The Natural Health Controversy and Food Safety

The Natural Health Controversy and Food Safety

The Natural Health Controversy is something that’s not likely to be settled any time soon. The interest in complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has increased during the past decade and the general public is mainly in favour of it.

However the debate about the clinical effectiveness of these therapies remains controversial among many medical professionals and scientists.

Some mainstream doctors embrace and make use of CAM (complementary and alternative medicine), while other professionals dispute their efficacy. Other medical professionals and scientists believe that they’re dangerous, or laughable or, even worse, criminal.

Examples of complementary and alternative therapies include:

• Homeopathy
• Acupuncture
• Osteopathy
• Chiropractic
• Herbal medicines
• Ayurveda.

CAM and Evidence-Based Medicine

One of the biggest differences between CAM and conventional medicine, and the basis of much of the controversy, is the evidence, or lack thereof, that CAM actually works to improve a patient's well-being.

Conventional medicine makes recommendations to patients based on evidence collected through clinical trials and other research done on pharmaceutical drugs.

Many of these drugs treat the symptoms rather than the cause of the disease, whereas CAM always tries to get to the root of the problem, usually by looking at the mind-body connection.

Pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers spend vast amounts to prove that their drug or device works, so that they can get approval from the relevant authorities to sell their drug or device. Even research being done in non-profit organisations such as universities and academic medical centres is mostly being carried out through grants and foundations supported by for-profit companies.

There is, however, practically no research carried out on alternative or complementary therapies. This leads many to think that these therapies don’t work, but that's not necessarily the case. It's just a matter of the research not having been done.

Natural Health Controversy and the Discrepancy in Research

Much of the evidence that we rely on for complementary and alternative medicine is anecdotal evidence.

If one person finds a therapy that works, he or she will tell others about it and so the word will be passed on.

I, for instance, have had a lot of success with craniosacral therapy (CST) and have told many people about it who have visited the same therapist with similar results.

According to their website, ‘CST is a gentle but potent way of working with the body using a light touch. It supports your body’s innate ability to balance, restore and heal itself as well as helping to reduce stress and build underlying energy. It is suitable for everyone, from newly-born babies to the elderly.’

Quackwatch and The Natural Health Controversy

I can just imagine what the scientists, conventional medical doctors and the writers at Quackwatch.com might think about that statement! Well, the answer is that I don’t really care if they think that it’s quackery or not. After suffering with migraines for about 30 years I found relief after visiting a craniosacral therapist for only a few times. I still go back every so often for a treatment and will forever be grateful to that therapist.

Cannabis Oil As a Therapy

Another area, where to date, there has been only anecdotal evidence, is the treatment of seizures in children with severe epilepsy with cannabis-based medications.

Parents of affected children, who have managed to obtain treatment with medical cannabis, often at great cost and in fear of breaking the law, swear by the treatment.

There are some 20,000 children with similar conditions that have not been granted access to the medication on the NHS, despite the fact that they do not respond to the usual medication prescribed by the NHS.

Now a new study in the journal Frontiers in Neurology reveals that the drug can significantly reduce the rate of, and even eliminate, convulsions altogether in many cases. You can read the full story on iflscience.com.

Let’s hope the government and the NHS listen to these parents and assist them rather sooner than later. The question is, why has it taken such a long time for some research to be carried out?

Problems that Have Held Back Research into Complementary therapies

According to Cancer Research UK, there are many problems that have held back research into complementary therapies. These are:

• Getting research funding
• Designing appropriate clinical trials
• Getting the most appropriate people to develop research into CAMs
• Time for medical doctors and complementary therapists to work closely together on research
• A lack of complementary therapists with research experience and knowledge
• Finding a control group to take part in trials.

I suspect that the issue of money is really the only one to consider, but time will tell.

Until money is invested in the research of CAM therapies, nobody can say for sure whether they work or not, and we’ll just have to rely on anecdotal evidence.

Nutrition as an Alternative Therapy

Many proponents of complementary and alternative medicine believe that the food that you eat can treat disease and help you reach optimal health.

As a health coach, I focus on how diet and lifestyle contribute to your wellbeing. In particular, I am concerned about how processed food affects your health and would like to see clients moving towards a diet of fresh, whole foods and minimising processed foods.

Most processed foods contain additives, and this is a very controversial subject. Scientists, food technologists and manufacturers insist that food additives are required to keep your food safe and looking good, and that they don’t cause any harm. The health advocates, on the other hand, believe that they’re extremely dangerous and can affect your health negatively. They maintain that they cause cancer and a myriad of other diseases.

Food Agencies that Make Recommendations Regarding Food Safety

Then you have all the food agencies that make recommendations regarding the safety of food, such as:

• European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)
• Food Standards Agency (FSA)
• The US Food and Drug Administration
• Canadian Food Inspection Agency
• Food Standards Australia New Zealand.

These are but a few of the agencies out there that control what happens to your food, but the question is: are they doing a good job?

To answer this I would say that we need to consider some of the problems in the food industry that are somehow ignored.

There have been many over the years throughout the world, but one article that I would like to highlight is written by Joanna Blythman and looks at the Food Standards Agency. This article covers the scandal over the contamination of beef products with horsemeat and, in some cases, pork.

She’s highly critical of the FSA: ‘It was meant to be a watchdog defending consumer interests but it seems to have had an unduly cosy relationship with the food companies, bio-tech companies and large retailers ever since it was created.’ She said it always appeared to treat campaign groups – such as those opposed to genetically modified (GM) foods – as a ‘lunatic fringe’.

20% of Serious Food Safely Violations Ignored

Another article from the Washington Post titled ‘20 percent of serious food safety violations go ignored’ also leads me to become quite alarmed by these agencies and the powers that they have. I really do wonder sometimes if they have our best interests at heart.

When looking at any of the agencies and foundations, you always need to look at who’s paying them. Often you find that it’s the very people who they’re supposed to be policing.

An article in the Independent, and also appearing in the British Medical Journal, states that ‘One of Britain's most influential institutions on diet and health has come under fire over its close links with the food industry.’

The foundation they’re talking about is The British Nutrition Foundation, which was established more than 40 years ago and advises the Government, schools, industry, health professionals and the public.

However, the organisation's 39 members, which contribute to its funding, include:

• Cadbury
• Kellogg's
• Northern Foods
• McDonald's
• Pizza Express
• The main supermarket chains (excluding Tesco)
• Producer bodies such as the Potato Council.

Admittedly this is a fairly old article and, although the council defended their position, I couldn’t find an update. I can tell you from experience, though, that many of these councils are funded by big business.

The Natural Health Controversy and The American Council on Science and Health

The American Council on Science and Health defends fracking, BPA, and pesticides. Read the full article here to find out who their funders are:

• Chevron
• Coca-Cola
• Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation
• Dr Pepper/Snapple
• Bayer Cropscience
• Procter and Gamble
• Syngenta (agri-business giant)
• 3M 
• McDonald’s
• Altria (tobacco conglomerate).

There is no doubt food companies have a history of funding biased research to support their products. The Guardian took a look at a few examples.

The Natural Health Controversy and Food Safety

As you can imagine, this makes the natural health controversy and food safety extremely difficult to research as, for each article against a particular product, you’ll find someone that works for the council or for a food manufacturer who will defend it.

So I turn to people that I respect in the natural health industry and there you’ll find many that are against the way your food is being treated. I have given a short bio of a few below:

Sayer Ji

Sayer Ji is a widely recognised researcher, author, and lecturer and weighs in on the natuarl health controversy. He’s an advisory-board member of the National Health Federation, and the founder of the world's most widely referenced, evidence-based natural health resource of its kind, Greenmedinfo.com.

Dr Axe

Dr Axe founded the website DrAxe.com, which is one of the top natural health websites in the world today. Its main topics include nutrition, natural medicine, fitness, healthy recipes and trending health news.

Andrew Weil MD

Andrew Weil MD is a world-renowned leader and pioneer in the field of integrative medicine. Combining a Harvard education and a lifetime of practising natural medicine, Dr Weil is the founder and director of the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona.

Dr John Douillard DC, CAP

Dr John Douillard DC, CAP is an American doctor in natural health, Ayurveda, and sports medicine. He is also an author, writer and entrepreneur. In 2010 he started LifeSpa.com. He is a frequent writer and has written six books and been featured in multiple large publications.

All Branded as Crackpots

Incidentally, all these people are branded crackpots, quacks and loonies by various sites that make a habit of rubbishing anyone that bucks the system.

Processed foods are engineered to have a long shelf life and a combination of ingredients that get you hooked.

They make you over-eat because they’re full of refined carbohydrates, added sugars and fat that appeal to your palate but lack fibre, protein, vitamins and other important nutrients.

There is evidence that these foods cause rapid weight gain and have other detrimental health effects, so I have written an e-book that discusses the natural health controversy in more detail, and provides all the information that you need. It is free and can be downloaded here.

Processed foods often state that they've had certain nutrients added, but you have to ask yourself why this is necessary. Do you perhaps think that these nutrients were destroyed in the manufacture of these foods?

By cutting down on processed foods and following a healthy and balanced diet you'll get all the vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that you need to prevent disease and keep you young.

In addition, using the best cooking and food storage methods will help preserve the nutrients and you will see that, if only the natural health controversy could be settled, we would all be a lot healthier.