Dear Healthy Friend,

We all know that fibre is good for us... previously Dr Wright has even explained the different kinds of fibre and what they do. And, if you're anything like me, you've been taking heed of the advice... Maybe you've changed your diet? Taken away the white bread? Replaced it with good, wholesome, natural rye bread?

Apparently that might not be the best idea... Dr Douglass explains why...

In the name of good health,

Taryn Strugnell
Managing Editor of Nutrition & Healing

Rye won't make you regular
Dr WC Douglass
Editor, Healthier News

Rye bread for constipation? Researchers say it can outperform laxatives, but don't load up on a loaf just yet. It might make for a good headline, but the research itself is less than impressive.

European researchers loaded some clogged-up Finns with one of several non-remedies: Laxatives, buttermilk with some probiotics, white bread and enough rye bread to stuff a turkey. A fifth group got both the rye and the probiotics.

The researchers found the rye bread eaters improved "intestinal transit time" by 23% over the white bread group and 41% over the laxative group, according to some bathroom reading I found in the Journal of Nutrition. The probiotics, meanwhile, did nothing at all - but that says more about the bacteria they chose than probiotics in general.

That might sound encouraging until you realise that these bread-eaters had to choke down around 240 grams of the stuff a day to increase their output - that's around 7 slices, or more than half 227 grams of bread.

You could make sky-high Dagwood sandwiches all day long with all that bread. Too bad you won't have any room left for the kinds of food that would really solve your intestinal traffic jam.

Rye bread is rich in the insoluble fibre the mainstream loves to push as a cure-all to digestion problems - but the fact that the cramped patients in this study had to eat loaves of this stuff to make it work should tell you they're on the wrong digestive tract.

So skip the rye, insoluble fibre supplements, laxatives, enemas and everything else they throw your way. Instead, get some more soluble fibre in your diet from natural sources like barley, oatmeal and lentils.

If you still have problems when you're sitting on your porcelain throne, take a psyllium supplement. You can get it in nearly any form you want - pills, powders,etc. This stuff absorbs water like a sponge, so drink more when you take it.

Then feel free to smoke a good cigar and enjoy a stiff drink after supper - both of these also aid digestion.
 

Cluster headache relief

Q: My father gets terrible cluster headaches and he says the pain is absolutely searing. Is there anything that can get rid of these?

Dr Wright: Cluster headaches are another one of those inexplicable conditions that my patients tell me always seem to come on at exactly the wrong time. Unfortunately, no one knows what causes these types of headaches. They tend to attack relentlessly for weeks to months and then often go into remission for months or even years. While there's no surefire cure, lithium (in relatively high doses) could significantly reduce both the severity and frequency.

One study examined lithium's effects on 19 men with cluster headaches. Eight had rapid improvement - an average 85% reduction - in their "headache index" in just two weeks. Four individuals had both cluster headaches and psychiatric symptoms: These four had almost complete elimination of their headaches. The remaining seven had only a slight benefit.

Another research group tried lithium therapy (again, relatively high quantities) for 14 individuals with cluster headaches. Five of the participants had complete disappearance of their headaches, four had significant improvement and four had no change.

There's no guarantee that lithium will heal your cluster headaches, but there is a good chance that it might help. With so few other options available, it's at least worth a try. Since the quantities needed are relatively high, you should work with a doctor skilled in natural medicine who can monitor your progress and safety. For a list of such physicians in your area, contact the South African Society of Integrated Medicine on (021) 887-5364 or lucia@integrativemedicine.co.za.

For more natural pain relief advice click here...