How Laser Eye Surgery Helped Me

I was a teenager when my eyesight started to go. There is so much you’re painfully conscious of at that age without adding glasses to the mix but by 18 I had to wear them full-time.

I hated glasses.

I didn’t feel like a glasses person. They didn’t suit me, even the coolest frames I could afford made me look like Corrie’s Reg Holdsworth (in my head at least) and with my prescription deteriorating every year or so, it cost me a fortune.

When I was pregnant with my first child, I tried to get contact lenses. I was partly sick of being speccy, but also worried that a baby would make short work of my wire frames just as soon as her tiny fingers could grab them.

The lady in the optician’s that day was very kind and patient as I sweated and had to put my head between my knees (which was rather difficult given I was five month’s pregnant).

I was so scared of fiddling with my eyes that the very idea of it made me faint. In the end, she put them in for me and I felt amazing. Until I had to try and take them out, and couldn’t do it without heaving.

She took them out for me and I decided against contacts.

I tried again a few years later. Again the optician’s assistant had to scrape the lenses out, that time with spangly acrylic fingernails. That day I did faint. And then I was sick.

I knew I’d never get my head around contacts, not with all the practise and patience in the world but I was desperately unhappy wearing specs.

When my husband and I got married, I refused to wear them, and lurched down the aisle holding onto my dad for dear life. The photographs from the day are beautiful, which is lucky, as at the time I didn’t really see the cake or my new husband looking smart and gorgeous.

I’d danced around the idea of laser eye surgery for years, but always talked myself out of it due to the cost, the grossness or the pain.

Eventually, with my 30th birthday looming I faced my fears.

The cost? Yes, it costs money, but I was spending about £200 every two years on glasses, never mind prescriptions sunglasses. So that one didn’t really stand up…

The grossness? The pain? I’ve given birth to three children.

All three births were a lot longer, more painful and icky than anything a laser could do. Yes, the idea of things happening to my eyes made me feel faint, but I kept telling myself it was a few minutes on either side for the benefit of no more specs.

I spoke to friends that had been treated, and every one of them raved about it. The  pain, they said, was more discomfort, and you were given plenty of drops.

There was nothing to lose. I went for a pre-surgery appointment at Optimax in Croydon. Realistically, it was little more than a normal eye test just with the chance to ask lots of questions (which I did).

Has anyone ever gone blind? No.
How soon can I drive? Soon after, maybe even the next day.
Will it hurt? A bit, but not for long.
What if I move? The laser shuts off instantly.

And so on… They were answered at length, with patience – I suspect they’re the same questions everyone asked.

The only person rolling their eyes was my daughter, brought along for moral support.

I was given bumf to read, terms and conditions to go through, and a date… the all important date. The surgery date.

It rolled around quickly, and several times I nearly cancelled. The truth was, for all my fear, there was never a reason to cancel that was more compelling than the idea of a glasses-free life.

On the day of surgery, I arrived with my husband and youngest child and started to go through the pile of paperwork detailing every possible – if very unlikely – side effect. I wanted to ignore them all, close my eyes and just scrawl my signature across the top but I had to go through and initial every point, to show I really had considered it.

I met the doctor, a softly spoken older gentleman who has been fixing eyes since way before I was born. He answered all my last minute (largely ridiculous) questions and I was given a cup of tea.

The ‘LASER IS ON’ sign pinged into life above an airlock-style door and I was called through.

Perhaps it was all the questions, or the slightly-green complexion, but despite my faux protestations, one of the receptionists came in and held my hand throughout the treatment. That human touch helped to hold me in my chair, and – slightly shaking- I followed all the instructions: be still, look up, look down, stare into the light.

Yes, at times, it was weird. My eyes were numbed but the skin around them wasn’t, so I could feel the outside of the contraption holding them open, but couldn’t feel it touching my eyes.

Because every detail of the surgery had been detailed to me, I knew when they were doing the ickiest bits – like making a tiny flap of cornea. That was the only time I nearly bolted.

About 15 minutes later it was over. I was led into a private room, brought a cup of tea and left to relax with my eyes closed. When I opened them, while stinging slightly, I could see. I could see better than before. I could see my husband and baby coming in to cuddle me.

I went home by taxi and slept for a couple of hours with eye shields on and that night I watched a film, without my glasses. It was breathtaking.
The next day I returned for my after care appointment and drove home, perfectly safely, with better than 20-20 vision.

A few months on and I can honestly say it has changed my life. Things that were completely out of bounds to me are feasible, sports, going out and being able to see my friends on a night out rather than staggering around, squinting; swimming with my kids.

But more than practical stuff, the effect on my confidence has blown me away. In fact, I feel pretty sad when I realise how ragged my self-image was before. Without glasses, I would feel vulnerable and stumbling; wearing glasses I would feel so out of place and frumpy. Either way, I wasn’t able to be myself, and throughout my twenties I missed out in ways I didn’t even realise before.

Since surgery, I have changed my wardrobe, wearing the clothes of a 29-year-old rather than a frumpy middle-aged woman.

I have gone out for dinner with my husband far more in the last three months than in the previous five years and I’ve even quit my job to set up my own business and work for myself. I’m not sure I would have done that six months ago.

It isn’t cheap, and it isn’t pain-free, but the discomfort and cost are minimal compared with the reawakening laser eye surgery helped me to find.  I’d recommend it to anyone.

An Apple A Day Keeps the Doctor Away – but Why?

You remember that ‘an apple a day keeps the doctor away’ phrase, probably devised by the Apple Marketing Board, but have you ever wondered what the basis of it is? Danish microbiologists think they have the answer as after feeding rates on a diet rich in whole apples, juice, or purée they found that this diet increased the amount of ‘friendly’ bacteria in the gut.

Certain bacteria are good not just for our digestive health but may also influence our risk for cancer. It is apparently the pectin, part of the dietary fibre found in apples that produces an increase in the amount of beneficial bacteria in the gut and apples also produce a chemical called butyrate,. an important fuel for the cells of the intestinal wall.

The part to bear in mind is the ‘a day’ part of the phrase as you need to eat apples regularly and over a prolonged period of time but as apples are adult’s favourite fruit then that shouldn’t be too much of a hardship. What about apple and mango puree with your breakfast?

Can Plasma Jets Replace the Dentist’s Drill?

Sounds like science fiction, but it could soon be a reality to avoid those painful sessions and target the dental bacteria that cause cavities. Scientists and dentists from Leipzig and Homburg in Germany collaborated to test the effectiveness of plasma against the bacteria that form a film on the surface of teeth and erode tooth enamel and the fibrous tooth structure underneath the enamel coating (dentin) and cause cavities. Firing low temperature plasma beams at dentin was found to reduce the amount of dental bacteria by up to 10,000-times.

These bacteria can cause you to have toothache, cavities, and sometimes severe gum infections. The researchers exposed infected teeth to plasma jets for 6, 12 or 18 seconds, and the longer the exposure then the greater the amount of bacteria that were eliminated.

Using plasma jets are a painless alternative to the drill and they could be used to remove infected tissue in tooth cavities. The low temperature of the plasma ray means they can kill the microbes while preserving the tooth and avoiding damage to the blood supply and nerves around it. and heat damage to it must be avoided at all costs.”

If you want the scientific bit; plasmas are produced when high-energy processes strip atoms of one or more of their electrons which then forms high-temperature reactive oxygen species that are capable of destroying microbes. There are hot plasmas already in use to disinfect surgical instruments and the recent development of cold plasmas with temperatures of around 40 degrees Celsius show great promise for use in dentistry.

Don’t rush to your dentist just yet though, as although this is groundbreaking work it is not likely to be widely available for at least three years.

Could Mangos Prevent Cancer?

Ever since I learned how to eat a mango – courtesy of Hercule Poirot demonstrating how to take the skin off with a dessert spoon – I have loved their flavour with both sweet and savoury foods. They make a wonderful smoothie and add sweetness to a lamb tagine but now it seems their rich blend of vitamins A and C could help prevent some types of cancer, but are particularly effective for colon cancer.

Food scientists Dr. Susanne and Steve Talcott undertook a study at Texam A&M University on five varieties of mangos that are most common in the USA. Kent, Francine, Ataulfo, Tommy/Atkins and Haden, in case you are interested, and they specifically tested polyphenol extracts from the fruit on colon, breast, lung, leukaemia and prostate cancer cells.

Polyphenols are natural substances in plants that are antioxidants with the potential to protect the body from disease and this research focused on polyphenolic compounds in mangos known as gallotannins, a class of natural bioactive compounds believed to help prevent or block the growth of cancer cells.

The results are encouraging as the mango extract demonstrated some cancer fighting ability when tested on lung, leukaemia and prostate cancer cells, but really were impressive when tested on the most common breast and colon cancers where they were found cause cancer cells to undergo apoptosis, or programmed cell death.

The researchers documented that the division process cancer cells go through was interrupted by mango extract. This is crucial information, for cells that may be on the verge of mutating or being damaged, mango polyphenolics could prevent this and so prevent cancer.

The scientists have conducted additional research on the colon cancer cell lines because mangos contain small molecules that are readily absorbed in the colon as well as larger molecules that are not absorbed and remain present longer in the colon. That could potentially make eating mangos a potent way to help prevent colon cancer.

Time to add mangos to one of your five a day?

How to Help Haiti with a ShelterBox

ShelterBox is an international disaster relief charity that delivers emergency shelter, warmth to people affected by disaster worldwide. They have already shipped a number of boxes to Haiti and these are being used by hospitals in Port au Prince to provide emergency shelter for post surgery patients. The hospital has no electricity, food, or running water and the injured are constantly coming in with untreated injuries. Doctors fear the number of people needing amputations could spiral into the thousands.

Each ShelterBox costs an average of £490 for its emergency relief contents so any amount of money you can give will help fill one more box. Virgin air has been flying them free to Miami for onward freighter transport to Haiti and lots more boxes are still needed. The UK base is in Newquay for box packing and storage and if you want to know more go to shelterbox.org and to make a donation call 0300 0300 500

Vitamin E Can Prevent Nerve Cell Death After A Stroke

A study at Ohio State University has shown that blocking the function of an enzyme in the brain with a specific kind of vitamin E can prevent nerve cells from dying after a stroke. Following the trauma of blocked blood flow associated with a stroke, an excessive amount of glutamate is released in the brain. Glutamate is a neurotransmitter that, in tiny amounts, has important roles in learning and memory. Too much of it triggers a sequence of reactions that lead to the death of brain cells, or neurons — the most damaging effects of a stroke.

Tocotrienol, a form of vitamin E, works by stopping the enzyme from releasing fatty acids that eventually kill nerve cells. It has already been studied over the last ten years and has been established that this form of vitamin E protects the brain in animals though not conclusively proved yet in humans.

Vitamin E occurs naturally in eight different forms; 4 forms of tocopherol and 4 forms of tocotrienol. While tocopherols are generally present in common vegetable oils like soy, wheat germ and sunflower, tocotrienols are concentrated in cereal grains such as oat, barley, rye, and rice bran. The various different forms of natural vitamin E have distinct functions and tocotrienol targets specific pathways to protect against neural cell death and rescues the brain after stroke injury

Tocotrienols and tocopherols are potent antioxidants that are 100% natural and can be derived from rice bran oil and palm oil distillates and are available in supplement form. Tocotrienol or TCT, is not abundant in the western diet but is a common component of a typical Southeast Asian diet.

What is interesting is that the amount of tocotrienol needed to achieve these effects is quite small — just 250 nanomolar, a concentration about 10 times lower than the average amount of tocotrienol circulating in anyone who regularly takes vitamin E. The benefits of vitamin E are well known for health, it a acts as a powerful antioxidant by neutralizing free radicals in the body that cause tissue and cellular damage and contributes to a healthy circulatory system.

Cold Weather Skin Saver

What with worrying about my roof – no it hasn’t been fixed yet – and the biting cold winds the skin on my face has taken on the texture of sandpaper – albeit the fine kind. Normal moisturisers are just not enough for this kind of skin irritation and so I turn to my favourite natural remedies which in this case is Kiwiherb Organic Calendula Ointment.

I always have organic Calendula in my natural first aid box as it helps heal cuts and sores, chapped lips, rough cracked hands or chilblains, and conditions such as eczema or dermatitis. Calendula flowers are naturally high in carotenoids, which means they are naturally anti-inflammatory and antiseptic so they effectively support your body’s ability to repair damaged skin by improving blood flow to the affected area, helping small blood vessels to seal, stem bleeding, and prevent bruising. What I like is that it calms the redness and irritation of the skin while it heals so that the skin looks much more moisturised and normal in appearance.

Calendula is safe enough to use on children and babies for conditions such as eczema, cradle cap, and nappy rash, which may flare-up over the winter months. If you have any trouble finding it locally, then call Kiwiherb’s UK distributor, Lifeplan Products Ltd, on 01455 556281, or visit their company website www.lifeplan.co.uk

Why 4 hours of TV is bad for your health and Exercise Helps The Brain

Tempting though it is in this cold weather, curling up with Cranford could be shortening your lifespan according to an Australian study. It’s not Cranford of course that is the problem, but how many hours you spend in front of the box.

The study was done by Melbourne university and found that Aussies who reported watching four or more hours of TV a day were 46% more likely to die during a 6.6-year period than those who watched less than two hours a day. That’s bad enough, but they also found that the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease during follow-up was 80% greater in the excessive viewers, although statistically, the result attained only borderline significance. Well that’s a relief, but the risk was the same whether the participants also had other risk factors such as low exercise, smoking, poor diet, high blood pressure, and abdominal obesity.

It’s not the TV that’s really to blame, but an increasing habit of living a much more sedentary life than our predecessors. The programmes are not to blame, but the habit of sitting for long periods in a chair is.

It could be time to get out of the chair and head for the hills – or at least for a brisk walk – to keep your metabolism from slowing down to unhealthy levels.

Health Bite: Exercise for Your Brain’s Health

If you need another reason to get up out of the chair, it seems that almost any amount of moderate physical activity in middle age and beyond can reduce the odds of mild cognitive impairment by 30% to 40%. As mild cognitive impairment is associated with a 5-10-fold increased risk of dementia it is worth paying attention. Previous observational studies have shown that physical activity may protect against dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, and some evidence suggests that exercise for individuals with mild cognitive impairment offers some protection, too, the authors wrote.

Research by the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota has found that the benefit applies equally to men and only when moderate exercise was undertaken — not light or vigorous physical activity. I have always been wary of vigorous activity and if this helps me solve more crossword puzzles then I am all for it. If you aren’t sure of the difference, here’s how the Mayo clinic categorised it:

• Light exercise: bowling, leisurely walking, stretching, slow dancing, and golfing using a cart.

• Moderate exercise: brisk walking, hiking, aerobics, strength training, swimming, tennis doubles, yoga, martial arts, weight lifting, moderate use of exercise machines, and golfing without use of a cart.

• Vigorous exercise: jogging, backpacking, bicycling uphill, tennis singles, racquetball, skiing, and intense or extended use of exercise machines.

US Army Finds Traumatic Brain Injuries May Be Helped by Progesterone

It’s a common misconception that it is only women who produce progesterone, though certainly men have far less of it, it is needed for many processes in the body. This naturally occurring hormone can protect damaged cells in the central and peripheral nervous systems and new research done at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, is recommending that progesterone is a viable treatment option for traumatic brain injuries.

This research has emerged because of the increase seen in traumatic brain injury among combat casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan. It is estimated that as many as 30 percent of wounded soldiers have suffered such injury and it has stimulated government interest in developing a safe and effective treatment for this complex disorder.

It seems there is growing evidence to indicate that administering progesterone after such injuries can have beneficial effects, including substantial and sustained improvements in brain function. This applies equally to men and women, as progesterone can cross the blood-brain barrier and reduce the level of swelling after a brain injury, it also significantly reduces the area of necrotic cell death and improves behavioural outcomes.

Natural progesterone was recently tested in two clinical trials for traumatic brain injury and will begin a phase 3 trial soon. The researchers concluded that given its relatively high safety profile, ease of administration, low cost and ready availability, then progesterone should be considered a viable treatment option, particularly as there is little other treatment available to brain injury patients.

Are You Measuring Out The Wrong Dose?

If you are suffering from a cough or cold, how do you measure out the dose? If you use a special spoon from the chemist, or the measuring cup that came with the product, then you are on the right track. However, millions of people just reach for a kitchen spoon and that could be a serious mistake – particularly where children are involved.

In a study published in this month’s Annals of Internal Medicine, Cornell University researchers asked 195 university students to pour out 1 tsp. (5 ml) of cold medicine into kitchen spoons of various sizes. Consistently, they got it wrong and on average poured out either 8% too little or 12% too much, depending on the size of the spoon they chose. If they picked a medium-size tablespoon they erred on the side of caution and tended to underdose, but if they used a large tablespoon, they overcompensated and overdosed which is potentially a real problem. Even worse is not using a spoon but drinking straight from the bottle which runs a double risk of both the wrong dose and spreading germs..

Twelve percent over the recommended dose may not sound like a lot, but if you are taking a medicine every four to eight hours for up to four days that is putting you in danger. Medicines for pain and cold can contain acetaminophen which can also put stress on the liver. In the USA there have been an estimated 56,000 emergency-room visits, 26,000 hospitalizations and 458 deaths related to acetaminophen overdoses over a ten year period.

This is a particular problem for two groups of people: drinkers — whose livers may already be compromised — and children. Unlike doses for adults, those for children tend to be very precise, right down to the milligram, which means even a single, small overdose is something to be avoided. Adding to the problem is the fact that the formulation of a drug for infants can differ from that for an older child: the infant’s version can actually be stronger since it is often administered in tiny amounts with a medicine dropper.

According to studies done by Dr. Benard Dreyer, a professor of paediatrics at New York University, they have done studies that show that 50% of the time, parents give the wrong dose and they recommend parents don’t use spoons at all but only the measure supplied with the medicine.

I know a lot of over-the-counter medications come with dosing cups, but many people lose them, don’t like them or don’t know how to use them and simply feel more comfortable with a spoon. Plus the fact that the level markers are not always clearly visible and you have a problem on your hands. The problem is all to do with our perception, because 5 ml on a teaspoon pretty much covers the entire surface area of the spoon and so looks like a lot to us but the same 5 ml on a large spoon somehow appears to be less, and as a result we add more.

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