Recent newspaper headlines claim vitamins are rendered “useless” in as little as a week after opening the containers they’re stored in.

The same of course applies to many substances. Take salt and sugar, for example – left outside in humid conditions they harden and lose their taste. Pharmaceutical drugs aren’t immune from such conditions either - that’s why their labels state that they should be stored in cool, dry conditions (as do the labels on nutritional supplements I hasten to add… certainly good quality ones).

Just go to your kitchen cupboard and look at the ingredients listed on the packaging of some of the items you’ve bought... I’m guessing that ‘vegetable oil’ is listed on many of those labels – right? Vegetable oil is usually a blend of oils and in the UK, the oils used most in vegetable oil are soya, rapeseed, sunflower, maize and palm oils.

The harsh reality is that its production poses a serious environmental threat to the Indonesian rainforests and its inhabitants. That’s not its only drawback, as once it’s processed and refined, palm oil also poses significant health threats to consumers – and that includes almost all of us, given how many products contain it.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) will have to explain what scientific evidence they used, justifying their change of definition of what a pandemic is, in May 2009.

The European Council also wants to know precisely what influence the pharmaceutical industry had in the decision-making. Since governments have sealed contracts with vaccine producers, securing orders in advance, (like with Tamiflu during the Bird Flu scare) producers of vaccines were sure of enormous gains without having any financial risks.

New EU regulations threaten to eliminate and drastically reduce the effectiveness (as a result of lowered dosage amounts) of many essential herbs, vitamins and supplements commonly used today...

the end goal is to urge the UK Government; Opposition Leaders; all Parliamentary Members & UK MEPs to publicly REJECT these EU Directives, Regulations & Codex Alimentarius. In its place, establish an independent Legal Framework for natural foods, vitamins and herbal supplements, in order to preserve our environment, protect health businesses/ practitioners and secure a healthier life for future generations.

Frankly, being told by the PM not to worry is not only patronising, it also misses the point of our concerns which were made clear and pressingly evident in the petition.

If there was nothing to fear, why is it then that in the US, late last month, the Senate HELP Committee unanimously approved the food safety bill but not before making amendments that raised a cheer from the US dietary supplements industry?

There is a much bigger picture to look at and in some respects, Codex Alimentarius's remit on vitamins and mineral food supplements is just the thin end of the wedge.

Over the last couple of months I’ve written extensively about a threat we all face – at least those of us who choose to look after our bodies with natural or alternative remedies before we reach for the pharmaceuticals and mainstream medicine. Now, this threat has become a reality here at Agora Lifestyles.

Effectively, we’ve been told to do our valuable work in silence...

How long before they ban us from writing the truth about these natural cures in our newsletter as well? Your guess is as good as mine . . .

All I know is that the combined forces of the medical establishment, the pharmaceutical companies and Brussels ‘dictocrats’ are lining up to make sure that they control what you’re allowed to know about.

That’s why it’s so important that you support our work by subscribing to our monthly members journal. Before you know it these Forbidden Cures will be Forgotten Cures...

The modern translation of the Hippocratic Oath read as follows: ‘ ...I will apply dietetic measures for the benefit of the sick according to my ability and judgment; I will keep them from harm and injustice. I will neither give a deadly drug to anybody if asked for it, nor will I make a suggestion to this effect...’

For those who may not know, The Hippocratic Oath is an oath traditionally taken by doctors swearing to ethically practice medicine. However, if the results of a recent study are anything to go by then inadequate training maybe preventing many doctors from being able to stay true to this oath.

Over the next two months, more than nine million people in priority groups, such as pregnant women and those with long- term illnesses, and another two million front line health and social care workers will be offered the Swine Flu H1N1 vaccine in the UK.

In light of this and the looming threat that there may be adverse side effects from this vaccine, medical experts have been told to watch for any cases of Guillain-Barre syndrome. Some research suggests there may be a link between a flu vaccine used in America in 1976 (during a similar pandemic scare) and the condition. With Guillain-Barre syndrome the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks part of the nervous system and can be fatal in some cases.

Following on from yesterday’s alert, Herbal Medicine, Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine Under Threat in the UK, the Daily Health can reveal today that our ability to gain access to information about the health benefits of nutritional supplements and various foods is also under serious threat.

The ANH also warned that the 2006 EU Nutrition and Health Claims Regulation could be exported around the world and noted the Codex Alimentarius Commission, the World Health Organization (WHO) body that recommends food codes internationally, favoured the European system.

Codex Alimentarius’ regulations will eventually become trade laws and once this happens we can all kiss our health freedoms goodbye because it will have a global impact.

Now Herbal Medicine, acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) are under serious threat in the UK. Trade bodies believe these therapies could even cease to exist in Britain within a few years; practitioners could stop practicing and people may not be able to get some herbal pills, capsules, tinctures and ointments they use every day.

How did this happen and where does this sudden fear come from? The last we all knew ‘traditional therapists’ were to be regulated in the interest of public safety. It seemed fair...