Deirdre Parkinson, Clinical Naturopath, Herbalist, Nutritionist.

02/09/2025

07/08/2025

There is considerable controversy over the clinical usefulness of vitamin D supplementation. This mainly revolves around the discrepancy between observational studies (that show associations between low vitamin D levels and an extraordinarily large range of health problems) and randomised controlled trials that often fail to show clear benefits from supplementation. Hence mainstream medical “experts” often make sweeping generalisations, rejecting its value in modern health care.

But these generalisations ignore the many trials with vitamin D that have demonstrated important and valuable clinical outcomes. For example, results of a recent clinical study in Brazil suggest that low-dose vitamin D supplementation nearly doubled the response of breast cancer patients to chemotherapy.

The research included 80 women over the age of 45 who were preparing to begin treatment at the oncology outpatient clinic of the general and teaching hospital (“Hospital das Clínicas”) at the Botucatu School of Medicine at São Paulo State University. The women were divided into two groups: one group of 40 received 2,000 IU (international units) of vitamin D daily, while the other 40 received placebo tablets.
Most of the participants in the study had low blood levels of vitamin D, defined as less than 50 nmol/L (20 ng/mL). After six months of cancer treatment and supplementation, 43% of the women taking vitamin D saw their tumours disappear following chemotherapy, compared to 24% in the placebo group. All participants underwent neoadjuvant chemotherapy, a treatment used to shrink tumours before surgery.

“Even with a small sample of participants, it was possible to observe a significant difference in the response to chemotherapy. In addition, the dosage used in the research [2,000 IU per day] is far below the target dose for correcting vitamin D deficiency, which is usually 50,000 IU per week,” says Eduardo Carvalho-Pessoa, president of the São Paulo Regional Brazilian Society of Mastology and one of the authors of the article published in the journal Nutrition and Cancer.

For more information see: https://scitechdaily.com/vitamin-d-boosts-breast-cancer-treatment-success-by-79-study-shows/

30/07/2025

A new study links drinking green tea with having fewer white matter lesions (WML) in the brains of Japanese seniors, potentially providing a level of protection against dementia. WML are abnormalities in the brain’s white matter (the part of the brain that contains nerve fibres responsible for communication between different brain regions) seen as hyperintense (bright) areas on MRI scans. They generally indicate chronic small vessel (microvascular) disease and are a relatively common finding in an older brain.

Researchers from institutions across Japan teamed up to analyse data on 8,766 volunteers over the age of 65, collected as part of a survey conducted between 2016 and 2018. Self-reported green tea and coffee consumption was cross-referenced against magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain scans, which measured overall brain volume and features of five different brain regions.

The scientists claimed: “This cross-sectional study found a significant association between lower cerebral white matter lesions and higher green tea consumption, but not coffee consumption, in older adults without dementia, even after adjusting for confounding factors”.

The observed effects were not large. Averaged out, those who had three cups of green tea per day had 3 percent fewer WML compared with those drinking one cup per day. Those who drank seven to eight cups per day had 6 percent fewer lesions, compared to those drinking one cup a day. One cup of tea was equivalent to approximately 200 mL.

WML, indicative of cerebral small vessel disease, are associated with vascular dementia and Alzheimer disease (AD). Larger WML were associated with more severe brain atrophy in patients with AD. Recently, a longitudinal study also identified WML as an independent risk factor for cognitive decline, even after accounting for traditional AD risk factors.

Given previous investigations linking green tea with lower blood pressure, and other studies associating lower blood pressure with a reduced risk of dementia, at least one mechanism responsible for the results could be cardiovascular. Interestingly, the scientists observed a significant relationship between increased green tea intake and decreased white matter lesions in individuals without the ApoE ε4 allele, but not in individuals with the ApoE ε4 allele (p for trend = 0.008 and 0.491, respectively).

I have maintained for some time now that my microcirculation phytonutrient diet will help to protect against brain WML. Now there is clear proof of this for green tea (a key element of the diet). The relatively small protection seen for green tea highlights that, as per the basis of the diet, one single intervention might not be enough on its own.

For more information see: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/green-tea-drinkers-have-fewer-brain-lesions-linked-to-dementia

and

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39774601/

28/07/2025

🚨 WARNING: Big Agriculture is poisoning YOUR wine!

Glyphosate (Roundup), a cancer-causing herbicide sprayed on conventional vineyards, pollutes every glass you drink.

This deadly toxin, tied to gut devastation, immune system failure, and chronic illnesses, has NO place in our bodies!

🔗 Read more: https://livelovefruit.com/glyphosate-in-wine/

28/07/2025

🚨 NY Post blames gluten in bread for depression, fatigue, and schizophrenia.

But glyphosate, heavily sprayed on wheat, is likely the real culprit, inflaming gut and brain.

The rise in "gluten sensitivity" tracks with skyrocketing glyphosate use. 🤔

🔗 https://nypost.com/2025/07/24/health/bread-may-be-to-blame-for-your-depression-and-fatigue-and-cause-schizophrenia/

26/07/2025

22/06/2025

22/06/2025

Very excited to be attending this conference in July.

14/06/2025

Warning
“Hundreds of women are suing pharmaceutical giant Pfizer over its widely used birth control injection, Depo-Provera, alleging it caused them to develop brain tumors. It is alleged that Pfizer knew about the brain tumor risk, but didn't warn patients.

The lawsuit, representing around 400 women, claims Pfizer knew about the link between the progestin-based drug Depo-Provera and meningioma, a non-cancerous but potentially life-altering brain tumor, yet failed to warn patients in the United States. I guess it wasn't convenient for Pfizers profit margin!

A 2024 study in the BMJ found that users of the drug were up to 5.6 times more likely to develop a tumor.

While warning labels were added in countries like Canada and the UK, no warning label was added in the U.S., sparking allegations of negligence. I am unsure if Australia followed suit with the US and didn't put a warning on the label either... But even with a label warning, I fail to see how the side effect of a brain tumour is considered acceptable. And how many patients read the label and understand statistical risk accurately anyhow?

For women like TC and Andrea Faulks, the diagnosis followed years of debilitating symptoms like chronic headaches, dizziness, and long-term health monitoring. Many say they were unaware of any risks when choosing Depo-Provera, often after already struggling with other forms of contraception. The case is in its early stages, and while the women hope to hold Pfizer accountable, no legal outcome can reverse the years of physical, emotional, and medical strain they've endured.

The lawsuit could have far-reaching implications for drug safety transparency and pharmaceutical accountability in the U.S.”
Tahlia West Naturopathic Practitioner

Key hearing reveals how Pfizer warned other countries but not US patients about contraceptive's brain tumor risks. See why 74M women worldwide are affected.

06/06/2025

sweeteners

06/06/2025

cord clamping