It’s been an incredibly busy, dynamic year for ANH-Intl. None of it would have been possible without your support and generous donations.  For those who have yet to make a donation, or would like to contribute further, we appeal to you to donate now.  This will help us to continue and expand our work to create a better future for the growing numbers of us in Europe and beyond who are dedicated to managing our health primarily by natural means.

Following are some of the highlights of our accomplishments during 2014:

• Countering supplement bashing. We set the record straight after a media attack on supplements. ANH-USA and ANH-Intl counter these threats, and challenge bad science and inappropriate law making that limits our fundamental rights and freedoms to use natural health.

• Why anti-vitamin headlines are wrong. Dr Rob Verkerk threw the scientific spotlight on negative headlines and studies on vitamin E, selenium and prostate cancer risk as well as on folic acid and cancer. We also advised on how to get food and supplements free from contaminants.

• UK herbal practitioner regulation exposed. We examined the thorny issue of UK herbal practitioner regulation, setting out the pros and cons of the options. We were compelled to counter extensive worldwide media demonisation of eating protein, after the results of a study with a flawed methodology were interpreted to suit food industry-influenced government nutrition recommendations.

• Changing the evidence in ‘evidence-based medicine’. After a British Medical Journal editorial dismissed almost all the health benefits of vitamin D, Dr Verkerk revealed in a special feature, the weakness of mainstream ‘single agent’ thinking on nutrients, and the limitations of the randomised control trial (RCT) when looking at nutrient complexes and the food matrix in relation to individuals in whom genetics, behaviour, lifestyle and culture can vary widely.

• Looking beyond the RCT. We called upon the natural healthcare sector to get together, raise funds, look beyond the RCT and unilateral, drug based treatments, and to set up the validation research such as comparative effectiveness research (CER) that is so sorely needed to better understand clinical outcomes and experience. 

• Helping to future proof Ayurveda.  Rob Verkerk proposed solutions for the future of Ayurveda in Europe at the BAAAP Ayurveda Healthcare and Wellbeing Conference —one of many speaking engagements that ANH-Intl committed to this year.

• Bite the Sun soft launch. In July Meleni Aldridge headed the soft launch of Bite the Sun in London, the ANH-Intl spin-off that helps individuals to become empowered over own health through a community platform with other like-minded people (the Bite Hub).

• Love Natural, Love Organic – in London. The ANH-Intl team had an action-packed weekend at Love Natural, Love Organic.

• Healthcare systems and sustainability. Rob Verkerk wrote about healthcare systems, the UK NHS and sustainability.

• Folate focus, again. We brought folate into focus with a critical response following EFSA’s low intake recommendations for Europe, based on old, now irrelevant science.

• Patencheru: The cost of Western generics. We highlighted serious environmental costs of the Western world’s generic drugs through our focus on Patencheru in India.

• Awards. Rob Verkerk was humbled to receive a global free speech and other ANH-Intl awards from Emord and Associates in the US, the leading law firm fighting to protect our inalienable right to natural health.

• CAMExpo. In October, the ANH-Intl team attended a busy CAMexpo 2014 in London. Rob Verkerk presented to practitioners on folate, and participated in an obesity panel debate.

• American College of Nutrition and translational nutrition. Meleni Aldridge brought back translational nutritional nuggets from the 2014 American College of Nutrition’s annual conference.

• Ebola: thinking out of the box. As the Ebola epidemic continued its sweep across West Africa, Rob Verkerk argued for a concerted effort on nutritional immune support to help stem West Africa’s Ebola epidemic.

• Ebola: action in Sierra Leone. By November and December Rob Verkerk was busy preparing to work alongside Sierra Leonean medics and health workers in Ebola holding and community centres built to receive Ebola patients. He continues to argue for more emphasis on nutritional support.

Please bear in mind, this is just a snapshot of our year. We hope you continue to believe in our mission to help promote and protect natural health internationally. And please consider supporting our work by giving an end of year donation to help is have even more impact in 2015.

Oh, and here we are!

Seasons greetings – and wishing you the very best for 2015!

In health, naturally…

The ANH-Intl team.