Medical Hero

An informative look at recent Holistic Fitness News

DR KAPLAN'S WEEKLY NEWSLETTER

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I'd like to start by paying tribute to a truly heroic doctor, Dr Carlo Urbani, who died on March 29 after contracting Sars. At a time when medicine in the West seems to have more to do with accountants, lawyers and insurance brokers, it was heartening to read of a doctor who held medical ethics at a higher level than his own life.

Born in Italy and an expert in parasitology, Urbani had accepted the Nobel Peace Prize for Medicens Sans Frontieres in 1999 and was renowned as a clinician of awesome diagnostic powers. It was his quick thinking to realise that a businessman who had fallen ill in Hanoi had been in the same hotel as a doctor from Guangdong, where stories of a deadly but atypical pneumonia were coming from. As soon as made the connection, Urbani, knew how dangerous the situation was. Nevertheless he stayed with his patient, ordering tests and establishing the origin of the infection. By doing this, he made the world aware of the dangers of Sars and saved countless lives. Unfortunately doctors are not (as the myth sometimes states) immune from catching diseases from their patients. A father of 3, Dr Urbani was begged by his wife to stop investigating the case as she and the world began to get knowledge of how dangerous this new disease was. He refused, saying: "If I can't work in such situations, what am I here for?" This is the stuff that medical heroes are made of.

The 'Yogurt Diet'

From the men in white coats at the University of Tennessee, comes some interesting news for the few of you out there who want to lose weight. Fat-free yogurt may really give you an edge. The study showed that people receiving a high calcium diet (mainly through 3 servings of yogurt) lost more weight than those simply getting the RDA (recommended daily allowance of Calcium). They also maintained more body muscle, which is important as loss of muscle is always a problem in dieting. A study worthy of note; so eat more yogurt, but forget the fancy, the full-milk and the flavoured and eat only the fat-free!

"Celebrity Worship Syndrome"

Heard of this disease? I hadn't until the Daily Mail wrote about it this week. Everyone knows someone suffering from the milder version where the sufferer is merely a bit obsessed with their chosen celebrity and constantly talks about him or her. However 2% of celebrity worshippers could be considered mentally ill as they thought they had a special relationship with their celebrity and that the celebrity knew and cared about them. Some were even prepared to die for their idol. In 20 years of medicine, I've seen exactly one case of this illness and it is a truly heartbreaking disease to witness as the patient is absolutely convinced that one day they will be much closer to their hero. Personally I think it's better to choose role models from friends and family closer to home rather than from those thrust down your throat on the television.

Homeopathic Tip of the Week

Exercise is great but sometimes we all overdo it a bit and feel bruised and sore the next day. When this happens, a few doses of Arnica 6 (one four times a day for a few days) is the homeopathic medicine of choice. At a gymn, you should never overdo things but in sporting contests such as football games or marathons, people like to give 'their all' and pay the price. Arnica has a great reputation in these situations.

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