"Take an Aspirin and call me in the morning"

An informative look at recent Holistic Fitness News

DR KAPLAN'S WEEKLY NEWSLETTER

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Now it's time for me to be a little immodest. Those of you who read this newsletter will remember that in Newsletter no. 30 (see archives), I extolled the virtues of one particular conventional medication, available over the counter - Aspirin. Research had just been published showing that Aspirin helped prevent cancers of the mouth throat and gullet. This in addition to its well-established preventative action against heart attacks together with its well-known uses in treating pain and fevers makes it a candidate for one of the great drugs of all time. (Although Penicillin the slayer of syphilis, gonorrhoea, pneumonia, meningitis and many other infections is always going to be the drug to beat).

Looking at the papers for new material, just about every headline featured the war. With one notable exception. On Wednesday, 6th April, the Daily Mail had this headline. ASPIRIN TO BEAT BREAST CANCER. Now this really caught my eye and I actually bought the Daily Mail! The cancers mentioned in Newsletter 30 (published March 16) are rare compared with the most common cancer of all which affects 10% of women in Britain.

The men in white coats at Ohio State University, have produced some incredible research. In a study of 80 thousand women between 50 and 80 they seem to have shown that those who used standard doses (300 mg) of aspirin even twice a week, might be warding off cancer of the breast. Ibuprofen and other NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) may also do the trick, but this is good news for aspirin the cheapest and safest of this group of drugs. Not that it's totally safe however. Aspirin can cause bleeding in the gut and in rare cases other serious side effects. On the whole, it's a very safe drug.

A slight disappointment with the results of the study was that the daily low dose of aspirin (75mg) to help prevent heart attacks did not seem to help ward off breast cancer. I suppose that would have just been too good to be true. A single tiny daily tablet that helps prevent two of the biggest killers in the world. Still we should all be happy about this breakthrough and grateful once again to this 'superdrug'.

Cranberry Juice!

More good new in the medical press. Cranberry juice is not only good for treating cystitis, it can also help prevent heart attacks. This time it was scientists at Scranton University in Pennsylvania that came up with the good news that 3 glasses of cranberry juice a day can help correct that all important good cholesterol/bad cholesterol ratio and may thus reduce heart attacks by 40%. That makes me want to go and buy some right now!

Now we know that two tots of alcohol a day definitely gives cardiac protection. So now we have the ultimate cocktail for preventing heart disease. It's the Sea Breeze! Here is my own special recipe for this delicious (and now we know, healthy cocktail)

Preparing a Sea Breeze
Vodka: Leave a bottle of vodka in the freezer (take a little out first) Cranberry juice: can be left in fridge or put in freezer for an hour before preparation. Grapefruit Juice: (pink is good but any will do) also make sure it's cold. Ice: don't forget it.

Put 2 parts vodka, 4 parts cranberry juice and 2 parts grapefruit juice into your cocktail shaker together will lots of ice (crushed if you can be bothered). Shake hard and serve. Enjoy with a clear conscience.

Cheers!

Homeopathic Tip of the Week

As the hayfever season is about to start, many people will be looking at alternatives to anti-histamines and various nasal sprays, some of which contain steroids.

It is possible to try to treat hayfever with homeopathy but best results come from consulting a homeopath and being prescribed a remedy based on your personal hayfever symptoms. Here are two examples of well-known homeopathic remedies for hayfever.

Euphrasia: especially useful when the hayfever particularly affects the eyes. Itchy eyes and a bland discharge from the nose are the main indications for this remedy

Allium cepa: Here the discharge from the nose is irritating and corrosive. The eyes may water without irritation.

As usual, if you are self-prescribing, it's best to take the remedy in 6c strength 2 to 3 times a day.

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