Common OTC medicines linked to raised dementia risk
NutriCentre rebrand aims to shake up health retail
Why we’ll be sprouting, spiralizing and ancient-graining in 2015!
Green groups fear MEPs’ vote will create GM crop fast-track
Adding herbs and spices to recipes with heart health benefits
Camexpo presenter wins prize for Practitioner Case report contest
Special Event! Masterclass with Dr Jonathan Wright
Beauty From the Inside Out
Common OTC medicines linked to raised dementia risk
A study by US researchers has linked prolonged use of certain widely available over-the-counter medicines with an increased risk of dementia.
The medicines implicated – which include popular hayfever and allergy tablets such as Benadryl and Piriton, sleeping pills like Nytol and and asthma drugs – are a class of drugs known as anticholinergics. They work by blocking acetylcholine, a chemical involved in the transmission of electrical impulses between nerve cells. People with Alzheimer’s disease are known to have low levels of acetylcholine and the concern is that medicines containing the chemical may exacerbate or even trigger the problem.
The researchers, from the University of Washington, fear that long-term use of these medicines – common among older people – could lead to structural change in the brain.
Although earlier studies have raised raised concerns that anticholinergic drugs may cause mental impairment in the elderly, the latest research is the first to show a dose response linking greater use of the medicines with an increasing risk of dementia.
Researchers studied 3,434 people aged 65 and over for around seven years, monitoring their use of anticholinergic drugs. They discovered that those taking the highest doses of anticholinergic drugs over the study period, experienced a 54% increased risk of developing dementia, compared to non-users.
Tesco-owned NutriCentre this week unveiled a major rebrand as part of its aim to shake up health retail in Britain.
The first of the new look NutriCentre stores sits within Tesco’s flagship Kensington store. The concept is expected to be rolled out across new and existing stores in the coming months.
The refresh places nutritional education centre stage, and aims for “revolutionary health driven shopping experience”.
NutriCentre, led by managing director Amee Chande, says it is “shaking up the health industry” and enabling new and existing customers to explore the world of natural health “within a dynamic, new and exciting in-store landscape”. This new store design includes an array of ‘discovery features’, including ‘Sam’ a larger than life figure with removable health information discs that point customers towards nutrients for specific conditions, an Interactive Digital Table that uses touch-screen technology to help customers discover their own health solutions, a Common Conditions Bays, A Super Nutrients Wall and Little Vits. Qualified nutritionists will meanwhile offer free in-store nutrition advice and support.
The new store concept is the result of a detailed review, led by Chande, which found high levels of interest in health and wellbeing among the UK population but a lack of confidence in how to make the first steps on a natural health journey.
Chande said: “Our mission is to make it easy for everyone to enjoy better health and wellbeing through good nutrition.
“I’m thrilled that we’re able to offer this new and exciting shopping experience to the consumer, which is both revolutionary and engaging. Incorporating the latest technologies within our new store concept, coupled with the expertise of our in-store nutritionists, offers a stimulating new way for the customer to learn more about health and wellbeing, making it easier for everyone to enjoy better health.
NutriCentre says it is now the largest employer of retail nutritionists in the UK and as part of the rebrand has invested heavily in expert training. NutriCentre has a team of fully qualified in-house nutritionists in each store.
Why we’ll be sprouting, spiralizing and ancient-graining in 2015
Everywhere you look, health pundits and food writers are making their predictions for this year’s big health and foodie trends. We’ve been listening to what the experts are saying and come up with our own top 10 trends for 2015.
First, let’s hear from the trade. In a guest blog for the My Green Directory Julius Nicholson over at Suma has been giving the wholesaler’s perspective. He predicts a general trend towards ‘clean label’ products – no GMOs or other nasties, evidence of ethical sourcing and so on. On specific categories, Nicholson sees a bigger take-off for paelo and raw foods in 2015, continued growth in veggie and vegan protein, growing awareness of the nutritional value of ancient grains (“not just super-tasty and full of nutrients, but often great gluten-free alternatives for those on special diets”) and “all things sprouted”.
On Facebook, retailer Linda Tippey told us that sales of chia, linseed and wheatgrass are flying, and predicts – “since so many people got a Nutribullet for Christmas” – a great year for juicing and ‘nutrient extractors’. Rosie Rayner, meanwhile, tips maple water and teff for great things in 2015.
Healthy food evangelists Jasmine and Melissa Hemsley say that spiralizing (keep up, please!) could give juicing a real run for its money this year. They told the BBC: “Spiralizing transforms your favourite vegetables into pasta-like strips. Use a spiralizing machine to turn squash, carrot, beetroot or celeriac into low-carb alternatives to regular pasta or noodles”.
Food writer Rosie Hopegood gets specific about those ancient grains. She has high hopes for freekah, the nutrient-packed grain popular in the Middle East. Served toasted, it’s delicious and easy to cook. Hopewood thinks it’s a more people-friendly alternative to quinoa, which “though undeniably healthy, has led to disastrous shortages of a staple food crop in its native Peru”.
Anna Magee, founder of Healthvista, has spotted a trend for fermented foods – from Kimchi to kefir. Japan, of course, is the home of fermented foods, so miso, natto and tempeh should stay on-trend in 2015. Magee also name-checks spiralizing and powered super-greens in her tips for the top. And she thinks 2015 will be the year when sprouting products break through into the mainstream.
Medical broadcaster, Michael Mosely, meanwhile thinks we will continue to “shun the sugar – not just the refined stuff, but naturally occurring sugars in fruit juice and smoothies”.
Those food and health trends in a nutshell:
• Keep it clean – no GMOs, no nasties
• Juicing – it’s virtually a national pastime
• Spiralizing – if it grows and it’s healthy, shred it
• Paleo – release your inner caveman in 2015
• Raw – you ain’t seen nothing yet
• We’ll all be a little more seedy (chia, linseed, pumpkin) in 2015
• Fermented foods –they positively fizz with energy
• Ancient grains – nutritionally superior, easier to digest
• Freekah – one to watch (move over quinoa)
• Sugar – give it the slip
Green groups fear MEPs’ vote will create GM crop fast-track
Organic and green groups say that new proposals intended to allow EU states to ban GM crops on environmental grounds could instead create a fast-track for GM crop cultivation in England.
MEPs voted today (13 January) in favour of a new directive that allows individual member states to ban GM crops for a range of reasons – from environmental to socio-economic.
In those parts of Europe that are strongly anti-GM, the directive provides additional legal protection against the US biotech industry, which has been pressuring EU states to approve GM crops. But European organic body IFOAM EU has warned that the new rules place no requirements on those countries with pro-GM instincts, such as the UK and Spain, to ensure that non-GM crops are protected from contamination by GMOs.
The UK’s Soil Association is also extremely concerned about the latest developments. Commenting ahead of today’s vote, Soil Association policy director, Peter Melchett, said: “The EU proposal fails to require countries to ensure that any GM crops grown will not contaminate GM free farms, nor to ensure that the cost of any contamination will fall on the shoulders of the GM companies who own the patented products, not on farmers or food businesses that suffer from pollution.
“The rights of farmers who do not wish to grow GM crops, particularly in England are therefore under threat by this proposal. Indeed, the entire organic sector, growing rapidly in Europe and which may double by 2020, is in danger – as are the rights of anyone who wants to buy GM free foods. This is because experience from the USA has shown that growing GM crops leads to agricultural seeds and food supply chains being contaminated by GM.”
While Wales and Scotland have welcomed the opportunity to confirm their non-GM position, indications are that the UK government would encourage the commercial growing of GM crops in England. Specifically, plans to approve a GM maize crop look to be at an advanced stage. The Guardian today quoted an email from the UK’s head of GM policy and regulation, Sarah Cundy, in which she reportedly tells the National Farmers Union that approval for the so-called ‘supercorn’ is likely in the “near future” and that “future applications should be approved much more quickly than has been the case until now”.
Friends of the Earth’s food campaigner, Clare Oxborrow, said: “(The EU vote) is good news for nations like Scotland and Wales, whose political leaders have opposed GM crops and can now ban them from their fields. But this ruling is a double-edged sword that could open the door to GM crops being grown in England.”
Adding herbs and spices to recipes comes with heart health benefit
Adding antioxidant-rich herb and spice blends to meals could help to offset some of the effects of consuming unhealthy fats, US scientists have shown.
Previous studies have shown that triglyceride levels rise after eating a high fat meal, which can lead to an increased risk of heart disease.
Now, scientists from Penn State University have shown that by incorporating a high-antioxidant spice and herb blend into a high-fat meal, triglyceride levels are reduced by as much as 30% compared to eating a meal without the spice blend.
The researchers concluded that “the vascular effects of spices and herbs and their efficacy and safety relative to traditional drug therapy represent an exciting area for future research given the public health significance of cardiovascular disease”.
Camexpo presenter wins prize for Practitioner Case report contest
Each year since 2005 Paul Lewis has presented at Camexpo on Advanced techniques using a treatment method called Dynamic Angular Petrissage(DAP) for able and non able bodies. Registered Massage Therapist Paul Lewis has teamed up with Dr. Joan Cunningham to present his findings in a case report describing the use of Dynamic Angular Petrissage (DAP) for lymphatic cording in the axillary web after breast cancer surgery. The case report, (which placed second in the prestigious annual Practitioner Case Report Contest held by the Massage Therapy Foundation), is titled Dynamic Angular Petrissage (DAP): A novel approach for axillary web syndrome (cording/webbing) occurring after surgery for breast cancer.
Patients who have had breast cancer surgery find themselves dealing with a number of post-operative issues, not the least of which is pain and restricted motion in the axillary web. Noting that there is currently no established treatment for axillary web syndrome (AWS), this case study describes the use, by the authors, of DAP on a young woman with post-surgical AWS to gently, and quickly, reduce upper extremity pain, while improving range of motion.
DAP is a treatment method developed by Paul Lewis. It involves using one hand to gently knead the soft tissue while using the other hand to passively lengthen and shorten the muscle via changes in lever length and limb angle according to the muscle’s line of pull. In this case, described, the cording/webbing of AWS was restricting range of motion and causing pain. To relieve these issues, the cording was considered, and treated as, part of the arm’s structure rather than an offending tissue to be torn or broken. The patient received two therapeutic massage sessions which included the treatment method DAP, as well as specific post-treatment home-care exercises.
After each 1.5 hour session, the cording was visibly reduced, pain was significantly attenuated and the patient’s range of motion was seen to improve. These results suggest that DAP may be a simple, but effective, method for therapists to apply in patients with AWS.
Through its annual Student and Practitioner Case Report Contests, the Massage Therapy Foundation (a philanthropic, non-profit 501(C)(3) organization based in Evanston, Illinois) aims to encourage therapists to develop research skills while thinking critically and enhancing their ability to provide knowledge- and evidence-based massage therapy to the public. The case reports also play an important part in massage therapy literature.
Paul Lewis is a CPD provider in the UK, Canada and the USA who has contributed to a number of massage therapy publications and has taught extensively across North America and Europe. Dr. Joan Cunnningham is a cancer epidemiologist familiar with many post-surgical issues faced by breast cancer patients. She recently retired from the faculty of the Medical University of South Carolina and is now continuing her work as a member of the National Coalition of Independent Scholars from San Antonio, Texas. Although they are grateful to have achieved the distinction of second place in the Massage Therapy Foundation competition, the authors are excited at having tapped into a method that shows promise for relieving pain and restoring motion in patients with AWS occurring after breast cancer surgery.
For more information on Paul Lewis RMT, please visit www.paullewis.ca. For more information on the Massage Therapy Foundation, please visit www.massagetherapyfoundation.org.
PRESS RELEASE
25th January 2015
For immediate release
SPECIAL EVENT! MASTERCLASS WITH DR JONATHAN WRIGHT
Turn back the biological clock and return metabolic, endocrine and immune systems:
Lessons from 45 years of clinical experience
Dr Jonathan Wright, widely recognised as the “father of bio-identical hormones” and medical director of the Tahoma Clinic [http://www.tahomaclinic.com/] in Washington State, USA will be in the UK for a rare visit in March 2015. He is offering a one-off Masterclass for nutritional and healthcare practitioners on Sunday, 29th March 2015 in London. Having been a leader in the research and application of natural treatments for healthy ageing and illness for over 45 years now, this is truly a not-to-be-missed event.
During the day, Dr Wright will cover a wide range of topics, which include:
Women’s health, including, fibrocystic breast disease, breast cancer, menorrhagia, hair loss and bio-identical hormones
Men’s health, including, endogenous and exogenous stimulation of testosterone, testosterone metabolite tests, hyper-excretion of testosterone, BPH, prostate cancer and gynaecomastia
Type 2 diabetes: how to reverse insulin resistance and pre-diabetes before it manifests as full blown T2D
Thyroid health, examining the fallacy of TSH testing and looking at the little-examined bio-chemical mechanism causing hypothyroidism
In addition to the brilliance and expertise of Dr Wright, this event will feature another first. A special guest appearance, sponsored by Natural Immunogenics Corp, from Robert Scott Bell [http://www.robertscottbell.com/] — author of Unlock the Power to Heal and host of the US-based, widely acclaimed Robert Scott Bell Radio Show [http://www.robertscottbell.com/]. Robert will be providing dynamic and practical training on immune support and GI recovery protocols, based on Bio-Active Silver Hydrosol and whole food nutrients, as utilised by leading integrative practitioners over decades in the US.
When? Sunday 29th March 2015, 9:00 am – 5:30 pm
Where? London Hilton Metropole, Edgware Road
Cost? £125 early bird price till 9th February 2015, £150 thereafter
Book your place. [www.drwrightmasterclass.eventzilla.net]
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CONTACTS
Meleni Aldridge
+44 (0)7771 750230
Adele Wolstenhulme
+44 (0)7956 867824
Email: info@bitethesun.org
EDITOR’S NOTES:
About Dr Jonathan Wright
Dr. Jonathan Wright is the Medical Director of Tahoma Clinic where he also practices medicine. A Harvard University (A.B. 1965) and University of Michigan graduate (M.D. 1969), he continues to be a forerunner in research and application of natural treatments for healthy aging and illness. Along with Alan Gaby, M.D., he has since 1976 accumulated a file of over 50,000 research papers about diet, vitamins, minerals, botanicals, and other natural substances from which he has developed non-patent medicine (non-“drug”) treatments for health problems. Dr. Wright has taught natural biochemical medical treatments since 1983 to thousands of physicians in the USA, Europe, and Japan.
He was the first to develop and introduce the use of comprehensive patterns of bio-identical hormones (including estrogens, progesterone, DHEA and testosterone) in 1982 and (at Meridian Valley Laboratory) directed the development of tests to ensure their safe use. He teaches use and laboratory monitoring of bio-identical hormones at several seminars each year. He also originated successful natural treatment for elimination of childhood asthma, developed treatment to stop vision loss or improve vision in the majority of individuals with “dry” macular degeneration, was the first to use aldosterone to reverse age-related hearing loss, discovered the effect of iodine on estrogen metabolism and cobalt on steroid detoxification, popularized the use of D-mannose treatment for E. coli urinary tract infection, developed effective natural treatment for seborrheic dermatitis, allergic and viral conjunctivitis, and Osgood-Schlatter’s disease. In 2013, he resurrected forgotten research and treatment protocols for the application of Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG) to treat severe neurological problems.
Dr. Wright founded the Tahoma Clinic (1973), Meridian Valley Laboratory (1976), and the Tahoma Clinic Foundation (1996). Tahoma Clinic was established to approach disease by natural means and emphasize correction of imbalances in the body that lead to disease.
Internationally known for his books and medical articles, Dr. Wright has authored or co-authored 14 books, selling over 1.5 million copies with two texts achieving best-selling status; “Book of Nutritional Therapy” and “Guide to Healing with Nutrition”. Dr. Wright authors “Nutrition and Healing”, a monthly newsletter emphasizing nutritional medicine, that reaches over 118,000 in the USA and another 15,000 or more worldwide.
About Robert Scott Bell DA Hom
Six days a week Robert Scott Bell empowers his listeners with healing principles that can aid in physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, economic and yes even political healing!
Robert hosts the fastest two hours of healing information on radio, dealing with everyday health issues from the perspective of alternative/holistic health care. Robert Scott Bell tackles the tough issues and shows no fear when confronting government and corporate bullies who would stand in the way of health freedom.
You will be amazed by the amount of information about healing that is kept secret from you and what you can do to learn more about it! Robert Scott Bell is a homeopathic practitioner with a passion for health and healing unmatched by anybody on radio.
He personally overcame numerous chronic diseases using natural healing principles and has dedicated his life to revealing the healing power within all of us.
02/02/2015
Beauty From The Inside Out
For Immediate Release
Medica Health International Ltd. is taking part in one of London’s most talked about must attend events of the year ‘CAMExpo 2015’. This event is the UK’s only dedicated Natural and Integrative Health Show and Conference gathering of 2015. The show will feature several Medica Health internationally acclaimed products for professional and home use.
A stand based around high energy with the contrast of a relaxing environment will be set up in the beautiful Olympia London, where medical professionals, specialists and therapists will be able to view and purchase our non-invasive products, as well as experience a Theragem™ taster session for themselves free of charge*. The relaxing set-up shows people how easy it is to attain wellbeing at home/clinic as part of their everyday routine. Catharina Jansma, Medica Health’s Managing Director said: “These exhibitions our company get involved in are fantastic, as they allow people to interact with the products and experience firsthand, just how unique and invigorating they are.”
All of the Theragem products are non-invasive based on solid science and ancient wisdom. Everyday use provides you with a comfortable treatment that leaves you feeling relaxed, refreshed and energized, with a boosted immune system. To benefit from a free taster session, you can find Medica Health International at stand 1520, to experience Theragem for yourself. The more you use it, the less you need it!
Catharina Jansma, quotes: “Beauty and wellbeing is just as important on the inside as it is on the outside, which is why our infused 30 carat Gemcups work on a number of conditions, it also boosts and revives the skin back to a natural healthy glow, in the comfort of your own practice or home.”
The Clinique Eternity provides a variety of beauty treatments that come with a dynamic gem blend of over 30 carats that is individual to each skin condition. There are a large variety of Gemcups to choose from including: Rejuvenate, Soothe, Fullness, Age Defy, Cell-U-Ease and Aura Cleanse; all which can be purchased at stand 1520**, feel free to enquire about special Show offers. The show will be running from the 26-27th September 2015, more details can be found at http://www.camexpo.co.uk/
Our latest piece of news we would like to share with you is the Launch of our new Facebook page!
Medica Health International invites you to visit our newly re-vamped Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/MedicaHealthInternationalLtd this new business page will include, training and event updates, competitions and the option to share your fascinating stories with us! For each like we get on our Facebook page, you will help Theragem to grow and shine. Come on everyone let’s make it to the 100 milestone!
Medica Health International, are based in the North-West of England and have expanded their cutting edge equipment to many centre’s of excellence such as; hospitals, clinics, health centre’s, spa’s and wellbeing centers around the world. These include: the North – America, China, Australia, Switzerland, UK, Taiwan, Africa, France and Turkey. For more information on our products, training events or general enquiries please visit: www.theragem.com
ENDS
*Medica Health International Ltd will be offering free 20 minute taster sessions on a first come, first served basis. The time limit is dependent on amount of people and therefore will remain under MHI’s rights for how long a therapy session will last.
**See stand 1520 for details on special offers as conditions apply, Medica Health International Ltd reserves all rights.