Predictably, the opening of 2007’s starting gates saw the cream of the UK’s health and personal development celebrities stepping up for their share of the “New Year – New You” market.

“Straight-talking nutritionist Gillian McKeith is back with a brand-new series - You Are What You Eat: Gillian Moves In,” says Channel 4. “The dinky diet detective has travelled the UK to find some desperate cases. Now they’ve got a big shock in store as they will be living under the same roof as Gillian, following her house rules, with no escape!”

In print, The Times wisely promotes mind-worker Paul McKenna, whose work – under the banner “I can change your life in five days” - is serialised throughout this week in five key areas: weight loss, giving up smoking, health, motivation and sleep.

Meanwhile, the smooth, rather than straight-talking nutritionist Patrick Holford tells us that “there is only one person who can change all this - and that is you”, as he promotes his 100% Health workshops that “make it virtually impossible for you not to jump your level of health.”

It’s Paul McKenna that I’d like to dwell on as he makes most sense to me, focussing as he does on positive modes of change and transformation, rather than nutritional and lifestyle terrorism like Doctor McKeith. Apart from jaw-dropping, freak show TV, what possible long-term merit is there in bullying people, who presumably already have self-esteem issues, and making them feel bad. To me that’s not real change; that’s just tidying your room to keep your mum happy, yet remaining a slob for the rest of your adult life after you’ve left home.

And as for wholefood-Holford, for my money, he’s not holistic enough, focussing mainly on the physical plane. That’s not to say his information isn’t useful, it’s just that McKenna takes us closer to the powerhouse of transformational power – the mind.

Among McKenna’s most valuable offerings are: ”a startling study edited by Dr Bernard Stewart recently released in the UK predicts that unless people begin taking responsibility for their health, global rates of cancer could rise by 50 per cent to 15 million new cases a year by 2020. The study went on to say that as many as two in three of these cases can be prevented and/or cured through “lifestyle changes”.“

“Research has indicated that generally optimists live longer, happier, healthier lives, partly because optimum states enhance our immune system. Studies in recent years have proven that we can dramatically enhance our immune system by actively choosing our beliefs and consistently practising visualisation techniques,” he adds, leaving us with the big question: “if the secret to good health is a positive perspective, what’s causing all the disease?”

“Simple,” he claims, “studies have suggested that the major threat in modern life is being killed by our own defence system being triggered too often — by our response to stress.”

Now that’s a great insight in a week when M.E. (more cruelly known as “Yuppie Flu”) is back on the agenda, also thought by some to be the result of overtaxing our stress responses.

Sure, environmental toxins play their part – as McKenna happily points out. But the growing realisation that stress could be the incubating or disabling factor in disease, rather than a cause specifically, must surely warrant some consideration.

This of course brings me back to Gillian McKeith who stresses her “victims” into making seemingly positive changes. Whilst their conversion to fresh and even raw foods might make them feel better within the scope of a 30 or 60-minute TV show (along with healthier stools, as is McKeith’s preoccupation), I dread to think what the shame, stress and ridicule must be doing to their psychological wellbeing and consequential physical health months or years later.

McKenna seems to know that positive change can only last when good and positive feelings are deeply associated with the desirable outcomes we seek. He vindicates my “hedolistic” view of living well that combines a holistic understanding with hedonistic motives.

I maintain that shame, stress and conscription (via prescription) have no truly worthwhile place in health education and the pursuit of wellness. When will we realise that feeling good is the very essence of being well and well-being? When will we relax and enjoy our food without being faddy or fussy. It’s Pareto’s 80/20 rule for us hedolists, where alcohol and coffee have a guilt-free place alongside well-researched and tasty dietary choices – not a painful struggle for ‘nutritional correctness’.

Sadly, Gillian McKeith’s shows may never carry the disclaimer: “No human beings were harmed in the making of this programme” – why is bullying OK on TV when at the same time we are doing our best to drive it out of our schools and workplaces?

Hopefully, more of us will turn our minds to the liberating approaches of those in the know, and the know-how, like Paul McKenna, who are really beginning to understand the awesome power of the mind and its effect in all – and I mean everything - that we do.

More on Hedo-L-ism at www.hedolistic.com

Last edited: 10-01-2007 09:33:40 PM

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I agree that 'Doctor' McKeith's approach may not improve someone's health long term, but the 'victims' of her show have only themselves to blame for being bullied, since they volunteer themselves for the show, in the hope of a free transformation. Everyone knows how she approaches her victims - they must know that she's going to ridicule them!

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I hear you. Don't have t.v. so cannot talk from experience here. The show sounds a little 'odd' I must say. Seems a shame to dilute guidance on what would have otherwise been a very healthy choice of food.

Anyone serious about health would see beyond the drama and make their own assertions.

Trinity
x

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Is this your view Carol? It may be, you may be playing devil's advocate. Have you ever been bullied or ridiculed? Do you believe you deserved it? or do you believe that the person doing the bullying lacked self esteem / intelligence or was scared in someway of you?

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As someone was who was bullied, I view Dr G's appraoch as something different. We can view it in many ways, bullying, stressing the point, tough love, pattern interrupt, straight talking, etc...

She pushes people outside of there comfort zones to help them to grow and understand that it is the way they think about themselves and lifestyle that causes the health problems. She moves their current way of life to the the place where they must decide, where they have a choice. I understand that using agressive tactics and forcing the point home can grate. However, as Carol pointed out, they volunteered.

Just under half of my busines is weight management issues, and nearly always the issues begin in the mind, not whether they consume whole foods or not.

If you are not happy with a certain part of yourself consciously or subconsciously, it will affect your metabolism, stress levels, hormonal balances etc. The mind govern everything. This "happiness imbalance" (my terminology)also causes a lack of desire to change within, coupled with a belief that they do not DESERVE happiness.

The fact that they volunteer for this show as opposed to taking private and confidential therapy is irrelevant, they made the call to go onto this program. I view it as a call for help, and the call is answered in a way that all participants are fully aware of what they are letting themselves in for.

Those who think Dr G is a bully should watch Fat Club, where volunteers go through their paces with a vicious army sargeant barking at them all week. Is that bullying or well intentioned tough love?

WHich takes me back, does someone who was bullied, ask to be bullied? For no reason? And is the intention of the bullying for personal growth? I don't think so either.

There lies the difference.

Peace

Asif

Last edited: 17-01-2007 03:43:43 PM

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I made a point of watching the programme last night and I must confess I thought it was quite good! Very tongue in cheek - Although I couldn't have stayed in that soul less house for a week!
I agree with Asif that we (sometimes ) need to be pushed out of our comfort zone /head in sand position -that goes for me too especially.....I wonder if it would help me do my paper work! ( seeing my HK therapist about that soon!)
The volunteers knew they needed help and some of them had traveled a long way to see her to ask to be on the programme - Who are we to judge their decision?
I'm aware that its not realistic to have someone telling you what to do all the time and they could very well revert back to thier slob like ways but I thought it was encounter therapy to actually see all the junk on the table and visualise what that is doing to their insides- its too easy to just eat unconciously and be ignorant to whats in this crap; and its great that its on TV as a large majority (whether fat or not ) eat it too!

The other thing about being addicted to salt and sugar is that the taste buds can't taste anything else and wholefoods might taste awful at first until they get used to it. Also this was a detox programme and only for a relatively short time - the good thing about this approach is that the wholefoods will eventually taste wonderful and you can have 'a bit of what you fancy' rather than with traditional diets where there are the 'forbidden ' foods. They always are doomed to failure because we always want what we deny ourselves.
I'm well aware that Hypnotherapy etc can change the sensory perceptions in a short time (And why not combine it with the Paul Mckenna/Hypno approach? we do this in HK as well) but its horses for courses and I believe that people are drawn to the approach they need at the time.
It was great to see them at the end of the 8 weeks , obviously feeling great and especially the woman who had been able to get back to dancing without being breathless.Her enjoyment of life had increased a thousand fold and her family got their Mum & Wife back again...positive ripple effect.

You really can't separate the body/mind off ( I treated a girl for cheese allergy once as it made her depressed)

Just my thoughts anyway....

Ps thought she was a wee bit over the top about the guy having a glass of wine though!

Last edited: 17-01-2007 07:20:54 PM

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Life is great isn't it? So awesome (in the proper use of the word). Whatever we judge Gillian as and whatever happens as a result (and how, why etc), the bottom line is: what are YOU going to do NOW? None of us really cares about those people do we? Really?

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Have to say I agree with Asif and Jayne. Not the right approach for some ....but then shes not kidnapping you and you wouldnt say yes unless you were up for it.Perhaps when she comes along in your life ...theres a bit of synchronicity going on ...... Just what YOU need right NOW.

Think we probably all get a kick up the arse one way or another and sometimes when we're least expecting it . Neils 'shut up your bastard ' is a case in point ....and I hardly think Swami blah blah was some low life bully.

I could do with a kick 'right NOW' infact.......anyone want to oblIge ?......(.no steel- toe caps or winkle pickers thank you)

Last edited: 17-01-2007 06:14:28 PM

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pseudo-science cannot bring lasting results

i have to admit that i'm not so sure about the whole 'mind' thing

from my experience, the mind does not even exist

it's just a construct created around thinking, a nominalisation of a process

there's a lot to be said for addressing unnecessary thinking through calming the nervous system - which is an entirely physical process

meditation is a physical process - not a mental one

thinking itself is a physical process - not a mental one

perhaps the problem with Holford is not so much that he focuses overly on the body, but that he doesn't draw the necessary parallel between right eating and activity and healthy mental activity

just a thought

cameron

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To be honest I feel that it does vary, between client to client. I have clients that require gentle encouragement and hand holding, then there will be the ones that really need a proper asskicking. I think we just need to be flexible and tailor things to the individual set of circumstances we see before us at the time.

Just touching on the issue of comparisons between Gillian, Paul, and Patrick. Its important to remember the way in which the media works - people and content have to have a USP, or nobody is interested. These three certainly each have that and all make a very valuable contribution to the pool of knowledge that is now ever expanding within the public domain. I think we all take what we want and what we need from everything we watch and read, and generally make our own conlucions.

This is a very good thread - Kudos on bringing this up. My media career is moving pretty rapidly and I have very strong feelings about the way in which certain things are covered, so Im glad to see this here.

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Hi Dale,

great to have you on the site. By the way- what does the abbreviation USP stand for ?

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Thank you for the welcome

USP = Unique Selling Point

Last edited: 2-09-2007 03:08:17 PM

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Oh I see ....Yes I agree!

Cheers, Jayne

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