WELLNESS – L'ItaloEuropeo – Independent Magazine in London

GIANLUCA MECH – The guru of personal wellness

(by Stefania Del Monte)

Gianluca Mech is the only heir to an ancient tradition that has seen his family at the centre of the arts and secrets of herbal medicine in Italy for centuries. In 1987, as soon as he was of age, he took over the reins of the company: thanks to the teachings of his father Giovanni and his grandmother Adelaide, and thanks to the experience gained in the field of food and herbal medicine, he managed to give new strength and impetus to the company, even beyond national borders.

We met him to find out more about his story.

Gianluca, what is Phytotherapy?

The term “Phytotherapy” derives from the Greek “Phytòn”, which means “plant”, but at the same time also “creature”. This twofold meaning encompasses the essence of phytotherapy: plant and man. In a general sense, it is the practice that involves the use of plants or plant extracts for the care and maintenance of mental and physical wellbeing.

Your company has been operating since 1911 and you have been part of it for over thirty years. What exactly do you do?

It is a herbal company, whose strength is precisely that of using the properties of plants in our proposed weight loss programs. In particular, we are producers and distributors of products obtained from Decottopia, or the therapy of the “ten plants”. It is an ancient process of officinal herbs processing, handed down over the centuries from father to son, up to me, the current custodian of the industrial secrets that are the heart of the company activities: extracts that base their uniqueness and exclusivity thanks to their absence of alcohol, sugars, preservatives and gluten. From the experience gained in the Decottopia, specific dietary foods were then developed which constitute the innovative “Global Tisanoreica diet program”, developed and tested in collaboration with the Mech Lab of the University of Padua.

Can you tell us more about both Decottopia and Tisanoreica?

Of course! My family has a 500-year-long tradition of observing, experimenting and using the properties of plants. Our green ketosis has allowed us to enhance, through the detoxifying properties of plants, the slimming effects of the diet proposed by us, reducing side effects to zero. From the decottopia, according to the method already explained above, decottopyrics are obtained: food supplements proposed to improve the nutritional status, optimizing the general well-being condition and promoting, at the same time, the normal physiological functions of the body. These can be combined with the diet but also taken outside of a real diet program. You can also drink pure or diluted with water.

The products of Decottopia are fundamental throughout the whole journey of the Tisanoreica diet protocol. Our body, in fact, in addition to needing to lose weight, needs to cleanse itself every day to keep fit and above all to give us that feeling of wellbeing that we seek so much. Associating Decottopia with the Tisanoreica diet phases means choosing extraordinarily pure and totally natural products not only in the formulation, but also in the processing and conservation processes.

The absence of preservatives, alcohol, sugars and gluten also makes Decottopia ideal for different categories of people such as diabetics, children over 5 years, celiacs, the elderly and vegans.

We recently saw you on television with Ricette all’italiana (Rete4) and L’ingrediente perfetto (LA7). What did you draw from those experiences?

These are experiences that have allowed me to get to know and collaborate with great personalities from the world of entertainment such as Davide Mengacci, Anna Moroni and Roberta Capua, who have also proved to be generous and helpful people. Thanks to these two programs, moreover, I had the pleasure of sharing the set with producer Elio Bonsignore, a professional who always favours quality. On the basis of all this, it is easy to guess that both broadcasts have helped to consolidate my television path too.

Would you like to repeat them?

Obviously yes, since both experiences are part of my present. For example, with the perfect ingredient, together with the excellent Roberta Capua, I will return to La7 at the end of March. Recently, with Roberta, we also shared a beautiful event at Casa Sanremo, during the Sanremo Festival, focused on the importance of plants for the voice, which was also attended by conductor Claudio Guerrini and specialist in Otolaryngology and Audiology Marco De Vincentiis, and it was a great success. Now, however, I can’t wait to embrace her again on the set to enter, once again, into the homes of many viewers who continue to follow us with affection and interest.

Your company profile describes you as the ‘personal wellner of the stars’. We could therefore define you as a kind of wellness guru. What exactly is the role of a “personal wellner“?

My mission has always been to help others stay healthy, directing them towards a healthier lifestyle, which allows them to achieve a good quality of life. This healthy lifestyle is even more sought after among celebrities and the show business. The variety of our natural and scientifically tested products, combined with personalized suggestions, allows people to better face and manage the difficulties and stress during the change process, aimed at achieving psychophysical wellbeing.

Being a specialized nutritionist, what do you recommend to people who want to get in shape in time for the summer?

It’s simple: take care of yourself through good purification, take care of the quantity and quality of the food that you introduce into your body and, if necessary, follow a dietary path by being directed by specialized personnel. For example, our experts can help to achieve the established results, not only quickly but also in perfect health.

In the cover: Gianluca Mech
images courtesy of the interviewee

Skin-whitening creams are still hurting people, someone keep on selling them

London (Giulia Faloia) – Self acceptance is very hard to achieve and its lack can bring to devastating consequences especially if it involves the use of illegal substances.

That’s exactly what happened to women who used skin-whitening creams. This kind of products were banned from being sold over-the-counter in the UK since they contain hydroquinone and mercury that can cause liver, nerve and foetal damage.

However some business owners haven’t respected the ban and they have kept on selling the forbidden creams.

Some journalists visited 17 shop in London, Leeds, Birmingham and Manchester to see how many merchants are still selling the banned products.

Even if 6 of these shops had already been prosecuted for this reason, the under cover reporters found out that 13 shop keepers are still braking the rules and selling the creams.

The forbidden product was manufactured in Nigeria and it is called Funbeaut-A. It contained 3% hydroquinone, which is more than the strongest medicine containing hydroquinone licensed for prescription by UK doctors.

The clearest consequences of the skin-whitening creams are blisters and scars on the whole parts of the body on which people rub it. But unfortunately this isn’t the worst aspect.

In fact some victims of the creams developed a kind of addiction to them. Stop rubbing it on their skin was as hard as stop taking drugs.

Furthermore what makes the problem even bigger is that anyone could buy these products. Even a little girl could come in a shop and take it, without any kind of restriction.

Anyway Trading Standards officer Cenred Elworthy said that some shop keepers stopped selling the products after being prosecuted. He added that “secondary offenders are often not selling things that are blatantly, obviously full of illegal products”.

On the other hand Elworthy also said that “no-one has actually served jail time for selling them” despite being caught still selling the illegal products while serving a suspended sentence.

For this purpose he suggested the application of “on-the-spot fines” for businesses selling the skin-whitening products, and clearer sentencing guidelines.

The problem is real and stricter rules are necessary. This is the only way nobody else gets hurt.

MEN B VACCINE – ONE YEAR ON AND MILLIONS STILL AT RISK

A YEAR after introducing the lifesaving Men B vaccine, millions of young children remain at risk from this devastating disease.

On Tuesday 1 September 2015, the UK became the first country in the world to introduce the revolutionary new meningococcal group B (Men B) vaccine, Bexsero to under 1s through the NHS.

Despite this, more than one child a month*¹ may have contracted the deadly Men B infection and up to five children may have needlessly died. Many of those who have contracted Men B will be living with life-changing after-effects.

Had the decision been made by the Government to vaccinate all under 5s, these tragedies could have been avoided.

Parents like Jenny Burdett, whose daughter Faye’s death sparked an unprecedented 823,346 signatures to a UK-wide petition, have renewed calls for the vaccine to be made available to all young children at risk.

Jenny said:

“As a family who has been through the devastation of meningitis, we feel that all children should be protected from this cruel disease that took our daughter. It’s not just about Faye’s death but also about the maiming of children that survive the disease; it is life changing for a child and their family. Prevention must be better.”

Until the decision is made to extend the age range of the vaccine, an estimated 2.1 million*² children under 5 remain at risk from Men B. Meningitis continues to kill more children under five than any other infectious disease.

Meningitis Now Chief Executive, Liz Brown, said:

“The introduction of the Men B vaccine was a milestone in the prevention of this killer disease – it’s such a shame that the Government didn’t have the courage to go that extra step and protect all children most at risk.

“The recent decision by the JCVI, not to vaccinate children up to the age of 2 years, due to vaccine shortages, exacerbates the need for the government to take action.

“We call upon Secretary of State for Health; Jeremy Hunt to mark today’s anniversary by taking that extra step now and introduce the vaccine for all of the nation’s children up to the age of 5.”

Meningitis Now is collecting signatures to add to a letter to the Secretary of State for Health, Jeremy Hunt, as part of its’ ‘Give Children A Voice’ campaign. The letter will be presented in Westminster by a child who has missed out on the vaccine in the coming weeks. To add your name visit:

https://www.meningitisnow.org/how-we-help/campaigns/give-children-voice/

For more information on the Men B vaccine, as well as the signs and symptoms of meningitis, visit www.meningitisnow.org

*¹ Public Health England Health Protection Report Vol 9 23 October 2015 shows 139 cases of Men B in infants aged 1-4 years. The incidence of death is in this group is 4%.

*² Based on an annual UK birth-rate of 700,000. https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/livebirths/datasets/birthsummarytables

Two million people in London at risk of food poisoning from pink burgers

LONDON – According to research released a few days ago by the Food Standards Agency (FSA), almost two million people in London are at risk of food poisoning from pink burgers at Bank Holiday Barbecues. The FSA is encouraging all those who are getting their BBQs this weekend to fully cook their burgers: this warning has been made because the research has shown that despite 71% stating they are concerned about food poisoning, nearly half of them would still eat a burger that is not fully cooked; moreover, 54% of them admitted that they even undercook burgers at home.

In order to help BBQs lovers enjoy their burgers safely, the FSA has teamed up with Phil Vickery, British rugby legend and Masterchef winner, who will give his contribution in raising awareness about best burger practice. He stressed that it is very important that people don’t try to cook burgers that are rare or medium at home: “Some restaurants can serve them this way because they have strict controls in place, covering how burgers are prepared and cooked, but cooking burgers that are rare or pink at home could really ruin your weekend.” In addition to these useful piece of advice, he shared his personal favourite way of cooking burgers: he likes his burger properly cooked through with a top of Romaine Hearts lettuce, tomato and English cheddar cheese.

What makes Steve Wearne, the Director of Policy at the FSA, worried is the general ignorance about the presence of bacteria in burgers. He said: “Burgers are not like steak. Harmful bacteria can be carried on the surface of cuts of meat. When a rare steak is seared these bacteria are killed, but burger meat is minced so bacteria from the surface of the raw meat gets mixed all the way through the burger. These bacteria can remain alive on the inside, unless the burger is fully cooked through, no matter how good quality and expensive the meat.” Moreover, many people – over a third of all people in London – incorrectly believe that eating a rare burger is the same as a rare steak when it comes to food poisoning risk and even those who wouldn’t usually choose a rare burger could get ill this weekend, since they said they would eat one if it was given to them.

What both Wearne and Vickery advise is for everyone to be cautious: cook your burgers through and fully enjoy your weekend, without having to worry about the consequences of an unhealthy BBQ next week.

U.S. food companies caught faking blueberries with artificial colors and liquid sugars, reveals Health Ranger investigation

NaturalNews) A Food Investigations mini-documentary released today exposes the “blueberry deception” in name-brand cereals, bagels, breads and bars. As revealed in the investigative video (www.FoodInvestigations.com), big-name food companies that offer blueberry cereals, muffins, pastries and bars have been caught “faking” the blueberries by creating them out of artificial colors, partially-hydrogenated oils and high fructose corn syrup (HFCS).

This investigation was conducted by award-winning investigative journalist Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, as part of the non-profit Consumer Wellness Center (www.ConsumerWellness.org), which provides nutrition grants for children’s education programs around the world. The non-profit “blueberry deception” video can be viewed in its entirety at www.FoodInvestigations.com Total cereal called “Total fraud” Named in the video are Kellogg’s, Target, Betty Crocker, General Mills and other food companies that use artificial colors to create the illusion of real blueberries in their products. One General Mills cereal singled out in the mini-documentary is called Total Blueberry Pomegranate Cereal. But a Consumer Wellness Center investigation reveals that this cereal contains neither blueberries nor pomegranates. Source: General Mills website nutrition facts label: http://www.naturalnews.com/images/T… The cereal does, however, contain an astonishing 8 different sweeteners: Sugar, Corn Syrup, Barley Malt Extract, Brown Sugar Syrup, Malt Syrup, Sucralose, Molasses and Honey.

The front label of the Total cereal box claims “100% Nutrition.” After investigating the real ingredients of Total cereal, Mike Adams called the product a “total fraud.” He added, “It’s clear to me that General Mills is deceptively marketing Total Blueberry Pomegranate cereal by trying to deceive consumers into believing it contains both blueberries and pomegranates — two foods that are gaining a reputation as healthy ingredients in the minds of consumers.” “If consumers don’t read the ingredients label, they may be easily misled into believing they are purchasing a cereal containing health-enhancing blueberries and pomegranates, when in reality they are buying sugared-up grains promoted with shamelessly deceptive marketing,” said Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, who researched, scripted and narrated the Food Investigations episode. General Mills, however, isn’t the only big-name food company called out in the shocking video documentary.

Several other companies are also exposed in the mini-documentary available for viewing at www.FoodInvestigations.com How to avoid fake blueberries in food products As explained in the video, consumers can avoid being deceived by food companies by following these three simple steps: #1) Read the ingredients labels and look for artificial colors such as Red #40, Blue #1 and Blue #2.

They are usually found near the end of the ingredients list. #2) Don’t buy foods made with artificial colors because the purpose of those colors is to cosmetically alter the appearance of those foods to make them appear more visually stimulating in order to “trick” or influence the consumer’s purchasing decisions. When eating blueberry-colored cereals or pastries, many consumers actually believe they’re eating real blueberries, even though no blueberries whatsoever may be used in the making of the product. #3) Don’t let your kids eat foods with artificial colors.

At least one artificial color has been linked to symptoms of ADHD. Artificial colors are derived from coal tars and several colors have been banned in the past few decades due to human health hazards. Furthermore, you can refuse to buy products from companies that use artificial colors.

These include all the major cereal companies and mainstream food producers. Artificial colors are also widely used in processed meats where the ingredient known as “sodium nitrite” is actually a red color fixer that gives dead, putrid-looking meat a fresh red appearance.

Sodium nitrite, which is found in nearly all mainstream hot dogs, lunch meats, ham products, bacon, sausage and jerky products, is linked to alarming increases in risks of pancreatic cancer, color cancer and even brain tumors in children. Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/031054_blueberries_artificial_colors.html#ixzz1kBii3dMM