London's Secret Garden

 

On my recent trip to the UK, I discovered London's secret garden, thanks to a local friend, Joanna. Surrounded by high walls, the Chelsea Physic Garden is a 3.8-acre plot in the heart of London so you would have no idea of the oasis within.

It was first cultivated in 1673 by the Society of Apothecaries of London so their apprentices could learn to grow medicinal plants and study their uses. The site was chosen because it was on the River Thames so they had access to the river for plant-collecting expeditions. 

 
Sir Hans Sloane was a medical student in the late 17th century who studied at the garden. In 1712, he bought the Manor of Chelsea and took over the freehold of the garden. He granted the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries a lease on the land for a rent of £5 a year in perpetuity, on the condition that “it be forever...maintained as a physic garden”. Thanks to Sloane's generosity and foresight, the garden still exists today in busy London.

 

Here we see the sunny yellow flowers of Calendula which is used for healing wounds, the soft purple buds of Red Clover for reducing menopausal hot flushes and the strong bamboo-like Horsetail used for strengthening veins and a rich source of silica for hair and nails. All types of plants with medicinal or edible uses are grown here, including a modern addition of superfood plants such as quinoa, pomegranate and blueberries!

Don't miss the very old Ginkgo tree which was the first tree to regrow after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in USSR due to its highly prized antioxidant properties.

On a beautiful June summer's day with women in broad-brimmed hats studying the beds of plants, children waddling across the lawn and a man snoozing in the sun with a panama hat across his face, the scene is typically English. Definitely a London highlight for any visitor!

Roman Lentil Soup

The hearty Roman soldier carried 35 kilos plus his armour and walked 30 kilometres per day. His fare consisted of coarse bread and a porridge of lentils or millet. Lentils are perhaps the most nutritious of all legumes. They were also a favorite legume of Dr. Weston A. Price, author of the infamous nutritional primer Nutrition and Physical Degeneration because of their very high phosphorous content. Phosphorous is the second most plentiful mineral in the body. It plays a role in maintaining the body’s acid/alkaline balance, something most people struggle with today given the high levels of inflammatory diseases which trace their roots to over-acidity in the body. This ia a hearty winter soup for the whole family. Make extra and take in a thermos to work or keep to heat up when you get home on a cold night. 

Serves 8

3 medium onions or 3 leeks, sliced

3 carrots, sliced

2 Tb butter

2 Tb extra virgin olive oil or organic coconut oil

8 cups of filtered water or stock

2 cups of brown or red lentils, soaked for 7 hours overnight in water (throw out the water)

several sprigs of fresh thyme, tied together with string or 2 tsp of dried thyme

1/2 tsp dried green peppercorns

1/4 cup of fresh lemon juice

sea salt or fish sauce and pepper

In a large stainless steel pot, cook onions or leeks and carrots gently in butter and olive oil. When vegetables are soft, add water/stock and lentils and bring to the boil. The lentils will produce a great deal of foam - be sure to skim it off. Reduce heat and add thyme and crushed peppercorns. Simmer, covered, until lentils are tender, about 1/2 hour. Remove the thyme. You can puree soup with a handheld blender for a smooth taste. Thin with water to desired consistency. Reheat slightly and add lemon juice. Ladle into heated bowls and serve with dollop of cultured cream.

Variation: Curried Lentil Soup: add 2 Tb of curry powder or curry paste along with thyme.

Variation: Split Pea Soup: use 2 cups of split peas instead of lentils.

Snow Is Falling!

With many of you being keen skiers, I thought a few tips to have you carving up the mountain with a grin from ear to ear is in order! Many people go to the snow and come back falling apart, either having pushed it so hard their immune systems have caved in or their bodies couldn't keep pace with the mind and they spend the next 3-6 months in rehab with injuries. Let's avoid both these scenarios! We still want to have fun and make the most of the precious time in the mountains, but pace yourself and remember there are other people on the moutnain too.

• Prepare your body to avoid injuries. Ideally you should training 2 months prior to make sure you are fit but also to have the muscle strength to protect your joints, especially your knees and ankles. It's never too late to start - work on the legs and buttocks!
• While at the snow, eat lots! You need extra fuel when in the cold to keep you warm, especially when you are burning up 100s of calories in a matter of hours. One day's skiing is probably more exercise than you would do in a week. Think hearty stews, casseroles, soups, root vegetables. Eat lots of good quality fat which provides long-lasting energy and helps insulate you in the cold: coconut oil, full fat dairy, extra virgin olive oil, oily fish such as sardines, kippers, mackerel, salmon and trout, nuts and nut butters, avocado, some good quality chocolate.
• Breakfast is the key when skiing. Having a bigger breakfast than you ordinarily would while at home, is crucial. It will kick start your metabolism to keep your energy levels running throughout the day and stops you craving sugar later so you can keep skiing longer. I usually have porridge and fruit, followed by 2 eggs and wholegrain toast!
• Food on the slopes is expensive so take snacks which you can easily fit into the multitude of pockets in your ski jacket: nuts and dried fruit, nut balls, chocolate bars - there is a reason chocolate was created in the Alps, you need the fat, a little sugar with some cacao antioxidants thrown in (avoid white chocolate which is only sugar!). Perhaps take your own sandwiches if you want to avoid queuing up for lunch.
• Try not to pump yourself full of caffeine on the long drive there and back as well as throughout the day. You will pay for it later once you are home! Take a good quality multivitamin with you to keep you boosted instead.
• Drink water! Everyone forgets in the cold but remember you are working hard, losing fluid in sweat as well as the indoor heating drying out your skin.  Every time you stop for a break, grab a bottle of water or refill your own. If you're too cold, ask for a cup of hot water or herbal tea. 
• Sunscreen is a must in the snow. The sun is much harsher up in the mountains, especially with the reflection off the snow. I use sunscreen plus zinc on top to protect my face. A heavy moisturiser is also essential once you come off the mountains for the day as the air is thinner and central heating is drying. Coconut oil works well as it is quite thick and is great for your skin.
• A good quality Magnesium supplement helps replenish your msucles after working out all day, reduces cramps and replaces your electrolytes. Take each afternoon as soon as you come off the slopes and remember to stretch!
• Avoid binge drinking. Being higher in altitude, alcohol will affect you faster. Try a herbal tea to warm you up and hydrate you first before heading onto the booze. Pack some tea bags to take with you. Not to say that isn't lovely to unwind after a day's skiing with a couple of glasses of wine over dinner, even better if you are sitting around a fire!

• If you're having trouble with your circulation in the high altitude, Gingko biloba increases the peripheral circulation to the brain and extremities.
• If you are skiing for a week or more, take a day off to rest or finish early before you become tired and accidents happen. There are always beautiful walks in the mountains, stretch out your body with a few laps in the local swimming pool, rejuvenate your muscles with a massage, or curl up by the fire with a good book. 
• As thrilling as skiing is, it's also a dangerous sport. Wear a helmet - it keeps your head warm with air vents if it's a hot day and it also means you will come off the mountain alive! Helmets are all the rage overseas and are becoming increasingly common in Australia.
• Breathe in the mountain air! Have fun, laugh and play - no need to prove you're the fastest or most radical skier on the slopes. Come home invigorated and smiling!

TGA Advertising Proposals - Urgent Submissions Needed

A TGA proposal is currently underway to amend regulations on advertising therapeutic goods to the general public. This will also restrict Naturopaths and Herbalists so I encourage everyone who has benefited from seeing myself or another Naturopath to enter their own submission as it is open to all members of the general public. The consultation document can be found at http://www.tga.gov.au/newsroom/consult-advertising-ris-130531.htm Concerns regarding this proposal relate to Point 7 (pg 28) Advertising directed to health professionals and Proposal 6 (pg 42) which relates to this. Submissions on this consultation are due by this Friday July 19. 

What Are The Issues?

The proposed changes affect what advertising material product suppliers will be able to supply to the general public. The general intention of these changes is to better protect the public, and some of the suggested changes are positive. However, the proposed changes will mean that it is ok to provide information to a nationally registered health professional, regardless of whether or not they are trained in prescribing those medicines, and excludes health practitioners (including Naturopaths and Herbalists) who are not registered under the Australian Health Practitioners Regulatory Authority (AHPRA). Under Option 2 of Proposal 6, Naturopaths and Herbalists are considered general public and not health professionals. Therefore, we will not be able to access advertising material or technical research information on the products that we are prescribing to patients.

Public safety

Currently practitioners receive important technical information on efficacy and safety of listed therapeutic goods from companies both in written material and via face-to-face seminar activities that comprise a portion of continuing education for the profession. Such activities encourage not only the updating of knowledge vital for safe professional practice but also employ critical analysis of research, sharing of professional knowledge, and promote professional behaviour such as adverse reaction reporting. All these elements contribute to public safety. 

What can I do?

Download a proforma letter you can use to respond to the TGA advertising consultation. This letter is based on the NHAA (National Herbalists Association of Australia) submission. It is suggested that you personalise it if you have anything further to add. However, bear in mind that the TGA will not consider emotive responses so please stick to the facts and keep it simple.

IMPORTANT: For your submission to be accepted, you need to follow the "How to Respond" instructions on the TGA website at http://www.tga.gov.au/newsroom/consult-advertising-ris-130531.htm#respond

TGA Proposal Proforma Patient Letter

Your name

Your street address

Your suburb & postcode

Today’s date

Advertising Consultation

Recalls and Advertising Section

Office of Product Review

Therapeutic Goods Administration

PO Box 100

WODEN ACT 2606

Re: Advertising Consultation

As a member of the public who is/has been a patient of the naturopath, Claudette Wadsworth, for x years and has received significant health benefit from her practice, I want to express my concern about the proposed regulation of advertising of therapeutic goods to consumers and the effects of the proposed changes on the professions of Western herbalists and naturopaths.

Western herbalists and naturopaths currently hold TGA exemption from Part 5-1 of the Therapeutic Goods Act; this allows them to receive technical information from companies regarding herbs and supplements regarded as tools of trade for these professions. It has been noted that proposal 6.2 will have a detrimental impact on the practise of Western herbal medicine and naturopathy, and proposal 5 will also have a deleterious impact should proposal 6.2 be implemented.

My concerns relate to the following proposal:

Proposal 6: Advertising directed to health professionals

Option 1: Status quo - maintain the current system.

Option 2: Update the exemption for health professionals in section 42AA of the Act to only recognise health practitioners regulated under the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law.

Either the current list of health professionals should remain (option 1) or Western herbalists and naturopaths be added to the new list. As previously mentioned, option 2 deprives herbalists and naturopaths tools of trade to practise effectively and safely.

The potential consequences of not considering these suggestions will have an impact on the following:

Public safety: Currently practitioners receive important technical information on efficacy and safety of listed therapeutic goods from companies both in written material and via face-to-face seminar activities that comprise a portion of continuing education for the professions. Such activities encourage not only the updating of knowledge vital for safe professional practice but also employ critical analysis of research, sharing of professional knowledge, and promote other professional behaviours such as adverse reaction reporting. All these elements contribute to public safety.

Maintaining expertise: Herbalists and naturopaths currently hold expertise in herbal and nutritional medicine, in particular holding the highest qualification resulting in the prescription of herbal medicines. A recent study confirmed herbalists and naturopaths had similar knowledge to pharmacists in clinically proven benefits of herbal medicines, and significantly better knowledge than pharmacists of clinically significant interactions[1]. These findings provide evidence that contradicts the TGAs argument for excluding naturopaths and herbalists as recognised health professionals. 

Scope of Practice: The current minimum standard to practice Western herbal medicine and naturopathy is an advanced diploma. However, the professions are moving toward Bachelor degree as minimum standard, and many hold post-graduate qualifications. The professions are also moving from a mainly tradition based body of knowledge to evidence based practice (EBP)¹. This is supported by current education standards in all tertiary education sectors and NHAA course accreditation requirements for research, clinical sciences, herbal therapeutics and toxicology.

ARONAH: In 2011 an independent register The Australian Register of Naturopaths and Herbalists (ARONAH), was formed to mirror the government statutory regulated boards of AHPRA. ARONAH began taking applications for registration on 1 July 2013. The main stated purpose of ARONAH is the provision of minimum education standards for herbalists and naturopaths in Australia, and it will also provide an easily transferable model of statutory registration should herbalists and naturopaths achieve registration with AHPRA. ARONAH may provide a good interim solution with regards to identifying appropriately trained herbalists and naturopaths once it is better established.

In conclusion I recommend that the TGA either maintaining the status quo (6.1) or add herbalists and naturopaths to the new exemption list as they are legitimate qualified health practitioners. To do otherwise is to add risk to public safety and adversely affect the practice of herbal medicine and naturopathy, potentially resulting in professional and financial hardship.

Yours sincerely

Your name and qualifications

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[1] Braun, LA, Spitzer, O, Tiralongo, E, Wilkinson, JM, Bailey, M, Poole, SG, & Dooley, M. (2012). Naturopaths and Western herbalists’ attitudes to evidence, regulation, information sources and knowledge about popular complementary medicines. Complementary therapies in medicine. 2012;21:58-64.