The Blueberry Clinic: mothers

Showing posts with label mothers. Show all posts

Friday, 8 July 2011

The Healing Instinct - Massage Therapy

We humans really do have great instincts. Ok, so we might not listen to them the whole time – or perhaps even be able to hear them for that matter. But they’re there.

Think about the last time you banged your head. The chances are, without even thinking about it, you raised your arm, brought your hand to your head, and gave it a good rub. Or recall a time you’ve comforted a friend in need – you probably touched them, right?

In these acute circumstances of physical or emotional pain, it’s as though we’re genetically programmed to touch. It must have proven a valuable trick over a few hundred thousand years. But outside of these instances of acute trauma, when we’re really forced to it, how often have you used touch to comfort and heal?

Now more than ever, if we want to enjoy good health in body and mind, we need to be aware of cumulative or chronic trauma. Physical stress is an obvious example of cumulative trauma but there’s so much more than that slowly taking its toll on our quality of life. We have to deal with ever increasing demands from work; financial concerns; finding time for family and leisure; environmental stress such as pollution and crowding... all of these mild stresses build up and eventually the body or mind will display the symptoms of illness.

Doesn’t it seem intuitive to soothe this trauma in the same way you would acute pain – using touch? Do you really have to let it reach boiling point – injury or illness – before you take some remedial action?

The kind of massage we practice at The Blueberry Clinic, Petersfield, has been designed to soothe cumulative or acute trauma and stress. While many look at massage as a luxuary treatment or simple relaxation, there is a great deal more to Holistic Massage Therapy – in fact, we consider the massage we do at The Blueberry Clinic to be essential preventative health treatment.

There is not a single system within the body that hasn’t been shown to benefit from good massage – the nervous system, the immune system, the cardio-vascular system, the endocrine system, the lymphatic system, the digestive and urinary systems, obviously the muscular and skeletal systems, the respiratory system – massage has the potential to heal all of these. And if all of those are functioning well, the chances are you are going to be enjoying really excellent health in body and mind.

But the massage offered at The Blueberry Clinic - Holistic Massage Therapy - goes further than that. We all know about the benefits of meditation. Well, we don’t all know because science is slowly catching up with intuition but the point is, it’s extremely good for you. Good Holistic Massage Therapy can be considered a spiritual therapy as well as physical insofar as it will induce a deep meditative state. An hour spent being healed by a trained professional – with an instinct for healing – will take you into a state of relaxation so hard to come by in a world of distraction. Pure focus – you, your body, and the power of touch. It will clear your mind allowing you to be truly peaceful. You won’t even be thinking about it at the time but when your massage is over and it comes time to rejoin the world, you will know where you’ve been. If this isn’t an essential preventative measure for health, then nothing is.

The potential that Holistic Massage Therapy from The Blueberry Clinic in Petersfield, Hampshire, holds for you and your health and quality of life is profound. For more information or to make a booking and take a step toward the health that you deserve, visit www.theblueberryclinic.co.uk

info@theblueberryclinic.co.uk
www.theblueberryclinic.co.uk
© Joe Summerfield 2011

Friday, 10 June 2011

GM Leaving A Nasty Taste?

As a new study published in May casts new doubts over the safety of introducing GMO's into the food chain we ask "can it be stopped?"

Genetically modified crops have been engineered to contain a Bt toxin that causes the stomachs of would-be pests to split open, killing them. A built-in pesticide. The official line from industry and regulators alike has been that the toxin is destroyed in human digestion and that even if it did survive, it wouldn't be a problem.

The Study

Perhaps not as surprising as it should be, new research from Quebec, published in the peer reviewed journal Reproductive Toxicology in May 2011, indicates that the toxin not only survives digestion, but enters the blood stream. Further, they found that it is passed to foetuses. (The study included tests for two other herbicides - you can find details in the footnote).

Although there have always been concerns about the toxicity and potential allergenicity of Bt proteins - and reports of adverse reactions to the natural form as a spray have been well documented - the toxin in question is approved by the EU, and the UK's Food Standards Agency followed suit.

This new research clearly calls in to question the validity of the risk-assessment of GMO's - their effect on the environment, on humans (long-term, cumulative, and inter-generational effects), and the political and economic implications of the patents being given that monopolise control of the world's genetic resources for food farming.

What Are They Doing?

For thousands of years, farmers and plant breeders have used selective breeding to improve things like yield, size, taste, resistance to disease and so on. The GM lobby often claims that what they do is no different. This is a mis-representation. Genetic modification involves taking foreign DNA or transgenes from several different species, creating a package and then inserting it into the target organism. The transgenetic package typically consists of genes from a virus, a bacteria, and either a plant and/or an animal.

Some of the "successes" these experiments have turned out are:

Crops that contain built-in pesticidal bacteria
Crops that are compatible with spray-pesticides so that otherwise deadly quantities can be used without causing damage (to the crops, anyway...)
Potatoes that contain DNA from spiders, to produce artificial silk;
Fruits that contain DNA from flounder fish to provide greater frost resistance
Soy beans that contain Omega-3 fats
Corn that contains genes that weigh sperm down, to be used as contraceptive
Cows that contain human DNA so that they can produce human breastmilk

This would clearly never happen in nature, and even the people that do these experiments don't truly understand the ways in which genes interact with one another. The trouble is, living organisms, plants and animals are not like cars where you can chop and change parts. The natural world is a delicate and balanced ecosystem comprised of delicate and balanced ecosystems. Once these changes are made, they are forever a part of our ecology.

In addition to this new study, GM produce has been linked to organ disruption, infertility, allergies, and super-bugs (references can be provided). While it's beyond the scope of this article to discuss the wide-ranging potential dangers of GM crops (it's a big subject - have a look at Further Reading), it's clear that the regulators are happy to use us and the environment as guinea pigs, without any kind of consent. Billions of people are consuming GM produce every day and GM crops are contaminating non-GM crops.

The Situation Here

It's only the refusal of shoppers to buy GM in the late 1990's (after GM foods were introduced without consultation or labelling) that has kept us from following in the steps of the USA. Yet our Government has already given the go-ahead for the commercial growing of GM maize in the UK and consistently votes in favour of the approval of new GM products at the European Union. Again, once these products get into the food chain, and once they contaminate non-GM crops, there is simply no going back.

It's also worth noting that the present Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is Caroline Spelman. Something we should all be very aware of - beyond her part in the expenses scandal wherein she wrongly claimed £40,000 in cleaning and bills, hundreds for council tax and two year's employment of a nanny - is that she and her husband co-own a lobbying firm for the food and biotechnology industry. (Her husband's other job is as senior executive at the global outsourcing firm Accenture, which is involved in the operation of the much-criticised 'farm payments scheme').

The Bottom Line

Those of us in the UK should seriously consider becoming proactive now if we want to keep GMO's out of the foodchain to protect ourselves and future generations. This is big, dirty business and nobody is going to protect our interests for us. If you'd like to learn more, we recommend a few websites in Further Reading. We'd encourage you to forward this information on, to write to your MP, and to remain vigilant as the biotech agenda progresses.

Further Reading

GM Freeze - a not-for-profit company campaigning for a freeze on growth, import and patents of GMO's, their website features lots of great information, press releases, legal news, sample letters and so on.

Who Benefits From GM Crops? - GM crops can feed the world! Will they? Is that what they're for? This link will take you to a fascinating report by Friends Of The Earth International.

Video coverage of the Wikileaks leaked cable wherein France's decision to ban GM corn was reacted to with the order to cause the E.U "some pain".

Stop GM - a nicely presented website with a wealth of information on the GM issue.

The Institute For Responsible Technology - their website contains lots of good information, including the blog of Jeffrey Smith, a leading consumer advocate, who has written some very good articles on the subject of GMO's.

The Permaculture Association - after all the reading about what's wrong with GMO's you may be wondering what we would suggest the future of farming could be. Permaculture is an ingenuitive agricultural system that takes its principles from the natural world. Find out more!

5 Reasons Not To Eat GM - a summary article from the Health Freedom Alliance, with video link.

Footnote:

The researchers also looked for, and found, two herbicides used on GM herbicide tolerant crops in blood samples. Glyphosate is used on Monsanto Roundup Ready (RR) crops and Glufosinate on Bayer's Liberty Link (LL) crops. Both were found in the non-pregnant women, as was glufosinate's metabolite 3-MMPA. The researchers did not speculate about potential health impacts, as this was beyond the scope of their study, although concerns about the safety of both weed killers have been repeatedly raised by other scientists since their use on GM crops has increased their use.

Use of glyphosate in South America and the US has escalated dramatically since GM crops were approved in the mid 1990s, despite the assurances from the GM industry that the intention of the crops is to reduce pesticide use.

Safety concerns about both products have been growing since the introduction of GM herbicide tolerant crops, including links to Parkinson's disease and cancer in the case of glyphosate. The maximum permitted residue level for crops directly sprayed with glyphosate, such at GM HT crops, were raised over 200 tines in the 1990's.

Friday, 3 June 2011

Drug Trials for Obese Mothers - A Sign Of The Times?

We pick up on a news item from last week which seems to illustrate perfectly a healthcare culture that's headed down the wrong path.

Last week it was reported by the BBC and the Telegraph that a three-year study would soon be launched to investigate whether giving obese mums-to-be the diabetes drug Metformin would reduce incidence of oversized babies.

Patients of hospitals in Liverpool, Coventry and Edinburgh will be given the drug to control the food supply to their unborn babies. A total of 400 women will be involved in the study. Leading the trial, senior lecturer in obstetrics, Dr Andrew Weeks, said: "It is about trying to improve outcomes in pregnancy for women who are overweight."

Does This Sound Right?

It's hard to know where to start. First of all, the pharmaceutical approach assumes that the body does not have the capability to be healthy. As though somehow the body is, in this case, suffering from a deficiency of Metformin. Secondly, no matter how confidently any party linked with the sale or distribution of these drugs might reassure that there are no (or few) side effects or risks, there are side effects and risks - both known, unknown... and known but not shared (studies often have links to manufacturers of drugs and even then the results are reported selectively[i]).

Anybody suggesting the use of drugs in pregnancy should, in our opinion, be particularly careful. Thalidomide was once considered safe. The question of risk is even more difficult to address with certainty when it comes to long-term effects of new drugs (or new uses of old drugs). The companies that make the drugs are protected from liability so it's down to you to do your research and to listen to your instincts - whatever the result of any course of action, the onus will always fall on you.

Aside from the pharmaceuticals debate, this study is yet another disturbing display of wrong-headed "healthcare". Jane Norman, Professor of Maternal and Foetal Health at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary and the University of Edinburgh, and a representative of the pregnancy charity Tommy's, said: "Research has shown that babies born to obese mothers are at increased risk of complications in later life." People who are overweight or obese have a higher risk of heart disease, liver disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and cancer. But in her statement, Norman seems to imply a causal relationship between the girth of a mother and complications for the child later in life. This is a fallacy. While the non-distinction of causal from correlative facts may win headlines, one might expect a professor to appreciate the difference. Even if a causal relationship were to exist, Metformin has not been found to be effective in adult weight loss[ii].

So What Is The Issue?

In our experience, people who are obese tend to also be malnourished. Simple calorie restriction isn't the answer here. There is so much confusing and daunting information about what constitutes a good diet that it can be difficult to know what to eat. Food marketers misinform consumers and persuade toward convenient food alternatives, usually laden with cheap, low quality ingredients and additives. By eating these foods, we end up wrecking our digestion (developing absorption problems and food sensitivities) and our insulin sensitivity. As the body becomes less capable of dealing with the nutrients that the diet does not provide anyway, it craves more food. The kinds of foods craved are processed, sugary, starchy foods - instant energy - which cause more health troubles. Many people who find themselves in this position end up on medication, which can further impede the body's natural ability to function (given the right conditions).

This is a vicious cycle and is, in our opinion, the cause of "the increased risk of complications later in life". At its root is a lack of any meaningful support. Without this support, the bad information, the malnutrition and the digestive problems are passed from parents to children. This is a key cause of the high rates of childhood obesity, diabetes, digestive disorders, ADHD and behavioural and learning difficulties that plague our society. Of course, children suffering from these kinds of challenges are offered more drugs as a solution. This cycle generates huge profits at the cost of us as individuals and as a society.

The Bottom Line

It's not easy for a person who has become obese and malnourished - and truly addicted to low quality food - to repair their system. It is perfectly possible though, providing that there is proper support. The cycle is then broken and good information and habits can be passed on.

It's unfortunate that the level of care, attention and patient support that this kind of treatment takes seemingly cannot be provided by the National Health Service. While the proverb tells us that prevention is the best cure, the rocketing cost of NHS prescriptions of over £8.5bn per year suggests that there may be headed in the wrong direction.

[i] Opening up data at the European Medicines Agency, Professor Peter C Gøtzsche, May 2011

[ii] Insulin Resistance and the use of Metformin: Effects on Body Weight, Ruchi Mathur, MD, FRCPC, January 2011