Anyone for'Eagle Eyes'?

An informative look at recent Holistic Fitness News

DR KAPLAN'S WEEKLY NEWSLETTER

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Well it had to come. When they discovered that the laser could correct eyesight by shaving off fine layers of the cornea with fantastic precision, many bespectacled people were delighted. Here was normal eyesight without glasses and without the hassle of contact lenses!

What few thought at the time was that the laser technology could be used to make normal eyesight much better! The men in white coats are now using cutting edge technology, including satellite imaging to give recipients much better eyesight than mere 20/20 vision! And this for around £1700 per eye! Apparently sportsmen and women are really into the idea and rumour has it that Tiger Woods has had the treatment. I suspect it would help darts and snooker players in particular. And maybe it could entice Edgar Davids to dispense with those goggles he wears on the football pitch.

So do I recommend it? To be honest, I have always gone along with that wise American saying: "If it ain't broke don't fix it!" If you have normal eyesight, I'd be satisfied with that. The laser procedure is pretty safe but it is a surgical procedure and not entirely without risk. The interesting statistic to watch is what percentage of eye surgeons who need glasses opt for laser correction for their own vision? This procedure has been going since the early 90s and eye surgeons do need good eyesight! Still, the number of them having this procedure is too low to give me a great deal of confidence. Still, it might change with time.

The War and your Health
War talk is everywhere. In the streets, on the internet and almost all the time on television and radio. Many people irrationally feel it's their 'duty' to keep informed. However constantly thinking about the war is stressful, unhealthy and not particularly productive for anyone. Of course, we need to know what is happening in the world, but one newspaper in the morning or one TV news programme a night should suffice. Look carefully at the news and see how much of it is opinion about what is going to happen next - rather than fact. Do you really need to get stressed out about what other people think?

Do women become less intelligent when pregnant?

The answer is an emphatic NO. Many pregnant women tend to blame loss of concentration and memory lapses on their pregnancy. But a recent study showed that pregnancy has no effect either on memory or concentration. The men in white coats at Sunderland University tested several women while they were pregnant, then 6 months later and then 6 months after that. Most of the women thought that they were less mentally agile during pregnancy but the objective tests showed that their memory and concentration remained the same.

Homeopathic Tip of the Week

Let's stay with the eyes. If you suffer from easily irritated eyes or hayfever which affects your eyes more than your nose, there is a homeopathic remedy that might help you. It is called Euphrasia. It can be taken orally, Euphrasia 6c one four times a day for a few days is quite safe. However it is also available in the form of eyedrops. (Euphrasia D3 eyedrops and make sure you see the word 'sterile' on the container) These drops can also be taken four times a day either alone or in conjunction with Euphrasia 6c by mouth.

Of course, persistent red eyes may be caused by conjunctivitis. If you aren't sure whether your itchy eyes are caused by an allergy or not, you should show them to a doctor. Conjunctivitis is highly infectious but responds very well to anti-biotic eyedrops.

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