24 Jun 2009 - Rude Health at the RDS is back this September ...

... with top class speakers on all aspects of health and wellbeing - and with a special emphasis on Mental Health issues to help us through these difficult times.

Ireland's largest and liveliest natural health and sustainable lifestyle show is more relevant than ever as it offers visitors to this close-packed two day weekend of products, free seminars & workshops, plus fun, and expert advice on being happy and healthy - in mind and body.

This exciting two day event on Saturday September 12th and Sunday 13th has something for everyone in a country that asks more questions about our health than any other nation in Europe!

On Saturday, the emphasis will be on looking after your mental health. Professor Jane Plant will be speaking on Beating Stress, Anxiety and Depression; the always popular Patrick Holford will be talking about Improving Memory, Mood and Motivation , and Cork psychotherapist Greg White discusses 'Coming off Psychiatric Drugs'.

Dr Marilyn Glenville is back to show us how to get rid of that belly fat for good. She will also be advising on 'Getting Pregnant faster' and giving visitors to Rude Health the best advice on enjoying a happy, safe and healthy pregnancy. And if you'd also like to hear her speak on ‘Natural Alternatives to HRT’ , come along on Saturday.

On Sunday, cancer survivors Professor Jane Plant and Dublin's Bernadette Bohan will be explaining how we can help ourselves avoid serious illness while Patrick Holford shares his 'Six Secrets of 100% Health', over two, one hour long lectures.

Dr. Donn Brennan , the Kildare born founder and President of the Ayurvedic Practitioners' Association in Britain will talk about Ayurveda, a system of health care that is supported by the World Health organisation (WHO) and focuses on the prevention of disease.

Leading naturopath and author Jan de Vries , Dublin based holistic practitioner Karen Ward, heart disease expert Professor Tom Saldeen and one of the world's top experts on children's learning development Dr. Alex Richardson , also join this superb line-up of health and mental well being professionals at Rude Health, brought to you as always by the Irish Association of Health Stores.

Dr. Glenville and Patrick Holford will speak on both Saturday and Sunday. You can keep track of talk times and speakers by logging in regularly to > RudeHealth.ie

The IAHS is the voice of the modern health store and our member stores are located nationwide and are considered to be among Ireland's experts in natural healthcare. The IAHS exists to ensure that health food retailing is ethical, responsible, truthful and professional.

Our 200+ exhibitors at Rude Health, coming from all over Ireland and the UK, promote an exciting range of products to enhance the health of you and your family.

As well as enjoying the expertise of our top speakers at Rude Health you can also visit our exhibitor stands and enjoy tastings, cookery demos, and get free advice from qualified therapists on herbs, homeopathy, skin care and vitamins.

Rude Health at the RDS 2009
Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 September 2009
Venue: RDS, Ballsbridge, Dublin
Time: 11am - 6pm
Entrance fee 10 euro (Senior citizens and under 12s free)

26 Feb 2009 - IAHS-members scoop prestigious awards

In what can only be described as a Marathon achievement for the fourth [!] year running, two more IAHS Diploma candidates have again been awarded honours.

Rosemarie Bennis, Sonas, Newcastle West, Co Limerick receives the Jimmy Lee Richardson Award, for the highest overall marks [Ireland & UK] and Polly Morgan, Evergreen, Galway receives the Teddy Marsden Award for exceptional understanding of the principles of holistic health.

They received the awards at the annual >Health Food Institute luncheon in London on Feb 12th. These awards underline the IAHS commitment to training and demonstrate yet how well our standards measure up in an international context.


Polly and Rosemarie receiving their awards. Many congratulations -!!!-

28 Jan 2009 - Irish government hosts ‘vitamin wars’ debate

...and is criticised for equating RDAs with optimum intake levels.

A public meeting was held in Dublin yesterday to debate key issues over the European Commission’s imminent plans to impose maximum levels of vitamins and minerals in food supplements across the EU. The meeting, held at the Alexander Hotel, was convened by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) and aimed to allow the FSAI’s Food Safety Consultative Council and the 150 registered members of the public attending—including health store owners, nutritional therapists and consumers—to debate the controversial issues surrounding the implementation of the proposed law.

The four invited speakers who set the scene for the debate were, in speaking order: Dr Robert Verkerk, executive and scientific director of the Alliance for Natural Health, representing also the Irish Association of Health Stores; Dr Mary Flynn, chief specialist in Public Health Nutrition for the FSAI; Basil Mathioudakis, from the food law unit of the European Commission, and; Dr Alan Ruth, CEO of the Irish Health Trade Association, the Irish trade body representing manufacturers.

Dr Mary Flynn argued on behalf of the Irish government saying that it had no inclination to change its long-standing position that has yet to be implemented in practice, which disapproves of any supplementation over the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA). Controversially, she stated, “RDAs represent optimal levels of intake and it’s a puzzle to us why anyone would want to go over the RDA”. She argued that there was no evidence that supplementation over the RDA yielded any benefits to health.

Dr. Verkerk commented, “The Irish government view seems to be out of touch with the latest scientific thinking in the fields of functional and integrative medicine,” and continued, “Dr Flynn repeatedly referred to RDAs as reflecting optimal intake amounts, while this is simply not true in the case of many people. She’s effectively saying the advanced forms of supplements in Ireland’s excellent health stores, and those supplied by nutritional therapists, are worthless and the very most you need is a 100% RDA one-a-day multivitamin from your local supermarket.”

Dr Alan Ruth also heavily criticised the Irish government’s reliance on the RDA. “It’s actually illegal, based on European case law, for a government to insist on limiting dosages to less than 3 times the RDA on the basis that it can be shown—as is generally the case—that such doses present no risk to public health”.

While Dr. Flynn also claimed that above-RDA supplementation exposed people to risks, including “unknown” ones, Dr Verkerk showed that flawed and excessively precautionary risk analysis had given regulators a false picture of the risks associated with supplemented nutrients. Dr Verkerk explained that when regulators use risk analysis methods to tell them what they think to be maximum safe levels, they should then validate these levels against known science and, in particular, data from the clinical practice of nutrition. Commenting on this, he said, “A glass of carrot juice or a day of healthy eating with lots of fruits and vegetables, can provide you with over 10 or 20 times the so-called maximum safe level of beta-carotene proposed by either the German authorities or even the slightly higher levels proposed by the large European trade associations. The problem is that regulators don’t distinguish between natural and synthetic forms of nutrients and most of the data they use comes from unsuccessful, large intervention studies often sponsored by pharmaceutical interests. By using these data and ignoring a very large and growing body of evidence on the benefits of supplemental nutrients, regulators will discriminate against those wanting to support their health with naturally-derived, food-state or even nature-identical nutrients.”

Recognising the importance of the role of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) in conducting risk analyses that will form the basis for the proposed EU-wide maximum levels, Dr Verkerk said, “EFSA needs to correct some of the fundamentally flawed science being used. For example, the central element of the main model they’re working with cannot be sustained scientifically. It is simply not true to assert that the risk to consumers increases proportionately as the margin between the RDA and the Upper Safe Level narrows. This is because the nature of the risk itself varies greatly from one nutrient to another, and indeed, often from nutrient form to nutrient form.”

He also explained how existing models could be corrected to better reflect known science. Dr Verkerk said, “EFSA seems to be changing its risk analysis rules to suit particular outcomes. For example, it’s given negative opinions on supplemental forms of vanadium and vitamin E, while it has recently cleared the use of the form of fluoride used in toothpastes and other oral hygiene products for use in food supplements. They can only do this by manipulating their risk assessment methods.”

Basil Mathioudakis confirmed to a largely relieved audience that the European Commission was planning to propose that no maximum levels be set for vitamins and minerals for which there was no identified safety concern. He also said “…the Commission’s objectives are to ensure availability of a wide choice of safe products for consumers and the free movement of goods, which of course is the Lisbon agenda.”

The speakers and FSAI Council entertained questions from the floor for over an hour in what turned into a lively debate. Irish health store owners and nutritional practitioners expressed grave concerns over the effects of excessive restriction, and also commented that over-regulation in areas such as this would divert attention from more important consumer safety issues such as consumption of excessive sugar, unhealthy fats and fluoridated water, as well as irradiated and genetically engineered foods.

Jill Bell, President of the Irish Association of Health Stores, an active participant in the debate, said, “While this Directive is going to liberalise some of the ultra-restrictive regimes in a number of Member States, this won’t be the case in countries like Ireland, the UK, Holland and Sweden.” She continued, “In these countries, the Directive as planned will undoubtedly result in the erosion of consumer choice. The ground will be set for multinationals to trade seamlessly between all European Member States, while many innovative SMEs—as well as the practice of nutritional therapy—could be wiped out.”

In the debate, Robert Pocock, a campaigner representing the Irish environmental group VOICE, said, “Mr Mathioudakis claimed that the publication of an EFSA opinion signified that a product was safe, yet EFSA’s recent clearance of the use in food supplements of sodium monofluorophosphate—the form of fluoride added to toothpaste and other dentrifice products—completely undermines its credibility in risk assessment.”

21 Jan 2009 - SUCCESS IN EUROPE AS IRISH PETITION ON FOOD SUPPLEMENTS IS KEPT OPEN

On Monday, the Irish Association of Health Stores (IAHS) defended its petition in the European Parliament against the European Commissions planned setting of EU wide maximum limits for dosages of vitamins and minerals in food supplements. The petition, submitted originally in December 2007 with the support of 60,000 Irish citizens, claims that measures to harmonise maximum levels of vitamin and mineral food supplements under the Food Supplements Directive (2002/46/EC) - soon to be implemented by the European Commission - will unduly impact consumers, health stores and practitioners in Ireland.

Instead of being closed down, the apparent goal of the European Commission, the European Parliaments Petitions Committee chairman insisted that the petition be kept open.


Erica Murray, Dr Robert Verkerk, Kathy Sinnott (MEP) and Jill Bell outside the European Parliament's Petitions Committee room, Brussels


Further, the chairman requested that the issues be referred to the European Parliament’s Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) for further consideration. Additionally, the European Commission has been asked to provide a written response to the Petitions Committee on the challenges raised in yesterday’s discussions.

All four Irish members of the European Parliament’s Committee who attended and participated in the discussions expressed concerns over the Commission’s proposals and their potential impacts on businesses and consumers, as did the only UK MEP partaking in the discussion, Roger Helmer. There were no dissenting voices among any of the MEPs.

Irish MEP Kathy Sinnott, Vice-Chair of the Petitions Committee and host of the petition, said: “This Directive is unreasonable and controlling. It has become a great worry to people all over Ireland who shop in local Health Food Stores and who use vitamins and minerals to improve and maintain their health.”

Referring to the proposed regime, Ms Sinnott added, “In the case of my own son, while the new regulation might aim to ‘protect’ him from higher dose supplements, these are the very supplements that have protected him from malnutrition and that have saved his life. Yet they are now at risk of being banned.”

Dr Robert Verkerk, scientific advisor to the IAHS—who presented on behalf of the petitioners—said, “There are numerous scientific flaws in the risk management methods being considered by the European Commission and the European Food Safety Authority, and small businesses and health-conscious consumers will be the real losers if the approach is not altered to reflect the known science.”

Dr Verkerk urged that real scientific debate should begin following the imminent release of the Commission’s ‘draft’ proposals for maximum levels. He also warned that the imposition of blanket, EU-wide maximum levels for vitamin and mineral supplements would encourage, through the internet, a black market of completely unregulated products that would potentially expose consumers to significant risks. Verkerk said, “the inevitable development of a black market would fly in the face of the Commission’s stated objective of bringing in this measure to protect consumers.”

The European Commission’s case was presented by Basil Mathioudakis, Head of the Food Law, Nutrition & Labelling Unit. Mr Mathioudakis indicated that he expected that the Commission would be ready to publish draft maximum levels at the end of February or in March. In his response to the Irish petition he stated that the main purpose of the proposed law was to ensure consumers were adequately protected. He also mentioned that there were political as well as scientific pressures towards the lowering of dosages of supplements in countries like Ireland, the UK, Holland and Sweden which presently allow higher doses than most of the rest of the EU.

Irish MEP Marian Harkin, commenting on yesterday’s meeting, said: “Good science is the primary requirement here. The models used by the Commission need proper validation.” She asked: “How can you set limits for nutrients that don’t take into account the variations in food quality between different geographic regions in Europe or between seasons, where it may be hard to get fresh, nutritious produce during the winter months?”

“There is a very strong case for some degree of national competence being retained”, added Ms Harkin, “and for bringing in partial rather than total harmonisation of these levels. This could create a win-win situation for all parties, while ensuring risks from both over-consumption and under-consumption of vitamins and minerals are minimised.”  

Jill Bell, chair of the IAHS, who was also present at the meeting of the Petitions Committee, said, “The IAHS is delighted with the support MEPs gave our petition and with chairman Libicki’s evident willingness to give us a good hearing. We look forward to the opening of more detailed discussions and are optimistic that the importance of up-to-date science may now impact on EFSA’s deliberations. Any delay in the setting of MPLs is to be greatly welcomed if based on the application of sound science and proportionate law, and all parties should be pleased if such a meeting of minds can be achieved.”

The issue will be debated further at an open meeting of the Food Safety Consultative Council of the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) in Dublin on 27th January. Dr Robert Verkerk, Mr Basil Mathioudakis, Dr Mary Flynn (from FSAI) and Dr Alan Ruth (from the Irish Health Trade Association) will be the main speakers.
For further information, see > www.fsai.ie/consultative_council/Consultative_Council_Open_Meeting_Invite_2009.pdf

8 Dec 2008 - Irish natural health organisations call on European leaders to respect Irish ‘No’ vote

A group of leading Irish natural health organisations and their supporters are calling on European leaders attending this week’s European Council meeting in Brussels to respect the Irish ‘No’ vote on the controversial Lisbon Treaty. Citing their deep concern regarding the European Commission’s undemocratic and opaque way of approving GM food and farming products, the European Union’s proposed restrictions on the sale of both vitamin supplements and herbal medicines, and its failure to protect consumers in Ireland from hazardous waste fluoride in drinking water, they say that should a second referendum be held on the treaty they will be advocating that it should again be rejected.

The organisations - which include the GM-free Ireland Network, the Leitrim Organic Farmers Co-operative Society, the Irish Association of Health Stores and the Irish Institute of Nutrition & Health – say that the European Union is increasingly having such a damaging effect on their sector that to expect them to vote ‘Yes’ for the Lisbon Treaty would be absurd and akin to expecting them to vote in favour of the contamination of the Irish ecosystem and food chain by GM crops; the continued removal of people’s freedom of choice to avail themselves of safe, natural approaches to healthcare; and the ongoing pollution of the drinking water supply by industrial waste fluorides.

Michael O’Callaghan, Coordinator of the GM-free Ireland Network, said: “The European Commission still refuses to recognise the right of EU Member States and Regions to establish blanket bans on GM crops, despite the fact that the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales — along with 10 governments, 175 regional governments, 3,500 local authorities and thousands of smaller areas across 22 EU member states — intend to implement such bans, or have already done so. Worse still, it keeps on placing new GM food and feed products on the EU market — against the wishes of the vast majority of retailers and consumers – and automatically legalises them when member states don’t reach a Qualified Majority Vote for or against. The Lisbon Treaty would extend similar undemocratic decision-making to many other areas that affect our daily lives. Building the architecture of Europe on such shaky foundations is a recipe for long-term political, economic, environmental, health and ecological disasters. Like human beings everywhere, European citizens want more democracy, not less!”

John Brennan, on behalf of the Leitrim Organic Farmers Co-operative Society, is also calling on the EU to respect the Irish vote on the Lisbon Treaty: “Our members remain very concerned about the lack of democracy illustrated by the approval process for GMO’s in agriculture and the role of the EU Commission and European Food Safety Authority in this process. In addition, co-op members who are involved in health food businesses are gravely concerned about the Food Supplements Directive and the effect it will have in preventing consumers from accessing supplements and natural medicines that are proven to maintain good physical and mental health in the population who rely on them.”

Kathy Sinnott, Member of the European Parliament for Ireland South, commented: "Under existing treaties, Irish consumers exposed to hazardous waste fluorides in their drinking water have been failed by non-enforcement of several key Directives that are supposed to protect human health and the environment. We already have the Food Supplements Directive, which poses a real threat to our vitamin and mineral supplements. Under the Lisbon Treaty, we will have even less influence over European legislation as regards our health, nutrition and other vital aspects of our lives."

Jill Bell, health store owner and president of the Irish Association of Health Stores added: “Last year over 60,000 consumers in Ireland signed a petition objecting to over-regulation by the EU which threatens to remove from public sale the majority of effective natural health supplements on the market and to stifle innovation. Why should our culture of promoting and safeguarding our health by natural means be banished in order to promote “harmonisation” throughout the EU? The EU should respect differences of tradition between Member States. Its attempts to impose sameness overall, specifically in relation to natural health care, will win no friends if the Lisbon Treaty referendum is re-run.”

Richard Burton, director of the Irish Institute of Nutrition & Health, said: “Millions of Europeans routinely take vitamins and minerals to supplement their diet and support their health. Despite the enviable safety profile of these natural, essential nutrients the EU wants to regulate them as potential toxins, like drugs, rather than as foods. This will outlaw supplements having therapeutic potential, which represents a violation of our basic right to care for our own health in safe and effective ways.”

Paul Anthony Taylor, Coordinator of the European Referendum Initiative, pointed out that Ireland is by no means alone in not having ratified the Lisbon Treaty: “I find it particularly ironic that despite German Chancellor Angela Merkel having appealed to the Irish people to vote yes to the Lisbon Treaty, even her own government has not as yet been able to ratify it. As such, and bearing in mind the reason why German ratification has not taken place – namely, the fact that legal challenges have been brought against it on the grounds that it infringes the principle of democracy – it is increasingly clear that with the Czech president now signalling that he won’t sign the treaty unless it is ratified by Ireland, and Poland also not as yet having ratified it, Irish natural health supporters are by no means alone in opposing the further loss of control over their lives that this treaty’s enforcement would usher in. Without doubt, had citizens in all 27 member states been permitted to exercise their democratic rights by voting in referendums on this treaty, it would have been abandoned long ago.”

20 May 2008 - Save Our Supplements Ireland .com

An independent film producer has released a video about EU regulation of vitamins (Food Supplements Directive), which can be > viewed on YouTube.



The issue highlighted in the video is only the tip of the iceberg for those of us who value freedom of choice in healthcare. There is more draconian regulation to come from the EU - in particular, a directive on herbal products (Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products Directive) and a regulation on nutrition and health claims (NHCR).

31 Mar 2008 - Retailers ask suppliers to declare herbals policy

The IAHS has written to manufacturers and distributors about their policy on registering herbal products under the Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products Directive (THMPD).

Under the requirements of THMPD most herbal products will have to be licensed by the relevant national body (the Irish Medicines Board in Ireland, the MHRA in Britain).

Currently just a handful of products out of an estimated 500-1,000 affected lines have gained a licence. Retailers fear that unless manufacturers proactively start to engage with registration process hundreds of “bread and butter” products will star to disappear when the THMPD’s transition period ends in April 2011.

We are asking suppliers to indicate which products have been registered with the IBM to date, and which products they expect will be registered by the January 2010 cut off date (only those products for which licences have been applied by 1st January 2010 can remain on the market while the application is being processed).

This information is important for health stores for future planning and in assessing “the long-term viability of our current stock”.

21 Jan 2008 - Aspartame

IAHS members will eliminate products containing aspartame from their shelves in 2008.

Aspartame is touted as a solution for obesity and dental caries. It is widely available in products labelled 'sugar free'. Developed 25 years ago, it was licensed as a food ingredient by devious means. Consumption of it is on the increase, with 2,000 tons of the stuff currently consumed annually in Europe. As both a neurotoxin and an excitotoxin, it has proven links with a wide range of health problems, including various cancers, infertility, birth defects, grand mal seizures, ADD and ADHD, Parkinsons and Alzheimers, depression, memory loss, vision loss, vertigo and fibromyalgia, to name but a few.

As purveyors of health, it is incumbent on us not to sell a product containing a substance which carries with it the potential for causing serious health problems.