Please read this very touching story about a misunderstood, forgotten and poverty-stricken author. Anyone who wants to help can send a cheque made payable to LeeT. He will, of course, forward them on:-

http://www.soilandhealth.org/03sov/0303critic/030330.martin.walker.html

Steve Hayes
http://novusdetox.com

Augustus might have called upon Quintilius Varus to give back his dead legions but they died happy in the knowledge that they were making a civilization, fit for later generations to market supplements.

It is a little-known fact that the Tolpuddle Martyrs were, in fact, the Turmeric Martyrs. Simple, honest working folk, rioting for the right to have natural anti-inflammatories to soothe their aching joints.

Speaking of people of shining goodness, you may be thrilled to read this, Lee – Answering the Nutrition Critics.

Somebody once told me that ‘expecting people to treat you well just because you are a good person is like expecting the bull not to charge just because you are a vegetarian’. I guess Jerome Burne’s and my book Food is Better Medicine Than Drugs – not one single fact in which has yet been disputed – is a red rag to the pro-drug bull. Ridicule and attack are to be expected in the dying throes of the old pharmaceutical model of treating disease, as it inevitably makes way for a more holistic approach with optimum nutrition at its core.

Chastened. No – that doesn’t begin to describe my response. I could be wrong, but I’m prepared to think that this blog contains a number of rebuttals of some of his ‘facts’.

Oh dear, I am annoyed again now. Who are thinking of with that quotation? Galileo is sometimes referred to. Wasn’t he placed under house arrest? When was Mr Holford placed under house arrest?

Gandhi? Galileo? I suppose the suffragettes will be the next group in history to be co-opted in to the struggle:

“The Pankhurst’s fought for what they believed. It is just the same with my supplement programme. It took decades of struggle for women to win the vote just as it has taken three decades for orthomolecular medicine to gain acceptance by … umm … the ION and a distinguished panel of distinguished scientists. (Their identities have to remain secret due to the risk that Holford Watch will laugh at, fight at and win at them.)”

First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.

Also, Bozo the clown, talking about his twice daily tussles with other clowns in the clown car with buckets of water and confetti.

Shall be interested in the response to your email.

“First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win. Mahatma Gandhi ”

It appears Mr H is comparing himself with the Mahatma. Quite ironic really given the spot of bother Gandhi had with the South African government in the early part of the 20th century. In contrast when Mr Holford visited South Africa 100 years later his ideas were in tune with some of the crankier beliefs of the country’s current health minister.

The rather calm, non-violent approach of Gandhi seems rather different to that of Martin Walker and Mr Holford.

Have just emailed Mr W to ask if any criticism of the so-called AltMed movement is justified.

Grrrr. Must take a lie down …..

To my mind, the mere fact that Patrick is happy to quote it approvingly (as is the laughable Sue Young Homeopathy site) shows just where the nominally “respectable” end of the Alt Health l0bby really stand when the gloves are off. With friends like Walker, one might think that Patrick hardly needs enemies.

I recently gave a talk on bad science to a small group. One of the audience, a supporter of Mr Holford, came up to me afterwards and suggested I read Martin Walker who supposedly demolishes PH and his critics. When I looked at MW for the first time last month it struck me that he did not really know much about Ben Goldacre. Very poor.