Instruction holds water
way that would give reliable results. Indeed Harvard Medical School found some oils marketed for oil pulling contained potentially harmful levels of lead, mercury and even arsenic.
There is also a risk that if the oil gets into the lungs it could cause pneumonia and there have been reports that accidentally swallowing the oil has caused stomach upsets and diarrhoea.
So I don’t recommend the practice and suggest you use a standard mouthwash instead.
I RECENTLY became a vegetarian and decided to carry out some research into any likely pitfalls of such a diet. Is it possible to get enough B12 from plant sources?
AVITAMIN B12 is required to make new cells in the body including red blood cells. Low levels of vitamin B12 can lead to anaemia, causing tiredness and feeling faint. It can also lead to a sore mouth. Problems with nerves can also develop, leading to numbness and pins and needles.
The best source of vitamin B12 is red meat and this means that vegetarians are more at risk of a vitamin B12 deficiency.
However, it is also found in fish, eggs and milk and many breakfast cereals are fortified with vitamin B12.
So as long as you are eating a healthy balance of foods then you should be okay, although pregnant and breast-feeding vegetarians should take a supplement. If you are vegan and not eating foods of animal origin, then you will also need a supplement as B12 is not found in fruit or vegetables. YOU recently replied to a query from the mother of a woman with Down’s syndrome whose hair is fragile and thin, suggesting dietary supplements and the use of a good conditioner.
I’d suggest there’s far too much emphasis on shampooing. We’ve become fixated on bathing and endless hair-washing. Steady, gentle brushing will remove dust and brushing massages the scalp and removes dry skin.
Brushing refreshes the hair and makes it sit better. It seems so counter-productive to shampoo the hair, inevitably removing precious oils and then to apply conditioner to replace the loss. The products’ chemicals may be damaging to this head of hair.
Ruth Chipperfield, Dublin
If you have a health question for Dr Rosemary please write to her in confidence at The Northern & Shell Building, 10 Lower Thames Street, London EC3R 6EN or email health@express.co.uk
Dr Rosemary’s reply will appear in this column. She regrets that she cannot enter into personal correspondence and that, due to the volume of letters, she cannot reply to everyone. Find out more about Dr Rosemary at drrosemaryleonard.co.uk MADE with real fruit pieces, Danone’s new Light & Free fat-free yogurts (£2.49 for four 115g pots) are so tasty and only contain 58 calories a pot. Available in strawberry, cherry, raspberry, passionfruit, blueberry and peach. Stockists: Tesco, Asda, Waitrose and Sainsbury’s.