As we leave 2013.....

So with Christmas gone and the last of the celebrations of the year ahead of us here, what a great time to think of the year ahead and what we can take with us from the last year.

As I sit here with Daisy the beagle curled up and my lovely son opposite typing away also, studying for his first Oxford exams, It brings home to me how very lucky we are. No matter how we might think our life is tough in parts and precarious at times, we sit here in safety and with those that matter most to me in good heath.

You look around the world and see the destruction and suppression, hunger and cruelty, and it is but a stones throw from any of us. This time of year, the TV is full of appeals for money to save a child's life, to improve the health of others, to improve the life of animals, to prevent cruelty, to provide shelter etc.

It is impossible to give to all and even throwing money at these problems doesn't seem to be enough. We have these same problems decade after decade and who creates them - man himself of course.  These are not problems inflicted by an outside force, but by the very decisions taken at every turn.  If we are still facing the same problems in the 21st Century, then we really need to wake up.

All of us, I believe, have an inbuilt sense of what is right or wrong. We are never taught how to feel, so even if nurture plays a part, nature is there also and we learn a lot by how we feel. Empathy. We all know when greed and exploitation are our motive. We know when we are acting out of revenge and anger or doing an act of kindness.

Neglect of children and cruelty towards them is inexcusable. What defence can there be. It is not gifts that children need but the consistent love and protection of the very guardians/parents that have chosen to have this child.  As adults we have the advantage of knowing the difficulties children face and how scary the world can seem to them, we have been there, they are yet to be adults and what sort of adults do we hope they become? Children are not just the responsibility of parents or guardians, we are all responsible for raising the next generation. What sort of example are we?

All around is excess in possessions and this can breed greed,envy & dissatisfaction. Imagine if this was an excess of pure love, the gap wouldn't need filling with gifts and to aspire to greater love has got to be better than aspiring to have more collateral in what ever form that collateral takes.

The way a nation treats it's animals is indeed a mark of its civility. They are a test of our innate knowing of right or wrong.  I read an horrific story this morning of a couple who tied there dog upside down as a punishment. The dog was so distressed and disturbed, it had to be put down. In what mind would inflicting pain and cruelty onto any animal be considered ok? This is not just our pets of course, and after all, you don't have to have a pet, but it is also the way we treat livestock in our food supply.

Those that campaign for animal welfare do a superb job highlighting the world wide problems with the way we treat animals destined for our table. Surely the meat we want to eat we would rather had been fed well, treated well in life and at the time of death. I'm not promoting vegetarianism, but rightful respect for all life.

Then there are those that have an eye to our environment and put themselves at risk because they care so passionately about saving the planet. The very home in which we all rely, but seem to turn a blind eye when it is being stripped of all that we need to survive. These people deserve our support and not viewed as battling hopeless causes - without their actions, we could be in a much worse state. They are not afraid to take on the corporations and neither are they doing it for their own satisfaction, but for the generations they and us are yet to meet and beyond. For an outcome they may not see materialise in their lifetime, but out of sheer love of the planet. Greenpeace of course are the biggest movement in this and we all owe them more than we might ever realise.

Exploitation on many levels leads to poverty. Stripping assets, resources, taking possession, invasion - and what for?  Exploitation at the hands of governments, corporations, and on a local scale, unscrupulous beings.

2014 I guess is not going to be the year to take your eyes of the likes of Monsanto and the likes of Bayer, GSK, Merck, as they struggle to keep the reins of power and exploitation in their hands

How to gain at the expense of others, cruelty, domination and neglect of care to those around us, whether we know them or not.

What if 2014 saw the reverse of this,  when faced with the decision of cruelty or kindness, the option was always kindness. What if tolerance over intolerance, what if mutual support triumphed over domination and what is we stopped with our constant need to have more stuff.

It is never too late to have a new paradigm. Nature has a way of winning over in the end and she doesn't care how she does it - better we work with her than against her.
If in the process of continuing to live as we do, we wipe ourselves out - she isn't going to care. Nature doesn't favour one species over another. We are all here at her tolerance.

So when a festive season comes round that has no need for appeals to mop up our disgraces to each other, that really would be one to celebrate and the quicker that time comes the better.

To quote the philosopher, Edmund Burke 1729-1797

'Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could only do a little'

To Vaccinate or Not to Vaccinate - Find out more on vaccinations and make an informed choice.

To vaccinate or not to vaccinate perhaps ought to be the question that all parents ask themselves. But many do not, many just assume that whatever the vaccine schedule for their country is, they follow it, after all, it is the medical profession that are administering it so it must be ok then?

Well in the short term the majority of children seem fine, some do not though and parents notice changes in behaviour and ability after the vaccinations. In the long term....well are we swapping harmless childhood illnesses for more chronic conditions in later life. Rises in chronic conditions and autoimmune problems could be a knock on effect of vaccination.

By-passing the natural route for immunity could be causing problems in our health in later life. Immunity from vaccination is not permanent and having childhood illnesses in childhood is far safer than having them later in life when they can give rise to more complex experiences.

Do we really need to be so afraid of childhood illnesses, after all, long before the vast amount of vaccinations our children are now subjected to, our parents had to look after us and manage our illness. The vast amount of children survived these illnesses with no problems, managing a fever, good nutrition, rest are all ways of supporting a body as it fights infection.

Isn't it odd that childhood illnesses are never given a high profile as a problem until a vaccine is there, then suddenly the media are declaring a mild childhood illness as a 'killer' disease.

Well parents have a difficult decision in the original question of vaccinate or not if they don't have the facts or the other side of the vaccine story, or perhaps don't know just what they can do if their child gets an illness.

There are 2 talks coming up which might just help. They are London UK based and will be held at the College of Natural Medicine.  Details below

http://www.naturopathy-uk.com/events/events-special-uk/

Vaccination - The Question
CNM London

Dr. Jayne Donegan

Date:	Monday 27th January 2014
Time:	6.30pm - 8.30pm (Please aim to arrive by 6.15pm)
Location:	CNM London
Tickets:	£10 per person

Dr. Jayne Donegan, GP & Homoeopath, was a former strong supporter of the UK’s Universal Childhood Vaccination Programme, but her subsequent research led her to change her opinion. In this seminar Dr Donegan will address:

• Factors key to historic decreases in deaths from childhood diseases
• Efficacy of common childhood vaccinations

• Safety risks versus benefits of modern vaccinations
• How government & pharmaceutical companies manage vaccine data
• What historical evidence tells us about protecting children’s health today

MMR – Which is better: The Disease or the Vaccine?
CNM London

Dr. Jayne Donegan

Date:	Monday 2nd June 2014
Time:	6.30pm - 8.30pm (Please aim to arrive by 6.15pm)
Location:	CNM London
Tickets:	£10 per person

GP & Homeopath, Dr Jayne Donegan will look at the normal course of Mumps, Measles and Rubella, and what parents fear most about these diseases. She will look at what the vaccine does, and take a brief look at 'Germ Theory of Disease' and its pitfalls versus the Holistic Model of Disease. She will also cover basic strategies which will help parents to cope with any acute childhood illness or infection.

There will be an opportunity for questions.

Call 01342 410 505 or email info@naturopathy-uk.com for further information.

Location Map (opens in new window)

Interview with Patricia Peat - Cancer Options. (link)

Great link below to an interview with Patricia Peat from Cancer Options

http://naturalhealthradio.co.uk/keith-hern-13-sept-talks-with-patricia-peat/

Patricia has featured in some of my past blogs and really leads the way in integrative oncology treatments.

Enjoy!

Another use for Statins?

I'm sure the makers of the wonder drug 'statins' must be clapping their hands as it now seems that not only can it reduce your cholesterol but apparently it could have the possibility to prevent cancer.......

Reported on the BBC website, it suggests that a by-product of cholesterol can fuel the growth and spread of breast cancer.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-25142026

As you read through the story it really comes back to the fact that obesity can be a  factor in breast cancer and other cancers, which probably everyone knows, and that is due to the fat producing hormones such as oetroegen which in higher levels, can increase the risk of certain cancers.  

So taking statins are not the answer to losing weight though. High cholesterol is not only related to weight of course nor is it always related to food. 

There are suggestions that there is a link between statin use and heart attacks due to the decrease of the CO Q10 enzyme through the taking of statins.  So how fortuitous for the makers to have this discovery.....Of course it is one of those headline grabbing stories that when you read it, it is a very small study so far and in its infancy, but this is a drug that is out there and if anyone was considering not taking it for the original reason it was prescribed for them, now they might be persuaded to keep taking it for a different reason, but one yet totally not proven and a result that can be achieved without a drug.

Far better if these stories came up only when all tests are done and proven in its effectiveness plus all trials which didn't come out favourable were published also - All trials!

Perhaps cholesterol isn't the problem but what we should be investigating is the cause of the problem that requires the body to use it. Fix that and no reliance on a drug.

It is interesting though, that our bodies make and recycle cholesterol - it wouldn't do that if it wasn't crucial in our survival. Weight gain seems to be one of the factors for increasing cancer, but that's down to us as individuals in what we eat.  Our high sugar content in our diet has more of an impact on our obesity and hence may be increasing our risk of cancers.  Is the answer really in a pill?  If we do develop an illness, the conditions that brought about that need to change or the ground is still the same and the same growth can occur. So it comes back to what we do and not what pill we take. Pity that study is never done!  but no money in that medicine.