Articles

It is truly amazing that we can get so much food to so many on any given day. But, as the food supply chain grows larger, more complex and more competitive, it is also a place where things get lost, where information gets obscured or glossed over and key issues can get pushed aside. I […]

European campaigners have joined together to petition the European Parliament to ban glyphosate. The groups have launched a European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) calling for a ban on the toxic herbicide, as well as for reform of the EU pesticide approval process, and mandatory targets to reduce pesticide use in the EU. The ECI is backed […]

This time of year many of us turn our thoughts to healthy eating. I was struck by reports of recent research which suggests that most shoppers operate under an ‘intuition’ that more expensive food is the healthier choice. The soon to be published studies in the Journal of Consumer Research rightly says that while this […]

Parkinson’s disease affects an estimated 10 million people worldwide. The incidence of this disease increases with age, but an estimated 4% of people with Parkinson’s are diagnosed before the age of 50 and men are one and a half times more likely to have Parkinson’s than women. Parkinson’s is caused by the accumulation of abnormally […]

Achieving ‘good health’ is now one of the single biggest preoccupations in modern society. But if pressed most of us would struggle to define exactly what ‘good health’ is. At a pinch most of us would define it by the absence or presence of minor or irritating symptoms  Yet clearly good health is more than […]

It’s a toxic world out there. We are surrounded daily by chemicals in our food, in our water, and in our air. We know these chemicals can be harmful to health. We know they constitute a kind of ‘cocktail’ that can be more potent than the sum of each individual chemical exposure. Scientists and health […]

How does ill health affect our ability to function and what difference does it make to us, not just as individuals, but to how we function as a society? This is the question I have been pondering as new reports show that the global population continues to get sicker. For instance, findings from the European […]

Granny always told you that vinegar could heal almost any ailment. Well, it turns out granny was right… A fascinating review article published in Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety summarised the functional properties of grain vinegars and fruit vinegars and compared the functional ingredients, sources, and formation mechanisms of these different types […]

Saunas have long been a popular choice for people interested in natural health – and are a great way to unwind and relax. Regularly spending time in the heat has been shown to have a myriad of health benefits, including weight loss, improved circulation and stress relief. Most recently natural health advocates have focused on […]

If you are a woman the question of what is beautiful – and more specifically whether you are beautiful – is always a troubling one. It’s a common, even historic, concern. But today it is given huge energy as our media horizons have expanded. Now women don’t just have to contend with ‘beauty’ magazines but […]