The Get Well Show, organized by Lynne McTaggart and Bryan Hubbard and held in London, UK, June 17-19, 2022, brought together an impressive array of speakers and vendors working in the field of natural human and animal health. The first show was in 2020, and came in response to the COVID-19 pandemic to provide a space for information and exploration of current health options beyond conventional medicine. The event, which attracts a significant number of people, will continue on an annual basis, with the next planned in March 2023. Some insights and information from the speakers of this year’s conference are below.

Lauren Vaknine: Overcoming Chronic Disease with a Holistic Approach

Lauren shared a personal journey of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (RA), which she was diagnosed with one month before her 2^nd birthday. Her parents were told that it was idiopathic, i.e., had no cause. But Lauren’s lesson on her pathway to heath is that everything has a cause.

At the time of her diagnosis is 1986, the only treatment was high doses of steroids. Fortunately for Lauren, her mother was very spiritual and felt strongly that this approach was not right, deciding instead to consult a homeopath. This marked a divergence in Lauren’s path, shifting from what could have been a conventional one, towards the range of alternatives available.

While the effects were not immediately obvious, what quickly became evident was that next to other kids with the same condition, who were not growing properly and had joint deformities, Lauren looked normal. While the homeopathy did not cure in her case, it significantly built her immune system. This kept her RA enough at bay that she was able to attend college, where she sought to be normal and excel. During this period, however, her striving caused the RA to flare up dramatically and it spread throughout her body. Her doctor was unsurprised by this progression, telling Lauren she would require a wheelchair for mobility. End of story.

At that point, at 19 years old, she decided there must be more to how the body works. And she decided she would not make disability her “story.” She researched everything she possibly could: how cortisol affects the immune system, meditation, victim consciousness, epigenetics. She learned the link between emotional and mental states and the body (e.g. how the drive and need for validation in college contributed to her downward spiral), and immersed herself in the mentality of healing instead of the mentality of disease.

Today she is a vibrant, healthy adult. She summarized her learnings over ~30 years into four key points:

1. Sometimes things have to get really bad for you to change
2. The modern health care system is a sick care system – it’s great for reacting and emergencies, not for root cause healing
3. We need to heal all of ourselves (physical, mental, emotional, spiritual) to really get better
4. No one else can do it for us

Lauren is a holistic health and life coach, writer, speaker and activist. Learn more on Lauren Vaknine’s website.

Anna Webb: Three Vital Pillars of a Healthy Pet

As a pet training, nutrition and behavior expert, Anna Webb’s education and personal experience has enabled her to support people in having the optimal relationship with and quality of life for their pets. She suggests three broad pillars for pet health, focusing primarily on dogs during her talk:

1. Nutrition: the emphasis here is the necessity for species to eat species appropriately. Dogs, for instance, are carnivores, yet most dog foods are suited for herbivores – they are made according to convenience and contain only a small amount of meat protein. While proportions may vary, just like humans, dogs need an adequate amount of macro and micro nutrients. Anna suggested a number of ways to ensure this, such as green tripe for a healthy gut and microbiome, and highly recommended the book “Canine Nutrigenomics: The New Science of Feeding Your Dog for Optimum Health.”
2. Immune system: taking care to remove toxins from food and the environment as much as possible is essential for health immune function for pets (and humans!): buying organic food, using natural cleaning products, being aware of the impact of the materials in your home. Anna specifically mentioned the fact that mushrooms contain two components for immunity not found in any other food in meaningful quantities (beta glucans and ergothioneine); ½ a cup of mushrooms everyday can reduce the risk of cancer by 45%. When it comes to vaccines, titre testing is a simple way to test whether your dog actually needs a vaccine.
3. Physical frame: for this, Anna points to the fact that dogs need to be given the right kind of exercises in the right kind of way to manage their physical health. Essentially, they need to have fun. She creates, for example, agility courses for her dogs to combine fun with necessary movements for physical health. In addition, red and infrared light therapy works at a cellular level to heal damaged cells.

Anna not only consults on animal training and nutrition, but also writes and is active through radio, TV and her podcast, “it’s a dog’s life.” Learn more on Anna Webb’s website.

Lynne McTaggart: Your Mind: The Greatest Healer

What is the impact of thoughts and words on our health? In her inspiring presentation, Lynne explored the concept that our words and thoughts are our best and worst medicine, citing professor Ted Kaptchuck for his impressive work on the impact of placebos.

Numerous studies have shown the power of expectation in healing, which establishes a strong connection between the mind and body. Lynne drew on a variety of examples of this, including the dangers of a hopeless prognosis and shifting feelings of helplessness by imagining life in a state of returned health. She highlighted studies on Filipino populations on the significant impact of community support to override a strong genetic predisposition to depression, and her own experience of choosing to ignore a grim prognosis in favor of an attitude and action oriented towards health.

The power of our thoughts is magnified in groups and unified intention. Through explanation and a guided experience, Lynne introduced the audience to the Power of Eight – her result of a substantial amount of research on the effect of group intention (in this case groups of eight people) for healing. Even in a brief conference setting, with complete strangers, the magnitude of this practice was evident.

Lynne is an award winning journalist and author with a special focus on consciousness and the power of intention. Her writing is based on in-depth research and she is known as a New Thought leader and spiritual change agent. Learn more on Lynne McTaggart’s website.

Mas Sajady: The Future of Natural Medicine: Understanding Frequencies for Humans and Pets

Mas Sajady spoke of influence of higher and lower conscious frequencies on our health and wellbeing. He explained that we unconsciously hold on to issues from past generations, which can impact our present lives. Mas used advanced meditation techniques to raise our frequencies to a higher consciousness and transform lives in terms of health, relationships and quality of life.

His short, guided frequency meditation during the show demonstrated the capacity of this intriguing method.

Mas offers individual and group sessions, as well as a number of programs and events for people interested in his approach. Learn more on Mas Sajady’s website.

Marilyn Devonish & Georgia Lennard: Healing the Thyroid: Panel Discussion

During this panel, two women diagnosed with thyroid issues shared and discussed their distinct, yet equally remarkable journeys back to health.

Georgia Lennard’s first flare up of Hashimoto’s (extreme underactive thyroid) was initially mistaken for burnout and extreme stress. Conventional tests and knowledge available at the time were insufficient, and the doctors told her there was nothing that could be done for such an overactive immune system. After getting to the point of barely being able to get out of bed, Georgia consciously started her own investigation and process of healing through creating a healthy gut and microbiome, improving liver function and managing stress. She shared some key lessons that are highly relevant for anyone with thyroid issues:

Often doctors only test for thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH). However, this does not give the full picture of what is going on in the body and it is essential to test T3 and T4 as well, which are the active and storage versions of thyroid hormone, respectively.

The conversion of the thyroid storage (T4) to active thyroid (T3) hormone occurs in the liver – it is thus essential to maintain health liver function.

The microbiome and gut can predispose people to thyroid problems – maintain their health by getting the proper nutrients and become knowledgeable about any food allergies or sensitivities.

Stress can generally interrupt the balance of this hormone process – it is crucial to manage it!

Marilyn’s experience was that of an overactive thyroid, largely connected to emotional causes. After radioactive iodine treatment and many years of taking the typical synthetic T4 medication, she started doing her own research out of desperation. Marilyn learned that from the emotional side, thyroid issues often appear in people who don’t express themselves. Her process of healing was largely focused on understanding what had happened in the past that caused her to repress her voice, confronting related emotions, and re-finding that voice, ultimately returning her to a state of health.

Marilyn Devonish is a multi-disciplinary therapist and writer with an impressive amount of qualifications and experiences. Learn more on Marilyn Devonish’s website.

Georgia Lennard is a registered Nutritional Therapist with a special interest in reversing thyroid and gut disorders. Learn more on Georgia Lennard’s website.

Sarah Myhill: Recovering your Energy: How to Live to 100

Dr. Sarah Myhill shared her seemingly endless wealth of knowledge on longevity and maintaining energy throughout our lives. She has been in practice since 1981 and is herself is a living example of apparently inexhaustible energy levels. She described in detail the key role of our cell mitochondria as key influencers of energy (and fatigue). Human beings are biologically able to live about 120 years, but we damage our mitochondria and cause fatigue, shorter lives and less energy to enjoy the lives we have.

It is therefore crucial to protect the mitochondria from stress. For instance, they prefer to run on ketones and on (healthy) fat, making a low carb or ketogenic diet a critical protective factor. In contrast, while cancer runs on carbohydrates and sugar, these energy sources immediately inhibit mitochondria function. Other protective elements include adequate sleep, which is when healing occurs, sufficient micronutrients, dental hygiene, exercise, vitamin D, and freedom from toxins in our environment. More details about these complex processes can be found in her books, “The Energy Equation” and “Ecological Medicine.”

Dr. Myhill worked in the NHS from 1981 to 2000, since which she has been an independent doctor. Her speciality has become the treatment of chronic fatigue through diet, nutritional support and lifestyle changes. Learn more on Sarah Myhill’s website.

Caroline Griffith: Transform Canine Behavior with Meditation

Caroline’s extensive knowledge and experience with a variety of dog breeds has enabled her to develop a unique approach to behavior and health. As a qualified nutritional therapist, her comprehensive insight provided through consultations, courses and books enables a holistic method for identifying the best diet for your dog.

When it comes to canine behavior, she discussed the importance of understanding where it comes from, and forging a heartfelt connection with your dog – a sensory oriented being – through meditative, connective approaches. Her method works on the basis of becoming aware of how your own energy impacts your dog, and aligning your energies to build a strong, harmonious connection.

Caroline is a Spiritual Dog Trainer and has worked with natural pet care and holistic training techniques for over 20 years. Learn more on her websites The Best Dog Diet and Canine Flow.

Sarah Myhill, Sandra Hood + Lynne McTaggart: Paleo vs Vegan: Panel Discussion

In this panel, moderated by Lynne McTaggart, the benefits of paleo as opposed to vegan diets were debated. Dr. Sarah Myhill spoke in favor of the paleo diet, from the perspective of someone who uses diet to treat numerous patients with chronic fatigue. She described in detail the mechanism by which the right fuel for our cell function and energy is fat. Her experience in improving chronic fatigue with a ketogenic diet has been consistently positive, as in her explanation, our bodies have not yet evolved to deal with other energy sources such as dairy or carbohydrates in large quantities.

Sandra Hood spoke from philosophy of kindness and compassion, emphasizing that she has been vegan and healthy since the 1970s. She asserted that there is no perfect diet, that there is not enough evidence to claim that we haven’t evolved from what we ate in the past, and recommends following the diet you feel well with. She agrees that in today’s world people eat too many of the wrong kind of carbohydrates, but commented that the vegan diet focuses on unprocessed, whole grains and a variety of fruits and vegetables.

While Dr. Myhill agreed that the wrong kinds of carbohydrates and processed foods are rampant in society, she pointed to the need for high quality, ethically raised meat protein for getting energy into the cells.

Sandra Hood asserted that a vegan diet is the only sustainable one, while Dr. Myhill pointed out that some pieces of land are only good for grazing and when raised properly, animals make up a healthy part of the ecosystem.

Dr. Myhill delved into the structure of cells being made of fat and listed numerous recent studies on the health properties of saturated facts. Sandra agreed, but did not agree that saturated fat is healthy and reminded the audience that fat is high in calories and carbohydrates are the preferred energy of the body. Dr. Myhill disagreed.

The two experts maintained an amicable spirit and while they agreed on some things – avoiding processed foods and unhealthy carbohydrates – they agreed to disagree on others.

Current evidence seems to point to protein and fats as the preferred energy for a strong, healthy body. On the other hand, the compassionate, sustainable arguments from the vegan perspective are also compelling.

Some of the biggest questions of our time revolve around what is a sustainable diet, both for individuals and for humanity as a whole, yet there are counter arguments in every direction. The starting point, however, seems to be clear: we need to avoid over processing foods and shift our attention back to the core components the body needs for healthy functioning. From this perspective, understanding how this fits within the wider cycle of the ecosystem is likely to orient us towards what can provide promise of being sustainable.

Dr. Myhill worked in the NHS from 1981 to 2000, since which she has been an independent doctor. Her specialty has become the treatment of chronic fatigue through diet, nutritional support and lifestyle changes. Learn more on Sarah Myhill’s website.

Sandra Hood worked as a Diabetes Specialist Dietitian for the NHS, is now an employee of the Trust as a bank dietitian and is an Honorary Nutrition Advisor to the Vegan Society. Learn more on Sandra Hood’s LinkedIn page.

The Get Well Show was a rich source of inspiration and information regarding our health and the endless ways we can foster it to live our best lives.