27th & 28th June, 2012
Annual Training Meeting Topic: Cancer and Endocrine Disorders
Hayat El Hamri reports on her two days at the conference
THE BRITISH SOCIETY FOR ECOLOGICAL MEDICINE (BSEM) held their annual training meeting on 27th and 28th June 2012, which we had the privilege of being invited to attend.
The BSEM was formed in 1993 and their president is the esteemed Dr Damien Downing. The organisation works to promote the study and good practice of allergy, environmental and nutritional medicine, and supports doctors who use the insights of ecological medicine to help their patients. This year’s meeting was held at Charles Darwin House, a hub for biological sciences, near Russell Square in London.
The focus this year was on disorders of the endocrine system and cancer, concentrating on integrative approaches to treatment that included dietary and nutritional protocols in therapy. The meeting was attended by members of the BSEM including medical professionals and nutritional therapists. With an impressive line up of speakers the training promised to be both informative and enlightening.
The first to present was Margaret Moss. Margaret is the founder of the Nutrition and Allergy Clinic in Greater Manchester after having trained at ION. She is a chartered biologist and member of the Society of Biology. Margaret pointed out the dangers of sugar in connection with cancer, stating that it was the food (in all its forms) that correlated the most with death from cervical, breast, prostate and colon cancer.
Other lecturers included Dr Nicola Hembry, of Integrated Health Screening Ltd, who gave a concise presentation for the rationale of complimentary treatment in cancer aetiology. She stressed the vital roles that lifestyle and environmental factors play in the prevention of cancer and the growing body of evidence to support this.
The most outstanding lecture was given by Dr Jose Mendonca Caridad, Director of Head and Neck Surgery Unit and Stem Cell Therapy Unit of Polusa Hospital in Spain. Dr Mendonca gave in inspiring lecture about his work with stem cells and how he used them as part of his surgical treatment to help regenerate bone tissue post cancer. He pointed out that the bones of the skull were not susceptible to osteoporosis. Because of this unique feature the stem cells extracted from the cranial bone were then mixed with a plasma matrix taken from blood. Patients suffering from cancer of the facial bones where the bone tissue had become necrotic and showed little hope of regeneration were treated by first removing the tumour and all dead tissue. The stem cell mixture was then implanted into the bone cavity. Within a few weeks the bone had not only regenerated but also a network of new blood vessels formed along with healthy new tissue growth. His research and results were received with much enthusiasm and excitement at the exceptional results he was able to achieve.
Dr Nicholas Miller, laboratory director at Biolab spoke about endocrine disruptors, in particular environmental toxins that alter normal endocrine function leading to deleterious effects on the body.
Dr Elisabeth Philipps, Nutritional Biochemist and nutritional therapist, highlighted the importance of nutrition in the treatment and prevention of cancer, in particular the Plaskett Therapy Protocol. She covered the eight stages that Dr Plaskett identified into how multiple nutrients play a synergistic biochemical role in tumour regression.
Dr John Moran, medical director of the Holistic Medical Clinic, London, spoke of the significant role testosterone plays in maintaining cardiovascular, brain, bone and sexual health in men. He covered the many environmental factors that can affect testosterone and even gave our AlphaProst a mention for prostate health.
Professor Jane Plant, international best-selling author and professor of Geochemistry at Imperial College, London and is currently working on a new book titled ’10 Steps to beat Cancer’. Professor Plant addressed the major dietary risk factors for cancer in light of the latest scientific evidence that epigenetic factors such as diet are critically important in promoting cancer. She emphasised that more than 400 cancer genes can be turned off and almost 50 protective genes turned on by simple lifestyle and dietary changes.
After a thoroughly enjoyable two days learning from some of the most distinguished individuals in the field of integrative medicine we felt we had come away with a greater body of knowledge and a sense of the importance in applying an integrative approach to treatment of all health disorders, but especially cancer. Through these regular training meetings the BSEM is able to disseminate to its members the most current research findings and new and effective approaches to treatment that work toward keeping them at the forefront of their profession.
For more information about the BSEM click here.
