# 89: To smack or not to smack • Good news for milk drinkers • Jogging • Homeopathic Tip: Bruises & grazes that redden the skin

To smack or not to smack, that is the question

So how does this controversial debate in the House of Lords become a medical issue? Let me explain. They want to make a law that says you should not smack your kids but if you do smack them, you shouldn't smack them too hard. So that leaves the question: When is a smack too hard? And they have an answer to this: When it reddens the skin. Ah, reddening of the skin that sounds medical doesn't it?

The inanity of this method of calibrating the severity of a smack becomes self-evident when we begin with the fact that human beings have very different colours of skin. A Swedish Caucasian is likely to have much whiter skin that will 'redden' a lot more easily than the dark skin of an indigenous Nigerian. That's bad news for Nigerian, other Africans, South Americans and other people with dark skins which will take a more severe smacking to 'redden'. Who will assess reddened skin? A doctor, a colour therapist or a specially trained policeman? Should we install CCTV cameras in every home that can zoom in on reddened skin? The nanny state must decide.

Good news for milk drinkers

Milk is a strange food. Was it meant for human consumption or was it designed for baby cows? Are we humans the only species that routinely drinks the mother's milk of another species? Anyway, drink it we do in millions of litres a day. Now the men in white coats at no less an institution than Harvard medical school, have found that milk with its high calcium content, gives 12% protection against bowel cancer, which is one of the most common cancers these days. The study looked at 500 000 people of whom 5000 eventually developed cancer of the colon. Those who drank milk every day were definitely given some protection from this severe disease. If you do drink milk every day, I definitely recommend the skimmed version. It is probably the calcium content rather that the percentage of fat that is doing the good work here.

Jogging: Good for the body, good for the mind and good for your career

Now everyone knows that jogging is good for the body and good for keeping trim. Joggers know how good it is for the mind and can even become quite depressed from the withdrawal symptoms if they cannot jog for any reason.

What is new is that jogging can expedite your rise up the corporate ladder!

According to Metro, jogging has 'become part of British corporate culture' with a quarter of all employees pounding the pavements. 40% of lawyers apparently have been offered a job while jogging with another lawyer, and one fifth of all accountants jog. Recruitment consultants praised jogging, saying that it helped them work better by increasing confidence and self esteem. As for doctors, this one jogs regularly on the athletic track at Regents Park. If you see a tall, fit, incredibly good-looking man there, he might well be me ;-).

Homeopathic tip of the week: Bruises & grazes that redden the skin

Going back to that 'reddening of the skin' issue. What can we do about genuine bruises and grazes that redden the skin. Orthodox medicine does not have much to offer but homeopathy has some useful remedies in this regard.

Arnica: Very useful for any type of injury and the top homeopathic remedy for bruising. Small bruises should not be treated with anything but when you are a bit 'black and blue' from a fall or any other cause, Arnica 30 three times a day is recommended by homeopaths all over the world.

Calendula cream: This is the homeopathic treatment of choice for all grazes. Just smear some of this wonderful cream on the graze twice a day and watch it heal.