Latest news with #Barden
NZ Herald
22-07-2025
- Health
- NZ Herald
Migraine: West Auckland sisters share reality of managing ‘invisible disease'
When Barden fell pregnant with her daughter, now 10, her attacks stopped temporarily. However, they continued throughout her pregnancy with her son. Since having children, the pill has 'made a huge difference' in helping prevent her migraine attacks, she says. 'I've looked at whether it's worthwhile going off it, we tried that for a while and they came back with a vengeance.' The migraine-specific preventive medication Emgality has been 'super effective'. 'Now I would maybe get one a month that I can push through. It's been maybe 5 months since I've had one that put me to bed, and that was a real rarity... the impact on my day-to-day life is extraordinarily different to what it was.' But it comes at a cost - usually around $350 a month, though she's found one pharmacy selling Emgality for $279. For Barden, that cost is well worth being able to work and earn, and be present in her family life. 'I'm so grateful that I'm in a financial position that I can afford it, that I found a cheaper option and I can drive to it, but there are so many people where it is just out of reach.' Sisters Katie Barden and Robin Wilson-Whiting have tried multiple different treatments for migraine. Photo / Supplied Migraine may be genetic, but her sister Robin Wilson-Whiting is proof that not everyone gets the same symptoms - or finds the same treatments helpful. Wilson-Whiting, 37, who works as a union organiser, started getting migraine attacks around the age of 24, and recognised the signs thanks to her sister. 'It wasn't directly correlated, but I think they started sometime after I'd had a pretty gnarly bike accident, which involved a concussion,' she says. 'I guess I had a shortcut because Katie had already been dealing with them for a while.' 'What a cute thing to share,' Barden jokes, while her sister adds, 'It's a blessing and a curse. Not that I'm glad that either one of us deals with migraines, but the fact that we can share tips.' Wilson-Whiting gets different types of attacks, from those with an aura - a 'flickering visual disturbance' - to brain fog that she likens to 'wading through sludge'. 'There's pain that is strong and definitely exhausting and uncomfortable, but you're able to get through your day, so you end up just working through. The other type that I struggle with is a kind of brain fog [where] I feel like I could stare at the wall all day.' The treatments that work for her older sister haven't worked for her. 'I've given all of the non-funded ones a pretty good go, and sometimes it's a relief that it doesn't work because of the eye-watering [cost],' she admits. One of the few remaining treatment options available in the country has helped reduce her headache days from 4 to 5 a week at the very worst to 'maybe 2″. Most people with migraine rely on a combination of medical and non-medical treatments and lifestyle changes to help prevent attacks. 'As a migraine sufferer, you just learn certain things,' Barden explains. 'I know that I can't get too tired, I can't go too long without food, I drink lots of water. I don't really do perfume because it's too strong. Sleep hygiene is such an important one.' Neither of them drinks alcohol, because as Barden puts it, 'a hangover would feel just like a migraine'. Wilson-Whiting, meanwhile, avoids certain things in her diet, such as cured meats, MSG and Diet Coke, which can all be triggers. 'I pretty much won't go away from home for a night or weekend without my wheat bag and my ice pack. Heat on my neck and ice on my forehead.' Cold water makes a big difference - she'll often pop round to her sister's place to use their swimming pool. 'It's given me immense relief, probably another 4 hours of energy that I wouldn't have had otherwise.' The sisters' individual journeys show just how migraine 'affects everyone in different ways', Barden says. 'We have tried the same medications and responded differently to them, or not at all. 'Because it is a relatively invisible disease, you do unfortunately get really good at just pushing through. If I just curled up in a ball in a dark corner every time I had [an attack], I wouldn't partake in my own life.' When it comes to well-meaning but misguided advice, they've heard it all. Wilson-Whiting lists a few things not to say to migraine sufferers: 'Have you tried Paracetamol? Do you drink enough water? Have you tried meditation? 'Maybe think a little bit before you offer simple solutions to something people have been really battling with for decades.' What is migraine disease? Epidemiologist Dr Fiona Imlach is a senior research fellow at the University of Otago in Wellington's public health department, and has suffered from chronic migraines herself. Her experience led her to co-found the Migraine Foundation Aotearoa New Zealand (MFANZ) in 2022, to raise awareness and help get funding for new migraine medications. As Imlach explains, there are two ways of talking about migraines - the attacks themselves, and as a neurological disease. 'The typical episode is a moderate-severe headache associated with nausea or vomiting, also associated with some sort of sensitivity to light and sound, also smells,' she says. 'You can have migraine without a headache, and you can have other symptoms even before you get the headache and after the headache.' Beforehand, symptoms commonly include visual aura, fatigue, brain fog, mood swings, nausea and neck pain. After the headache, there's what Imlach describes as a 'hangover period'. 'You often feel a bit rotten for a day or two afterwards.' A migraine headache usually starts on one side of the head, though it can spread, and can last at least four hours or up to 3 days. It will also worsen if you try to do regular activities like exercise. 'People think it's just a headache - it's not just a headache. If you get regular tension headaches, [that's] quite a different experience than if you've got migraine,' Imlach says. Then there's migraine as a neurological disease. 'That means that I've got this neurological condition where I have a brain that has a tendency to send me on these attacks.' It's not clear what exactly causes the disease, but it's known to be genetic and to have certain triggers. 'We can see from scans that there are things happening in the brain, and we know that there are some neurotransmitters involved in pain and sensory processing and all these things which are involved in migraine. 'That's where new drugs are targeting these things, but we don't understand why we get it or why some people only have one or two attacks ever or in a year, and some people have them almost every day.' To be diagnosed with migraine disease, you need to have had at least five separate attacks. 'If you get 15 or more days a month of a migraine-type headache, you'd be classified as [having] chronic migraine. Even less than that can be really destructive for people because of those other symptoms.' Only two migraine-specific painkillers, called triptans, are available in New Zealand - though there are seven available worldwide. Dr Fiona Imlach, a Senior Research Fellow at Otago University's Department of Public Health in Wellington. Photo / Otago University 'Internationally, the guidance around triptans is if you fail one, try another because they're all a bit different. You have to try three before you can say that you've failed this treatment,' Imlach explains. 'Nobody in New Zealand can say they've failed the treatment because they actually don't have enough to try.' New medications developed specifically for migraine prevention include one targeting a neurotransmitter in the brain that has been shown to cause migraine attacks, which Imlach says has 'changed my life'. 'I had tried just about everything... but this new medication, which I fund myself because it's not funded yet, has been the only thing that's worked and it's knocked back my 14 days of headache to about four, which has made a huge difference.' Imlach recently published a study showing about half of Kiwis with migraine use non-medical treatments such as supplements, and that access to more treatments is needed as well as further research into migraine. 'You just have to try to find something that works for you, and everybody's journey is different, so that explains why people have tried so many different things, because they're really just trying to find an answer,' she says. Several of those newer migraine medications are on Pharmac's waiting list for funding, as well as a third triptan, which it had previously proposed to decline but is now back on the options list. MFANZ are surveying migraine sufferers about their use of triptans to help make a case for funding it. One reason more migraine medications should be funded, Imlach says, is that migraine affects people's ability to work. 'If you're trying to stimulate the economy and get productivity and growth, you'd want people to be working optimally,' she says. 'I couldn't work full-time when I had chronic migraine. '[These are] treatments that could benefit not only people's quality of life, minimise suffering and improve family lives, but actually improve society.'
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Crisis in the classroom: Lawmakers push for more mental health resources in schools
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and educators are continuing to warn of a sharp rise in students' mental health struggles in the classroom. 'We've surveyed our members, and recently they've told us that they're losing five hours of instruction a month due to disruptive student behaviors,' said Mary Barden, executive director of National Education Association Rhode Island. State lawmakers have introduced a new bill to bring more mental health support directly into Rhode Island schools. Barden said the demand for those resources is higher than ever. 'Our educators and support staff really need a voice at the table around addressing the issues around student behaviors and mental health,' Barden explained. 'Post-COVID, there's been this increase in disruptive student behaviors that's really impacting instruction, and we want to be able to have places where students are going to have great outcomes for their mental health and their behaviors.' RELATED: Senate committee OKs bill to ban cell phones in schools The bill was backed by the R.I. House of Representatives and aims to strengthen mental health policies in schools. It passed the house in April by a 60-10 vote. 'This bill would direct every school committee in every district to form a student safety and behavioral health committee to address the mental health crisis we have right now. And schools are on the front line,' said state Rep. Megan Cotter, who is a co-sponsor of the legislation. Cotter explained that adding more counselors, support staff and therapy would help. According to 2022 data from the National Alliance on Mental Illness, half of all mental illnesses begin by age 14, and 42% of teenagers experience feelings of sadness. Barden told 12 News that legislation like House Bill 5165 is a step in the right direction. 'We're looking for, at least in every district, for these programs to be implemented consistently and supported by administration so that our folks can do what they're trained to do, which is teach kids,' Barden added. 'Mental health is very difficult because it does look different for every individual person,' Cotter said. 'If a child falls and breaks an arm, there's a policy, there's help available. Mental health is very different and it's not as simple. We need to give children the tools to succeed and be successful adults.' ALSO READ: 60 Massachusetts school districts receive mental health funding The bill now heads to the Senate, where companion legislation is already on the table. 'We're hopeful and optimistic that it will pass in the Senate,' Cotter said. 'There's no reason why it should not pass. We know as a body what is going on right now in schools and how the mental health crisis really needs to be addressed.' Download the and apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch or with the new . Follow us on social media: Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Sunday World
25-04-2025
- Business
- Sunday World
Huge surge in profits at popular Dublin pub thanks to the Taylor Swift effect
New accounts filed by the Barden family-owned O'Donoghues (Merrion Row) Ltd show that the business recorded the €902,887 post-tax profits in the 12 months to the end of last June after recording post-tax profits of €215,886 in the previous year. Taylor Swift brought her Eras Tour to the Aviva Stadium in Dublin last year. Photo: Getty The firm behind one of Ireland's best-known pubs, O'Donoghue's on Merrion Row, Dublin, benefited from Taylor Swift concerts and Irish rugby matches as profits increased more than fourfold to €902,887 last year. New accounts filed by the Barden family-owned O'Donoghues (Merrion Row) Ltd show that the business recorded the €902,887 post-tax profits in the 12 months to the end of last June after recording post-tax profits of €215,886 in the previous year. The pub enjoyed a bumper year as 150,000 Taylor Swift fans descended on the nearby Aviva stadium last June 28, 29 and 30. The pub also benefited from three Six Nations internationals in the early part of last year. This year, the business will benefit as Dua Lipa and Lana Del Rey perform at the Aviva stadium. The accounts – signed off by directors, Oliver Barden and Marie Barden on April 9 – show that at the end of last June, the company was sitting on accumulated profits of €2.5million. The profit last year takes account of non-cash depreciation costs of €242,898. At the end of last June, the company had shareholder funds of €9.94m that included the accumulated profits of €2.5m and a revaluation reserve of €7.42m. The company's cash funds plummeted from €2.16m to €840,145, and this coincided with the company re-investing once more in the business last year. The accounts show that the value of the company's tangible assets last year increased from €7.3m to €9.9m and this was mainly due to the addition of land and buildings freehold that had a book value of €2.86m. Pay to directors last year reduced from €345,000 to €316,000. The pub is owned and operated by the Barden family and numbers employed remained at 22 during the year. The abridged accounts do not provide a revenue figure for the year, but do disclose that the company made a dividend payout of €54,375. Underlining the buoyant year enjoyed by the business, the amount owed under taxation and social welfare doubled from €374,660 to €760,003. The pub has long been associated with traditional Irish music, and The Dubliners in particular, who began to play at the pub in the 1960s. Bruce Springsteen has also been a visitor. The premises was built in 1789 and began operating as a full-time pub in 1934 when Maureen and Paddy O'Donoghue began running the bar. Oliver Barden bought the pub in 1988.
Irish Independent
25-04-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
Huge surge in profits at popular Dublin pub thanks to the Taylor Swift effect
New accounts filed by the Barden family-owned O'Donoghues (Merrion Row) Ltd show that the business recorded the €902,887 post-tax profits in the 12 months to the end of last June after recording post-tax profits of €215,886 in the previous year. The pub enjoyed a bumper year as 150,000 Taylor Swift fans descended on the nearby Aviva stadium last June 28, 29 and 30. The pub also benefited from three Six Nations internationals in the early part of last year. This year, the business will benefit as Dua Lipa and Lana Del Rey perform at the Aviva stadium. The accounts – signed off by directors, Oliver Barden and Marie Barden on April 9 – show that at the end of last June, the company was sitting on accumulated profits of €2.5million. The profit last year takes account of non-cash depreciation costs of €242,898. At the end of last June, the company had shareholder funds of €9.94m that included the accumulated profits of €2.5m and a revaluation reserve of €7.42m. The company's cash funds plummeted from €2.16m to €840,145, and this coincided with the company re-investing once more in the business last year. The accounts show that the value of the company's tangible assets last year increased from €7.3m to €9.9m and this was mainly due to the addition of land and buildings freehold that had a book value of €2.86m. Pay to directors last year reduced from €345,000 to €316,000. The pub is owned and operated by the Barden family and numbers employed remained at 22 during the year. The abridged accounts do not provide a revenue figure for the year, but do disclose that the company made a dividend payout of €54,375. Underlining the buoyant year enjoyed by the business, the amount owed under taxation and social welfare doubled from €374,660 to €760,003. The pub has long been associated with traditional Irish music, and The Dubliners in particular, who began to play at the pub in the 1960s. Bruce Springsteen has also been a visitor. The premises was built in 1789 and began operating as a full-time pub in 1934 when Maureen and Paddy O'Donoghue began running the bar. Oliver Barden bought the pub in 1988.
Irish Times
24-04-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Profits soar at Dublin's famous O'Donoghue's pub
Profits have soared at O'Donoghue's Bar on Merrion Row in Dublin, one of Ireland's best known pubs. The company recorded post-tax profits of €902,887 in its last financial year. Annual accounts filed by O'Donoghues (Merrion Row) Ltd, owned by the Barden family, including publican Oliver Barden, show the company recorded a profit for the second year in a row following a period of sustained losses during the Covid-19 pandemic. Dividends of €54,375 were paid to shareholders during the company's financial year ending June 30th 2024. It had also recorded a profit of €215,886 in 2023 as the hospitality sector experienced a resurgence in the aftermath of pandemic lockdowns. READ MORE At the outset of Covid-19, the company had recorded losses of €172,182 in June, 2021, and of €286,623 in June of the following year. Bouncing back since then, accumulated profits stood at more than €2.5 million by June last year, according to the accounts which were signed off by the company's directors Oliver and Marie Barden. Employee headcount at the famous bar – where the Dubliners first began playing – remained constant at 22, while directors' remuneration fell slightly on the previous financial year, from €345,000 to €316,000. The company's tangible assets increased from €7.3 million in June 2023 to €9.93 million in their last accounts, in which they accounted for depreciation of €242,898. That includes an investment property worth €1.3 million. The abridged accounts do not provide a revenue figure for the year. The storied bar began as an unlicensed drinking establishment in the 18th century before later operating as a legal establishment. During the 1960s, under the ownership of Paddy and Maureen O'Donoghue, it became a hub for traditional Irish music with the Dubliners becoming a regular fixture. The Barden family acquired the 15 Merrion Row establishment in 1988 and has been running it since then.
