Positive Health Online

Turning Point Training  Postgraduate courses in Craniosacral Therapy and Homotoxicology

Our students come from a variety of backgrounds both in conventional and holistic disciplines. This allows an exchange of information and experience that enriches the learning experience. Courses are mixture of leading-edge, scientifically based theory and clinical and practical tuition. Students are encouraged to explore and develop their gifts and talents in bringing their unique experience to the disciplines taught. Students are thus empowered.

 

Jonathan Lawrence BA DO Cert Ed; Rosemary Lawrence Dip BFD Cert Clin Hom Cert Ed;
Class; Craniosacral Course 2017

 

Small groups help to facilitate this experience. Turning Point teachers are enthusiastic and experienced practicing therapists who keep their knowledge up to date.

The philosophy of Turning Point encompasses the idea that medicine is an art informed by science. We believe that the conventional materialist paradigm is very much out of date and that scientific knowledge has now reached a point where much of holistic medicine can incorporated into a new paradigm.

Turning Point courses introduce the concepts of research and encourage students to critically evaluate current information.

• Craniosacral therapy is based on the relation of the relationship between the structure and function of the body and health. Specific, gentle and skilled manipulation can restore the structure-function relationship supporting the patients’ own homeostatic mechanisms. This non-invasive and safe therapy can be used on patients of all ages from the new-born to the elderly
  The Level 1 Practitioner Course consists of 7 modules over 8 days including practical tuition. In addition students have to complete a portfolio of cases and complete an exam. Practical skills are assessed during the course. This course is recognised by the CMA:
  Level 2, Advanced CST consists of five modules; Mother/Baby and Reproductive, Visceral, Immune System and Lymphatics; Physical and Emotional Trauma, and Dental, Facial and Cranial Base. Assessment is via Case studies;
  These courses are led By Jonathan Lawrence.
• Homotoxicology is based on the idea that disease results from toxic load. In modern life we are subject to toxins from a variety of sources. This has the effect of stressing the immune system leading to ill health. Accurate prescribing can help the body to gently detoxify aiding the restoration of homeostasis;
  The remedies uses are may be single potency homeopathic remedies or combinations of remedies to achieve a specific physiological response;
  There is access to online training via the Society of Homotoxicology
  We provide further courses in Electro Acupuncture According to Voll (EAV). This involves electro-acupuncture assessment of meridians and clinical application of findings;
  We also offer Homeopathic Mesotherapy for suitably qualified doctors and practitioners. A subcutaneous injection technique to support healing;
  These are led by Rosemary Lawrence and Jonathan Lawrence

Further Information

For information about training in these disciplines visit www.turningpointtraining.org

 

 

ME/CFS in Crisis; Information in A Beginner’s Guide to ME/CFS Needs to Become Common Knowledge

by Nancy Blake BA CQSW

The powerful group of UK psychiatrists who use the biopsychosocial (BPS) model of ME/CFS to promote Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) and Graded Exercise Therapy (GET) as ‘evidence-based, safe and effective’ treatments appear to remain in control of the current review of NICE Guideline CG53 for the treatment and management of ME/CFS. If these treatments continue to be recommended, seeking treatment from a doctor, and especially being referred to a specialist service will be the most dangerous thing a person with ME/CFS can do. From the 1955 Royal Free Hospital outbreak up to 1970, ME/CFS was treated as an infectious disease. The standard treatment was several months of complete rest.  Recovery was not uncommon. In 1970, psychiatrists claimed that ME/CFS was a form of ‘mass hysteria’, contemptuously dismissed the medical model, warned of the dangers of rest.  Exercise was recommended, and the BPS model evolved. The BPS model insists that ME/CFS patients become deconditioned and overanxious as a result of having had a mild viral illness.  The patient acquires the false beliefs that he has a serious medical illness in which exercise must be avoided because it will harm him.  CBT is directed at changing these beliefs; GET is a programme of increasing aerobic exercise.

These treatments have been enshrined as ‘evidence-based, safe and effective’ in NICE Guideline CG53 for ME/CFS, despite extensive evidence that patients are harmed.

Challenging the ‘false beliefs’ theory, a report by the US Institute of Medicine published in 2015 stated that ME/CFS is a serious, disabling multisystem chronic disease.  It is not psychogenic. The core feature of this disease is that ‘exertion, of any kind – physical, cognitive or emotional – may adversely affect many body systems’.  Exertion does extensive harm throughout the body. The BPS model is wrong; psychiatry has no place, CBT is irrelevant, GET is culpable medical abuse.

 

 

A Beginner’s Guide to ME/CFS takes us back to Ramsay and the early medical experts.  Rest rest rest, conserve muscular exertion.  Your helpers need to know that saving you exertion is the best available treatment.

Why is this?

Rest is how we empower our immune system. It needs enormous amounts of energy, especially to fight this disease. Every bit of exertion we save hands that energy over to our immune system.

Why does this need to become common knowledge?

Ramsay insisted that the sooner the patient began a regime of rest, the better the chances of recovery.  People only find A Beginner’s Guide for ME/CFS after they have a diagnosis and are seeking treatment.  At first they may have tried to push themselves through their symptoms.  Visiting doctors for diagnosis takes energy.  They may even have tried GET.

Readers tell me they would be so much better if they had found the book straightaway. ME/CFS needs a public awareness campaign similar to the one for the symptoms of stroke.  An  incapacitating illness with wide-ranging variable symptoms, which is made worse by exertion is likely to be ME/CFS.  Immediate rest is required.

But the BPS people are in control.  British mainstream media would never do this.

If you have ME/CFS, if you have a friend who has it, if there is a doctor who needs to be informed, please get A Beginner’s Guide to ME/CFS.  Give it away, lend it, photocopy it (yes, I really don’t care, as long as the information gets out there!).  Leave a copy with your GP, your MP, your hairdresser, your charity shop; spread the word.....

You may never know, but you will have helped someone escape a life of permanent disability.

Further Information

Further information about The Beginner's Guide to ME/CFS here. Available from Nancy Blake the Author and Amazon

 

 

The Ultimate Winter Survival Kit: Altrient C and Altrient GSH -  Two Antioxidant Powerhouses for Total Immune Support

by Jacqueline Newson BSc (Hons) Nutritional Therapy 

 

Getting through winter without succumbing to the annual raft of colds and flu bugs might seem an impossible task but actually maximising your immunity at this time of year may not be so difficult if you take advantage of liposomal vitamin C and glutathione.

 

 

Vitamin C is an old favourite in the winter and there’s good reason for this. When the body is being assaulted by inflammatory conditions like colds and flu, the cells in the immune system are under high levels of oxidative stress.

An antioxidant like vitamin C, which has been proven to reduce the severity and duration of a cold, can stimulate production of defence cells in the immune system, whilst offering powerful protection against free radicals released by the body in its fight against infection. What’s more, these benefits are greatly enhanced when partnered with the exceptional antioxidant properties of glutathione.

Glutathione is present in high concentrations in every cell in the body, which underlines its significant importance as an antioxidant when it comes to healthy immune function and protection against winter borne diseases. Together Altrient C and Altrient GSH help to neutralise the free radical damage caused by viral and bacterial infections. In fact studies have proven this – identifying that vitamin C can maintain glutathione concentrations in the blood improving its overall antioxidant capacity.

Teaming up these two powerful antioxidants gives a double dose of cellular repair and means you can rest assured that your immune system is bullet proof this winter.

Why are Liposomal Supplements Superior?

Liposomes are unique because they can incorporate and release both water and fat soluble components simultaneously, whilst maintaining a protective barrier around their biologically active ingredients. This makes them resistant to digestive enzymes, gastric juices, bile salts, alkaline solutions, gut bacteria and the free radicals that our bodies produce.

The liposomal delivery system makes sure that the nutrients you take - unlike others, are protected from oxidation and degradation and will deliver the contents undamaged to the exact target site where the body can best utilize them.

As an example; over three quarters of the Vitamin C contained in most tablets and powders on the market is destroyed in the digestive system, never even reaching the blood circulation. Whereas the Vitamin C carried in a liposome can be in excess of ten times more bio-available bringing far greater benefits.

And most importantly….Studies show that liposomes increase stability and solubility allowing for greatly improved absorption in the body. Supporting your immune system with liposomal supplements makes perfect sense.

Further Information

For more information go to our website at www.abundanceandhealth.co.uk email us at info@abundanceandhealth.co.uk or call on Tel: +44 (0)20 3239 4907.

 

 

The Holistic Spine – Reflections and Associations

Acupressure and Reflexology in Action  - Book Two

This book was published in October 2018 under the ‘John Cross Publications’ imprint, being the continuation of BOOK ONE that was published in 2017. The two books represent 240 pages of pioneering, innovative and original work aimed at the practical bodyworker and reflexologist. It shows how practitioners can think ‘outside the box’ regarding the many and various causes of spinal anomalies.

 

 

BOOK ONE covers a simple anatomy overview plus the true meaning of many spinal conditions, including emotional causes. There is an extensive section on the energetic concepts of the spine that includes the ‘energetic’ history of Osteopathy, Chiropractic, Polarity Therapy, Acupuncture, Acupressure, Reflexology and Applied Kinesiology plus a large section on how muscles and other soft tissue affect spinal movement

BOOK TWO consists of two distinct sections. Section One discusses the practical considerations of each vertebra, including the associated occiput and sphenoid bones. With unique and pioneering full page illustrations, each vertebra describes the Spinal Nerve, Autonomic Nervous Supply, Muscles supplied, Linked Vertebra, Linked Internal Organ, Acupuncture Meridian influence, Posterior Major Chakra influence, Mental and Personality Links. Diagrams also show the reflected spine on the Skull, Arm, Leg, Foot, Hand and Temporo-Sphenoidal Line. Section Two is the practical Section of the book that shows how to treat pain, acute and chronic spinal conditions using the touch and massage therapies of acupressure and reflexology.

There are also chapters on Assessment and Analysis and Sacro-Occipital Therapy (SOT). SOT was pioneered by John over a decade ago and has been taught worldwide since. This section discusses both the Original and New Versions of this work. The New Version incorporates how one may use touch therapy on the sacrum and occiput to treat spinal conditions caused by Physical, Autonomic and Emotional imbalance. It also includes diagrams and descriptions on how the reflexologist may use this work solely on the feet.

These two books are John’s 10th and 11th in a series of practical handbooks on touch therapy, acupuncture, the chakra energy system and healing. John’s next project is to introduce the physical therapist to Clinical Acupressure in the Treatment of Neurological Conditions – it is well into its planning stages.

Further Information

All John’s books (and three A1 size posters) are available from www.johncrosspublications.com  John is also willing to answer queries (as he had for the past 40 years) through jrcacupressure@hotmail.com  

 

 

Quick Tips re Insurance Claims for Therapists from Balens, Specialist Insurance Brokers

 

Demonstration Sessions

If you are providing a demonstrating session, or quick taster treatment perhaps on a stand at a show, you still need to keep a record of the date and name of the person you have treated, and to ask them relevant medical history questions.  We have had cases where people have made a claim in this situation, and it was the therapist’s notes that showed the Individual was not treated at the time, thus the claim was repudiated.

 

 

Allergic Reactions and Reactions to Treatments

These should always be handled with care.  Do make sure that you give clients adequate pre and post treatment advice and information detailing possible reactions which may occur. These could include information about possible physical discomfort or even temporary reduced mobility and how to deal with it.  Explain to them that if symptoms do not subside after a reasonable period they should contact you for further advice. You should note this advice in their records.

Always follow what you were taught to do in situations where a client experiences either an allergic reaction or reaction to treatment and refer to your Broker if unsure.  Where a product or procedure requires a patch test, including as required by your insurance conditions, please make sure you perform it: if you do not comply then any claim could be rejected potentially leaving you directly liable.  It is particularly important that a patch test is completed for IPL (Intense pulsed light) at least 24 hours in advance, and that the treatment is given at the same strength of laser as the patch test was performed. If you wish to increase the strength of the laser, a further patch test must be taken.

Refunds – General Malpractice Claims

We often get clients who prejudice their claims by trying to pacify injured, difficult or angry clients with refunds, purchasing remedies, paying medical expenses or offering free treatments – please don’t do this, as it may invalidate your insurance cover leaving you liable.  Please speak with your Insurance Broker first and they will guide you through these situations.   Remember - it may be a requirement of your insurance to advise of any incident that MAY give rise to a claim.  The sooner you seek assistance, the sooner your Broker can help you to deal with the situation, and give advice to help prevent the incident turning into a claim against you. 

Further Information

For further information and advice on the dos and don’ts in some common complaint or claim situations please see Balens website at http://www.balens.co.uk/claims.aspx

 

 

Childrens' Mental Health Solutions

Kevin Leivers of The Naked Pharmacy explains how to boost children’s mental health

Autumn and winter summons our youngsters back to school, college and university. This may mean the start of somewhere new which is stressful for both students and parents alike. Increased screen time, pressure to succeed and the inability to switch off can tip the nervous system into permanent “sympathetic nervous system” mode. This is the “fight or flight” mode the body originally evolved as a mechanism to protect us from imminent danger. The anxiety response in the brain causes a cascade of hormones with wide-ranging effects such as shortness of breath, a racing heart, paling or flushing of the face, sweaty hands... The list goes on and, if left unchecked, may lead to more regular and extreme symptoms. Youngsters who suffer from anxiety may feel abnormal and isolated. Depression is a deeply personal issue and masks itself in many varied symptoms. Research by the World Health Organisation (WHO) has shown that perhaps the most effective treatment is personal empowerment of the sufferer’s own treatment. This means that they can learn to recognize and manage their symptoms, assisted by their parents.

Finding the tools that work for the individual is key to success. A regular exercise routine is both physically and mentally beneficial for health, especially within a group or team which will help reduce isolation. Regular sleep and a bedtime routine is very important, so turn off all blue light-emitting devices, avoid late food or drink (give at least two hours to digest) and avoid caffeine and sugary drinks after 1pm. Encourage children to express themselves by drawing or writing. Correct breathing is also vital – learn how to retrain the breath. The hormonal cascade during an anxiety response causes us to shallow breathe and suck in more air than we breath out, making the panic worse. A great technique is “The Big Breath”. Tony Ulatowski has used this with more than 400 students in west London, from pre-schoolers to secondary students, and has received overwhelmingly positive feedback from parents, teachers and pupils. Tony says: “One of the preschool teachers shared her story of a four-year-old girl with anger issues who has now learnt to take herself away, regulate her emotions, and just two or three of the big breaths help her feel better about taking control of her emotions.”

A healthy balanced diet including “live” foods, vegetables and fruits can be helpful’ 90% of serotonin is produced in the gut. A study from Victoria, New Zealand in 2017 found patients with moderate to severe depression had a statistically significant improvement in symptoms on a modified Mediterranean diet. Dr Chatterjee, star of BBC’s Doctor in the House, shows diet can make a difference. There are also natural supplements which are safe, effective, non-addictive and adaptogenic, and that provide an evidence-based approach for mood imbalance and anxiety in children and teenagers.

One of the most widely tested is the ancient spice saffron. Saffron targets the gut as well as the brain. Dr Paul Clayton, Fellow at The Institute of Food, Brain and Behaviour, believes saffron should be considered in place of current therapies, which he believes are outdated and on off target. He says: “By targeting core aspects of mood and anxiety, saffron works more rapidly than the pharmaceuticals, which are shooting at the wrong target. In short, saffron restores normal nerve function in key areas of the brain. If you have chronic inflammation, the ‘brakes’ are put on a few key processes. Saffron takes the brakes off. Moreover, it acts fast (hours, not weeks or months), has no withdrawal symptoms, no side effects, and is safe to use with children.”

Further Information

Free pharmacist advice, food supplements and natural medicines available from The Naked Pharmacy. Please contact on Tel: 01483 685630; info@thenakedpharmacy.com;  www.thenakedpharmacy.com

 

 

Behind the Seaweed Headlines

by S. B. Ranger, Founder, Seaweed Health Foundation

 

If the benefits to health were as ubiquitous as the media would have us believe, ‘seaweed’ should be a staple. Heston Blumenthal advocated it instead of salt in hospital meals, followed by Jamie Oliver who called it the most nutritious vegetable in the world and attributed his remarkable weight loss of nearly 13 kilos to it. The Daily Mail has just reported that “eating seaweed can do everything from aiding weight loss to promoting heart health and even making the skin glow”.

So the myths proliferate, and consumers are munching everything from ‘seaweed spaghetti’ to ‘seaweed crisps’ imagining this to be a nutritional panacea. Truth is, that seaweed, like ‘vegetables’, is a generic term for a vast number of very different species, and the conditions under which these are grown, selected, harvested, processed and further distributed mean that seaweeds are by no means the same, a subject I addressed in Positive Health at about this time last year.

 

 

Most nutritious overall are the brown seaweed species, in particular the wild Wrack family with names like Bladder, Channel and Knotted Wrack. To add to the confusion, the food regulations require them to be identified on labels by their Latin names - in this example Fucus, Alaria, Pelvetia, and Ascophyllum. Today these species are available to nutrition and food product manufacturers and consumers, with certified compositional analysis, free from harmful contaminants and in the best examples, such as Seagreens®  which over the past two decades has pioneered this field, are supported by extensive independent nutritional profiling and research.

A small number of other species are also of interest (because only a small number are so far available) such as the tasty and nutritious Winged Kelp - Latin Alaria esculenta - but are scarce or costly, more gourmet than a food ingredient for regular, preferably daily, use. An example is Dulse, sometimes called Red Dulse (Palmaria palmata), so enthusiastically consumed that it is already in short supply internationally. Its smokey, sweet flavour belies a nutritional profile inferior to the Wrack species, and coming as it does in small amounts from many different sources, should not be relied on to deliver consistent nutritional values or even food safety.

Finally, with the exception of Seageens in the UK, whose applied nutrition studies are on the complete seaweed, most research is on seaweed extracts, bearing little relation to what can be expected from eating natural seaweed in any variety of forms. A good example is the recent surge of research data on Fucoidan, often reported as ‘seaweed’ though it is in fact a polysaccharide fragment found in most brown seaweeds. A concentrated form is touted as beneficial in cancer, cardiovascular and other health conditions. Alginates, another extract, were hailed as the ‘cure for obesity’, but proved to have side effects including the binding of valuable minerals.

The growing media coverage is to be welcomed, and most of all properly informed. But professional application does require more than a peek behind the headlines!

Further Information

Seaweed Health Foundation, The Warren, Handcross, West Sussex RH17 6DX

Telephone 01444 400403 Email post@seaweedhealthfoundation.org.uk

www.seaweedhealthfoundation.org.uk

 

 

Hawkwood Centre for Future Thinking - How to be an Eco-System for Well Being

 

A place to grow – a place to create – a place for conversation

Loneliness and isolation hit most of us at some time in our lives, but there are places that provide solace and connection. One place is Hawkwood Centre for Future Thinking near Stroud in the Cotswolds.

Nature is known to provide comfort to troubled spirits, such as Wordsworth, wandering “lonely as a cloud.” When we are insulated from the noise and franticness of urban life, our heart rates can slow down and the beautiful views from the house over large trees, gardens and the landscape beyond uplift us in subtle ways.

 

 

But it’s not only the auditory and visual senses that are soothed here. The air is remarkably fresh as the property faces the prevailing southwesterly wind and the breeze rustles the leaves that give shelter for lots of creatures. Birdsong is heard throughout the day, including the hoot of owls in the woodland at night. If traffic can be heard it is like a distant memory or waves on the shore.

“Hawkwood is like a sustainable eco-system, says Katie Lloyd-Nunn, programme manager and garden volunteer coordinator for the charity which is celebrating its 70^th anniversary this year. “I especially see the benefits of working together outdoors every Friday. Our volunteer team includes people with special educational needs, in life transitions and recovery or just local friends who want to lend a hand. I experienced mental health support myself the other day. I was feeling uncharacteristically low, but turned up for our garden group. At tea break we started bantering and ended up in peals of laughter. It was really therapeutic for body and mind,” she continues.

Silence, rest and renewal are strong themes in the Inner Life autumn to winter retreats programme. “Deep winter is a time for slowing down, becoming still, and moving towards contemplation,” says Mel Skinner who leads Rest and Restore new year retreat in early January 2019. “The aim on this retreat is to let yourself move at your own pace. You may be surprised by how tired you really are!”

Working with the hands with crafts or painting can help those who suffer from anxiety, depression or chronic pain, experts say. It can also improve hand-eye coordination, ease stress, increase happiness and protect the brain from aging. Hawkwood’s arts and crafts courses range from one-day tasters to immersive retreats in icon painting or life drawing.

Further Information

More information can be found on Hawkwood youtube channel and future thinking events.

For more information, contact Katie Lloyd-Nunn, programme and communications manager at Hawkwood Centre for Future Thinking via  katie@hawkwoodcollege.co.uk      www.hawkwoodcollege.co.uk

 

 

The Essence of Clinical Aromatherapy: A Spotlight on Essential Oil Resource Consultants

 

As the person behind the International Journal of Clinical Aromatherapy and the world renowned ‘Botanica’ conference series, Rhiannon Lewis continues to educate and inspire practitioners around the world with her passion for making a difference at the bedside : improving quality of life and improving symptom management with essential oils. She believes that clear communication is the key to the integration of aromatherapy within mainstream healthcare and that the dialogue between medical professionals and aromatherapists needs to be informed, appropriate, evidence-based and above all, pragmatic. With this in mind, over the course of thirty years, Rhiannon has developed a number of strategies for sharing research and information, improving therapeutic interventions and encouraging closer collaborations between healthcare practitioners. These include:

 

 

• As an experienced author, therapist, educator, editor and conference organiser who is well known in the English-speaking world, Rhiannon is now also helping therapists make a difference at the bedside within her country of adoption: France, via teaching and participation in the organisation of French conferences such as Phyt’Arom Grasse www.phytarom-grasse.fr;
• Living in the mountains of Provence and as director of the company Essential Oil Resource Consultants, Rhiannon also hosts regular advanced clinical aromatherapy training programs in English, providing qualified therapists the opportunity to deepen their knowledge and extend their therapeutic skills www.essentialorc.com;
• The International Journal of Clinical Aromatherapy continues to grow in status and in subscribers; with Rhiannon as editor and assisted by Gabriel Mojay, the IJCA remains the leading clinical aromatherapy publication since its inception in 2004 www.ijca.net;
• The biennial ‘botanica’ conference series celebrates herbal therapeutics and clinical aromatherapy via a professional 4-day international conference and trade show event. Organised and hosted by Rhiannon, the fourth conference edition: Botanica2018 welcomed delegates and speakers from 49 different countries to the University of Sussex, Brighton 31st August-3^rd September 2018. The date and location of botanica2020 will be announced shortly www.botanica2018.com;
• Rhiannon is also the organiser of the second ‘Essence of Clinical Aromatherapy’ Seminar taking place the 19^th October 2019 at the Royal Marsden Hospital, London. This one day intensive event specifically promotes essential oil use in healthcare settings by bringing practitioners, researchers and expert speakers together for an intensive day of lectures, networking and trade show. This event is an extension of her regular ongoing training programs at the Royal Marsden Hospital conference centre https://www.royalmarsden.nhs.uk/news-and-events/conference-centre/study-days-and-conferences.

Further Information

Rhiannon may be contacted via Tel: 00 33 483 11 87 03; Mob: 00 33 632 39 58 43; essentialorc@club-internet.fr;   www.ijca.net;  www.essentialorc.com  www.botanica2018.com

 

 

Mushroom Nutrition has Potential for Improving Brain Function 

A research team, based in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Coimbra (FMUC) and in the Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology (CNC), Portugal, has found that feeding adult mice with the mushroom Coriolus versicolor increased the complexity of new neurons (nerve cells) formed in the hippocampus, an area of the brain linked to emotions and memory. This finding may have implications for the development of a disease-modifying therapy to prevent or slow the cognitive decline associated with neurodegenerative diseases.

 

The researchers discovered that feeding the mice with Coriolus versicolor resulted in a significant increase in the length, volume and arborization (fine branching) of the dendrites  of newly-generated neurons in the hippocampus. They also discovered that this increased ‘dendritic complexity’ was accompanied by an increase in the levels of the protein β-catenin within these neurons. β-catenin plays a major role in neurogenesis (the development of new neurons) through a process known as Wnt/β-catenin signaling.^1,2,3 Thus, the positive effect of Coriolus versicolor on the dendritic complexity of hippocampal newly-generated neurons may be mediated, at least in part, by increased levels of β-catenin and enhanced Wnt/β-catenin signaling. The authors concluded that there is a thus-far unexplored neurogenic potential of Coriolus versicolor supplementation, and that it might represent a preventive strategy for neurological conditions that involve cognitive decline.

William Ahern, Managing Director of Mycology Reseach Laboratories and sponsor of the study noted:
“It is widely accepted that there is an important link between the microbiome (the microbial population within the body/specific body parts) and neurodegenerative disorders.⁴ The finding that supplementation with Coriolus versicolor biomass may benefit the hippocampus of mice indicates that more research on the impact of Coriolus versicolor on the microbiome and on cognitive reserve is required in order to assess its potential in humans.”

The team, from the Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology (CNC) and the Coimbra Institute for Clinical and Biomedical Research (iCBR) of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra (FMUC), recently published their findings in the journal Oncotarget  (Oncotarget 2018 Aug 31;9(68):32929).

Notes

• β-catenin, also known as catenin beta-1, is a protein that, in humans, is encoded by the CTNNB1 gene. β-catenin is a dual function protein involved in regulation and coordination of cell–cell adhesion and gene transcription.^5,6
• Wnts are secreted glycoproteins that function as ligands to stimulate receptor-mediated signal transduction pathways in vertebrates and invertebrates. In the absence of a Wnt signal, cytoplasmic β-catenin is phosphorylated and degraded.⁷
• Wnt/β-catenin signaling is involved in neurogenesis and the maturation of the newly-generated dendritic tree.^1,2,3

Legend

CNC, Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology; iCBR, Coimbra Institute for Clinical and Biomedical Research; FMUC, Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra

References

1. Lie DC, Colamarino SA, Song HJ, Désiré L, Mira H, Consiglio A, Lein ES, Jessberger S, Lansford H, Dearie AR, Gage FH. Wnt signalling regulates adult hippocampal neurogenesis. Nature 2005;437:1370–5.
2. Varela-Nallar L, Inestrosa NC. Wnt signaling in the regulation of adult hippocampal neurogenesis. Front Cell Neurosci. 2013;7:100.
3. Yu X, Malenka RC. Beta-catenin is critical for dendritic morphogenesis. Nat Neurosci. 2003; 6(11):1169–77.
4. Ferrão J, Bell V, Calabrese V, Pimentel L, Pintado M, Fernandes TH. Impact of mushroom nutrition on microbiota and potential for preventative health.  Journal of Food and Nutrition Research 2017;5(4):226–3.
5. Kraus C, Liehr T, Hülsken J, Behrens J, Birchmeier W, Grzeschik KH, Ballhausen WG. Localization of the human beta-catenin gene (CTNNB1) to 3p21: a region implicated in tumor development. Genomics 1994;23(1):272–4.
6. MacDonald BT, Tamai K, He X. Wnt/β-catenin signaling: components, mechanisms, and diseases Dev Cell 2009;17(1):9–26.
7. Moon RT. Wnt/beta-catenin pathway. Science’s STKE 2005;2005(271):cm1.

Further Information

The sponsor is Mycology Research Laboratories Ltd; please contact William Ahern via info@mycologyresearch.com      www.mycologyresearch.com/  For further details please contact Diane Lace at mycologyinfo@intercomm.co.uk

 

 

Herbal Formularies For Health Professionals

Volume 1: Digestion And Elimination: The Gastrointestinal System, Liver And Gallbladder, Urinary System And The Skin; Volume 2: Circulation And Respiration: The Cardiovascular, Peripheral Vascular, Pulmonary, And Respiratory Systems

by Dr Jill Stansbury ND

Published by Chelsea Green Publishing. Hardback. 2018.

While naturopathy and alternative medicine have been on the rise, practising clinicians have not had an authoritative resource on herbal formularies - until now. Dr Jill Stansbury - one of America’s leading clinical herbalists, with over 30 years of clinical experience - has made the creation of such a desk reference her life’s work: Herbal Formularies for Health Professionals, a five-volume series, provides a comprehensive, user-friendly reference manual for herbalists, physicians, nurses, and students.

 

 

The texts in this series are more extensive than any existing clinical guide - covering more particular diagnoses and conditions, and embracing both traditional and modern research - and a professional index makes information accessible and user-friendly for busy clinicians looking to quickly find some guidance in the middle of a patient day.

Organized by body system, these formularies are also a tutorial for budding herbalists. Rather than prescribing a one size-fits-all treatment for a basic diagnosis, Dr Stansbury’s approach focuses on the sophisticated art of fine-tuning the precision of an herbal formula for the constitution and overall health condition of an individual patient. The series starts with Herbal Formularies for Health Professionals, Volume I, an in-depth guide to using herbal therapies in treating conditions of the organs of digestion and elimination, which are considered the foundation of health. Volume II focuses on circulation and respiration, offering formulas and supporting information for treating a wide range of vascular, pulmonary, and respiratory conditions, including angina, coronary artery disease, hypertension, congestive heart failure, Reynaud’s syndrome, anaemia, coughs, bronchitis, cystic fibrosis, and emphysema., and Volume III: Endocrinology, Volume IV: Neurology, Psychiatry, and Pain Management and Volume V: Immunology, Orthopaedics, and Otolaryngology will be published in 2019. This definitive guide is a must-have resource for naturopathic physicians, acupuncturists, nurse practitioners, and other allied health professionals.

About Jill Stansbury ND

Jill Stansbury ND is a naturopathic physician with 30 years of clinical experience. She served as the Chair of the Botanical Medicine Department of the National University of Natural Medicine in Portland, Oregon, for over 20 years. She remains on the faculty teaching herbal medicine and medicinal plant chemistry and leading ethnobotany field courses in the Amazon. She is the co-author of The PCOS Health and Nutrition Guide and Herbs for Health and Healing. Dr Stansbury lives in Battle Ground, Washington, and is the medical director of Battle Ground Healing Arts. She also runs an herbal apothecary offering the best quality medicines from around the world, featuring many of her own custom tea formulas, blends, powders, and medicinal foods.

Further Information

Both Volumes available from Chelsea Green Publishing, Chelsea Green Publishing, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com and Amazon.com

 

 

Harmony - 70th Birthday Celebration Conference for the Prince of Wales

About two hundred people converged on Canterbury to celebrate the 70th birthday of HRH the Prince of Wales in the precinct of Canterbury Cathedral. The Dean, Very Revd Robert Willis,  welcomed us, and emphasised the Prince’s already close connection with the cathedral.

David Lorimer introduced the conference with a personal speech, and this was followed by contributions from Ian Skelly, a film about sacred geometry with Keith Critchlow.

 

Satish Kumar speaking at Harmony 70th Birthday Celebration of HRH The Prince of Wales

 

Speakers

• Prof Keith Critchlow (film),
• Dr Rosy Daniel
• Richard Dunne
• Patrick Holden CBE
• Dr Tony Juniper CBE
• Satish Kumar
• David Lorimer
• Ian Skelly
• David Wilson LVO

Satish Kumar of Resurgence and Tony Juniper CBE,  Executive Director for Advocacy and Campaigns at WWF-UK both spoke about the Prince’s connection with the ecosystems of the Earth, followed after lunch with a practical explanation of agriculture at Highgrove by the long-time farm manager, David Wilson, and some more general observations from Patrick Holden of the Sustainable Food Trust.

The Conference attendees then walked over to the Cathedral for Evensong, where the music was chosen by the Prince to include the hymn  Immortal, Invisible and Widor’s Toccata played on the magnificent organ.

The final talks were from Dr Rosy Daniel whose charity The Health and Wellbeing Trust, works to promote integrative healthcare education and Richard Dunne, a head teacher who had applied the principles of Harmony to his school.

All in all, it was a most inspiring and memorable celebration ending with a toast to HRH.

Further Information

Harmony - 70th Birthday Celebration Conference for the Prince of Wales