Health 'Horoscopes' or 'Health Horrorscopes?'

An informative look at recent Holistic Fitness News

DR KAPLAN'S WEEKLY NEWSLETTER

Return to the Fitness training News and Holistic Health Archive

The geneticists were back in the news this week with news that you can now find out quite a lot about what the future holds for you. Medically speaking of course.

All you have to do is send a little DNA (blood, saliva etc. it's not a problem) to the relevant laboratory in the USA (where else?) and wait a couple of weeks. You will then get a report on what your genes say about your life expectancy and what disease you might get. Scientists weren't very happy about this, saying we know too little about genes and medical conditions to offer these tests to the public (a snitch at between £200 and £400 a go).

Maybe things are changing too quickly for the doctor writing this newsletter. Maybe genetics is the 'new rock and roll'. Maybe when we consider who we should marry and make a family with, we should think less about looks, personality and financial security and more about genes. Maybe online dating agencies will soon include DNA profiles. "Overweight, unfit and unemployed male smoker with an A+ DNA profile seeks employed female with high sex drive. Prospects good for next generation." Maybe!

Toothbrushes: Mechanical or Electric

Did you see the Sex and the City episode where Carrie tried to get a 'commitment' from her boyfriend by getting his permission to leave her toothbrush at his flat? He responded by presenting her with a 'head' for his electric toothbrush, thus neatly avoiding any implied commitment. Question is: Are these rotating electric brushes any more effective than the old fashioned brushes on a stick?

The answer is: 'It ain't necessarily so!' No fewer than 29 trials of all sorts of mechanical and electric toothbrushes showed that most of the electric brushes were no better than the mechanical ones, although always more expensive. The exception was the so-called 'oscillation-rotation' brush which spins one way then the other. This brush apparently does remove a bit more plaque than all the other types and is more protective against gum disease.

However, more important than which way the brush spins is your brushing technique. You've got to get under the gum line and make sure you include all the awkward little corners and crannies. As with most things it seems that the tool is less important than how you use it!

Homeopathy on Trial

The Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine published a trial of the famous homeopathic remedy, Arnica. Arnica has a reputation for treating all sorts of injuries so they decided to give either Arnica or placebo to 64 patients having had wrist surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome. The results showed that the patients who received Arnica did no better than those receiving blank pills.

The trial was scientifically well-conducted but flawed in that it used a conventional model to test an holistic form of treatment. Homeopaths like to treat each patient as an individual case. That is why we like to spend a considerable amount of time with every patient. It's not a matter of one medicine for one disease as it is in conventional medicine. Even in cases of injury there are several medicines that might be chosen (as I've shown below). Trials that use the orthodox model of one disease to be treated by one medicine are not the right way to test homeopathy. Other models are indeed possible, but tend to be time-consuming and expensive.

Homeopathic Tip of the Week

As the homeopathic remedy, ARNICA was very much in the medical news this week, let's have a look at how it's been used clinically for many years by homeopaths all over the world.

Arnica montana is a plant that grows in the Alps. Interestingly it is consumed by mountain goats whenever these creatures fall and hurt themselves.

It is the main homeopathic remedy for any type of injury or bruising. If you've been in a bruising football match, or you have slightly overdone your workout at the gymn and feel a bit sore and achey, Arnica is your remedy. You could use the easily obtainable 6c four times a day for a few days. For more severe bruising, such as after abdominal surgery or childbirth, Arnica 30c three times a day for a few days is generally recommended. Arnica cream is used quite a lot by the general public. It is used much less by homeopathic professionals who feel the oral pills get much better results. There is no harm, however, in rubbing Arnica cream on to bruises.

It is important to note that although Arnica is by far the most famous homeopathic remedy for trauma and bruising it is far from the only homeopathic remedy for injury. Here are some of the others with a few pointers to their clinical usage.

Bellis perennis: recommended for 'soft-tissue' injuries. (such as internal bruising and injuries to breasts and genitalia)

Ledum: good reputation in treating a black eye.

Hypericum: nerve injuries - good for when you trap your fingers in a door or car window and sometimes useful for injuries to the spine.

Natrum sulphuricum: good remedy for the 'never well since a head injury' syndrome, although obviously this should also be checked out by a medical doctor.

Dr Kaplan's personal website is: www.drkaplan.co.uk and his practice website is www.140harleystreet.co.uk and he can be contacted on (020) 7487 3416