It’s interesting the associations we all seem to have. The winter with Coughs and Colds (!), Vitamin C and a glass of orange juice. But would you associate Vitamin C with a reduced risk of heart disease, ageing or cancer? Probably not. 

 

Of all the vitamins, Vitamin C is the one most people have heard of. And yet seem to know so little about. So, this week, let’s dig a little deeper and find out why it’s important for good health. Not just Coughs and Colds. 

Have you noticed how creative people can be with their excuses, not to mention their little white lies?  

 

And how early this skill starts to be developed, as anyone spending time with children are all too familiar with. “The dog ate my homework.” “My Mum forgot to pack my lunch / sports kit / fill in the blank.”  

 

Not forgetting that old, catch all standby. “I don’t know what happened; it wasn’t anything to do with me (and can’t you see my halo shining brightly, as in our picture below?!?).” 

 

Not surprisingly, by the time adulthood is reached, many people have reached world class status; with a wide range of excuses ready for every eventuality. Little wonder we recently heard it suggested that this skill should really be recognised as an olympic sport (!). 

Just to prove that we listen to what people say (!) this week’s blog post is in response to a comment recently received from someone we know very well. (And, to avoid any embarrassment we won’t say who it is.) 

 

It went along the lines of “Why haven’t you done a blog about constipation, I’m fed up with being told to drink more water and eat more fruit and veg.” 

 

We can’t promise that we won’t mention water, fruit and veg but can guarantee that you’ll learn lots of other things as well. So, here we go (!). 

You may have heard this saying before or one like it. On one level is sounds so simple. Easy to apply. However it also conceals much greater truths. 

 

Even so it’s amazing how many people say they understand it – on an intellectual level – but don’t then apply it. Somehow it applies to everyone else but not them (!). 

 

Now we appreciate that some people will dismiss this as being far too new agey – “peace, love and pan pipes, man” – but, bear with us, it does make a lot of sense. 

 

Not only does it help explain why you encounter certain things in your life. And so gives you the power to change them if they’re not to your liking. But also why some things seem to keep happening over and over again. And who hasn’t experienced that?!? 

Placebo is a topic we’ve wanted to write about for a while but not easy to pin down. It’s one of those words that seems to be so misunderstood; meaning different things to different people. 

 

All too often it’s used as a “catch all” response to anything that goes against perceived wisdom – whatever that is (!) – particularly within the medical profession. The logic goes that whatever it is only works because it was expected to work by all those involved, both patient and practitioner. 

 

Hence it being used to explain – and at the same time dismiss – any approach outside the “accepted norm” that produces positive results. However, as so often is the case, life just isn’t that simple. 

While we may not like to admit it, humans are driven by their feelings. Positive and negative. Good and not so good. Those we’re fully aware of and those we’re not – even though they may be very obvious to those around us (!). 

 

Interestingly, most of the time people seem to be completely oblivious of this simple truth. And that’s regardless of whether they consider themselves more of a logical left brained person or an intuitive right brained one. 

 

We’re naturally drawn to people and things that make us feel “good” – or at least less “bad” (!) – and away from those that really make us feel “bad”. Since everyone’s idea of what constitutes “good” and “bad” is different; it’s not surprising that it can be difficult to fathom out the choices those around us are making. 

While the title of this week’s post may be stating the blindingly obvious (!), in this high tech world of ours it’s all too easy to reach for the painkillers at the first sign of any pain or discomfort. 

 

Sadly, this trend is borne out by figures recently released in America. These showed that prescriptions of opium based painkillers have increased by over 300% in the last 10 years. And, where America goes, all too often England follows. 

 

Alongside this addiction to painkillers – whether on prescription, over the counter or on the black market – is increasing at an alarming rate, particularly among teenagers and young adults. With painkillers now considered a “gateway drug” to heroin, it’s not surprising that alarm bells are ringing loudly. 

 

At the same time, by a strange twist of fate, it’s also been suggested that using opium based painkillers to manage pain over the longer term may actually increase pain, rather than helping to reduce or manage it. 

With the madness or the festive season behind us, there can be little doubt about the power of advertising. And it doesn’t matter whether it’s this year’s “must have” or part of an ongoing brand building advertising campaign. 

 

What’s particularly interesting are the comments we’ve heard from a number of people of all ages – including some who really should have known better (!) – since the new year. These have all been along the lines of “What on earth possessed me to ask for the latest gizmo / game / fill in the blank.” 

 

So how can we so easily be wooed into buying things we don’t really want – or need – or that don’t make our lives any better as a result? 

Over the last few years white refined sugar has become Public Enemy Number One, with repeated advice to remove it completely from our diets. While salt may not have quite reached that status, many column inches – and news stories – have been devoted to its impact on long term health, coupled with advice to adopt a low salt diet. 

 

At first glance this advice appears to be perfectly sensible but is it really that simple? That salt is inherently bad for us and should be removed from our diets as far as possible. 

 

While this advice makes a great soundbite – and one that’s easy to remember, if not to follow – sadly it isn’t quite that simple. 

Welcome to the first blog post of 2017 and the start of another bright shiny new year. May 2017 be a fantastic year for you! 

 

Having greeted all those we’ve met in a similarly upbeat manner for the last couple of days, it’s interesting that the majority of responses have been much less cheerful. Verging on the positively grumpy at times (!).