Brian Clement

I recently went to hear Brian Clement speak in London. If you've never heard of him, he's worth a google - this is the man who runs the Hippocrates Health Centre in Florida. Founded by Ann Wigmore in 1961, Hippocrates premise is that disease can be reversed by eating a living (raw), vegan diet. Sprouted grains and wheatgrass (in the form of juice and implants) feature heavily. Other holistic modalities like FIR infrared saunas and psychotherapy are also employed.

The first glorious positive of this seminar was the catering. To be greeted by a raw, vegan, gluten free buffet with fresh young coconuts to drink, was frankly unusual and inspiring. Rarely are these seminars coherent in their message when it comes to food (at a Brandon Bays seminar I attended, we were given Tomato Cuppa-soup in the break....!)

I must admit to finding Brian somewhat preachy. However, his message is powerful, and I'm with him all the way. Considering how many thousands of people he has seen heal in this way, it's maybe unsurprising that he's firm in his delivery.

Hippocrates believes that to reverse disease we must consume only raw, living foods. Cooking at high heat alters the chemistry of food, making it less easily absorbed and creating carcinogenic acrylamide. I have to say, that living in a country like England, which is often damp, and rarely warm for long periods, eating 100% raw would be a real challenge, and almost every nutritionist I have ever met agrees that in the cooler seasons we should eat warming, comforting food. However, incorporating raw in the form of daily salads, sprouted foods and vegetable juice makes a lot of sense. Giving up mucous forming food like dairy, and meat is also a must when reversing diseases like cancer.

These are Hippocrates' recommendations for returning to health (in this order);

1. Affirmative thought

2. Constructive diet

3. Productive movement

4. Pristine environment

5. Emo-spirit (emotional/spiritual)

All five points need to be addressed, but it's interesting, particularly with Bruce Lipton's seminar so clearly in my mind, that affirmative thought comes in at the top of the list.

Hippocrates is vehemently anti sugar, even in the form of carrots and 'foodie' sugars like palm, agave etc. The University of San Francisco states that "Sugar contributes to more that 3.5 million deaths globally each year." All disease is metabolic, so it's easy to see that the meteoric global rise in sugar consumption has a huge effect on our health. Harvard Medical School states that the average person derives between 40% - 70% of their calorific intake from sugar. Historically only the aristocracy ate fruit, and even then only about 1kg a year. Now the poorest amongst us eat the most sugar, and most of that is processed. Children in the western world consume DOUBLE their body weight in sugar annually. A recent report in the UK states that 26,000 children had one or more rotten baby teeth surgically removed under general anaesthetic last year due to sugar consumption. If this is what sugar is doing to our teeth, imagine what it's doing to our overall health. Breast cancer cells metabolise fructose better than ALL other sugars. In short, if you have cancer, viruses, bacteria or fungus, cut out sugar. Pretty much all of us should quit the habit then!

I came away feeling that I need to reassess some aspects of my life, notably the recommendation of at least one hour per day of exercise (incorporating resistance training, aerobic activity and trampolining which is very important for moving the lymph). I no longer juice carrots, and have set up a weekly order of wheatgrass and snowpea shoots, which I drink or implant daily. As a result I am noticeably more alkaline and I feel mentally clearer.

As always, the key lies in finding what works for you as an individual, taking it gently, observing your body, and not being afraid to make changes along the way.