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    • Archive: Nov 2009

    1. Alternative therapies

      1 Comment

      I read with interest the article about GP’s top ten list of useless therapies used by celebrities. To a certain agree celebrity endorsement with anything is a tricky subject. As many youngsters look to their sporting/film heroes and heroines for inspiration they do need to show some moral responsibility to what they put their name to. The GP’s list included:

      Colonics
      Aromatherapy
      Detoxing
      Vitamin B12 injections
      Overnight stay in health farms
      Cupping
      Food intolerance tests
      Macrobiotic diets

      I’ve no idea what cupping is and wouldnt pay for it nor to have hot stones put on my back – in my humble opinion a total waste of money. I would also agree with detoxing (just cut out alcohol, caffeine and white sugar to give your body a break) and also food intolerance testing (I will write in more in detail about these tests later). The problem is they can show up what you eat a lot of, and not necessarily what you are intolerant too.

      However I’m not sure why Vitamin B12 injections and colonics were in this list. I have vitamin B12 injections every three months otherwise I get ill. I dont have pernicious anaemia but for some reason my body doesnt absorb it. The reference ranges for B12 are not consistent from county to county and can range from 150-1000 to 163-990. As long as you are within these parameters you are deemed healthy. I think its important for those of us who dont eat red meat or offal to have a healthy B12 reading mid range of these references ie 500-600. I often get patients seeing me with readings of 160 being told there are fine and in the reference range when they are turning a horrid shade of yellow and have all the symptoms of B12 anemia (which if you are asking are numerous; ranging from anxiety, fatigue, pins and needles etc).

      The “evidence” that colonics help people is what is pouring down the tube!! I had a lady see me years ago who hadnt had a bowel movement in three months. Enemas had not worked and laxatives didnt either. The only thing that saved her was a series of colonics (colonics are really just a massive enema only using water and getting to the upper part of the bowel). The “evidence” and I wont go into gruesome detail was that she was on the loo afterwards for three hours.

      With aromatherapy I dont think there needs to be evidence – its indiviually based evidence that counts. it relaxes people, sometimes seriously ill cancer patients – anything that relaxes you and de-stresses you has to be good for the whole of your body.

      Going to stay at a spa or a health farm – well I’m not sure again there needs to be evidence about that either. We could bunch the annual holiday in there as well. If it gives you a break from the kids/the stressful job, its got to be a good thing. Feeling pampered and stress free is great for the immune system.

      I did have a chuckle because whatever therapies madonna or the like have, they look great dont they? I’m wondering how much energy and vitality those GP’s have and could they keep up with a 50 yr old who is still touring! Its the running, weights yoga, macrobiotic diet, and the all rest that keeps her in the shape she is in – surely a good advertisement.

    2. The continued myth about dieting

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      I have weeks were I seem to get more clients with one particular problem. Last year it was gout! and bowel problems everywhere I turned! These last few months I’m back on the trail of people wanting to lose weight. Weight loss is not my biggest crowd believe it or not but in they came recently. I am still amazed at how many people are yo yo dieting, drinking shakes and actually still believe in the word “diet”.

      Let’s all do something positive and ditch the word “diet” when used in terms of weight loss. It doesnt get anyone anywhere.

      Weight loss comes about my looking into an individuals medical history and particular traits, needs etc. No two people will lose weight the same. Some are fast metabolisers, some are not. Let’s also remember “its not how much you eat, its WHAT you are eating” that is so important and people are still missing this crucial point.

      On average people who see me lose about 4-6lbs a month continually without ever having to diet- in fact I think its a psychological necessity to send people home thinking they are NOT dieting at all. Just eating… good food… little and often… cutting out certain things that are not suitable for the individual.

      Telling people to exercise more and eat less is way to simple. It doesnt always work like that – for example supposing someone has a food allergy or an underactive thyroid, they could diet for months and still not lose weight – the fundementals have to be in place beforehand.

    3. Tesco in Meads

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      After years of fighting against Tesco moving into our village, we lost the fight earlier this year. They plan to move in before 2010. Our lovely community based on individual retailers (we have a butcher, a greengrocers, a co-op, a florist, a bookshop) will be threatened. Some of my friends who shopped at Tesco before are so disgusted by what they have done that they have boycotted the store. I have never been in, and never intend to. Their record on animal welfare and other serious issues is not good. Trying to fight against these huge companies is like david and goliath. Sometimes people win, and sometimes sadly as we have done, we lose. There is a sense of being powerless and many of the decisions have been made years before people in the community get to hear about it. Do you want one in every three of your pounds going to Tesco? I get a sense of satisfaction when I’ve shopped locally – I can see who my money is going to pretty much infront of me – how great is that!!

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