Naturality News 2008


January 2008
 
How to avoid the 'FLU this Winter 

I do not believe in the collective wisdom of individual ignorance.

Thomas Carlyle : Scottish essayist, historian & philosopher
Thomas Carlyle (1795 - 1881)
 
I love it when people "get it".
 
Just yesterday I was having lunch in a Berkhamsted cafe and one of the waitresses proudly volunteered the fact that she hasn't had the 'flu for 3 years, while family and work colleagues were dropping like flies.
 
Now if you believe popular opinion, this woman must be "lucky" since "everyone knows" that 'flu is caused by a virus and there is nothing you can do to prevent it.
 
But this woman doesn't think she's lucky. She became a vegan 3 years ago and is sure that this is what has made her more immune from 'flu than everyone else. She understands that good health is much more about good management than good luck.
 
I don't like to believe in luck. Believing in luck makes us victims of circumstance, powerless to control our own destiny. I reluctantly accept a degree of uncertainty. There may be forces acting outside our control or knowledge that we cannot predict or escape ("shit happens") but generally I find that with healthcare we can stack the dice in our favour.
 
What you do to prevent 'flu depends on what you believe causes it.
 
If you want to be medially scientific about 'flu, then before you can presume a virus caused it, you have to find the virus and culture it. Do we do this? Not usually. 
 
'Flu is usually caused by an elimination failure. Imagine what would happen if all garbage collection ceased in your area for a month. The rubbish would start to pile up and soon flies and maggots (the "bugs") would appear.
 
What are you going to do? Spray the rotting garbage with antibiotics, or dispose of it properly? It's your call.
 
So why is January the peak of the 'flu season?
 
Food. Christmas celebrations are wonderful but exactly how much did you eat and drink?
 
Sugar, fat and alcohol are not "natures bounty". In fact, they are almost a guarantee of illness. Although I'll resist the urge to demonstrate, I could have a full-blown case of the 'flu by next Tuesday if I wanted to.
 
How? A couple of milkshakes and an ice-cream would do it for me. Add to that custard, Christmas pudding and a cheesecake and I would be history for a week.
 
Fortunately, because I have proved this often enough in the past, I don't do it an more and I stay 'flu-free.
 
But I'm not perfect. I had "too much" over Christmas, so now it's time to repent and get back on track. What I'm aiming for is a "safety-margin," a buffer between health and illness that means I can break the rules occasionally without suffering any consequences.
 
You don't have to be a vegan to avoid flu, you just need a few sensible strategies. 
 
The first thing I do is finish or throw away any bad foods left over. I find resisting chocolate or biscuits is much harder when they're in front of me every time I go to the cupboard. 
 
Then I just do the opposite of what I was doing.
 
  1. Increase fresh, raw food content to at least 50% of every meal. Lots of raw vegetables (cucumbers, celery and carrots are tremendous detoxifiers) and raw fruits (berries, apples and oranges). Never mind the "5 a day" programme, research is telling us we need closer to 9-10 servings of fruit and veg per day to be healthy.
  2. Juicing at least once per day of raw fruit and veges
  3. No dairy products - milk, cheese, chocolate, ice cream, custard, cream and yoghurt are all extremely difficult to eliminate and will eventually come out as a cold or flu.
  4. Avoid sugars and starches - these put weight on and sap your long-term energy by putting demands on your blood-sugar control mechanism.
  5. Try Lemon and ginger tea - a couple of slices of lemon and raw ginger in hot water first thing in the morning is a great start to a healthy day.
  6. Avoid cereals and grains - yes, even porridge if you want to give your digestive system a break.
If you're really feeling under-the-weather, you might even consider water or juice fasting for a day or two just to give yourself a chance. Better to do it now, rather than be forced into it by a rotten illness.
 
I really hope you have a happy and healthy 2008 and that you check in on us either through our newsletter, where we will continue to bring you practical tips to be healthy you won't find anywhere else, or a regular checkup to make sure that you are as healthy as you would like to be.
 
Simon King and the Team
Finding another way. 
   
 
 


Fluorescent Lights Again
Back in February 2007, I wrote in the newsletter about how I was reminded of the hazards of Fluorescent lighting. http://www.naturality.org.uk/News/feb%202007.html.
 
Here is the article:

While teaching a seminar on adrenal stress recently I found one of the chiropractors on the course was failing on every muscle test, especially ones associated with his adrenal function. Normally such individuals feel weak, run-down, tearful and unable to cope with stress. Not this guy. He was big, strong, robust. Something didn't make sense.

Eventually we turned off the fluorescent lights and bingo, all his weakness went away. WOW. We repeated the experiment many times on different individuals, only 10% seemed able to function normally under fluorescent lighting.

Back in my office, I noticed that the low-energy bulbs I had installed at great expense were, in fact, fluorescent. It's amazing how much more I get done now that I leave them switched off. I will be changing them back to halogen very soon.
 
12 months later, the media is starting to catch up: 


Why is Milk Bad for you?
There are a load of good reasons for avoiding milk and none for taking it and yet it is probably the health step that is most difficult for most people because it means challenging an orthodoxy that has been drummed into us by family, schools, government, advertising and society since we were born.
 
The only cure for a faulty belief system is loads of good information and common sense.
 
I remember trying to test the strength of a couple of brothers in rural Nottinghamshire several years ago when I practised there. Because I have assessed muscle strength more than 100,000 times over 20 years, extraordinary strength sticks in my memory. What was different about these brothers aged 15 and 13 is that they were more than a match for me, no matter how much leverage I used. They would just throw me around the treatment room without an effort at all.
 
When I first saw them, their father owned a dairy herd. A few years later (ironically because of the poor state fo dairy farming), he sold the herd. Within 6 months of them drinking ordinary (pasteurised) milk, they were as "strong" (read weak) as everyone else.
 
If you don't really understand what pasteurisation and homogenisation does to milk, I suggest you watch this video.
 
I don't actually advocate raw milk. Most of us have lost the enzymes we need to digest it, but if we have it from birth, it is definitely a healthier alternative to pasteurised milk.
 
For more on the hazards of milk, check out www.notmilk.com
 
Need some inspiration for your New Years Goals? 
 
All of us at Naturality wish you every success, health and happiness for 2008.
 
Simon King
Clinic Director
Free Treatment
Congratulations to the dozen or so people who were quick off the mark and referred a friend last month. They all received a free visit - quite handy over Christmas.
 
You still have until Jan 31st to take advantage of this very limited special offer. Refer a new patient to Simon King and we will give you credit for a visit you can use up until the end of February 2008. 
 
 
 
Do you have any questions for the newsletter? Any subjects or topics you would like to see covered? Feel free to send comments or questions to simon@naturality.org.uk 
 
 
 


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