What Seems Good Is Bad, What Seems Bad Is Good!

There are several things that I do time after time then wish I hadn't! None of them is life changing, just irritating to me. Fish and chips is one of these things.

Now I have to own up and say that this British meal, of all meals (it's actually a Jewish meal) is not one of my favourite things to eat. I wasn't brought up eating this kind of food, although we were allowed fish cakes from the local fish and chip shop from time to time. But every now and then, usually when I'm very hungry and feeling very lazy, I might be tempted to buy some if I'm lured by the smell while passing a fish and chip shop. The smell of fish and chips is a strange thing, because I find the smell of them repugnant when I'm not hungry, but they do have a siren-type quality if you are hungry, they call to you! Once I have eaten them, I wish that I hadn't. I can quite honestly say that I have never eaten fish and chips without feeling quite queasy afterwards, so why do I buy them? Because it seems like a good idea at the time!

On a far more serious note, unless you have been living in a cave for a week you will know that the Tories have got back into power! I'm not happy about this, but we live in a democracy, so that's the way it goes. They did wage a campaign of fear, as usual, and people fell for it, as usual. By the way if the SNP didn't want to split from Britain they would be a good party to be in power because they make a lot of sense about a lot of things, but I think we are one nation and should stay that way.

One of the first things the Tories have announced on getting back into power is that they are going to abolish the human rights act! What, you're not bothered? Sorry, but you mustn't have heard me properly. The leaders of a free and democratic country are planning to abolish the human rights act! Sorry, it's my mistake: they are doing it because they care so much about you. Those naughty terrorists will blow us all up unless we hand over our rights of freedom to our loving, beloved leaders. Was that too dramatic, do you think? We have covert forces working day and night against the threat of terrorism. By terrorism, do they just mean fundamental Islamic groups, or are the Christian fundamentalists included? Is this so we can ship people out of the country that we don't... sorry, they don't, like. What about non-doms who are wanted for crimes in other countries, or big conglomerates who avoid paying tax, are we shipping them out, too?

This is the ploy that the Tories use every time, they are stripping away people's rights, and masking it with fear! Remember, this is a party that devoted just seven words, that' s 7 words, to welfare reform in their manifesto: 'We will find £12billion from welfare savings'. Whereas on polar bears: 'We will push for full endangered species status for polar bears and a ban on international trade in polar bear skins'. I make that twenty one words on polar bears. Now you should be really scared over that. Why haven't they stated where they will find the 12billion? I think they are about to introduce some old fashioned, Greek-style austerity on us, but don't worry it will serve to strengthen our economy, just like we had in the Victorian times, no rights, no money and no hope!

But also, something that on the face of it looks bad, is in my mind, quite good.

The British Medical Council has announced that it is to recommend that doctors stop prescribing so many drugs. I'm just still trying to work out if this is another Tory ploy to save money, but I do agree that here in Britain people expect a tablet for everything. I'm not talking about people that are seriously ill or have long-term illnesses.

It has long since been recognised the placebo effect is very powerful. That's why faith healers and homoeopaths are so successful. Well that and the fact that people who use them usually are having conventional medical treatment at the same time.

When people get a little bit of an ache in this country they run for the medicine cabinet and take a pill for it. They have lost the tolerance to pain. I do not take pain killers, and on the whole I don't ever have any pain. I know you're a martyr to your back, leg, arm, or headaches. I know without these pills that are advertised everyday on TV you couldn't function. I know its OK for me to spout off about this, but I'm lucky because I don't have any pains. But I do get aches and pains, I just deal with them in a different way and they go, just like most illnesses do! Do not underestimate the body's ability to heal itself. You do not need antibiotics for viruses, they will clear up without them, trust me. Have a word with your doctor, he/she will explain it to you. Do without your tablets for a month or so and you will find that the pain will subside: the tablets are usually the problem in the first place.

Lifestyle is also a big factor in your health. We are in the grips of a diabetes epidemic. I'm not being over dramatic here: type two diabetes is becoming one of the biggest drains on the health service. In most cases this is down to lifestyle, but people are not willing to change their lifestyle, they want a pill instead. I know people who have been told they may lose a leg if they don't change their lives, but they still carry on regardless!

So even though it seems like doctors not giving out pills is a bad thing, trust me, in the long run, it's a good thing. Viruses are becoming immune to antibiotics because of our over-use of them. When you get a cold, you don't need paracetamol - that's a painkiller. Wrap up, make some soup and chill out, it will pass.

But if I were you, I would try to keep away from those fish and chips!