Ian Gawler Blog:The 3 most powerful tools for personal transformation

Announcing an exciting training for health professionals and keen individuals that focuses on the clinical application of therapeutic language, imagery and meditation.

It is with real enthusiasm that I write to tell you that Dr. Nimrod Sheinman is coming again to Australia in October, to join Ruth and myself in a 5-Day residential training that will focus on the use of imagery, meditation and language for inner transformation, personal and professional development.

In this special guest blog, Nimrod describes how he became involved in this aspect of his work, what is on offer (a huge potential for major insights, personal breakthroughs and transformation!), and a little of the program we have put together.

It has been my good fortune to get to know Nimrod well over the last 25 years, and to host several of his previous trainings. He is an excellent teacher, great communicator, highly experienced, compassionate and passionate!

Who will attend?
This training is primarily intended for clinicians, but individuals keen to learn and apply these principles and techniques in their own lives, and who have a good grounding in meditation and imagery already, are encouraged to attend.

It is a special feature of the style of this training that we encourage clinicians and clients to interact and learn with each other as well as from each other.

NOTE: 30 Category 2 CPD Points applied for from the RACGP, and this training/program would qualify as training hours for those applying for registration with ATMA.

To download the flier, CLICK HERE                               For further enquiries call 03 59666130


But first
Thought for the day
Light will someday split you open

Even if your life is now a cage.

For a divine seed,

the crown of destiny,

Is hidden and sown on 
an ancient, fertile plain

You hold the title to.
                           Hafiz

Dr Nimrod Sheinman on Images, Words and Silence




It was 1986. I was an Israeli naturopathic physician who had trained for four years in the US, and now I was visiting Melbourne to meet my brother, who later became the founder of the wonderful organic Himalaya Bakery and Café in Daylesford.









As I was standing in front of my brother's library, a blue book caught my eyes. I pulled it out. The photo on the front cover reminded me of a Rene Magritte painting (the famous European surrealist painter), showing a man in black suit with blue sea and blue sky in the background.










The book's photo showed a tall man standing in front of a blue fence, beyond which is a blue sea and blue sky. The man wears a long blue robe, from which only one leg is seen underneath. The cover extolls "You Can Conquer Cancer". As I opened and began to read the book I became excited. "I have to meet this man", I said to myself.







Back then in the summer or ’86, I was on my way back to the US for a one year Mind-Body Residency at Bastyr University in Seattle, Washington. My area of expertise was mainly Mind-Body Medicine. Although I was well trained in clinical nutrition, manipulation therapy, nutritional supplements, herbal medicine and homeopathic prescribing, "Healing, Consciousness and Transformation" (the name of a course I was co-teaching) was "my thing".

I was very inspired by the then new Mind-Body Medicine findings. I had been lucky to be in the US during the '80s, the years during which psycho-neuro-immunology was discovered, Mind-Body Medicine evolved and holistic medicine organized. I met leading mind-body innovators and thinkers, heard the best holistic experts and learned first-hand from great mind-body pioneers.

I was most interested in the practical application of these exciting new developments, and from amongst the various mind-body tools, Interactive Guided Imagery stood out. I went on to learn skills in this area from Martin Rossman MD and David Bresler PhD, experts, pioneers, authors and later the founders of the American Academy for Guided (Interactive) Imagery.

The forte of Interactive Guided Imagery is the unique guided dialogue between the patient and his or her images or inner metaphors, and the skills needed by the clinician to direct this communication process. Interactive imagery beautifully integrates Mind-Body Medicine principles, along with the Jungian perspective, Mindfulness-based approaches, Empathic Dialogue and lots of "trust the process".

It was my last day in Australia, so all I could accomplish at the time was to find Ian's phone number and call him. We spoke and agreed to meet next year. This became the first time I visited one of Ian's support groups, participated and taught in a 10 day cancer retreat and gave a seminar to his staff.





In 1990, we presented Medicine of the Mind, a two day conference, which as our brochure said, was devoted to presenting "up-to-date information on the theoretical research and clinical data that could well change the face of health, healing and medicine".


My connection and friendship with Ian is now over 25 years old!





In these 25 years, much has been discovered on the mind-body connection, the complementary aspects of imagery and meditation, the power of the mind to heal and the roles of the patient and clinician. A huge body of research is now available to us, as well as experience gained in numerous mind-body and integrative medicine institutes.

Interactive Imagery combined with mind-body and mindfulness-based approaches is a "must have" for clinicians. As a technique, it is a great ally to meditation, because it enables people (with the therapist as a guide) to contact inner feelings, processes, struggles and moods; to look at them differently, to explore them as possible positive guides, to learn from them and reduce their hold.

During the last 25 years, I have been fortunate to teach Interactive Imagery training seminars in Europe, USA, Australia and Israel, and to explore its unique value with physicians, psychologists, social workers, nurses and complementary medicine practitioners.

We have witnessed its usefulness in diverse situations, such as in extreme life events, chronic stress disorders, oncology care, trauma work, pain control, and more. Here is what some practitioners have had to say:

"The Interactive Imagery training helped me to connect with my patient's woundedness and their strength, and to empower clients in their healing process", said one psychotherapist.

"Interactive Imagery is a wonderful technique", said one physician, "because it enables me to guide my patients towards their deeper Self, and to harness its healing potential".

Or a social worker’s statement: "Integrating Interactive Imagery with mindfulness enables me to reach the patient's unconscious mind, in order to identify its hidden messages".

All of which will be translated into our coming training in October where those who join us will be experiencing and learning how to:

• Integrate the latest research findings and insights of Mind-Body Medicine with Imagery-based Therapy and Mindfulness-based Meditation  

• Use language, imagery and silence therapeutically, and how best to combine them synergistically to generate healing and wellbeing

• Guide Dialogue between the Person and the Image– the step-by-step approach of communicating with symbols and metaphors 

• Use Interactive Imagery and meditation to transform troublesome "symptom makers" into unique and interesting allies  

• Bring imagery exploration into loaded clinical situations, mobilize personal resources and fortify resilience

This will be a highly experiential, interactive and practical training, uniquely suited to practitioners and informed people keen to work on their own health, healing and wellbeing.


To download the flier, CLICK HERE

For further enquiries call 03 59666130

HOW TO REGISTER

NOTE: 30 Category 2 CPD Points applied for from the RACGP, and this training/program would qualify as training hours for those applying for registration with ATMA.


RELATED BLOG
The Mind that Changes everything

RESOURCES

BOOK: The Mind that Changes Everything

CDs: Mind Training

Mind-Body Medicine

RESEARCH ARTICLE
Bowel cancer? Get off your backside!!!

Associations of recreational physical activity and leisure time spent sitting with colorectal cancer survival.               Campbell PT et al, J Clin Oncol.  2013; 31(7):876-85 

Little is known about the association of recreational physical activity or leisure time spent sitting with survival after colorectal cancer diagnosis. This study examined the associations of prediagnosis and postdiagnosis recreational physical activity and leisure time spent sitting with mortality among patients with colorectal cancer.

CONCLUSION of the Study?: More recreational physical activity before and after colorectal cancer diagnosis was associated with lower mortality, whereas longer leisure time spent sitting was associated with higher risk of death.

Ian Gawler Blog: In praise of tall trees

What can we learn from a magnificent oak? A photographic essay

Consider this. Here is a one hundred year old red oak in full autumn colour. A giant of a tree with a massive canopy, and beauty for all to see.

What then if I showed you this – a diminutive object that can be cradled in the palm of your hand?








Now, if you knew nothing of botany, the science to do with plants, and I was to tell you that this thing was an acorn and all you need to do is put one of these into suitable prepared soil and nurture it appropriately and you could produce a regal oak tree, you could be forgiven for thinking I was mad.

There is a huge lesson to learn from this metaphor, but first

Thought for the Day
Untamed beings are as unlimited as space.

You will never be able to overcome them all.

Yet, if you could simply overcome the hatred in your mind, 

You will find that it is as if you have overcome them all.


How can you possibly find enough leather

To cover the earth?

But if you could just wear leather sandals,

You will find it to be as if you have covered the earth.

In the same way, you will never be able to change

All external objects.

But if you change your own mind,

There is no need to change anything else.
             Shantideva 8th century Indian, Buddhist scholar and author of the Bodhicaryavatara, A Guide             to the Bodhisattva's Way Of Life


So here is the thing. 
Knowing that an acorn will produce an oak, knowing the conditions an acorn needs to grow into an oak, gives the confidence to plant a few and support their growth:

Above on the left is a one year old baby, nestled amongst pea straw and major protection from rabbits and deer.
On the right, a three year old beginning to make its way.

Now, above we have a six year old, well able to maintain itself in the midst of a big space.
And on the right, a nine year old, beginning to look like its parent, the big tree above whose acorns produced all these youngsters.

But there is more. If on a grander scale, one did know the laws of botany, the laws that govern how plants function; how they live and grow and flourish; one could plan, plant, cultivate and sustain a beautiful garden.

In the same manner, if one did know the laws that govern how the mind functions; how the mind helps a person to live and grow and flourish; one could plan, cultivate and sustain a beautiful life.

Makes simple sense of learning more about the mind and making the time to train the mind!


RELATED BLOGS
The 2 top ways to develop mindfulness in daily life

The Mind that Changes everything

RESOURCES

Please Note: Orders from the blog have been redirected to the Gawler Foundation, but presently their on-line ordering system is being updated and is non-functional, so to order you need to ring them 03 59671730, or email info@gawler.org.

BOOK: The Mind that Changes Everything

CD: Mind Training  

NOTICEBOARD
Mind Training in Melbourne!

Melbourne Workshops –NEXT WEEKEND 

Saturday May 11th : Meditation and the Power of the Mind 
Like a mini meditation retreat. A great chance to refresh, learn some more and deepen meditation in good company.

Sunday May 12th : Living Well, Being Well
Looking after ourselves, maintaining a healthy, healing, vital lifestyle takes some doing. Come along and be reminded of what is important, learn of new research and how it applies in daily life, and be re-invigorated! Lots of new material on nutrition, epigenetics, telomere science and neuroplasticity.

Bring the family, invite a friend or two, inform your colleagues! Maybe you know someone living in Melbourne who would benefit/like to attend.

For full details and to book, LINK HERE

NEWS 
Avaaz helps to save Europe's bees!

Europe has just banned bee-killing pesticides!! Bees pollinate two thirds of all our food -- so when scientists noticed that silently, they were dying at a terrifying rate due to toxic pesticide useage, Avaaz swung in to action. This week’s victory is the result of two years of flooding ministers with messages, organizing media-grabbing protests with beekeepers, funding opinion polls and much, much more.

Mega-corporations like Bayer threw everything they had at this, but people-power, science and good governance came out on top!!  All supported big time by Avaaz. Who?

Avaaz.org is a 21-million-person global campaign network that works to ensure that the views and values of the world's people shape global decision-making. "Avaaz" means "voice" or "song" in many languages. Avaaz members live in every nation of the world. The Avaaz team is spread across 18 countries on 6 continents and operates in 17 languages.

If you want to support Avaaz and add your voice to their wide-ranging campaigns, or even start an on-line campaign yourself, go to www.avaaz.org

RESEARCH ARTICLE
More reasons to look after your telomeres!
Telomeres are protective, DNA - protein complexes at the end of our chromosomes that protect them from fraying as we age.

However, during normal ageing, the gradual loss of telomere length can contribute to our cells becoming unable to reproduce, to their early cell death, and to the formation of cancer.

As a dramatic example of this, in the fairly rare genetic disorder dyskeratosis congenita, telomere shortening is accelerated, and those affected have premature onset of many age-related diseases and early death.

This study set out to assess an association between telomere length and mortality in 143 normal unrelated people over the age of 60 years.

The study found those with shorter telomeres in blood DNA had poorer survival, attributable in part to a 3.18-fold higher mortality rate from heart disease (95% CI 1(.)36-7.45, p=0.0079), and an 8.54-fold higher mortality rate from infectious disease (1.52-47.9, p=0.015).

These results lend support to the hypothesis that telomere shortening in human beings contributes to mortality in many age-related diseases.

Cawthon RMS et al, Lancet. 2003 Feb 1;361(9355):393-5. Link to the article, CLICK HERE

Read more about telomeres and telomere support: www.herbalts.net

Ian Gawler Blog: Organic food – good for fruit flies, good for you

Big commercial Agri-business interests would have us believe that their produce is just as good as the organic stuff, only cheaper and easier to mass produce. Don’t you love it when the little people take on a big issue and make a big impact.

Recently a 16-year-old schoolgirl in the USA has used fruit flies to provide graphic evidence of the differences and to add good reason to eating organic. Then we look at a supermarket selling organics at the same price as commercial produce. But first

Thought for the Day
Never doubt that a small group of concerned citizens can change the world.
Indeed it is the only thing that ever has.
                                                
Margaret Mead

Want to be more active and live longer?

The New York Times reports that Ria Chhabra was inspired by hearing her parents debating the topic of whether organically grown food provide greater health benefits than conventionally grown produce, and decided to investigate for herself.

Ria chose to research fruit flies as they have around 75 per cent of the genes that cause disease in humans and they have a short life span. This means that relatively quickly, differences emerge and can be measured.

Her creative experiment was developed with researchers at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. Half of the flies were fed an organic diet and the other half a conventional one. The results? They found that eating organically improved fertility, stress resistance, physical activity and longevity – not a bad package of benefits really.

The researchers commented, "these data suggest that organic foods are more nutritionally balanced than conventional foods, or contain higher levels of nutrients, leading to improved fertility and longevity". Not so useful if you want to die young without children, but good for the average, family minded ones!

Another key finding was that the diet had to be balanced. Flies that were fed only one type of organic food had shorter lifespans and were less fertile than those fed a more balanced diet.

The project won Ria top honours in a national science competition and has now been published in the respected Plos One journal. To quote:

Our data show that Drosophila (fruit fly) can be used as a convenient model system to experimentally test potential health effects of dietary components. Using this system, we provide evidence that organically raised food may provide animals with tangible benefits to overall health.

While the results are by no means conclusive and cannot be directly extended to humans, they add to what many of us who eat organically feel – it is well worth the effort – for us and our environment. And we are not alone. Currently organics is a 1.2 billion dollar a year industry, and is one of Australia's top five growth industries.

On the environmental front, one recent study found that commercial corn crops used a whopping 71% more energy than organics; while other studies have shown how organics reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Plus, as a Stanford study recently found, organic produce had a 30% lower risk of pesticide contamination than conventional fruits and vegetables.

However, there is a major issue, the relative price of organic versus conventionally farmed foods. A recent analysis of Australian supermarket prices by Suncorp Bank found that organic food is 79% more expensive than conventional, with some items up to 300% dearer.


Enter one of my new found heros.


Adrian Barkla is the owner of New World, Remuera, one of the biggest supermarkets in Auckland, NZ.

Adrian is a strong advocate for organic produce. Actually, he is much more than an advocate, Adrian has managed to establish a large organic section in his supermarket and features the fact that the prices for the organics are the same as those for the commercial produce.



On the day Ruth and I visited the supermarket and met with him, it was certainly bustling. Adrian hopes to be a game changer and to inspire, or commercially pressure his neighbouring supermarkets into following suit on his organic lead.

How has he done it? How has he kept the prices down? Well he is passionately committed, but Adrian told me he has made many direct contracts with organic growers. He loves the personal connection. The growers love the assured market and the public love the outcome. And Adrian’s turnover is huge. Everyone is winning. A great model for what is possible with a little creativity and commitment.

So, what to do? I would urge everyone to tell their local organic produce providers of what Adrian has achieved and to encourage the notion that price does not need to be a barrier; they need to be kept down.

Perhaps we need to go to Farmer’s Markets more often and then tell the big chain Supermarkets this is what we are doing. While it is lovely many supermarkets are now adding an organic section into their stores, I cannot help feeling that organics are trendy enough these days to command a high premium and that this fact is being exploited.

Think about this. If it requires less energy (because less commercial fertilizers are used) and the costs are down, why do we have to pay so much for organics?

I dream of the day when sustainable, organic farming/ food production practices are the norm.





In the mean time, it certainly adds even more weight to the home veggie garden!



Ours is enjoying a wonderfully productive Autumn.






RESOURCES

1. The fruit fly article - Click here

2. Analysis of Australian supermarket prices: organic versus commercial - Click here

3. Organics as a top 5 growth industry - Click here

RELATED BLOG

Linking lifestyle, sustainability, the environment and health

NOTICEBOARD
1. Shepparton Workshop - next week, Saturday 4th May 
Ruth and I are donating our time to support Shepparton High School’s World Challenge, a great project to support the students, so if you are nearby, come along and enjoy the day while you support the students.

Bookings: contact the bursar on 5821 4322 or in person at Shepparton High School.

Enquiries: Craig Martin, a teacher at the school – 58214322, or martin.craig.a@edumail.vic.gov.au

2. Melbourne Workshops - only 2 weeks away, booking soon recommended.

Saturday May 11th : Meditation and the Power of the Mind 
Like a mini meditation retreat. A great chance to refresh, learn some more and deepen meditation in good company

Sunday May 12th : Living Well, Being Well
Looking after ourselves, maintaining a healthy, healing, vital lifestyle takes some doing. Come along and be reminded of what is important, learn of new research and how it applies in daily life, and be re-invigorated! Lots of new material on nutrition.

Bring the family, invite a friend or two, inform your colleagues! Maybe you know someone living in Melbourne who would benefit/like to attend.

For full details and to book, LINK HERE

RESEARCH ARTICLE
Getting out in the sun could save your life! 

The less sun, the greater the risk of breast cancer. Australian researchers have found women living south of Coffs Harbour have almost twice the risk of those living above the line. The risk rose to more than double again when comparing women living below or above Brisbane.

Less exposure to UV sunlight and subsequent lower vitamin D levels explained the risk. The message is simple, get regular, moderate exposure to sunlight (do not let your skin burn) or take a Vitamin D supplement.

More detail, click here.

Ian Gawler Blog: In praise of fast cars

What can we learn from a very fast old car?
Plenty really. I drive a Subaru WRX. Fabulous car. I was fortunate and happened to buy the 1998 model, in my opinion the best looking WRX of all time. Sleek, elegant, relatively cheap, and bloody fast!

My car is about to celebrate its 15th birthday, having just turned over 300,00Kms. Yes 300,000Kms! And it still goes very fast!

And yes, I know that these days it is about as politically correct to admit to loving driving fast as it is to loving being a smoker, but it is a fact. I love speed. Always have.

So this week, let’s go “Out on a Limb” and discover what we can learn from a very fast old car. But first, I also love being still, so

Thought for the Day
Profound and tranquil, free from complexity
Uncompounded luminous clarity
Beyond the mind of conceptual ideas
This is the depth of the mind of the victorious ones.

In this there is not a thing to be removed
Nor anything that needs to be added.
It is merely the immaculate
Looking naturally at itself
                        Nyoshul Khen Rinpoche


The car metaphor is simple but very strong
As a fast car, to get to be 15 years old and to continue to look as good as you did in the early days, to continue to go as fast as you did in the early days; it all takes some work. Good care, regular servicing, a few running repairs, and maybe a facelift!



My WRX came with all the raw ingredients.


The car looks terrific to my eye; it has beautiful lines, is compact, elegant and very practical. In many ways it looks like a modest hatchback.

(This one looks the same, but is not my actual car)



But then there is this incredible turbo-charged Boxer motor that is hooked up to everything that matches. The outcome? A racing billycart. Sure the ride is a little rough, but it moves fast, handles extraordinarily well and has been incredibly reliable. I love driving this car.

But then, the truth is the car is serviced regularly by the best Subaru people I could find using only genuine parts. It has never had an accident, despite being driven very hard in its early days, more sedately of late. It did blow up a transmission at 30K, but Subaru recognised an in-built fault and replaced it free of charge. Being automatic, the transmission did need replacing again recently.

The only other difficulty was when the failure of a minor part led to a major engine problem at around 200K and the bottom half of the engine needed replacing. And I did have it resprayed a year or so ago.

So the simple metaphor. Compare the car to the body. My body is 63 years old. Still goes quite well despite being short of one leg, one lung and most likely one kidney. But this body of mine, like the WRX, gets very well looked after.

Fuel
I am quite particular about what goes into it this body of mine. The WRX would probably run on basic unleaded; splutter along at least; but it goes best on Premium and that is also better for its engine.

My body, like the WRX, is a combustion engine. You put things into it, it burns them up and it goes. The WRX has a simple combustion engine and I am very particular about what I put in its petrol tank. My body is an exquisitely complex combustion engine. It makes logical sense to be even more attentive to what goes into my own tank.

Why not use the best? Why not eat the best?

Regular servicing
For me, regular meditation is like servicing. Worth doing daily. Going on retreat is a more deliberate form of servicing, as is having a regular massage, taking time out in the garden or going for a walk. Regeneration time. When I need to, which is often, I want to know that everything has been done, everything is ready, so that I can be at my best.

Why not be at your best?

Respraying
This seems to be unknown or overlooked by many, but in my view, good food, really good food, is way more effective then a facelift. Eat consistently well and skin tone is good, wrinkles smooth out and an inner glow emerges.

Why not look at your best?

Driving
For me, driving is one of the best moving meditations. To drive safely, especially if fast, you need to be very present, very mindful. Not overly tense, not spaced out;  just right - really relaxed in the true sense of the word. Sharp and relaxed. Aware.

Why not be aware and mindful?

Actually, I treat my body better than the WRX. I like to think I treat it like a Formula One racing car, where everything is taken seriously, but there is a lot of fun involved. That attitude certainly helped me to recover from a very difficult cancer. And these days, while I am not fixated, I am fairly diligent, and this attitude helps me to make the most of the bits that I do have, to live and enjoy life to the full, and to make the most of what it is that I have to offer to others.

And finally, along with the WRX’s milestone 15th birthday next month, I will celebrate returning to having no demerit driving points against my name. Not sure as the years advance if I am becoming more politically correct or just more careful?
Love that car!

RELATED BLOGS
                   Food 101 - What food goes into your tank?

                   Meditation in the Desert

RESOURCES
BOOK        You Can Conquer Cancer – for all the answers to your food questions, and how to be confident of, and enjoy Formula One food!

CDs            Eating well, Being well – outlines the dietary recommendations found in my experience to be best suited to those interested in eating well - for themselves and the family.


                   Eating for Recovery – more specific recommendations for those affected by cancer. Builds on the first food CD, so if you are managing cancer, the two CDs are necessary.

PLEASE NOTE. If you are ordering Books or CDs via this blog, my own website or from the Gawler Foundation directly, their website is being upgraded and the on-line store is still coming, so for the moment, to order you need to ring during normal business hours:  03 59671730

NEWS
1. Coconut oil
Wow. I was naive enough to imagine last week's guest post from Professor George Jelinek explaining why he and I consider coconut oil to be best avoided would only interest a few. Actually, it attracted a huge readership and led to much discussion, including many valuable questions and answers from George and myself that are worth visiting in the Comment section.

2. MELBOURNE WORKSHOPS approaching rapidly, booking soon recommended

Saturday May 11th : Meditation and the Power of the Mind. Like a mini meditation retreat; lots of practise together, some interesting new science, and a neat review of technique and theory.

Sunday May 12th : Living Well, Being Well  On preventing illness, recovering from illness and being really well. Lots on healthy lifestyle, treatment options and nutrition , including heaps of recent research and how it applies in daily life.

Bring the family, invite a friend or two, inform your colleagues!
Maybe you know someone living in Melbourne who would benefit/like to attend.

For full details and to book, LINK HERE

NOTICEBOARD
H.H. THE DALAI LAMA COMING to AUSTRALIA in JUNE

BEYOND RELIGION, THE BENEFITS OF LIVING ETHICALLY

This will be the Dalai Lama’s ninth visit to Australia. This time based on his book, Beyond Religion, Ethics for a Whole World, His Holiness will discuss how to put ethics into practice in everyday life.

Check out to beautiful, clever video: One Voice Video

For the full VISIT SCHEDULE and to book tickets go to www.dalailamainaustralia.org

BOTTOM LINE COMFORT
I am often asked where to obtain a good meditation cushion. The Gawler Foundation stocks great wooden seats to kneel upon as well as cushions, or you can order great Zafus (buckwheat filled, round cushions) online from Blue Banyan. They also have buckwheat refills for well used, flattened Zafus that need replenishing.

RESEARCH ARTICLE
Eating More Meat, Dairy, and Other Unhealthful Foods Leads to Worse Aging
Recent research demonstrates that after an average 16-year follow-up, people who consumed a “Western-type” diet, including a high intake of red and processed meats, whole dairy products, and fried foods, were more likely to die prematurely and to suffer from various chronic diseases including heart disease, stroke, cancer, and mental health disorders, compared with people who avoided such dietary patterns.

Researchers analyzed data from 5,350 participants from the WhitehalI II study in London and scored dietary patterns using the Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI) to assess disease risk. People with better AHEI scores had better overall health outcomes as they aged.

Akbaraly T, Sabia S, Hagger-Johnson G, et al. Does overall diet in midlife predict future aging in phenotypes? A cohort study. Am J Med. 2013; 126:411-419.

BOOK REVIEW

The Dalai Lama’s Cat
Unlikely title. Intriguing title. Great book of fiction mixed with fact based on the adventures, learnings and insights of a stray cat adopted and cared for by the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala, Nepal.

It has a whimsical sense of humour, warmth and compassion running through and provides a gentle introduction to Buddhist principles through the eyes of a wayward but curious cat. Highly recommended for all, but maybe a good present for teenagers and those older who are interested in the meaning of life.

The author David Michie hails from Perth and Ruth and I met up with him and his lovely wife while speaking there last week.

The book should be in all the proverbial good bookstores, but can also be ordered on line. Two possibilities with direct links:
  Amazon    and    Fishpond

Coconut oil - are you nuts?

Is coconut oil safe? What if something you believed to be true was incorrect? I love being constructively challenged, and recently have had a series of passionate people object to me stating in workshops that coconut oil is best avoided.

So I thought it best to go to the Oracle, the best informed expert on things fatty I know, my old friend and colleague Professor George Jelinek, author of Overcoming Multiple Sclerosis and Recovering from Multiple Sclerosis. George also has a terrific website: overcomingmultiplesclerosis.org

Also this week, more important meat research, along with news of the coming Melbourne workshops and an important message for those already booked for Meditation in the Desert, but first

Thought for the day
The human mind is not capable of grasping the Universe.
We are like a little child entering a huge library  .....
The child knows that someone must have written those books.
It does not know who or how
                                        Albert Einstein: cited in The Next Thousand Years by A Berry

So here is George’s guest blog answering the question: Is coconut oil safe?

Bhoy oh Bhoy! Is coconut oil the next big thing?

I love Danny Bhoy. I saw his ‘Dear Epson...’ comedy show in Melbourne on Thursday. Danny Bhoy is endearing and very funny. But he is also perceptive. His show is about letters he has written to companies that have misled him with their claims.

Like Clinique with its ‘Aging Reversal Cream’ that he smothered on from head to toe trying to get back from his 39 years to being a teenager. The packet did say ‘clinically proven’ after all, and he was as excited as a puppy about being young again.

This led him to the story of one drunken night as a young man when he fell asleep (read lost consciousness) and woke to find his cat had peed on his head. Realising many years later that he had retained a full head of hair, he felt that is was evidently clinically proven that cat pee prevents baldness!

This started an old scientist in the audience, namely me, thinking about the latest claims for coconut oil, after reading a recent testimonial that said ‘Coconut oil assists with a whole host of ailments from parasites, atherosclerosis, cholesterol, HIV, digestive and nutrient absorption disorders to heart disease; you name it, it helps.’

I have to say when reading this I could not help but think of the cat pee. In medicine, we use a hierarchy of evidence to determine whether something works or not in disease in humans. Suffice to say, the reason there is a lot of debate about coconut oil is that there is not a lot of evidence; if there was, there would be no need for debate.

In the absence of high quality evidence from clinical trials, it is wise to look at the chemistry of what is going on when eating various fatty foods to see if there is a problem with coconut oil. Not widely known or acknowledged is that the major issue with dietary fats is their melting points.

Fatty acids are the building blocks of the membranes, or outer envelopes, of our bodily cells. The composition of our membranes mirrors exactly our dietary patterns of fatty acid intake. Saturated fats, mostly found in meat, typically have high melting points; this is easy to see when you put a chop on the barbecue and the fat only melts when the temperature is really high. When it cools down again, the fat is solid, white and sticky.

So if we eat principally saturated fats, our cell membranes end up hard and sticky. This is a real problem. Most common Western diseases reflect these hard, sticky, brittle properties of cell membranes; think clots in the heart, high blood pressure from hard arteries, strokes and deep venous thrombosis.

Unsaturated fats, including the monounsaturated fats like olive oil, and the polyunsaturated fats like fish and vegetable oils, have lower melting points. You can see that they are liquid at room temperature. Membranes containing these fats are soft, pliable and non-sticky; we know that populations where these fats predominate in the diet have low rates of the common Western diseases.

So the key issue is whether the melting point (MP) of the fat we eat is below that of body temperature (37C); if the MP is below 37C, the fatty acid will be liquid and behave that way in cell membranes. We also know that with saturated fats, the shorter the fatty acid chain, the lower the melting point.

Many who promote coconut oil say that it is composed primarily of medium-short-chain fatty acids, and thus has a totally different effect on the body from typical long chain fatty acids.

So what fats are in coconut oil? Well, we know that one third of raw coconut flesh is made of fat. That fat is 88.7% saturated fat. What are the components of that saturated fat? Well, lauric acid (12 carbon chain) makes up exactly 50%: it has a MP of 44.2C; myristic acid (14 carbon chain) makes up 20%: it has a MP of 53.9C; palmitic acid (16 carbon chain) makes up 10%: it has a MP of 63.1C (see www.netrition.com). Hmmm....

So is coconut oil safe? I guess I could use the logic of Danny Bhoy’s cat, and say that, having not eaten coconut products at all in the 14 years since my diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS), and having had no relapses or deterioration of any sort since, not eating coconut products is clinically proven to protect you from the effects of MS; or I could say that my reading of the scientific literature, which kept me away from these products, as well as other saturated fats, in the absence of better evidence provides enough rationale for me to avoid coconut and its oil. That, among many other health decisions I took, have combined to keep me well. Decide for yourself if you think taking coconut oil is worth the risk.

Many thanks George, I think I will stick to the flax seed oil along with some olive oil,; and I will continue to suggest avoiding coconut oil.

NEWS
1. Meditation in the Desert – Who are you?
A couple of people have recently paid to attend this retreat by Bank transfer without leaving any details of who they are! If you have paid and received a receipt, no problem. If you have paid and not heard from us, we do not know who you are!! So please email Angela at info@insighthealth.com.au and make contact.

2. Melbourne Workshops approaching rapidly, booking soon recommended.

Saturday May 11th : Meditation and the Power of the Mind
Sunday May 12th : Living Well, Being Well

Bring the family, invite a friend or two, inform your colleagues!
Also, maybe you know someone living in Melbourne who would benefit/like to attend.
For full details and to book, LINK HERE

3. Interview with Verity James
Recently In Perth, I was interviewed as part of a fundraising event for the Cancer Support WA group and the WA launch of my new edition of You Can Conquer Cancer. Verity James is a well-known and much loved WA identity, having been a long-term presenter for ABC radio and contributing to many community events. I very much enjoyed interviews with her in days gone by, and for this event she conducted a lengthy interview/ conversation with me that some may find worth a listen. Click here.

4. Eating meat - more than a mouthful.
In the new edition of You Can Conquer Cancer, I point out that one reason meat consumption is not so healthy as plant based proteins is due to the metabolic products contained in meat and produced by the digestion of meat.

According to a recent study, people who eat meat produce more artery-clogging  by-products than people who follow vegan and vegetarian diets. Researchers followed 2,595 heart patients and categorized them as omnivores, vegans, or vegetarians and found that those who consumed the most carnitine, present in animal products, increased their risk for heart disease by producing more artery-clogging metabolites.

This study lends insight into other components of meat products, besides saturated fat and cholesterol, that may elevate the risk of heart disease.

Koeth RA, et al. Intestinal microbiota metabolism of L-carnitine, a nutrient in red meat, promotes atherosclerosis. Nat Med. Published online April 7, 2013.