Sure, we have solar panels and solar powered electronics, even solar powered cars, but when you take a close look at the current technology available it all seems a bit, how can I put it?… Primitive!

Why is that, do you think?

Could it be perhaps, just ever so slightly, a small tad to do with the fact that sunshine is free? That nobody has yet figured out a way to sell it to us?

Or that the all-powerful oil companies, and the electric companies, and the gas companies just might not want us to develop efficient solar powered devices because at a stroke that would put them all out of business overnight?

Believe me, if they could find a way to package and charge us for our sunlight they would have developed far, far more sophisticated methods to harness the power of the sun by now. We would all have completely solar powered houses, and factories, and machinery, and we’d all be driving around in 200mph solar powered cars.

And boy would we be paying through the nose for it!

But no, they can’t charge us for it so they’re gonna do all they can to stop us having it.

Could this also be the reason why the medical profession has always warned us to cover up, smother ourselves with sunscreens and stay out of the sun lest we shrivel up and die?

Could it be that if they really admitted how beneficial the sun was for us, how essential to life it really is, and how it helps to cure many ailments (including cancers), then the pharmaceutical companies would also be reeling as we abandoned them in droves to go and lie in it?

And think of this: besides all the pills, and prescriptions, and drugs, and cr@p they sell us every minute of every day, who do you think makes all the suntan lotions?

They’re not stupid, are they? Which can only mean that we must be!

Why the sudden change of heart?

What’s made them go from ‘cover up and stay out of the sun between the hours of 4am and 11pm’ to ‘get your kit off and enjoy a bit of sunbathing whenever you can’?

Ok, that’s not what they’re really saying but it does seem that the sun has been given a new lease of life.

It has been turned miraculously from big bad cancer-causing bringer-of-death to all-encompassing ailment-curing giver-of-life. Two very extreme extremes.

Now, no-one can deny that over-exposure to the midday sun can damage your skin and also may cause skin cancers or melanomas. But it seems the medical profession now believes that under-exposure to sunlight can have just as disastrous consequences.

So which point of view is correct?

I have never subscribed to the ’stay out of the sun or die’ kind of scaremongering. The one basic fact that nobody can argue with is that ALL life on this planet depends on it. If the sun went out EVERYTHING on earth would die. Period.

So don’t you think that in the few thousand years of human habitation of this planet we might just have come to harness, rely on and adapt to it’s life-giving properties? And that to try to hide from it or ignore its existence is kind of stupid?

I’ve lived in southern Spain for the last four years so I know a thing or two about sunshine. Let me give you a little example of my personal experience of it.

Before I came here I lived in the UK so I didn’t get to see it much! I was always a bit prone to getting colds, or flu, or whatever nasty virus happened to be going around. I also suffered from rosacea.

For those of you who don’t know what this is, it’s basically a kind of raw redness around the face, cheeks, nose and mouth. There is no actual ‘cure’ for this but it can be controlled by antibiotics, diet, lifestyle, etc.

Believe it or not, besides the usual advice to stay off dairy foods and avoid spicy foods and alcohol (yeah, right!), my doctor actually advised me to stay out of the sun. I ignored him however because I know my own face better than most and I knew that when I did get the odd half-day of sunshine my face felt a bit better.

So back to Spain. First of all let me say that I do not sunbathe. I lie on a lilo on the pool occasionally but that’s it. If the sun’s out I sit in the shade. But the sun shines here ALL the time so whatever I do – walking, driving, shopping – I’m exposed to it. It’s just a fact of life now.

And my health?

Couldn’t be better! I can’t remember the last time I had a cold – or any ailment really. And most significantly my rosacea has completely gone. I haven’t used a single anti-biotic, or dietary control, or alcohol reduction since I’ve been here. It’s gone because the Spanish sunshine made it go away. Simple as that.

So in my eyes the sun is a friend that can do no wrong. But a friend that has to be treated with respect. Dis the sun and you’ll regret it big-time!

I see it all the time. From the Brits who come here for their two weeks of sun looking like boiled lobsters on their first day to the ex-pats who’ve been here twenty years and whose skin looks like a dark and well-grained saddlebag. Some people just don’t get it, do they?

Moderation, my friends, moderation. Like everything in life a little of what you fancy does you good. The odd trough of curry, or vat of wine, or 4lb t-bone won’t hurt you once in a while. But do it every day and you’re gonna die.

It’s the same with the sun. Get to know it, expose that pasty body and enjoy its life-giving properties as often as you can. But don’t be an idiot, listen to your skin, it will tell you when enough’s enough. When that happens go get a beer and sit in the shade.

The sun can be your best friend or your worst enemy, the giver-of-life or the bringer-of-death. The beauty of it is the choice is entirely yours. Make the right one.

A hardcore section of inhalers are up in arms about it, calling it an attack on their personal freedom, interference by the nanny state, political correctness gone mad, etc., etc.

Now, as you’ll get to know, I am the first to take issue when the subject of state nannyism or personal freedom raises its ugly head but I’m afraid I can’t seem to muster up much support for the pro-smoking lobby over this one.

Yes, I agree that they should be free to smoke if they want to. And yes, I agree that they should fight with everything they have to retain that right.

But the only teensy-weensy little stipulation I would make is that when they smoke their stinking weed they do it without making me smoke it as well. If they can just do that one little thing then I’m right behind them.

No matter what anyone says, you can’t argue against the fact that smoking is pretty damned anti-social. As well as the very real health hazards involved, it makes your house, your car, your hair, your clothes and your breath smell like an old ashtray.

That’s fine if that is what you want but unfortunately it has the same effect on all those around you and everywhere you go. Worst of all, it has the same effect on me if I happen to be sitting at the next table – and that is definitely not what I want.

The real crux of the matter here is that smoking in public places just isn’t something you can do on your own. So these smokers’ defence of their right to smoke whenever and wherever they want does not only affect them, it affects me and thousands like me. We all have to join in with their habit whether we smoke or not.

Now this may seem quite surprising to you smokers but there are a lot of us who don’t actually want to do that; according to Cancer Research UK, 85% of us. That’s an awful lot of public opinion.

I agree whole-heartedly that smoking should be restricted in indoor public places where it affects other people’s well-being and comfort. Where’s the hardship in going outside to light up?

If you want to smoke that’s fine with me, you have the right to make that decision over your life. But if that decision affects my health or the length of my life then don’t be surprised if I come over and throw my beer over you.

After all, I’m only exercising my right to not smoke.

There are many reasons and causes that give rise to this condition and the first thing to do is differentiate between plain-old bad breath and the more serious halitosis.

Bad breath.

By ‘bad breath’ I am not talking about the temporary kind. Like ‘garlic breath’ or the morning after ‘beer breath’. These are generally just passing problems that go away over time. You can use mouth fresheners and similar products to mask it until you recover your normal sweet-smelling gob!

People who have more serious, persistent bad breath can also generally do something about it themselves, providing it’s not a medical condition. (In which case see halitosis below.) It’s called Oral Hygiene.

Poor oral hygiene is the commonest cause of bad breath. Some people simply do not look after their mouth or teeth properly. Everyone should understand that teeth and mouths need to be cared for and cleaned regularly and frequently to prevent not only bad breath but other problems as well.

Plaque, festering food particles, bacteria, yeast and other revolting stuff in the mouth will all cause your breath to stink and need to be eliminated by careful cleaning and treatment.

Come on guys, it’s not hard, get the toothbrush and the floss out. This is something every one of us can do without the help of a doctor or a dentist. (Or a soldier, a sailor or a candlestick maker!) Nine times out of ten this is all you’ll need to do to get rid of your problem.

Halitosis.

People who suffer with chronic halitosis have a different problem. They need to find out what it is and get it treated. This condition should not be ignored but should be carefully looked at. It may be as simple as a person’s dietary intake or may be something more severe.

A person with chronic Halitosis should see a doctor to make sure there is not an underlying medical condition that requires treatment. Doctors are well aware of the fact that bad breath is not always a matter of poor hygiene. You need someone to understand this and help you to deal with it effectively.

There are many medical conditions that can cause halitosis. For instance, you may have diabetes and not know it. Surveys show that large numbers of people may suffer from diabetes for years without them ever realising it. Diabetes is a common contrbutory factor to halitosis.

Sometimes a medication may be having a side effect of causing it. In this case a doctor can quickly determine the cause and can offer suggestions for getting the problem under control. There are numerous other medical causes of halitosis. If you think you have a problem see a doctor, that’s what they’re for.

In Conclusion.

There are many causes of bad breath, but as long as you do not have a medical condition that is causing it in most cases simple oral hygiene, coupled with dietary awareness, will do the trick.

The mouth is a lovely warm, moist place that will very quickly smell horrible if you have the contents of a garbage can left over in your mouth and stuck between your teeth. So oral hygiene is by far the best remedy for making sure that your breath is as fresh as possible.

This is the most important thing you can do and if you do not take care of it then your bad breath will turn into a much bigger problem than it needs to be. If you do not want to have to deal with the repercussions of having chronic halitosis, you should clean your teeth more and see your dentist regularly.

If you think you have a more serious condition, or a medical problem, you should definitely talk to a doctor sooner rather than later.

Until you get this aspect of your life under control don’t be surprised if you always seem to find yourself on your own at parties.

The top echelons of the UK medical profession have stated that more than half the UK is either overweight or obese. Apparently over 70% of men and 63% of women are classed in this category. That’s an awful lot of fat people.

These wise old sages are also concerned that obesity is growing among children at an alarming rate and are urging the government to do something about it before it’s too late. The government?!

All they’re gonna do is knock the ball around the court, have a few ‘consultations’, a couple of ‘major debates’ and hope they can ride it out until they’re out of power and the next poor sap has to field it. Situation normal there then.

But first of all how do you define obesity? Apparently you have to use the Body Mass Index, or BMI. This is arrived at by dividing your weight in kilos by your height in meters squared. A BMI of over 25 is classified as overweight and a BMI of 30 or over is obese.

Lets work it out then: in my case, the weight is 71 kilos and the height is 1.83 mtrs. My height squared is 3.35, so 71 divided by 3.35 gives me a BMI of 21. There you have it: I am officially not obese. Well that’s a relief!

Of course, I could have told you that myself, all I have to do is look in the mirror and I see a tall and gangly beanpole!

But what if I was a keen body-builder or sportsman? All those years of training would surely have put on a considerable amount of muscle and, as we all know, muscle weighs heavier than fat.

So let’s assume that I now weigh 13½ stone which is not unreasonable for the finely-honed, super-fit athlete that I now am. You can do the maths if you want but take my word for it, the result is a BMI of 25.6 – I am now officially overweight.

To take it a stage further: if I was a world-class heavyweight boxer weighing in at 15½ stone I would have a BMI of 29.5 and would almost be classed as obese!

Ok, I’m not suggesting for a moment that the BMI figures are wildly out because of the above examples, but it’s widely admitted that the BMI can be somewhat unreliable as a guage of obesity.

What I am suggesting is that you don’t need a doctor, or a professor, or a government, or a BMI to tell you whether or not you are obese. Just take your clothes off, stand in front of the mirror and have a good look at what you see – you’ll know.

To understand and tackle the problem we don’t need a toothless bloody government, what use are they most of the time anyway? No folks, what we need is a reality check. We need to stop pussy-footing about, ditch the political correctness and face up to reality: Obesity is not about weight, it’s about FAT.

It’s about commercialism, marketing and lack of education. It’s about chocolate, sweets, burgers, pizzas, processed food, chips with everything, bingeing, beer and take-aways. It’s about filling our bellys with trash.

It’s about ignorance, laziness, couch potatoes, Neighbours, Eastenders (UK soaps), ‘reality’ tv, computer games, driving 300 yards to pick up the papers and being driven half a mile to school.

It’s about not buying fresh fruit and veg, not cooking balanced meals, not getting any physical exercise and parents not educating themselves or their children to eat healthily.

You can’t blame the kids, it’s not their fault. One report has said that obesity among children aged two to four almost doubled between 1989 and 1998, from 5 per cent to 9 per cent. Children aged two to four!?

How many of that age group are capable of making their own decisions on what is good for them? All they care about is how sweet it is and which cartoon character is on the packaging. But they can’t get hooked on this rubbish if their parents don’t give it to them, can they?

What’s needed is for parents to stop slobbing out in front of the telly with a pizza and take an interest in what they’re putting into their and their children’s mouths.

They need to be educating their children’s palates away from all this processed garbage and getting some real food and some fruit and veg down ‘em. That’s basically all there is to it. Stop looking for somebody to blame and deal with it.

The sooner families start to realise this the healthier it is going to be for our future. The frightening alternative is looming large (sorry, last one!) across the Atlantic.