I'm a big fan of the benefits of nutrition and other natural measures over pharmaceutical interventions wherever possible. Now it's official: food is better medicine than drugs. Well it is if you believe nutritional guru Patrick Holford and Times contributor Jerome Burne, whose book of that name has just been published.

Their controversial new title "Food is better medicine than drugs" claims: "In the UK, 10,000 people are killed every year by adverse drug reactions, which happen when the prescription drug that is supposed to be curing you kills or harms you instead."

According to these authors, that sobering total is more than the number of people who die from cervical cancer, taking illegal drugs, mouth cancer and passive smoking combined. They reckon it's actually more dangerous to visit your doctor than it is to drive your car. In 2004, traffic accidents were responsible for a modest 3,221 deaths by comparison. A further 40,000 people each year are made sick enough by the drugs they are taking to be admitted to hospital.

They say: "More of us than ever are succumbing to chronic disease and the figures make grim reading. One in six of us is expected to die prematurely, the most likely cause being heart disease, strokes or cancer. By the age of 50, one in three of us will be officially obese and a quarter of us will spend the last 30 years of our lives with the pain of arthritis."

"Many more of us will be put on drugs for less serious conditions such as high blood pressure or raised cholesterol, with the promise that they will reduce our chances of joining the ranks of the chronically ill," they add.

"But is this really the best way to deal with the rising tide of poor health? Especially when the truth of what drugs are really doing for us makes such worrying reading."

Great question, and I'd have to say a resounding "possibly not!" Sure, it's your choice and drugs can be quick, convenient and undoubtedly effective. But at what cost?

To me, it always seems like we look in the wrong place. Only today government officials are reiterating the old germ theory propaganda, "coughs and sneezes spread diseases." But what about building immunity within, rather than fearing attack? Or at least doing a bit of both.

Similarly, reaching for drugs to assuage symptoms is also a glance in the wrong direction. Why do you feel so tired? Why is your blood pressure so high? Why is your blood sugar level out of control?

For answers, look no further than the likes of Holford and Burne who will show you how to create a health-enhancing lifestyle through nutrition and lifestyle changes as an alternative to the drugs they so bitterly oppose.

But what can you – the man or woman in the street – practically do about it? Why not ask your GP if all your meds are absolutely necessary and alongside, get the advice of a nutritionist who can literally offer you a new lease of life – if you follow a plan that's made specifically for you.

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"Food Is Better Medicine Than Drugs: Your Prescription for Drug Free Health"
Patrick Holford and Jerome Burne explain why food may be better medicine for your health than the drugs your doctor is likely to prescribe. Based on solid scientific trials and illuminating case histories, this book will revolutionise the way you think about your health and put you back in charge. The authors reveal how modern medicine has become distorted and is now, for reasons largely to do with profit and power, heavily dependent on prescription drugs. They look at common health problems (pain/arthritis, heart, depression, diabetes, memory, hormones, digestion, breathing, infections, etc.) and compare the effectiveness of nutrition-based approaches with today's potentially harmful commonly used medicines. Holford and Burne then recommend the foods and supplements you need to take to keep you healthy and to help reverse your health problem, suggesting safe drug-free alternatives to painkillers, anti-inflammatories, antibiotics, blood thinners, cholesterol reducers, HRT, antidepressants, stimulants and tranquilisers. Simple to follow, practical and convincing, this is a book you need to read.

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Help with Healthy Eating

You are what you eat, they say, but taking full responsibility for food and healthy eating in your life can be quite a challenge. Especially nowadays, in the modern world, we are all surrounded by temptations to consume too much, and too much of the wrong thing. And not only temptation - a whole industry is devoted to persuading us to indulge ourselves to excess.

And what if your challenge is in the other direction? What if you have been depriving yourself unhealthily, and are trying to return to a more balanced approach? All that pressure is no help to you either.

Of course you need to take practical measures to manage your food intake and establish a good and healthy routine, but you will be much more likely to succeed at this if you focus on the psychological aspects of nutrition and eating. And this is where hypnosis can really help you.

The following food and healthy eating hypnosis downloads are based on a solid understanding of the psychological underpinnings of unhealthy consumption. You can find a download to help you comfortably, easily and effectively take control of how food contributes to your healthy lifestyle...

Anorexia Treatment You can begin to free yourself from anorexia	Bulimia Treatment This download can help you control and overcome bulimia	Drink More Water This session will help program your unconscious mind to remember to drink plenty of water
Eat More Vegetables You really can look forward to being able to eat more fruit and vegetables	Gain Weight Get motivation and focus to gain weight quickly	Gluten Free Diet Hypnosis is a great help if you really want to keep to your gluten free diet regime
Picky Eater It's easy to stop being a picky eater when you use hypnosis to help	Reduce Salt Intakep Reduce your salt intake by getting your unconscious mind on your si	Stop Drinking Soda Drinking soda is bad news for your health - now you can cut it out

Help with Weight Loss

Are you struggling with weight loss? Hypnosis can provide the extra motivation and determination to keep you moving in the direction of your goals, and help you escape the many food traps that can cause weight gain.

Self hypnosis for weight loss is the perfect tool for re-educating your unconscious mind - the part that creates cravings and impulses - to give you back real choice in what you eat. You know that a real and permanent change in your weight only comes with a change in lifestyle, not through fad diets that you can't possibly keep up over the long term. The following weight control hypnosis downloads can help you make those changes, and far more quickly and easily than you ever imagined possible.

Why is hypnotherapy so much more effective than just dieting alone? Because it lifts you out of a double bind. On the one hand, faddy dieting and unnatural calorie restriction actually causes your body to store fat more effectively, and create cravings for high-calorie, unsatiating foods. In addition, feeling 'deprived' on a daily basis is eventually going to drive you to bingeing and rebellion, no matter how strong your self-control. In short, hunger always wins in the end.

Break the patterns and habits of poor or over eating and take control of your hunger and weight.

Taking a psychological approach with hypnosis deals with the hidden patterns behind poor eating and over-eating at the same level as they occur - deep in your unconscious mind. That's why it's so much more effective. Taking control back and giving your body the foods it needs will make maintaining a healthy weight natural and easy.

Save 42% with the 10 download Weight Loss Hypnosis Pack, containing the 10 most needed solutions to weight loss problems.

Banish Fast Food Use hypnosis to break the fast food habit and achieve your weight loss	Boredom Eating Quickly get control over the monotony munchies with hypnosis	Control Hunger Use hypnosis to learn a new way to respond to hunger signals
Eat Slowly Slow down your eating and give your digestion a chance	Enjoy Healthy Cooking Get the motivation to cook healthy food and develop a helpful habit	Keep Weight Off Hypnosis will help you keep weight off after a successful diet
Low Carb Diet Use hypnosis to 'reprogram' your brain to recognize a low carb diet as attractive	Portion Control Learn how to unconsciously know when enough is enough on your plate	Stop Binge Eating Hypnosis can free you from the grip of compulsive bingeing
Stop Comfort Eating Escape the compulsion to make yourself feel better with food	Stop Emotional Eating Keep emotional and physical needs apart with hypnosis	Stop Night Eating Reprogram your subconscious mind to eat at appropriate times
Stop Snacking Stop snacking on the wrong stuff. Eat the right stuff instead	Sugar Addiction Train your brain to lose your sweet tooth	Think Thin Use hypnosis to re-train your brain and lose weight naturally
TV Junk Food Stop the wrong food types creeping up on you when watching TV	Weight Loss Motivation Use hypnosis to help yourself maintain your weight loss regime until you reach your goal	Weight Loss: Healthy Eating Hypnosis can teach you to steer clear of diet busters and choose healthy options

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Further Informative Articles

Healthy Sleep: A Guide to Natural Sleep Remedies
Repeated loss of sleep affects all areas of your life: The physical, the mental, and the emotional. Sleep deprivation can affect your overall daily performance and may even have an effect on your personality. If your sleeplessness is due to a pattern of not sleeping, or because your body and mind find it difficult to settle into a state of relaxation necessary for sleep, this book offers you alternative choices for achieving healthy sleep without the use of prescription drugs. With a free PDF to download.

Baby's First Year: What Every New Parent Needs to Know
Learn what you can expect in the first year of your baby's life. We offer tips and advice on everything from sleep to baby's first cold. This page will help you to make the most out of your baby's first year by giving you some basic guidelines and milestones to measure against. With a free PDF to download.

Creating Confident Kids
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1. Don’t have to feel self-conscious
2. Play whatever music you want
3. You can make whatever noise you want too
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5. Wear whatever you want
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Food is Medicine
In the UK, 10,000 people are killed every year by adverse drug reactions, which happen when the prescription drug that is supposed to be curing them kills or harms them instead. Patrick Holford and Jerome Burne explain why food may be better medicine for your health than the drugs your doctor is likely to prescribe.

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