Channel 4 is showing an eight-part series on Tuesday nights at 8pm called The Food Hospital. So far we have seen two episodes of this exciting new programme, showing not only how powerful foods can be in alleviating symptoms of painful conditions such as IBS, migraines, and psoriasis, but also in reducing risk factors for premature death in people with uncontrolled Type 2 diabetes and fatty liver disease.

The first episode focused on four individuals: a young woman with severe PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome); a seven year old boy with crippling migraines; an overweight, unfit middle-aged father with uncontrolled Type 2 diabetes; and a young woman recovering from breast cancer. What we saw was not surprising to those of us who use food as medicine every day of our lives, but was probably very eye-opening for many viewers.

PCOS

The dietician put each patient on a diet specifically tailored to their needs. For example, the young woman with PCOS was put on a low-GI diet and told to cut out all refined carbohydrates such as white bread, white pasta, rice, chips, crisps, biscuits, cakes, fizzy drinks and sweets. This was a massive change as she introduced fresh foods, wholegrains, beans, legumes, nuts and seeds into her daily repertoire. She was also told to start exercising every day, both as a weight loss tool and to help manage her blood sugars. She was told 50% of her plate should consist of vegetables and to use chickpeas instead of meat on homemade pizzas.

The patient returned to the hospital several weeks later to report back on her symptoms. She had already noticed a significant change in her hirsutism (male-patterned hair growth due to excess testosterone levels in the body), her periods were more regular, she had lost considerable weight, she had more energy and a lot more confidence. She was, of course, ecstatic with the changes, which were all down to dietary and lifestyle changes with no drugs involved.

Migraines

The second case worth mentioning is the seven year old boy who had been suffering from migraines for three years. His migraines often lasted two days and he had up to three per week. His mother had ‘tried everything’ or so she thought. He had been sent for MRI scans, seen neurologists and various doctors, and been given strong medication which was becoming less effective. No one had thought to mention that his diet might be causing his migraines. This is the part that is so frustrating for those of us working in nutritional medicine. The links between migraine and diet are well-researched, well-known and not complicated. However, it should be added that not all migraines are caused by reactions to foods, and there may be other causes such as hormone imbalance or blood sugar dysregulation.

The dietician explained the common link between foods containing a substance called tyramine and migraine headaches. She advised the removal of all tyramine foods as well as all preservatives and additives from the boy’s diet. Again, this was a big shift for the patient and his family. No more hot dogs, ham, salami, processed foods and confectionary – all things he had been eating regularly. He was also advised to switch from full fat milk to skimmed milk. Nutritional supplements in the form of magnesium, vitamin B2 and CoQ10 were also recommended. These natural substances are also well-researched in terms of helping migraine sufferers.

The results of this experiment were unequivocal – the boy had not one migraine after changing his diet, except for once when the rules were relaxed by accident when the boy was away from home. This was an absolute revelation for both the boy and his mother who thought she had ‘tried everything’. His life was transformed.

Food as medicine

These are just two examples of the wonderful things being done on this programme. People are being shown how to take control of their own health and wellbeing, make some changes to the way they eat (and live in some cases) and see the benefits for themselves. Whatsmore, we are seeing what can be done without the use of pharmaceutical drugs, although there will of course be times when these are needed too. Nutritional medicine does not seek to replace the use of pharmaceuticals, but it does have a role to play in many common conditions, and this programme is helping bring this message to the general public. I just hope there might be some doctors out there watching too.

Episode two focused on a possible link between IBS and alopecia (hair loss); reversing fatty liver disease; alleviating the painful and unsightly skin condition psoriasis; and tips for sufferers of gastric reflux. Again, dramatic results were seen following fairly simple dietary changes. However, I would add that the programme format is rather over-simplistic, and people wishing to treat themselves through diet and lifestyle change should always seek the advice of a qualified professional and should under no circumstances come off medication without supervision.  

You can catch up on-line at: www.channel4.com/thefoodhospital

You can also take part in trials being run as part of the series to test whether certain foods can lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol, improve memory and treat insomnia. You have to be over 18 and not on any medication to take part.