Blog Notes

May 2019

Arthritis

While I was in general practice in Australia, I enjoyed working with people with arthritis.  One morning, I was particularly inspired following a radio interview to which I listened as a trapped audience on my way to work. The interviewer described the arthritis specialist in glowing terms, she was clearly impressed.  The specialist stressed that he had done seven years of medical training, then several more years of surgical training, then even more years of training in arthrology. Wow, impressive credentials! He outlined the different types of arthritis and described them in detail. He […]

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Returning Client

Looking at my diary, I saw that Pauline Summers had booked in for a consultation. The name seemed familiar, but I could not place her. When I looked at her file I knew why. It had been nearly four years since I had last seen her. At the time, she had recently been diagnosed with breast cancer. She began to follow my recommendations but had given up after three appointments and I had not heard from her since. I was interested to hear what she was doing since I had last seen her. It […]

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April 2019

Metastasis and Surgery

Many years ago, before I specialised in cancer support, a friend contacted me to say she had discovered a lump in her breast. She lived many miles outside Sydney, but she wanted to come and see me to discuss her health. She had seen her doctor who wanted her to do a mammogram and have a biopsy. She knew of the dangers of both in relation to encouraging metastasis and was terrified. This was the early 1980s and it was difficult to get information as there was no ready internet that we could turn […]

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NHS or NDS

National Health Service or National Disease Service?

I have been a naturopath for forty years. In this time, but especially at the start, I was curious as to the difference between the medical approach to health and the naturopathic approach. I’ve also been asked the question over the years, “What is the difference between being a doctor and being a naturopath?”

I started my studies in naturopathy following fifteen years of science and chemistry, from school, through two universities and a decade of jobs. Science was my foundation.

Imbued with this academic background and respect for the […]

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Foundation Breakfast 2

Last week I wrote about the combination of Yoghurt (or some equivalent amount of vegetable protein powder) with flaxseed oil. This is enormously helpful. Dr Budwig stated that this combination improves the structure and function of cell membranes, increasing the uptake of oxygen and other nutrients by the cells. This combination has been recommended for several decades and the reported results have always been very positive.

Most people’s diet has too high a ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids. This can be especially true of people who reduce their intake of animal proteins and eat large amounts of […]

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March 2019

Foundation Breakfast

A few decades ago, the standard breakfast in many homes was cereal with milk and sugar followed by toast and marmalade, and possibly, for the big eaters, a middle course of eggs, bacon and fried bread.   Muesli then came into fashion, a bowl full of muesli usually with milk and sometimes with sugar – or alternatively, the muesli had already been sweetened before it was packaged for sale.

These breakfasts have one thing in common, they are heavily based on starch and sugar. More recently we have come to realise how unhealthy a high starch […]

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Prevent or Treat?

Veronica came to see me. She looked very stressed and worried which made me wonder what type of cancer she had and how bad it was. However, her story was different. She had been encouraged by her friend Betina to schedule an appointment with me.

Betina had been seeing me for some time. She had breast cancer and was undergoing treatment from her oncologist. However, she had asked me for as much supportive help as I could give her, both in general and to help reduce some of the toxic effects of the chemotherapy. Veronica, […]

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Values Elicitation

In a recent Naturopathic Note, I spoke of a process using a Values Elicitation Technique. I have since been asked to give another example of its use. So here it is.

Like the previous one, it comes from my time in Sydney in general practice, before I specialised in cancer support.

Valerie had an interesting and responsible job in the banking world. She enjoyed her job and the bank she was in, but recently she had wondered if she should move on. She had interviews at two other banks, both of which had offered her jobs. […]

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Cancer is Unique

If you want to avoid cancer – find a naturopath.

You may have heard that cancer is due to faulty genes or inheritance, or that it is the result of chance or bad luck.  This is not born of the evidence.

Cancer is fundamentally different from almost any other disease. It is not a disease of a particular organ or tissue, nor is it due to the actions of pathogens such as a virus, bacteria or mould.

Cancer is a disease (growth) that occurs at, in or on an organ or tissue.  It is not a disease […]

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February 2019

Two Theories on Cancer

If you or a loved one are facing cancer or trying to prevent it, it is helpful to know what may have caused it, to make some sense of this very frightening disease.

There are currently two major theories as to the cause of cancer. Both of them developed about a century ago.

The Somatic Mutation Theory of Cancer – (Soma = relating to the body)

This theory suggests that one cell (soma) has mutated (changed or been damaged) by a substance which is unspecified.  It is then assumed that every time this damaged cell makes copies of […]

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