The Story of the Princess Yin and the Prince Yang:

"Once long, long ago there lived in the Imperial City a beautiful princess, the daughter of the King. Her eyes were almond shaped and so gently coloured. Her fair hair swept down her back in cascades. As a lady of the court, her demeanour was regal, yet she knew full well to avert her gaze when people other than her immediate family came into her presence. Many looked on her with wonder and whispered about whom the courtiers would choose for her in marriage. It was rumoured than more than one suitor had presented himself but had been soundly rejected by the King. The King, you see, listened to his daughter and not the sea of fawning orderlies who surrounded him from break of day to the last thing at night. Often he would sit in his chambers and secretly observe the fair princess Yin, as she toyed with her food or sat quietly. On those nights when he could cross the courtyard to her quarters so they could be alone together, she working at her dainty cross stitch and elegant embroidery, and he was free to talk. To him she seemed so sad as she carefully worked with her needle. It was as if she had a secret, a deep, dark secret, as indeed she had.

 Her secret lived far away from the Court on the plains that lay in the centre of their country. He was tall and lithe, a real warrior who rode his horse across the flat lands as if he were flying with the wind itself as he galloped off into the east towards where the sun rose. The warm vibrancy of the sun seemed to give him life. Yes, she loved Prince Yang very much, but he came from a family of soldiers who had once betrayed the Imperial family, as a result, could not be trusted. There was no way her father would ever consent to a marriage between the two of them.

Yin let a small tear trickle down her cheek as she sat at her needlework, remembering their meeting when he had come to the city on a diplomatic mission. She felt a little cold as she remembered his warmth and vibrancy. She recalled with a sigh, their meeting in the Palace orchard on the night of a full moon. How he had come to her, his eyes bright with passion and declared his undying love. She listened enraptured as every word sank in. Yes, she too felt the love. A love that lay deep inside her knowing only her Prince could reach that secret place where that love lay. She often lay awake picturing him in her arms. Above all else, she wanted to love him and take care of him and be with him. But she knew this was not to be. Not yet, anyway, but each time her father brought her a young man whom he felt would be suitable, she was able to persuade him that some fault lay with the suitor and escape from the arranged marriage. She knew she could not tell her father, who loved her so much, about her meeting with the Prince Yang. How light as a feather he had scaled the orchard wall, and easily jumped down on the other side. A meeting such as this would bring dishonour to her, and her father would surely seek to punish her beautiful Prince. His anger would be immense at the insult to his family, and he would without doubt ask for the Prince’s death in revenge. That Prince of hers, he who had ridden away that night to the outer reaches of the kingdom was forbidden to her. He had gone quickly in order to protect her honour, positive in his intent that he would certainly see her once again.

She had heard some of the ladies of the court gossiping about her brave soldier, who it is said, struck four men dead with a single blow of his sword. It was rumoured too, that many other ladies like the Princess Yin had fallen in love with this young man. They too wanted to possess him, marry him and have his children who would be unquestionably beautiful like he. It was said that he had reciprocated to some of these amorous advances. Some said the Princess Zang had been sent away from her family castle high in the hills because of her infatuation with the Prince. But Yin knew this was idle talk, the words of jealous women. Deep inside she had her secret, and nobody could take it away. All she needed was time; time to work out a scheme that would allow the Prince Yang to be hers forever.

So she sent him a message via one of her faithful servants. Many weeks later the weary messenger rode into Yang’s camp, which was situated close to the Mongolian border. He received the Princess’s letter graciously and read it slowly by the light of the campfire. As he read a smile flitted across his face and then he pondered seriously. His soldiers watched his shadow as he walked up and down across his tent all night through. As the dawn broke, he summoned his generals to war council; before the sun had reached the mid-heaven his army had broken camp and was marching across the plains in the direction of the Imperial City. It was a long journey to the capital, and soon the King heard that Yang’s army was advancing towards his capital. The King was furious, as this reckless behaviour on the part of the impetuous Yang seemed to confirm his deepest fears.

“You cannot trust that family. They are all traitors, every one of them! Now this Yang has turned against me!”

Daily the ruler received intelligence reports of how the rebel army was moving swiftly towards the city. He knew the capital was impregnable but was certain his troops would soon overcome the nuisance. But he was a cautious man and a seed of doubt began to worry him.

In the evenings, he would go as usual to his daughter’s quarters as she sat stitching and confide in her his doubts and anxieties. Strangely the wily princess did not attempt to comfort her father but gently massaged his worries, so they grew greater. Soon Yang’s army was camped outside the Imperial City itself and the two sides prepared for a great battle.

On the eve of the battle, old Ming one of the gardeners in the Imperial City was watering the roses close to the Princess’s private quarters. There he saw an old stooped woman limping towards him. She looked harmless enough, and he took little notice of her. It was unusual to see strangers in the royal gardens, but the gardener had thoughts of his own. He had serious fears for the safety of his son, who would be in the battle the next day.

That night there was a terrible storm. Hideous peals of thunder clapped like cannon fire   whilst great sheets of lightening turned darkness into eerie day. It was as if a terrific battle was being fought in the heavens.  The rain lashed against the stout walls of the capital whilst lakes of water appeared from nowhere. These pools were whipped into life by a raging wind; this meant remarkably few of the townspeople slept at all due to terrible clamour of the storm. The King like many of his citizens rose well before dawn. He hurried out onto the battlements, so he would be with his advisors as the battle began. However, as the Sun rose they were astonished to see that instead of a formidable army waiting to begin a fierce battle there was an immense field of wheat situated where the soldiers should have been, and instead of the cacophony of war there was a perfect silence, an overwhelming peace.

As the King turned away astounded by what he saw, three of Princess Yin’s ladies in waiting came running up to him.

“The princess is nowhere to be found!” They searched the palace and the city but could not find a trace of her. The story would end here, and remain one of those unsolved mysteries that men would puzzle over as time unfolded. However, shortly afterwards an old man was to be often seen in the city. Some said he was a magician, and some proclaimed him to be a powerful healer whilst others said he was just an ordinary gardener. He said all he could remember was the night of the great storm before the terrible battle that never was, but might have been. He told those who would listen that on the night in question he was in the Imperial Garden tending the roses, and he went to a forbidden place close to Yin’s summer house and there he saw a beautiful young couple making love. As their passion grew the wind rose in strength  as the young man groaned in ecstasy the thunder pealed across the night, as the young woman panted in delight the lightning flashed across the sky. He said he must have fainted due to the intensity of the experience for when he awoke the couple had gone just as the dawn was struggling into the sky. However, in the summerhouse in place of the fervent lovers sat a monk with features like an angel. He beckoned the old gardener to approach and as he did so he handed him two ivory figurines. One was male and the other female. These figures each had seven lined patterns etched on them, along the blueprint, there were a series of points.

The monk offered the figures to Ming saying:

“Take these and bring them to the world, for if you understand the harmony that comes from balancing these lines of chi, you will understand the secret of love, peace and good health that you must share with your brothers and sisters.”

 Before the old man could thank the monk, he had gone, and where the blameless one had been sitting there lay a parchment bound in leather. A paper that explained these lines or meridians, what they did, and how they worked. Strangely underneath the parchment lay another paper this one appeared to be a letter. It bore the Imperial Crest and it read:

“My Sweetest Yang,

Help me, lest they never know.

Your adoring

Yin.”

This story is taken from "Full Circle, Dancing the Meridians", by Alister Bredee. A downloadable e-version of the book is available from  http://healthambit.com/books/

The Benefits of Fasting and Detoxing!

Today we live in a convenience age. You can save time by eating fast food and you can get better by taking a quick acting pill. But chronic diseases are on the upsurge and there appears to be a veritable epidemic of cancer. It seems in this age of McDonald’s health is degenerating. Could there be a connection I wonder? If we were to take a minute to look back at history we would see that something altogether not convenient has been around for several thousand years, and that is fasting. Fasting, or forgoing food is the world’s most ancient and natural healing procedure. When animals feel unwell they stop eating and rest. They know something that humans appear to have forgotten; they know that, by ceasing eating, the body triggers a very powerful cleansing process. This ‘cleanse’ reaches down into every cell and produces truly remarkable therapeutic results.

What happens when you fast? After 24 hours of zero food intake the digestive system no longer has anything to do. Digestive enzymes that usually drain a lot of the body’s energy to accomplish their task ,travel not to the stomach but to the intestines and into the bloodstream, where they gobble up waste matter which comprises decaying and moribund cells, metabolic refuse and other pollutants. At the same time as this cleanse is taking place organs and glands get an unaccustomed holiday; this break gives them an opportunity to purify and rejuvenate. Altogether this operation results in enhanced immune system function which at the end of the day means that health is restored and illness killed off. Benjamin Franklin said long ago “the best form of all medicines is rest and fasting.”

Main stream opinion today tends to dismiss this health-promoting trend as a “faddy and New Age” movement which has scant health benefit. As we have already said there is nothing new age about it at all as it has been around for a very long time. Hippocrates according to some, claims to be the father of modern medicine. His sensible motto provides the backbone to the ‘The Hippocratic Oath’ to which all doctors swear. This is “do no harm”. He prescribed abstinence from food while a disease was on the increase and particularly so as it approached the healing crisis. Moreover, another piece of wisdom from the same source was ‘eat sparsely at all times”. Unlike some pharmaceuticals, none of these practices do harm. Essentially it is a good idea to leave the table with room for a little more, and follow the very sound advice recommended by our grandmothers “feed a cold and starve a fever.”

More recently both Dr. Kelly and Dr. Roderigo suggested that all diseases begin in the intestinal tract. By cleaning the intestines you get rid of the toxins which are the main components of this form of unwellness. Fasting and cleansing with the help of enemas and colonics have become increasingly more popular with those truly anxious to bring their health up to speed. Such treatments have been heartily embraced by people like the Swedes and more and more clinics are popping up in both Europe and  the United States.

Back in the early 1990s, centres specialising in this form of cleansing took root on Koh Samui which was at the time, a much favoured destination of back-packers.  The first Resort to appear was “Spa Samui” in Lamai. The brainchild of American Guy Hopkins and his Thai wife, Toy. It offered a de-tox programme at a reasonable price and immediately became popular with the young people who were coming to the island. It still is popular and d has been featured in major newspaper articles as well as television documentaries. Others under the influence of the model of Spa Samui, followed. For instance Health Oasis Resort situated in picturesque Bang Por arrived on the scene in 1997. As time unfolded it seems the original backpackers joined the corporate workforce, becoming more affluent themselves; they were able to spread their health message to wealthier friends and colleagues who thirsted after a more comfortable detoxing experience. Thus the luxurious Kamalaya came into being, whilst others were to follow a similar model.  Not to be outdone the brand name resorts that began to spring up in more recent times, all offered spa facilities and some even embarked on the detox route. Some are located in very beautiful and peaceful settings.  It goes without saying that some are a lot better than others. Health Ambit Consultancy has great experience in this industry and would be more than happy to recommend a resort that suits your own particular needs.

Alister Bredee

Heal Allergies Fast with a Simple Acupressure Technique! By Alister Bredee

TAT is a swift and powerful means of affecting Behavioral Change by changing negative emotions, past trauma, limiting beliefs and physical symptoms quickly, painlessly and very effectively. It frequently yields results where everything else has failed. You owe it to yourself to take a close look at it! It is one of the most effective Behavioral Change Therapies out there! California Acupuncturist Tapas Fleming developed TAT or Tapas Acupressure technique. The technique based on Chinese Medicine involves holding certain acupuncture points whilst focusing on the problem requiring treatment. It came about a few years ago when the focus of Tapas's practice was the treatment of allergies. At the time she was using a treatment devised by Dr.Devi Nambudripad called NAET. This required the patient to avoid the allergen for a period of 24 hours after treatment. In many cases this was fine but in instances of severe allergy it could also mean the person was restricted to a bread and water-eating programme for a full day after treatment. This could be very stressful particularly in the case of children. One afternoon during a lull in patient workload she had an insight to use Urinary Bladder 1 to solve her dilemma. UB 1 or "Eyes Bright" is an acupuncture point located on the edge of the inner eye, adjacent to the nose. She found that if she used this point along with the third eye and the occipital ridge at the back of the head, her patients could be desensitised to their allergy and could then return to a normal diet as soon as they got home. This overcame the whole stressful problem of 24 hours avoidance. Moreover, she discovered it wasn't necessary to needle the points, merely holding them whilst thinking of the reactive substance was sufficient to bring about the required change. Then she stumbled upon something else that was to take the TAT protocol outside the range of allergy treatment and into a much wider field of application. Tapas was working with a patient who had a sensitivity to salt. During the treatment it turned out that she had been sexually abused as a child. Each time the abuse occurred, it took place in a bar. After the perpetrator had finished he gave the little girl a packet of potato chips. Potato chips or crisps are very salty. When Tapas used her new technique she found not only did the allergy disappear but also the causative trauma of abuse. Now she realised TAT was a very good method for healing traumas and many other things as well. The treatment requires the client to hold the points with both hands in what is called the Tapas pose. The practitioner asks the person to put her mind on the problem and maintain the pose for approximately one minute. This is repeated through seven steps. The technique sounds incredibly easy but the affects are profound. Tapas tells us "thoughts are real, with real energy!" "If these thoughts are suppressed they create negative energy patterns which impact life and health". In Chinese Medicine, the home of acupuncture, energy blocks are the root cause of disease. Think of the strictures as dams in a river. Above the dam lies a large body of water and below a mere trickle or stream. Acupuncture works because you place a tiny electrical charge by way of a metal needle, either below or above the dam and this like an explosive shifts the blockage and allows energy to flow freely, and thus balance is restored! Traumas and negative emotions are a bit like this dam. On one side is you and on the other the negative experience. The result is a block. Thanks to TAT we can free the obstruction by engaging it through the technique. This gives us an opportunity to see over the dam, if you like! The new perspective allows you to view the event in a different light and this will always change it in some way. Holding the TAT pose somehow integrates the discomfort of the past event and brings about peace and harmony. In the Tao this is balance and from a place of balance we have healing and ultimate wellness. This balance is the essence of Behavior Change Therapy. If you would like to explore this topic more, be sure to contact the Healthambit Consultancy. div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">

How to Save the Life of a Heart Attack Victim.

" Heart disease takes more life than any other illness across the planet. In 2009 in the USA, 599,413 died of heart related problems. Far too frequently the cause of death was a myocardial infarction, or heart attack. Looking at the WHO figures for Thailand for 2011, the death statistics are probably worse. There were 53328 deaths from this cause. Statistically this figure comprised 10.30% of total fatalities. However, strokes proved to be the number one killer with 73429 or 14.18% of total deaths. We glimpse then that heart disease and related strokes were responsible for almost a quarter of all passings in Thailand in 2011.

Conventional medicine attributes heart disease to lifestyle and bad nutrition. Factors responsible are reputed to be lack of exercise, high cholesterol and a diet rich in Trans fats and sugars. Yes, these are contributory factors but are the real cause? The answer is a resounding “No” from Dr. Gert Hamer.

Dr Hamer’s life diametrically changed direction in 1978. Up to then he had worked for over 15 years as an internist in University Hospital Clinics. For 5 of these years he had held the position of professor. Here was an experienced medical doctor. He was no flake hovering on the outside of the profession.   In 1978 his son, Dirk, was shot dead on a boat anchored off Corsica. This heart wrenching shock was ,understandably, to alter the course of Gert Hamer’s life forever. Shortly afterwards, he developed testicular cancer; he wondered if there was a link.

He overcame his illness and went on to work at “The Oncology-Gynecology Clinic” at Munich University Hospital; three years later thanks to his female patients, he was able to answer his own question. He discovered the ladies with cancer, like himself had all experienced a terrible shock shortly before developing their disease. It was from this conclusion in 1981, that “Germanic New Medicine” was born.

Conventional medicine will tell you that an actual heart attack is caused by the buildup of arterial plaque. This is connected to high blood cholesterol levels; the heart attack itself is caused by a piece of this plaque coming loose and blocking the coronary artery. Again, Dr. Hamer’s findings disagree. His theory is that heart attacks occur due to a conflict shock that involve what he calls “territorial loss”. This could be the loss of a partner, a business loss, a job loss, the loss of a car, a money loss or even the loss of a testicle! Heart disease often strikes when a successful businessman retires, replaced by younger and fitter rivals.  Ken Lay fought hard for Enron as its CEO; he died of a massive heart attack in 2006 whilst awaiting sentencing at the end of the Enron trial. This classic example gives a good example of territorial loss conflict. In an interview shortly before his death, Lay called Enron his child and compared the loss of the company to the death of a child.

Dr. Hamer’s view lies not in the realms of psychology, instead he urged everyone to think “animal”. He feels we are still very close to the packs and herds of our early ancestors. A stag forced out of the herd by a young buck, has to fight to retake his position or possibly die. To prepare for the fight, the stag needs more energy. To acquire this, the coronary artery enlarges, so more blood can enter the myocardium. Once the conflict is resolved, he no longer needs this turbo-charge. He has won the contest, everything returns to normal and the body can repair itself. The artery begins to reduce in size; the gaps are filled by cholesterol. He is in the healing phase.  Dependant on the time the conflict has lasted (it could be a mere matter of weeks) the system enters a healing crisis. It does this by expelling water in the form of a local edema. This is the heart attack. At the same time, the coronary artery brain relay, located directly above the right ear acts as controller of the event. If you witness such a crisis, quickly take a bag of ice and place it on the spot. This stops the arrhythmia and fast thinking like that can potentially save a life by halting the attack itself. 

Remember, if you are present when somebody has a heart attack; place an ice bag directly above the right ear.If you should experience a “territorial loss” it can help alleviate the symptoms if you go and see a therapist who is able to help you potentially digest and reduce the shock. Health Ambit Consultancy can help you in this matter. This intervention can potentially turn a fatal heart attack into a survivable event."

This article appeared in the Samui Gazette of April 27th 2012

Magnesium, Nature’s Natural Stress Buster.

Stress is the number one cause of illness the world over. But what is stress? We all need some to get out of bed in the morning and embrace the process of living! That sort of stress is probably of the positive variety. It’s negative pressure that causes problems. It comes in various forms. Not eating, not drinking sufficient water and exposure to extremes of heat and cold all constitute physical stress. Without doubt, many people are affected by these stressors. However, it’s emotional stress that probably does the most harm.

What then is emotional stress? I would like to describe it as resistance; pushing against the current or fighting what is. Austro-Hungarian born researcher Hans Selye working from McGill University in Canada and then the “Universite de Montréal “was nominated for the Nobel Prize in 1949 for the work he did on “General Adaptation Syndrome”. He called negative stress “distress” and positive stress, "eustress". It was Langley who first coined the term “Autonomic Nervous System” in 1903, and was the earliest proponent of flight and fight. When exposed to “distress” the sympathetic nervous system prepares the body to either get angry and resist or nervously run away. To do this successfully, some changes take place, triggered by the hormone adrenaline. These, increase blood pressure; divert blood flow to deeper muscle, improve eyesight amongst myriad other changes which better prepare individuals to cope. When the danger has passed, there is a switch to the parasympathetic state; this allows the body to rest and recuperate. The ANS was designed to help humans, when wild animals roamed the forests and early man was continually faced with life threatening crises.

Today, the crises are of a different sort. In the past, when confronted by a fierce saber tooth tiger, you could run away or fight it and get the meat back to the cave to feed the family. Now, saber toothed tigers are extinct and threats are generally less hostile. However, when confronted by an irate bank manager, which is not a life threatening situation, we regress and treat it as if it were! Adrenaline is switched on and the body goes through the same changes as if it were fighting for survival. Besides in the past, the threats were less frequent, having returned to homeostasis, several weeks could pass before the next dangerous situation emerged. This gave the system ample time to rid itself of the toxins that prompted the original stimulus response. Today, the situation is vastly different. Many people can be confronted by perceived threats several times per day. There is no time to relax and recover. It is little wonder that chronic ill health is on the rampage.

Nature has an extraordinary “destressor”. It is the mineral Magnesium. This alkaline metal plays a vital role in the production of ATP (Adenosine-5-triphosphate). This has been described as the dynamo, producing body energy. It works with Calcium to maintain the free flow of energy to the cells. To achieve this Magnesium keeps its opponent, Calcium in balance. When Calcium is overabundant there is a scary prospect of tics and muscular cramps occurring. These can cause heart conditions like angina and high blood pressure .Both increase the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke. Today, Calcium gets all the publicity; there is negligible talk about Magnesium lack, but it exists in, perhaps, the majority of people. Gall bladder removal is a common intervention, but in my opinion gall stones don’t form if Magnesium levels are sufficient.

This alkaline mineral soothes the body, calming the nerves whilst promoting sound sleep. This is the natural way of being. Stress is an emergency situation that should occur infrequently. Magnesium combats over acidity, which is the pH level where illness occurs. The substance now occurs less often in soils depleted by the over use of NPK artificial fertilizers, which like Calcium are antagonistic to Magnesium. The deficiency was noted by the US Senate as long ago as 1936, yet, nothing has been done to alleviate the problem!

It would be a good idea for everybody to increase Magnesium in the diet. The understated RDA for Men is 400 and Women 310 mg per day. If encountering stress this could easily be increased significantly. 1000 mg would not be too much. Spinach, black beans, halibut and pumpkin seeds provide good sources, but you have to eat a lot to get anywhere near the recommended daily dose. If in doubt it is a good idea to buy a good quality nutritional supplement and take a high daily dose for three months to overcome any deficiency. As in all cases going to see a health care practitioner like Health Ambit Consultancy will help you find the solution best suited for your individual needs.
This article first appeared in the Samui Gazette of April 4th 2012

The Sad Story of Masha and Dasha!

"On a frozen Moscow morning in January 1950, Siamese twins, Masha and Dasha Krivoshlyopova were born. The delivery was by caesarian section. On awakening from the anesthetic, the mother was told her babies had died shortly after birth. This was a blatant lie by the Soviet medical authorities. Instead, they took the girls away to a medical institute in the Moscow region and used them as guinea pigs in a curious human experiment.

Doctors coldly calculated that they had a lot to learn by studying “ischiogagus tripus” twins. The girls were joined at the spine at an angle of 180 degrees. Between them, they possessed four arms, three legs a separate small intestine but they shared the same colon and rectum. They had four kidneys but only one bladder along with a shared reproductive system. Their circulatory system was interconnected; they shared the same blood supply. They had separate spines. This meant the twins had their own Central Nervous System. This allowed them to experience individual emotions, which in turn produced two different personalities. They may have had to share a bladder, but they were two people in their own right!

The medical profession treated the girls appallingly, subjecting them to painful experiments. For example, they would stick needles in one twin and assess the other for reactions; or toss one into a tub of icy water and check the other’s body temperature. As the girls only had three legs it took them five years to figure out how to walk, and this they did with the aid of crutches. This hideous experiment did, however, produce some astonishing results that need to be common knowledge because they turn conventional medical thinking upside down. This information is kept back because vested interest decides what is secret and what is not!

Masha and Dasha shared the same circulation system. To understand the importance of this we need to turn the clock back more than 100 years. Louis Pasteur is trumpeted as the father of the germ theory. The notion bacteria cause disease has become the foundation stone of modern, medicine. Pasteur’s contemporary Bernard had a different view; he said germs flocked to the site as a signal disease existed. They were not the cause. To look for the reason, we need to examine the environment. Some say Pasteur changed his mind on his deathbed, claiming it was the territory and not the bug which was the cause of disease. However, it was by then too late. The germ theory had taken off; it was about to give rise to a billion plus dollar pharmaceutical industry.

The Russian experimenters on the Siamese twins found irrefutable evidence that Bernard was right and the germ theory wrong. The girls shared the same blood, but they did not get the same illnesses. During childhood one twin got measles and the other did not. How is that possible? Surely the same germs were shared by both of them and yet only one was affected. This phenomenon occurred repeatedly. One girl got a cold, and the other remained healthy. One got flu the other didn’t. Dasha was given to immune weakness, was right handed and short sighted. Her sister became a smoker, later developed a taste for alcohol, had higher blood pressure, enjoyed clear vision and was left handed. In reality, two different people shared the same blood supply.
How could this be? They had shared blood, had a common digestive, excretory, endocrine and skeletal system but did not go halves on the same illnesses. The key to understanding this lies in the fact they had separate nervous systems. They both experienced an individual emotional environment. This fitted into Bernard’s theory, which stated diseases are not caught by breathing in germs but come about by emotions that cause stress at the brain level thus weakening the system and provide a place where germs can live. A bacterium looks for its natural habitat which is abnormal tissue. The microbes are the result and not the cause and fulfill their real purpose which is to heal by breaking down illnesses.

As surgical procedures improved many doctors offered to split the girls, but they declined. On April 17th 2003, Dasha died of a heart attack. Even then Masha refused separation and died herself seventeen hours later. The time has come to recognize the wrongs done to these girls, and to acknowledge them in the role they played in relaying the truth. Truth that is still suppressed because of its threat to commercial interests. I wonder if the same problem occurs on the Spa soaked isle of Samui?"
This article first appeared in the Samui Gazette of March 21 st 2012

“Iodine if you don’t know where, what and why, prescribe ye then K& I.” (old medical saying)

"In clinical practice, the number of women easily identifiable as thyroid deficient has grown to epidemic proportions. Many have gone to their Doctors, have had the standard test; are re-assured they are fine, but are not. It seems the test is unreliable. Dr. David Brownstein in his book; “Iodine why you need it, why you can’t live without it”, quotes from a NHAES study showing iodine levels in the USA have dropped by 50% over the thirty years spanning from 1970 until 2000. Iodine plays a key role in thyroid health. More frighteningly he also points out low iodine levels in pregnant women have increased by 690%. Something is wrong, and we need to ask what!

In spite of massive spending on health care; money that mostly goes on pharmaceutical products, overall health is declining. True, acute disease has lessened significantly, but chronic illness has risen. Maybe, many of the things we are told that are beneficial for us, are not! As a population, we have been misinformed, but why? Most people have never heard of the Georgia Guidestones. The structure, also known as “The American Stonehenge”, is located in Elberton, Georgia. The center cluster of the stones was erected in 1980; the site is dedicated to, “The Age of Reason”. On the tablets are written ten guidelines in eight different languages. The first principle states: “Maintain humanity under 500,000,000 in perpetual balance with nature.” Today, the world’s population is a little over seven billion; to reach half a billion requires culling six and a half billion! Conspiracy theorists tell you this is the intention of the Illuminati or New World Order. As I consider the drastic consequences of poor health, it seems that the conspiracy theorists might be right after all!

We were told the thyroid problem was solved by the introduction of iodized salt in the 1920s. Women, who lived remote from iodine rich soil, usually found near the life-giving influence of the sea, suffered thyroid enlargement. As the deficient gland had to overwork it increased in size producing a strangulating goiter. They found adding a 5% potassium iodine solution to table salt, gave just enough iodine to prevent goiters growing, but not enough to remedy more subtle thyroid dysfunctions. Sadly, the refining also removed most of the minerals in sea salt. Table salt is now found widely around the world. Seventy-nine percent of households in Thailand, for example, use it.
Until 1950 underactive thyroid was treated with iodine supplementation. No, this is not the product you buy in the pharmacy to dab on wounds! This form is poisonous because it contains alcohol which must never be ingested. Instead, Iodine and its relative iodide are available in liquid and tablet variety. The popularity of iodine, hit a brick wall when the “Wolff-Chaikoff” study emerged from the University of California, Berkeley in 1947. It flew in the face of contemporary thinking; stating any iodine intake in excess of 2 mgs was excessive and potentially harmful. They claimed greater amounts caused hypothyroidism. This was not a scientific fact because hormone levels were never measured to support the argument. This warning then entered the annals of medical knowledge. So Doctors stopped prescribing iodine for thyroid conditions.
The other successful treatment option is by means of protomorphogens this translates as a substance taken from an animal source, normally porcine. Armor Labs have been producing their animal derived extract from as early as the 1930s. When the pharmaceutical companies started producing synthetic thyroid extract in the late 1950s, they swamped the market. Physicians stopped prescribing the natural thyroid extract: now it is pretty difficult to find.
At the same time, bromide ingestion has grown tremendously. Bromide is an iodine antagonist. It is to be found in soft drinks, white bread, toothpaste, fluoridated drinking water, beauty products and hair dyes. Up until the 1970s potassium iodide was added to bread, thanks to Wolff-Chaikoff the practice ceased; it was replaced by potassium bromide. No wonder the thyroid problem has blown up like a balloon. Oh, I haven’t mentioned increased radiation levels either! There is also the question of fluoride and chlorine added to drinking water. These halogens are iodine antagonists, too!
In view of all of this information, everybody needs to increase iodine intake. Eating Wakame seaweed is an excellent remedy, as is eating mussels and seafood. But you require quite a lot as a recommended daily dose to prevent low thyroid and excessive radiation, would be in the region of 30mg. If you have any doubts, it is never recommended to self-prescribe but instead go and see your health care practitioner who will check the problem out for you."

This article by Alister Bredee first appeared in the Samui Gazette of March 7th 2012

The Calcium Myth Exploded!

"We are told the best source of calcium comes via cow’s milk. Like many stories, this one was put out by the publicists employed by the dairy industry to sell their products. The power of advertising is such that people begin to believe the propaganda in time. Cows produce milk from eating grass. This is excellent as we need to get out vitamins and minerals from a vegetable source, too. For the body to absorb nutrients like calcium, they have to come via a photosynthesis process. The nutrient is in the soil; it passes to the vegetables, we eat the vegetables and gain the benefit. A mineral that has been photosynthesized is said to be organic. One that hasn’t is in-organic. Limestone deposits are a rich source of calcium, but they are useless for humans, as we cannot break down the rock into a substance that can be digested and then metabolized.

Cows get their calcium from their food, which is fresh and grassy because it has gone through photosynthesis. That means the nutrients can be digested. Vitamins also need to be present in the ground to enable this process to take place. The animal needs lots of calcium, because it has large bones. Cow’s milk is produced to support young cows and not humans! Calves grow up to become cows which weigh on average between 700 and 1000 lbs. Seven hundred pounds converts to 318 kilos, and that’s a small cow! How many humans do you know of this weight? Cow’s milk is a superfood designed to feed a large animal, so it grows up quickly. It is not the same as mother’s milk. When humans start drinking the recommended three glasses of milk per day, they begin to put on weight, just like the calf. Many people find milk is hard to digest. This is true of Asians who often lack the digestive enzyme, lactase. Milk produces much mucus in the system that clogs up the digestion. Let's return to the calcium issue. Calcium and magnesium are antagonists, but in order to digest calcium, you need magnesium in the correct ratio which is 2:1. Here’s the problem, the cow absorbs these things for itself or the calf, but not for the human; there is a deficiency in magnesium, which makes cow’s milk an inadequate calcium source.

Another factor is the earth factor. To absorb the essential vitamins and minerals means they have to be in the soil in the first place. Old farming methods demanded the field be left fallow to rest between crops, whilst the preferred fertilizer was cow manure. This has stopped because it does not suit the industrialized nature of large scale farming. Cow dung has been replaced by chemical fertilizers, usually of a petrochemical nature. The industry says artificial fertilizers are necessary because of the need to increase crop yields. This is not true. In the current situation, where factory farms separate livestock from plant crops; it is just too expensive to move the methane rich animal manure to the plants themselves. This has reached such a serious problem that most land is now so depleted, that it won’t produce anything without the aid of these artificial stimulants. Six micronutrients and 7 macro are required in the production of the popular nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium fertilizer. This artificial nitrogen is causing immense problems; it is a leading source of nitrous oxide. This far outstrips Carbon Dioxide as a purported cause of the greenhouse effect.

To resolve the issue they have to put the vitamin/ mineral mix back into the soil, but there is a serious problem. The new petrochemical products are inert, whilst the old waste form, coming from an animal origin is organic. It’s the old story of natural versus un-natural. The soil is becoming nutrient short because we are feeding it un-natural substances. This disturbing trend did not start yesterday. As evidence sperm counts in males, in the US, have been declining since the 1930s. A study that appeared in the Journal “Environmental Health Perspectives” showed a sperm density count of 113 million per deciliter in 1940 which had dropped to 66 million in 1990. This is a reduction of almost 50%. The Journal attributed this to environmental factors already mentioned. In short don’t depend on milk as a source of minerals like calcium and magnesium. Eat fresh, green leafy vegetables from an organic producer. These still hold adequate amounts of essential nutrients. For calcium, eat tuna and sardines because the bones of such fish provide an excellent, digestible, source. Also, take a superior quality, non-synthetic food supplement just to make sure you have got the equation right."
This article by Alister Bredee first appeared in the Samui Gazette of 22nd February 2012

Coconut Oil Can Help Heal Alzheimer’s disease.

"Coconut Oil has had a poor press over the years. This was mainly due to a campaign planned to promote the benefits of Soya, and like in so many publicity related conflicts the facts gave way to fictional commercial interests. Now, a Florida physician has written a book demonstrating the benefits of coconut oil. Hopefully, this will dispel many of the half truths that have surrounded this oil for far too long!

Dr. Mary Newport runs a neo-natal ward in a Florida hospital but her interest in the coconut began not in her work environment but in her home. Her husband, Steve, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease after a poor showing on the traditional clock test used to signal the disease. Patients are asked to draw a clock showing a numbered face and hands capable of demonstrating time. Steve performed so poorly that he was described as having severe symptoms. He had been withdrawing both socially and emotionally during the two years prior to diagnosis. It had also been difficult for him to read and he found he could no longer run. Mary was scared when she witnessed what was happening to her husband. So she set about studying Alzheimer’ s and was determined to find a way to help improve her husband’s failing health.
She explored the disease and found that it was best described as a diabetes of the brain. The culprit she discovered is the hormone insulin, manufactured by the beta islet cells of the pancreas. In the case of Alzheimer’s, because of the insulin problem, the brain cells stop accepting glucose. Glucose is the principal brain food, and when cells begin to starve they start to die. When this occurs, there is an alternative food that remains acceptable, and this is ketones. Insulin, a storage hormone, sweeps glucose into the liver where it changes to glycogen and is stored as an energy source. This means when the sugar supply expires, the liver changes fats to ketones. This is one reason that people who fast on a Detox program lose weight. They stop eating, so glucose dries up and then the body has to start burning its own fat deposits as an alternative fuel.

Dr. Newport found that long chain fatty acids like coconut oil provided the necessary fats for the ketone process to happen. She then started adding pure, non-hydrogenated coconut oil to her husband's diet and was astonished to see an improvement in just two short weeks. It was then he re-did the clock test and the result was noticeably better. He also became more talkative and less emotionally detached. After a month, he was able to run again, and the ability to read came back to him, too. She was so delighted with the results that she decided to write: “Alzheimer’s Disease; What If There Was A Cure?”, and share this new knowledge with other people. She received an encouraging response with feedback messages flooding in from family members awestruck with the improvements they were seeing in their loved ones.

Another issue raised its head. When the campaign to denigrate fats as harmful to heart health emerged, the cholesterol myth began to appear. Anything that raised cholesterol was dammed and outed as harmful. Even in the writing of this short article I have experienced such a response whilst talking to a physician from Europe. There are two types of cholesterol that are named after their transportation systems. One is LDL or Low Density Lipoprotein, and the other is HDL that translates to High Density Lipoprotein. LDL is said to be harmful and HDL is described as being healthful. Coconut oil aligns itself with HDL, thus is by definition healthy fat.

According to Dr. Beverly Teter of the University of Maryland, coconut oil improves the overall cholesterol factor in the body. She also found that it helped diminish the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, as well as Schizophrenia and acted as an antibiotic which can kill viruses. Conventional antibiotics don’t destroy viruses although frequently they are mis-prescribed to do just that. Dr. Teter tells us that coconut oil helps boost the immune system, and it is this, that is the body’s defense system responsible for killing harmful pathogens.

Thankfully, finest quality extra virgin coconut oil is easily available. Make sure you buy the crystal clear variety, which is slightly sweet to taste. The brown version often used for massage is heat treated and frequently rancid. Be sure to add a spoonful to your shakes or smoothies, pour it over vegetables in place of butter or just drink it from the bottle. In Thailand, it will be liquid, but in cooler climes it solidifies. Don’t worry; it’s still the same product."
This article by Alister Bredee first appeared in the Samui Gazette of 8th February 2012

The Food Revolution: You May Be Arrested Soon For Growing A Tomato

The Food Revolution: You May Be Arrested Soon For Growing A Tomato: from friendseat : As our government hands over billions to Wall Street bankers, jobless Americans live in tent cities and collect food stamp...