Sunday 16 January 2011

The Ordeal at the Opticians and Flu Jabs flim flam

I know I appear to be seriously addicted to blogging at the moment, but it's partly as I have the time to write at the moment...and with all the stuff I have lined up for this term just around the corner, I thought I'd better squeeze in a few entries while the going is good. Mind you, when I used to have a blog on MySpace I found writing a great outlet for all my stress, although I'm not sure my readers thought so! So some serious moaning and whinging might occur...you have been warned!
Spent two hours at the contact lens clinic yesterday....hmpf! I'm due some new lenses, and as I have a very high prescription I go to a specialist in Birmingham... and he has the most up to date state-of-the-art equipment you can find in the country, as he proudly told me! Anyway they said 40 mins, so Sid sat patiently in the waiting room, but in the end he fell asleep..which is just as well considering the time it finally took. I had to have the pressure measured (for Glaucoma- my Mum had it), a special scan (in case of retinal tears or detachments), various computer pictures taken, and a full sight test by two different people (at least they are thorough!). And in between all that glasses on, glasses off, contact lenses in, contact lenses out, glasses back on, old lenses back in...phew! What a palaver...BUT I'm very grateful I was born now, and not 100 years ago as with my poor level of sight my life would have been very limited and not very nice...and what guy would have looked at me with glasses like bottle bottoms! So... with all of that,  really no time for any proper shopping (much to Sid's relief), although I had to bribe him with a visit to Nero to even get him into any shop!

But on the way home we started talking about the flu jabs the government have been trying to persuade people to have. As dyed in the wool hippies and wierdos we are advocates of alternative therapies and complimentary treatments and lifestyle, so we were both horrified to discover that these jabs contain amongst other things, formaldehyde (used for preserving dead bodies), mercury (a known poison), aluminium ( suspected of contributing to Altzheimers Disease), and the stuff you put into screen wash. OMG! WHY would you want to inject those poisons into your body? And some research Peter did for the radio show stated that in fact it has (unsurprisingly) made some people ill...where's the logic in that? Call me a cynic, but I suspect the government is trying to get rid of all those expensive jabs they ordered for the flu epidemic that never was last year, and are deliberately widening the band of those they recommend to have it, at the same time as playing down the fact that deaths from flu this year are just the average expected!  A much better option in my view is swilling down some Echinacea and Vitamin C, but only if you get any symptoms. But to be honest, it really needs a completely different approach to health in this country. I like the Chinese model where people visit their doctor regularly to keep them from getting ill in the first place! The doctors would consider themselves failures if their patients got sick! I feel it's really my own responsibility to keep well, and therefore am prepared to spend money on regular treatments and therapies that are designed to keep up my levels of wellness. My favourite for some years has been Homeopathy, which can treat not only physical symptoms, but also emotional and spiritual states too, and it's changed me from an anxious, angst ridden mess, into the gorgeous woman you see today! Well, OK, it can't actually give me a facelift, but it  has helped my confidence no end!
Anyway, my classes start in earnest next week, so I may find I have little time for blogging....but we'll see. But  what with the Belly Dance Spectacular looming closer, and my 10th Anniversary Hafla on 5th Feb, not to mention the forward planning I need to do for the souk, you can see why I might be a bit busy!
More next time.........

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