I was planning to blog something about Patrick Holford, but then I saw The Apprentice last night: they gave contestants a visit to the Energy Clinic as a prize, and Sir Alan Sugar recommended the clinic as a place where companies often send their ‘highfliers’. If wealthy business people and corporations want to waste their money on unpleasant herbal teas and implausible energy spa ‘treats’, we have no particular objection. However, the Energy Clinic (formerly called the Energy Bank) has had a darker side.
As we noted on this blog, at the Energy Bank there were
claims of efficacy for treating Aids. In 2003, BBC2 broadcast Annie Kossoff’s Kill or Cure series. Warwick Powell worked with Energy Bank to attempt to counter Aids. Powell eschewed conventional treatment because it offered disease management rather than a cure. After following the Energy Bank programme for some time, Powell has a blood test and is distressed to learn that his T-cell count has not improved. Keep reading →
Categories: Life's 4 Living
Tagged: Alan Sugar, BBC, Life's 4 Living, Sir Alan Sugar, The Apprentice, The Energy Bank, The Energy Clinic
A break from our usual Holford coverage, to discuss a recent EJCN Short Communication on “Effects of a short-term intervention with a paleolithic diet in healthy volunteers“. The study began with a small sample of 20; however, a high proportion of these dropped out, and the researchers appear to have lost some of the data on many of those remaining in the study. Moreover, a surprising proportion of those involved showed signs of illness, and the study lacked a control group. Frankly - with so much going wrong - I rather felt for the researchers: one could almost conclude that the Paleo diet is somewhat cursed. However, they were blessed in one respect: plenty of positive media coverage, meaning that the NHS felt the need to offer a critical response to the study.
Because of these problems, while the study concludes that the intervention showed some apparently positive effects, the problems with it mean that (as the authors rightly acknowledge) considerably more research is needed before conclusions can be reached. Frankly, we struggled to see much useful information to be gained from this problematic study. Keep reading →
Categories: patrick holford
Tagged: Caveman Diet, Paleo Diet, Paleolithic Diet
You may have experienced déjà vu over the last few days if you’ve been reading excited accounts about polypills for the over-55s (there was a lot of Oh Brave New World about the potential for polypills in 2003). The claims are that polypills will prevent 100,000 premature deaths a year and also prevent up to 80% of heart attacks and strokes. The polypills will contain a cholesterol-reducing statin; three types of medicine to lower blood pressure (thiazide, aspirin and beta-blockers); and folic acid to reduce levels of homocysteine (Hcy). Keep reading →
Categories: Holford · homocysteine · patrick holford · supplements · vitamins
Tagged: CVD, folic acid, Holford, homocysteine, james braly, patrick holford, polypill, supplements, vitamin B, vitamins
Categories: University of Teesside · patrick holford
Tagged: acid-base, alkaline, Holford, patrick holford, University of Teesside, water
Visiting Professor Patrick Holford of Teesside University and the Food for the Brain Foundation (FFTB) are promoting a very well-thought plan whereby food and supplement manufacturers will give them money in exchange for the endorsement of their products. Now, charities have to get their money from somewhere, so isn’t that all very sensible? Keep reading →
Categories: Food for the brain · Food for the brain foundation · Holford · University of Teesside · children · patrick holford
Tagged: allergy, allergy test, Allergy UK, antioxidants, Anton Emmanuel, Cherry Active, dried cherries, Food for the brain, food intolerance, Holford, patrick holford, Peter Whorwell, yorktest
Here at HolfordWatch, we are a bit puzzled as to Holford’s position at Teesside: it is no longer clear whether or not he is visiting professor of nutrition at the University. As far was we know, Holford’s appointment was in Teesside’s school of Social Sciences and law. As HolfordMyths notes, Teesside previously told Holford that he should “not use the title of “Visiting Professor in Mental Health & Nutrition”. Keep reading →
Categories: University of Teesside · patrick holford
Tagged: patrick holford, University of Teesside, Visiting Professor
Categories: antioxidants · supplements
Tagged: antioxidants, Bjelakovic, Cochrane Review, natural v. synthetic vitamins, supplements, Terence Kealey, vitamins
Skeptical Alchemist Steppen W is on the lookout for hosts for the new Molecular and Cell Biology Carnival. This is a compilation of the best posts on molecular and cell biology and is just finding its feet as one of the latest special-interest carnivals.
It is well worth supporting. Take a look at the criteria and contact Steppen. In these early stages, Steppen is interested in rotating the carnival round a number of different, non-specialised blogs to spread awareness of it. Hosting a carnival is a good way of attracting new traffic to your blog. The next edition is May 11 and Steppen would like to hear from potential hosts.
Read all about it: science carnival looking for hosts.
Categories: patrick holford
Tagged: molecular and cell biology carnival
In yesterday’s Telegraph, Damian Thompson asks whether we’re seeing “The last rites for alternative medicine?” For Thomson
CAM’s [Complementary and Alternative Medicine's] real problem…is shortage of proof. The information technology brilliantly exploited by unorthodox therapies is now being harnessed to spread the inconvenient truth that most of them don’t work. Sceptics in the blogosphere have assembled a global daisy-chain of links exposing the falsehoods of alternative practitioners.
Interestingly, Thompson believes that media nutritionists such as Prof Patrick Holford of Teesside University (and - in particular - Holford’s unjustified support for Wakefield’s bad science) have played an important role in CAM’s problems Keep reading →
Categories: Andrew Wakefield · Holford · MMR · University of Teesside · autism · patrick holford
Tagged: alternative medicine, CAM, Damian Thompson, patrick holford, Teesside University, Telegraph, Westminster University
Categories: antioxidants · nutrition · nutritionists · supplements
Tagged: antioxidants, Bjelakovic, Cochrane Review, IANT, Irish Association of Nutritional Therapy, nutrition, nutritional therapists, nutritionism, supplements, vitamins