Woodford Files

Some say March is the cruelest month. It’s still freezing out, we’re tired of winter, and spring is still a ways off. So to stoke the fuel in your furnace, this issue we bring you Pat Crocker’s feature on fiery fare for your table. With recipes fuelled by chile peppers, Crocker will get your blood running faster as she turns up the heat on late winter dining.

Those feeling run down at this time of year will find Dr. Rona’s feature on thyroid health of great interest. Fatigue, weight gain, depression, high cholesterol – all of these can indicate hypothyroidism. According to the Thyroid Foundation of Canada, recent studies indicate that “over 10 million people in this country suffer from a thyroid condition of one type or another – that’s one in every three Canadians. Of those, as many as 50% are undiagnosed.” In Dr. Rona’s report we learn of the most important supplements to nurture thyroid health, along with measures to prevent thyroid damage in the first place. As one of Canada’s foremost authorities on nutritional medicine, Dr. Rona knows whereof he speaks, so we’re delighted to bring you this important information based on his own research and clinical experience.

Also this month we introduce a new section (page 84 in the print version) called Nature’s Medicine for Healthy Pets. For the inaugural column, we have Anna Maria Greene’s story of an emaciated cat who was rescued from a shelter, and the strategies she used to bring the little creature back to robust health. We figure that our many Vitality readers who embrace all the best foods, supplements, and remedies for themselves will be equally interested in using them for their animal companions. So there’s a need for good guidance on this. I encounter questions all the time – whenever I take my old pooch to the park, people are astounded to see him still loping along at the ripe old age of 16. And they want to know what it takes to increase the odds of such a long lifespan. He’s been my guinea pig for pet remedies all his life, and ultimately is the one who inspired this section. So enjoy it and feel free to send in your own stories and favourite remedies.

Also noteworthy is this month’s disturbing feature on fluoride by Aliss Terpstra, entitled Drinking Water Debate. Her report reminds us that municipal authorities continue to add a chemical to our water supply that is classified as a hazardous waste byproduct of the fertilizer industry. The rationale is that drinking water laced with this chemical will protect our teeth from cavities – and yet the National Research Council identifies fluoride as an endocrine disruptor with adverse effects on the teeth (dental fluorosis).

In case you’re wondering where the heck is Helke Ferrie, she took a couple months off from writing for Vitality in order to complete her latest book, Ending Denial - The Lyme Disease Epidemic: A Canadian Public Health Disaster, to be launched at the Total Health show on March 12 -14, at the Kos Publishing booth. (She will also lead a 2-hour workshop on Lyme disease.)

Next month we bring you Helke’s round-up of the latest victories for alternative medicine on the world stage, where Big Pharma is under fire, citizens are refusing their medications, and natural health is more popular than ever. Stay tuned.   

- Julia Woodford