I recommend you to read an interesting article written by Dr. Russell Blaylock, an American neurosurgeon, author and lecturer. Dr Blaylock describes the case of a child with disruptive behaviour in school whose mother was told the child should be prescribed Ritalin if he was to continue at school. The child was tested for food intolerances with positive results. Once the foods were removed from his diet his behaviour changed completely and he was able to return to school. Ple

Joe Leech, a young dietician in Australia, was feeling frustrated that he was answering so many questions about how to lose weight, what was the best diet, how to deal with irritable bowel syndrome, food intolerances, Type 2 diabetes when many of these problems were due to eating too many calories or too much of a food that were causing intolerances. In addition, despite his advice, obesity was an ever-growing problem. He equally was aware of the contrast that in Uganda and o

Five danish students set up a biology experiment that is so brilliant that it has attracted international attention amongst biologists and radiation experts. The experiment came about because the students identified that they were experiencing difficulty concentrating in school and sleeping if they had their phone next to their heads. The simple experiment was to place 400 cress seeds in twelve trays. Place six trays in two rooms at the same temperature, with the same amount

A recent published study led by Professor Christopher Exley at Keele University examined brain samples from patients with a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) who had died and compared them to samples from individuals without an ASD diagnosis. They measured how much aluminium was in the samples and used fluorescence techniques to identify where the aluminium was in the samples. Professor Exley is quoted as saying that he was surprised at the “extraordinarily high” le

On the 28th November 2017, there was a documentary, On Tour with Crohn’s Disease, on Radio One Newsbeat about the challenges of living with Crohn’s. It followed Mark Holley, musician with the rock band Black Foxxes who was diagnosed with Crohn’s seven years ago. According to the NHS, in England the number of 15 to 29 year olds diagnosed has increased from 9,256 in 2007 to 29,624 in 2016. Age 29 is the most common age for being diagnosed with Crohn’s. Mark speaks openly about

An article in The Guardian last week reported that Waitrose are the first UK supermarket to ban the sale of high energy drinks to under 16’s because of the high level of sugar and caffeine they contain and the effect this is having on the behaviour of children. The teaching union NASUWT last month called for a ban on the sale of these drinks to under-16s. They were referred to as “legal highs” that helped to fuel bad behaviour in schools.The family of a 25 year old who commit

Professor Matthew Walker, a leading expert, originally from Liverpool and now director of the Centre of Human Sleep Science in California, revealed in an interview with the Guardian, that a lack of sleep in killing us. TV, computer screens, electric lights and poor work-life balance are some of the causes of sleep deprivation, defined as seven hours a night. This has been linked to serious health issues such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease, Alzheimer’s and mental health i

Fasting is now recognised to have a major role in rekindling health. Taking vitamins in pregnancy reduces the risk of its complications. Vitamin D, apart from strengthening the bones, also helps to reduce risk of colds and chest infections. 10 portions of fruits and vegetables (800 gr) a day significantly reduces the risk of premature death. The "5 -a- day" was promoted as a step to the right direction. Eating fat improves your life expectancy (it reduces the risk of the most

Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) have an increased risk to cause cancer (2.45 times) (BMJ 4 November 2017). H2 antagonists (such as ranitidine) don't seem to have the same risk. Comment: I could not ascertain if the effects of long term, low-grade inflammation associated with hiatus hernias, reflux, gastritis, gastric ulcers and duodenitis have been taken into account. One thing is certain: long term inflammation, even if it is suppressed, it is an "active" problem, whose mechan

NICE new guidelines recommend oral decongestants and paracetamol for acute sinusitis and avoid antibiotics (BMJ 4 November 2017). Tell this to a patient who has been unable to breath, with facial pain for a couple of weeks! Comment: I am not recommending antibiotics to patients with sinusitis because we often manage to prevent them having upper respiratory inflammation, using the positive effects of dietary changes, methods of desensitisation and sometimes, antifungals (if mo

British Medical Journall article 4th November 2017 states Increased risk of cancer from PPI’s (proton pump inhibitors) used for reflux. The journal Gut published research which indicates an increased risk for cancer of 2.44 times, associated with PPI’s for reflux, which was not found in the use of H2 antagonists, such as Ranitidine. I wonder if some of these findings have also been affected by the fact that any long term “suppressed” inflammation caused by the immune system,

A comment in the BMJ 4 November 2017 advised to avoid antibiotics for sinus infections. NICE new guidelines recommend oral decongestants and paracetamol for acute sinusitis and avoid antibiotics. Tell this to a patient who has been unable to breathe and has been suffering with facial pain for a couple of weeks!! I am not recommending antibiotics to patients with sinusitis, we are all too familiar with the problems with overuse of antibiotics. However, we often manage to preve

Two fascinating articles written by SnackSafely.com about allergies, that I think you will appreciate reading. The first speaks of research that indicates that 45% of adults with food allergies develop them in adulthood. Nearly Half of Adults with Food Allergies Develop Them as Adults The second shows there are studies indicating that the causes of allergies involve a complex interplay between genetics and our environment. Hopefully this research and finding will lead to trea

We sporadically get enquiries if we treat scleroderma. We do. Whilst I have to admit that the condition is challenging both to the patient and the clinician, if it is an "immune" problem, it must be the result of a reactivity. Unsurprisingly, some people who are prepared to radically change their diet, to deal with any toxic load or infectious agents, seem to do well, in spite of expectations. I expect that the use of antibiotics such as minocycline (or clindamycin) will beco

Scanning the journals is my favourite section in BMJ. This time the tone is "humble", as Medicine is coming around, slowly, to accept that previous guidelines established on so-called "evidence" were, once more, flawed. The topic is fats. Eating fats is related to lower total mortality and does not affect cardiovascular disease! As I have been telling my clients for years, it is those carbs that are doing the damage – sugars especially. The message is: we can abandon the "sat

Lady Gaga’s hit track Til it Happens to You, although not written about her recent revelation on social media that she has Fibromyalgia (FMS), could aptly describe her experience of living with it. The condition is giving her such “severe physical pain that it has impacted her ability to perform” so she has had to cancel her European tour due to begin next week. FMS is a chronic condition that causes pain and swelling in points all over the body. It is hard to diagnose and tr

We have guide dogs, hearing dogs and now allergy dogs. We are all too aware how life-changing guide dogs and hearing dogs can be for their owners giving them their freedom and independence. Six year old boy, Mason, who has suffered thousands of allergic reactions, even anaphlayatic reactions that have been life threatening, is about to have his own ‘guardian’ in the shape of a Golden Retriever called Storm. Storm is being trained to detect changes in Mason that are a sign he

An allergy to peanuts is recognised as one of the most severe food allergies due to its prevalence, persistency and potential severity of allergic reaction which can result in anaphylaxis. The principle treatment at the moment is the use of an Epipen injection which must be carried at all times. However, Australian researchers have carried out a small clinical trial which has seen positive results in 82% of the children on the trial who had received the immunotherapy treatmen

A number of British allergy specialists were recently asked to share their views on allergy, its management and any optional measures to prevent it. Their views have been published in the magazine of Champneys, a group of health resorts well known for promoting healthy living. It is quite clear that, whilst a number of safe and effective methods of prevention of allergies exists, only a fraction of doctors in the UK know of them, recommend them or use them. Read Champneys art

I must have seen at least 10 studies in the last two years that extol the virtues of eating lots of salads, vegetables, olive oil and fish, excluding most other common foods in order to reduce the risk of dementia or improve mental faculties, when Alzheimer's has been diagnosed. In a way this is not as extra-ordinary as it sounds: similar diets have been proven effective in reversing several so-called "auto-immune" diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, Crohn's dis