Kate Arnold Nutrition

Statins again…..

December 1, 2010 1:47 pm

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/8146022/Dr-James-Le-Fanu-statins.html

I’m a huge fan of Dr James le Fanu and the article above about statins maybe of interest to some of you. I’d like to share with you a patient of mine who came to see me with a cholesterol of over 7 mmol. Her GP insisted that she go on statins despite the fact that she had no other risk factors and no history of heart disease. The patient decided to see me and I spoke to her GP and said could we have three months grace to see if my patient could get her cholesterol down with diet and supplements. The GP agreed but the information she had was that diet cannot reduce cholesterol levels and even if they did – at the very least only by 0.5mmol. I was astounded – what information is she been given to read? It wouldn’t by any chance be the figures from the pharmaceutical companies would it? Within three months my patients level was down to 5.5 mmol. The patient was thrilled and went back to her GP half expecting a slap on the back for good behaviour but no she was not given any validation for her efforts and told she was still above the accepted levels. So… we bought it down again to 4.5mmol and again no validation from the GP.

If you do not want to go on statins, that is your right. If you have high risk factors, and a cholesterol that is dangerously high of course it might be a good idea, but for the rest of the nation that is floating around with slightly higher cholesterol, you can try other ways which do work!

Please sign up to save our vitamins, minerals and herbs

November 25, 2010 7:09 pm

Please see the link below and sign and protest (quietly!)

http://www.grammasintl.com/html/products/campaigns.asp

It’s not all about nutrition.. its often about liberty

November 22, 2010 5:43 pm

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1331886/Invasive-airport-security-pat-downs-NOT-going-away-Thanksgiving.html

Although this article above is taken from the daily mail, do some research – google TSA stuff, watch the youtube clips. This is disgusting – I urge you all to quietly protest if it starts happening to you, your loved ones or people you see in front of you in the queue – get angry. Some of the stories coming out of the US this week are horrific and cannot be written about here. Let’s just say they are employing some pretty dodgy people to feel you up. Molesting young children, humiliating adults, putting them through allegedly high dose radiation – this is not done to keep us safe- ask to “opt out” those are the words you have to say to avoid the x ray scanners, then you will be subjected to a pat down – if you feel you are being “mishandled” – threaten to call the police, write letters to the airlines, say you wont fly – just please do not put up with this nonsense in the name of terrorism. For more details go to wewontfly.com.

Feeling uncomfortable

10:04 am

I do try to watch, read and research things before I make comment so last night I sat down for half an hour and watched I’m a Celebrity and a bit of X-factor and I began to feel very uncomfortable indeed. For a second I too became a member of the Colosseum watching people being torn apart by the lions (because thats whats really going on here) and then I stopped. Nigel Havers not wanting to wear a black and white striped outfit and sit behind bars because he thought he would be humiliating himself infront of his wife – surely he’s a bad sport – surely he knew what he was letting himself in for everyone cries. And yet… and yet Nigel, yes it is extremely humiliating and I get that at nearly 60 yrs old you shouldnt need to do this. Watching Gillian “fainting” or whatever she was doing on live TV was awful – no matter if it was staged or for real the whole thing is a far cry from the wonderful carol thatcher who powered through the trials a few years ago. Then I watched a little x-factor – again very colosseum like – you now cant hear the judges for the screaming – so they might as well not be there at all. The front of the Observer this weekend has Mr Cowell on the front stroking a white cat. Is anyone sick to death of this “hetrosexual” meglomaniac – I know I am. The article inside is pretty damning about manipulating peoples feeling of needing community and saturday and sunday night we are drawn into a fake community where we think we are a part of something special and big – we are not alone any more – pretty much like facebook – you have a thousand friends so alls ok – when actually you have in reality only a handful of friends that would get up in the night and take you to the hospital if you were ill.

It was with a real sense of unease that I watched these programmes and wondered how many people were watching Channel 4’s brilliant Any Human Heart. Oh dear….

Radio 4: Case notes: Dr Mark Porter – Vitamin D

November 19, 2010 5:31 pm

It’s official nearly 30 million people in the UK have sub-optimal levels of
vitamin D.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/b00s0djn/Case_Notes_Vitamin_D

If your GP can’t do the test – it can be done privately and at not too much expense.

Please support Hughs fish fight campaign!

November 18, 2010 3:46 pm

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/news/north-sea-fisheries-madness-2137103.html

Hugh F-W’s latest campaign – see link above -please support – you can sign up his petition on the River Cottage website or on his facebook page

Supermarkets snub mega dairy

3:41 pm

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/news/supermarkets-turn-noses-up-at-megadairy-milk-2137056.html

Good to see that the supermarkets are at the moment saying they will not buy milk from Nocton. If you are not aware there are plans afoot to launch the first mega diary in lincolnshire – its a terrifying prospect for the UK and would mark the first of super size industrial farming – the consequences to the british farmer, to animal welfare are obvious – and or course it will not be organic. More on this later.

Gillian McKeith heads to the jungle

November 16, 2010 6:19 pm

TV nutritionist Gillian McKeith has decided to join I’m A Celebrity.. at this point I’m not too sure why and what it is she has to gain from this. Not a follower of her career, perhaps she’s looking for a push to do a new tv series, perhaps she is trying to overcome her seemingly many phobias or perhaps she’s trying to get the public to like her – see the “real” Gillian.

Why anyone would admit to all these fears and phobias to a home audience just waiting to dial her number is beyond me. You see she comes from the bullying school of nutrition, the let’s look at your poo because it makes good tv nutrition. People dont like to be told what to do, and certainly if they do, they pay me to tell them. It’s funny but often I get asked – Kate you are a bit blunt but I thought you were going to be like Gillian McKeith so I was really nervous coming to see you – Great! So if I hear someone is nervous on the phone I automatically tell them that there is no judgement, no cane, no telling off. The very fact someone has made a decision to sort out their health is, I think, amazing and should be congratulated! As you can tell I’m not a fan, don’t get me wrong, her books are excellent and her series (apart from the non scientific poo bit) is sound in principle but when you’re sat in the first row of an audience seeing the comedian Dara O’Brien (athiest/man of science and Dawkins follower) trust me its not good. When he says “There arent any nutritionists in the audience are there”? I wince as he lets off a tirade of abuse at this so called “doctor”. I remember wriggling further down in my seat so no one accidentally saw me and pointed to me and went “Theres one – burn the witch”.. Oh dear!!

ps have just watched ten minutes of her and oh dear she is a complete nightmare!!

Scientists find a new greediness gene

November 15, 2010 5:43 pm

Well thats fine then, we can all sleep ok at night. Being overweight is genetic so let’s change our genes and be done with it. I think this is ludicrous. It’s as stupid as saying people who are overweight are greedy and lazy. It’s just not true. Being overweight is so much more complex.

Years ago I went to a 1940’s fancy dress party and when I visited a very large and well known dress hire shop in London I was astounded to see that the miles and miles of womens uniforms (I was trying to go as a WAFF) only came in teeny weeny sizes. I think a 12/14 was the very largest I could find. At nearly 6ft and a size 12 there was just nothing for me to wear, so I had to hire a man’s uniform instead. What’s my point in telling you this – genes dont’ change that fast – from the 1940’s to the 2010 ask yourself what has changed? and there is your answer.

As you have read on this blog over the years, we already know why there is an obesity crisis, it’s just very difficult to get to the truth when everyone is bombarded with different biased facts. Even if there is a so called “greediness gene” what percentage of the population do you really think is carrying it? I doubt very many.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1329670/The-reason-diet-doomed-start-You-carry-greediness-gene.html

McDonald’s and PepsiCo to help write UK health policy

November 14, 2010 8:04 pm

Saturdays Guardian ran with this piece on the front page and I have to say it slightly ruined my breakfast. As I can’t seem to cut and paste you the link I’ll just quote the first sentence:

” The Department of Health is putting the fast food companies Mcdonalds and KFC and processed food and drink manufacturers such as Pepsico, Kelloggs, Unilever Mars and Diageo at the heart of writing government policy on obesity alcohol and diet related disease”.

“In an overhaul of public health said by campaign groups to be the equivalent of handing smoking policy over to the tobacco industry health secretary Andrew Lansley has set up five responsibility deal networks with business co chaired by ministers to come up with policies. Some of these are expected to be used in the public health white paper due in the next month”.

I hope you all agree there are just no words for this outrageous flagrant abuse of power by Mr Lansley. I urge you to write to him and tell him your thoughts. Do you think it’s right for the companies responsible for some of the obesity to be writing government policy – how bias can you get?

Ok enough, I’m off to have a mini stroke.