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W
NE
WHATDOCTORS
DONT TELL YOU
How theUK
lied about
the MMR jab
THE BEST
FOODS FOR
YOUR MOODS
Why calorie counting
doesnt work and what will
How to
survive your
hospital stay
13
steps
to healthy
teeth and a
healthy you
ways to
y safely
The safest
cosmetics
9 771352 124003
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04
Take control of your own health
ITORAL
EDITORAL
WHATDOCTORS
W
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DOC
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ELL Y
ELL
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YOU
OU
DONT
Welcome
Lynne McTaggart and Bryan Hubbard
Unit 10 Woodman Works

204 Durnsford Road
London SW19 8DR
Editors
Telephone:
0208 944 9555
Editors
Lynne McTaggart &
Bryan Hubbard
Managing Editor
Joanna Evans
Production
Sharyn Wong
Contributors
Dr Harald Gaier
Dr Rob Verkerk
Dr Patrick Kingsley
Dr Annemarie Colbin
Art Editor
Jimmy Egerton
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LIABILITY STATEMENT
While every care is taken in

preparing this material, the publishers cannot accept any responsibility for any damage or harm
caused by any treatment, advice
or information contained in this
publication. You should consult
a qualied practitioner before
undertaking any treatment.
ISSN 1352-1241
WDDTY News Ltd 2013

No part of this publication may be
reproduced without permission.
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Staying alive
ynnes maternal grandmother Stella, who migrated to

the US from Italy at the age of 15, had both her babies
at home.Dont go to hospital; they change your
baby! her own mother had admonished her in broken
English.
During Lynnes childhood, the reason for her own
mothers birth at home was always recounted and held up
to her with ridiculean example of pig-ignorant hocuspocus. Imagine thinking that professionals like doctors
could send you home with the wrong baby!
As it turned out, Lynnes grandmothers wariness of
hospitals proved prescient on the single night of her life
that she did spend any time in one. At the age of 90 she
was rushed to the emergency room under the mistaken
notion she was having a heart attack and kept overnight
for observation. Her
The government has
problem turned out to be
consistently misled
indigestion, but she was
so utterly alarmed by the
parents about the
entire experience, was so
dangers of childhood
moved to resist the parade
vaccinations
of strangers poking at her
and invading her privacy, that when the family came to
collect her the following morning they found her tied up in
a straitjacketthe only means by which the hospital staff
had managed to gain her compliance.
The more we reect upon this story from our present
perspective, particularly in light of recent headlines about
numerous NHS hospital calamities, the more we realize
the wisdom inherent in Stellas cautionary tale. Behind
her one mothers terse pronouncement was a rather
sophisticated philosophy about medicine in general: dont
go anywhere near a hospital if you arent really ill; trust that
your own healthy body doesnt need much help; assume
that doctors are capable of making the most basic and
calamitous mistakes.
The recent disclosuresthat thousands of patients are
dying from neglect and incompetence, that these deaths
are being covered up, and that most doctors and nurses
wouldnt send their own relatives to the hospitals where
they workconvinced us that patients today need nothing
less than an assertiveness-training course on surviving a
hospital stay. This prompted us to assemble a complete
survival kit (page 72), which includes full information
about how to learn about your condition, claim your full
rights, choose the right specialist and hospital staff, control
the drugs and medical tests given to you, and minimize

mistakes (like the wrong dosages of drugs). Take this
magazine with you anytime you or a loved one goes into
hospital and youre more likely to get out of there alive.
Besides hospital woes, the other medical issue that has
commanded the headlines for the past two decades is the
measlesmumpsrubella (MMR) vaccine, which both
governmental and medical authorities have insisted is
safe since its launch in 1989. WDDTY managed to get
hold of secret minutes to key decision-making committee
meetings showing that governmental committees have
consistently misled parents about the dangers of the
childhood vaccination programme by hiding or ignoring
studies that reveal how vaccines like the MMR could cause
permanent injury and even kill (page 26).
And speaking of hidden dangers, check out our story
on why and how to avoid parabens, those ubiquitous
chemicals that lurk everywhere in your bathroom and
makeup bag (page 82).
For those trying to lose a few pounds, read why calories
are an almost useless measure for weight loss and what
to do instead (page 46). And if abs are your problem, our
tness expert Paul Chek explains why all the crunches in
the world wont do the trick and which simple exercises will
give you at abs forever (page 40).
This month, besides answering questions about your
familys health in our Natural Doctors Casebook (page
58), weve introduced a new Alternative Pet Doctor
column (page 64). Every month, holistic vet Paul Boland
will answer your questions about how to treat your pets
illness without drugs.
Our food-as-medicine columnist Annemarie Colbin
shows you how to use certain foods to energize or calm
you (page 50), and our raw food chef Markta Bola tells
how raw food cured her constant ear aches (and helped
her lose 25 pounds to boot; page 56). For the ultimate
in superfoods, check out our article on super slime
Spirulina and the other power-packed algaeand take
some every day via our morning green smoothie (page 90).
And if youre heading off to sunnier weather over this
Easter holiday, read Seven steps to a safe landing and how
to prevent economy-class blood clots (page 52).
Finally, this magazine is now eight months old, and wed
love to hear what you think and what youd like more of.
Fill out our readers survey (page 22) and win yourself a
load of health and wellness products.
APRIL 2013 | WDDTY 3
WHATDOCTORS
W
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DOC
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CONTENTS
26
APRIL 2013
COVER STORIES
72
How the government lied

about the MMR jab 26
WDDTY reveals secret documents showing that the UK government

has buried dangers about the MMR and other vaccines for more than
30 years
How to survive your hospital

stay 72
The headlines label them the most dangerous places in Britain. Heres
a full guide to helping you and your family get out of there alive
The safest cosmetics 82
Chemicals like parabens are lurking in every product in your bathroom

and makeup bag. Heres why you should avoid them and a sampling of
the best alternatives
Top foods for your moods 50
Food as medicine columnist Annemarie Colbin tells you how

dierent foods aect your brain, and which are best for revving
you up or calming you down
Why calorie
counting doesnt
workand what
will 46
Its the cornerstone of every weight-loss regime,

but calories are a meaningless measure. Tony
Edwards presents another and better way to
lose weight
Flatten your abs

forever 40
46
For everyone whos tried and failed to get a six-pack, these

four simple exercises by tness expert Paul Chek will give
you perfect abs and keep your mid-section healthy in the
process
52
You views are important to us. Please contact us at:

WHAT DOCTORS DONT TELL YOU Unit 10 Woodman Works 204 Durnsford Road London SW19 8DR
Telephone:02089449555 | email:info@wddty.co.uk | web: www.wddty.com

4 WDDTY | APRIL 2013
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HEALTH FACTS
IN THIS ISSUE:
19
Morethan
1/3
ofdoctors
andnurses
would not want

their families
treatedat their
own hospitals
NEWS
NEWS 8
All the latest in health news

DRUG NEWS 15
Routine aspirin does more harm
than good; chemo targets cells
already dying
NEWS FOCUS
Parabens were
foundin
Go to jailand dont pass

go 19
If you oer anything other than
chemo, that is. Alternative cancer
doctors are ghting back after yet
another is jailed and a promising
therapy banned
PREVENTION
13 steps to healthy teeth and

a healthy you 36
Your gums oer an instant
snapshot of your immune system
and your overall health. Heres how
to keep themand the rest of you
in the pink
HEALTHY LIVING
7 ways to y safely 52
Before you y o on your Easter

break, heres how to avoid a blood
clot and to land on your feet
Living medicine 56
After years of ear infections and
overweight, our raw food chef
Markta Bola found a healthy cure.
Try her delicious nori roll recipe
FAMILY HEALTH
The natural doctors
casebook 58
Alternative treatments for teeth

grinding and anxiety, plus how to
prevent a miscarriage
The natural pet doctor 64

Our holistic vet Paul Boland oers
alternative ways to treat your dogs
arthritis
Repeat after me 66
RSI is supposed to be a mechanical
problem, but in Kathryn Fletchers
case it had more to do with her teeth
ALTERNATIVES
Super slime 90
That gooey stu from the bottom of
lakes and oceans may help stave o
cancer and heart disease. Here are
the alpha algaes, plus a green drink
to start your day
90
40
REGULARS
From the editors 3

Staying alive: in light of recent
headlines, why you need an
assertiveness-training course to
survive your hospital stay
The politics of health 16
Six million British people use
homeopathy, but the government
threatens to crack down. Make your
voice heard to keep it on the shelves
The Medical Detective 87
Dr Harald Gaier suggests eective
alternatives for trigeminal neuralgia,
the suicide disorder
Curing the incurables 89
Len is no longer diabetic, once Dr.
Patrick Kingsley discovered the foods
that make his blood sugar rise
My medical horror story 98
Pensioner Sheila Turner found out
the hard way about medicines blind
spots in treating the thyroid
Subscriptionshotline: 0800 140 4657

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99
%
ofbreastcancer
tumours
1in23
miscarriage
diagnosesby
ultrasoundare
wrong
50%
of
womentoldthey
havebreastcancer
donthaveit
Toothpaste
containing
propolisprevents
plaque forming
onteeth
5%
EDITOR
EDITORIAL PANEL
Editorial
Panel
What Doctors Dont

Tell You is supported
by some of the worlds
leading pioneers
in nutritional,
environmental and
alternative medicine.
Each is an authority in
his or her eld; many
have broken new
ground and inspired
new practices in
medicine.
Dr. John
Manseld,
one of
Britains
leading
pioneers in allergy, food
sensitivities and clinical
ecology, founded the
Burghwood clinic, which
researches and treats
allergy and environmental
illness. Former president
of the British Society for
Allergy and Environmental Medicine, Dr. Manseld has authored
numerous papers on
allergies and several
popular books on
migraine, asthma and
arthritis.
Dr. Damien
Downing,
whose
practice
specializes in
allergy, environment and
nutrition, is current
president of the British
Society for Ecological
Medicine and co-founder
and current editor of the
Journal of Nutritional and
Environmental Medicine.
Medical director of the
Alliance for Natural
Health, he is also author of
numerous books,
including The Vitamin
Cure for Allergies.
Dr. Melvyn
Werbach,
trained as a
psychiatrist, is
an expert in
nutritional and botanical
inuences on illness and
mental illness. He has held
a faculty appointment in
psychiatry at the UCLA
School of Medicine, served
as president of the
Biofeedback Society of
California in 1977, and
authored numerous
books, including the
award-winning Nutritional Inuences on Mental
Illness.
Janet
Balaskas, who
named and
inspired the
Active Birth
Movement in the 1970s,
helped to revolutionize
many maternity practices
around the world. Janet is
the founder and director
of the Active Birth Centre
in North London and the
author of nine books
including Active Birth,
Preparing for Birth with
Yoga and Easy Exercises for
Pregnancy.
Craig Sams is
co-founder of
Dr. Harald
Dr. Jonathan
Whole Earth
Gaier,
Wright,
Foods, a
Dr. Patrick
arguably the
medical
leading
Kingsley, a
UKs most
director of the organic food company,
specialist in
knowledgeTahoma Clinic and founder and President
nutritional
able practitioner of the
in Renton, Washington,
of Green & Blacks Organic
and environ- major alternative medical pioneered nutritional
Chocolate. Currently he is
mental medicine for 25
disciplines, is registered in medicine in the US. A
chair of the Soil Associayears, focused on treating the UK as an osteopath,
board member of the
tion, executive chairman
the incurables, especially
homeopath, acupunctur- American Preventive
of Carbon Gold Ltd, a
those with cancer and
ist, naturopath and
Medical Association
carbon sequestration
multiple sclerosis, through medical herbalist. Former (APMA) and the Interna- business based on the use
a holistic approach
director of medical
tional College of Adof biochar as a soil
involving diet, suppleresearch at The Hale Clinic vanced Longevity
improver, and a trustee of
ments and general lifestyle and the Diagnostic Clinic Medicine, he has pubthe Slow Food Trust UK.
overhaul. Now retired and and a committee member lished 11 books.
He is also the author of
writing about his success- of the Prince of Wales
four books, including The
Annemarie
ful treatment regimes, he
Foundation for Integrated
Little Food Book.
Colbin, Ph.D,
has authored numerous
Health, Dr. Gaier is author
Sally Bunday is
is founder and
books, including his latest, of numerous scientic
founder of the
CEO of the
The New Medicine.
papers and The Encyclopethe HyperacNatural
dia of Homoeopathy.
Dr. Jean
tive Childrens
Gourmet Institute for
Dr. Michel
Monro,
Support
Health and Culinary Arts
Odent, a
medical
Group, the rst organizain New York City, the
Frenchdirector of the
tion to draw attention to
oldest natural foods
cooking school in the US. the role of diet and
trained
Breakspear
Dr. Colbin is adjunct
Hospital, is an internasurgeon and
nutrition, particularly the
professor of nutrition at
tionally recognized
obstetrician, is the
effect of food additives and
Empire State College in
specialist in environmen- foremost pioneer of the
essential fatty acid
New City, NY, and Touro
tal medicine, including
natural birth movement,
deciencies, in childhood
College, a lecturer at the
such conditions as chronic emphasizing home and
behaviour problems. The
fatigue syndrome, Lyme
water birth. Founder of the Institute for Integrative
registered charity has
Nutrition and the author helped thousands of
disease and multiple
Primal Health Research
of four books, including
chemical sensitivity. She is Centre in the UK, he has
families of children with
Fellow of the American
written some 50 scientic the bestselling Food and
attention decit/hyperacAcademy of Environmen- papers and 11 books, now Healing and her latest
tivity issues since it started
offering, The Whole-Food more than 30 years ago.
tal Medicine and a Board
in 21 languages.
Guide to Strong Bones.
Certied US examiner.
WWW.WDDTY.COM
UPFRONT
Half of women told
they have breast
cancer when they
dont
More than a half of women who dont have breast
cancer are told they do because of a false reading
from a routine mammography screening.
As a result, around 8 per cent of the women will
also have an unnecessary biopsy, which can cause
permanent scarring, before discovering that they
never had breast cancer.
Researchers have discovered that
around 61 per cent of women who
have an annual mammogram test for
detecting breast cancer will get a falsepositive resultdetecting a cancer
that isnt thereat least once during
10 years of screening.
The research team is suggesting that
routine mammogram screening should be
reduced to once every two years and start when a
woman reaches the age of 50. In the US, screening
still begins at 40. By following their guidelines,
say the researchers at the Group Health Research
Institute in Seattle, false positives could be reduced
to 42 per cent.
Mammography screening among the under50s currently picks up two cancers for every 10,000
women screenedbut also produces 170 false
positives, say the researchers.
Ann Intern Med, 2011; 155: 48192
Ultrasound
misdiagnoses
are ending
healthy
pregnancies
Up to one in 23 women who

have been told by doctors
that they have miscarried
are terminating a healthy
pregnancy because of a wrong
ultrasound diagnosis.
Ultrasounds are seeing
a miscarriage when the
pregnancy is still viable, and
this is due to the guidelines in
place for reading the scans,
researchers from Imperial

College London say.
According to their research,
which included more than a
thousand women who had
bleeding and abdominal pain
at around the sixth week of
pregnancy, around 4 per cent
of all miscarriages diagnosed
by ultrasound are, in fact,
viable. All the women wrongly
WWW.WDDTY.COM
UPFRONT
Routine hospital
Routine
hospitaltreat
treatment
tment
can cause heart attacks
A standard treatment for heart problems and chest painswhich has
been used in hospitals for 144 yearscan cause heart attacks.
Nitroglycerin, the main ingredient in dynamite, has been routinely
given to hospital patients suering chest pain (angina pectoris) since
1867, but has never been tested for safety.
When researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine nally
did so, they discovered that the drug increases the risk of a heart attack,
especially when given continuously by intravenous drip. It damages heartt
tissue and destroys the enzyme ALDH2, which mops up free radicals and
protects the heart against injury when blood ow is restrictedas occurs
with a heart attack.
Overall, the drug doubles the severity of heart attacks after it has been
given continuously for 16 hours.
Sci Transl Med, 2011; 3: 107ra111
Doctors still prescribing

antibiotics for the wrong
diseases
Doctors still dont get itthey continue to hand out prescriptions for
antibiotics for health problems like coughs and sinusitis that cant
be helped by the drugs. And they are bringing closer the doomsday
scenario of the antibiotic-resistant superbug.
In the UK alone, doctors are handing out around 1.6 million
unnecessary prescriptions for antibiotics at a cost of 8.4 million every
year, researchers have discovered. The drugs do absolutely nothing to
ease diseases that are caused by a virus, but they do add to the growing
problem of antibiotic resistance.
Researchers from Cardi University have estimated this overuse of
antibiotics from a survey of 68 GP practices. When the doctors attended
educational seminars on the kinds of diseases for which antibiotics
should be prescribed, their prescriptions for the drugs fell by 5.5 per
cent, resulting in an 830 saving per practice.
BMJ, 2012; 344: d8173
diagnosed would have been

oered medication or surgery to
clear the uterus, which suggests
that many normal pregnancies
may have been ended
unnecessarily.
The researchers reckon that
around 400 healthy pregnancies
are being misdiagnosed every year
in the UK alone.
Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol, 2011; 38: 5039
Watermelon juice reverses

fatty buildup in arteries
Watermelon juice reverses atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries
from deposits of fatty plaques in the arterial walls. The juice showed
positive eects after just eight weeks, say the researchers.
The University of Kentucky team tested the juice on one group of mice,
er. After the eight-week
while another group was given water.
ermelon juice had
trial period, the mice given the watermelon
ody weight
less fat mass, which lowered their body
as also a
and cholesterol levels, and there was
esions
statistically signicant reduction of lesions
eries.
areas of plaque buildupin the arteries.
J Nutr Biochem, 20 August 2012; doi: 10.1016/j.
jnutbio.2012.05.011
Public water
could be cause of
Alzheimers and
miscarriage
Disinfectants in the public water supply
could be a cause of neurological diseases
such as Alzheimers. They also suspect
that the treated water from our taps
may be linked to miscarriages and some
cancers.
Scientists from the University of Illinois
have identied 600 DBPs (disinfection
byproducts) from a public water
sampleand yet they know almost
nothing about the majority of them. They
have evidence that some are toxic, and
the US Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) regulates just 11 of the DBPs,
including holoacetic acids (HAAs).
The Illinois researchers suspect that
the HAAs could be playing a part in
cases of Alzheimers, pregnancy
outcomes and cancer because they
can kill cells and damage DNA.
Environ Sci Technol, 2011; 45: 57917
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UPFRO
UPFRONT
Med diet
adds three
years to your life
Warn kids
about mobile phone
dangers, say scientists
Leading scientists and doctors are calling on the UK government to issue
warnings to children about the health dangers of mobile phone use.
They fear that the UK government is ignoring the 200 studies that point to
health hazardssuch as brain tumours and infertilitythat may result from
long-term mobile phone use, especially among children.
Neurosurgeon Kevin ONeill, chairman of the Brain Tumour Research
Campaign, says: It would be a mistake to ignore the mounting evidence
pointing to a link between mobile phones and risks to health, especially when
we know children are much more vulnerable.
He is joined by others who are adding their voices to a campaign by the
charity MobileWise (www.mobilewise.org) calling for urgent action from the
government.
The UK government receives 20 billion a year in revenues for mobile
licenses, but has spent just
7.5 million in the past three
years on mobile-phone
health research.
Canada has joined Russia,
Israel, Belgium, Germany,
India and France in issuing
a warning about the use
of mobile phones because
they may potentially cause
cancer, especially among the
under-18s.
Even calling and texting
on the phones could be
dangerous, especially if
used constantly for a lengthy
period, say researchers from
Health Canada, the countrys health regulator. In a new report, the Canadians
say the phones are possibly carcinogenic to humans.
The Russian health authorities have already warned all adolescents under
the age of 18 against using the phones, while France has banned their use in
kindergartens and junior schools.
The new bans and cautionary warnings follow news about a one-year study
showing that brain glucose metabolism was increased after 50 minutes of
mobile phone use. The researchers were unable to conrm whether the devices
caused cancer.
JAMA, 2011; 305: 80813
Everyone knows that the Mediterranean diet

mainly sh and vegetablesis healthier, but now scientists
have worked out that the diet can add three years to your
life and increase your overall chances of living longer by
20 per cent.
The estimate, calculated by scientists at the
Sahlgrenska Academy in Sweden, is pretty conclusive. It comes
from the H70 study, which assessed the lifestyles of thousands of
70-year-olds for more than 40 years.
And the good eects are not conned to just the elderly. One
study the researchers looked at involved children, who also
seemed to be healthier than their counterparts who ate a meat
and dairy diet.
Age [Dordr], 2011; 33: 43950
Vegetarians are unwittingly consuming animal products when they take pills
and liquid medicines. Many pharmaceuticals include gelatineused to bind or
thicken drugsthat is derived from animal bones and skin, but at least a quarter of
people who avoid meat are taking the drugs without realising their contents.
Researchers from Manchester Royal Inrmary wants the pharmaceutical
industry to introduce better and clearer labelling, possibly including icons,so people
can quickly see the ingredients.
The researchers surveyed 500 people in the inner-Manchester area, 200 of
whom avoided meat because they were vegetarians, or for other cultural, dietary
or religious reasons. Of the 200 vegetarians, 49 were
ne.
already taking drugs that contained gelatine.
Postgraduate Medical Journal, 2012; doi: 10.1136/
6/
postgraduatej-2011-130306
New miracle
gel may
combat
Lymes disease
A miracle gel is being developed that is
claimed to immediately stop diseases caused by
tick bitessuch as Lymesin their tracks.
The gel is currently being tested on people who have suered tick bites and, if
successful, it could be available in pharmacies soon.
The gels active ingredient is azithromycin, an antibiotic that stops the disease
from spreading. It is applied to the skin after a tick bite and preliminary trials
suggest it may be eective for up to ve days after someone has been bitten.
The gel is being formulated by the German company Ixodes AG in association
with researchers at the Ludwig-Maximilian University in Munich.
Many hundreds of thousands of people are bitten by ticks every year and go
on to develop Lymes disease, characterized by joint and organ pain.
Fraunhofer Research News, December 1, 2011; www.fraunhofer.de/en/press/research-news/2011/
december/rst-aid-after-tick-bites.html
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UPFRO
UPFRONT
Chinese herb as
eective as
Tamiu for the
H1N1 u
If youve got the u, dont ask the doctor for
a Tamiu prescriptiona Chinese herb
might work just as well. Its as eective as
the drug in tackling the H1N1 virus, one of
the main u viruses in circulation right
now.
The herbal treatmentMa Xing Shi
Gan-Yin Qiao San, which is made up of 12
herbsbrought down a high temperature as
eectively as Tamiu (oseltamivir) when it was
tested in 410 u patients.
In fact, it was marginally better: the herbal
treatment, given in liquid form, lowered a high
temperature within 16 hours, four hours quicker
than Tamiu. And just 9 per cent of those given the
herbal mix needed antibiotics compared with 16 per
cent of those given Tamiu.
Ann Intern Med, 2011; 155: 21725
High blood
pressure
drops when
you go to
church everyy
week
If you have high blood pressure

(hypertension), dont bother
with drugsjust go to church
regularly.
People who go to church most
Sundays have much lower blood
pressure readings than those who
rarely, or never, attend.
Researchers from the
Norwegian University of Science
and Technology say they were
really surprised by their
ndings. Their discovery was

ves and
based on a study of the lives
00 men
habits of more than 35,000
and women living in one county
in Norway.
In previous studies, the
researchers found that having
a sense of humour and being
socially engaged also had positive
impacts on health.
Int J Psychiatry Med, 2011; 42: 1328
New
routine
heart test doubles
chances of surgery
A new routine diagnostic test for coronary artery
disease doubles your chances of surgery that may be
unnecessary and even fatal.
Computed tomography (CT) angiography is
fast replacing the standard stress test in doctors
surgeries and uses intravenous dye and CT scanning
technology to provide an inside view of the
coronary arteries. The stress test uses a gym bike
or running machine, followed by a simple check of
heart function.
The new procedure is doubling the rate of
invasive cardiac procedures, including surgery,
researchers at Stanford University School of
Medicine have discovered.
Lead researcher Mark Hlatky wonders just how
many of these invasive procedures are necessary.
If you pull a 75-year-old o the street and give him
this test, its unlikely the coronary arteries will be
completely normal, he said.
He also doubts whether patients are actually
being helped by a procedure like coronary
revascularization. In fact, early signs suggest that it
could be fatal after six months.
JAMA, 2011; 306: 212836
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UPFRONT
Yoga good
for back
pain (and
you wont
need the
meds)
Take up yoga if youre
one of the millions who

suer from chronic
lower back pain. It
eases the worst of
the symptoms and
you wont need the
painkillers, a new study
has discovered.
Back pain suerers
were able to
move more freely,
experienced less
pain and were able to
stop their painkilling
medication after
completing three
months of once-a-week
yoga sessions.
Researchers from the
Group Health Research
Institute in Seattle
tested the benets of
yoga against stretching
and following a selfcare book in 228 adults
who had moderate
chronic back pain.
Pain improvement
and a reduction in
medication use were
seen in all three groups,
although the results
with the stretching
exercises were similar
to those with yoga.
The participants were
still o their medication
up to three months
after stopping the yoga
exercises.
Arch Intern Med, 2011; 171: 201926
WWW.WDDTY.COM
UPFRO
UPFRONT
Meat contaminated
d
by MRSA superbugs
Forget about horsemeatup to 7 per cent of the meat
we buy could contain MRSA (methicillin-resistant
Staphylococcus aureus) bacteria, the antibioticresistant bugs that can cause life-threatening
infections.
Researchers have discovered the bugs in 26 out of
395 samples of pork they purchased, representing
7 per cent of the total. The bugs were found in both
the pigs raised with antibiotics and those reared
organically and without the drugs.
Although the samples were restricted to stores in
the US states of Iowa, Minnesota and New Jersey, it is
likely that similar results would be seen in any country
that uses standard farming and meat-packaging
methods.
The researchers, from the University of Iowa College
of Public Health, have not ruled out the possibility that
the contamination happened during
the meat-preparation
stage.
PLoS One, 2012; 7:
e30092
Phthalates, indu
industrial
d strial chemicals that
interfere with the reproductive processes,
arecommonlyfoundinprocessedfoodsanddrinks.
are
commonly found in processed foods and drinks.
Researchers at the University of Texas found the
chemicals in all of the 72 products they randomly
purchased at supermarkets in one city in New York
state.
The chemicals are found in personal care products,
such as soap, shampoo and perfumes, and are used in
packaging and cartons, which make their way into the
food we eat, the researchers suspect.
The discovery is not a cause for alarm, say the
researchers, as they are in amounts that are
considered to be safe, but it is a cause for concern,
because they are toxins that have no place in our
bodies.
And pesticides on the fruits and vegetables we
buy may be an unnecessary hazard and a risk to
our health. None of the eight dierent pesticides
found on fresh produce could counter the human
nonovirus, one of the most common stomach bugs,
researchers discovered. They washed the produce in
contaminated waterand the virus was still present
afterwards, suggesting the pesticides were not able to
kill the bug.
One
serving of
canned soup
increases
BPA levels
Canned soups and drin
drinks
can dramaticall
dramatically
increase lev
levels of
a dangero
dangerous
chemic
chemical in
the bod
body, new
resea
research
sshows.
how
Just one
serving of soup, for instance,

raises the amount of the
chemical bisphenol A (BPA)
20-fold.
The research team from
Harvard School of Public Health
was shocked by the amount
that BPA increased in the body
after having just one serving of
soup. The levels are among
the most extreme reported in a
non-occupational setting, say
the researchers, led by Dr Jenny
Carwile.
The cans increased BPA levels
by a far greater extent than when
drinking from a
plastic container. BPA
has already been banned
from baby drinking bottles and
now the Harvard researchers are
calling on can manufacturers to
eliminate the chemical from their
products too.
Although BPA is a dangerous
chemical, the researchers
dont know exactly what the
health implications may be
from consuming it with canned
foods and beverages, but they
do advise people to reduce
the amounts they consume,
especially if they are currently
doing so every day.
JAMA, 2011; 306: 221820
Tap water may be

causing prostate cancer
If youre a man, dont drink water from the tapit could give
you prostate cancer. Byproducts of the contraceptive pill are
contaminating the public water supply and may be triggering
the cancer in men.
Populations around the world with the most extensive use
of the contraceptive pill also have the highest rates of prostate
cancer, researchers from Toronto University have discovered.
After analyzing the data from many countries around the
world, the researchers found an association between Pill
use and rates of and deaths from the cancer, irrespective of a
nations wealth. The link was strongest in Europe.
They suspect that the Pills estrogen byproducts
endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs)are making their
way into the food chain and public water systems and causing
the cancers. EDCs are known to feed some cancers, especially
prostate tumours.
The researchers stress that any association is, at this early
stage, speculative and has yet to be denitively proven.
BMJ Open, 2011; 1: e000311
Environmental Health Perspectives, 2013; doi: 10.1289/ehp.1206367
WWW.WDDTY.COM
UPFRONT
Vitamin
supplements
protect against
colon cancer
Vitamins and minerals can help to prevent
colon (colorectal) cancer, one of the most
lethal forms of the diseasebut only when
you take them as supplements. Hoping to get
all the nutrients you need from a balanced
diet just isnt good enough, despite what the
doctor may say.
Multivitamin/mineral supplements almost
halve the risk and help the immune system
ward o carcinogens, or cancer-causing
agents, say researchers from the King Saudi
University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Although the results are based on tests with
laboratory rats, the characteristics of colon
cancer are similar to those found in humans.
Two groups of rats were fed high-fat low-bre
diets, but one was also given multivitamin
and mineral supplements every day over a
32-week period.
Both groups were exposed to carcinogens,
but only the non-supplement group developed
precancerous lesions; the supplement group
had almost no lesions, and none developed
into tumours.
The researchers believe the supplements
worked synergistically to create a protective
eect that would not have been possible with
a balanced diet, as much of the food we eat is
depleted of nutrients, they say.
In an accompanying editorial, Dr Grant
Pierce says the study points the way forward for
everyone with cancer.
Can J Physiol Pharmacol, 2012; 90: 4554
Common
antibiotic is a
killer
One of the worlds most
commonly prescribed antibiotics
can be a killer. Trimethoprim
sulfamethoxazolemarketed
as Septra and Bactrimcauses a
range of life-threatening reactions,
including kidney failure and
hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar),
say researchers.
Astonishingly, the drug has been
in use since 1968 and yet these
serious reactions have only recently
come to light.
The combo is commonly given
for urinary tract infections and for
treating MRSA and other bacterial
infections.
Doctors should not prescribe the
drugs to pregnant women, and
all patients should be constantly
monitored for signs of kidney
problems and hypoglycaemia, say
researchers.
CMAJ, 2011; 183: 18518
Chemo targets
cancer cells that
were dying
anyway
Ginger supplements can prevent colon
cancer, researchers have discovered. Its antiinammatory qualities can also help against a
range of other diseases too.
A research team from the University of
Michigan Medical Center tested 30 patients
who were either given 2 g of ginger root extract
every day for 28 days or a placebo.
At the end of the study, those given
the ginger supplements saw signicant
reductions in markers of colon inammation,
one of the most important precursors of colon
cancer.
Chemotherapy may be taking too

much of the credit when it beats
cancer. Most of the cancer cells its
targeting were on the verge of selfdestruction anyway, researchers
have found.
At best the therapy seems to
speed the process of cell suicide,
known as apoptosis, which every
healthy cell is programmed to
do. But cancer cells usually have
forgotten to self-destruct.
Researchers at the Dana-Farber
Cancer Institute in Boston have

discovered that chemotherapy is
ineective when faced with a cancer
cell that is not close to apoptosis. For
this reason, they have developed a
way of proling patients that tells
oncologists which are the ones
whose cancer cells are most likely to
respond to the chemo.
This research leaves open several
questions: would the cancer cells
that respond to chemotherapy have
died on their own anyway and, if
chemotherapy merely hastens a
natural process, is it really worth
going through the debilitating
eects produced by these deadliest
of drugs?
Science, 2011; 334: 112933
this casual use does more harm than

good, a new study has discovered.
The risk of stomach bleeding
is so high that only people who
have existing heart problems or a
history of stroke should continue
taking the medication just in case,
say researchers from St Georges
University of London.
The researchers analyzed the
results of nine trials involving more
than 100,000 people regularly
taking aspirin.
They discovered that the drug
increased the number of lifethreatening stomach-bleeding
events by 30 per cent, but did not
reduce the number of deaths from
heart attack, stroke or cancer.
Overall, they said, the risks
outweighed any benets.
Childrens
u vaccine
New-generation
weakens
immune system antidepressants
Children with a weakened immune
triple risk of falls
system are supposed to have a u
in elderly
he jab
vaccine every yearbut the
Arch Intern Med, 2012; 172: 20916
ore
could be making them more
uses
vulnerable to deadlier viruses
and epidemics.
The standard u
vaccine compromises
their immune system
even further and interferess
er
with the production of killer
T cells, the bodys natural
defence against viruses.
Scientists at the
Erasmus Medical Center inn
at
Rotterdam discovered that
T-cell levels were far higherr
een
in children who had not been
given the annual vaccine.
They fear that routine
ti
vaccination could be creating
a generation of children who are
vulnerable to yet more virulent u
outbreaks and pandemics.
J Virol, 2011; 85: 119952000
Routine aspirin
use does more
harm than good
Doctors urge us to pop an aspirin a
day to help prevent heart disease
and, more recently, cancerbut
Antid
Antidepressants,
especially
the SSSRIs (selective serotonin
reu
reuptake inhibitors), are a
m
major cause of falls in the
eelderly.
Even at low doses,
tthe drugs triple the risk
o
of falls resulting in injury,
esp
especially among elderly
pat
patients in care homes,
say researchers from the
Era
Erasmus University Medical
Ce
Center in Rotterdam.
O
Older antidepressants
were also known to increase
the rrisk of falls, and
man
manufacturers were hopeful
that the SSRIs would x the
problem.
However, say the researchers, the
new SSRIs seem to increase the risk
even further. In a two-year analysis
of 248 care-home residents, they
found that 152 of them had suered
a total of 683 falls, and the risk was
three times higher in those given an
SSRI. The risk was further increased
if the patient was also given a
sedative.
Br J Clin Pharmacol, 2012; doi: 10.1111/j.13652125.2012.04124.x
Cancer Prev Res, 2011; 4: 192937
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OPINIO
OPINION
Rob Verkerk THE POLITICS OF HEALTH
Homeopathy in the balance (by you)
Make your voice heard so that EU and UK regulations wont curtail homeopathy
Robert Verkerk PhD
is the executive and
scientic director
of the Alliance for
Natural Health
International, a
consumer group
that aims to protect
our right to natural
healthcare and
nutrition.
ix million Britons are estimated

to use homeopathythats
around 10 per cent of the UK
population. The vast majority use
it because they have experienced
profound benets.
understand homeopathy have done

little to change the habits of those who
have already experienced its benets.
unregistered medicines; and c) they

may provide the MHRA with renewed
fervour to go about its enforcement
activities, especially if egged on by
sceptics and other nay-sayers. None
of this bodes well when one considers
that a large number of homeopathic
products remain unregistered or
unauthorized. Its also not helped
by the fact that lay homeopaths are
unlikely to be regarded as authorized
healthcare professionals, especially
as they are recognized by neither the
General Medical Council (GMC)
nor the Health and Care Professions
Council (HCPC).
The new threat

Now, however, a new development is
threatening the supply of hundreds
Homeopathy under attack
of unlicensed homeopathic
formulations, the most common type
For more information Yet homeopathy has been subject to
go to www.
systematic attack from certain quarters used in the UK.
anhinternational.org
of mainstream medicine, academia,
The problem arises because of
Email: info@
science bloggers and government
the completion last year of a review
anhinternational.org
Telephone:
for decades now. These attacks have
and consolidation of the 1968
+44 (0)1306 646 600
been notoriously biased, despite
Medicines Act by the governments
sound evidence of effectiveness from
medicines authority, the Medicines
clinical trials and published systematic and Healthcare products Regulatory
reviews. Pro-homeopathy views and
Agency (MHRA), to streamline
evidence are typically drowned out in around 200 different pieces of UK and On a knife-edge
the media by predictable cries from
EU legislation concerning medicines
For those who have relied on the status
critics: How can sugar and water with into one place, which culminated in
quo of the last 40-odd years for their
no active ingredients actually work?
the Human Medicines Regulations
access to homeopathy products, the
A key objective of the anti2012 effected in August last year.
good news is that the UK government
homeopathy brigade has been to
has actually withstood a
push homeopathy out of the National Only by letting our elected
lot of pressure from those
representatives know of our concerns will sceptical of homeopathy.
Health Service because they feel it
lacks sufcient evidence. The irony is
we continue to protect this important, yet Its caved in some areas,
that if you apply the same standards
but hasnt completely cut
still contentious, area of healthcare
to mainstream medicine, youd have
homeopathy loose from
to get rid of the lions share of drugs
The 1968 Medicines Act was
the NHS. Its also chosen not to enforce
from the NHS: the BMJs sister journal unclear regarding the law on the
the narrowest interpretation of the
Clinical Evidence (online) found that
prescription and supply of unlicensed somewhat vague legislation.
only around 12 per cent of medicinal
homeopathic remedies and, after this Some say this is because of inuences
treatments were of proven benet.
recent review, the law is still unclear. In in high places, often pointing to
Those with backgrounds in drug
the past, homeopathic practitioners
the monarchys long-held interest
pharmacology undoubtedly have
were able to dispense products directly in homeopathy. But I believe the
a difcult time getting their heads
to patients, while consumers were
real reason is to do with the likely
around homeopathy. But for those
free to buy a wide range of unlicensed revolution in the streets that would
who understand something of energy homeopathic products made by
arise if six million UK subjects
medicine or the unique properties of
reputable homeopathic pharmacies
suddenly had their freedom of choice
water, including its purported ability
either online or over the phone. In fact, drastically reduced.
to retain a memory of substances
it is this latter supply route thats been
Yes, its about the power to the
previously contained within it, their
the most important.
peopleand we must use it or
objections sound decidedly out of
The Human Medicines Regulations lose it! Only by letting our elected
date. Most homeopathic users reply,
2012 pose several problems for
representatives, in particular, know
Does it really matter how it works?
homeopathy: a) they specify that
of our concerns will we continue
and If it works on babies and animals, all homeopathic products have to
to protect this important, yet still
how can the effects be just placebo?
be registered or licensed under one
contentious, area of healthcare.
All such attacks on the scientic
of three schemes; b) they conrm
Write to your MP today (visit www.
evidence base of homeopathy from
that only authorized healthcare
parliament.uk/about/contacting/mp)
people or industries that dont like or
professionals can prescribe
and make your voice heard.
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NewsFocus
Go to jailand dont
pass goif you oer
anything other than
chemo
Alternative cancer
ncer doctors are ghting back after yet another
is jailed and a promising therapy is banned
octors and cancer specialists who

tives to chemotherapy
use alternatives
herapy are planning
and radiotherapy
zation to protect their
to set up an organization
llowing the arrest and
right to practise following
imprisonment of one of their number, Dr
Wassil Nowicky.
Dr Nowicky, thee pioneer of Ukrain
n alternative cancer
(NSC-631570), an
treatment used in hospitals and
cancer clinics for more than 20 years,
strian police last
was arrested by Austrian
September, jailed without trial on charges
of fraud, and had his computers and
research papers seized. His website was
also shut down.
He was later released on the
understanding that he would not contact
any other doctors about Ukrain or
discuss his arrest and imprisonment
with anyone. Concerned that alternative
cancer therapies are being systematically
targeted and withdrawn, Dr Thomas
Kroiss, who practises insulin potentiation
therapy (IPT) at the Kroiss Cancer Centre
in Vienna, wants to set up an organization
WWW.WDDTY.COM
that protects the

th
he
rights of doctors to
o
practise alternative
therapies. Helping him
m
in the initiative is Prof Serge
Seergge Ju
JJurasunas
Jur
ura
rasu
suna
n s
at the Capital University off Integrative
Int
nteg
egra
r tive
Medicine in Washington, DC, who is also
involved with the Holiterapias Clinic in
Lisbon, Portugal.
This is part of an ongoing battle to
restrict our freedom of choice of which
kind of food we want to eat and what
medicine is best for us, especially to
allow non-conventional methods that
Survival rates after six months

were twice as good when Ukrain
was given compared with the use
of chemotherapy alone
NEWS FOCUS
are non-toxic and useful alone or with

chemotherapy, said Prof Jurasunas.1
One high-prole example was the
arrest and imprisonment of molecular
biologist Mirko Beljanski, who had
successfully treated French President
Francois Mitterands advanced prostate
cancer with his PB-100 extract from the
Brazilian pao pereira (Geissospermum
vellosii) tree. Despite this success, several
years after the death of Mitterand the
French government accused Beljanski
of illegally
g y practising
p
g medicine and, in
imprisoned him.
1994, sentenced and impriso
Beljanski sued the French government
go
reviewed the
for slander. A French court re
evidence and concluded that his
prom and
work showed promise
awarded him a substantial
settlement, w
which he
used to set up
u his own
ccancer
ca
ncer centr
centre in France.
Jurasunas ssays he
h
ha
as wi
witnessed many
ma acts of
has
medicopolitics
m
ed
, as he calls
medicopolitics
them
th
em, against alternative
alternat cancer
them,
ther
th
erap
a ies over the yearsincluding
years
therapies
the banning
th
ba
C
the
of Polyerga, Carzodelin,
Carn
Ca
rnivora and Wobe-Mugo
Carnivora
Wobe-Mugosand all of
the have followed a pattern similar to
th
them
what was done in the attack o
what
on Ukrain.
First, a new licence to man
manufacture is
ca
withheld and then a media campaign
pio
is launched, defaming the pioneer,
forc to
before he is arrested and forced
Nowic
stop practising. In Dr Nowickys
case,
the Austrian authorities accu
accused him
of taking unfair advantage of cancer
patients by manufacturing a product
that had no positive effect on cancer and,
mone off them,
because he was taking money
he was effectively defrauding them.
The media campaign agai
against Nowicky
201 when he
started in around May of 2012,
was described as a quack, a sorcerer,
Mr Cancer and the multimulti-millionaire
who took advantage of poor cancer
patients. Hundreds of cancer patients
who had been successfully treated with
Ukrain and who protested against
the media witch hunt were told by the
authorities that their cancer hadnt been
helped and that they were deluded.
Finally, in September, Nowicky was
arrested and imprisoned without trial on
charges of fraud. While he was in prison
and unable to receive visits from even
his closest family, the authorities seized
and destroyed the entire stock of Ukrain
NEWS FOCUS
to 3 per cent in patients with pancreatic

cancer, similar to chemotherapy. And
the survival rate for the cancer was vastly
further improved when Ukrain was used
in conjunction with chemotherapy,
Mr Moneybags?
Since Nowicky launched Ukrain in 1978, doctors in Germany discovered.2
The effectiveness of Ukrain and
he has sold around 200,000 ampoules,
generating revenues of 14 million in 34 chemotherapy used together was
amplied in a separate study involving 90
years, or around 400,000 a year. Each
patients with advanced pancreatic cancer.
Ukrain ampoule costs around 70. By
Survival rates after six months were
comparison, the cancer drug industry is
worth around $500 billion (383 billion) twice as good when Ukrain was given
compared with the use of chemotherapy
a year, which includes chemotherapy
alone.3
drugs such as Provenge for prostate
Ukrain patients have survived far
cancer, which costs $31,000 per injection.
longer than six months, according to
Of course, even 70 is too much if
another study. Patients given Ukrain were
a product is useless and, worse, only
still alive 28 months later compared with
offering false hope to the cancer patient.
However, Ukrain has been used in several 19 months for chemotherapy patients,
integrative medical and oncology clinics although Jurasunas says he also has cases
of patients surviving ve years after
across Europe since its introduction
treatment.4
in 1978, often as a complement to
In an analysis of seven studies of
chemotherapy, for which it has been very
Ukrain, Edzard Ernst, who at the time
effective, and several clinical trials have
also seen improvement in cancer patients was professor of complementary
medicine at Exeter University, concluded
using Ukrain.
that it has potential as an anticancer
Nowicky developed Ukrain from the
drug.5
In its own review of the product, the
Patients given Ukrain were still alive Memorial
Sloan-Kettering Cancer
28 months later compared with 19 Center in New York conrmed that
months for chemotherapy patients, Ukrain has proven anticancer properties
tested in the laboratory and in
although Jurasunas says he also has when
animals, and increased longevity when it
cases of patients surviving ve years was given with chemotherapy.6
As Jurasunas says in summarizing his
after treatment
ndings: We dont pretend that Ukrain
is a total panacea or claim that it may be
totally substituted for chemotherapy,
greater celandine (Chelidonium majus)
although I have witnessed the efcacy of
plant, which he discovered contains 40
alkaloids that are cytotoxic (lethal to cells) Ukrain without chemotherapy.
and targets only cancer cells.
Why now?
Over the years, Ukrain has been
Why have the authorities left Ukrain
approved as an anticancer medication
alone for 34 years, and even granted it
in the United Arab Emirates, Mexico,
licences so that it could be manufactured
Georgia and Belarus, and has been
and administered, only to turn on it now?
designated an orphan drug (drugs
Jurasunas is convinced that the arrest and
that have a small specic market) for
pancreatic cancer in the US and Australia. ban was initiated by the pharmaceutical
industry, which was beginning to view
In recognition of the importance of his
discovery, Nowicky was even nominated Ukrain as a threat to its own revenues
from chemotherapy drugs.
for a Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2007.
Research had entered an interesting
Researchers discovered that Ukrain
phase, he said. In one test carried out by
achieved a ve-year survival rate of up
ampoules at Nowickys manufacturing
plant, and all orders for the product were
cancelled.
the US National
Cancer Institute,
Ukrain had stopped
tumour growth in 60
cancer cell lines while
case studies revealed that
it causes a unique reaction
in cancerous cells. When
given by intravenous (IV)
injection, Ukrain hardens
the consistency of the tumour
and separates it from healthy
surrounding cells. According to
Jurasunas, this represents a major
breakthrough, as Ukrain is one
of the very few cancer agents that
targets only cancer cells while leaving
healthy cells alone.
Despite this, Austrian authorities
refused to reconsider their decision
to ban Ukrain, even when a delegation
of eminent doctors from Germany
presented them with clinical evidence of
its effectiveness.
Today, the treatment of thousands
of cancer patients who were receiving
Ukrain is at a standstill, says Jurasunas.
Clinics in Austria, Holland, Spain,
England and Israel were all using the
product, usually as a complement to
chemotherapy, but supplies have now
completely dried up. One of Israels
leading cancer specialists, Joseph
Brenner, was using Ukrain on pancreatic
cancer patients with excellent results.
How can the Austrian authorities
believe that an oncologist such as
Brenner doesnt know what he is doing
and is misleading his cancer patients?
Jurasunas asked.
Jurasunas and Kroiss are progressing
with their plans to create the European
Coalition for the Freedom of Choice in
WWW.WDDTY.COM
NEWS FOCUS
It is unacceptable how honest researchers and

medical doctors are persecuted, brutalized or sent
to jail just because they treated cancer disease
dierently and tried a new innovative approach
to therapy, especially when conventional therapy
failed
Prof Serge Jurasunas, the Capital University of Integrative Medicine in
Washington, DC
Cancer to safeguard the use of alternative

cancer treatments and protect those
doctors who choose to use alternatives
like Ukrain.
It is unacceptable that politicians at
any level of public service be unaware
of what is going on regarding the power
of the multinational pharmaceutical
cartel that uses disease or invents disease
for multibillion-dollar prots, or how
honest researchers and medical doctors
are persecuted, brutalized or sent to jail
just because they treated cancer disease
differently and tried a new innovative
approach to therapy, especially when
conventional therapy failed, says
Jurasunas.
Edzard Ernstwho originally
concluded that Ukrain had promise
has changed his tune since Nowickys
arrest. In his blog he writes: Alternative
WWW.WDDTY.COM
cancer cures are not just a menace, they are

a contradiction in terms . . . If tomorrow
this or that alternative remedy shows
some promise as a cancer cure, it will be
investigated by mainstream oncology with
some urgency; and if the ndings turn out
to be positive, the eventual result would
be a new cancer treatment. To assume that
oncologists might ignore a promising
treatment simply because it originates
from the realm of alternative medicine
is idiotic and supposes that oncologists
are mean bastards who do not care about
their patientsand this, of course, is an
accusation which one might rather direct
towards the irresponsible purveyors of
alternative cancer cures.
That doesnt describe the real world.
According to Ernst himself, Ukrain
showed promise, yet conventional
medicine didnt rush to nd out more.
And although oncologists are not mean or
nasty, they do nonetheless follow a code

of practice and stepping outside of it can
result in their arrest and imprisonment,
as many others have discovered to their
cost.
With chemotherapy achieving a veyear survival rate of just 2 per cent (see
WDDTY, March), its time that medicine
stepped out from under the shadows of
the pharmaceutical industry and began
exploring alternatives that offer a genuine
solution to the cancer epidemic.
REFERENCES
1
2
3
4
5
6
Townsend Lett, 2013; Feb/March

Drugs Exp Clin Res, 2000; 26:
24952
Townsend Lett, 2009; Aug/Sept
Townsend Lett, 2008; Aug/Sept
BMC Cancer, 2005; 5: 69
Exp Oncol, 2010; 32: 926;
Hepatogastroenterology, 2007;
54: 91720
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Vitamin B7
EVERY P
PICTURE...
(biotin)
SONA
Vitamin B9
75
mcg
(folic acid)
Symptoms of deciency
Hair loss
Areyougetting
enoughnutrients?
Painful/sore tongue (with

smooth appearance), gum
disease, cervical dysplasia
RDA
50
mcg
RDI
30
SONA
mcg
400
mcg
The recommended daily levels of nutrients set by

the government are far too low for optimum health
RDI
400
mcg
Vitamin A
Measles, poor vision

or night blindness,
dry eyes
Vitamin B1
(thiamine)
RDA
SONA
200
Sensory symptoms,
shaky hands
37,500
mcg
mcg
SONA
12.5
RDI
RDI
mg
1.5
900
mg
mcg
RDA
1.1
mg
RDA
800
mcg
RDI
12.5
mg
1.7
SONA
12.5
mg
RDA
Inability to remember
dreams, cervical
RDA
dysplasia, carpal
1.4
mg
tunnel syndrome
1.4
mg
Vitamin B6
(pyridoxal
phosphate)
SONA
mg
Vitamin B2
(riboavin)
RDI
mg
Vitamin D
Sore tongue/lips, peeling

lips, cracked lips, greasy
red scaly skin on face &
side of nose
SONA
50
Rickets, bone pain,

muscle weakness,
cardiovascular
disease, cancer,
asthma
mg
RDI
20
mg
Vitamin B3
(niacin)
RDA
SONA
16
500
mcg
Sore/painful tongue
mg
SONA
12.5
RDI
mcg
Vitamin B12
mcg
RDA
greying hair
2.5 Premature
mcg (a sign of pernicious
anaemia), sensory
symptoms, diabetic
peripheral neuropathy
(often numbness/tingling
in hands/feet)
RDA
mcg
SONA
60
mg
RDI
15
mg
RDA
12
mg
Vitamin E
(d-alpha-tocopherol)
Peripheral neuropathy,
ataxia (loss of physical
coordination), impaired
immune system,
retinopathy (acute eye
damage)
RDI
10
mcg
Thanks to Drs Patrick Kingsley and Sarah Myhill for their contributions to the list of symptoms
WWW.WDDTY.COM
RDI
1000
mg
TURE
EVERY PICTURE...
Calcium
Numbness in ngers,
convulsions, arrhythmia
(irregular heart beat),
osteoporosis, bone fractures
RDA
800
mg
SONA
350
mg
Selenium
RDI
Vitamin C
Cancer or family
history of cancer,
cardiomyopathy
(heart muscle disease)
70
mcg
Spontaneous bleeding, dry scaly skin,

bleeding gums, gum disease, frequent
colds, persistent infections
RDA
SONA
55
50
mcg
mcg
RDI
Iodine
mcg
150
Thyroid swelling,
hypothyroidism
RDA
150
mcg
SONA
SONA
750
125
mg
mcg
Chromium
Cataracts, sugar
cravings, bloodsugar swings, low
blood sugar
RDI
18
SONA
RDI
60
mg
mg
mg
80
mg
RDI
15
RDA
Iron
RDA
14
120
Pale tongue,
hair loss
mcg
SONA
50
mg
What the diagrams show
mcg
RDA
40
mcg
Magnesium
RDA
375
RDI
mg
400
mg
SONA
350
mg
WWW.WDDTY.COM
Soft or brittle nails,

hyperactivity in children,
tender calf muscles,
PMS, sensory symptoms,
persistent diarrhoea,
muscle cramps, shaky
hands, hypertension
(high blood pressure),
dysphagia (diculty
swallowing), sensitivity
to light, osteoporosis,
high blood pressure in
pregnancy
SONA
RDI
25
mg
15
RDA
10
mg
hink of malnutrition and we think of starving

children in the developing world, but the
problem is closer to home too. Its reckoned that
around two million Brits are malnourishedin
other words, they arent consuming enough nutrients
for the body to function healthilyand another three
million are borderline malnourished.
Although doctors maintain that we can get all the
vitamins and minerals we need from a balanced diet,
nobody is entirely sure what a balanced diet looks like
but most agree that very few of us are actually eating one.
Even if we are consuming plenty of fruit and vegetables,
we could still not be getting enough nutrients, especially
if the produce isnt fresh or organic, or has been grown in
soil depleted of minerals through over-farming.
If you take supplements, look for the food-form
variety. These are closer to the nutrients in the food we
eat and so are more easily digested and assimilated.
Our age, diet and health all determine the amount
of vitamins and minerals we should be taking. The
elderly need higher dosages, as do people with chronic
conditions such as cancer, while vegans need to make
sure theyre getting enough vitamin B12, for example.
But even if youre relatively healthy and middleaged, the ideal amount is still open to debate.
Government scientists have set the absolute minimum
the body requires in order to function, and thats
the recommended daily allowance (RDA); in North
America its called the recommended daily intake (RDI).
But if you want to maintain a high level of health and
vitality and never want to see the inside of a doctors
surgery, you need to be taking amounts far higher than
the ofcial RDA/RDI levels. Although optimal levels are
individual and determined by your own unique prole,
Dr Emanuel Cheraskin from the University of Alabama
Medical School has given us an idea of what those levels
would look like in his suggested optimal nutritional
allowances (SONAs).
The following table provides a quick overview of the
various recommended dosages and symptoms that may
indicate deciency.
mg
Zinc
Stretch marks,
poor healing, frequent
colds, infertility and
miscarriage, poor sense
of smell and taste, poor
vision or night blindness,
persistent infections
Each set of circles represents a particular vitamin or mineral. The

dierent colours depict the UKs RDA recommendations, the USs
RDI levels and the suggested levels for optimum nutrition (SONA).
As the various circle sizes show, theres a vast dierence between
levels needed to prevent a deciency disease like scurvy and those
required for optimal health.
KEY
mcg: microgrammes (1000 mcg = 1 mg)
SONA
RDA
RDI
mg: milligrammes (1000 mg = 1 g)

SONA
RDA
RDI
REFERENCES
BMJ, 2012; 345: e4348

SPECIAL REPORT
SPECIA
overnment health ofcials have for 30 years

consistently misled parents about the dangers of
the childhood vaccination programme by hiding
or ignoring studies that show how vaccines like the
measlesmumpsrubella (MMR) vaccine could
cause permanent injury and even kill.
According to private minutes to meetings of the UK
governments Joint Committee on Vaccination and
Immunisation (JCVI), members were made aware
of a possible link between the MMR vaccine and
autism 10 years before Andrew Wakeeld published
the controversial paper that eventually resulted in his
being struck off the medical register.
From 1983 up to just recently, the minutes
obtained under Freedom of Information

legislationsuggest that important information
about vaccine safety, that would almost inevitably
have affected the take-up rate needed supposedly
to achieve herd immunity, was not revealed to the
public.
The JCVI acts as an advisory service to the UKs
health minister, and many of its committee members
over the years have had ties to the pharmaceutical
companies making vaccinations (see box, page 35).
Spin, not science
In an analysis of the private minutes covering
monthly meetings of the JCVI between 1983 and
2010which still contained many redactions
and omissionsmedical researcher Dr Lucija
Tomljenovic from the University of British Columbia,
Canada, makes eight serious charges
against the committee and the UKs
Department of Health.
KEEP IT FROM
What government doesnt tell
you about vaccinations
WWW.WDDTY.COM
SPECIAL REPORT
THE PARENTS
Government agencies are withholding worrying safety information about vaccinations,
as secret minutes to key decision-making committee meetings reveal
WWW.WDDTY.COM
SPECIAL REPORT
CHARGE 1
Instead of reexamining vaccine
policies when new safety concerns
were raised, the JCVI took no action,
or skewed or selectively removed
worrying safety data from reports
released to the public, or made
extensive efforts to reassure the
public about the ultimate safety of
the vaccines
As long ago as 1981, the JCVI had extensive information
concerning serious adverse reactions to the MMR
vaccine, including sudden death and encephalitis, from
studies going back to 1970. The JCVI said the high
numbers of deaths and injuries were surprising.
After receiving even more worrying data on
adverse reactions, a commercial in condence JCVI
subcommittee in 1986 decided to put a positive spin
on the safety of two measles vaccines by reporting
that results showed that 70 per cent of children were
well after receiving Attenuvax and 61 per cent after
receiving Rimevax . . . [and] if children with mild general
reactions were added to those who were apparently well,
then the numbers associated with Attenuvax were 85 per
cent and those with Rimevax 80 per cent.
Another way of interpreting the same data is that
between 15 and 20 per cent of children given one of the
vaccines would suffer a serious adverse reaction.
The subcommittee agreed to stop the study, and
concluded that the vast majority of adverse reactions
were probably nothing to do with the vaccines but were,
in fact,temper tantrums.
The same subcommittee was also told of 90 serious
adverse reactions to the DTP (diphtheriatetanus
pertussis, or whooping cough) vaccine, including
convulsions, abnormal fever and two cot deaths.
By 1988 the JCVI was becoming concerned by an
association in the publics mind between vaccines
NEEDLE
POINTS
IN TIME
DTP
VACCINE
This vaccine has
a poor safety
record , which the
UK government
has known about
but ignored for
more than 30
years
WWW.WDDTY.COM
1980
Health concerns
about the jab put
take-up of the
vaccine at all-time
low of 40 per cent
and death or brain damage. Legal claims began to be

brought to the courts, and JCVI members were given
secret documents concerning vaccine safety levels
on the express understanding that they were never to
be made public. One paper on the scientic evidence
of harm caused by the DTP vaccine conicted with
the current legal opinion that there was insufcient
evidence to demonstrate that the vaccine caused
permanent harm, the committee was told. In
other words, there was sufcient evidence, but the
government was sitting on it.
The following year the committee was given
evidence from the National Institute for Biological
Standards and Control (NIBSC) that indicated a link
between the mumps component (Urabe Am9 strain)
of the MMR vaccine and meningitis and encephalitis,
an association that would be drawn 10 years later by
Andrew Wakeeld in his controversial Lancet paper.
The NIBSC suspicions were vindicated by 1990 when
10 denite cases of meningitis/encephalitis were
established by analyzing cerebrospinal uid taken from
recently vaccinated children.
Despite these ndings the JCVI agreed to not make
any changes to the then current vaccination policy
although, by 1991, reports on adverse reactions from
other countries, such as Canada and Japan, were
mounting, prompting the committee to seek the
guidance of the vaccine manufacturers.
The drug companies concurred that the UK
governments approach of surveying adverse events
was the correct one.
But by 1992, SmithKlineBeecham, as the company
was then known, decided to stop manufacturing the
Urabe MMR vaccine on the advice of lawyers, and the
JCVI was told that, in light of that sudden decision, it
needed to act quickly. In secret meetings with their
European counterparts in September of that year, UK
health ofcials decided not to revoke SKBs licence to
produce the vaccine because it would have caused a
worldwide vaccine crisis.
One paper on the

scientic evidence
of harm caused by
the DTP vaccine
conicted with
the current legal
opinion that there
was insucient
evidence to
demonstrate that
the vaccine caused
permanent harm
1987
1985
Legal claims over

injury from the
pertussis element
of the triple vaccine
reach a record high
1986
First legal claims

are led following
deaths and brain
damage
JCVI told of 90
serious reactions to
the vaccine
SPECIAL REPORT
SPECIA
Although the
subcommittee
was keen to
play down the
risks of the DTP
vaccine, it had
been told of 95
adverse reactions,
including one
death, in children
given the vaccine
Despite these growing concerns, the JCVI set aside

800,000 for a publicity campaign and 1.4 million to
help meet increased vaccine costs, education and the
reprogramming of childrens computers.
CHARGE 2
Health ofcials reduced the
number of contraindicationsthe
circumstances in which a vaccine
should not be givenjust to increase
vaccination take-up rates
By 1980, public condence in the whooping cough
vaccine (the pertussis element of the triple DTP
vaccine) had reached a low point, and only 40 per
cent of eligible children were being vaccinated. A new
subcommittee was then created by the JCVI to address
the problem; it was tasked with relaxing the parameters
of dening the at-risk children.
The subcommittee had been told that the right
balance had to be struck between the need to keep
acceptance rates for vaccination as high as possible
and the need to protect groups of children who had an
increased risk of adverse reaction to vaccination (the
contraindicated vaccine recipients).
But the emphasis was on the reputation and safety
prole of the vaccination and not the wellbeing of
the vaccinated child. Respiratory disease was one
contraindication that should be removed, some
committee members mooted, while others pointed out
that the contraindication protected the reputation of
the vaccine. Respiratory disease was often associated
with sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and the
vaccine could be dragged into the controversy if those
children received the vaccine.
A similar argument was put forward to members who
wanted epilepsy to be removed as a contraindication.
Again the vaccine could be blamed if the child suffered
convulsions or seizures. Yet even in healthy children, the
vaccine was causing ts, after which the child stopped
NEEDLE
POINTS
IN TIME
MMR
VACCINE
The government
pressed ahead
with the triple
vaccine, despite
clear evidence
of its dangers
and those of
the separate
components
1981
JCVI has conclusive

proof of measles
vaccine dangers
1986
developing.It is very difcult to assess this as a random

event, the committee was told.
However, to full its brief the subcommittee nally
agreed that there should be special consideration, but
not necessarily exemption, of children with cerebral
damage from birth, with a history of convulsions, with a
family history of epilepsy, with developmental delay or
with neurological disease. The risk posed by the vaccine
in the child with a familial history of epilepsy was
slight, said the subcommittee, while developmental
delays and neurological disease were stable conditions
and so would not be worsened by the vaccine. These
statements, designed to reassure parents, had little or no
basis in fact and were not supported by any evidence.
Although the subcommittee was keen to play down
the risks of the DTP vaccine, it had been told of 95
adverse reactions, including one death, in children
given the vaccine during the four months leading up
to September 1986. The report concluded that there
is reason to believe that the increased relative risk of
prolonged convulsions after DTP was a real one. Not
only was it real, the risk was also high, the subcommittee
was told after reviewing 12 cases of vaccine-induced
encephalopathy, which included two deaths and ve
cases of long-term impairment.
Despite having these data, the subcommittee issued
reassuring statements to parents that downplayed the
riskswhile also advising the vaccine manufacturers to
alter their data sheets to include the possible risks and so
avoid legal action later.
CHARGE 3
The JCVI worked closely with the
vaccine manufacturers to amend the
accompanying data sheets even
though they often conicted with its
ofcial advice to parents
From 1987 onwards the JCVI worked closely with the
pharmaceutical company Mrieux, which was making a
booster MMR vaccine and a DTP vaccine, to encourage
it to change the data sheets so that they were in line with
1988
Triple MMR vaccine replaces

measles vaccine
JCVI puts positive spin

on dangers in publichealth messages
WWW.WDDTY.COM
SPECIAL REPORT
forthcoming changes to the Department of Healths

own guidelines to doctors. Without that conformity, the
JCVI was worried that the UK government would be
leaving itself open to damages claims.
But the drug company felt it could not make the
changes while litigation, brought by the parents of a
child injured after being given the pertussis vaccine, was
ongoing. Still, the JCVI had private meetings with the
Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry and
solicitors for the Department of Health to see if some
help could be given to Mrieux. The discussions were
described as commercial and in condence.
Presenting a united front became imperative after the
JCVI received a report that year from the Committee
on Safety of Medicines (CSM), which stated: No
scientically unassailable link has been established
between DTP immunisation and serious neurological
illness, but we have come to the conclusion, on the basis
of all present evidence, that there is a prima facie case
that such a link may exist. We would also agree that the
evidence suggests that the vaccine causes convulsions in
some children.
Despite its concerns, the CSM supported the JCVIs
view that the DTP vaccine was safe. According to
Dr Tomljenovic, the JCVI made legal discovery of
negative reports difcult and so evaded potential legal
repercussions.
CHARGE 4
The JCVI persistently relied on
dubious studies and dismissed
independent research to promote
vaccine policies
To promote the MMR as a safe vaccine, the JCVI always
welcomed studies that appeared to support that view
while dismissing any that raised concerns. It greeted
one population-based study, which could nd no
link between autism and MMR, as persuasive even
though it is not the purpose of epidemiological studies
such as this to look for causation.1 Indeed, four years
later the prestigious Cochrane researchers looked at
the same study and concluded that the number and
possible impact of biases in this study were so high
that interpretation of the results is impossible. In the
1989
Mumps component
of MMRthe Urabe
strain vaccineis rst
linked to meningitis
and encephalitis
WWW.WDDTY.COM
same Cochrane review,

which looked at 31 studies
of MMR and autism
and Crohns disease, the
researchers concluded that
the studies were so poorly
designed that they were
largely inadequate.2
The JCVI reserved a
similar critical eye only for
those studies that suggested
problems with the MMR.
In 2002 its experts reviewed
ve critical studies,
including one that found
a direct link between the
MMR and autism, and
concluded there was no
evidence of any causation
(see box, right).
CHARGE 5
The JCVI
persistently
played
down safety
concerns while
exaggerating
vaccine benets
The MMR and autism

Andrew Wakeeld lost his job as a consultant at the Royal
Free Hospital in London, and eventually his licence to practise
medicine, after he suggested a possible link between the
MMR vaccine and autism. He was found guilty of fraud in
preparing the 1998 paper in which he rst postulated such an
association.
The General Medical Council hearing that struck Wakeeld
o the medical register in 2010 had been told that no
researchers were able to replicate his original ndings of a
possible connection between a gut disorder caused by the
measles component of the MMR vaccine and autism.1
The JCVI jumped on this statement as further evidence of
the safety of the vaccinebut, yet again, it wasnt true. In
2002, researchers from Utah State University analyzed blood
samples from 125 autistic children and compared them with
blood taken from 92 healthy children. In 75 instances in the
autism group, antibodies in the blood indicated an abnormal
reaction to the vaccine. The antibodies attack the brain by
targeting the building blocks of myelin, the insulating sheath
that covers and protects nerve bres. As a result, the nerves
fail to develop properly and so possibly aect normal brain
functioning. None of the non-autistic children had such
antibodies in their blood samples.
Lead researcher Dr Vijendra Singh, an immunologist, said
there was a relationship between the abnormal reaction to
the vaccine, which happens in some children, and autism.2
REFERENCES
1
2
Lancet, 1998; 351: 63741

J Biomed Sci, 2002; 9: 35964
The number of legal claims over injury from the

pertussis vaccine was reaching a crescendo by 1985, and
the JCVI wanted to put a lid on rising public concerns.
In one condential paper issued in 1986, it said it
deprecated the use of the term brain damage when
talking about the vaccine as the public might consider
[it] a permanent entity.
The JCVI clearly didnt want to nd out if any damage
was permanent as, in the same paper, it stated that it
was unreasonable to ask paediatricians to report for a
period of six years.
1990
Major drive is launched

to have children
vaccinated with new
MMR vaccine
A
APRIL
PPR
RIL
IL 2013
220
201
01133 | WDD
WDDTY
W
WD
D
DD
DTYY 31
31
SPECIAL REPORT
SPECIA
This was a strange decision as one review, known as

the Meade Panel Study, reported to the JCVI examples
of children who had a t soon after vaccination which
was followed by a t at a later time and then followed
by cessation of development. The length of time that
development stopped was not known.
The vaccine also triggered encephalopathy, a disease
that damaged brain function, the JCVI was told in a
condential paper, and one-third of these cases resulted
in a permanent handicap for at least a year following
vaccination.
The JCVI was also told that the DTP vaccine could
cause febrile convulsions lasting more than 10 minutes
or repeating over a 24-hour period, and that 10 per cent
of these could cause permanent handicap.
Despite these clear descriptions of permanent harm,
the JCVI thought it best to keep the facts from the
public. The minutes of one meeting recorded that if the
public was given a risk ratioany ratiothey would
see it as a scientically proven risk. It was therefore
preferable not to use insecure gures if possible but to
stress the benets from vaccination.
CHARGE 6
The JCVI promoted new vaccines of
questionable efcacy and safety into
the routine vaccination schedule on
the assumption that licenses would
eventually be granted
In May 1999 the JCVI met to discuss the introduction
of new group C meningococcal vaccines designed to
protect against septicaemia and meningitis. Three
brands of the vaccine were likely to be adopted
as part of the mass vaccination programme, and
members were reminded that the issue was extremely
sensitive, commercially and politically. Because of
the sensitive commercial nature of the discussions,
four of the committee members declared a conict of
interest as they had close ties to the drug companies
manufacturing the vaccines, but rather than barring
these members, the committee allowed them to stay
as they would be able to

Herd, but not seen
provide a valuable input.
Vaccines protect the general population when 95 per cent or
The Department of
more of the targeted at-risk group is vaccinated, according to
Health and the JCVI
the concept of herd immunity. This one theory can explain
seemed determined to
the JCVIs consistent blocking and denial of evidence of
introduce the new vaccine
adverse reactions, as any bad news like this could aect the
as quickly as possible,
take-up rate.
although there was no
But does the theory hold up? According to the evidence,
evidence that it was
it doesnt. After one outbreak of measles in Corpus Christi,
effective.To actually test
Texas, in 1985, researchers discovered that 99 per cent of the
the efcacy . . . it would be
children aected had received the measles vaccination and
necessary to introduce the
at least 95 per cent were supposedly immune, according to
vaccine and then conduct a
their blood samples.1
Phase III or Phase IV study
Three years later, there was an outbreak of 84 measles
to test efcacy; this would
cases at a college in Colorado, and yet 98 per cent of the
be very difcult to do and
students had been vaccinated and were still immune,
would delay introduction
according to blood serum analyses.2
by three to ve years, the
This was followed by a chickenpox outbreak at a school
JCVI was told.
where 97 per cent of children had been vaccinated. Those who
Moving on, the JCVI then had been vaccinated more than ve years previously were
especially at risk, the researchers concluded.3
had to decide on the age
group that should be given
REFERENCES
the vaccine. One committee 1 N Engl J Med, 1987; 316: 7714
2 Am J Public Health, 1991; 81: 3604
member said there was
3 Pediatrics, 2004; 113: 4559
very little to choose between
the priority age groups and
suggested that infants were easier to target. It was then
agreed that all infants should receive the vaccine, even
though nobody knew if it would work.
Within a year the rst safety worries surfaced.
Headache and muscle stiffness were common sideeffects, although the symptoms were not the result of
meningitis since the vaccine could not cause this. The
committee also noted that this information would
not have been available without the cooperation of the
manufacturers. This had given everyone much more
condence in the vaccine programme and was a unique
cooperation. The statement suggests this was the rst
time ever that the drug companies had shared adverseevents information with the UK ofcials.
But condence was beginning to wane by October
2000, when 14 deaths were linked to the vaccine,
1998
1991
Andrew Wakeelds
controversial paper
suggesting a link
with meningitis and
encephalitis is published
Meningitis and
encephalitis cases
conrmed
1992
2002
JCVI is presented with

ve papers showing a
link between vaccine
and autism, which it
dismisses
Manufacturing of
Urabe vaccine stops
WWW.WDDTY.COM
SPECIAL REPORT
SPECIA
Condence was
beginning to
wane by October
2000, when
14 deaths were
linked to the
vaccine, including
seven SIDs cases
and two because
of meningitis
including seven SIDS cases and two because of

meningitis. Again the JCVI moved to put a lid on public
concerns. It felt the statement from the Medicines
Control Agency that there was no evidence that the
vaccine caused meningitis was too mild and instead
proposed the statement that the vaccine categorically
did not cause meningitis, although it had no evidence
to support that claim.
In fact the JCVI was told there had been 17,000
adverse events reported by family doctors using the
yellow-card system for reporting adverse reactions,
which represented one adverse event per 2,000 doses
of the new vaccine. Department of Health solicitors
also told the JCVI that the yellow-card system was
not routinely used by doctors and so the true extent
of adverse reactions was probably far higher than that
reported.
CHARGE 7
The JCVI actively discouraged
research into vaccine safety issues
As early as 1985 the numbers of infants who had
died immediately after vaccination were beginning
to cause concern, and an expert from the London
School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine was asked
to review the data. In a letter to the JCVI, he thought
that the governments estimates of vaccine-related
SIDS were about rightsuggesting some causal link,
albeit smallbut given the importance of the subject,
a more thorough examination of the subject seems
appropriate.
But scientists from Nottingham University, who
were sent the letter, strongly advised against further
investigation.There is no foolproof method of
discrediting the hypothesis [that vaccines cause SIDS],
they wrote, suggesting that they already knew what
2010
The Lancet journal

withdraws the
Wakeeld pap
per
paper
studies would reveal, and advised that nobody should

look too closely at the issue.
This reluctance in the scientic community was
highlighted by the European Medicines Agencys
Professor Luigi Matturri, who noted that full postmortem examinationsincluding brain-stem
analysiswere not carried out on ve infants in
Germany who had died within 24 hours of vaccination.
This prompted a letter from two researchers who asked:
The main problem is that vaccine specialists have failed
for decades to establish any tests or other criteria to nd
out if adverse events are linked to vaccinations or not. To
our knowledge they did not even try hardwhy?3
Underpinning this reluctance are apparently two
assumptions: rst, that vaccines are inherently a
good thing, so any suggestion that they could cause
harm would reduce the numbers having them, thus
impacting on the protective effects of herd immunity;
and second, that vaccines are assumed to be safe.
This is perhaps why no one has looked too hard for
serious adverse effects; as Americas Food and Drug
Administration has stated,Historically, the safety
assessment of preventive vaccines has often not
included toxicity studies in animal models. This is
because vaccines have not been viewed as inherently
toxic.4
CHARGE 8
The JCVI deliberately took
advantage of parents trust
in vaccinations to promote a
scientically unsupported
immunization programme that
could put certain children at risk
of severe long-term neurological
damage
2010
UK government
announces new six-inone jab to replace the
triple MMR vaccine
2010
Andrew Wakeeld is struck o the

medical register after researchers are
unable to replicate his ndings
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SPECIAL REPORT
In October 2010 the JCVI decided to make fundamental

changes to the UKs immunization programme by
introducing a six-in-one jab in one visit rather than
spreading them out over a few months. At 12 months
an infant would receive vaccinations for Haemophilus
inuenzae and meningitis C, measles, mumps and
rubella, and pneumococcal infection, all in one day.
The Department of Health said this simplied policy
would streamline the process, while independent
scientic research has shown that providing these
vaccines at the same time is safe, effective and more
convenient for parents.
That statement isnt true. The independent research
was in fact carried out by the Department of Health
itself, while the safety of the vaccines was assessed at
seven days after vaccination and then only for localized
reactions such as swelling and tenderness immediately
around the site of injection.
In 2009 the JCVI had started the ball rolling by
concluding that there is no scientic reason to keep
the . . . vaccines separate. Again, the statement is
completely untrue.
A year earlier the JCVI counterpart in the US, the
Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices
(ACIP), had recommended dropping a four-in-one
jab, which combined the MMR with one for varicella
(chickenpox), after it was found to double the risk of
febrile seizures compared with the MMR vaccine on its
own. In the same year the European Medicines Agency
had recommended the withdrawal of a six-in-one
(hexavalent) vaccine for safety reasons.
Ignoring these warnings from other countries, the
Department of Health thought it was unwise to offer
parents a choice between the current policy of spreading
the vaccines over several months or giving their child the
six-in-one. Instead, health professionals should reassure
parents that the new strategy was entirely safe and
that, partly in response to the Wakeeld controversy,
the MMR is safe. Yet just months earlier the UK
government had paid out damages of 90,000 to the
parents of Robert Fletcher, who had suffered epilepsy
and severe mental retardation following the entirely
safe MMR jab.
The JCVI also seems to have a short-term memory.
In 1974 it was advised that [as] an interval in the
administration of live vaccines [is] advocated in view of
the probability of adverse reactions . . . the committee
agreed that it would be inopportune to change the
guidance that an interval of at least three weeks should
be allowed to elapse between the administration of any
two live vaccines.
In spite of this, the health professionals had to
downplay any risks. The best strategy, the Department
of Health advised in a circular to clinics, was to hand
out a sheet listing possible adverse reactions to parents
immediately before vaccination so that parents feel
WWW.WDDTY.COM
they have been given

advance warning, but do
not dwell on the content to
the extent that they begin to
worry.
Keeping up standards
As with anyone holding public oce, the members of the
UKs Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation
(JCVI) are supposed to meet exacting standards. These are
encapsulated in the Seven Principles of Public Life, set out by
the Nolan committee, including:
1XuiXxXHolders of public oce should take decisions
solely in terms of the public interest. They should not do
so in order to gain nancial or other material benets for
themselves, their family or their friends.
%RsXSmm In carrying out public business, holders of public
oce should make choices on merit.
SSzxARmumHolders of public oce are accountable
for their decisions and actions to the public and must submit
themselves to whatever scrutiny is appropriate to their oce.
%XxxX Holders of public oce should be as open as
possible about all the decisions and actions that they take.
They should give reasons for their decisions and restrict
information only when the wider public interest clearly
demands it.
After reading the secret minutes reported in this article, how
many of these principles do you consider JCVI members have
broken?
Turning to the JCVIs own rules about personal nancial
interest, if a member has in the last 12 months received, or
plans to receive, a nancial payment or other benet from a
business or representative body relating to vaccines or any
other product or service, including carrying out consultancy
or fee-paid work, the member must declare an interest . . . If
this interest is specic to an agenda item and the payment or
other benet is connected specically with the product under
consideration, the member will be required to absent him/
herself from the discussion and any subsequent vote.
However, according to the minutes regarding the
introduction of the group C meningococcal vaccine, members
with a direct link to the manufacturers were allowed to stay as
they would be able to provide a valuable input.
How many other times has this rule been broken?
3lXAlzlXuu
These recommendations
were based on market
research carried out
by the Department of
Health among parents
to determine how best to
implement the new sixin-one vaccine and how
to gauge resistance to the
MMR vaccine in particular.
What came out of this
attitudinal research was
the vast gap between the
trust of parents and the
cynical fast-and-loose
approach of policy makers.
Typical comments
from parents revealed an
assumption that vaccines
have been thoroughly
tested and that policy
makers have the best
interests of their children
at heart.
In a sense the latter
statement is true: vaccine
policy makers truly believe
that vaccinations can save
countless lives, although
this protective effect can
be achieved only through
herd immunity, when
around 95 per cent of the targeted population has been
immunized.
Its a belief that surpasses science and takes on more
of a religious zeal so that any inconvenient truthssuch
as adverse reactions up to and including deathare
discounted or disbelieved. They just dont t with the
paradigm that vaccines are safe and effective.
Parents dont want religious zeal or the preservation
of paradigms. They want to know their childrens safety
is paramountand yet it isnt. Vital safety information
is being deliberately withheld, which makes the
parents consent to have their children vaccinated
not informedraising the possibility that every
vaccination is an illegal act.
Bryan Hubbard
REFERENCES
1 Pediatrics, 2001; 108: e58

2 Cochrane Database Syst Rev, 2005; 4:
CD004407; 2012; 2: CD004407
3 Vaccine, 2006; 24: 57812; authors
reply 57856
4 US DHHS, FDA, Oce of Womens
Health. Workshop on: Non-clinical
safety evaluation of preventive
vaccines: Recent advances and
regulatory considerations, volume 1.
Washington, DC: Miller Reporting
Co, 2002
PREVEN
PREVENTION
Mouth guard
A bakers dozen of things you probably didnt know about why
your gums go bad and how to keep them in the pink
WWW.WDDTY.COM
PREVENTION
ENTION
very time you go to the dentist,

you hear the same story: youre not
brushing and ossing well enough.
Plaque, caused by bacteria and food,
gets stuck to your teeth after eating and
hardens, inaming your gums and
causing them to bleed or recede.
If you carry on as you are, he warns again in
a sober voice, you can look forward to a future
of periodontal disease, loose or missing teeth
and eventually dentures. Youre given another
appointment with the hygienist and a bag full of
the latest in scientically proven toothpaste and
powerful antibacterial mouthwashes and you vow,
once again, to scrub a little harder.
Although brushing, ossing and interdental
brushes all help to keep plaque at bay, this daily
exercise is like digging out a mountain with a
teaspoon. Plaque reappears just 24 hours later,
so keeping your gums healthy is not simply a
matter of going to the dentist regularly for a good
descaling, spit and polish. And even the most
diligent twice a day brushing or a Dettol of a
mouthwash wont work if you dont pay attention
to the rest of your body.
Too many rened

carbs
The bacteria responsible for causing

dental plaque feed and quickly
ferment on sugar, and all the high
glycaemic index (GI) white stuff
(rened sugar, white rice, potatoes,
processed white bread) quickly
turns into sugar and lactic acid. As
a rule of thumb, the more rened
carbs you eat, the more likely you are
to have gum problems. Remember
too that many foods that are healthy
when raw (like carrots) become
high GI when cooked. The humble
spud is another one of those high GI
foods, particularly when fried. Ditto
beer. Keeping your mouth healthy is
just one more reason to rid your diet
of these foods.
Check out the ofcial website
of the late French Dr Michel
Montignac, who pioneered the
low GI diet, for a list of the highest
glycaemic foods (www.montignac.
WWW.WDDTY.COM
The fact is the state of your gums simply mirrors

the state of your health, particularly the state
of your diet, and vice versa. In fact, most of the
main modern degenerative diseases are actually
linked to gum disease in some way, most likely
because inammation caused by gum disease
quickly spreads throughout the body via the blood
circulation and leads to increased levels of cancercausing compounds. Your gums offer an instant
snapshot of your immune system and your overall
health, so to keep your gums healthy, you need to
approach the issue holistically by paying attention
to your body and its requirements as a whole,
particularly your diet. Many dentists consider gum
disease simply evidence of malnutrition.
Its also wise to keep in mind that the
composition of dental bacteria is dynamic,
constantly changing as the environment in
your mouth changes too. You may not be able to
eliminate plaque altogether, but you can actually
change the bugs in your mouth to make them
more health supportive.
Here are seven hidden causes of gum disease.
Before you consider any preventative medicine,
make sure you take care of these rst.
com/en/search-for-a-specicglycemic-index/#tab) and avoid

anything with a GI over 50.
Nutritional
deciencies
periodontal disease, and minimal

supplements of just 70 mg/day
can lead to rapid improvement.2
However, most nutritionists advise
that you need far more of this
vitamin for optimal health.
Suggested daily dosage: 13 g
Strong evidence links gum problems

to a range of nutritional deciencies, Omega-3 fats According to
American research, those with
including the following nutrients.
diets high in these essential fatty
Co-enzyme Q10
acids have a lower incidence of gum
Virtually all patients with gum
disease.3
disease are found to have marked
Suggested daily dosage: 1g of sh oil
containing 180 mg of eicosapentaenoic acid
deciencies of this vital nutrient,
(EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)
and supplementing can often
quickly heal periodontal disease. In Vitamin D and calcium Boston
one study, patients with periodontal University research shows that
disease taking 50 mg/day of CoQ10 people with the highest blood
levels of a form of vitamin D are the
showed marked improvements in
swelling, redness, pain and gappy or least likely to have gingivitis and
periodontal disease, possibly due
loose teeth after three weeks.1
to the vitamins anti-inammatory
Suggested daily dosage: 50 mg
effects.4 And low levels of calcium
Vitamin C Low circulating levels
appear to nearly double your
of vitamin C have been linked to
chances of developing periodontal
PREVEN
PREVENTION
Mouth
breathing
disease because your gums

are then more likely to attach
poorly to your teeth.
Suggested daily dosage: at least

1,000 IU of vitamin D; for calcium,
high-dose supplements are poorly
absorbed, so its best to get your daily
amount from food, especially dairy
products and green leafy veg
Saliva plays an important role

in dental hygiene, but if youre
a mouth breather, particularly
during sleep, your saliva dries
up, removing one of Natures
major safeguards for keeping
bacteria at bay. Some dentists
even blame gum problems on
incorrect swallowing, which we
develop, they say, from being
bottle-fed as infants.
Learning to swallow while
bottle-feeding forces the
babys tongue into an incorrect
position to prevent choking,
and as children who learned
to feed this way grow up, they
tend to swallow too much
air and push food against the
teeth when they eat. If youre
a mouth breather, work with
an alternative practitioner to
correct this.
B vitamins The entire

B-vitamin complex
strengthens gum tissue, and
2 mg twice a day of folic acid
in particular has been shown
to improve bleeding gums
compared with a placebo.5
Vitamin B6 helps promote
the good-guy bacteria in the
mouth while killing off the
decay-producing variety.6
Suggested daily dosage: one B-50
complex capsule (containing mostly
25 or 50 mg of all of the B vitamins,
plus 50 mcg of vitamin B12)
Mercury in the
mouth
Amalgam llings undoubtedly

play a role in poor gum health.7
If you have a mouth full of
metal, consider having your
silver llings taken out,
but only by a dentist highly
experienced in their removal,
who will use rubber dams
and air hoses to remove the
mercury vapour as he drills
them out. (See WDDTY
February 2013 for a full plan of
safe dental mercury removal.)
Smoking
The lthy habit, estimated

to account for about half
of all cases of gum disease,
quadruples your chances
of developing advanced
periodontal disease.8 Smoking
greatly diminishes both the
oxygen and nutrient supply to
the gums and also interferes
with the production of
cytokines, essential for your
bodys immune system control
of inammation.
Prescription
drugs
Levels of gum-diseasecausing bacteria in a womans

mouth may increase after
she begins using the Pill9
one more reason to ditch
oral contraceptives. Other
prescription drugs, including
antidepressants, typically cause
dry mouth as a side-effect and
so reduce levels of saliva, again
encouraging germs to breed
in the mouth.10 The same goes
for over-the-counter cold
remedies. Antihypertensive
drugs like calcium-channel
blockers and antiseizure drugs
like phenytoin all also affect
gum tissue and encourage
bacterial overgrowth.
Stress
In one study, after a large group

of soldiers in active service
were discovered to have severe
gum disease, the cause was
put down to stress, which
reduces the amount of saliva
in the mouth and causes its

pH to become more acidic.11
Constant stress in everyday
life can also affect the state of
your gums; an inability to cope
well with unrelenting nancial
stress, for instance, can double
your chances of developing
gum disease.12
Other evidence shows that
besides stress, depression in
general has been linked to
periodontal disease.13
What to do
instead
Now that youve cleaned
up your act, here are six
good ways to keep your
mouth healthy
Eat whole,
organic and
unprocessed
As a general rule of thumb, the

less processed and interfered
with, the lower the glycaemic
index and the better the food
is for you and your mouth.
The late New York-based
holistic dentist Dr Jerome S.
Mittelman, one of the authors
of Healthy Teeth for Kids
(New York, NY: Kensington
Publishing Corp., 2001), found
that the patients who started
off their day with a protein
breakfast, including plenty
of vitamin C and calcium,
improved the state of their
gums.
Drink lots of
cuppas
Both green and black teas offer

high levels of avonoids that
have been shown to halt the
activity of oral bacteria, as do
the catechins in green tea.14
They work by suppressing the
enzyme that oral bacteria need
to feed on sugar.
Feast on
pomegranates
This superfruit contains

polyphenolic avonoids
that attack bacteria on every
front, interfering with the
production of the chemicals
used by bacteria to glue
themselves to your teeth.15
Mouthwashes containing
pomegranate extract have
antibacterial and antiinammatory effects, and can
even help to remove plaque
from teeth.16
Supplement
Besides a good daily

multivitamin (containing
calcium, magnesium, vitamin
D, vanadium and silicon), take
additional supplements of:
Coenzyme Q10
(dosage: 50 mg/day)
Vitamin C
(dosage: at least 1 g/day)
Vitamin D
(dosage: at least 1000 IU/day)
B-50 Complex
(dosage: one capsule/day)
Omega-3 fatty acids

(dosage: 1 g of sh or axseed oil,
and add purslane to your diet, as this
vegetable contains high levels of
omega-3s)
Vitamin E tocotrienols
(dosage: at least 400 IU/day).
Pop a probiotic
Taking these friendly

bacteria daily not only affects
the gut ora (the composition
of bacteria living in the
intestines), but also the bugs
in your mouth, lowering
the numbers of bacteria
contributing to plaque
and inammation,
and even changing
the composition of
the gunky biolm
used by bacteria to
stick to teeth.17
Get hold of
products (available
WWW.WDDTY.COM
PREVENTION
ENTION
online) containing
Bidobacterium
adolescentis and
Streptococcus salivarius
(strain K12) as they have
been shown in lab and
animal studies to prevent
the formation of the
biolm that contributes
to gum disease and tooth
decay.18
Use natural
toothpaste
and mouthwash
Native and traditional

cultures all over the world
use the leaves, twigs
and kernels of plants to
effectively control mouth
bacteria rather than trying
to completely blast it
away, as we do in the West.
The best herbal products
include:
Liquorice (Glycyrrhiza
glabra), proven to be highly
effective against plaque
formation.19
Myrrh (Commiphora
molmol), which helps heal
mouth ulcers.20
Salvadora persica, called
the toothbrush tree
for good reason: for
centuries, North African
native cultures used its
twigs (miswak chewing
sticks), which splay out
like a toothbrush, to scrub
their teeth, and benzyl
isothiocyanate,
one of its active
ingredients,
is effective
against
mouth
bacteria. One study

concluded that the twigs
are just as effective as
ordinary brushing for
normal plaque reduction.21
Krameria triandra (rhatany
or ratanhia root), used
by South Americans as a
mouthwash, is effective for
ghting plaque.22
Propolis, the sticky
stuff brought to us by
honeybees, appears to
effectively ght plaque,
gum disease, mouth
ulcers and even cavities.
Research on a mouthwash
containing 5 per cent
Brazilian green propolis
showed signicant effects
in reducing plaque and
gum inammation after
just three months.23
Xylitol. This natural
sugar derived from
plums, strawberries and
raspberries, is used to
sweeten sugarless candy
and gum. It inhibits plaque
formation and, in one study
of children, eliminated the
salivary bacteria associated
with tooth decay.24 If youre
going to chew gum, let this
be the one.
Which came rstbad gums

or the disease?
Bad teeth and gums are linked with many modern
degenerative diseases, including:
Type 2 diabetes Both gingivitis and severe periodontitis
exacerbate diabetesand may even be a cause of it in
the rst place. The reverse is also true: diabetes makes
gum disease worse. In one study, those with gum disease
were twice as likely to develop diabetes while, in another,
diabetics found it impossible to achieve glycaemic
control if they also had gum disease.1 One study found
that 90 per cent of people with gum disease are at risk
of developing diabetes or may even already have the
disease but dont know it.2
Infertility If youre nding it dicult to conceive, check
out the state of your mouth, as unhealthy gums can aect
your ability to get pregnant. In one study of nearly 4,000
pregnant women, those with gum disease took seven
months to conceivetwo months longer than women
with healthy gums. In particular, non-Caucasian women
with gum disease took a full year longer to conceive than
women with healthy gums.3
Heart disease People who dont take good care of their
teeth and gums are 70 per cent more likely to develop
heart disease than those who brush their teeth twice a
day and visit their dentists regularly.4
Arthritis Poor oral health also predisposes to
inammatory diseases such as arthritis, according to
researchers from University College London.4
Stroke Serious gum disease like periodontitis quadruples
your chances of suering a stroke, which is about the
same risk as if you have high blood pressure and twice
the risk of diabetics.5 And those who have already had a
stroke are nearly three times more likely to have another
one if they have gingival bacteria too.6
Plaque-clogged arteries Italian researchers have linked
atherosclerosis with poor gum health, as did a major
review of the current research.7
Cancer Gum disease increases the risk of pancreatic
cancer, the fourth most common cause of cancer
deaths.8 In fact, losing a tooth from gum disease within
the past four years nearly trebles your risk of developing
pancreatic cancer.
Mental decline Gum disease like gingivitis can also signal
mental dysfunction.2
Osteoporosis This degenerative bone disease is linked
to gum disease, especially in women with low vitamin D
levels.9
Herbal toothpastes and

products (online at sites
such as amazon.co.uk):
Sarakan toothpaste
containing Salvadora
persica (www.sarakan.
co.uk)
Weleda toothpaste
containing Krameria,
with extracts of myrrh and
liquorice (glycyrrhizate),
and a mouthwash
containing myrrh and
rhatany (ratanhia) for
mouth ulcers and tender
gums (www.weleda.
co.uk).
REFERENCES
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
REFERENCES
21
1
2
3
22
4
5
6
7
8
9
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JAMA, 2008; 300: 24713

J Public Health Dent, 2010; doi: 10.1111/j.1752-7325.2009.00157x
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BMJ, 2010; 340: c2451
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J Natl Cancer Inst, 2007; 99: 1715
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Commun Chem Pathol Pharmacol,
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J Am Diet Assoc, 2010; 110:
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Am J Clin Nutr, 2005; 82: 57580
J Periodontol, 1976; 47: 6678
NY State Dent J, 1959; 25: 3037
Levenson J. Menace in the Mouth?
London: WDDTY Publications,
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J Clin Periodontol, 1999; 26: 4955
Contraception, 1998; 57: 3814
Lancet, 1995; 346: 1640
J Periodontol, 1956: 45: 25566;
Periodontology , 2007: 44:
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J Indian Soc Periodontol, 2011;
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Phytother Res, 2009; 23: 11237;
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J Oral Microbiol, 2009; 1: 10.3402/
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J Oral Biosci, 2009; 51: 2249;
Future Microbiol, 2012; 7: 135571
J Pharm Sci, 1985; 74: 7981
Council of the Pharmaceutical
Society of Great Britain. British
Pharmaceutical Codex 1963.
London: The Pharmaceutical Press,
1963; 50910
PLoS One, 2011; 6: e23045; Swed
Dent J Suppl, 2004; 167: 275
Auterho H. The Extra
Pharmacopoeia Martindale,
Supplement 1961. London: The
Pharmaceutical Press, 1961; British
Herbal Medicine Association
Scientic Committee. British Herbal
Pharmacopoeia Pt 2. Keighley, W.
Yorkshire: British Herbal Medicine
Association, 1979
Evid Based Complement Alternat
Med, 2011; 2011: 750249; doi:
10.1155/2011/750249
Int J Paediatr Dent, 2007; 17: 7985
PREVEN
PREVENTION
Flatten your abs forever

All the crunches and sit ups in the world wont give you
a at stomach, says tness expert Paul Chek. Heres his
programme for achieving a perfect washboard for the rest
of your life
WWW.WDDTY.COM
ENTION
PREVENTION
t would not be an understatement to say that

there is a worldwide obsession with getting
at abs. Scarce is the bodybuilding, exercise
or beauty magazine without an article on
how to exercise the abdominals.
Unfortunately, the tness world has beaten
the crunch to death. Every variation of crunch
torture you could ever imagine has been and
continues to be published, yet our abs are not
getting atter.
Bodybuilders often go to great extremes such
as starvation diets, diuretics, laxatives and even
enemas to evacuate the organs and bowels for
at abs before getting on stage. But even those
methods dont always get the job done.
In fact, some middle bodybuilders lower abs
dont respond to attempts to ex like those of
the other competitors, while many belly dancers
have lower abdominals that are distended and
lacking in tone. Clearly these people dont suffer
from a lack of exercise.
Because there are so many causes of
abdominal dysfunction, Ill give a quick crash
course here of the relevant anatomy and
physiology, and then share some exercises that
will work much better once youve got your
insides working correctly.
p
Nerve supply
Most exercise
exe
professionals today are taught
that theres
ther no such thing as upper and lower
abdomin
abdominals. This is just plain false.
As a gr
group the abdominals run from the
botto
bottom of your chest (lower tip of sternum)
all the way to your pelvic bones and
pu
pubic bone. Along the way they pick up
a nerve from each section of the spine,
b
beginning with the 5th thoracic (T5;
m
middle back) segment and ending
w
with the rst lumbar (L1; lower back)
ssegment.
At the belly button there is a change
in the way the nerves feed the muscles. Above the

belly button, a nerve comes from each segment
of the spine from T5 down to T11, while
everything from the belly button on down gets
its nerve supply from only two segmentsT12
and L1.
This is very important because the change
in the way the muscles are supplied by the
nervous system indicates a clear neurological
and anatomical division between upper abs and
lower abs. And it is the lower abdominals that are
the most challenging to atten, particularly for
women.
Functional considerations
Functionally the female abdominal wall is
placed under greater overall stress than the male
abdominal wall for a number of reasons. The
female pelvis is wider and shallower to allow
for childbirth and is also tipped
forward more than a male pelvis to
allow easier birthing. The wider,
shallower female pelvis makes for
wider hips than the males, making
the lower spine more susceptible to
gravitys tendency to increase spinal
curvature. This difference in the
pelvis produces what is referred to as a
greater Q angle in women.
This greater Q angle pushes the
knees toward each other and
encourages attening of the feet if not
effectively controlled by the abdominal muscles
and subordinate stabilizer muscles.
These differences in the female pelvis cause
womens reproductive organs and intestinal
tract to rely much more heavily on the
abdominal wall for support than do mens.
Even the act of moving puts a greater demand on
womens lower abs. This explains why women
have a higher incidence of lower abdominal
protrusion than men.
The Q angle
Women have a wider
and shallower pelvis
than men which gives
women a greater Q
angle and pushes the
knees together
Bodybuilders often go to great extremes such as starvation diets,

diuretics, laxatives and even enemas to evacuate the organs
and bowels for at abs before getting on stage. But even those
methods dont always get the job done
WWW.WDDTY.COM
PREVEN
PREVENTION
Organs talk to muscles

Each organ in the human body shares
an intimate relationship with the bones,
joints, ligaments, tendons, muscles,
hormonal glands and nerve centres
that come from related developmental
tissues. The body is neatly packaged
so that each of the major nerve centres
communicates with specic organs.
For example, the small intestine shares
sensory experiences with the upper
abdominal muscles via the nerves from
the 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th segments
of the thoracic (middle) spine. The
colon, on the other hand, gets its sensory
nerves from the 9th thoracic segment all
the way to the 3rd lumbar (lower back)
segment and shares pain with the lower
abdominal muscles.
Because the brain cannot differentiate
between pain in the muscle and pain in
the organs with which those muscles
share sensory nerves, whenever one
tissue is in painbe it muscle, blood
vessel, joint or ligamentall related
tissues behave as though they are in pain.
It is essential to understand this if you
want to atten your abs forever because
it means that what you eat (including
drugs), what you drink, your bowel
habits and the general health of your
internal organs actually has a greater
inuence over how nice your abdominal
wall looks and functions than your
exercises do.
Once gut fungi, parasites, bad bacteria
and GM foods are sorted out, and overly
processed foods, gut irritants like food
additives and foods to which we are
allergic or intolerant are avoided and
bowel habits restored, the abdominals no
longer act like they too are under attack.
Repeatedly, Ive seen abs atten and
become far more aesthetically pleasing
than they ever were through exercise
alone.
Paul Chek, internationally recognized holistic health
practitioner and neuromuscular therapist, is the
founder of the C.H.E.K Institute in Vista, California and
a sought-after consultant to sporting organizations.
For information about his audios, videos and books,
courses and seminars, certication courses, or a private
consultation visit www.chekinstitute.com
Bibliography
How to Eat, Move and Be Healthy!
Chek P. San Diego, CA: C.H.E.K Institute, 2004
(www.chekinstitute.com)
Human Embryology & Teratology, 2nd edn.
ORahilly RR, Mller F. New York: Wiley-Liss, 1996
(ISBN: 0471133515)
What you eat

(including
drugs), what
you drink,
your bowel
habits and
the general
health of
your internal
organs
actually has
a greater
inuence
over how
nice your
abdominal
wall looks
and functions
than your
exercises do
How to get
your abs
to atten
forever
To get the most of these
exercises, please follow these
programming suggestions:
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www.chekinstitute.com.
WWW.WDDTY.COM
ENTION
PREVENTION
4-Point Tummy
Vacuum
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WWW.WDDTY.COM
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0XwXwRXztXXzlzuXRzVXuAXV
HEALTHY LIVING
HEALTH
When a calorie
isnt a calorie
New evidence shows that the calorie system, which has governed
weight loss programmes for 50 years, is a meaningless measure
and virtually useless for losing weight
WWW.WDDTY.COM
HEALTHY LIVING
hen Britains Scientic Advisory

among the top 10 most caloric foodsin
Committee on Nutrition
fact, nuts are recommended to people who
revised its calorie intake
are dangerously underweight. Yet, in the last
recommendations last October,1
20 years, study after study has consistently
it sent a clear message to the public that
shown that nuts not only dont make you put
controlling weight by calorie-counting is
on weight, they may even help you reduce
based on exceptionally sound science. Twenty
it.4 Nutritionists have tried to explain these
ndings by suggesting that nuts promote
years ago the recommended gures were 2,500
satietythey make you feel full, so you eat less
calories a day for men and 2,000 for women,
food in general. But at least two studies have
but now thanks to improved methodology,
shown this cant be the whole answer: when
the revised gures are 2,605 and 2,079,
people are fed diets with identical numbers of
respectively.
calories (in the jargon,isocaloric), they put on
The strong implication is that the science of
less weight when the diets contain nuts.
calories has progressed so much that it can now
Nutritionists stock response has been that
be accurate almost to the last morsel of food.
nuts and alcohol are merely anomalies that
Thats ironic, as those gures were concocted
dont fundamentally challenge the calorie
at a time when an increasing number of
theory. That argument didnt wash with
nutritionists have been questioning the entire
Harvard University nutritionist Dr
calorie system.People tend to
think of calories as real thingslike
Women given a Penelope Greene.
little packets of energy that food
slimming diet with In 2003, she put a group of 50-yearsomehow containsbut theyre
58 per cent of its olds on isocaloric weight-loss diets
simply measurements of food
calories coming containing drastically different
proportions of fat and carbohydrate.5
energy, says Dr Jennie Brand-Miller,
from fat lost far According
to the calorie theory,
Professor of Obesity & Nutrition
more weight
everyone should have lost exactly
at the University of Sydney.And
than those on an the same amount of weight. But they
theres growing evidence that, as a
isocaloric diet
g yyoull
didnt. After 12 weeks of dieting,
measure of how much weight
with
28 per cent the people on the predominantly
rticular food,
p
put on with any particular
of calories coming low-fat diet lost an
.
a average of 17 lb
calories are useless.
(8 kg), while the low-carbohydrate
The rst aw in the calorie
from fat
dieters lost 223 lb (10 kg).
ht in the
theory came to light
ith
Man nutritionists
Many
1980sand not with
w stunned as
were
food, but alcohol.
n
t ndings were
the
Nutritionists began
p heresy: the
pure
to wonder why,
car
cardinal
principle of
although alcohol
nutri
nutritional
science is
is laden with
nking
ca
that a calorie
is a calorie
calories, heavy drinking
whatever food it comes from.I
nations such as the French
91 the evidence
dont think for a minu
minute that anything
arent obese. By 1991
is violating the laws of physics, Greene
from a number of observational studies forced
responded,but theres something here worthy
Professor Charles Lieber, Americas foremost
of further study.
expert on alcohol and nutrition, to conclude
that chronic consumption of substantial
The end of dogma?
amounts of alcohol is not associated with the
This fat makes you fat mantra has been
expected effect on body weight.2
But years passed before any formal trials were
nutritional Holy Writ for decades and
done to investigate this inconsistency. Finally,
enthusiastically supported by a food industry
two major studies involving over 60,000 people
that has proffered a plethora of low-fat versions
were conducted in 2008 and 2010, which
of most prepared foods. But despite the lowconvincingly conrmed that even high intakes
fat-food bonanza, obesity rates have ballooned:
of alcohol have almost no effect on weight.3
a quarter of Britons are now obese, as are a
Some drinkers do pile on the pounds, but its
staggering two-thirds of Americans.
been shown that, with the possible exception of
Why? The culprit most often ngered is
beer, the culprit is not the alcohol itself, but the
lack of exercise, but some nutritionists arent
snacking that often accompanies it.
convinced. New evidence has led them to
The second crack in the calorie theory came
question the entire low fat = low calorie =
with nuts; chock-full of fats and oils, theyre
weight-loss theory.
WWW.WDDTY.COM
From burned fuel to

health booster
The three primary ways to
measure the value of foods dier
in complexity. The calorie method
essentially measures food as a
simple combustible fuel, much like
a piece of coal, while the Glycemic
Load and Index measure the speed
at which carbohydrate sugars are
metabolized. The latest NuVal
system evaluates the value of a food
in terms of its overall nutritional
worth.
Calories are a measure of the
heat produced when a food is
burned. Invented by an amateur
nutritionist 130 years ago, the
calorie system assumes this food
heat energy is absorbed by the
body and, if unused, will translate
into weight gain. In actuality,
however, this varies considerably,
as it depends on your current
weight, activity level, metabolic
state and the particular foods
bioavailability.
Glycemic load (GL) is a practical
variant of the Glycemic Index (GI),
a rating originally calculated for
diabetics 35 years ago to show the
rate at which the glucose content
in a carbohydrate food is absorbed
by the body. Developed at Harvard
University, the GL is a measure of
the actual carbohydrate content
of a food multiplied by its GI. GL
is based on a percentage scale
where 0 = best and 100 = worst
(for weight control).
NuVal is not primarily a weightloss system, but a measure
of the healthiness of a food.
Developed by 12 of the worlds top
nutritionists ve years ago, NuVal
assesses a food by combining its
GL and nutritional and energy
contents, along with its health
plusses and minuses. As it also
includes a measure of satiety
(feeling full), it isnt based on
quantity, because you probably
couldnt overeat the higher
value foods. NuVal also uses a
percentage scale, but its one
where 1 = worst and 100 = best (for
overall health).
HEALTHY LIVING
HEALTH
Hard science, soft science

So how did the soft science of nutrition get involved with
the hard science of physics? The connection goes back
over a century, which is when the calorie critics think the
problem started.
Of the many scientic terms used to describe energy,
few of us know more than a handful: volts, amps, watts
and calories. The three electrical ones are all named after
real people and, by the same token, we really ought to call
the calorie the clem, after the 19th century French scientist
Nicolas Clment-Desormes.
Clment wasnt a nutritionist but an engineer. His main
interest was steam engines and he wanted to nd a more
sensitive measure of heat energy than horsepower. A
patriotic Frenchman, he chose the system invented by
his countrymenthe metric systemand dened the
energy required to raise the temperature of 1 kg of water
by 1 degree centigrade as a caloriefrom the Latin calor,
which means heat.
But Clments physicist colleagues soon spotted a
few aws in his calorie idea and so decided to abandon
the concept in the 1880sat precisely the time that a
self-taught American nutritionist called Wilbur O. Atwater
decided to take it up.
An ostensibly philanthropic guy, Atwater was worried
by the poverty of the common people, who spent most
of their income on food. For this reason he wanted to
determine which foods gave the most energy bang for the
buck, so he could recommend the cheapest foodstus to
shovel down the throats of Americas labouring classes to
fuel their hard-toiling muscles.
Atwater also wanted to sound scientic, so he stole
Clments steam-engine calorie idea and turned it into a
food-calorie concept. To his way of thinking, the human
body and its moving parts constituted a kind of steam
engine, with food as the coal and the stomach as the
furnace.
To measure the energy within a food, Atwater decided
to treat it just like coalburn it to ash and measure how
much heat it produced. And thus was born the so-called
bomb calorimetera mini-furnace surrounded by a jacket
of water, a device thats still in use today. To calibrate the
heat produced, Atwater also nicked Clments formula: 1
kg of water heated up by 1 degree = 1 calorie.
Atwater tested a wide variety of foods in his calorimeter
and discovered that the three main food types followed a
consistent pattern: the most heat (in his terms, calories)
were produced by fats, which produced more than double
the heat output of either carbohydrates or protein.
Apart from a brief fashionable blip in the 1920s,
Atwaters calorie system was largely ignored until the
1960s, the era of the rst scares about high-fat diets
causing heart disease. That, coupled with the coincidence
of a rise in obesity across America, was enough to propel
Atwater back into favour as nutritionists allied themselves
with doctors in a sustained campaign against fat. Because
fatty foods are the most caloric and so the most likely to
make you put on weight, they argued, theyre also the
worst thing for your health. The public policy became
obvious: reduce fat intake by switching to low-fat foods.
A study in 2003,
aand weight. He has
for example, found
proposed that its not
p
that women given a
the calorie count of
slimming diet with
carbohydrates that
lleads to weight gain,
58 per cent of its calories
bu the speed at which
coming from fat lost far
but
Whether a
more weight than those on
n
car
the carbohydrate
energy
an isocaloric diet with 28 per calorie translates (glucose sugar) enters the
into weight gain bloodstream. Carbohydrates
cent of calories coming from
depends on the that are rapidly processed
fattheir weight losses were
time it takes to in the stomach are the most
8.5 kg (19 lb) and 3.9 kg (9
lb), respectively.6 Similarly,
transit through the fattening, as the body nds
a survey of nearly 13,000
stomachand fat it difcult either to use or
children who regularly drank has a slow transit eliminate the sudden rush of
milkwhether skimmed or
time, which is glucose and ends up storing
low-fatshowed that those
why fatty foods the excess energy as body fat.
drinking more than three
carbohydrates
tend not to put on Slower-release
glasses of milk a day were
dont have the same effect.
weight
fatter than those who drank
Although Jenkins work
Prof David Jenkins
less than thatwhile dairy
dates back to the 1980s,
fat did not contribute to the weight gain.7
its only now with the new clinical
Study author Professor Walter Willett
evidence questioning the calorie theory
of the Harvard School of Public Health
that his ideas are being revisited. A
had this to say about the research data
growing number of nutritionists think
as a whole: Diets high in fat do not
the Jenkins system is a step-change
appear to be the primary cause of the
improvement on Atwaters because,
high prevalence of excess body fat in our
while Atwater tested foods in a minisociety, and reductions in fat will not be a
furnace, Jenkins tested foods in human
solution.8
beings by measuring the actual amount
This completely contradicts the calorie
of energy taken up by the body.
theorys central premise that fat is laden
One of the leading advocates of the
with calories and will make you fat.
Jenkins system is Walter Willett
Whats the answer? The problem
probably the worlds leading nutritional
with the calorie theory is that its twoepidemiologist. Since in practice
dimensional, Professor David Jenkins
its mainly carbohydrates that are
of the University of Toronto said.The
responsible for weight gain, Willett has
missing third dimension is time.
adapted Jenkins data to calculate the
Jenkins is one of the worlds leading
glycaemic loadthe ratio between the
nutritionists and the originator of
amount of carbohydrate in a typical food
groundbreaking research into the effect
serving and the speed at which it delivers
of diet on diabetes and weight gain.A
glucose into the bloodstream. This has
calorie is indeed a calorie, he says,but
produced some startling contrasts with
whether a calorie translates into weight
calories (see box, page 49).
gain depends on the time it takes to transit
through the stomach. The slower its
A new system
transit speed, the less weight gainand
Professor of Obesity Dr Jennie Brandfat has a slow transit time, which is why
Miller is another convert to the Jenkins
fatty foods tend not to put on weight. Fat
system. Her institute at the University
also slows down the transit time of other
of Sydney offers a service to food
foods eaten with it.
manufacturers that tests individual foods
So here we have an explanation for the
to assess their glycaemic index.
relatively poor results from low-fat diets.
Her approach has been taken even
Contrary to the calorie theory, according
further by a food-labelling system
to Jenkins its the very lack of fat in the diet
called NuVal, an ugly name which
that inhibits weight loss.
belies its sophistication. Developed by
Jenkins is best known for his studies
12 of the worlds top nutritionists, the
not on fats but on carbohydrates, and its
system assesses a food on the basis of its
this work that has completely overturned
nutritional content, healthiness, satiety
the conventional view about calories
and glycaemic load; energy is also taken
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HEALTHY LIVING
into account, but its only part of the

Low-fat/high-carbohydrate diets need
picture. Although Reduced Fat Pringles,
the least energy, thus releasing most of
for example, are low in calories, they
their calories into the body, while highscore badly on NuVal, while high-calorie
fat/low-carbohydrate diets take the most
avocados score well.
energy to process, which reduces their
caloric output.
Launched in 2009, NuVal is already
Our results challenge the notion
being used in over 1,600 supermarkets
that a calorie is a calorie, says Professor
across the US in head-to-head
Ludwig.Our study provides the
competition with conventional food
strongest support for a novel concept that
labelling.
all calories are not alike from a metabolic
And what does NuVal system developer
perspective; contrary to nutritional
Yale University Professor David Katz
dogma, all calories are not created equal.
think of the latest ofcial UK edict on
This has been postulated, but never
calories? The gures are precise to the
shown before in this context.
point of silliness, he says.
Ludwigs study is yet another nail in the
In a similar initiative, Weight Watchers
calorie-theorys cofn, adding further
has totally ditched counting calories.
scientic underpinning to David Jenkins
Why? Because theres now too much
explanation of why low-fat diets result in
evidence from the kind of clinical studies
the least weight lost.
outlined here that contradicts the calorie
But should we totally ignore the calorie
theorys basic assumptions.
gures on food labels? No, of course not.
But nutritional academics remain
No ones denying that consuming excess
divided, with some totally dismissing
food energy will pile on the pounds and
the new data. Hardliners such as
that eating very little will take them off.
Professor Thomas Sanders of Kings
The problem is in predicting the effects of
College London are adamant that a
food intake on body weight. The calorie
calorie is a calorieits the First Law of
theory in practice simply cannot do
Thermodynamics he maintains.
Contrary to that. Whats more, its fundamental
Calories are all that matter in
the calorie tenet that high-fat foods are ipso
controlling weight gain.
Taking a middle position are such
theory, its facto the most weight-producing
has now been shown to be wrong.
experts as Southampton Universitys
the very
Professor Alan Jackson, who accepts
When food calories were
lack of fat
theres a challenging problem
invented
130 years ago, it was the
in the diet
w many calories
attem
with calculating how
very
rst
attempt
to turn nutrition
that inhibits
ers to the body.
a food actually delivers
into a science
science, so its hardly
weight loss
nks the
surprising th
Nevertheless, he thinks
that the theory now
hole is
appea
calorie system as a whole
appears to be past its sellb
workable.
by date.
At the other
One denition of
tthe term pseudoextreme are the
sc
calorie sceptics.
science
is this: a system
The a calorie
of th
theories about the
rrect
wo that claim or
is a calorie idea is correct
natural world
tation of a
appear to be scientic,
sci
in the strict interpretation
but which
calorie as a unit of energy and the laws
are not. Might historians be tempted to
of thermodynamics, but in a practical
stick that pejorative label onto the calorie
dietary sense its absolutely useless,
theory in the future?
Tony Edwards
insists Professor Brand-Miller.
And the sceptical camp is growing.
REFERENCES
The latest convert is Harvard Professor
1 SACN. Dietary Reference Values for Energy. Scientic Advisory
Committee on Nutrition 2011. London: The Stationery Oce
of Nutrition Dr David Ludwig, who
(TSO), 2012
published a groundbreaking study in
2 Am J Clin Nutr, 1991; 54: 97682
June of last year.9 In a well-controlled
3 Am J Clin Nutr, 2008; 87: 95763; Arch Intern Med, 2010;
170: 45361
series of isocaloric trials conducted over
4 Am J Clin Nutr, 2003; 78 [suppl]: 647S50S
four years, he discovered why different
5 Obes Res, 2003; 11: A23 (mentioned in Nutr J, 2004; 3: 9)
6 J Clin Endocrinol Metab, 2003; 88: 161723
types of diets have such divergent effects
7 Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med, 2005; 159: 54350
on body weight: its because they require
8 Am J Med, 2002; 113 Suppl 9B: 47S59S
differing amounts of energy to process.
9 JAMA, 2012; 307: 262734
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Why not to count calories

Making sensible food choices depends on how
foods are measured. As the chart shows, the
low-calorie system is severely limited because
low-calorie foods may be neither healthy nor
reduce weight, and vice versa. For instance,
parsnips, although low in calories, convert into
sugar very rapidly, as their GL score shows, and so
can contribute to weight gain. Brown rice, on the
other hand, a high-calorie food, has a low GL score
and also a high NuVal score, and so is both good
for you and not likely to make you gain weight.
NuVal score
Glycaemic load/100 g/mL
Calories/100 g/mL
FOOD
Pumpernickel bread
White wheat-our bread
100% wholewheat bread
Coca-Cola, average
Fanta, orange soft drink
Apple juice, unsweetened,
average
Cranberry juice cocktail (Ocean
Spray)
Orange juice, unsweetened
Tomato juice, canned
All-Bran, average
Coco Pops, average
Cornakes, average
Grape-Nuts, average
Oatmeal, average
Instant oatmeal, average
Special K (Kelloggs)
Couscous, average
White rice, average
Brown rice, average
Apple, average
Banana, ripe
Grapes, average
Raisins
Watermelon
Baked beans, average
Soybeans, average
Cashews, salted
Peanuts, average
Spaghetti, white, boiled,
average
Spaghetti, wholemeal, boiled,
average
M & Ms, peanut
Pretzels, oven-baked
Green peas, average
Carrots, average
Parsnips (for 5)
Boiled white potato, average
Instant mashed potato, average
Houmous (chickpea dip)
200
260
255
41
30
46.5
23
33
21
7
9
12
24
28
60
1
1
11
59
10
5
20
334
387
370
350
360
360
380
158
349
353
48
95
62
287
30
90
122
584
587
145
5
1.5
40
66
76
52
6
13
44
6
29
10
5
13
9
46
3
4
1
6
0
26
31
39
47
17
25
31
91
55
20
91
53
82
96
91
91
87
94
40
91
15
29
57
113
91
506
380
72
38
61
77
70
320
19
52
5
3
94
14
11
0
8
26
96
99
94
93
90
38
HEALTHY LIVING
HEALTH
Annemarie Colbin FOOD AS MEDICINE
Feed your head
What to eat to calm or energize you

Annemarie Colbin,
PhD, an awardwinning leader
in natural health,
founded the Natural
Gourmet Institute for
Health and Culinary
Arts in New York.
She is the author of
several bestselling
books, including Food
and Healing and The
Whole-Food Guide to
Strong Bones
m always amazed to see how

well people communicate, make
decisions, implement plans and
generally do things, considering
that it all depends on a eeting
neurotransmitter, a capillary that
remains open or a couple of neurons
that speak to each other.
The tenuous hold we have on a
balanced mind can loosen so easily
with a simple fever, for instance, which
disturbs sleep and confuses the brain,
giving rise to all manner of babblings
and strange irrelevant thoughts.
But our mind can also wobble
with the kind of food we eat: when
we have a lack of sufcient nutrients,
proteins and carbohydrates or too
many stimulants and drugs, after
eating familiar foods or when given
an overdose of sugar, caffeine or
chocolate.
Proteins and carbohydrates are
instrumental in the manufacture
and transport of neurotransmitters,
or brain chemicals, the chemical
substances made by the brain and
other organs that transmit thought.
The main neurotransmitters for our
purposes are the alertness chemicals
dopamine, norepineprine and
adrenaline, and the calming chemical
serotonin.
Of the many amino acids in protein,
there are three that contribute to
making these neurotransmitters:
tyrosine, phenylalanine and
tryptophan.
The rst two are involved
in the building of dopamine,
norepinephrine and adrenaline, the
alertness chemicals responsible for
making you mentally energetic and
alert (see box, above).
Tryptophan is the precursor to the
brain chemical serotonin, the calming
chemical that makes us more relaxed
and calm.
How brain chemicals get produced

AMINO ACIDS
NEUROTRANSMITTERS
Tyrosine and
phenylalanine
Tryptophan
Alertness chemicals:
dopamine
norepinephrine
adrenaline
Calming chemical:
serotonin
All of the amino acids are present

in protein foods and do their work
when theyre taken up by the brain.
Because there are many different kinds
of amino acids in natural foods, they
compete with each other for access
to the brain, so preventing any single
one from dominating and causing
imbalances.
Of the three amino acids,
tryptophan seems to be the laggard
and is usually last on the uptake by the
brainunless it is consumed with a
carbohydrate food such as a sweet or a
starch.
When you consume a small amount
of protein food by itself without
accompanying carbohydrates, your
brain will make more of the energizing
brain chemicals.
However, a large amount of protein
foods does not make things even
better, but instead creates the opposite:
sleepiness and lethargy.
When you eat a carbohydrate
food with some protein (as in a grain
and bean combination or a chicken
sandwich), the carbohydrate will allow
for more tryptophan uptake by the
brain and create a calm and focused
mood.
If the carbohydrate is complex with
its natural complement of bre, as
in whole grains, it can set up a steady
mood of continuous energy: the bre
slows down the speed of nutrient
absorption into the bloodstream, so
insulin is released more gradually and
the production of serotonin is more
measured.
When you consume

a small amount
of protein food
by itself without
accompanying
carbohydrates,
your brain will
make more of the
energizing brain
chemicals
On the other hand, if you eat a

large amount of low or no-bre
carbohydrate food, particularly white
our and simple rened sugar, with no
protein around it, the pendulum may
swing too far and cause sleepiness and
lethargy.
Heres how to use food to manage
your energy states.
For a calm, alert state
For steady energy combine a protein
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HEALTHY LIVING
Vermont bananas
Here is a great calming dish that you
can serve as a dessert in the evening.
4 bananas, ripe but rm
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 Tbsp maple syrup
2 Tbsp water
Peel the bananas and cut them
once in half across, then each piece
in half again lengthwise.
Melt the butter and pour into a 9
x 14-inch (23 x 36-cm) baking pan.
Arrange the bananas in it, turning
them once to get a little butter on
the other side.
Mix the water and maple syrup
and drizzle over the bananas. Grill
for 5 minutes or until the bananas
soften. Serve 3 pieces per person.
Makes 4 servings.
and carbohydrate which, in my

experience, works best: grain and
beans, bread and houmous, sh
and rice, or a chicken sandwich will
stimulate the production of all three
brain chemicals in a balanced way.
For a strong energy sprint
Consume protein with vegetables
and no carbohydrate (no starch or
sugar): beans and vegetables, sh and
salad, Chinese stir-fry with chicken
WWW.WDDTY.COM
or scallops and broccoli (but no

rice) or similar combinations do the
trick of producing dopamine and
norepinephrine.
To calm down and relax
A carbohydrate (starch or simple
sugar) with no protein will help kick
in serotonin and promote feelings of
comfort: bananas, anything sweetened
with maple syrup or other unrened
sweeteners, whole grains with
vegetables, plain pasta with garlic and

oil, dry breakfast cereal and crackers
all have a similar effect of calming and
relaxing.
I dont recommend sugar for this
purpose as too many people nd it
addictive and unpleasant. Often it will
stimulate so much serotonin that you
could fall asleep at the wrong time and
so have a hard time waking up in the
morning.
HEALTHY LIVING
HEALTH
7 steps to a safe landing
Former US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton seemed to globe-trot with impunityuntil her recent
brain clot stirred up renewed fear of ying and deep vein thrombosis. Heres how to land on your
feet during your ight
fter country-hopping US
Secretary of State Hilary Clinton
suffered a blood clot on the brain,
and actor Mark Rylances stepdaughter
Nataasha van Kampen died suddenly last
year after suffering a brain haemorrhage
on board a ight from New York to
London, fears about long-haul ying
are resurfacing, particularly with Easter
holidays to hand. Whos at risk? And how

can you keep yourself safe?
The assumption has always been that
deep vein thrombosis (DVT) only occurs
on long-haul ights. But a recent study
showing that 17 per cent of ight-related
DVT arose during short ights puts paid
to that assumption.
According to studies by a research
team at the G. dAnnunzio University

in Pescara, Italy, during a relatively
short ight to Rome nearly 5 per cent
of the nearly 600 passengers developed
blood clots that were detected by
ultrasound, two of whom went on to
suffer pulmonary embolism. The
researchers also discovered
that the blood clots developed
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HEALTHY LIVING
within the rst two to three hours and

grew larger and more dangerous over
time.
DVT refers to a blood clot, or
thrombus, in one of the deep veins of
the legs (a vein near an artery) usually
because of prolonged inactivity. If the
clot breaks off from the wall of the vein
and travels through the bloodstream, it
can then end up in the brain, lungs, heart
or other organs and cause severe damage
or prove fatal because of obstruction
(embolism).
Researchers in the New Zealand Air
Travellers Thrombosis study examining
some 900 air travellers who frequently
ew for more than 10 hours at a stretch
found four passengers with pulmonary
embolisms and ve with DVT, despite
the use of aspirin or compression
stockings. Bear in mind, though, that
eight of the nine already had risk factors
for blood clots.1
WWW.WDDTY.COM
But new evidence from the

Netherlands suggests that in every
airplane passenger, including those who
are perfectly healthy, the clotting activity
of their blood temporarily increases by
up to 30 per cent.2
Although aspirin is the conventional
preventative of
choice for travellers
The assumption has always been
thrombosis, one study that deep vein thrombosis (DVT)
found that 17,000
only occurs on long-haul ights,
people would have to
but a recent study showed that 17
be treated with the drug per cent of ight-related DVT arose
to prevent a single case
during short ights
of DVT.3
Besides keeping your feet moving
(with a variety of exercises such as exing
the foot and calf muscles while seated for
two minutes every half an hour), these
seven steps will help to land you in the
peak of health.
Turn over to nd WDDTYs Guide to Avoiding DVT >>
Whos most at
risk of DVT?
Take extra precautions if
you are :
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xXwzlXlzkAX
RmlmXXtAkzzuX
XxmzzXAkX
zwAxzxlzwzxX
lX-muuzlzwzxX
XuASXwXxlXA
ztXAmXx
XSXxkXAmXx
lXAzSAxSXAmXx
And if you have:
xAzmwwxXVmzVX
9AmSzXXmx
]Awmulmzz]93
zlX]ASz9 XmVXx
wAmzxlmSlA`XS
lXARmumz]lXRuzzV
zSuz
HEALTHY LIVING
Do ight socks
work?
In a word, yes. These
specially designed
compression stockings
that t snugly around the
leg reduce water retention
in the legs and help blood
to ow against gravity,
particularly in those sitting
in economy class in an
upright position for a long
stretch. A review of nine
studies involving nearly
3,000 airline passengers
by the prestigious Cochrane
Collaboration concluded
conclude
that ight socks reduce the
risk of symptomless D
DVT
b 90 per cent.1
by
REFERENCES
1 Cochrane Database Syst Rev,

2006; 2: CD004002
WDDTYs
7 Step Guide to
Avoiding DVT
Step1
Staybalanced
Contrary to expectations,
plain water may not be as good as
water with Dioralyte. A Japanese
study found that those who drank
one cup of water every hour
during a nine-hour ight increased the
thickness of their blood, while those who
drank an electrolyte uid (like a sports
drink) showed no such increases in blood
viscosity.4 What may be most important
is keeping your electrolyte levels (the
balance between sodium and potassium
in your body) steady. Pack
Diroalyte (or the equivalent)
with you or, in a pinch, bring
a bottle of Lucozade on
board.
Step 2
Thegiftofgrapes
Although travellers are exhorted
to avoid wine because of its dehydrating
eects, the resveratrol found in red
wine can reduce the stickiness of blood
platelets, which are responsible for
blood clots.5 Resveratrol pills are
available for those who
dont drink.
Step 3
REFERENCES
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
Lancet, 2003; 362: 203944

Lancet, 2006; 367: 8328
Medscape Gen Med, 2002; 4;
http://www.medscape.com/
viewarticle/441153
JAMA, 2002; 287: 8445
Thromb Res, 2002; 107: 1415
Bordeaux Med, 1980; 13: 9037;
Ther Rev Med, 1981; 2728 Sept:
1793802
Clin Appl Thromb Hemost, 2004;
10: 3737
Biol Pharm Bull, 1995; 18: 11946
Angiology, 2003; 54: 5319
Eur Bull Drug Res, 2005; 13: 7781
Br J Haematol, 2009, 144: 4259
Cleve Clin J Med, 2011; 78: 11120
Isr Med Assoc J, 2006; 8: 85961
WWW.WDDTY.COM
Take
anticlotting
nutraceuticals
The best of these is thought to be
Pycnogenol, a grapeseed extract that can
strengthen capillaries and enhance blood
ow. This registered trademarked product
created by a French company comes from
the bark of the French maritime pine tree.
A superantioxidant, its a standardized
mixture of catechins and oligomeric
proanthocyanidin complexes (OPCs)
both of which have been touted as mild
blood-thinners.
Suggested dosage: French studies

have shown that 100 mg/day of
proanthocyanidin strengthens capillaries
and 150 mg/day can reduce symptoms
of chronic venous insuciency.6 A
more recent study of some 200
patients at risk of DVT showed that
taking 500 mg in total of Pycnogenol
in stages200 mg two or three
hours before a long-haul ight, 200 mg
six hours later and 100 mg the next day
resulted in no cases of thrombosis
(only phlebitis, inammation of
the veins), while those taking
a placebo had ve cases of
thrombosis.7
Go Japanese
Nattokinase, an enzyme found in the
Japanese fermented soybean food
natto, has been shown to directly break
down clots in a process called brinolysis.
However, keep in mind that these studies,
done in rats, may not apply to humans.8
Both nattokinase and Pycnogenol can be
bought separately at most well-stocked
healthfood stores.
You can also take these supplements
together in a product called Flite Tabs
(made by Oxyvita Ltd), containing
pinokinase, a proprietary blend of both
Pycnogenol and nattokinase that was
recently put to the test in some 200
high-risk volunteers who were given
either active capsules or dummy pills
before a long-haul ight. Ultrasound
scans done before and after the ights
showed that those taking the supplement
not only suered no DVTs, but had a
statistically signicant decrease in
oedema (swelling due to water
retention). In contrast, among
the placebo controls, ve people
developed DVTs and two suered
supercial thromboses.9 This
product is now dicult to nd in the UK
and is currently not available on either
Amazon UK or the companys website,
but it is available on the internet from
Aidan Products (www.aidanproducts.
com/products/ite-tabs.html) Zinopin,
another branded product that combines
ll-known
Pycnogenol and ginger, a well-known
travellers remedy, reportedlyy protected
ion
against DVT and water retention
in the legs in a preliminary
trial of nearly 200 long-haul
passengers, but could do withh
led
bigger and more well-controlled
trials.10
Step 4
Checkout
theseother
naturalDVTagents
Garlic, Ginkgo biloba, axseed and even
the good old tomato can all thin the blood.
Step 5
Choosean
aisleseat
Passengers who elect to sit on
the aisle have half the risk of DVT
compared with those who choose
a window seat, possibly because aisle
passengers can get up and move
about the cabin more easily.11
Step 6
Wearloose
clothing
Wear clothing that is loose
around the legs and waist
or bring some in your hand
luggage to change into
during the ight. Tight, restrictive
clothing increases your risk of
clots.12
Step 7
Spaceoutyour
flights
You increase your risk of DVT by
taking consecutive long-haul
ights or a number of shorter
hops within a short period of time.13
Whenever possible, plan some time
on the ground between ights.
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HEALTHY LIVING
HEALTH
Markta Bola THE RAW-FOOD CHEF
Living medicine
How raw food turned around Marktas health
Markta Bola is a
natural nutritionist
and raw living-food
chef who leads
raw-food workshops,
classes, dining
experiences and Tree
of Life Wellbeing &
Vitality Festivals in the
Midlands
(www.treeoifeevents.co.uk)
REFERENCES
Annu Rev Nutr, 1997;

17: 35381
hen I was a child, I suffered

from an ear infection
that developed into a
chronic infection of the middle ear
(otitis media). I was often taking
different antibiotics and other
medications until both they and
my immune system ceased to work.
We tried everything else too, like
garlic and drops of aloe vera and tea
tree, but none of them stopped the
indescribable pain and discharge
from my ear. I underwent a major
operation at around age six and then
another two at age 16 and lost some
of my hearing. I felt unhappy, and
my sparkle and self-condence were
gone. Not only was I unwell, but I
suffered from the fact that I had let
others have power over my life.
When I was 20 I read the book
Fit for Life, written by nutritional
specialists Harvey and Marilyn
Diamond. I did not realize until
recently that this was the beginning of
my raw-food journey. The book had
an important message about dairy
products that intuitively made sense
to me and changed my life forever.
When I gradually stopped eating
dairy, my body miraculously stopped
producing excess mucusand I have
been free from my ear infection for
over 15 years!
I kept searching for new ways of
increasing my energy naturally and
eventually discovered raw living
plant-based foods. I had tried many
diets in the past to lose weight, but
without success. Eating more raw
food improved my digestion and
immune system, and the weight
also fell away effortlesslyIm now
Cooking and processing

deplete food of many of
its nutrients, whereas
keeping foods raw
maintains their full
complement of nutrients
and enzymes
25 pounds lighter than I used to be.

As a bonus, my energy levels and
self-condence have been growing
abundantly.
The real turning point for me
came three and a half years ago when
I got a root-canal infection in one
of my teeth. I was in agony for three
nights. After seeing a dentist, who
recommended that the tooth be
pulled, I made a commitment to treat
it holistically. I used a combination
of homeopathy and fresh green
alkalizing juices to heal it. The pain
stopped within four hours and the
tooth fully recovered in two and a half
months. Since that time Ive been
eating raw food and drinking freshly
made juices. During the time that
Ive been eating exclusively living
plant-based food, I have been feeling
wonderfulbetter than at any other
time in my life. Whats more, I have
genuinely claimed my own inner
power and returned to the simplicity
of natural self-care and creative
inspiration.
Raw living foods are essentially
fresh, organic plant-based foods:
vegetables, fruits, seeds, nuts, grains,
sprouts, herbs, seaweeds, algae and
cold-pressed oils. To remain raw
and living, food has to be prepared
below the temperature of 118
degrees Fahrenheit (48 degrees C).
Cooking and processing deplete food
of many of its nutrients, whereas
keeping foods raw maintains their
full complement of nutrients and
enzymes.
Enzymes are the universal spark of
life responsible for every metabolic
action in the body, including
WWW.WDDTY.COM
HEALTHY LIVING
Raw Nori Rolls
This is such a delicious healthy

snack and so easy to make. It
takes only about 1015 minutes to
prepare ,and its a very substantial,
nutritional raw vegan bite that
everyone will love. You can always
vary the recipe by making dierent
llings so it never gets boring. My
husband loves it, and its become
one of the most popular dishes in
our household.
The four essential ingredients
1 sheet of nori (to make 68 pieces)
1/2 avocado
1 handful of alfalfa sprouts
A few spritzes of Bragg Liquid
Aminos seasoning (available online
at www.bragg.com/products/
la.html)
Optional extras
3 cherry tomatoes
4 strips of red bell pepper
2 olives
2 sun-dried tomatoes
2 strips of cucumber
2 strips of carrot
Lay the nori sheet rough side
up on a chopping board. Mash the
avocado and spread it evenly across
the bottom third of the nori sheet.
Sprinkle the alfalfa over the
avocado.
Optional extras: Chop the cherry
tomatoes into quarters and the
olives and sun-dried tomatoes into
small pieces and sprinkle them over
the alfalfa. Add a few strips of your
favourite vegetables evenly on top
(like the cucumber, red bell pepper
and carrots).
Spritz the lling a couple of times
with the Liquid Aminos seasoning.
Firmly roll up the nori sheet
starting from the bottom end.
Moisten the top third of the nori
sheet with a few sprays of Liquid
Aminos to help seal the roll.
Slice the roll into 68 equal
pieces, using a knife with a slow
sawing motion to help keep the
lling from spilling out.
WWW.WDDTY.COM
digestion. All fresh raw and

living foods have the enzymes
necessary to help the body
digest it properly. Heating
food undoubtedly destroys
these enzymes, making
cooked food more difcult to
digest so it stays in the body
longer. On average, raw food
digests in less than half the
time it takes to digest the same
food when its cooked.
All nutrients, vitamins and
minerals are heat-sensitive,
and between 50 to 80 per
cent of these and half of a
foodstuffs antioxidants are
destroyed by cooking, as is at
least half of the foods available
protein.
I have to admit that eating
only natural ingredients
rocked my discipline at the
beginning. No cans, no
sweets, no microwave meals,
no convenience foods with
long-term shelf lives. It left
me with only four to six aisles,
including fruit and vegetable
shelves, to choose from at the
supermarket and even fewer
if I wanted to eat only local,
seasonal and organically
produced food. In the process,
though, I discovered delicious
raw-food recipes that I still
nd are tastier than the
cooked meals I used to eat.
The incredible avours of
natural whole foods are simply
delightful.
Ive included my favourite
Raw Nori Rolls recipe with
alfalfa sprouts here. All
sprouted seeds, nuts and
grains are a rich source of
plant-based protein, vitamins,
minerals and enzymes. They
also contain phytoestrogens
(otherwise known as dietary
oestrogens), which play
an important role in the
prevention of menopausal
symptoms, osteoporosis,
cancer and heart disease.1 In
addition, alfalfa sprouts are
soft and sweet, and taste great.
FAMILY HEALTH
which can reduce grinding.

However, the bulk of
the evidence suggests that
these devices are not very
effective. They can also be
uncomfortable to wear and
can even have a negative effect
on a persons bite.6
Over-the-counter mouth
guards are also available, but
they generally dont t well and
can become dislodged during
night-grinding.
WDDTY addresses
your most pressing
health issues
with promising
alternative
Alternatives
treatments and
Relaxation therapy
those proven
If you suspect stress may be
the cause of your partners
to work
grinding, then relaxation
Teeth-grinding
h
My partner grinds his

teeth at night. Apart
from keeping me awake, Im
worried about the effects
this will have on his teeth.
What causes teeth-grinding
and what can be done to stop
it?G.C., Devon
Although its often

viewed as nothing more
than an annoying habit,
teeth-grinding, or bruxism
as doctors call it, can actually
have serious consequences for
the sufferer. Most obviously,
when the teeth are ground
from side to side in a clenching
action, severe damage is done
to tooth enameland at an
alarming rate. It can even
cause teeth to fracture, loosen
or fall out. An article in the
Journal of the American Dental
Association pointed out that by
the age of 40 or 50, most night
grinders have worn down their
teeth to such an extent that
major tooth restorations are

necessary.1
Grinding can also cause
toxic mercury to leach from
amalgam llings. Theres
evidence of higher levels of
mercury in the blood of some
grindersmost likely due to
dental llings.2
Other problems include
jaw pain and tenderness,
temporomandibular joint
(TMJ) disorders, fatigue of the
facial muscles, headache, neck
pain and earache. In severe
cases, teeth-grinding can
result in hearing loss and even
changes in facial appearance.3
Possible causes
No one knows exactly what
causes night-grinding, but
its thought to be related to
anxiety, stress or tension,
suppressed anger or
frustration, as well as to an
aggressive, competitive or
hyperactive personality type.
Another possible cause is the
abnormal alignment of the
upper and lower teeth known

as malocclusion.4
Teeth-grinding may also be
a sign of a nutrient deciency
(see Alternatives below) or a
side-effect of certain drugs,
including selective serotonin
reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).5
If the cause isnt obvious,
before embarking on any
form of treatment, your
partner should rst visit an
experienced practitioner
to establish what might be
causing his night-grinding.
Do bear in mind, though, that
if the problem is a nutritional
deciency, a medical doctor
usually wont spot it.
Conventional treatments
The most popular treatment
for tooth-grinding is the oral
splint, a removable device
that is usually custom-made
and worn on the top teeth.
Some oral splints are designed
to relax the jaw, while others
prevent the rear top and
bottom teeth from touching,
techniques such as yoga,

meditation and massage
may help.4 In one study of
young children, psychological
techniques to control stress,
including directed muscle
relaxation, signicantly
reduced signs of grinding after
six months. In another trial,
grinders receiving muscleawareness relaxation training
saw more improvement than
the controls.7
Acupuncture and
transcutaneous electrical
nerve stimulation (TENS),
which uses an electric current
to stimulate the nerves, may
also help by reducing the
muscle tension associated with
grinding.8
Biofeedback
This therapy, which uses

electronic monitoring of an
automatic bodily function to
train someone to voluntarily
control that function, has
proved effective in grinders.
It usually involves an
electromyograph (EMG),
which records muscle activity
and activates an alarm when
certain muscles are tensed.
Compact user-friendly
devices are available for home
use like the MyoTrac (see
WWW.WDDTY.COM
FAMILY HEALTH
www.thoughttechnology.
com for how to get hold of
one) and can reduce nightgrinding for up to six months
after treatment.9 GrindCare
(www.grindcare.com), which
uses a mild electrical shock to
interrupt grinding, reduced
the problem by 50 per cent in a
small preliminary study.10
Combining biofeedback
with an oral splint might
give even better results. One
periodontist reported a 90 per
cent success rate in patients
using both therapies.11
Magnesium
Some researchers believe that

night-grinding is caused by
magnesium deciency or an
imbalance between calcium
and magnesium levels, causing
permanent tension in the
muscles of the face and neck.
According to French doctor
C. Ploceniak, whose clinical
experience was published in
1990, prolonged magnesium
supplementation has nearly
always succeeded in stopping
grinding.12 Calcium and
vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid)
may also help.
Suggested dosages: Dr
Moti Nissani, at Wayne
State University in Detroit,
Michigan, recommends
daily doses of magnesium
(approximately 100 mg),
calcium (150 mg) and
pantothenic acid (50 mg)
combined with vitamins A
(1,000 IU), C (300 mg), E (60
mg) and iodine (0.1 mg or 100
mcg), and continuing with
the supplements even when
the grinding has stopped. For
optimum health, WDDTY
suggests taking higher doses
of magnesium (200-600
mg), vitamin C (1-3 g) and
vitamin E (200-400 IU). If
theres no improvement after
two months, try a different
approach.3
WWW.WDDTY.COM
Anxiety
Would you investigate

natural treatments for
anxiety? A friend of mine
has generalized anxiety
disorder and although shes
been taking medication
(paroxetine), she doesnt
seem to be improving.
Are there any alternative
methods that might be able to
help?M.K., via email
Anxiety is something we
all suffer from at times as
its a normal reaction to stress.
But when anxiety becomes
excessive and irrational and
interferes with everyday life,
its time to get help.
Persistent anxiety, also
known as generalized anxiety
disorder (GAD), is a genuine,
recognized psychiatric
condition with physical
symptoms that include
palpitations, dry mouth,
sweating and sleep problems.1
Fortunately, your friend has
sought professional advice.
However, the medication shes
been prescribed may be doing
her more harm than good.
Paroxetine, like other
selective serotonin reuptake
inhibitors (SSRIs), is linked to
a host of unwanted side-effects
like sedation, constipation,
weight gain, sexual
dysfunction and withdrawal
symptoms when the drug is
stopped.2
Even more worrying,
paroxetine has also been
linked to an increased risk of
attempted suicide.3
Drug-free treatments
Cognitive behavioural
therapy (CBT)
This form of counselling,
available on the NHS, can
be an effective long-term
treatment for anxiety-related
Passionower was just as

ef
benzodiazepine drug oxa fective as the
zepam for anxiety
disorder in one study
disorders, but it only seems to
work about half of the time,4
so your friend may wish to try
it in combination with one (or
more) of the remedies natural
medicine has to offer.
Chamomile (Matricaria
Herbs
Valerian (Valeriana
A variety of herbal remedies

can treat anxiety, the most
popular being the South
Pacic plant kava-kava (Piper
methysticum).
A review of 11 high-quality
trials involving more than
600 people found it to be
an effective symptomatic
treatment option for anxiety.5
But concerns over its safety
have led some countries,
including the UK, to ban it.
Although some experts believe
the ban is unwarranted, until
the safety issues are cleared up,
other herbs might be a better
option. The following are
worth a try.
recutita) extract was

signicantly better than a
placebo at reducing symptoms
in one trial of mild-tomoderate GAD sufferers.6
ofcinalis) may help

with nervousness,
sleep disturbances and
depressioncommon GAD
symptoms.7
Passionower
(Passiora
incarnata) was just as effective
as the benzodiazepine drug
oxazepam for GAD in one
study.8
Supplements
Anxiety appears to be one of

the many problems that can
be made worse by vitamin
deciency. A UK study of
80 men found that a daily
multivitamin/mineral
FAMILY HEALTH
tablet (containing calcium,

magnesium and zinc) was
more effective than a placebo
at reducing anxiety and stress.9
Other supplements that may
help are 5-hydroxytryptophan
(5-HTP) and the aminoacids l-lysine and l-arginine
taken in combination.10
A recent scientic review
concluded that theres strong
evidence supporting the use
of supplements that contain
combinations of l-lysine
and l-arginine as treatments
for anxiety symptoms and
disorders.11
Suggested dosages: Doses
of 2-3 g/day each of l-lysine
and l-arginine reduced
anxiety in clinical trials, while
around 300 mg/day is the usual
therapeutic dose for 5-HTP.
But your friend should consult
an experienced practitioner
to work out the right dosages
for her.
Massage
Patients receiving massage

therapy report less anxiety,
greater self-condence and
a greater sense of relaxation
in both body and mind.12
Massage combined with
aromatherapy can also help,
although the effects tend to be
mild and only temporary.13
Relaxation therapy
A review of 27 studies
concluded that relaxation
therapy (Jacobsons
progressive relaxation,
autogenic training, applied
relaxation and meditation)
can signicantly reduce
anxiety.14
Exercise
Physical activity appears to be

a powerful antidote to stress
and anxiety and so is often
recommended for anxiety
disorders and depression.
Suggest that your friend tries
WWW.WDDTY.COM
rhythmic, aerobic exercises

of moderate-to-low intensity
such as jogging, swimming,
cycling and walking. For best
results, she should perform the
exercise for 15 to 30 minutes at
least three times a week.15
Transcranial
magnetic
stimulation (TMS)
Promising evidence suggests
this non-invasive technique,
which stimulates neurons
in the brain, may be useful
for controlling anxiety. TMS
has been reported to reduce
anxiety symptoms in posttraumatic stress and panic
disorders.16
Preventing
miscarriage
I have just had my rst

child at the age of 35
and Im keen to start trying
for another baby as soon as
possible. However, I have
miscarried in the past,
and Im terried about it
happening again. What can
I do to improve my chances
of having a successful
pregnancy?J.D., via email
Sadly, miscarriage is
very common and
affects about one in four
pregnancies. If youve already
had a miscarriage, you do
have a greater risk of having
another one in the future, but
a second miscarriage generally
happens in only 1 per cent of
women. In your case, the fact
that your last pregnancy was
successful means you have an
excellent chance of giving birth
to a healthy baby again in the
future.1
What could affect your odds
is conceiving too soon after
the birth of your rst child.
Studies show that women
with a very short interval (less
than six months) between

pregnancies are at an increased
risk of stillbirth, miscarriage
and other complications.2 Still,
its important not to wait too
long, as the risk of pregnancy
loss dramatically increases for
women over 40from 15 per
cent to about 40 per cent.3
One US study concluded
that the optimal time to wait
before conceiving again after
giving birth is between 18 and
23 months.4
Apart from choosing the
right time to have your second
baby, there are a number of
ways to boost your chances of
having a successful pregnancy.
Say no to social drugs
If you or your partner drink

or smoke, stop, as they can
harm your genes and DNA.
Caffeine, found in coffee,
black tea, cocoa, cola and
chocolate, can also be a
threat to your baby. A study
published in the New England
Journal of Medicine found that
high caffeine intakesthe
equivalent of ve or more cups

of coffee a daydoubled the
risk of miscarriage in early
pregnancy.5 Even moderate
caffeine consumption before
and during pregnancy is
associated with an increased
risk of miscarriage,6 so the
logical advice is to err on the
side of caution and avoid it
altogether. But dont switch to
decaffeinated coffee as this too
has been linked to an increased
risk of miscarriage.7
Dont pop that

headache pill
One study found that

taking non-steroidal
anti-inammatory drugs
(NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen
during pregnancy can raise
the risk of miscarriage by 80
per cent. Aspirin use was also
associated with an increased
risk, but no risk was found for
paracetamol.8
Be sure to check with
your doctor before taking
any medications and seek
alternatives wherever possible.
Caffeine, found in coffee, black tea, cocoa,

cola and chocolate, can boost the risk of
miscarriage, studies suggest
APRIL 20133 | WDD

WDDTY
DT
D
TY 61
FAMILY HEALTH
De-stress
Reducing your stress levels and

paying more attention to your
emotional wellbeing can lower
your risk of miscarriage.9
But dont be tempted to use
a hot tub to relax. One study
found that using a hot tub or
whirlpool bath during early
pregnancy was associated
with a twofold higher risk of
pregnancy loss.10
A better idea is to join a
yoga class. Not only is yoga
known to lower stress, but it
can also improve your babys
birth weight and reduce
preterm labour and other
complications when practised
by pregnant women for an
hour a day.11
Its also an excellent way
to get t and limber for the
physical rigours of birth,
particularly if you plan a
natural birth.
Check out underlying

conditions
Other factors that can

contribute to miscarriage
include hormonal imbalance,
infections and maternal health
problems such as poorly
controlled diabetes, lupus or
thyroid disease.
One study found that
women with an infection
called bacterial vaginosis were
nine times more likely to have
a miscarriage than uninfected
women.12
Before you embark on
trying to conceive, go for
a check-up to determine
whether you have an illness
that could potentially cause a
miscarriage and get yourself
treated rst.
Eat well
Healthy eating is a crucial part

of getting your body ready for
WWW.WDDTY.COM
a baby. As much of our food

is tainted with potentially
harmful chemicals, choose
organic whenever possible
and read labels to reduce or
eliminate the additives and
preservatives going into your
body. Eat a wide variety of
fruit and vegetables daily, and
cut out unpasteurised soft
cheeses and lightly cooked
eggs and meat, which contain
high levels of microbes that
may interfere with your
reproductive health and
pregnancy.
Also avoid sh likely
to contain high amounts
of mercury and other
contaminants, such as
canned tuna.
See an expert
If possible, consult a
nutritional therapist with
experience in fertility and get
your vitamin and mineral
deciencies assessed.
The therapist should also
screen you for high levels of
toxic heavy metals such as
aluminium, lead, mercury and
cadmiumall of which have
been associated with infertility,
miscarriage, premature
birth, and malformed and
underweight babies.
He or she should also be
able to custom-design a
supplement programme
for you and your partner
to correct deciencies and
minimize your levels of toxic
chemicals.
Some of the most useful
supplements include
calcium, magnesium, iron,
zinc, selenium, and vitamins
C, B1 and B12, as well as
a multivitamin/mineral
supplement specically
designed for pregnancy.
Folic acid is also
recommended, but its
best taken as part of a

general B-complex orr
multivitamin.
Use Foresight
British charity Foresight

ght
gh
has put together a
ed
thoroughly researched
am
mm
me
preconception programme
addressing all of thesee
d
factors and more, and
boasts a nearly 90 perr
11,578
,57
578
cent success rate. Of 1,
ted the
te
the
th
he
couples who completed
peerr
full programme, 89.99 per
cent produced live, healthy
eal
alth
hy
babies and only 2.96 p
per
eerr cent
ceen
nt
miscarried. (Compare
are
re this
thi
his
to the national miscarriage
aarrrriiag
age
rate for the general
maatted
ed
population: an estimated
25 per cent.)
en
Many of the women
siigh
ght
who contacted Foresight
suffered numerous
miscarriages in the
pastand were
even diagnosed as
infertileyet wentt
on to have healthy
babies by following
the comprehensive
programme (see
WDDTY January
2013 issue for more
details).
Visit www.
foresightpreconception.org.
uk or call 01275
878 953 for more
information.
If you have a pressingg
d
health question youd
like answered by thee
WDDTY team,
please write to us at
the usual address,
or email letters@
wddty.co.uk.
TEETH-GRINDING REFERENCES
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
J Am Dent Assoc, 1999; 130: 122930

Eur J Oral Sci, 1997; 105: 2517
J Oral Sci, 2001; 43: 7383
The Duke Encyclopedia of New Medicine.
New York: Rodale Books, 2006
Ned Tijdschr Tandheelkd, 2007; 114:
38890
Cochrane Database Syst Rev, 2007;
4: CD005514; Br Dent J, 1999; 186:
21722
J Oral Rehabil, 2001; 28: 35460;
1999; 26: 2807
Minerva Med, 2003; 94 [4 Suppl 1]:
915; Fortschr Kieferorthop, 1995; 56:
24553
Appl Psychophysiol Biofeedback, 2004;
29: 1417
Acta Odontol Scand, 2012 Nov 13; Epub
ahead of print
J Am Dent Assoc, 2001; 132: 12757
Rev Stomatol Chir Maxillofac, 1990; 91
Suppl 1: 127
ANXIETY REFERENCES
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
Lancet, 2006; 368: 215666

Expert Opin Drug Saf, 2008; 7: 78394
BMC Psychiatry, 2006; 6: 55
Cochrane Database Syst Rev, 2005; 4:
CD004690
Cochrane Database Syst Rev, 2003; 1:
CD003383
J Clin Psychopharmacol, 2009; 29:
37882
Z Arztl Fortbild Qualittssich, 2001;
95: 334
J Clin Pharm Ther, 2001; 26: 3637
Psychopharmacology [Berl], 2000;
150: 2205
Int Clin Psychopharmacol, 1987; 2:
3345; Biomed Res, 2007; 28: 8590
Nutr J, 2010; 9: 42
Complement Ther Clin Pract, 2009;
15: 96101
Br J Gen Pract, 2000; 50: 4936
BMC Psychiatry, 2008; 8: 41
Psychiatr Pol, 2004; 38: 61120
Int Clin Psychopharmacol, 2009; 24:
16373
MISCARRIAGE REFERENCES
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
BMJ, 1989; 299: 5415

BMJ, 2003; 327: 313; BJOG, 2007; 114:
107987
WDDTY vol 11 no 3
N Engl J Med, 1999; 340: 58994
N Engl J Med, 2000; 343: 183945
JAMA, 1993; 270: 29403
Epidemiology, 1997; 8: 51523
BMJ, 2003; 327: 368
BJOG, 2007; 114: 17086
Am J Epidemiol, 2003; 158: 9317
J Altern Complement Med, 2005; 11:
23744
Am J Obstet Gynecol, 2003; 189:
13947
PETS CORNER
Natural cures for
doggy arthritis
Natural
N
Na
vet Paul Boland answers your most pressing pet questions
Our golden retriever has just been

diagnosed with arthritis and our vet
wants to put our dog on painkillers for life.
Are there any alternatives?
R.B., Cobham
Osteoarthritis is the most common

joint disorder affecting pets and is a
condition I see frequently.
Loss of joint cartilage is a normal and
essential process in healthy joints: cartilage
is constantly being replaced to retain
equilibrium. But in a diseased joint the
loss of cartilage and its components is
greater than their production, leading to
degradation of the joint.
When bony surfaces become less well
protected by cartilage, the bone may
become exposed and damaged, which
results in substantial pain. Some dogs
will be in so much pain that they will hold
up a limb.
To illustrate how Id likely treat your case,
let me tell you the story of Miles, a 10-yearold Chocolate Labrador Retriever.
When I rst saw him in November last
year, he weighed 44 kg (97 lb). Although
these dogs can maintain relatively high
weights, 44 kg is overweight for the breed,
and Miles was experiencing many of the
signs of osteoarthritis, including stiffness
in both hind legs. The rst signs the
owner noticed was Miles becoming more
irritable than usual, which was highly out
of character. He was also biting at his joints,
was stiff after resting and seemed to lose
interest in going for walks.
The usual veterinary approach to treating
osteoarthritis, as you say, is to administer
a non-steroidal anti-inammatory drug
(NSAID) for life; however, they only

disguise the pain and do nothing to resolve
the root cause of the problem.
Any natural way to help with
osteoarthritis should include weight
control, exercise management and
nutraceuticals.
Weight control
Carrying extra weight appears to increase
the risk of osteoarthritis by placing
abnormal pressure on joints, which will
eventually wear away the cartilage that
protects them.
The problems associated with increased
weight are proportional to the amount of
excess weight; this means that even small
amounts of weight loss can reduce the signs
of osteoarthritis. I advised that Miles should
be fed smaller portions and have his treats
removed until a target weight of 39 kg (86
lb) was reached.
Exercise
Osteoarthritis can be a vicious circlethe
less Miles moved, the more muscle mass
was lost and the more the joint became
unstable. Osteoarthritis can bring on such
sudden pain and stiffness when joints are
moved that its not surprising that physical
activity or even general mobility decreases.
As a result, an animal like Miles will tend
to adopt a more sedentary lifestyle, which
of course causes more weight gain and just
exacerbates the problem.
While its not advisable to exercise the
joint vigorously, I did recommend regular
gentle exercise as this helps to maintain
mobility and reduces the occurrences of
joints stiffening up.
Joint supplements
I also chose to use a joint supplement with
Miles. A good one should contain materials
that:
sHELPTOSUPPORTANDMAINTAINCARTILAGE
production
sHAVEANTI INmAMMATORYPROPERTIES
sINCLUDEANTIOXIDANTAGENTS
Glucosamine and chondroitin
sulphate are essential constituents in a
joint supplement. I would begin by using
a formulation with a minimum of 500
mg of glucosamine HCL and 400 mg of
chondroitin sulphate per tablet three
times a day for the rst six weeks, and then
gradually reduce this to one and a half
tablets per day over the next three weeks, for
a dog between 20 to 40 kg (44 to 88 lb)
in weight.
Glycosaminoglycans are the major
constituents used in the formation and
repair of joint cartilage. Glucosamine is
required for synthesis of the glycoproteins,
glycolipids and glycosaminoglycans
found in tendons, ligaments, cartilage and
synovial (joint) uid.
Chondroitin sulphate is the most
abundant glycosaminoglycan in cartilage
and is responsible for its resiliency. It serves
as a substrate for the formation of
the joint matrix structure and
is thought to protect
cartilage against
degradation.
Anti-inammatory
Id also give some
other natural herbs and
spices. Boswellia serrata, for instance,
contains boswellic acid and alpha- and
WWW.WDDTY.COM
ORNER
PETS CORNER
beta-boswellic acid, which have antiinammatory properties. Its also thought

to have antiarthritic properties by
decreasing glycosaminoglycan degradation
and cartilage damage.
From my experience I would
recommend a formulation containing a
minimum of 80 mg per tablet to be given
three times a day for the rst six weeks, and
then gradually reduce this to one and a half
tablets per day over the next three weeks, for
a dog weighing 2040 kg (4488 lb).
Another helpful supplement is the
spice turmeric because its major active
constituents are curcuminoids, including
curcumin, which seems to
have anti-inammatory
activity. I recommend
a formulation
containing a
minimum of 50 mg per tablet to be given three

times a day for the rst six weeks, and then
gradually reduce this to one and a half tablets
per day over the next three weeks, for a dog
weighing 2040 kg (4488 lb).
Antioxidants
Cumulative damage to tissues, mediated
by reactive oxygen species, has been
implicated as a pathway leading to many of
the degenerative changes associated with
osteoarthritis. Antioxidants break the chain
reaction associated with oxidative damage.
Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) is a powerful
antioxidant and a critical ingredient in the
bodys production of collagen, and type
2 collagen is a major constituent
of the very joint cartilage that
deteriorates in osteoarthritis.
Also, a deciency in zinc
can impair the ability
to make collagen,
and it also acts as
an antioxidant
through
the prevention of free-radical formation.

Manganese is a component of the antioxidant
enzyme superoxide dismutase (SOD), which
also helps ght free radicals.
Besides those other supplements for Miles,
I also recommended a vitamin/mineral
supplement formulation containing a
minimum of 50 mg of vitamin C, 30 mg of
zinc and 2.5 mg of manganese per tablet to be
given three times a day for the rst six weeks,
then Ill gradually reduce this to one and a half
tablets per day over the next three weeks, for a
dog between 20 to 40 kg (44 to 88 lb) in weight.
The improvement in Miles was gradual
rather than dramatic, which is normal
when treating this condition naturally. He
stopped biting his joints and is now back
to a healthy weight of 39 kg (86 lb), is much
more exible and has started to enjoy walking
again. His joints will never be the same as
when he was a pup as theres no complease
cure for osteoarthritis, but with the right
management, the most severe signs can be
delayed for a long time, if not indenitely.
In the case of your dog I would try a similar
three-pronged approach, working with a vet
who is open to the use of natural supplements.
If you have a question about your pets health youd
like answered by our natural vet, please email
letters@wddty.co.uk.
Paul Boland, BVSc MRCVS, a partner at Alder Veterinary

Hospital in Liverpool, has been a veterinary surgeon for
21 years. During that time he has come to rely more and
more on a holistic approach to medicine. Combining
herbs, nutraceuticals, acupuncture and more recently
natural stem-cell enhancers, he is able to treat a large
proportion of his patients naturally.
WWW.WDDTY.COM
HEALTHY LIVING
HEALTH
Repeat
afterme
RSI is supposed to be a mechanical problem of overuse. But Kathryn

Fletchers own healing crisis suggests theres more to it than just that
Kathryn
believes her
story throws
a new light
on RSI and
offers a
different
healing
therapy
for fellow
sufferers
epetitive strain injury (RSI)

is thought to be a mechanical
problem brought on by
repeated overuse or doing
the same tasks over and over
again. Tennis elbow and writers cramp
are two well-known manifestations.
The muscles, tendons and nerves
and other soft tissues can all become
inamed, and almost any delicate
movement becomes impossible.
Symptoms can ease over time, but
medicines standard response is
an NSAID (non-steroidal antiinammatory drug) to reduce swelling.
Pretty much the same thing happened
to Kathryn Fletcher when she suddenly
developed RSI so badly that she
was forced to give up her work as a
chiropodist working for the National
Health Service (NHS). Although she
refused to take any drugs for the pain, it
did eventually subside into a constant
dull ache that she had grown to live with
for 20 years.
Then, almost overnight, she was struck
down with an illness that left her virtually
debilitated and unable to even get out
of bed. However, this new crisis was the
beginning of the end of her RSI, and she

believes her story throws a new light on
the disease and offers a different healing
therapy for fellow sufferers.
Kathryn is now 61 and her health
crisis happened just over two years ago.
Today her RSI is a dim memory, and she
has nally been able to begin painting
and redecorating her home in Bolton,
Lancs. She was toying with the idea
of buying her rst PC, but a bad case
of technophobia rather than any RSI
made her change her mind.Kathryns
story begins in the late 1980s when she
suddenly developed RSI while working
as a full-time chiropodist for the NHS.
She had noticed aches and twinges for
nearly ve years before the full-blown
RSI happened, but it was something she
ignored as she was always able to carry on
with her work.
Then, over a few weeks, her right hand
became so bad that she was unable to do
anything with it. Soon after, her left hand
started to react in the same way.I just
couldnt use them, which meant I had to
give up my work, she said.
Everything suddenly became an uphill
battle. Not only was she without money,
WWW.WDDTY.COM
WWW.WDDTY.COM
HEALTHY LIVING
but she couldnt cook properly or carry

out basic household chores. Even reading
a book became difcult.I used to have
a little negotiation with myself: I could
either lift the book or turn the page, but I
couldnt do both.
Nobody was very sympathetic. At
the time RSIor tenosynovitis and
epicondylitis in Kathryns casewas not
recognized. She recalls that in the middle
of a court case a High Court judge had
pronounced that RSI doesnt exist, which
was probably music to the ears of major
employers who feared a raft of damages
suits from incapacitated employees.
Kathryn assumed that her RSI was the
result of the repetitive work she did as a
chiropodist and thought nothing more
about it.
Her doctor was unable to throw
any light on her problem other than
to prescribe painkillers.I didnt want
to start taking drugs and, by then, the
RSI had settled down to a nagging
discomfort, she recalls.
And so she lived with the discomfort
for 20 years until 2010, when she
suddenly became very ill around the
Christmas period. Her energy levels
were so low that she was almost unable
to move.I have a pet pony, but I was so
bad that I couldnt get out to feed it, she
recalled. She also suffered from severe
stomach cramps and began to suspect
that she had Candida, the digestive
problem caused by fungal overgrowth.
She decided to see a naturopath as
shed read several books about that form
of alternative medicine.I didnt know
who to try and so I phoned Directory
Enquiries and asked for a naturopath
living near my home, she said.
The closest one to her Bolton home
was Janet Wrathall, whose Millennium
Medicine Naturopathic Clinic was a
45-minute drive away in Garstang (read
Janets own healing story, page 71).I
remember she had a late cancellation and
could see me almost straightaway, so I
decided to go even though I felt dreadful.
The two women got on instantly,
mainly because they shared a love of
animals. Kathryn completed a full
questionnaire, then Janet carried out
a battery of tests, which covered her
lifestyle and medical and emotional
history, including an iridology
examination of the eyes, and tongue,
WWW.WDDTY.COM
In the wrong
hands, amalgam
lling removal
can release large
amounts of
mercury into
the system,
which is what
happened to
Kathryn
nail and skin tests.I was pretty sure at
this point that Kathryns health crisis
was caused by metal toxicity, Janet said,
taking up the story.
Her suspicions were conrmed when
she carried out a full body scan using a
Nutri-Energetics Systems (NES) device
that, according to its inventors, harnesses
energy medicine with alternative
healing modalities like homeopathy and
acupuncture.
The scan revealed metal deposits
in Kathryns vital organs, but how did
they get there? After a series of further
questions, Kathryn remembered that
just a few weeks before, she had had three
of her amalgam llings removed. She
still had a mouth full of amalgam llings
when she rst met Janet.
Despite their anodyne name, the
llings are made up of mercury, one of
the most toxic metals known to man. In
the wrong hands, amalgam removal can
release large amounts of mercury into
the system, which is what happened to
Kathryn, and it was this that sparked her
complete immune system meltdown.
The Candida was just one symptom of a
compromised immune system.
Janet prescribed herbal preparations to
help cleanse Kathryns bowels, kidneys,
liver and lymphatic system, and she
also took plant-based antifungal agents
for the Candida and herbal tinctures to
ght parasites that might be related to
the infection. One of the supplements
was Zeolite, a popular cleanser of toxins
(available online at a number of sites and
also under other names like Zeotrex and

ZeoForce).
Janet advised me on nutrition and
lifestyle, and made sure that I understood
how these things would help me. Im a
vegan, so Janet found me lots of really
interesting recipes to incorporate all the
things I needed to eat and to replace those
that I should avoid, she said. All wheat,
dairy and sugar became dietary no-nos.
Within the rst week of being on the
regime, Kathryn started to feel better
and by four weeks, I felt a whole lot
better, she said. Janet also recommended
a different dentist, one who was
experienced in dental amalgam removal,
and she was able to have all her remaining
llings removed safely.
Healing the mind too
But the whole experience with Janet
opened up other healing possibilities
too. Kathryn started reading the works
of Louise Hay and others who overcame
their own trauma through forgiveness.
Although Kathryn is reticent to talk
about early traumas in her life, she started
her own programme of forgiveness,
which she carried out while taking Janets
herbs and cleaning up her life.
Whether it was the forgiveness or the
herbal cleanse Kathryn cant be sure,
but one thing happened that she never
expectedher RSI started to go away.
I had suppressed a lot of things in my
life and pushed them down into my
body. Looking back on it now, I also
really didnt enjoy being a chiropodist
at the NHS. It had started to be all about
numbers and targets, and I didnt want
to be there. The RSI certainly made sure
of that.
Today she still suffers the odd bit of
pain in her right hand, but she can do all
the things that once she couldnt, such
as picking up things and carrying out
delicate work with her ngers.
Shes still taking the herbs and every
three months or so she can be found at
Janets clinic for her regular check-up.
Kathryn has an NES scan each time
and it never fails to impress her.It really
seems like its reading out my life to me,
she said.
Bryan Hubbard
Please turn the page to read Janet Wrathalls story...
HEAL
HE
HEAL
ALTH LIVING
HEALTHY
Triumph
after
trauma
T
rauma seemed to be the common

thread that drew Kathryn and
Janet Wrathall together. Trauma
brought Kathryn to Janets clinic, and
trauma started Janets career as a healer.
Janet had been working as a
secondary school teacher when,
at the age of 33, she developed
chronic fatigue, or ME (myalgic
encephalopathy). Just a year into her
marriage, she also learned she had
fertility problems and, two years after
that, breast cancer.
If that wasnt enough to deal with,
her father suffered a stroke and died
shortly thereafter, and the week after
the funeral her husband left her.
Eventually they divorced, but Janet had
no money or resources to fall back on.
Looking back she says: I learnt a
very important life lesson: the people
who bring you the most heartache
are also there to teach you the most
profound lessons. I had a decision
to make, and that changed my life
completely; it was as if I had to start my
life again.
I was grieving for my father, I was
grieving for the loss of my husband, I
was grieving for the children I couldnt
have, and I was grieving for the health
that was slipping away from me.
She started to get back on her feet
nancially by teaching students at
home and this was supplemented by
promoting health products.
Dealing with her breast cancer,
she underwent surgery, but refused
both hormonal treatment and
chemotherapy. She wanted to
understand how she had developed
the cancer and to explore better ways
to rst stabilize and then eventually
overcome the disease.
The best way, she thought, was to
become a qualied natural health
practitioner, and this ambition took
WWW.WDDTY.COM
her to to the College of Naturopathic

Medicine, where she studied
naturopathy. She also discovered from
her studies that she was suffering from
hypothyroidism, which explained the
melancholy and depression she had
experienced since she was small.
Having set up a very successful
naturopathic practicethe
Millennium Medicine Naturopathic
Health ConsultancyJanet is
hoping that her dream of setting up a
naturopathic cottage hospital will one
day come true.
All she needs, she says, is a kind soul
who will donate a stately home they no
longer want. Compared with all that
she has so far overcome and achieved,
that one sounds like a doddle.
I learnt a very
important
life lesson: the
people who
bring you the
most heartache
are also there to
teach you the
most profound
lessons
SPECIAL REPORT
SPECIA
od help you these days if you

have to go to a British hospital.
The recent scandal of Stafford
Hospital in the UKwhere
at least 1,200 died from neglect and
incompetencehas shaken everyone
in Britain about the dangers
lurking within the
typical National
Health Service
facility.
The Francis
Report, which
investigated
the deaths, has
highlighted six
other hospital
trusts where similar
numbers of deaths
may be occurring.
Robert Francis,
QC, the reports
author, disclosed a
catalogue of disaster on
the most elementary level.
The most basic standards
of care were not observed,
he said.Elderly and vulnerable patients
were left unwashed, unfed and without
uids.
And that appears to be only the tip of
the iceberg. Francis went on to identify
some 290 recommendations to improve
care across the whole of the NHS. As the
usually sober newspaper The Times (7
February 2013) put it: No one is safe.
In the weeks since that rst shocking
disclosure, the headlines are only getting
worse. NHS trusts now stand accused
of using taxpayers money to cover
up high death rates by hiring CHKS,
a private company, to reclassify this
data. According to The Sunday Times
(3 March 2013), CHKS worked with
some 120 NHS trusts and used as an
advertising boon the claim that it had
been able to reduce the high deaths at
one hospital by a third by re-categorizing
many patient deaths caused by the
treatment there as unavoidable to get the
hospital staff off the hook.
But the staff itself knows the true grim
reality. According to an annual staff
survey conducted by the NHS, more
than a third of doctors and nurses at
some 19 hospitals said they would not
want their own relatives to be treated at
their own facilities.
Although most of us feel impotent
How to
survive your
hospital stay
LLynne
ynne McTaggart
McTaggart oers
oers a patient
to
aassertiveness-training
ssertiveness-training course
co
hhelp
elp you
you come
come oout
ut of
of a British
B
hhospital
ospital alive
alive
in the face of the vast

NHS bureaucracyor a
pitiless and jaded medical
or nursing teamthere are
plenty of things you can do
for yourself or on behalf of
your loved ones to survive a
hospital stay.
Essentially it comes down
to being assertive, even a
nuisance. You need to learn
to be a right pain in the ass
because, by being what doctors tend to
refer to as a heartsink patient, you are
more likely to survive.
What follows is a short patient
assertiveness-training course with seven
basic rules. Dont expect your doctor
to take all of this lying down. Most GPs
arent used to being questioned intently,
even politely, and tend to view the most
innocent of enquiries as a threat.
Its not that theyre an unduly
dictatorial breed, and they arent
deliberately trying to make you ill. It
mostly has to do with the drubbing
theyre received over the years in medical
school and as junior doctors.
After decades of being overworked
and subjected to abuse, theyve been

brainwashed into believing that theres
something wrong with questioning the
people teaching them. Or in questions,
full stop.
As the late American doctor Robert
S. Mendelsohn put it so succinctly in his
book Confessions of a Medical Heretic
(New York: Warner Books, 1980),If I
had to characterize doctors I would say
their major psychological attribute is fear.
They have a drive to achieve securityplus thats never satised because of all
the fear thats drummed into them in
medical school: fear of failure, fear of
missing a diagnosis, fear of malpractice,
fear of remarks by their peers. Doctors
WWW.WDDTY.COM
SPECIAL REPORT
RuleNo1 YYou are a medical
consumer with the right to say no

No matter whether you are on the NHS or paying Harley Street prices, you have an
absolute right to know everything there is about any medical treatments being
proposed. If you are to take charge of your own healthcare and survive a hospital
stay, its vital that you view yourself as a paying consumer and your doctors advice as
services that you are purchasing. Certainly you would never buy a car or a camcorder
without painstakingly investigating the pros and cons. Why should something as
vital as your health or that of your loved ones be any dierent? Remember: these
services arent free. You have paid for them through your contributions to national
insurance. As such you have a number of rights, the most fundamental of which is to
know whats going on and to have some say over who will care for you. And far from
eroding trust, asking questions will cement the relationship between youu and your
ntelligent
doctor (if hes a good one, that is) of shared responsibility between two intelligent
d.
adults, rather than between an authoritarian parent and a cowering child.
ind)
The bottom line is that if you are a competent adult (that is, of sound mind)
ou
doctors dont have the right to tell you what to do. They cant insist that you
have a particular treatment or indeed any treatment at all. They can bullyy you
es
(and they likely willI was recently treated to a catalogue of horror studies
udies
about one treatment I refused that conveniently left out a raft of other studies
ce,
showing the exact opposite results). You have the right to reject this advice,
to seek out another doctor, to exit stage left at any point.
nd
Before you engage in any way with a doctor or hospital, fully understand
your rights.
he
For a full list, see the box on page 80. With children, its a little trickier. See the
separate box on page 80.
are given one reward for swallowing

the fear pill so willingly and for
sacricing the healing instincts
and human emotions that might
help their practice: arrogance. To
hide their fear, theyre taught to
adopt the authoritarian attitude and
demeanour of their professors.
What we emphatically are not
trying to do is train an army of doctorbashers.
The code word here is polite
assertiveness. Your doctor may well react
to your courteous line of questioning
with one of a number of put-downs
(which you can bet his medical
professors used plenty of times on
him). Or he might be evasive or hurried
because hes overworked or in the dark.
Assure him that you trust him, but
would like to have more information
before the two of you make a decision
jointly. Use lots of Is in your sentences
to reinforce your involvement in the
decision-making process.
If hes still unwilling to be helpful,
thats your signal to get yourself another
doctor.
Lynne McTaggart
WWW.WDDTY.COM
RuleNo2
Understand your
health issue
and treatment
thoroughly
Before you decide anything about your

treatment, you need to fully understand
your condition and your possible treatment
options. Ideally, it helps to become well versed
in it before you decide on a doctor or hospital.
Many doctors have dierent views about how
to treat a particular condition; some prefer a
highly medicalized, invasive approach, while
others believe less is more. Only by doing
your homework rst can you work out which
treatment youd prefer and which person is the
right man or woman for the job.
Become an expert in your condition. Read
about it in magazines like this one, in books,
on the internet, even from medical/scientic
studies, which you can get on the net (do a
search in Google Scholar or PubMed). Youll
soon nd out how well informed your hospital
or doctor is on the latest treatments for your
condition. One of my daughters developed a
problem, and when we saw one consultant,
he knew nothing about a treatment we were
interested in that had become standard in the

US. Knowing ahead of time about the various
treatment options helped us make our choice
about the right doctor.
Print out any relevant medical studies.
Eventually you can show these to your
consultant, which will lend weight to any
queries you have. It wont guarantee hell agree
with you, but youll have chapter and verse to
back up your views.
Put your questions in writing. Make a list
of everything you want to know about your
condition and its treatment again before you
meet the doctor. This will help you address
everything you need to know and avoid any
important omissions.
See through the stats. Medicine tends to
evaluate drugs and procedures by applying its
relative success rate (the success rate compared
with something else), not its absolute success
rate on its own. This can be highly deceptive.
For instance, if your risk of developing arthritis
is 4 per cent but drug X reduces that to 2 per
cent, medicine will hail the drug as having a 50
per cent rate of eectiveness. But in absolute
terms, drug Xs eectiveness is only 2 per cent.
Learn to distrust medical gures and insist that
your doctor give you the straight likely absolute
success of any treatment.
SPECIAL REPORT
SPECIA
RuleNo3
zzkXAmXx
X]XAuzARz
doctor referrals?
:muuzVzlX
surgery yourself or will
zsXmX]
Before going ahead with any hospital
he isnt doing it, you
treatment, you need to gather as much
need to nd someone
information as possible about the practitioner,
else. Otherwise,
specialist or surgeon in charge of or
youre likely to be at
performing your treatment. When you rst
the hands of a junior
consult your GP, ask him or her to refer you
doctor learning the
to the specialist who is most experienced in
ropes.)
treating your condition successfully and who
works in a hospital noted for treating your
condition (from now on well call him he
for convenience, but it could just as well be
a she). Pay attention to his reputation and
standing among his peers.
When you rst see the specialist, youll need
to do some decent probing about his general
expertise, bedside manner and experience
So he seems the right sort so far and you
with your condition. Think of this meeting as a know hell be doing the surgery himself. Now
job interview: youre interviewing him for the
its time to nd out a bit more about your
job of making you well.
specialists experience with your particular
Dont be afraid to press for answers. Your
SzxVmmzxAXzzxXXASlAxV
life is literally in his hands. One survey of 95
questions with you when you ask him the
hospitals by the American College of Surgeons following:
discovered that three-quarters of surgical
:lVzzlmxtkzlmmuuxX
complications were due to surgical error.
What are the various ways my condition
is usually treated, and how do their results
compare? Please provide me statistics from
the latest studies about outcomes.
Pick the right

specialist
10
questions
to ask your
specialist
Is this your kind of

doctor?
Begin by nding out as much as you can

about how this co
consultant works and how
competent he is. You can do this by asking him
ddirectly
di
rectly (or his ssta or receptionist):
zwAx

zwAxAmXxVzzXXXVA
and overall in your practice?
zw
zwSlmwXVzzkmXXASl
ppatient?
pa
tien
X
XzXASlARuXA]Xlz
z
zVzkXmxzSlmlz
then?
zzXAt
zzXAtzAmXxzXlXlzxX
zwAxzS
zwAxzSXVXz]lmtmxVlAXz
X]zwXV]
X]zwXV]uXlAxzmkllXX
and nd anothe
e specialist)
another
]
u
z]XXxuVzzVzlmzSXVX
:lAAXzRAStkzxVAxV
qualications?
zXXmXxSXVVzzSzxmVXzXu]
with the procedure suggested for me?
AXzRXXxlXRsXSz]AxVmSmumxA
actions or lawsuits? (Or nd this out from
the Royal College of Physicians, to which he
should belong.)
What are the absolute, not relative,

advantages of each treatment?
What are your reasons for proposing a
particular treatment?
Whats the potential downside? What risks
Vz]ASXlmSAuuAxVSlzuzkmSAuuAxV
whats the usual rate of complications?
:lAmuulAXxm]X]Xlm
XAwXxzVzAxmuuX`XSSzwAX
with the potential side-eects of the proposed
treatment?
zuzxkmuumAtX]zwXzXwXw
normal activity and lifestyle?
:lAwmkllAXxm]lzuVz`lAmxklX
treatment?
:lAlzuVVzA]XlXzXAmzxz
promote recovery?
:lAwzVmcSAmzxlzuVwAtXmx
my diet or lifestyle to promote healing and
avoid having this situation recur? What
complementary or integrated treatments
might help my recovery?
You
know
its
the
wrong
doctor
for you
if he:
mzRmzu
zXztXV
X]Xz
AVVXz
SzxSXxz
XXlXwAAmlmSAx
XAmuRXcXVzXuuzlXXAXxz
mVXX`XSzVzxmVXAuuVkAxVAuu
zXAmzxlAXzXxmAumt
VmwmXzmlzkXAxzlX
zmxmzx
XXwVmlXXuuXVzmskkumxkXXAu
SAXAzxSXAxVSAxkmXzlm]uu
AXxmzx
mzRmzuXmXVwAxzxkX
VzSzAXXXSXVzVzuzxklm]
mlzuXX
VzXxAtXlXmwXzsm]lXX
zVXXVzlXzXAmzxlXkkXmxk
]zz
X]XzuXzXXAxXXuz
zkxzX
SAxzzxAxXzXmzxmx
uAmxxVXAxVARuXxkuml
SAxzzxkmXzAm]ASz
AxXzAxzxXXV
kmXzARAV]XXumxkmxzkzmx
zwXAmxmwmVAXzzwAtXz
xXz
Get a second
opinion
]zlAXAxVzRARzlXkkXXV
treatment for your health issue, seek out
a second opinion from a doctor who is not
connected in any way with the rst physician
(for instance, avoid someone who works in the
same practice or same hospital).
Just to be sure, explain to the rst doctor
that youre seeking a second opinion and ask
that all your records and test results be sent to
the second doctor.
WWW.WDDTY.COM
SPECIAL REPORT
R
RuleNo4
Choose your
hospital
with care
There may not be all that much choice if you

need to see a particular specialist or have
an emergency. In that case, the hospital
usually goes with the specialist or its the
one geographically closest to you.
But if you have the time to shop around,
choose a hospital with a decent position
on the league tables (yes, like schools,
hospitals also are rated on a national
league table, with a smaller community
hospital placed over a large teaching
hospital for general elective surgery,
for instance). The Health Information
Service, part of NHS Direct (tel: 0845
4647), can tell you how quickly outpatients
and emergency patients are seen (its
supposed to be 30 minutes and ve
minutes, respectively, according to
the Pat
Patients Charter)
and what percentage
of o
operations are
pe
performed within three
m
months of a doctors
recom
recommendation
(anothe
(another Patients Charter
C
requirement). Compare
your local
hospitals performance with others across
erations
the country. For elective operations
HS now
like knee replacement, the N
NHS
ve to wait
wai
aitt no
guarantees that you will have
ile you should
longer than 18 months, while
or more urgent
urge
g nt
wait no longer than a year for
tery bypass
byypa
passs
operations like coronary artery
grafts.
You might also consider:
Sz wxm
Szww
AwAuuzwXVmwmXVSzwwxm
alle
lenge iss routine
rou
routi
utinne
ne
hospital if your health challenge
XSzwuX
AuAkXlzmAu]zAwzXSzwuX
problem
lAXA
AXASlmxklzmAum]zlAXA
xXmm
mxk
xkk
um]XlXAXxmxkSzxVmmzxXmmxk
specialist care
z
zmRuX
uX
AlzmAumlzAxmwzmRuX
waiting time
XV
zxXlAAtXAxmxXkAXV
WWW.WDDTY.COM
ome
approach and oers (or is open to) some
ary
forms of alternative or complementary
medicine
zxXtxzx]zlXAumz]mxmxk
care and adjunct therapies like physio
SzxASmxklX#AmzxAu zxcVXxmAu
Enquiry into Patient Outcome and
Death (www.ncepod.org.uk), which
tracks deaths in hospitalthe service is
by doctors for doctors, but you may be
able to get some information if youre
persistent.
Since Community Health Councils were
abolished about a decade ago, there is
no independent body whose job it is to
ensure that the NHS upholds your medical
rights. Local councils are now obliged to
SmxmXlzmAumxlXmVmmSzz
may ask them the hard questions or try your
hospitals Patient Advice and Liaison Service
(PALS), which is supposed to help you with
problems. But as these are located in the
AwXuASXlAzXSmxmmxkz
chances that theyre acting independently
and in your best interests may be slim.
Nevertheless, do prepare to ask them
frank questions about the sta such as:
lAXSXxAkXz]lXwXVmSAuXAwAX
fully trained consultants?
lAXSXxAkXAXsxmzVzSz
lzwAxSzwuAmxlAlXlzmAu
received?
lAmlXwzxluVXAlAX
lAXlXXRXXxAxuAmAxVm]z
how many each year for the past ve
years?
Sni out tell-tale

signs
If your surgery is elective, go visit
your chosen hospital rst. Look
out for signs of ineciency or
unhygienic practices, including:
XmwXxxzzXu
lAxVuXVzSzXXVz
uX]ARz
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SPECIAL REPORT
RuleNo5
Double-check
the dosage
Calamitous mistakes made
in hospital are usually related
to giving the wrong drugs or
the wrong dosages. Never just
assume that you are being
given the correct amount of
anythingor indeed the correct
drug.
Check the drugs. Find out the
names of all the drugs youre
AtmxkmxSuVmxklXVm
Each time youre given another
dose of the stu, ask your
VzSzzxXzVzRuX
check that the drug and dosage
are both correct.
Lower the dosage. Doctors
usually give a standard dosage.
Often you can take less and
kXlXAwXRXxXcSmAuX`XS
while lowering your chances
of adverse eects. Always ask if
you can take less.
Ditto the drip. The same
goes for the drip. Every time
you have an intravenous drip
inserted or changed, ask the
nurse or doctor to check the
name and dosage of the drug
on the IV bag.
Say no to tranks. Hospitals
usually dispense tranquillizers
to calm patients and make
them drowsy and more
compliant. Theyre almost
never necessary and they cause
accidents especially among
the elderly and quickly become
addictive. Just say no.
As few as possible. Doctors
tend to be of the opinion that
if one is good, two is even
better. Many drugs are given
zSzxXASlXmVXX`XS
z]lXcVk]zXRXmxk
prescribed more than one
drug, ask if you can take only
one at a time.
Check out the nursing sta

As the NHS has been squeezed, so hospitals have cut down on sta, and one area getting the chop
is the nursing sta. Ask about the ratio of nurses to patients. If its high, with each nurse required to
look after a large number of patients, you know that youre bound to be neglected or the victim of
mistakes. Also ask about:
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lXzAuxwRXz]xXAmVXlmxwRXkzXlXxAlzmAuAx
zAXwzxXAlXSzuXlAx]uuAmxXVxX
Once you settle on the hospital youre going to, get to know the nursing sta that
will be looking after you. Nurses will care for you more than your doctor will. They
may catch prescribing or procedural errors, and the more experienced ones may
even be willing to cut you some slack on hospital rules for, say, visiting times.
If you dont get along with the nurse assigned to you, you have the right to get
another one.
In America, the annual U.S. News & World Report review reported that American doctors
SzxmVXlXAumz]xmxkSAXlXXSzxVRmkkXXVmSzz]zXAuuAmXxSAXmx
hospitalmore important than technology, quality of research and even teaching ability. When it
comes to the elderly in nursing homes, the nurses rated higher in importance than the doctors.
5 important
questions to ask
your nursing
team
1. How many RGNs caring for
patients will be on the oor Im
assigned to?
2. How many fully qualied
nurses are required be on duty
during days, nights, weekends
and holidays?
3. How many other patients
will the nurse assigned to me
also be looking after? (Consider
more than ve people,
including you, unacceptably
high and request someone
else.)
4. How will the nursing sta
stay informed about my
condition and care?
5. Will an RGN check in on me
and my condition at least once
per shift?
WWW.WDDTY.COM
SPECIAL REPORT
SPECIA
RuleNo6
Check out your drugs

Checkoutyo
There is no such thing as a completely safe drug. Full stop.
All drugs, even aspirin, come with potential side-eects.
Before taking any drug before or in hospital, learn as much
as you can. Every drug marketed in the UK has a datasheet on
it compiled by the manufacturer that is sent to every British
doctor and available online. The datasheet is essentially
a prole of the drug at a glance, listing when it should and
shouldnt be taken as well as its side-eects, and you can
easily nd it on the internet by doing a search using its brand
name.
Once youve read up on the drug being proposed for you
(if you have only the one visit, then ask for the datasheet on
the drug right then and there), you can put the following
questions to your doctor.
Is drug therapy really needed for this problem? Unless

you can be persuaded that your condition will denitely
worsen without it, why take an agent that might also
introduce a whole new set of problems?
What will happen if I dont take the drug?

What sorts of drugs or agents (including nonprescription drugs, foods and alcohol) should I avoid when
taking this drug?
With what other drugs does this drug dangerously

react? Although one drug used alone might carry a small risk,
when combined with another drug the risk may be multiplied
several times over, as can the strength of the toxicity.
What are the known side-eects of this drug?
What are the latest reports in the medical literature
about the side-eects? Medical journals like The Lancet

publish new studies all the time, especially if the risks with a
certain drug are far higher than the manufacturer originally
thought. If your doctor doesnt know, check it out on the
internet (again, search Google Scholar or PubMed for
medical studies).
Can I discontinue any other drugs Im currently taking?

If youre taking other drugs, collect all of them (including nonprescription drugs) together and take them all to your doctor
so that together you can investigate any and all interactions.
What is this drug supposed to do for me? How will it do
that? How are you going to monitor the use of the drug? Do
your instructions dier from those in the datasheet?
Under what conditions and how should I stop taking

this drug if I notice certain side-eects? What sorts of tests
are available to monitor any drug reactions?
If I dont wish to take this drug, what other possible

therapies are there for me to consider? Here you may have
to gently prod your doctor into enumerating the possibilities
hes heard of, not oer an opinion. For one thing, very few
doctors have been trained to treat without drugs.
RuleNo7
Question
Q
ti allll medical tests
The same principles apply to medical tests. Many carry actual
risks and some have a high incidence of error, exposing you
to unnecessary and possibly risky procedures or even surgery.
In many cases (more so in the States), doctors protect
themselves against potential lawsuits by ordering every test
they can. Be sure to ask the following list of questions. If after
all this you decide to go ahead with the treatment in hospital,
schedule your procedure for a weekday. All hospitals have
fewer sta on weekends and often a surfeit of very junior
doctors on call the entire weekend.
Do I really need this test? Is there another, safer way of

determining the same thing (such as through a thorough
interview and physical examination by an experienced
medic)?
What will you advise me to do if the tests are normal/
abnormal? If you or your doctor cant do anything about
abnormal ndings, why take the test?
What are the risks of this test? Again, you may have to
do your homework and check out the medical literature on a
given test.
What are the qualications of the operators (and how
many hours are they likely to have been on duty when I
take the test)? If the operators are housemen (students or
graduates) at the end of a 72-hour stint, you would be wise to
insist on more experiencedand better restedparties to
handle the equipment.
When was the equipment last checked for safety/
accuracy? This is a particularly pertinent question within a
healthcare system increasingly strapped for cash.
What dosage (of radiation, say) will I receive?
Are there any protective devices (shields in the case
of radiation) that I can wear? (If youre getting any form of
X-ray, make sure to wear a protective apron from your chin
to your thighs to shield sensitive areas like your thyroid and
reproductive organs.)
Is it possible to use earlier test results to avoid being

exposed to further risks?
What is the real risk of my developing the condition

youre investigating?
What is the accuracy rate of this test? Ask about the
sensitivity (ability of the test to detect the disease), specicity
(its ability to identify those who dont have the disease) and
its predictive value (the odds that it is accurate).
WW
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SPECIAL REPORT
SPECIA
Your medical rights

As a hospital patient you have a load of rights, including:
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AxVlXmklzmlVAlASzxXxAAxmwX
lXmklzAuuXXuAxVzASzz]AuuwXVmSAu
records
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lXmklzmAS
lXmklzXXS]zwAuulzmAuXwuzXXAxVz
wAmxAmxzXzxAuVmkxm
lXmklzSzxcVXxmAummxAuuAXAz]XAwXx
mxSuVmxkzwXVmSAuXSzV
lXmklzXwXkXxSSAX
lXmklzA]uuXuAxAmzxz]AuuSzm]zkzzA
mAXlzmAuXXxlXxSzXXVRmxAxSX
lXmklzX]XAxXAwXxzlzmAumAmzxA
any point for whatever reason.
Your right to say yes

or no
Your single most important ally is informed
consent, your legal right to have only the treatment
that you agree to as a truly informed person. The
doctor has a legal obligation to explain the pros
and cons of any drug or treatment he is proposing,
including possible side-eects and risks, the
chances of success in the immediate and long term,
and any alternatives that may be available.
If he knows little or nothing about alternatives to
the treatment hes been trained in, it is your right to
ask to speak to someone who does know.
If you are having a procedure in hospital, you will
be given a consent form to sign. Read it carefully.
Refuse to be bullied or rushed. You may have to live
forever with the consequences of signing a form just
to please a harassed and impatient doctor.
Cross out any clause that states, in eect, that you
agree to the doctor performing any other procedure
he deems necessary while youre under the knife.
Substitute the words I only agree to . . . and write
in the name of the operation or procedure. WDDTY
knows of many instances of hapless patients
who were put under anaesthesia for some minor
operation only to discover, on waking up, that they
have had a lung or uterus removed.
If you have an elderly relative who may not be
best placed to give his or her own informed consent,
speak to a solicitor before the hospital stay and get
power of attorney.
Protecting your childrens rights

Prote
As an adult of sound mind, you have the absolute right to consent to or refuse medical
treatmen
treatment. But this absolute right is muddied when it comes to children. Theoretically, the law
allows pparents to consent to or refuse treatment for their children until the child is considered
aable
ab
le to understand the situation and make any decisions himself.
Furth
Furthermore, parents have this kind of say only if the medics attending to your child
cconsider
co
nside it in his best interests.
If a ddoctor thinks your child is likely to be harmed by your refusal to permit a given
ttreatment,
rea
particularly if you want to substitute some unorthodox or alternative
treat
treatment, he has the right to intervene with a court order, as happened recently in
Neo Roberts case, when his mother Sally attempted (without success) to refuse
the Neon
radiotherap for her sons brain tumour.
radiotherapy
the kinds of cases the doctor can seek to make the child a ward of the court, which will
In these
invariab
invariably come down on the side of the orthodox medical establishment, as it did in Neons
case. It
Its also important to keep in mind that your doctor only needs the consent of one
parent to proceed. If the other parent disagrees, the doctor is still within the law to begin
treatm
treatment. The dissenting parents only recourse is to attempt to make the child a ward of
the sta
state and then ask the court to decide on the childs treatment, which is likely to uphold
the doctors
doc
decision.
Once children
c
reach their teens (about 15), they can make their own treatment decisions
on standard
stand or low-risk procedures.
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SPECIAL REPORT
Your 7-point
survival
essentials
you can turn o the uorescent lights,

which can give you headaches. Bring
books youve always wanted to read.
Open a window for natural ventilation.
Have your visitors treat you to plants, or
a small air ionizer to give you a charge of
plenty of health-supporting negative ions.
Bring your own water

supply. The recent scandals
showed that many patients
die of dehydration in
hospital,
so bring a litre of
ho
o
bottledd water with you when
check
yyouu ch
yo
h in. Then every day
youre in there, buy another
you
litre of water if youre able
litr
to get up and drink it slowly
throughout the day. If you
thr
cant,
can
n get your hospital
buddy
bud
d (see below) to bring
litre along each time he or
a lit
she vvisits. If your elderly friend
relative
is the patient,
or re
e
bring
brin
n in a litre bottle every
dayy and make sure he or she
drinking
it. If the water is
is dri
i
untouched when you visit, help the
person drink some while youre there.
Home from home. Control

your hospital space and
make it as pleasant as you
can. Ask very emphatically
for a bed with a window.
Festoon your area with personal objects
ts
and images. Bring along photographs,
photo
,
framed
postcards and fra
pictures, and
a use
Blu-Tack to hang
them on the walls
ls
around you.
aro
u.
Buy one off
B
Bu
those little
thos
lights to attach
book ligh
reading
to any re
material, so that
material
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Your hospital buddy.

Enlist a friend, colleague
or family member to visit
you every day. His job is to
be your advocate and your
cheerleader, to encourage you to stay
positive, to bring you whatever you need
from the outside, to run interference
with the hospital sta, to massage your
shoulders and feet, and to work with you
on your recuperative exercises. In eect,
your buddy is your therapist and nurse
who must assume that the nursing sta
isnt doing its job. He or she will also check
drug dosages when youre not able to.
On no account leave your young children
alone in hospital. You are the best drug for
your child there is.
Smuggle in food. Although

they are supposed to be
centres of recuperation,
hospitals persist in serving
up rened, nutrient-poor,
sugar-rich sludge as daily fare. Ask your
buddy to bring in organic wholefoods on a
daily basis and eat that instead.
5
6
Be complementary. Tell the

hospital sta youd like to
make use of any appropriate
complementary therapies
on hand at the hospital,
whether relaxation therapy, massage,
acupuncture or art and music therapy. All
these make your stay more enjoyable and
assist the healing process.
Take supplements. When
youre ill, your nutritional
needs skyrocket. You need
high dosages of certain
nutrients to detoxify yourself
from drugs, to aid wound-healing and to
boost your immune systemfar more
than you can get from food, particularly
hospital food. Come with a supply of a
good multivitamin/mineral supplement
plus high-dose vitamin C, the B vitamins
and antioxidants like zinc at the very least.
Ignore the rules. If you need

your family there, or your
child or elderly parent needs
you, ignore visiting hours
and stay all night if need
be. Politely refuse to leave and secure
approval from your doctor or hospital
administration. Its your right. Ignore
other rules saying that children under a
certain age are not allowed. Its the right of
any patient to see his friends (if a child) or
his children or grandchildren (if an adult).
ALTERN
ALTERNATIVES
arabens, the term for a

group of preservatives
widely used in cosmetics
and toiletries, has become
a dirty word in the beauty
industry.Paraben-free
labels are now popping up on
everything from moisturizers and makeup
to tanning products and toothpaste, as
the consumer demand for more natural
products grows. And for good reason.
Increasingly, theyre being linked to health
problems like allergies and cancer, and
theres even some evidence that these
beauty chemicals age your skin.
Heres what you need to know about
these pervasive preservatives.
Parabens are not natural
Parabens are esters (compounds formed
by the reaction between alcohols and acids)
found methylparaben and propylparaben

in nearly all of them. Women and teenage
girls had higher paraben levels than men
and teenage boys, suggesting that greater
use of cosmetics and personal-care
products might be responsible. A similar
study in China also found higher levels of
the chemicals in women than in men.1
They can stick around in our tissues
Parabens defenders argue that the
chemicals are quickly broken down and
cleared from the body so they cant do us
any harm. But parabens arent just being
found in peoples urine; theyre turning up
in our tissues too.
In 2004, University of Reading researcher
Dr Philippa Darbre, who specializes in
the impact of oestrogen on breast cancer,
found signicant levels of parabens in 18
out of 20 samples of tissue from human
They could cause cancer

Darbres research shows that parabens
can get into the body via the skin and be
retained in fatty tissue, but can they then
actually do any damage there?
Although parabens were found in
human breast cancer tissue, whether
the chemicals caused the cancer is
not known. Crucially, Darbre and
her team didnt look at healthy
breast tissue to see if there were
any differences in paraben levels.
If breast cancer patients were
found to have signicantly
higher levels of parabens in
their breast tissue compared
with healthy patients,
it would suggest that
parabens could be a
possible cause of their
cancer.
Killing me softly
Parabens are lurking in your lip gloss, body lotion, bubble bath and even
your body. Heres why you should ditch them from your beauty routine
of the chemical parahydroxybenzoic acid.
Although some manufacturers like to
point out that this acid is found naturally in
some plants and foods such as blueberries,
parabens are synthetically produced. Youll
nd them in cosmetics and personal-care
products as well as in food and drugs under
names like methylparaben, ethylparaben,
propylparaben, butylparaben and
isobutylparabenput there to stop
bacteria and other microbes from growing
in your favourite lipstick or lotion.
Theyre getting inside us
Parabens are in people tooand not just
because we consume food, drinks and
drugs that contain them. When you slather
on that lotion or spray on that deodorant,
the chemicals can get absorbed through
your skin and into your body.
A study by the US Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC) measured
parabens in urine samples from just over
2,500 men, women and children, and
breast tumour biopsies. The parabens were

intactthey hadnt been broken down by
the liver or gutsuggesting theyd been
absorbed through the skin.2
And this wasnt just a one-off nding. In
a larger study conducted last year, Darbre
and her colleagues found one or more
parabens in 99 per cent of the breast cancer
tissue samples they analyzed, and all ve of
the parabens they were testing for showed
up in 60 per cent of the samples. The
highest concentrations were found in the
underarm area, suggesting that deodorants
and antiperspirants might be the main
source.3 However, seven participants said
they never used underarm products, so
Darbre thinks the problem could be more
to do with the total load on the skin across
the whole body.
How parabens move around the body
needs to be investigated, but the take-home
message, says Darbre, is that parabens are
getting into the breast, and theyre getting
in in signicant amounts.
Still, even without

this missing part of the
parabens puzzle, there
is cause for concern.
Parabens are known to
have oestrogenic activity,
meaning that they can
boost or mimic the action
of female hormones, known
to play a key role in breast
cancer. Not only that, but
Darbres latest research shows
that parabens either on their own
or in combination can increase
the growth of human breast cancer
cells in test-tubesand at the same
concentrations found in human breast
tissue samples.4
Its not clear whether this cancerpromoting effect is down to the oestrogenic
activity of parabens (which some say is too
weak to cause problems) or some other
mechanism,5 but the cancer connection is
there and its not going away.
WWW.WDDTY.COM
NATIVES
ALTERNATIVES
Natural
preservatives:
naturally
safe?
They can trigger allergies

Besides cancer, parabens have also been
linked to allergies. A US study of more
than 800 children found that those
with the highest levels of parabens in
their urine were more likely to have
detectable levels of IgE antibodies to
environmental allergens like pollen and
pet dander compared with those with
lower paraben levels. IgE antibodies
are immune-related chemicals that
rise in response to an allergen.6 The
antimicrobial properties of parabens
could be the driving force behind their
apparent effects on the immune system,
the researchers said.
Be aware that just because

an ingredient is natural,
it doesnt necessarily
mean its completely safe.
Essential oils, for example,
commonly used as natural
preservatives, can trigger
allergic reactions in some
people.
One component of
some essential oils like
cinnamon called benzyl
benzoate has even been
found to have oestrogenic
activity in the lab (although
compared with parabens,
the eect was considerably
weaker).1 But we dont
know whether isolating the
chemical from its natural
context (as was done
in this study) may have
produced dierent eects
than using the chemical
in its natural form. Plus,
another study reported that
benzyl benzoate had no
oestrogenic eect at all.2
They can age the skin

Besides these effects on your health,
parabens may even affect your looks.
Ironically, the preservativesused
in numerous anti-ageing lotions and
potionsmight cause premature
skin ageing, according to Japanese
research. One lab study found that
methylparaben, when applied to skin
tissues and exposed to sunlight, caused
DNA damage, which could lead to skin
ageing and even skin cancer.7
What to do
The good news is that you dont have to
put paraben-packed products on your
skin. The beauty business has cottoned
on to the general concern over parabens,
so more and more brands are deciding
to ditch these preservatives from their
formulations (see box, page 85).
Some pioneering companies are now
using more natural means to preserve
their products, such as eliminating water
content (bacteria grow rapidly in water),
carefully controlling the products pH
(a slightly more acidic value can prevent
bacteria growth) and adding naturally
preservative ingredients like vitamin
E, essential oils and plant alcohols into
their products.
One downside of paraben-free
products is that you might have to throw
them away sooner after opening than
you would with paraben-containing
products. But thats a small sacrice for
peace of mindand one that more and
more savvy shoppers are now choosing
to make.
Joanna Evans
WWW.WDDTY.COM
REFERENCES
1
2
J Appl Toxicol, 2009; 29:

42234
Dent Mater, 2003; 19: 3416
REFERENCES
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Environ Health Perspect, 2010; 118:

67985; Environ Sci Technol, 2013;
47: 206976
J Appl Toxicol, 2004; 24: 513
J Appl Toxicol, 2012; 32: 21932;
3059
J Appl Toxicol, 2013 Jan 31; doi:
10.1002/jat.2850
J Appl Toxicol, 2012 Jun 29; doi:
10.1002/jat.2753; Altern Med Rev,
2010; 15: 1906
J Allergy Clin Immunol, 2012; 130:
45360.e7
Chem Res Toxicol, 2008; 21:
15949
NATIVES
ALTERNATIVES
Paraben-freeproducts
By switching to paraben-free cosmetics and personal-care products, you can dramatically cut your exposure to these chemicals.
Heres a selection of the many paraben-free products now availableproof that you can primp, preen and pamper yourself
from head to toe without these problematic preservatives. These products have the added bonus of being made from allnatural ingredients, so you can be sure youre not slathering yourself with other synthetic nasties.
HAIR CARE
FACE CARE
Aubrey Organics Rosa Mosqueta

Nourishing Shampoo
Lavera Faces Organic

Invigorating Cleansing
Gel
(10.49 for 325 mL)
(7.90 for 100 mL)
This moisturizing shampoo includes

rosehip seed oil, shea butter, aloe
leaf juice and lavender oil among its
ingr
ingredients (conditioner
also available).
W
Weleda
Rosemary &
G
Ginger Shampoo
(8.95 for 250 mL)
This cleanser for oily

and combination skin
includes Gingko leaf and
witch hazel extracts.
Botanicals Rose &
Camellia Organic Facial
Skin Tonic
This contains organic

rosemary and ginger
along with grapefruit
extract and essential
oils (conditioner also
available).
(14.95 for 150 g)
Green People Light

Hold Styling Gel
Weleda
Almond
Soothing
Facial Lotion
(11.95 for 200 mL)

(
S it bl ffor all
Suitable
hair types, this
light-hold gel
is formulated
from 96 per
cent certied
organic
ingredients.
Where to buy
You can buy these and other
paraben-free products from
healthfood shops and the
companies websites. All but
one of these brands list all their
ingredients on their sites, so
WWW.WDDTY.COM
This hydrating and clarifying toner is

made from rose and lavender extracts
along with
green and
white tea.
(12.95 for 30
mL)
Ideal for
sensitive
skin, this
fragrance-freee
moisturizer
is made from
ondoilandplumkerneloil.
organic almond
oil and plum kernel oil.
you know exactly whats in

each product and where the
ingredients came from.
Weleda:
www.weleda.co.uk
Green People:
www.greenpeople.co.uk
BODY
CARE
MAKEUP
M
Weleda Skin
Food
(8.95 for 75 mL)
This wholebody cream

for dry and
rough skin is
made from
plant extracts of
il
viola, chamomile
dula).
and marigold (Calendula).
Botanicals Mint & Tea
ea
Tree Foot Balm
(14 for
(14.95
50 g)
Th sheaThis
abu
butterba
ott
o
based foot
cre
cream is
form
formulatedd
with 87 perr cent
cent
orga
organic ingredients.
Lave BodyySpaO
Lavera
Spa Organic
ga c
Laven
Lavender
Secre
Secrets
Show
Shower and
Bath Gel
G
Aubrey Organics Silken

A
EEarth Translucent Base
(T
(Tan)
(23.48 for 21 g)
(2
Th loose base powder is

This
for
formulated with powdered silk
and natural minerals.
Green People Eco Lipstick
Gre
(Che
(Cherry)
(11.25
(11
25 for 4.5 g)
This 99 pper cent certied organic

lips
lipstick is made from a blend
of pplant oils and beeswax,
w
with the colour derived
fro
from iron oxide (rust) and
nat
naturally occurring mica
cla
clay.
Pr o-Col Baked
Proto-Col
M eral Eye
Mineral
Sh
ow
Shadow
(Oliiv
(Olive)
(19.95 for 2.2 g)
This eye-shadow trio

al
consists of natural
m
minerals combined
w
with plantt oils
aand extracts.
cts.
(6.45 for
fo 150 mL))
O
Organic
i aloe
l vera andd
lavender combine to
nd
make this soothing and
el.
smoothing shower gel.
Aubrey Organics:
www.aubreyorganicsuk.co.uk
Botanicals:
www.botanicals.co.uk
Lavera:
www.pravera.co.uk
Proto-Col:
www.proto-col.com.
NATIVES
ALTERNATIVES
Harald Gaier THE MEDICAL DETECTIVE
Trigeminal neuralgia
Alternative treatments oer hope for the worst pain known to man
Harald Gaier, one
of the UKs leading
experts on alternative
medicine and a
registered naturopath,
osteopath,
homeopath and
herbalist, practises
at The Allergy and
Nutrition Clinic,
22 Harley Street,
London, W1G 9PL.
www.drgaier.com
For six months Ive been in

terrible pain on the right side
of my facethe worst I have ever
known. My GP has diagnosed it as
trigeminal neuralgia and has given
me carbamazepine. Its helped a bit
to control the pain, but it still comes
and goes, and since Ive been on the
drug Ive been very drowsy and my
eyesight has gone bad. Ive also put
on at least ve stone (70 lb, or 32 kg).
Im healthy other than my cholesterol
levels, which are a bit high, for which
I take the cholesterol-lowering drug
cholestyramine. Do you know of any
natural ways to treat this condition?
And please hurrythe pain is
unbearable!
M.S., Birmingham
REFERENCES
4
5
Ward RC, ed.

Foundations
for Osteopathic
Medicine.
Philadelphia, PA:
Lippincott Williams
& Wilkins, 1997:
529, 538
Altern Ther Health
Med, 2010; 16:
305; OConnor J,
Bensky D, eds, transl.
Shanghai College of
Traditional Medicine.
Acupuncture: A
Comprehensive Text.
Seattle, WA: Eastland
Press, 1984: 145, 157,
159, 6089
Bradford TL. Index
to Homoeopathic
Provings.
Philadelphia, PA:
Bricke & Tafel, 1901
J Appl Nutr, 1988;
40: 958
Am J Obstet Gynecol,
1960; 79: 11618;
Lancet, 1958; 2:
82730; Evid Based
Complement
Alternat Med, 2004;
1: 2517
Am J Clin Nutr, 1986;
43: 426
WWW.WDDTY.COM
Trigeminal neuralgia, a nerve

disorder that causes intense
electric-shock-like pain in parts of
the face, also goes by the nickname
of suicide disorder and is reckoned
to be one of the worst pains known
to man. The pain stems from the
trigeminal nerve, which supplies
sensation to the face and controls the
muscles used for biting and chewing.
The condition usually affects only one
side of the face.
The biggest problem is that you
cant predict the attacksthey come
and goand the drugs dont seem
to make much difference. As you say,
the usual suspects for treating it are
antiseizure drugs like carbamazepine,
oxcarbazepine, phenytoin,
gabapentin, valproic acid and
baclofen. Aside from the side-effects,
they also bring on dizziness, nausea,
hives, lethargy, confusion, dry mouth
and uid retention.
If the condition carries on, doctors
typically suggest one of a number
of invasive therapeutic approaches,
which come with their own
complications like paralysis, facial
sensory loss and weakness.
So then, are there any better

alternatives? In my professional
experience, there denitely are.
For a start, I would rst suspect
your cholesterol-lowering drug,
cholestyramine. Vitamins B1 and
B12 may each be especially benecial
for trigeminal neuralgia, but
certain drugs, including neomycin,
antidiabetic drugs, potassium
chloride and the drug you are taking
are all known to reduce vitamin B12
levels, which affects the nerves.
Sometimes a problem tooth can
cause facial nerve pain and once
its been dealt with or extracted,
trigeminal neuralgia may disappear.
Its more likely that your problem
stems from dysfunction involving
the bones of the face (such as the
temporomandibular joint (TMJ).1
I would try acupuncture rst. One
protocol uses local points of TH 17
and 21, GB 2, SI 18, ST 2, 3 and 7, GV
26 and LI 20, while systemic points
include TH 5, LI 4, ST 36, ST 44, ST
45 and LIV 3. These points are mostly
located on the face and neck.
Acupuncture points in the outer
ear are also used (typically the Shen
Men, neuro, face and lung points).
The needles arent manipulated, but
moxibustion (where a herb rolled up
like a cigar is burned on the needle or
over the point) may be used on some
points. An acupuncturist will also
attempt to elicit de qi, when the patient
feels an aching or heavy sensation
around the needle.
Every treatment session lasts about
30 minutes, three times a week.
After the fourth session the patient
frequently reports feeling almost
pain-free. By the sixth week the
patient is usually completely free of
pain and most likely will still be painfree at the end of six months.2
Besides acupuncture, you
could also try homeopathy. The
following remedies have all been
used successfully in the treatment of

your condition and have undergone
pertinent trials,3 but youll need to see
a homeopath for this. Choosing the
right remedy for you will depend on
your individual signs and symptoms.
Here are the remedies (with some
of the more prominent guiding
symptoms).
Gelsemium sempervirens 4DH
(general prostration and mental
apathy)
Aconitum napellus 4DH (frequent
fainting and shortness of breath)
Gnaphalium polycephalum 2DH
(frequent or heavy urination and
morning diarrhoea)
Mezereum 4DH (eczema, painful
teeth and a bruised, weary feeling in
the joints)
Paris quadrifolia 2DH (excessive
cataarh, disordered sense of touch and
a sensation of head expansion, with
consequent tension)
Ranunculus bulbosus 3DH
(spasmodic hiccoughs, bad effects
from alcohol and shocks throughout
the whole body).
For anyone suffering from
trigeminal neuralgia, it may be best
to nd a practitioner who is both
an experienced acupuncturist and
homeopath.
Interestingly, one study found that
chronic dental pain due to exposed
roots or TMJ dysfunction could be
triggered or made worse by food
intolerance. Allergies can even alter
the effects of local dental anaesthesia.4
And while youre getting yourself
sorted, why not try supplementing
with bromelain, a pineapple enzyme
shown to successfully treat a variety of
pains, including labour pain.5
If you do take supplements, try
copper as well. One study found that
copper deciency can lead to a more
pronounced perception of pain.6
If youve got a question youd like
answered email letters@wddty.co.uk.
ALTERNATIVES
Patrick Kingsley TREATING THE INCURABLES
Blood enemies
Len found he could cure his diabetes just by identifying his hidden allergies
Dr Patrick Kingsley, a
holistic practitioner
for more than 40
years, specialized in
no hope diseases
like cancer and
multiple sclerosis,
and relished tackling
cases medicine had
given up on. Patients
from around the
world travelled to his
clinic in a tiny village
in Leicestershire.
Now retired, he can
speak freely about
his unorthodox but
highly successful
approach to treating
the incurables.
Dr Kingsley has
written 28 books
on cancer plus six
other books, now
available on Amazon
Kindle or at www.
thenewmedicine.info
Dr. P.J.Kingsley
WWW.WDDTY.COM
en Darker was a diabetic and

even though he was on tablets,
the hospital doctor informed
him that hed soon have to start taking
insulin injections as his diabetes was
far from under control.
Len and the doctor couldnt
understand this as he was only eating
low glycaemic-index foodsfoods
that did not cause his blood sugar to
shoot up too high. Although his blood
sugar was sometimes higher than at
other times, no one at the hospital
could explain why.
As I told Len, when sugar normally
arrives at the surface of a muscle cell,
a protein called glucose transporter
type 4 or GLUT4, assisted by
chromium, comes to the surface
to accept the sugar molecule. But
when inammation occurs locally, it
destroys GLUT4, so sugar is not able
to enter the cells.
The extra circulating sugar has to
be dumped somewhere, so it ends up
in the bodys fat tissues, which means
that more fat has to be produced to
take up the sugar. That fat mass tends
to accumulate round the tummy.
But what causes the inammation
in the rst place? The chances are
that the culprit is a food or group
of foods, although it could be
an environmental pollutanta
chemical or a metal like lead or
mercury.
Whatever the source, the body
views this food or pollutant as an
enemy of sorts and tries to get rid of
it by releasing chemicals like tumour
necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha from
white blood cells, which destroy
GLUT4.
Many diabetics inadvertently eat
certain foods on a fairly regular basis
that cause their blood sugar to go
up too high. The key to getting their
diabetes under control is to identify
the foods that cause their blood sugar
to rise and eliminate them from the
diet. Its that simple.
So how do you nd the foods you

need to avoid? The simplest way is to
make lists of every food you eat every
day, every two or three days, once a
week and less often than that. Next,
choose one of the foods you eat every
day (lets call it food x) and avoid it
entirely for ve days. On the sixth day,
take a blood-sugar measurement in
the usual way (which could be with
ngerstick test strips or an electronic
device that measures sugar levels
from a small drop of blood) before
breakfast, then eat food x on its own
for breakfast and take another blood
sugar measurement again about an
hour later.
Carry out this process on all the
foods you eat frequently until you nd
the foods that make your blood sugar
You should also take 10,000 IU of

vitamin D plus 150 mcg of vitamin K2
every day for the rst three months,
then halve the dose of each, and take
a minimum of 1,000 mg of vitamin C
daily, preferably in divided doses, plus
a vitamin B-complex tablet.
In a wonderful book entitled
Victory over Diabetes, authors William
H. Philpott MD and Dwight K. Kalita
PhD describe how they successfully
treated a group of diabetics by having
them fast for ve days and then
reintroduce foods one at a time to
identify those that were raising their
blood sugar levels.
The range of foods they identied
as culprits was truly amazing.
Philpott and Kalita also discovered
that giving their diabetic patients
digestive enzymes with meals
Once you have identied the foods and sodium bicarbonate 20 to
30 minutes after the meal, often
that make your blood sugar rise
with amino acids, could block
too high and have eliminated them the effect of the food on blood
from your diet, you should rapidly
sugar.
become non-diabetic
This simple programme can
even work with type 1 diabetes,
spike to high levels. If you have already but it would need to be worked
discovered that when tested randomly out in more detail and under the
your blood sugar level only goes up
supervision of a qualied nutritional
occasionally, then start testing less
practitioner.
frequently eaten foods, but test them
When Len began his own food
all over a number of weeks. Dont
elimination and challenge diet, he
carry out any testing on foods if your
identied milk, corn, monosodium
blood sugar measures as already high
glutamate (MSG) and aspartame
before breakfast.
as the biggest offenders in his diet
Once you have identied the foods
causing his blood sugar to rise. Since
that make your blood sugar rise too
eliminating all of them from his diet
high and have eliminated them from
and following my nutritional advice,
your diet, you should rapidly become
Len is no longer diabeticand has
non-diabetic.
lost 22 pounds in the process.
While carrying out your tests
For more details on diet and
and afterwards, make sure to take
diabetes see my latest book, The
supplements, particularly chromium New Medicine (available from www.
as it makes the absorption of sugar
thenewmedicine.info).
more efcient (suggested dosage:
For more information on the
200 mcg with meals every day for at
ve-day fast, please see my book
least the rst three months; after that,
Conquering Cystitis (available to order
500 mcg/day for 10 months has been
via email from drkingsley@gmail.
shown to improve glucose control).
com for 7.95 plus p&p).
Super
slime
ALTERN
ALTERNATIVES
Algae from the bottom of lakes and oceans around

the world may help fend o cancer, obesity and
heart disease
ou might think of algae as nothing more than pond

scum, but certain types of these simple organisms are
taking the science and supplement worlds by storm.
Chlorella, Spirulina and Ecklonia cava, all edible
algae packed with benecial nutrients and antioxidants, show
promise for treating a range of common health conditions
from cancer to obesity to high cholesterol. Touted as the
superest of superfoods, theyre now widely available online and
in healthfood shops as capsules, tablets, powders and akes.
So if youve yet to try some super slime for yourself, take a look
at how the evidence stacks up . . .
ALGAE
CANCER
Chlorella
Chlorella vulgaris, the

kind commonly used in
supplements, has killed
both rat and human
liver cancer cells, 1
while C. vulgaris and C.
ellipsoidea, other types
of Chlorella species,
can stop the growth of
human colon cancer
cells.2 In what seems to
be the only published
trial of cancer patients
taking Chlorella, C.
pyrenoidosa had
immune systemboosting eects.3
Single-celled green
algae growing in fresh
water in the Far East
Spirulina
When tested for a

year in patients with
Blue-green algae found oral leukoplakiaa
in saltwater lakes of
precancerous
Mexico and Central
condition usually due to
America
smoking and chewing
tobacconearly half
saw their leukoplakia
disappear completely.
Just 7 per cent had their
condition clear in the
placebo-taking group.4
Ecklonia cava
REFERENCES
J Zhejiang Univ Sci B, 2009;

10: 1421; Clinics [Sao Paulo],
2010; 65: 13717
2 J Agric Food Chem, 2008; 56:
105216
3 Phytother Res, 1990; 4: 22031
4 Nutr Cancer, 1995; 24: 197202
5 Biofactors, 2010; 36: 40814
6 Food Chem Toxicol, 2009; 47:
16538
7 PLoS One, 2012; 7: e33618
8 J Med Food, 2008; 11: 395404
9 Phytother Res, 2004; 18: 1648
10 Nutr Rep Int, 1986; 33: 56574
11
12
13
14
15
Phytother Res, 2012; 26: 3638

J Med Food, 2002; 5: 14152
Lipids Health Dis, 2007; 6: 33
Nutr Res Pract, 2011; 5: 93100
Altern Ther Health Med, 2001;
7: 7991; Nutr Res Pract, 2008;
2: 20410
16 Ann Nutr Metab,2008; 52:
32280
17 J Med Food, 2012; 15: 103844
18 J Nutr, 1999; 129: 17316; Nutr
Res Pract, 2009; 3: 1522;
Toxicol Ind Health, 2009; 25:
5516; J Toxicol Sci, 2010; 35:
1015
19 J Med Food, 2007; 10: 13442

20 Clin Toxicol [Phila], 2006; 44:
13541
21 J Hazard Mater, 2009; 164:
13049
22 Eur Arch
Otorhinolaryngol,2008; 265:
121923
23 Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab,
2010; 20: 729
Brown seaweed found

in coastal waters o
Japan and Jeju (Cheju)
Island, South Korea
This is a rich source

of phlorotannins
antioxidant
polyphenols with
potent anticancer
eects.5 Derivatives
of one phlorotannin
from E. cava halted
the growth of human
breast-cancer cells 6 as
well as lung tumours in
mice.7 But there arent
any trials in cancer
patients yet.
WWW.WDDTY.COM
ALTERNATIVES
NATIVES
WEIGHT LOSS
HIGH BLOOD
PRESSURE
CHOLESTEROL
DETOX
UNIQUE BENEFITS
Both healthy and

overweight people
had noticeable
reductions in body
fat with Chlorella,8
while one rat study
suggests that
Chlorella might
help prevent
postmenopausal
weight gain.9
A quarter of those
with mild-tomoderate high
blood pressure (BP)
taking C. pyrenoidosa
(20-g Sun Chlorella
tablets and 150 mL of
Wakasa Gold, a liquid
Chlorella extract )
daily for two months
reached their resting
diastolic BP goal of
less than 90 mmHg;
overall, a third saw
BP improve.12
A review of patients
with bromyalgia,
high blood pressure
and ulcerative
colitis reported
that Chlorella has a
cholesterol-lowering
eect, among other
benetsndings
backed by animal
studies.15
Chlorella could
be useful for
bromyalgia, a
neural disorder
that causes pain
and tiredness, and
ulcerative colitis, a
type of inammatory
bowel disease,
according to a couple
of trials.15
Obese people taking

2.8 g three times
a day lost a small
amount of weight
after a month,10 but
theres not much
evidence yet for what
happens in healthy
people or those who
are only slightly
overweight.
Patients taking
4.5 g/day of S.
maxima for six
weeks dramatically
reduced both
systolic and diastolic
BP. The youngest
participants (those
aged 1838) had the
best results.13
Elderly men and

women taking 8 g/
day signicantly
reduced their
cholesterol
compared to those
taking a placebo.16
Obese people given

either low-dose (72
mg/day) or highdose (144 mg/day)
E. cava polyphenols
lost both weight
and inches after
three months.
Compared to those
taking a placebo,
they had bigger
reductions in their
body mass index
(BMI), body fat, waist
circumference and
waist-to-hip ratio .11
The phlorotannin
dieckol may work
like the classic BP
meds angiotensinconverting enzyme
(ACE) inhibitors,
lab studies show.14
Theres not much
human research yet,
but high-dose (144
mg/day) E. cava
polyphenols were
found to lower BP in
one trial.11
High doses (400

mg/day) of E. cava
polyphenols cut
cholesterol after
three months, 17
but less than half
that dose (144 mg/
day) can work too.11
The polyphenols
seem to reduce
bad low-density
lipoprotein (LDL)
cholesterol while
boosting good HDL
cholesterol.
Chlorella helps rid

the body of toxic
substances like
heavy metals and
pesticides, according
to animal studies.
Rats fed highly toxic
chemicals called
dioxins along with
Chlorella excreted
more dioxins than
rats not given
Chlorella. There
arent many human
studies yet, but
pregnant women
supplements had
lower dioxin levels
in their breast milk
compared to a
control group.19
In patients with
arsenic poisoning (a
common problem
from drinking
water in developing
countries), 250 g of
Spirulina extract plus
zinc (2 g) twice a day
removed signicant
amounts of arsenic,
as shown by blood
and urine tests.20
The algae also helps
remove cadmium
and leadat least in
animals.21
WDDTY couldnt nd
any published studies
on E. cavas detox
ability.
WWW.WDDTY.COM
Spirulina may help

relieve sneezing,
itching and other
symptoms of nasal
allergies like allergic
rhinitis.22
WDDTY
VERDICT
Chlorella, Spirulina
and Ecklonia cava
all show promise for
a range of diseases
and disorders, but if
you want to try algae
for yourself, stick to
the rst two as they
are much better
researched.
So far, most studies
of E. cava have
been carried out
in animals or test
tubes, and WDDTY
could only nd three
published clinical
trials (i.e. tests of
humans taking the
seaweed) to date.
That said, were
still not clear about
the optimal dosages
for Chlorella and
Spirulina. Some trials
used high doses and
others only small
amounts.
If youre looking
to take algae for
general health,
follow the
manufacturers
dosing guidelines;
to treat a particular
illness, it may be best
to check it out rst
with an experienced
practitioner.
As an exercise
supplement, it may
Joanna Evans
boost energy levels
and stave o fatigue,
at least according to
one trial.23
ALTERNATIVES
NATIVES
Your green
good morning
S
tart your day with a green

tarting
drink (which combines algae with
drin
vegetables and some fruits) is the
veg
simplest way
w to get your daily quota
of super slime. You may use either
Chlorella or Spirulina in the recipe
below, but
b most agree that Chlorella
has the more palatable taste. Feel free
to experiment
with a variety of organic
exper
vegetables
vegetabl or herbs: wheat grass,
broccoli, pparsley, coriander or whatever
else is in your
yo fridge. The apple and
ginger give your drink a nice, naturally
sweet zing, but you can also try other fruit
like berries or
o oranges. Grinding these up
with a juicer tends
to work best, but if you
t
dont have one,
on you can also use a simple
blender or food
foo processor if you add a little
water or chop the
t veg nely.
Youll need:
1 cucumber ((chopped)
1 apple (cored
(core and chopped)
1 pear (cored and chopped)
3-4 stalks cel
celery (chopped)
The juice of o
one lemon or lime
2 g fresh gingerabout
gin
the size of the tip
of your little nger (grated)
A handful of curly or Tuscan kale
1 tsp
tspChlorell
Chlorella powder
Combine all th
the ingredients together until
smooth. Drink immediately or refrigerate for
a mid-morning pick-me-up.
WWW.WDDTY.COM
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ACUPUNCTURE
CHIROPRACTIC
Shenshakti
Align Chiropractic
54a Ebury Street, Belgravia

London SW1W 0LU
Drayton Old Lodge

146 Drayton High Road
Drayton, Norwich
Norfolk
NR8 6AN
www.acupuncture-helps.co.uk
07768 322795
Sue Kalicinska B.Ac., M.B.Ac.C.,

L.C.S.P (Assoc), B.Sc, M.Sc, D.I.C.
Celebrating 25 years as an
acupuncturist. Founding member
of the British Acupuncture Council.
Clinics available in Belgravia,
Chelsea, Fulham and Farnham,
oering Traditional Acupuncture for
all ages: restore and maintain your
health.
Facial acupuncture: clarity and
vitality for your face.
ARTHRITIS THERAPY
Margaret Hills Clinic
1 Oak Precinct, Caesar Road
Kenilworth, Warks CV8 1DP
www.margarethillsclinic.com
01926 854783
Treating Arthritis the Drug-Free
Way has enabled thousands of
people worldwide to regain their
good health and mobility.
BIORESONANCE
Reson8
22 Layton Lane, Rawdon
Leeds, LS19 6RG
0113 3910428
david@reson8.uk.com
www.reason8.uk.com
Forget treating symptoms, treat
the body at the cellular level and
address the cause. Most known
ailments can be successfully treated
using bioresonance, which has been
used by doctors for over 40 years in
Germany. See the website for more
detailed information.
www.alignchiropractic.co.uk
01603 861632
COUNSELLING
Mace Energy Method
www.maceenergymethod.co.uk
01305 267907
info@maceenergymethod.
co.uk
Mace Energy Method is a
revolutionary way to help you
take back control of your life, your
moods and your decisions!
It is an eective, drug-free
solution using simple guided
mental exercises that gets results
quickly.
HEALING
The Albright Health Centre
38 Park View Road
Willesden, London NW10 1AL
0208 452 8942

www.albright-centre.com
Opening times: 8am-7pm
(weekdays); 8am-1pm (Saturday).
Can travel to see clients if necessary.
A 90-minute session will review all
areas of your health. We use a Scenar
device, which works on your bodys
cells to bring you back to health, and
the Scio bio-feedback device. We can
also suggest the vitamins or minerals
you may need, and what is causing
your health problems.
Mohsin Clinic of Natural

Medicine (est 1978)
446 East Park Road, Leicester
LE5 5HH (also in London)
0116 273 8614
info@mohsinhealthgroup.
co.uk
www.mohsinhealthgroup.co.uk
Hakim M Salim Khan, M.D. (M.A.)
M.H., F.G.N.I, D.O.
lXRAumAxVmmVzuzkm
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experience
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1A]XX`XSmXxAAuwXVmSmxX
Specializing in:
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tmxSzwuAmx
mx]Xmum
HOLISTIC/MERCURYFREE DENTISTS
The Ella Clinic
106 Harley Street London W1G 7JE
0207 935 5281

www.theellaclinic.com
What Dentists Dont Tell You
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responses
-XmzVzxAuRASXmAAXumxtXVz
heart disease
About us
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SzwwAVXwXSXwzmxk
protocols
wXAu]XXcuumxkSzxRmVkX
uAXXAwXx]zkwVmXAX
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Dr Chris Wood
Durban Dental Centre
Crowborough Hill, Crowborough
East Sussex TN6 1DG
01892 652377
wood@durbandentalcentre.
co.uk
www.durbandentalcentre.co.uk
HOMEOPATHIC
DOCTORS
Dr Charles Innes
The Health Partnership
12a Thurloe Street, London SW7 2ST
0207 589 6414

www.drinnes.co.uk
HOMEOPATHY
Grace DaSilva-Hill
5 Station Road
Charing,
Ashford, Kent TN27 0JA
07590 524795
gdasilvahill@gmail.com
www.healingwithgrace.co.uk
Grace DaSilva-Hill is a registered
practitioner, trainer and
supervisor in homeopathy and
EFT-tapping. She has used both
therapies successfully since 1997.
Homeopathy is clinically eective,
safe and inexpensive (Swiss Health
Technology Report, 2012). EFT is
eective in resolving emotional
issues related to weight gain.
Keith Smeaton, R.S. Hom

Reigate Homeopathic Practice
97 Holmesdale Road, Reigate
Surrey RH2 0BT
01737 243601
Dr Adam Sapera
165a Haverstock Hill, London NW3 4QT
0207 722 2959

enquiries@saperadentistry.co.uk
www.mercuryfreedentistry.co.uk
Drs Emma Davidson/

Gareth Rhidan
Holistic Dental Centre Ltd
keith@homeopathictreatmentonline.com
www. homeopathictreatmentonline.com
Consultations online by email, Skype
or by telephone. Homeopathic
remedies sent directly to you.
5 Hart House, The Hart,

Farnham, Surrey GU9 7HA
01252 820003/4
www.mercury-free.co.uk
Dr Huw Martin-Jones and Dr

Neeraj Puri
Integrated Dentalcare
1 Manor Place, Edinburgh EH3 7DH
0131 225 9093

info@integrateddentalcare.com
www.integrateddentalcare.com
WWW.WDDTY.COM
NATUROPATHY
Chris Burley BSc (Hons), ND,
MRN, BCMA
Naturopathic Specialist
Surrey
01372 362470
www.cburley.net
Registered naturopathic physician
with GCRN and CNHC oers a wide
range of naturopathic health
therapies, including nutrition,
therapeutic bodywork and various
mental/emotional therapies for wide
variety of chronic health
conditions.
OURCES
RESOURCES
Findoutmore
WDDTY has been researching medicine and health since 1989. It has an
8,000-page website and has published 260 reports and 19 fully-updated
e-books. You can use these resources to nd out more about some of
the subjects covered in this issue. To purchase one of the e-books visit:
www.wddty.com/health-books.html ; to purchase one of the audio
teleseminars visit: www.wddty.com/teleseminars.html
RDI
SPECIAL REPORT
SPECIAL REPORT
SPECIA
Vitamin B7
EVERY P
PICTURE...
(biotin)
1000
SONA
Numbness in ngers,
convulsions, arrhythmia
(irregular heart beat),
osteoporosis, bone fractures
Painful/sore tongue (with

smooth appearance), gum
disease, cervical dysplasia
RDA
50
mcg
SONA
RDA
400
800
mcg
mg
RDI
400
mcg
SONA
Spin, not science

In an analysis of the private minutes covering
monthly meetings of the JCVI between 1983 and
2010which still contained many redactions
and omissionsmedical researcher Dr Lucija
Tomljenovic from the University of British Columbia,
Canada, makes eight serious charges
against the committee and the UKs
Department of Health.
350
mg
Vitamin A
Measles, poor vision

or night blindness,
dry eyes
Selenium
Vitamin B1
mcg
RDI
1.5
900
RDA
mg
RDA
mcg
RDI
12.5
mg
Vitamin B6
SONA
mg
Vitamin B2
NUTRITIONAL THERAPY
Lynn Alford-Burow
Foresight preconceptual care
practitioner
Cinnamon Health, 21 Winner Hill Road
Paignton, Devon TQ3 3BT
RDI
SONA
mg
REFLEXOLOGY
Olistica Health and Beauty
385 Pye Green Road, Cannock,
Stas WS11 5RW
01543 500765
www.olistica.co.uk
Olistica specializes in back problems.
Its team of fully qualied, insured
therapists oer spinal touch,
reexology, aromatherapy, reiki, hopi
candles, Indian head massage and
holistic beauty treatments.
WWW.WDDTY.COM
RDI
mg
mg
RDA
Vitamin B12
SONA
60
mg
RDI
15
mg
RDA
12
mg
Vitamin E
PREVEN
PREVENTION
PREVENTION
ENTION
t would not be an understatement to say that

there is a worldwide obsession with getting
at abs. Scarce is the bodybuilding, exercise
or beauty magazine without an article on
how to exercise the abdominals.
Unfortunately, the tness world has beaten
the crunch to death. Every variation of crunch
torture you could ever imagine has been and
continues to be published, yet our abs are not
getting atter.
Bodybuilders often go to great extremes such
as starvation diets, diuretics, laxatives and even
enemas to evacuate the organs and bowels for
at abs before getting on stage. But even those
methods dont always get the job done.
In fact, some middle bodybuilders lower abs
dont respond to attempts to ex like those of
the other competitors, while many belly dancers
have lower abdominals that are distended and
lacking in tone. Clearly these people dont suffer
from a lack of exercise.
Because there are so many causes of
abdominal dysfunction, Ill give a quick crash
course here of the relevant anatomy and
physiology, and then share some exercises that
will work much better once youve got your
insides working correctly.
Nerve supply
p
exercise professionals today are taught
Most exer
that theres
ther no such thing as upper and lower
abdominals. This is just plain false.
abdomin
the abdominals run from the
As a group
gr
bottom
botto of your chest (lower tip of sternum)
all the way to your pelvic bones and
pubic
pu bone. Along the way they pick up
a nerve from each section of the spine,
beginning
with the 5th thoracic (T5;
b
middle
back) segment and ending
m
with
w the rst lumbar (L1; lower back)
segment.
s
At the belly button there is a change
(d-alpha-tocopherol)
mg
SONA
350
mg
Soft or brittle nails,

tender calf muscles,
PMS, sensory symptoms,
persistent diarrhoea,
muscle cramps, shaky
hands, hypertension
(high blood pressure),
dysphagia (diculty
swallowing), sensitivity
to light, osteoporosis,
high blood pressure in
pregnancy
Each set of circles represents a particular vitamin or mineral. The

dierent colours depict the UKs RDA recommendations, the USs
RDI levels and the suggested levels for optimum nutrition (SONA).
As the various circle sizes show, theres a vast dierence between
levels needed to prevent a deciency disease like scurvy and those
required for optimal health.
mcg
SONA
RDI
25
mg
15
RDA
10
mg
mg
KEY
mcg: microgrammes (1000 mcg = 1 mg)
Zinc
Stretch marks,
poor healing, frequent
colds, infertility and
miscarriage, poor sense
of smell and taste, poor
vision or night blindness,
persistent infections
SONA
RDA
RDI
mg: milligrammes (1000 mg = 1 g)

SONA
RDA
RDI
Healing Foods e-book: We investigate the

power foods that can be as eective as
drugs, including those that ght cancer, and
so-called miracle foods and drinks, like acai
berries and noni juice.
If youve tried everything from low

GI to locating your allergies and
still cant lose weight, check out if
Candida is your problem.
RDI
Thanks to Drs Patrick Kingsley and Sarah Myhill for their contributions to the list of symptoms
WWW.WDDTY.COM
REFERENCES
BMJ, 2012; 345: e4348
WWW.WDDTY.COM
Are you getting enough nutrients?
Tap yourself to good health:
HEALTHY LIVING
HEALTHY LIVING
HEALTH
When a calorie
isnt a calorie
New evidence shows that the calorie system, which has governed
weight loss programmes for 50 years, is a meaningless measure
and virtually useless for losing weight
The Q angle
Women have a wider
and shallower pelvis
than men which gives
women a greater Q
angle and pushes the
knees together
400
Peripheral neuropathy,
ataxia (loss of physical
coordination), impaired
immune system,
retinopathy (acute eye
damage)
Bodybuilders often go to great extremes such as starvation diets,

diuretics, laxatives and even enemas to evacuate the organs
and bowels for at abs before getting on stage. But even those
methods dont always get the job done
WWW.WDDTY.COM
RDI
mg
10
mcg
in the way the nerves feed the muscles. Above the

belly button, a nerve comes from each segment
of the spine from T5 down to T11, while
everything from the belly button on down gets
its nerve supply from only two segmentsT12
and L1.
This is very important because the change
in the way the muscles are supplied by the
nervous system indicates a clear neurological
and anatomical division between upper abs and
lower abs. And it is the lower abdominals that are
the most challenging to atten, particularly for
women.
Functional considerations
Functionally the female abdominal wall is
placed under greater overall stress than the male
abdominal wall for a number of reasons. The
female pelvis is wider and shallower to allow
for childbirth and is also tipped
forward more than a male pelvis to
allow easier birthing. The wider,
shallower female pelvis makes for
wider hips than the males, making
the lower spine more susceptible to
gravitys tendency to increase spinal
curvature. This difference in the
pelvis produces what is referred to as a
greater Q angle in women.
This greater Q angle pushes the
knees toward each other and
encourages attening of the feet if not
effectively controlled by the abdominal muscles
and subordinate stabilizer muscles.
These differences in the female pelvis cause
womens reproductive organs and intestinal
tract to rely much more heavily on the
abdominal wall for support than do mens.
Even the act of moving puts a greater demand on
womens lower abs. This explains why women
have a higher incidence of lower abdominal
protrusion than men.
375
WWW.WDDTY.COM
hen Britains Scientic Advisory

among the top 10 most caloric foodsin
Committee on Nutrition
fact, nuts are recommended to people who
revised its calorie intake
are dangerously underweight. Yet, in the last
recommendations last October,1
20 years, study after study has consistently
shown that nuts not only dont make you put
it sent a clear message to the public that
on weight, they may even help you reduce
controlling weight by calorie-counting is
it.4 Nutritionists have tried to explain these
based on exceptionally sound science. Twenty
ndings by suggesting that nuts promote
years ago the recommended gures were 2,500
satietythey make you feel full, so you eat less
calories a day for men and 2,000 for women,
food in general. But at least two studies have
but now thanks to improved methodology,
shown this cant be the whole answer: when
the revised gures are 2,605 and 2,079,
respectively.
people are fed diets with identical numbers of
calories (in the jargon,isocaloric), they put on
The strong implication is that the science of
less weight when the diets contain nuts.
calories has progressed so much that it can now
Nutritionists stock response has been that
be accurate almost to the last morsel of food.
nuts and alcohol are merely anomalies that
Thats ironic, as those gures were concocted
dont fundamentally challenge the calorie
at a time when an increasing number of
theory. That argument didnt wash with
nutritionists have been questioning the entire
Harvard University nutritionist Dr
calorie system.People tend to
think of calories as real thingslike
Women given a Penelope Greene.
little packets of energy that food
slimming diet with In 2003, she put a group of 50-yearsomehow containsbut theyre
58 per cent of its olds on isocaloric weight-loss diets
simply measurements of food
calories coming containing drastically different
of fat and carbohydrate.5
energy, says Dr Jennie Brand-Miller,
from
fat
lost
far proportions
Professor of Obesity & Nutrition
According to the calorie theory,
more weight
at the University of Sydney.And
everyone should have lost exactly
than those on an the same amount of weight. But they
theres growing evidence that, as a
isocaloric diet
measure of how much weight
didnt. After 12 weeks of dieting,
g yyoull
with 28 per cent the people on the predominantly
put on with any particular
rticular food,
p
of calories coming low-fat diet lost an
calories are useless.
.
a average of 17 lb
The rst aw in the calorie
(8 kg), while the low-carbohydrate
from fat
theory came to light
ht in the
dieters lost 223 lb (10 kg).
1980sand not with
Many nutritionists
ith
Man
food, but alcohol.
were stunned as
w
Nutritionists began
tthe ndings were
n
to wonder why,
pure heresy: the
p
although alcohol
cardinal principle of
car
nutritional science is
is laden with
nutri
calories, heavy drinking
is a calorie
nking
that a calorie
ca
nations such as the French
whatever food it comes from.I
minute that anything
arent obese. By 1991
dont think for a minut
91 the evidence
is violating the laws of physics, Greene
from a number of observational studies forced
Professor Charles Lieber, Americas foremost
responded,but theres something here worthy
expert on alcohol and nutrition, to conclude
of further study.
that chronic consumption of substantial
amounts of alcohol is not associated with the
The end of dogma?
expected effect on body weight.2
This fat makes you fat mantra has been
nutritional Holy Writ for decades and
But years passed before any formal trials were
enthusiastically supported by a food industry
done to investigate this inconsistency. Finally,
that has proffered a plethora of low-fat versions
two major studies involving over 60,000 people
of most prepared foods. But despite the lowwere conducted in 2008 and 2010, which
fat-food bonanza, obesity rates have ballooned:
convincingly conrmed that even high intakes
a quarter of Britons are now obese, as are a
of alcohol have almost no effect on weight.3
staggering two-thirds of Americans.
Some drinkers do pile on the pounds, but its
Why? The culprit most often ngered is
been shown that, with the possible exception of
lack of exercise, but some nutritionists arent
beer, the culprit is not the alcohol itself, but the
convinced. New evidence has led them to
snacking that often accompanies it.
question the entire low fat = low calorie =
The second crack in the calorie theory came
weight-loss theory.
with nuts; chock-full of fats and oils, theyre
From burned fuel to

health booster
The three primary ways to
measure the value of foods dier
in complexity. The calorie method
essentially measures food as a
simple combustible fuel, much like
a piece of coal, while the Glycemic
Load and Index measure the speed
at which carbohydrate sugars are
metabolized. The latest NuVal
system evaluates the value of a food
in terms of its overall nutritional
worth.
Calories are a measure of the
heat produced when a food is
burned. Invented by an amateur
nutritionist 130 years ago, the
calorie system assumes this food
heat energy is absorbed by the
body and, if unused, will translate
into weight gain. In actuality,
however, this varies considerably,
as it depends on your current
weight, activity level, metabolic
state and the particular foods
bioavailability.
Glycemic load (GL) is a practical
variant of the Glycemic Index (GI),
a rating originally calculated for
diabetics 35 years ago to show the
rate at which the glucose content
in a carbohydrate food is absorbed
by the body. Developed at Harvard
University, the GL is a measure of
the actual carbohydrate content
of a food multiplied by its GI. GL
is based on a percentage scale
where 0 = best and 100 = worst
(for weight control).
NuVal is not primarily a weightloss system, but a measure
of the healthiness of a food.
Developed by 12 of the worlds top
nutritionists ve years ago, NuVal
assesses a food by combining its
GL and nutritional and energy
contents, along with its health
plusses and minuses. As it also
includes a measure of satiety
(feeling full), it isnt based on
quantity, because you probably
couldnt overeat the higher
value foods. NuVal also uses a
percentage scale, but its one
where 1 = worst and 100 = best (for
overall health).
WWW.WDDTY.COM
When a calorie is not a calorie
(page 40)
(page 46)
Your Exercise Plan e-book: Exercise isnt

just about sweating in the gym or going for
the burn. This e-book evaluates a range of
exercise regimes that you can easily introduce
into your life, including walking, stretching
exercises, aerobic tness and methods of
keeping your knees healthy.
Diet Myth Busters e-book: One day its the

South Beach Diet; the next its the quick fast.
Diet Myth Busters dissects many food-related
health claims, investigates fasting and
raw-food diets, and explores whether low-fat
foods and other healthyoptions are really
good for you.
SPECIAL REPORT
SPECIAL REPORT
arabens, the term for a

group of preservatives
widely used in cosmetics
and toiletries, has become
a dirty word in the beauty
industry.Paraben-free
labels are now popping up on
everything from moisturizers and makeup
to tanning products and toothpaste, as
the consumer demand for more natural
products grows. And for good reason.
Increasingly, theyre being linked to a
host of problems, from allergies to cancer,
and theres even some evidence that these
beauty chemicals age your skin.
Heres what you need to know about
these pervasive preservatives.
Parabens are not natural
Parabens are esters (compounds formed
by the reaction between alcohols and acids)
2,500 men, women and children, and

found methylparaben and propylparaben
in nearly all of them. Women and teenage
girls had higher paraben levels than men
and teenage boys, suggesting that greater
use of cosmetics and personal-care
products might be responsible. A similar
study in China also found higher levels of
the agents in women than in men.1
They can stick around in our tissues
Parabens defenders argue that the
chemicals are quickly broken down and
cleared from the body so they cant do us
any harm. But parabens arent just being
found in peoples urine, theyre turning up
in our tissues too.
In 2004, University of Reading researcher
Dr Philippa Darbre, who specializes in
the impact of oestrogen on breast cancer,
found signicant levels of parabens in 18
Theyre lurking in your lip gloss, body lotion, bubble bath and even
your body, so should you be worried about all those parabens?
Theyre getting inside us

Parabens are in people tooand not just
because we consume food, drinks and
drugs that contain them. Parabens can
be absorbed through the skin, so when
you slather on that lotion or spray on that
deodorant, the chemicals can get into your
body.
A study by the US Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC) measured
parabens in urine samples from just over
out of 20 samples of tissue from human

breast tumour biopsies. The parabens were
intactthey hadnt been broken down by
the liver or gutsuggesting theyd been
absorbed through the skin.2
And this wasnt just a one-off nding. In
a larger study conducted last year, Darbre
and her colleagues found one or more
parabens in 99 per cent of the breast cancer
tissue samples they analyzed, and all ve of
the parabens they were testing for showed
up in 60 per cent of the samples. The
highest concentrations were found in the
underarm area, suggesting that deodorants
and antiperspirants might be the main
source.3 However, seven participants said
they never used underarm products, so
Darbre thinks the problem could be more
to do with the total load on the skin across
the whole body.
How parabens move around the body
needs to be investigated, but the take-home
message, says Darbre, is that parabens are
getting into the breast, and theyre getting
What to do
The good news is that you dont have to
put paraben-packed products on your
skin. The beauty business has cottoned
on to the general concern over parabens,
so more and more brands are deciding
to ditch these preservatives from their
formulations (see box, page xx). Some
pioneering companies are now using
more natural means to preserve their
products, such as eliminating water
content (bacteria grow rapidly in water),
carefully controlling the products pH
(a slightly more acidic value can prevent
bacteria growth) and adding naturally
preservative ingredients like vitamin
E, essential oils and plant alcohols into
their products.
One downside of paraben-free
products is that you might have to throw
them away sooner after opening than
you would with paraben-containing
products. But thats a small sacrice for
peace of mindand one that more and
more savvy shoppers are choosing to
make.
possible cause of their

cancer.
Still, even without
this missing part of the
parabens puzzle, there
is cause for concern.
Parabens are known to have
oestrogenic activity, meaning
that they can boost or mimic
the action of female hormones,
known to play a key role in
breast cancer. Not only that, but
Darbres latest research shows that
parabens either on their own or in
combination can increase the growth
of human breast cancer cells in testtubesand at concentrations found in
human breast tissue samples.4
Its not clear whether this cancerpromoting effect is down to the oestrogenic
activity of parabens (which some say is too
weak to cause problems) or some other
mechanism,5 but the cancer connection is
there and its not going away.
WWW.WDDTY.COM
Be aware that just because

an ingredient is natural,
it doesnt necessarily
mean its completely safe.
Essential oils, for example,
commonly used as natural
preservatives, can trigger
allergic reactions in some
people.
One component of some
essential oils like cinnamon
called benzyl benzoate
has even been found to
have oestrogenic activity
in the lab (although
compared with parabens,
the eect was considerably
weaker).1 But we dont
know whether isolating the
chemical from its natural
context (as was done
in this study) may have
produced dierent eects
than using the chemical
in its natural form. Plus,
another study reported that
benzyl benzoate had no
oestrogenic eect at all.2
*They may be ageing

Besides all these effects on your health,
they may even affect your looks.
Ironically, parabensused in numerous
anti-ageing lotions and potionsmight
also cause premature skin ageing,
according to Japanese research. One lab
study found that methylparaben, when
applied to skin tissues and exposed to
sunlight, caused DNA damage, which
could lead to skin ageing and even skin
cancer.7
Killing me softly
of the chemical parahydroxybenzoic acid.
Although some manufacturers like to
point out that this acid is found naturally in
some plants and foods such as blueberries,
parabens are synthetically produced. Youll
nd them in cosmetics and personal-care
products as well as in food and drugs under
names like methylparaben, ethylparaben,
propylparaben, butylparaben and
isobutylparabenput there to stop
bacteria and other microbes from growing
in your favourite lipstick or lotion.
Natural
preservatives:
naturally
safe?
* They make you allergic

Besides cancer, parabens have also been
linked to allergies. A US study of more
than 800 children found that those
with the highest levels of parabens in
their urine were more likely to have
detectable levels of IgE antibodies to
environmental allergens like pollen and
pet dander compared with those with
lower paraben levels. IgE antibodies
are immune-related chemicals that
rise in response to an allergen.6 The
antimicrobial properties of parabens
could be the driving force behind their
apparent effects on the immune system,
the researchers said.
in in signicant amounts.
They could cause cancer
Darbres research shows that parabens
can get into the body via the skin and
be retained in fatty tissue, but can they
then actually do any damage there?
Although parabens were found in
human breast cancer tissue, whether
the chemicals caused the cancer
is not known. Crucially, Darbre
and her team didnt look at
healthy breast tissue to see if
there were any differences in
paraben levels. If breast cancer
patients were found to have
signicantly higher paraben
levels in their breast tissue
compared with healthy
patients, it would suggest
that parabens could be a
Joanna Evans
WWW.WDDTY.COM
REFERENCES
1
2
J Appl Toxicol, 2009; 29:

42234
Dent Mater, 2003; 19: 3416
ALTERNATIVES
NATIVES
ALTERN
ALTERNATIVES
Super
slime
Algae from the bottom of lakes and oceans around
the world may help fend o cancer, obesity and
heart disease
ou might think of algae as nothing more than pond

scum, but certain types of these simple organisms are
taking the science and supplement worlds by storm.
Chlorella, Spirulina and Ecklonia cava, all edible
algae packed with benecial nutrients and antioxidants, show
promise for treating a range of common health conditions
from cancer to obesity to high cholesterol. Touted as the
superest of superfoods, theyre now widely available online and
in healthfood shops as capsules, tablets, powders and akes.
So if youve yet to try some super slime for yourself, take a look
at how the evidence stacks up . . .
REFERENCES
Environ Health Perspect,

2010; 118: 67985; Environ
Sci Technol, 2013; 47:
206976
2 J Appl Toxicol, 2004; 24:
513
3 J Appl Toxicol, 2012; 32:
21932; 3059
4 J Appl Toxicol, 2013 Jan 31;
doi: 10.1002/jat.2850
5 J Appl Toxicol, 2012 Jun
29; doi: 10.1002/jat.2753;
Altern Med Rev, 2010; 15:
1906
6 J Allergy Clin Immunol,
2012; 130: 45360.e7
7 Chem Res Toxicol, 2008;
21: 15949
The super antibiotics

The UK government recently
warned that many ordinary
antibiotics no longer work. But
there was an eective solution for
superbugsthat got suppressed.
Find out about the super antibiotics,
and all the alternatives that are still
eective.
(page 24)
mcg
The Vaccine Bible e-book: WDDTYs bestseller

and a book for every home, this denitive
review of all the childhood vaccines oers
the hard-to-obtain truth about the safety
and eectiveness of all the vaccines given
to children, adolescents and adults. It also
investigates vaccine alternatives and your
rights if it goes wrong.
What the diagrams show

RDA
40
mcg
(Page 26)
50
mcg
hink of malnutrition and we think of starving

children in the developing world, but the
problem is closer to home too. Its reckoned that
around two million Brits are malnourishedin
other words, they arent consuming enough nutrients
for the body to function healthilyand another three
million are borderline malnourished.
Although doctors maintain that we can get all the
vitamins and minerals we need from a balanced diet,
nobody is entirely sure what a balanced diet looks like
but most agree that very few of us are actually eating one.
Even if we are consuming plenty of fruit and vegetables,
we could still not be getting enough nutrients, especially
if the produce isnt fresh or organic, or has been grown in
soil depleted of minerals through over-farming.
If you take supplements, look for the food-form
variety. These are closer to the nutrients in the food we
eat and so are more easily digested and assimilated.
Our age, diet and health all determine the amount
of vitamins and minerals we should be taking. The
elderly need higher dosages, as do people with chronic
conditions such as cancer, while vegans need to make
sure theyre getting enough vitamin B12, for example.
But even if youre relatively healthy and middleaged, the ideal amount is still open to debate.
Government scientists have set the absolute minimum
the body requires in order to function, and thats
the recommended daily allowance (RDA); in North
America its called the recommended daily intake (RDI).
But if you want to maintain a high level of health and
vitality and never want to see the inside of a doctors
surgery, you need to be taking amounts far higher than
the ofcial RDA/RDI levels. Although optimal levels are
individual and determined by your own unique prole,
Dr Emanuel Cheraskin from the University of Alabama
Medical School has given us an idea of what those levels
would look like in his suggested optimal nutritional
allowances (SONAs).
The following table provides a quick overview of the
various recommended dosages and symptoms that may
indicate deciency.
May 2013
On sale from April 25
Diet failures: the yeast

connection
RDA
How the government lied about the

MMR jab
mcg
SONA
Magnesium
12.5
WWW.WDDTY.COM
RDI
120
Pale tongue,
RDA
14 hair loss
mg
Vitamin B3
Sore/painful tongue
mg
anaemia), sensory
symptoms, diabetic
peripheral neuropathy
(often numbness/tingling
in hands/feet)
WWW.WDDTY.COM
mg
80
mg
Iron
15
RDA
60
mg
(niacin)
RDA
16
SONA
RDI
Nutrition and Allergy Clinic
People come to the Nutrition and

Allergy Clinic with allergies, food
sensitivities and many chronic
conditions. Our experienced
nutritional therapist will give
individualized advice on diet, recipes
and possible lifestyle changes. She will
discuss what nutritional supplements
may be relevant.
RDI
20
SONA
500
mcg
All the crunches and sit ups in the world wont give you
a at stomach, says tness expert Paul Chek. Heres his
programme for achieving a perfect washboard for the rest
of your life
0161 432 0964

Margaret@
nutritionandallergyclinic.co.uk
www.nutritionandallergyclinic.
co.uk
Chromium
Cataracts, sugar
cravings, bloodsugar swings, low
blood sugar
RDI
18
RDA
mcg
SONA
greying hair
2.5 Premature
mcg (a sign of pernicious
www.cinnamonhealth.co.uk
125
mg
mg
lynn@cinnamonhealth.co.uk
SONA
750
50
mcg
WWW.WDDTY.COM
Thyroid swelling,
hypothyroidism
mcg
SONA
Rickets, bone pain,

muscle weakness,
cardiovascular
disease, cancer,
asthma
Government agencies are withholding worrying safety information about vaccinations,

as secret minutes to key decision-making committee meetings reveal
01803 394959
11 Mauldeth Close, Heaton Mersey,

Stockport, Cheshire SK4 3NP
Sore tongue/lips, peeling

lips, cracked lips, greasy
red scaly skin on face &
side of nose
Vitamin D
RDA
150
mg
Inability to remember
dreams, cervical
RDA
dysplasia, carpal
1.4
mg
tunnel syndrome
1.4
mcg
12.5
RDA
1.7
Iodine
150
(pyridoxal
phosphate)
SONA
800
What government
g
doesnt tell
yyo
ou about
about vacci
vaccinatio
naatio
nati
natio
aati
tio
t ns
tions
ns
you
vaccinations
50
mcg
RDI
1.1
KEEP
KE
K
EEEP
P IT
IT FR
FFROM
OM
M TTH
THE
HE PARENTS
SONA
55
mg
mcg
01792 654751
www.richardburden.net
RDA
mcg
mg
(riboavin)
20 Walter Road, Swansea SA1 5NQ
mcg
Spontaneous bleeding, dry scaly skin,

bleeding gums, gum disease, frequent
colds, persistent infections
200
SONA
12.5
RDI
Cancer or family
history of cancer,
cardiomyopathy
(heart muscle disease)
70
RDA
Sensory symptoms,
shaky hands
RDI
Vitamin C
(thiamine)
SONA
37,500
mcg
RDI
30
mcg
The recommended daily levels of nutrients set by

the government are far too low for optimum health
mg
Richard Burden,
Swansea Clinic of Natural
Medicine
EVERY PICTURE...
TURE
Calcium
(folic acid)
Hair loss
Areyougetting
enoughnutrients?
obtained under Freedom of Information

legislationsuggest that important information
about vaccine safety, that would almost inevitably
have affected the take-up rate needed supposedly
to achieve herd immunity, was not revealed to the
public.
The JCVI acts as an advisory service to the UKs
health minister, and many of its committee members
over the years have had ties to the pharmaceutical
companies making vaccinations (see box, page 35).
mg
Vitamin B9
75
mcg
overnment health ofcials have for 30 years

consistently misled parents about the dangers of
the childhood vaccination programme by hiding
or ignoring studies that show how vaccines like the
measlesmumpsrubella (MMR) vaccine could
cause permanent injury and even kill.
According to private minutes to meetings of the UK
governments Joint Committee on Vaccination and
Immunisation (JCVI), members were made aware
of a possible link between the MMR vaccine and
autism 10 years before Andrew Wakeeld published
the controversial paper that eventually resulted in his
being struck off the medical register.
From 1983 up to just recently, the minutes
IN THE NEXT ISSUE
REFERENCES
J Zhejiang Univ Sci B, 2009;

10: 1421; Clinics [Sao Paulo],
2010; 65: 13717
J Agric Food Chem, 2008; 56:
105216
Phytother Res, 1990; 4: 22031
Nutr Cancer, 1995; 24: 197202
Biofactors, 2010; 36: 40814
Food Chem Toxicol, 2009; 47:
16538
7 PLoS One, 2012; 7: e33618
8 J Med Food, 2008; 11: 395404
9 Phytother Res, 2004; 18: 1648
10 Nutr Rep Int, 1986; 33: 56574
2
3
4
5
6
11 Phytother Res, 2012; 26: 3638

12 J Med Food, 2002; 5: 14152
13 Lipids Health Dis, 2007; 6: 33
14 Nutr Res Pract, 2011; 5: 93100
15 Altern Ther Health Med, 2001;
7: 7991; Nutr Res Pract, 2008;
2: 20410
16 Ann Nutr Metab,2008; 52:
32280
17 J Med Food, 2012; 15: 103844
18 J Nutr, 1999; 129: 17316; Nutr
Res Pract, 2009; 3: 1522;
Toxicol Ind Health, 2009; 25:
5516; J Toxicol Sci, 2010; 35:
1015
19 J Med Food, 2007; 10: 13442

20 Clin Toxicol [Phila], 2006; 44:
13541
21 J Hazard Mater, 2009; 164:
13049
22 Eur Arch
Otorhinolaryngol,2008; 265:
121923
23 Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab,
2010; 20: 729
ALGAE
CANCER
WEIGHT LOSS
HIGH BLOOD
PRESSURE
CHOLESTEROL
DETOX
UNIQUE BENEFITS
Chlorella
Chlorella vulgaris, the

kind commonly used in
supplements, has killed
both rat and human
liver cancer cells, 1
while C. vulgaris and C.
ellipsoidea, other types
of Chlorella species,
can stop the growth of
human colon cancer
cells.2 In what seems to
be the only published
trial of cancer patients
taking Chlorella, C.
pyrenoidosa had
immune systemboosting eects.3
Both healthy and

overweight people
had noticeable
reductions in body
fat with Chlorella,8
while one rat study
suggests that
Chlorella might
help prevent
postmenopausal
weight gain.9
A quarter of those
with mild-tomoderate high
blood pressure (BP)
(20-g Sun Chlorella
tablets and 150 mL of
Wakasa Gold, a liquid
Chlorella extract )
daily for two months
reached their resting
diastolic BP goal of
less than 90 mmHg;
overall, a third saw
BP improve.12
A review of patients
with bromyalgia,
high blood pressure
and ulcerative
colitis reported
that Chlorella has a
cholesterol-lowering
eect, among other
benetsndings
backed by animal
studies.15
Chlorella helps rid

the body of toxic
substances like
heavy metals and
pesticides, according
to animal studies.
Rats fed highly toxic
chemicals called
dioxins along with
Chlorella excreted
more dioxins than
rats not given
Chlorella. There
arent many human
studies yet, but
pregnant women
supplements had
lower dioxin levels
in their breast milk
compared to the
control group.19
In patients with
arsenic poisoning (a
common problem
from drinking
water in developing
countries), 250 g of
Spirulina extract plus
zinc (2 g) twice a day
removed signicant
amounts of arsenic,
as shown by blood
and urine tests.20
The algae also helps
remove cadmium
and leadat least in
animals.21
WDDTY couldnt nd
any published studies
on E. cavas detox
ability.
Chlorella could
be useful for
bromyalgia, a
neural disorder
that causes pain
and tiredness, and
ulcerative colitis, a
type of inammatory
bowel disease,
according to a couple
of trials.15
Single-celled green
algae growing in fresh
water in the Far East
Spirulina
When tested for a

year in patients with
Blue-green algae found oral leukoplakiaa
in saltwater lakes of
precancerous
Mexico and Central
condition usually due to
America
smoking and chewing
tobacconearly half
saw their leukoplakia
disappear completely.
Just 7 per cent had their
condition clear in the
placebo-taking group.4
Obese people taking Patients taking

2.8 g three times
4.5 g/day of S.
a day lost a small
maxima for six
amount of weight
weeks dramatically
after a month,10 but reduced both
theres not much
systolic and diastolic
evidence yet for what BP. The youngest
happens in healhty
participants (those
people or those who aged 1838) had the
are only slightly
best results.13
overweight.
Elderly men and

women taking 8 g/
day signicantly
reduced their
cholesterol
compared to those
taking a placebo.16
Ecklonia cava
Obese people given

either low-dose (72
mg/day) or highdose (144 mg/day)
E. cava polyphenols
lost both weight
and inches after
three months.
Compared to those
taking a placebo,
they had bigger
reductions in their
body mass index
(BMI), body fat, waist
circumference and
waist-to-hip ratio .11
High doses (400

mg/day) of E. cava
polyphenols cut
cholesterol after
three months, 17
but less than half
that dose (144 mg/
day) can work too.11
The polyphenols
seem to reduce
bad low-density
lipoprotein (LDL)
cholesterol while
boosting good HDL
cholesterol.
Brown seaweed found

in coastal waters o
Japan and Jeju (Cheju)
Island, South Korea
This is a rich source

of phlorotannins
antioxidant
polyphenols with
potent anticancer
eects.5 Derivatives of
one phlorotannin from
E. cava have halted
the growth of human
breast-cancer cells 6 as
well as lung tumours in
mice.7 But there arent
any trials in cancer
patients yet.
WWW.WDDTY.COM
WWW.WDDTY.COM
The phlorotannin
dieckol may work
like the classic BP
meds angiotensinconverting enzyme
(ACE) inhibitors,
lab studies show.14
Theres not much
human research yet,
but high-dose (144
mg/day) E. cava
polyphenols were
found to lower BP in
one trial.11
Spirulina may help

relieve sneezing,
itching and other
symptoms of nasal
allergies like allergic
rhinitis.22
WDDTY
VERDICT
Chlorella, Spirulina
and Ecklonia cava
all show promise for
a range of diseases
and disorders, but if
you want to try algae
for yourself, stick to
the rst two as they
are much better
researched.
So far, most studies
of E. cava have
been carried out
in animals or test
tubes, and WDDTY
could only nd three
published clinical
trials (i.e. tests of
humans taking the
seaweed) to date.
That said, were
still not clear about
the optimal dosages
for Chlorella and
Spirulina. Some trials
used high doses and
others only small
amounts.
If youre looking
to take seaweed
for general
health, follow the
manufacturers
dosing guidelines;
to treat a particular
illness, it may be best
to check it out rst
with an experienced
alternative
practitioner.
Emotional Freedom Technique

(EFT) has been called the all-purpose
solution to emotional problems, but
it can also be used to heal your body
and overcome stress. Heres how.
My thoughts helped me to
beat cancer:
Arielle Essex was diagnosed with a
brain tumour, but it healed without
drugs or surgery. Read how she
made her miracle happen.
Exercisefor women only

Women jog, pump and train just as
men do, but theyre anatomically
dierent, says Paul Chek, and so
need a dierent exercise regime.
Heres a programme tailor-made
for yyou.
As an exercise
supplement, it may
Joanna Evans
boost energy levels
and stave o fatigue,
at least according to
one trial.23
Killing me softly
Super slime
(page 82)
(page 90)
The Safe Living e-book: This exhaustive

review of every type of pollutant and poison
were exposed to in our home, water and
our cosmetics and toiletries explains how to
create a healthy home.
Supplements Under the Microscope e-book:

Every day we hear about another miracle
supplement that can reverse any type of
disease, but wheres the proof? We take a
close look at 17 health supplements, including
coenzyme Q10, astaxanthin, krill oil and
colloidal silver.
APRIL
APR
AP
PRIIL
IL 201
20122 | W
WDDT
WD
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DDT
D
TY 97
97
MY HO
HORROR STORY
ypothyroidismwhere
great disservice because what she was
the thyroid gland produces
touting was unstable and dangerous.
insufcient amounts of the
However, the manufacturers had
hormone thyroxine to regulate bodily
told her that Armours contents
functionsis a Cinderella of a disease.
were standardized and had been
Nobody seems too interested in it, and
independently tested by four US
doctors believe it is easily treated with
laboratories, which found that it was
levothyroxine tablets.
well within the safety specications
But that wasnt Sheila Turners
laid down by the United States
experience, nor has it been for the
Pharmacopeia.
thousands of others diagnosed with
Realizing there was a great deal
hypothyroidismthe drugs just
about hypothyroidism that doctors
havent made any difference. Although
didnt know, or werent telling, Sheila
she had been on thyroxine for three
set up an alternative patient-support
years, she continued to suffer bouts
websiteThyroid Patient Advocacy
Pensioner Sheila Turner found out the hard way about (TPA) at www.tpa-uk.org.ukto help
of fatigue, weight gain, coldness, hair
medicines blind spot when it comes to diagnosing others who were going through what
losseventually she lost all the hair
on her body, including her headand
she had suffered.
and treating hypothyroidism
severe pain. Sometimes the pain was
In a TPA survey of 1,500
so bad that she had to lie on the oor of
hypothyroid patients, 78 per cent
her Yorkshire home and couldnt even
said they were not being helped by
pick herself up to go to the toilet.
levothyroxine, which suggests the drug
Out of desperation she visited a
is not effective for the majority of the
hormone specialist, who explained
250,000 Britons annually diagnosed
that levothyroxine was delivering
with hypothyroidism.
inactive thyroxine (T4), which the
This is down to the failure of
body has to then convert into the active
medicine to understand the subtleties
T3 (triiodothyronine) form. However,
of hypothyroidism. Many of those
Sheila, before and after she
her body was unable to do this
whose condition doesnt respond to
discovered a natural solution
just like the bodies of many others
levothyroxine have a different thyroid
to her thyroid disease
diagnosed with hypothyroidismso
problem, euthyroid hypometabolism,
hypothyroidismand had been for 120
the standard therapy was useless.
which isnt picked up by the usual thyroid
years. Then in the mid-1970s, the drugs
Instead, a doctorwho has since been
function tests.We know for a fact that
industry developed their synthetic version,
struck off the medical register for daring
more than 250,000 patients are being left
levothyroxine, which quickly established
to offer a non-drug solutionprescribed
to suffer because they are being denied the
itself as the standard therapy.
Sheila one grain (60 mg) of a natural
T3 thyroid hormone replacement that will
Endocrinologists today seem to be
thyroid extract, Armour Thyroid USP,
make them well.
unaware of any alternatives to drugs.
which contains active ingredients of all of
Sheila has written numerous times to
Sheilas own endocrinologist was so
the forms of thyroxine the body needs.
medicines governing bodiesincluding
impressed by the evidence she sent him
After only nine days, the effect on my
hundreds of references each timeabout
that he agreed to change her treatment
health was stunning. The sun came out and
the shortcomings of current thyroid tests
and informed her local GP to issue a
13 years later it has never gone back in. I am
and the refusal to even entertain the use of
prescription for natural thyroid extract.
pain-free, symptom-free and a very healthy
active natural products. On every occasion
The GP refused and asked her to nd
and happy woman, she says.
save one she has not received a reply, and the
another surgery.
Astonished by her almost immediate
one response was a stonewalling denial that
Nonetheless, it is extraordinary that an
improvement, Sheila wanted to know
hypothyroidism needed anything other
expert knew nothing of such a large part of
why medicine had got it so wrong. There
than levothyroxine. She has also taken her
she hit a brick wall: according to doctors,
his own specialty and had to be taught it by a
case to the Human Rights Commission,
hypothyroidism is simply and effectively
pensioner who had heard about the disease
among others, and has achieved a
treated every time with levothyroxine; if
only a few years earlier.
breakthrough with the Scottish Parliament,
it isnt, youre suffering from a functional
Some endocrinologists she contacted
which is prepared to consider legislation
somatoform disorder, according to Prof
were grateful to hear the news, while others
to change the way hypothyroid disease is
Tony Weetman, an endocrinologist,
were just downright rude. Some described
tested and treated. It held its rst debate on
which is a kind if convoluted way to say the
natural thyroid extract as a potion and one
the issue last February.
problem is all in your head.
said that if patients believed they got better
I am thankful every day of my life for
Digging deeper, Sheila discovered this
on such a medication, then that was proof
natural thyroid extract, which has given me
was not the standard line less than 50
that it was all in their heads, and it was their
back my life and my health, without which I
years ago. Up until then, natural thyroid
head that needed examining. Another
would not be in a position to campaign for
extract had been the only way to treat
said she was doing hypothyroid patients a
other sufferers of the disease, she says.
The great
thyroid
scandal
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APRIL 2013 3.95 WWW.WDDTY.COM

Take control of your own health

Lynne McTaggart and Bryan Hubbard

Unit 10 Woodman Works

While every care is taken in

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Rob Verkerk THE POLITICS OF HEALTH

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understand homeopathy have done

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