift off, gently refocus your thoughts.
Pamper yourself
Take 15 minutes for just you at the end of the day. Close the bathroom door, either dim the lights or light some candles, choose your favourite bubble bath and soak your cares away.
Try yoga
Regular practice will help to strengthen and tone your muscles and will teach you to breach deeply. A good introduction to yoga is The Collins Gem Yoga Guide by Patricia A Ralston and Caroline Smart (Harper Collins, £4.99).
Block it out
Take you favourite book and whisk yourself in to another world and forget all about your worries. In some parts of the country, GPs are actually prescribing books for people who are suffering with stress and depression.
Keep fit
Regular exercise can reduce stress levels and improve your quality of sleep. The work-out does not necessarily have to be too strenuous, for example a 20-minute brisk walk once a day will do the trick!
Listen up
Try listening to a CD or tape featuring tranquil, natural sounds - perfect for meditation and relaxation. Combining a relaxing bath and relaxing music is a perfect end to a hectic/stressful day.
Brew up
At the end of the day, sit down and slowly sip a cup of hot chamomile herbal tea (no caffeine allowed), as it will encourage relaxation and will also settle an upset stomach.
If you have any good ways to relax that you can share with our readers, please send them in to me at the Ovacome address.
Debbie
Tax-efficient Giving
Deed of Covenant
An individual or company agrees to pay a set amount to Ovacome for at least three years (usually four). This payment is net of tax and Ovacome can claim the tax back from the Inland Revenue, e.g. an individual donates £75 per annum to Ovacome, Ovacome can then claim a further £25 from the Inland Revenue, this being the tax deducted from the individual at source.
For a form to set up a covenant, please send a stamped addressed envelope to David Grant, 18 Pentreath Avenue, Guildford, Surrey GU2 5TA
Gift Aid
If you don't want to commit to regular payments to Ovacome, Gift Aid is a way for us to reclaim from the Inland Revenue the tax paid on a single donation. The donation can be for any amount and must be accompanied by a Gift Aid Certificate. A gift of £250 with a Gift Aid Certificate from a basic rate taxpayer would allow Ovacome to claim a further £83 from the Inland Revenue.
Again, if you would like a Gift Aid Certificate, please send a stamped addressed envelope to David at the above address.
Charities Aid Foundation
The CAF Charity Account works like a bank account. Individuals can open an account, pay money into that account via covenant, Gift Aid or Give as You Earn and the CAF reclaims the tax paid at 25% and adds that into the account. Individuals get a charity card and a cheque book, so they can make donations (gross of tax) to the charity or charities of their choice.
For more details contact CAF at Kings Hill, West Malling, Kent ME19 4TA, telephone 01732 520000.
Give as You Earn
Many companies operate a payroll giving scheme. The employer deducts money from an employee's pay and passes it to an agency, who in turn passes the money to the charity of your choice, before PAYE tax is deducted. The donation is therefore paid gross. The maximum an individual can give in one year is £900.
Contact your employer for an application form if they operate this scheme.
Help Online
There's a world of on-line health information, from sites for specific illnesses to large gateway sites, such as NHS Direct Online, which gives links to a range of further approved sites. Some good reputable sites as shown below:
www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk
This site was launched in December 1999, to allow people access to information about the NHS and treatment of diseases. For those without a home computer, by 2001 there will be hundreds of access points around the country, in pharmacies and supermarkets. There are also plans to have an interactive service and on-line discussion groups.
Editor's Note: This is a very good and informative website with a great deal of further information sources and links. I recommend a look.
www.boots.co.uk
Written by health experts, this site has regularly updated news and features on subjects from skincare to everyday stress. There is a library of common health issues, and the facility to buy certain health produces on line and have them delivered to you door.
Editor's Note: I had trouble with this site on the day I tried to visit due to problems at their end. But I have shopped via this site before and had no problems. Normally well worth a visit.
www.synergy-health.co.uk
More a health and well-being site, this colourful web page offers you links to all the latest health news and book reviews, plus information on supplements and organic food. There is even a prescription-drug directory that tells you about possible side effects and what mixes with what, as well as a list of therapists in your area.
Editor's Note: This is a great site - it not only provides you will endless information on many drugs and treatments but can link you in to some great and informative sites that can answer almost any question on ovarian cancer that you may have. I was in this site for at least an hour. Well worth a visit.
www.medicdirect.co.uk
This is an internet service supported by medical experts, providing help on most health matters. You can select the topic you are interested in from the menu and find specific information on minor ailments and major operations. You can also chat on line with other users.
Editor's Note: A fantastic and very informative and easy to use site, one that I would highly recommend.
If you are a regular internet user, you can now get free internet access and donate £1 to Ovacome for every 10 hours you spend on-line.
No other internet service provider gives you so much.
The charity benefits as follows:
- 75% of its profits go to charity
- £1 donation to charity after 10 hours on-line
- You decide on the charity to benefit
- A valuable new source of funds for good causes
- Makes using the internet much more worthwhile
The consumer also benefits in the following ways:
- Free: fast reliable access
- Free: up to five e-mail address
- Free: 15 Mb to create your website
- Free: parental control with SurfMonkey
- Free: e-mail help support
To register with Care4free, simply visit their website: www.care4free.net or call 0870 606 6334 quoting reference 2104 for your free installation CD.
Dudley Cancer Support - New Nurse
Anna Considine, a gynaecology Macmillan nurse based at Wordsley Hospital, has joined the Dudley Cancer Support Group to talk to anyone who requires information about gynae cancers and their treatment. The gynaecological cancer support group is the latest addition to the several groups that Cancer Support co-ordinates in conjunction with specialist nurses at Dudley's hospitals. The group provides support from the point of diagnosis onwards. It is open to anyone who is affected by a gynae cancer and meets on the fourth Wednesday of each month between 2 pm and 4 pm at The White House, 10 Ednam Road, Dudley. From her Worsdsley Hospital base, Anna works closely with other health staff in the care of women who have a gynae cancer at any of Dudley's hospitals. She is available to anyone who wants information on weekdays from 8.30 am to 4.30 pm on 01384 456111 extension 3009.
