Nutritional Therapy

[LazyGun]

We occasionally have questions and discussions on here about miracle vitamin supplements and new, radical, supposedly helpful diets - but does anyone out in AB land make use of Nutritional Therapists?

Th reason I ask is that I was quite shocked to read the outcomes of a recent Which! report into the advice given by these Therapists - advice which was mostly wrong, sometimes dangerous, and always expensive on your purse. I have included a link from the Which! article, below.

It does seem to me that people are often only too willing to subscribe to a diet or supplement therapy without much,indeed often without any evidence to support it other than anecdote, and I think it is because people are seduced by the idea of a quick fix solution to a perceived health problem....

http://conversation.w...dvice-worth-the-cost/

[cathfromsaron]

dietary changes are actually slow and lifetime fixes, not quick temporary fixes!

but yes anyone can advocate food allergies and deficiencies with any qualifications! so patient beware!

[wolf63]

I have a pretty unhealthy diet and probably do have some deficiencies of minerals or vitamins - but do not currently take any supplements.

My psychiatrist told me to take Omega 3 epa tablets of about 1000mg daily. I noticed a difference in my mental health (I am bipolar). Alas I stopped taking them when I became manic and was too busy making plans for world domination to bother to buy the tablets. Given how I am currently feeling I might just go and buy some. ;-)

My SIL is a science teacher and is rather scathing of such things - she dislikes Gillian McKeith with a passion. :-)

[LazyGun]

@Wolf - Let me know if you need any help with the whole "taking over the world" thing - I have been looking around for a new challenging project for a while :)

I would agree with your SiL wrt Gillian McKeith, AKA "that awful poo lady" :) I was irritated by her manner, and by the use of the title "Doctor" - something she effectively bought by following a correspondence course from a non-accredited US establishment - Even the ASA eventually stopped her from using the term. Lying or misrepresentation is never a good sign of integrity :)

[China Doll]

I always think it's the quick fix that people go for because it is linked with the hope that that something is not their fault or because of some modern fashion trend or fad. This place http://www.uclh.org/O...RLHIM/Pages/Home.aspx is one of my biggest irritants at the moment. If you want to save money shut this bloody place down, homeopathic medicine my arse... I'm sorry, I have very strong feelings on the matter.

I think there is a great link between diet and how people feel and it's obvious that if we all had a very good diet and took regular exercise then this would be bennifical for our wellbeing in general. I also have plenty of room for natural remedies in conjunction with modern medicine approaches. But I think so many places play in to the insecurities and the quick fix dream that we all wish we had at times but to me it's almost the same as those awful religious shows (for want of a better word) who tell people they are communicating with dead relatives. It's the same sort of pyschology behind it I think if that makes any sense.

That said, there are also people who only want to go down the medical route. One of the consultants I work for specialises in unexplained symptoms in adolescents/chronic fatigue syndrome and we have a programme that gets very good results and has an MDT approach. But we have quite a lot of parents who despite all the tests in the world will always want the medical diagnosis and just push more and more for tests, imaging or some new thing they're read on the internet etc whilst ignoring that very often a child is literally screaming for help of a very different kind...My consultant is amazing at dealing with it all thankfully, I just get very irritated (am just about professional enough to hide my irritation ;0) A lot of the parents want to find a medical explanation because I think it would be easier for them to deal with a medical condition rather than some of the issues within their own families that may be contributing to the childs symptoms, whether this is done subconscienously or not I wouldn't like to hazard a guess.

[slaney]

Ben Goldacre is always good value on this kind of thing..

http://www.badscience...ryone-but-yourselves/

[LazyGun]

@ China - excellent post :)

Strange you should mention the RLHIM hospital - Had to visit GOSH OP in a professional capacity - GOSP OP being located in the RLHIM- had to grit my teeth as I walked through :)

[China Doll]

Gospel Oak? My poor nurse has to go there to do site visits for child safeguarding practices, I think she earns her money ;0)

[LazyGun]

@China, No, Great Ormond Street Hosp OP - Shares its facilities with RLHIM

[China Doll]

Does it?! I did not know that... I probably should though since we have quite a few links with them!