Breath, eat and procreate?

An informative look at recent Holistic Fitness News

DR KAPLAN'S WEEKLY NEWSLETTER

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There are certain requirements for the human race to survive. We need to eat, breath and reproduce. We also need shelter from the broiling sun and the freezing cold. Doctors can't prescribe adequate housing for the nation but we can keep an eye on the food, breath and sexual habits of the nation.

I have written extensively in this column about eating. For my views on the fashionable Atkins diet, chocolate, multivitamin tablets etc. etc. look for the relevant titles in the archives of previous newsletters.

So what about breathing? We all know how to breathe, right? Wrong, actually. Most of us don't use our diaphragms and abdominal muscles properly, but I will leave breathing exercises to a future article. This is because this week my attention was caught by a survey of the sexual habits of the British. On Monday, the Evening Standard published a big article on the results of the survey. Here are some of the things they found. First the good news. Britons are quite adventurous in bed. Most would like to try a variety of positions and only 10% favour the missionary position. 23% of the adult nation have tried a threesome and 44% would like to, but are too scared to ask their partners. This is particularly interesting as two thirds of the respondents were women and three quarters were in established relationships. Now for the bad news. The average length of sexual engagement is only 15 minutes which led the Standard to suggest that we are 'more sprinters than marathon runners'.

Well as far as I'm concerned, sex is a good thing, especially safe sex between consenting adults. 15 minutes? Didn't Andy Warhol say that we are all entitled to 15 minutes of fame?

The other article to catch my attention this week was the following 'health scare'. Ties, yes neckties. Apparently wearing ties can increase your chances of suffering from glaucoma, a disease where the pressure in the eye is too high and needs urgent treatment. The Independent reported that over-tight neckties can constrict the jugular vein thereby indirectly increasing the pressure in the eyeball. The men in white coats at The New York Eye & Ear Infirmary actually proved this by measuring the pressure in the same men with and without neckties. The eye doctors recommended that we shouldn't wear our ties too tight, especially men with 'thick necks'.

So what can we conclude from all this? Perhaps this: Always loosen your tie before sex, relax and try to take your time.

Homeopathic Tip

Constriction around the neck was the theme of that article about ties and glaucoma. Some people feel a certain constriction or 'ball in the throat' feeling when they are very anxious. Now a feeling of constriction in the throat can be due to many other causes as well, so if you experience this you should definitely consult your doctor. However if s/he says that it's due to nerves and not to worry about it, you could safely try the homeopathic remedy, Ignatia. Take Ignatia 6 hourly for a few hours when you have this feeling is what most homeopaths would recommend - but only after your doctor has checked you out.

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