In a time when alternative medicine is fighting for all it is worth to be recognised as an effective form of medicine, it doesn't help when mainstream medicine continues to slate natural healthcare. I wish they'd at least do their homework before they launch their one-sided, misinformed attacks.

The truth is, if Big Pharma, the media and mainstream medicine had their way, we'd all be taking a daily statin with our breakfast... we all know where that would land us - riddled with side effects such as muscle weakness and liver damage.

Antioxidants can seriously harm your health...

The latest media onslaught deals a massive blow to antioxidants... The recent biased and scientifically unsupported article, published in the January 25 issue of Newsweek, would make anyone (who believed it) bin their antioxidant-rich vitamin supplements without a second thought...

It's ridiculous to say the least!

Here are just some of the claims being made about the so-called dangers of antioxidants:

* Vitamins C and E, and beta-carotene are not beneficial for your health and might even be dangerous... though the author failed to say what these so-called dangers are...

* Neutralize the immune system.

* Interfere with immune-system cells (such as white blood cells) that fight cancer and infections!?

* Vitamin A, beta-carotene and vitamin E, used for primary or secondary prevention may increase overall mortality.

* Impair fertility.

* Here's a good one... antioxidants found in tea, red onions, apples and artichokes, aggravate and possibly trigger kidney cancer...

* A Natural protein (Nrf2 found in vegetables) that boosts antioxidant levels may promote atherosclerosis, or clogging of the arteries.

If you choose to believe all that, then you don't need to read any further; and should throw away all the fruit and vegetables in your kitchen immediately. After all, if you follow what Newsweek says, in this instance, Nature is out to harm us all...

Debunking this codswallop

At the beginning of the article, the author quotes a blogger (only identified as, David Bradley, a UK chemist and science writer) saying: "It's always struck me as odd that you would want to ingest extra antioxidants anyway, given that oxidising agents are at the front-line of immune defence against pathogens and cancer cells... Suffice to say that taking antioxidant supplements ... may not necessarily be good for your health if you already have health problems."

Based on that premise, Newsweek built their entire argument... not on the opinion of a professional or respected medical journal or even a qualified professor in the field of nutrition... No, on the views of a blogger!

Delve a bit deeper, and you'll find two very good reasons why Newsweek's inflammatory codswallop can be easily debunked:

1. The so-called science writer, chemist and blogger as well as the author (like many so-called 'healthcare professionals') - have a complete lack of understanding of how antioxidants work inside the body.

2. Most of the studies supporting their argument used the wrong form of antioxidants (as is the case with many vitamin and supplement studies) to begin with, and on top of that, the majority of these studies were animal or laboratory studies.

In fact, The Alliance for Natural Health in the US, was so outrgaed by the Newsweek article, that they asked world-renowned, natural biomedical researcher and US physician Dr. Jonathan Wright, to comment in detail... and boy did he respond without pulling any punches.

Some of our readers will be familiar with Dr. Wright, who's helped tens of thousands of patients find much-needed relief from a wide range of conditions from diabetes to heart disease...using nothing more complicated than natural remedies like iodide and sugar cane!

For his lifetime contribution to natural medicine, Dr. Wright has been honoured with the prestigious Linus Pauling Award, and receives tremendous praise from his peers for his cutting-edge monthly journal, Nutrition & Healing.

You can read Dr. Wright's response here

To find out more about Dr. Wright's, Nutrition and Healing, click here. Each issue is like a complete instruction book for healing yourself. Complete with dosages. And all the pros and cons that you (and your doctor!) need to make an informed decision.

Sources:

'Antioxidants Fall From Grace' published online 27.01.11, newsweek.com
'Newsweek Publishes Disgraceful Article on Antioxidants' published online 01.02.11, anh-usa.org