The UK government has come up with a novel way to improve efficiencies within the National Health Service.  It's planning to pay a bonus to surgeons whose patients survive and recover.  The annoucement comes as a surprise to those of us who had naively assumed that that is what they're paid to do anyway, and it's just one of a raft of measures that incentivises hospitals to reduce rates of infections, readmissions and post-operative mobility.This suggests that the UK taxpayer is currently... Read Full Story

First of all, let’s make sure we get our vitamin D this summer – by getting sun on our skin without sunscreen!  Just make sure you don’t burn.  Any  little bit of sunshine will help, and your body will store the vitamin D it makes in the summer for several months.  It also feels wonderful! Then, make sure to eat lots of colorful plant foods, and especially berries, which are high in antioxidants, and which will help you resist sunburn!  A nice breakfast bowl of strawberries, raspberries and... Read Full Story

One of my favourite philosophers used to be that arch pessimist Arthur Schopenhauer.  Put it down to a troubled adolescence.  Although he said many significant things, everyone today seems to quote this one saying of his:  “All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.” I was reminded of it when I was researching the work of the pioneering dentist Weston A. Price (1870-1948) for the latest special... Read Full Story

Lorenzo died a month ago, just one day after his 30th birthday.  Doctors had told his parents he would die at the age of 8 from a rare disease called ALD (adrenoleukodystrophy).  It was their refusal to accept this prognosis that led them on a ceaseless quest for a cure, which was championed in the award-winning movie Lorenzo’s Oil. Throughout, they were discouraged by doctors and scientists, who told them their quest was pointless because no cure would ever be found. In fact, Lorenzo’s... Read Full Story

Here are some dietary pointers to help you improve the health of your teeth and gums. These are based on the research work of Melvin Page, Weston Price and Francis Pottenger which, in turn, has been the basis of many of today’s dietary regimes. Protein. Eat small amounts of protein regularly - around 2–4 oz per serving per meal are ideal - which should comprise young red meat such as veal and lamb, or fish or fowl. If you are vegetarian, eat eggs. Do not heat meat above 110 degrees F as... Read Full Story

You are Edzard Ernst, esteemed professor of complementary medicine at the University of Exeter, and I claim my £10,000.  Please wire my payment to:  Bryan Hubbard@Dunworkin.  As you may have heard, Edzard has done a Randi, and has announced a £10,000 prize to anyone who can produce evidence that homeopathy works.  Magician James Randi is another gallant quack-buster, who has offered a $1 million for proof that the paranormal exists.  Randi has never coughed up, of course, and he never will... Read Full Story

Tony Edwards' Special Report in the June edition of WDDTY reveals that traces of pharmaceutical drugs are likely to be present in every glass of tap water you drink. Here are 4 possible ways of cleaning up your water and avoiding these health risks. Jug filters. The simplest and cheapest method for purer water, most comprise two components: one filter that contains carbon particles to absorb contaminants; and another filter made of a resin that binds to the ions in minerals and removes them... Read Full Story

One of the first rules of political power is to create a bogey-man (BM).  As we all fear the BM, we're relieved when our political leaders are prepared to stand up to said BM, even if it means removing our civil liberties.  After all, it's for our own good.Drug companies do something similar, although they call this object of fear the bogey-man disease (BMD).  Fortunately, the drug companies are on hand to protect us against BMDs, even though it means removing our common-sense or critical... Read Full Story

As the June 2008 edition of WDDTY reports, sunscreens are not as safe as you might think.  Here are five ways of protecting yourself against the sun without exposing your body to contaminating chemicals.Avoid prolonged exposure, especially between 11 am and 3 pm, when UV rays are most prevalent.Cover up with clothing instead of creams during the hottest part of the day.Take supplements in the run-up to sun exposure, which can bolster the skin’s natural defences against sunlight:Antioxidants... Read Full Story

Instead of the usual rant, this week I want to make an appeal.  It’s an appeal for reason, for true science without commercial restraints, and for funding to carry out a simple, and inexpensive, experiment that may have enormous positive implications for all of us. This line of thinking has been inspired by two pieces of paper that have landed on my desk this week.  The first is from the Society of Occupational Medicine, which has just completed some expensive research that  reached the... Read Full Story