Transition Island Blog

Two teaspoons of cod liver oil a day can cut the number of powerful painkillers needed to ease the pain of arthritis.

Patients who were given the supplements were able to reduce their daily dose of anti-inflammatory drugs.

These findings are important because the long-term use of anti-inflammatory drugs can double the threat of heart attack and raise the risk of strokes and heart disease.

Dr Bernat Galarraga and colleagues from the Ninewells Hospital and Medical School in Dundee; the Western General Hospital in Edinburgh, and the University of Dundee, carried out this research.

This was proper science: a double-blind randomised controlled trial, although the patient nmbers were small. Funded by a small business, this shows the problems of field trials for drugs.

More people in the cod liver oil group (39%) were able to reduce their NSAID intake by more than 30% compared with the placebo group (10%). This reduction was significant.

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Meanwhile…

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Using your bike to commute can bring you all sorts of benefits.

Independence
Saying goodbye to restricted parking zones, irregular public transport, the last bus home and grid-locked traffic. On a bike you can be flexible and spontaneous, make an unplanned visit to a shop, a park, meet a friend, etc.

Lower travel costs
If you are currently spending as little as £1.20 a day on fares or petrol, changing to cycling could save over £200 a year - money which can be spent on other things. If the commuting costs are more, the savings are even bigger!

Health and fitness
Gentle regular exercise - just 20 miles a week (i.e. only two miles each way for a five day working week) can halve the risk of heart attack. You will arrive at work with a clearer head ready to go without the need of a coffee pick-me-up. Longer term you could expect to firm up, lose weight, and improve your heart rate.

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Allotment gardening is growing more popular.

Geoff Stokes, from the National Society of Allotments and Leisure Gardeners, said the problem of waiting lists for plots was becoming a trend across the UK.

He added: “The demand for allotments is increasing and interest is currently blossoming at the moment right across the country.

It has 60 people on a waiting list for a plot in the area. The national average is 59, but Berkshire people will have to wait up to ten years because plots are given up so rarely.

The Government says it “recognises the unique role of allotments as places which bring all sections of the community together. They provide opportunities for people to grow their own produce as part of the long term promotion of sustainability and healthy living.”

Improvements attract tenents

In Leicester, the number of people in renting allotments increased 14%.

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From the County Press

The local branch of Age Concern is looking for more friends.

The charity is calling for volunteers to sign up and join its befriender service, which gives vulnerable and lonely older people vital and welcome company.

Volunteers will be asked to visit their new friend for a chat and cup of tea, or take them out for a change of scenery. All volunteer befrienders will be trained and supported by Age Concern IW and will be invited to meet for a monthly coffee morning.

Opinion:
The elderly are amongst the most vulnerable to climate change health risks. They are also the most overlooked resource of crisis experience we have! We have much to learn from them about surviving Peak Oil.
Action:
Anyone interested can contact Gwen Glover, Alan Wiles or Gina Williams on 525282, or email gwen.glover@aciw.org.uk.

Mothers and their babies are being made ill by common household products.

In 2004, researchers said frequent use of air fresheners, polish, deodorants and hair sprays appeared to increase the risk of diarrhoea, earache and other symptoms in infants as well as headaches and depression in mothers.

The findings came from a survey of more than 10,000 women on the use of fresheners and other aerosols during pregnancy and early childhood, as well as their health and that of their offspring.

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Killer heatwave risk ‘high’

There is a 25 percent chance that a severe heat wave will strike England and kill more than 6,000 people before 2017 if no action is taken to deal with the health effects of climate change.

The report for the Department of Health was written by a panel of scientific experts commissioned by the Department of Health and Health Protection Agency. They estimate more than 3,000 people could die in an intense summer hot spell in southeast England. Just as many more could die from heat-related deaths over the summer.

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The pharmaceutical industry was critised by senior figures in medical research recently.

They say multinationals withhold information to protect profits, and expose patients to drugs which could be useless or harmful.

Biased results, under-reporting of negative findings and selective publication are rife, they say.

This accusation has also been made quietly by complementary therapists, who feel excluded by unfair competitive practices. The reason for the quiet is that these multinationals have the ear of governments around the world, enormous budgets, and the pseudo-credibility of scientific comparisons. Scientific methods are not felt to be valid with treatments that work in different ways to mainstream drugs, and experiments reported - especially in the popular press & TV - are ‘bad science’. 

As Einstein said:
“Science is a wonderful thing if one does not have to earn one’s living at it.”

This latest attack was triggered by an analysis of published and unpublished trials of modern antidepressants, including Prozac and Seroxat. This showed they offer no clinically significant improvement over placebos (dummy pills) in most patients. It is notable that rewearchers had to use the US ‘freedom of information’ laws to gain access to the data.

Opinion:

The drugs market was worth £10.1bn in the UK in 2006, amounting to 11 per cent of total NHS costs. This figure is bound to rise with the cost of oil, as most pharmaceuticals are derived from petrochemicals. This cannot be allowed to stay a simple ‘market forces’ issue.

This exchange scheme is the best holiday-and-learning-experience in organics that you can get! 

Learn about growing, farming, rural issues, farm life, and more… and have fun for the cheapest ‘hotel’ you could find.

In return for your help on organic farm, gardens and smallholdings, you receive meals (usually organic!), accommodation and learning opportunities.

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The Isle of Wight Council is set to trailblaze a number of key Eco-Island initiatives to make the county a beacon of excellence for green issues.

A number of One Island initiatives outlined by IW Council leader Cllr David Pugh on Wednesday will help the county towards its goal of having the lowest carbon footprint in England — and, in doing so, be a fully sustainable, prosperous and healthy community.

Two high-profile events are being organised to engage the whole Island community, from public sector organisations and large companies through to individuals and families.

Date published: 20 February 2008 Read more

yet more announcements

• Financial help to insulate homes, making the most of leisure centres and tackling homelessness are among One Island schemes to make the Island healthier and more supportive. [more]
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• A list of 30 projects, schemes and initiatives each designed to make an improvement to life on Eco Island have been unveiled by the IW Council. [more]
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• One of the world’s leading architects has been appointed to become the Isle of Wight’s design champion. See our previous article.
  [He will] initially work for the Island for a year to develop the Eco Island theme, acting as an ambassador for the Island and also to helping to ensure the council’s strategic ambitions are realised. [more]

I missed National Potato Day - 3/2/08.

Laugh not, we can’t afford to take the humble spud for granted.

The world’s population is expected to rise by more than 100 million a year over the next two decades.

The UN is looking to the potato to provide nutritious food for the poor and hungry. It declared 2008 the Year of the Potato.

Anton Rosenfeld of Garden Organic’s R&D said that the potato is easy to grow, flexible to a range of conditions, undemanding of labour, and will often far out-yield any cereal crop.

But we must remember the Great Irish Potato Famine, which reduced the Irish population by 20 to 25 percent between 1845 and 1852.

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