“Healing honey helps patients survive chemo”, was the title of an article in the Daily Express “Your Health” pages on January 22 2008.

This special honey, called Life Mel, has been shown to boost the production of red and white blood cells, haemoglobin and blood platelets in people undergoing chemotherapy.

Patients at risk of neutropenia, a very low blood count, making them susceptible to serious infection, were found in one small trial to have no further episodes of this condition after taking two teaspoons per day of Life Mel during chemotherapy.

Life Mel is the result of over thirty years’ research and has been specially developed to provide the recognised nutritional benefits of honey enhanced by feeding the bees with selected herbs.
Life Mel is made by honey bees fed on a specially formulated diet which includes selected natural herbs such as Siberian Ginseng, Echinacea and Uncaria Tomentosa.

Life Mel is not artificially treated in any way and no ingredients are added after extraction from the hive.
Life Mel has been used in a published hospital trial. For details of this study and research information on Life Mel, please visit www.holywell-health.com

Recommended use: Two 5g teaspoonfuls a day: one in the morning on an empty stomach and one last thing at night. Life Mel should be sucked slowly.

Life Mel has a distinctive and pleasant aroma and flavour.
Life Mel is available from Herbs, Gardens & Health for £45 for 120g jar

These days much of our food is processed and/or well travelled, hence the nutritional content is less than it should be and vitamins are lost through oxidation.

With the types of lifestyle we have these days, everyone should supplement their diets with vitamins and minerals.
Vitamins and minerals are essential for the normal functioning of our bodies, to keep our systems in good working order.

If you eat a reasonable diet, Natures Own Food State EuroGold Multivitamins and Minerals is a good every day general one to take. If you lead a stressful, active life, one with a high B-Complex, such as Quest Super Once-a-Day or the even stronger Solgar VM75 should be taken.

Take extra Vitamin C if you are susceptible to colds, to boost your immune system. Ask us for further information.

The statistics for heart disease are scary. If you’re not taking medication for high blood pressure (BP), or cholesterol, you’ll almost certainly know someone who is, and yet the disease is largely preventable. Take high BP as an example. The heart pumps blood, under pressure, through a network of arteries and veins around the body. If BP elevates, the heart must work harder and the risk of a stroke or heart attack increases. While it can run in families, other associated and avoidable risk factors include; smoking, stress, obesity, a high salt intake, excessive use of stimulants like caffeine (found in coffee, tea, chocolate and cola drinks), and oral contraceptives.

But that’s not the whole story by any means and if you’re worried about your BP, or already taking medication to help lower it, what else can you do?

Probably the most important thing to consider is your diet, as many nutrients have been shown to have a beneficial effect on BP. The following is a general guide:

Eat at least 6 servings of antioxidant rich fruit & vegetables every day – especially leafy green veg rich in calcium, magnesium & potassium. Caution: Not appropriate if you’re taking potassium sparing medication – check with your GP or pharmacist.

Eat fibrous foods – oat bran is especially good, & switch those ‘white’ products to brown e.g. brown rice & wholemeal bread. Fibre helps lower BP. These foods are also rich in B vitamins & chromium, important for blood sugar management, to help control levels of blood fats. B vitamins also help prevent a build up of homocysteine – linked to high BP & heart disease.

Eat at least 3 portions of oily fish per week (e.g. salmon, trout, fresh tuna, sardines) – rich in essential fats to help lower cholesterol & thin the blood.

Include more vegetarian proteins like beans, peas, lentils, Soya & quinoa – low fat.

Drink at least 6 glasses of water daily.

Avoid adding salt – causes arteries to constrict, thus raising BP.
Limit intake of high fat foods (red meats / dairy products) – they raise cholesterol & BP. Don’t fry foods either, grill or bake instead & use only extra virgin olive oil.

Avoid stimulants like caffeine (see above) – try natural alternatives like Green Tea.

Avoid adding sugar & limit refined or convenience food – typically high in sugar, salt or chemical additives & preservatives.

Consider taking nutritional supplements, but seek advice if taking prescription drugs. Vitamins C & E are particularly important for the heart, as are the B vitamins, CoQ10, Calcium & magnesium, and the omega 3 oils (from flax / fish).

Exercise also plays a role in the management of BP, although do seek the guidance of your GP to determine what may be appropriate for you.

Further reading: Say No to Heart Disease’ by Patrick Holford.

Mrs. Ward gave us this recipe for a delicious chocolate cake that can be eaten by most people, whether they are on special diets or not!

Victoria Pear Sponge

Ingredients:

Tin of pears in juice, 4oz (100g) Rice Flour, 2 egg whites, 4oz (100g) Bertolli mild olive oil, 1 tsp G/F baking powder, 3tbsp soya milk, 1 tsp cocoa powder, 2oz (50g) ground almonds.

Method:

Pre-heat oven to fan 160°C or Gas 3/140°C

Place the pears (or other cooked fruit) in the bottom of an ovenproof dish. Mix together the rest of the ingredients and put the mixture on top of the fruit.

Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Thank you Mrs. Ward!

Being an avid believer that the food we eat and the lifestyle we follow literally determines our health, it was with great excitement and anticipation that I completed my intensive basic microscopy training with Dr Robert Young. If you are not familiar with Dr Young, you may like to read The PH Miracle. (Having been a type 1 diabetic, I followed this protocol to wean myself off my 4 daily injections of insulin!).

Dr Young lives in California, USA and visits the UK once a year to give seminars and to train microscopists in the art of live and dried blood cell analysis, of which I was privileged to participate. A typical day was a 7am start and an 11pm finish!

By taking a drop of blood and examining under a high magnification microscope, one can see the current state of one’s health. This is one of the most motivating tools that I have ever come across. It is only by seeing that we can begin to appreciate how the food that we eat affects our cellular being.

It is not my intention to blind you with science and technicalities at this stage, so simply put, there are only 2 types of blood – healthy or unhealthy! There are of course various stages of healthy and unhealthy blood cells (all of which are labelled with names of disease) but again the simple fact is that healthy blood will produce healthy blood cells which in turn produces healthy cell tissue, which allows for a strong immune system. The key to healthy blood is an optimum ph level of 7.365 and the easiest way to do this is to alkalise. Keeping facts simple is part of the key to success. No need to overcomplicate!

The average person in this day and age of convenience foods, fast living, stressful employment and lack of exercise are in themselves very acidic. Acid is the lower end of the ph scale and alkalinity is the higher end of the scale. The key as always is simplicity and balance - swing too far to the left or the right, and one is compromising one’s health. Bacteria loves to breed and survive in acidic blood robbing the body of oxygen, where as when the blood becomes alkaline, bacteria cannot survive.

I am now undergoing continuing training and assessment and am looking forward to offering this service in the near future. Meanwhile, starting in April, I will be conducting some lecture meetings at Herbs, Gardens and Health. Topics will include benefits of eating raw living foods, weight loss techniques, managing diabetes (including blood sugar imbalances, food cravings, food addictions), cleansing from the inside out, dealing with emotions and of course how to alkalise safely and quickly.

There will be a £5.00 cover charge and dates and times will be published soon, either via the notice board at Herbs, Gardens and Health and/or on my website www.aliciashallofhealth.com.

As always, prevention is easier than cure. So I invite you to come and meet like-minded people regardless of your age, health or gender. If you want to improve your knowledge, tackle/prevent illness and gain motivation and support, them come and join us. Remember, if you don’t look after your body, where will you live!!
Alicia Hall – Hippocrates Health Educator and Lifestyle Advisor

Spinach and Potato Curry (Sag Aloo)

The vitamin C in the tomatoes helps your body absorb the iron in the spinach, making this a nutritious dish.
The spices raise your metabolic rate, warming you on a winter's evening and filling you up nicely.

Serve it with rice. It goes really well with lentil dahl (see www.vegbox-recipes.co.uk for recipe).

Ingredients

250g potatoes
200g fresh spinach leaves (or you can use Swiss chard, if you have some)
1 tin tomatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 small chilli
1/2 stock cube
Serves 4 as a large side dish

Method

Heat a thick bottomed pan until it is hot. Add the cumin and coriander seeds and cook for 2 minutes, until toasted. Allow to cool and then grind in a pestle & mortar.

Scrub the potatoes and chop them into 1/2 inch cubes.
Wash the chilli and de-seed it. Slice it finely.

Heat the oil in a pan and then add the chilli and the spices. Cook for a minute.

Add the potatoes, tomatoes and 1/2 stock cube and mix well. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes, until the potatoes are almost cooked.

Wash the spinach thoroughly and chop roughly. Add to the pan. Stir and cover. Simmer for 5 minutes until the spinach is wilted and the potatoes fully cooked.

Delicious with rice, mango chutney or lentil dahl.

Notes & Variations

Swiss chard also works well with this recipe, if you don't have any spinach.

Experiment with your favourite curry spices, to create your own version of this sag aloo style dish.

Recipe from www.vegbox-recipes.co.uk