Feeling good with nutritional therapist Nikki Dake
Read all about it!
Your continued good health may depend on how you evaluate what’s written in the media
Journalistic hype or a dire warning, spurious advice from the pharma barons or honest-to-goodness truth; it’s progressively more difficult to analyse the facts and come up with an answer that satisfies both your knowledge and your thinking.
As I write, bird flu is still hitting headlines; there’s confusion about whether hospital superbugs have arrived in Cyprus hospitals; and medical professionals are rubbishing supplements as being useless, using data provided by the pharmaceutical industry. As British journalist Geoffrey Lean asked last year: ‘Could it be anything to do with the drug giants hoping for huge profits?’
Half my recent e-mail has been readers wanting to check their medication through my system, worried that inadvertently they’re mixing the wrong foods with their pills or asking ‘what’s it REALLY for?’ I have an American computer programme that checks medications, specifically for supplement and food interaction, but also for herbal helpers that may offset medication side effects.
Reading all about it is also paramount, for which I use the British Medical Association Concise Guide to Medicines and Drugs. It describes itself as ‘an essential quick reference to more than 2,500 prescription and over-the-counter drugs’. I bought mine locally (ISBN 0-7513-0466-2) and would recommend it for any family. Not only does it give the specific uses of each drug, it also details adverse effects, what to do if you miss a dose and clear advice for special groups like children and older people with pre-existing medical problems. Invaluable!
Also on my list for essential reading is Earl Mindell’s Vitamin Bible. First published in 1979 in the USA, it’s been reprinted a dozen times. Books like this must be revised regularly as research into vitamins is ongoing and opinions may change. The issues over Vitamin A are a case in point: I’m currently waiting for definitive information, all the while still taking my excellent Omega-T formulation by Yasoo.
When I first met American Dr Cass Ingram in UK in 1999, he had published just a couple of books The Cure is in the Cupboard and The Respiratory Solution, both outlining his research into the properties and uses of wild-grown mountain oregano. A medical doctor, he’s since written several more volumes including one on cancer, another on diabetes and two on nutrition. His Lifesaving Cures deals with ailments as diverse as stress, viral syndromes, radiation poisoning and epidemics: Killer Diseases outlines the protocols for SARS, AIDS and MRSA. If bird flu were ever really to threaten Cyprus, it’s Dr Cass’ recommendations I’d follow, as outlined in my December column (December 4-10), using various Oil of Oregano products and Eden Olive Leaf Extract. These are the all-time most useful herbal supplements, serving as they do to treat dozens of different infections and problems. For a catalogue of book titles and supplements call Derek of Tigon UK (Tel: 0044 116 235 5020).
Your questions answered
What sunblocks to use with rosacea?
Your ‘liver flush’ diet is working wonders for my acne rosacea and my skin is hugely improved. But what about sunscreens/blocks? I’ve heard some have ingredients that are really toxic, but I feel I need some protection when I go sailing.
Mr RMW
First, I’m delighted to have feedback about the liver-friendly eating plan: I’m so pleased that you are getting good results. I’ll resist saying ‘Told you so!’
Sunscreens are a bone of contention amongst health professionals. Padimat-O or PABA is the true villain ingredient, but Propylene Glycol is also another frequently used bulker.
As the skin is one of the most important organs for eliminating toxins, it is pretty daft to put anything on it that blocks the pores but, if your rosacea reacts badly to sunlight, you may want to protect it when you go sailing. That combination of fresh air, wind and sun can be pretty damaging to everyone’s skin.
Under these circumstances, a good regimen would be to protect the rosacea patches with a coat of Immunoplex (from Tigon – see main article or mail order from www.oliveleaf.co.uk); this oxygenic herbal balm is non-greasy and anti-inflammatory. It will form a therapeutic ‘shield’ over the rash, over which you can apply an organic sunscreen. Cyprus health stores stock Green People’s sun screens (go for SPF 22 – call Barbara on 99 682327 for stockists), or source Yaoh hemp-based screens from the UK. Otherwise try mail-order from www.nutriglow.com Tel: 0044 1372 724 216.
Afterwards, ensure you remove the sunscreen with lots of fresh clean water and pat dry. You could apply a 99 per cent pure cold-pressed aloe vera gel to soothe the skin, but do make sure it’s organic and not in some horrible toxic base. I’d continue to take the HealthBac probiotic and Milk Thistle, especially when you get an outbreak for whatever reason.
Nikki’s column appears every four weeks. If you have a query send it to PO Box 12244, Nicosia or by email to [email protected]
