Cider

An informative look at recent Holistic Fitness News

DR KAPLAN'S WEEKLY NEWSLETTER

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People have been asking why I write this medical newsletter 'with tongue in cheek'. After all this is supposed to be an article written by a medical doctor. Actually I'm only lightly reflecting on the medical news reported in the popular press over the week.

For example, this week the papers reported that cider is now the alcoholic drink with previously unknown health benefits. Apparently it contains high levels of anti-oxidants which are useful in that they fight free radicals in the body which are bad for you. Get it? Free radicals are things in unhealthy foods most of us eat and they contribute to disease. Anti-oxidants are substances that neutralize these free radicals and are therefore good for your health. Now we already knew that red wine is rich in anti-oxidants but it has now been shown that cider has just as much of these helpful chemicals as red wine. Despite this amazing piece of research, my advice remains exactly the same: two units of alcohol a day may well be good for you but not before driving. And careful driving remains my top health tip of all.

So having dealt with cider, let's get back to why I choose to write in a light-hearted style. Well for one thing it's much more fun, but the most important reason is that laughter and smiling are really good for your health. This has been proved over and over in scientific studies but we tend to ignore it. Over the next few weeks I'm going to draw your attention to the specific health benefits of laughter as proven in the medical laboratories of the world (well mainly the USA, but hey, they are the world's leaders in medical research)

I'll be using the mnemonic S M I L E so that you can memorise all the health benefits of laughter.

S is for Stress Release. Now we all know that laughter is good for this but did you know that it has actually been proven biochemically! Laughter decreases levels of the neurotransmitters, adrenalin and nor-adrenalin which are the hormones of' fight and flight' - in other words - stress. High levels of cortisol in the body can indicate chronic stress and laughter has been shown to reduce cortisol levels too.

So remember: Take life too seriously and you may end up with a serious disease.

More scientifically proven benefits of laughter next week.

Homeopathic Tip of the Week

Get hold of a tube of homeopathic Calendula cream. It is marvelous for grazes. When your child comes home with a grazed knee or elbow, rub some Calendula cream lovingly into the damaged skin. You may be surprised at how quickly it works. And remember, do it with a smile!

Dr Brian Kaplan MBBCh MFHom www.drkaplan.co.uk