‘A Spoonful of Sugar’ ? – To Be Taken With A Pinch Of Salt?

In an age where we are surrounded by media promises of cures for almost every medical complaint, it is perhaps time for me to consider the relevance of ‘The Old Wives’ Tales’ in the 21st Century.

As teenagers we were given our polio vaccine on a lump of sugar. The vaccine itself was a wonder drug. Iron lungs became unnecessary and polio has been eradicated in many parts of the world. A routine ‘few drops on the tongue’ was often the preferred method of administering the vaccine in later years. Other immunisations, for babies in particular, still had to involve injections. The babies cried!

Recently I read that research has shown, ‘Babies do feel pain, so a sweet item given at the same time as an injection, helps their whole system to cope’.

Mary Poppins knew that. My Mum knew that. Every baby’s Mum knows that.

When I first started to suffer panic attacks, I had never even heard of them. All I knew was the dreadful feeling of fear and anxiety with no apparent cause. At last I managed to talk to a friend about the problem. After explaining about the use of adrenalin in the body, the friend advised a quick self-help treatment; a spoonful of sugar!

Sportsmen and students have long used sugar in some form as a quick energy boost, but diabetics know that they need to be careful about having sugar. In my case, a cup of tea with sugar in is fine occasionally, whereas fruit is only a very special treat.

Fads and fashions change nearly as often in diets as in clothes. Mum used to say that any food was fine in moderation, and that even water was a poison in excess.

‘A cuppa and a chat’ with friends has long been one of my favourite pastimes. It is surprising how often we can solve the most difficult problems in our lives – with or without sugar in the tea.

We may also decide that the latest media scare-story about sugar and other foods should be ‘taken with a pinch of salt’.

Mary Garratt
February 2009