Doctor Oliver Sacks  RIP

http://www.oliversacks.com/

Letter he never responded to, written 24/10/2007

Dear Doctor Sacks 

I have recently found your site. I have known of your research from the awakenings and from many years of research into neurological conditions myself.

In 1994 I made an astonishing discovery into the driving force behind circulation in trees and plants. I have identified a non living physical force that generates circulation.

The logic is somewhat simple, possibly too simple to be thought of much use, However, using the principles of this discovery, I have been testing it with the help of people who have an open mind, much like yourself, on a whole range of neurological conditions.

My discovery is in how evaporation from the respiratory tract, eyes, skin and sinus changes the density of the bodies fluids releasing tiny pulses of salts into the body fluids, where gravity pulls the denser fluids down the vertical tubes generating a positive pressure in front of the falling solutes and a negative pressure and applied tension behind the falling solutes that provides the return flow of fluids with a boost. The spent solutes are excreted in the urine after being filtered by the kidneys, filtered blood is then less dense so can be pulled back up towards the heart in the venous return.

I can hear you thinking then what is the hearts purpose. This flow system is responsible for the development of the pulsatile flow evident in embryology long before the heart has formed. I cannot look at an inanimate drawing in a textbook now without seeing how this flow system applies. It brings the drawings to life when one understands this beautifully simple yet powerful process.

I believe this knowledge will enable people in catatonic state to recover function.

Having applied the logic to the way we sleep and sit, and modifying posture so that the body is never placed flat against a mattress but kept on a slight five degree head up angle to allow this flow system to continue 24 hours a day 7 days a week has proved highly effective in helping to reverse conditions including Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, and spinal cord injury.

I have so much information to share with you doctor Sachs, I am hoping to stimulate enough interest to ask you if you would be so kind as to test my theory on some of your patients who are believed to be beyond help and who are contemplating risky surgery with little chance of success.

I have been wanting to talk with you about this discovery, but for some reason believed you had completely removed yourself from your research or had passed away. I am delighted to find that I was wrong on both counts.

I have absolutely no doubt that you will find this discovery as fascinating as I have and I believe emphatically that it can help your patients and friends as it has helped my family, friends and many people who I have not met.

My current research has led me to psoriasis, again using the same principles to show how skin lesions can vanish or vastly improve without drugs.

I look forward very much to your reply

Kind regards and a great deal of respect

Andrew K Fletcher

http://inclinedbedtherapy.com

25/1/95
Professor Brian Pentecost MD FRCP British Heart Foundation fax 0171 486 1273  https://www.bhf.org.uk/
Andrew K Fletcher 26 Berry Drive, Paignton,
Devon,     TQ3 3QW

Dear Professor Pentecost,

Further to my last correspondence I am delighted to inform you of the following observations, which are recorded by people who have simply raised the angle in which they sleep by six inches at the head end of their beds.

Osteoporosis
Lady aged 66 * symptoms severe loss of movement in spine, unable to move, lethargy, and considerable pain, insomnia, and feeling cold in bed. The lady recently visited my home to tell me of her complete recovery which she says
is a miracle, she wishes to make her recovery public. Her spouse who is 67 * symptoms problems with water-works, testicular pains, large weeping scar on left arm since he was ten which needs constant attention due to
rawness and weeping, aches and pains attributed to his age. •j; also has made a full recovery and feels ten years younger, his scar has developed new healthy skin and no longer requires attention. He also says its a miracle and wishes it to be made public.

Lady who was told of the observation on scar tissue informed me that a facial scar which has remained raised and visible since she was six has now almost vanished and was visible when she started the experiment. She has gained a half inch in height which suggests her spine has somehow straitened. My own scar on my right leg is now less visible.

A lady has informed me of an overall improvement of Peripheral vestibular disorder of the inner ear which affected her balance, and aches and pains in her spine. Her mother suffers from osteoporosis and told her that the problems in her spine were the same for her when she was told that she had the illness.

MS A middle aged male is showing signs of improvement from MS, His therapist at Torbay Hospital has commented that his upper body strength has improved to a point that he can now hold his upper torso erect. He can stand in a frame and drink a cup of tea at the same time. His skin has changed colour and some sensation has returned to his legs, he can now distinguish between warm and cold and can feel the ground beneath his feet.

Cerebral palsy

A young girl in Kent
has reported that her condition is improving and she feels a lot happier since she raised her bed ; early days yet.

My father has suffered from varicose ulcers for forty years, he had five ulcers and his skin he described as like plaster of paris. He also suffers from varicose veins and considerable pain. His ulcers have now healed, his veins are deflating and when his skin peels off now he has new healthy skin forming. All pain has gone.

The heart
A friend who has an artificial valve in his heart, noticed that his feet and hands have returned to a normal colour but even more astonishing he noticed that when he lays horizontally his heart beat becomes irregular. Yet when he lays at an angle his heart beat becomes stable and appears to be getting stronger. These are just a few examples but clearly indicate dramatic physiological changes.
With kind regards  Andrew K Fletcher       /

Subject : Multiple Sclerosis

A case which again is not directly linked, but relevant is that of Marion Carrol which was shown on BBC's Strange But True. Marion was suffering from an advanced stage of MS showing all of the symptoms for the advanced stages of this illness. Marion visited the Blessing of The Sick at Knock which is said to be the place of miracles in Ireland.
Knock is geographically elevated, and therefore relatively less humid than a lowland area or river valley. On her return from Knock Marion actually rose from the stretcher and walked and has now made a full recovery with no aches or pains in the last six years. Her GP believes that a miracle has occurred in Knock and Dr Diardmuid Murray (Knock Medical Bureau) is employed to try to give a medical explanation as to why this event could have occurred
. The Stretcher Which Marion was strapped to for a considerable length of time ,measured in days, Was elevated to an almost sitting position with a further inclusion of a sloping position for her legs. This meant that she was in a similar position to the lady mentioned earlier who recovered from the liver disorder.

Comment
I Believe that the combination of prolonged resting position, altitude, and reduction in humidity, was responsible for Marion's recovery and not the divine intervention at present is the accepted explanation, however the very fact that Marion spent the time in on the stretcher was a direct "result of her visiting the shrine and therefore the whole picture could be attributed to her visit to Knock.

Subject : Other observations
I have observed a general overall improvement of health in all who have taken pert in this experiment so far. Mainly in our ability to fight infections, colds & influenza. This must surely be attributed to a boosted metabolic rate. With the above comment in mind I would like to draw your attention to a recent program on AIDS in Africa. A group of people who appear to have immunity to the disease are being examined to try to determine why they have not been infected by the disease which in some cases has wiped out whole villages, including their immediate family. The interest in this group of people stems from their profession which is prostitution . Prostitution in what is now described as the AIDS Capital of The World is surely the most dangerous profession in the World. Yet these people do not get AIDS or HIV. Why not ?

What do we do while a prostitute is actively occupied by the nature of her profession, answer : We sleep. In addition to the fact that a prostitute in a developing country will probably have at least one child to look after during the daylight hours, it can be safely assumed that this group of people are less likely to spend a long time laying horizontal.

Natural or unnatural sleep ?

Is Sleeping Flat A Natural Process adopted by other species or are humans doing something different ?
If one gives a dog some bedding they proceed to gather it up under their chest which effectively raises the position of sleep. In the wild dogs dig out an earth which has sloping sides again facilitating an angled sleep.

Cows and sheep given a choice will always sleep on an angle facing uphill. I have recently visited Snowdonia National Park. During my journey I noticed that entire flocks of sheep were sleeping with their heads facing uphill despite the fact that there was ample level ground in the field. The same observations were made with cattle Alligators and crocodiles sleep facing up the river bank and I now believe that their position in relation to the direction of gravity facilitates an increase in metabolism.

The giraffe don't / can't sleep flat and spend most of their time on the hoof, fish, birds, lizards, frogs, toads and most mammals do not sleep flat when allowed choice. Even a snake raises itself before striking.

The question remains as to why humans have adopted the ritual of sleeping flat and more to the point does history tell us of a different attitude towards sleeping position ?

Experiment : To raise the angle of sleep by a minimum of six inches at the head end of the bed, which facilitates gravity running through the body from head to toe while sleeping.
Anticipated response to experiment was merely to see if any visible improvements to health could be achieved.

Subject: Varicose veins.
Three ladies who took part in the experiment reported that varicose veins on their legs had deflated and all pain from them had gone. It took four weeks to effectively deflate two out of the three conditions The third lady whose veins were considerably worse took several months to deflate.

Explanation

I used a loop of soft walled tubing filled with water. A tiny amount of coloured salt water was added and the tube was then joined to create an enclosed circuit. The tubing was then elevated to lift the salt solution to the top of the tubing. The salt water represents the concentration which I believe occur as a result of the loss of moisture from the lungs and skin.
Observation
salt solution which I coloured began its journey down one side of the tube causing water to be pulled and pushed up the other side. As this occurs the downward flowing salt exerts an outward pressure on the tube. The upward flowing water of the other side exerted a visible negative pressure within causing the tube to deflate. This gives an explanation for the deflation of the varicose veins.

Subject : paralysis

Participant of sixty years mentioned above as the third lady. Full Symptoms. Loss of movement in the toes and ankle of left leg, loss of sensation and severe swelling of the affected limb for over five years. Hands shaking badly when held out, and severe varicose veins. Cold feet in bed (bad circulation). Observation

Four weeks after the start date, I received a call to tell me that she could now move her toes and ankle. Her legs and feet feel warm while in bed. After four months I visited her to find that her veins had disappeared except for one which runs over her knee. The swelling had gone and the sensation had returned to her leg. But even more astonishing her hands no longer shook.

She admitted that her bed had been placed flat for a few weeks only to find that her symptoms started to reappear. Needless to say she will not be laying flat again.

Her husband who is sixty five, Symptoms : Deafness due to childhood meningitis infection, back ache, arthritis.

Observation
Five weeks into the experiment complained about pain in the ears. Went to GP who could not offer an explanation. Four months into experiment, complained about an increased level of traffic noise outside their home, particularly police sirens ? Its too early to make any comment but I am watching this reaction with interest.

Subject : Muscles
Almost all participants have recorded something happening to their muscles. In particular myself my wife and two boys ages fourteen and fifteen have observed that our muscles appear to be responding in a way that one usually attributes to weight training. More an awareness than an ache. Muscles appear to be growing and increasing in firmness.

Subject : Spine
Several participants have reported a side effect which causes an ache in the centre of the spine which gradually moves into the neck causing stiffness and finally disappears after a week or so.

Comment There is obviously some activity in the central nervous system and spine. Have now decided to include a patient with a spinal injury who lost the use of his legs after a motorcycle accident.

                                                                    University Of Exeter

Department of Complimentary Medicine

Postgraduate Medical School

03/06/1998

Dear Mr Fletcher,                             Thank you for demonstrating your fluid transport theory to us, we were truly fascinated. I will see whether we can set up a controlled trial for leg ulcer healing.I will keep you informed. Yours sincerely. Professor Edzard Ernst

THE LANCET
42 Bedford Square London WC1B SSL United Kingdom
TEL  +44(0)171 4364981 FAX +44 (0)171 436 7570
JB/HEG                                    Please quote ref:
17 September 1997
Mr Andrew Fletcher
The Multiple Sclerosis Resource Centre
4a Chapel Hill
Stanstead
ESSEX CM24 SAG

Dear Mr Fletcher,
I am pleased to see that some of the patients treated improved.
For our purposes, however, this account cannot be accepted as proof of efficacy. Testing new treatments in MS is a very difficult business because of the day-to-day variability of the disease.
With best wishes. Yours sincerely,
John Bignall MB Senior Editor

U.S. Agent for The Lancet, 655 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10010
The Lancet Limited, 42 Bedford Square, London WC1B 3SL, U.K. Registered in England. Company number 1016593 England.

No reply sadly so guess it never reached him. RIP
Terry Pratchett
c/o Colin Smythe

Colin Smythe Limited
Publishers.
Gerrards Cross
Buckinghamshire.
SL9 8XA. UK
England

Tuesday, 07 October 2008

Alzheimers.

We may be looking at a simple method of reversing short-term memory loss.

Dear Terry

Your books rely on other people reading them. My son, being someone who is an avid fan, first drew my attention to you as an author.

But reading books is not the reason for my letter today.

This letter is to ask you to read about my work on reversal of neurological conditions. Hearing you on the radio again relaying thoughts and observations on Alzheimer’s and how it is affecting your life and career, I would like to help you fight back and regain control of your memory.

Brief Introduction to history of a fascinating discovery in circulation.

In 1994, I began researching circulation in trees and plants to find out how they used salts from the soils and sugars produced by the leaves. As an engineer and scientist by nature with an enquiring lateral line of thought, I pulled the literature to bits, realising it to be wholly inadequate. Reassembled it in a coherent simplified explanation that explains how trees use gravity in order to lift water to great heights in a simple flow and return system driven by evaporation at the leaves (currently & erroneously believed to be an unavoidable loss that serves little purpose) Ironically, the same mistake has been made in human physiology.

Far from it being of little purpose, evaporation from the leaves of trees and indeed the respiratory tract turns out to be very important.

Evaporated water does not contain dissolved mineral salts and sugars. Yet the liquid it dissolves from does contain salts and sugars, making evaporation very important in concentrating these dissolved solutes making them denser and heavier than surrounding fluids, triggering a gravity driven flow in the direction of the ground. If you are upright and mobile, the circulation inside the vessels becomes positively influenced and providing our vessels are inline with the direction of gravity running from head to toe both the central and peripheral nervous system is optimised for repairing itself and maintaining order.

When we sleep flat on a bed, we are ignorant to the fact that gravity maintains our vital functions. This is precisely why a person with multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s begin to notice changes first thing in the morning with a progression towards degeneration of the body and it’s functions most of us take for granted.

So what is the purpose of this letter to you?

Since the end of 1994. I have been working alone testing and retesting this theory by introducing a slightly inclined bed. So that it slopes down from head to toe at an angle of five degrees to the horizontal. This usually requires the head end of the bed to be raised by 6 inches or 15 centimetres. More if the bed is longer than 6’-3”

The thread below shows how the theory stands up against current literature with circulation, oedema (fluid retention) and varicose veins. Varicose veins being the first visible observation of changes indicating this theory is undoubtedly correct.

http://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/index.php?topic=9843.0

To see the changes that can be achieved with conditions including spinal cord injury, the video on youtube shows its effects clearly, yet even this has been ignored by the medical profession.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3D7tBQfCxQ

There are other video’s on my youtube account that show this powerful flow and return circulation system and well worth viewing.

The point this letter is trying to make to you is that simply tilting your bed may arrest your Alzheimer’s and may reverse your current memory impairment, which in your own words this morning on Radio 4 happens in the morning while trying to determine what it is you are trying to do.

During many years researching multiple sclerosis, two people in a group of 14 who have long term progressive ms, reported improved short term memory. Not something we were looking for at the time, but it has certainly opened a few doors for research. One account from an elderly lady in Teignmouth relayed that she would normally walk to the door to do something but try as she may, she could not remember what it was. Now she walks to the door and still forgets but after a minute or so can recall what she was trying to do. While this is not a person with Alzheimer’s, it is a person with a memory problem lacking further diagnosis.

What am I after?

I have helped many thousands of people over the years and have not received financial reward and indeed have not asked for financial reward. I don’t intend to ask you for it now either, so if you have assumed this is another begging letter please think again.

What I would hope to achieve by helping you to fight your illness is for you to help others to learn about this simple non-invasive free therapy and progress it towards becoming part of our mainstream arsenal against disease and injury.

Eventually leading to a small controlled study monitored by doctors and nurses, conducted in a home environment, influenced by anecdotal evidence from yourself and others, forcing it to take place.

How does this sound to you Terry?

Kind regards    

Andrew

Mr A K Fletcher 26 Berry Drive Paignton Devon TQ3 3QW
14/08/96  

Parkinson's Disease Society   http://www.parkinsons.org.uk
22 Upper Woburn Place, London
-fax: 0171 383 5754

Dear Mr Fletcher,
Thank you for your letter about elevating the head end of the bed for the treatment of Parkinson's Disease. I have discussed your theories with one of our medical experts on Parkinson's Disease who has advised me that he has used the technique of raising the head end of the bed in people with Parkinson's who suffer from low blood pressure as a treatment for their low blood pressure. However, the mechanism whereby this technique is of benefit to those with low blood pressure is well known and differs from that which you propose. The results of a trial to test efficacy of raised beds for PD might be confounded by the effect on blood pressure.
There is no substantive evidence to support a formal research project to evaluate your proposal.
I am sorry that this outcome is less encouraging than you had hoped. With best wishes Yours sincerely

Helen Pask  Research Coordinator

13/10/1997
S.I.A (Spinal Cord Injuries Association)
76 St James,s Lane
London    N10 3DF

Letter From John D Mason (T9 and T10. ) https://www.spinal.co.uk/


Attention of Lyn Punchard, Editor of Forward And Vivienne Davies
Dear S.I.A.
In response to your recent letters to Mr Andrew Fletcher and to the article you included on page 18 of the July-August addition of Forward, my  own improvements while which included an account  of participating in his trial and research.

The Article

I had a conversation with Lyn Punchard and discussed in detail how this simple therapy has helped to stimulate sensation of touch well below the damaged area of my spine, which is at T9 and T10.

I made this quite clear at the time of the telephone interview and also know that Mr Fletcher would not have told S.I.A that my injury was T11 and T12. The fact that sensitivity of touch has now reached my pubic area since I started sleeping with the head of my bed raised by 12 inches should be pointed out clearly in a future article in order to present an accurate account of the benefits gained from this therapy.
There have been many positive improvements in my physiology, some which could only be attributed to stimulation of the damaged nerves in my spine. Which were confirmed as a complete spinal cord injury by Dr Grundy of the Salisbury Spinal Cord unit.

Could you please call me at my home which I have found in this treatment to discuss the main benefits?

Your letters dated 24th September and October 6th are very negative considering that little or nothing is on offer for spinalcord injured people! I do not understand why you have adopted this attitude towards this exciting research. If I had adopted a negative attitude then the benefits which I now have, which enable me to live in a flat as a self sufficient adult would undoubtedly have remained a dream.

Julian Boustead whom I have known since we were at Odstock together following spinal cord injury is also concerned that the SIA attitude to this research is far to negative to say the least.
I do hope that you will adopt a more positive attitude as we the injured depend on organisations like yours to make sure that the very latest developments no matter how insignificant are made available to us immediately in order that we may judge for ourselves what is worth exploring.

Sincerely  John D Mason.

NewScientist

King's Reach Tower, Stamford Street, London SE1 9LS 

Switchboard: 071 261 5000 Fax: 071 261 6464

Andrew Fletcher 26 Berry Drive Paignton Devon TQ3 3QW

18 April 1995

Dear Andrew,

First let me apologise for having taken so long to write to you about your ideas on how solute concentration gradients could drive fluid flow. Working on special projects, as we have been for the past few weeks, often makes it difficult for us to deal with other suggestions as quickly as we would like to.

In this case, the delay is especially unfortunate as, having now had time to think about your ideas in the light of the comments by Dr Cutler, I'm not persuaded they have a strong claim on our space at this stage. Let me explain why.

As I see it, your core idea is that scientists have overlooked one of the most important mechanisms driving fluid flow in trees and plants—namely, the effect that concentrated phloem solutions at the tops of plants have on more dilute fluids at the roots (the downward force of one causing the other to be sucked up). The problem for us is that the picture cannot really be this simple. As Dr Cutler points out, sap in phloem tends to move in the direction of demand, laterally as well as vertically: what happens to the fluid flow system when the concentrated solutions are all in the bottom half of the tree? If the downward force of the "heavy" solution was the main thing then presumably the tree would be in trouble.

But we know trees don't (normally) run into this kind of trouble, which suggests that even if there is a contribution to fluid flow from the phenomenon you describe, it must be less important than capillary action and other forms of root pressure.

As to the wider implications of the phenomenon, I'm afraid we cannot see a strong case for giving them publicity in the absence of good correlative evidence, though we appreciate that your intention at this stage is merely to air them in a speculative fashion.

I'm sorry we can't be more positive, particularly in light of the delay. I am returning the copy of the video and tape.

Best wishes,

David Concar

Life Sciences Editor

Registered Office: IPC Magazines Ltd., King's Reach Tower, Stamford Street, London SE1 9LS Registered Number: 53626 England -Qi^- member of the Reed Elsevier pic group

Trouble With Charities

The Simplicity of IBT has probably been the greatest wall to climb. It sounds too simple and costs nothing, therefore it cannot work; is often drawn as a conclusion by the majority of people who read about Inclined Bed Therapy.

Another is, if it were this simple, why has no one discovered it before?

Everyone knows you have to raise the legs to relieve the pressure in the veins and reduce oedema is a favourite. Clearly we can see the opposite is correct by the photographs on the first page.

For several years, I put the whole theory on the backburner because I got fed up with having everything thrown back in my face, particularly by the charities, medical profession and a few brave scientists. Some of the replies from the professionals were nonsensical and reflected badly upon these most learned of people. I became infuriated by their immature reactions and despondent by their contempt and worse their vested interests in keeping a tight lid on this gift to mankind. The trouble is, for this simple theory and therapy to become validated it automatically means that many professionals in high-ranking positions become invalidated and redundant.

Take cot death (crib death or Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) Tilt the baby’s crib and drastically reduce the chance of the child dying. Asian mothers proved this by having the baby in bed resting on the pillow next to mums face. Sleeping on an angle in this case was accomplished by placing baby on the pillow. “the professionals” were wrong! they predicted statistics would show bed sharing would raise the incidence of cot deaths. Wrong!
History fortunately tells a different story:

The sweating sickness ravaged Europe in the Tudor period several times wiping out millions of people. They had no defence or pharmacy, yet somehow worked out that if the person affected laid down to sleep they were dead by morning. Placing two guards at the bedside preventing the person from lying down meant they often survived.

"The foul air was eventually swept away by a tempest and with it went the disease."

Some records show an unusual amount of rainfall and floods followed by high humidity.

High humidity has been mentioned in relation to the onset of multiple sclerosis relapses, but it is also mentioned by many people who have suffered a cot death SIDS in the family: "the air was sticky and uncomfortable" was one reply in a documentary about SIDS.

Dr Chantler (senior research advisor to the Foundation for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Now rebranded the Lullaby Trust, http://www.lullabytrust.org.uk/ at her home in London during a meeting after observing some experiments and hearing my humble witterings about tilting a cot a long time ago now said and I quote; ‘My God, I think you have solved it’. When asked what she thought I had solved, as I was expecting her to make a comment about the tubular experiments and gravity, she added and I quote; ‘Cot deaths’! Later I wrote to Dr Chantler as nothing much had happened with the foundation asking why she had not acted upon her promise to help make this known to the public or at least have a trial conducted, she replied to everything in my letter except my reference to her saying I had solved cot deaths. Puzzled, I began to slowly fathom out that without cot deaths there would be no foundation for sudden infant death syndrome. The only way research could be conducted would be for me to convince the medical profession. Yes, not the FFSIDS who happily rake in huge amounts of money, but myself being a complete outsider with pathetic odds would have to take on the might of the medical cartels and convince them sufficiently to accept that their own literary bible they trained from was in error. A huge brick wall was built between myself and the FFSIDS and they have blissfully avoided this important discovery collecting £millions. Do I blame Dr Chantler? No, she had the decency to accept the evidence before her and must have faced the same brick walls that I have in trying to get these powerful moguls to put their own lucrative jobs in jeopardy.

But what about the MS Society, after all, the local chapter had observed all of their members who tilted their beds, about 1% of the people that heard my lecture at their ms venue, supported by Roger Kirk, who shared what had happened to himself when he tilted his bed. This small group of people, some of who were later interviewed by the Multiple Sclerosis Resource Centre in Essex for the Raised Bed Survey Report now posted on this thread, provided some convincing evidence that ms could be reversed to some degree simply by tilting a bed.

One would think this would suffice to involve the Multiple Sclerosis Society.

After a long arduous fight to be taken seriously, the charity eventually submitted and agreed that if I could come to London to meet doctors and staff, an appointment would be made, and indeed it was made. More to the point I kept to the appointment deadline bringing along 2 friends to London at my own expense. Rofer Kirk who was the first person with ms to use IBT was one of them.

On arrival, the building was impressive, however not a single person was there to meet with us. We ended up trying to convince a somewhat embarrassed receptionist who knew nothing about physiology, and realised it was an impossible situation we then went to the MSRC, (Now called MS UK http://www.ms-uk.org/ ) fortunately we had made another appointment for the same day with this ms charity in East Stanstead Essex-miles away from London, who at least did have the courtesy to meet with us and hear what we were saying.

So many promises were made that day, so much excitement by the results and reports. They loved the therapy and theory, yet for a long time nothing much happened. By now, it was slowly beginning to dawn on me that perhaps it was me who was not thinking laterally and I should have seen it coming from miles away. That old familiar vested interests began to pop up written across peoples faces behind all of those smiles, blinks and nods designed to make you feel relaxed and supported, guess many people reading this can relate to it.

A long time later, Silentnight, a leading bed manufacturer, paid the then MSRC, to conduct the Raised Bed Survey report and agreed to pay towards a controlled study. Sadly, yet another charity had to wise up to the fact that if they advised their members that sleeping on a slope could greatly improve their condition, perhaps it would not be long before their money tree became fully understood and that they would no longer be required.

Maybe I am wrong and all of these reports from people who have tried IBT and found great relief from conditions including ms, spinal cord injury, cerebral palsy, psoriasis, varicose veins, oedema, Parkinson’s disease, visual impairment, respiratory problems, thrombosis, and many more somehow had a placebo effect or divine intervention. But this would surely mean something far greater is at work than 2 blocks of wood under a bed. Indeed it does. Circulation is everything to everyone, without circulation we are dust!

I received a phone call a few years ago from Lawrence who was then the manager at the MSRC. He said; “I am not frightened of you Andrew” and then put the phone down. I still to this day do not know what he meant by it?

It is true that I have had some serious battles with the charities, it is also true that the charities feel threatened by the possibility of someone finding a cure for their chosen industry. It is also true that IBT helps people to recover and may or may not completely cure them of their ills, but it most certainly is a valuable tool in our armoury for self preservation!

Will it work for everyone with ms? Probably not, but with Dr Franz Schelling’s foresight and Professor Zamboni’s corroborated recent observations showing venous closures, we might begin to understand why some people with ms do not respond to IBT as well as others.

Andrew

Andrew K Fletcher

“Summer Haze” 26 Berry Drive,

Paignton,

Devon,

TQ3 3QW UK

Peter Cardy "Chief Executive"

MS Society

25 Effie Road, London SW6 1EE

Tel 0171 610 7171 FAX 0171 736 9861

MS National Help line: Free phone 0808 800 8000

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Web-site: http://www.mssociety.org.uk

Chairman: Sara Phillips Hon Treasurer: Maurine Dickson Medical Advisor: Professor Alan Thompson

Registered Charity 207495

Dear Mr Cardy

Thank you for responding to the people who took time to write to you, many of whom I am sure would be trying this therapy and participating in this important study.

I will forward your letter to the people on my mailing list and hope that this will satisfy their need to understand the MS Societies position on the inclined bed therapy.

You say that neither you nor the MS Society are opposed to this therapy, yet you have done nothing to see whether it works or not and I find this hard to accept given the fact that the pilot study, reported by John Simkins, stated in 1997

that this should be investigated further.

If you doubt the validity of my work, then challenge it and conduct an independent study or help me to compile the statistics from this one.

Incidentally, the study that is running and proving highly effective is proof that it is not impossible to conduct a study and also proof that studies do not cost millions of pounds to conduct.

Your comments that it is practically impossible to conduct a trial of something that is thought to work with a whole range of unrelated conditions, raises some important considerations. For instance, did you know that most drugs used in

veterinary practice are exactly the same as those used for us? Or that many medicines are used to treat multiple conditions and that many conditions are treated with multiple drugs.

Also, you say unrelated conditions in your letter. This strikes to the very heart of my success, because I say that these conditions all have a common denominator, which I believe relates to the circulation of bodily fluids and posture in

relation to the effects of evaporation and gravity on said circulation. I would be delighted to show you my working models, which show irrefutable evidence for gravity driven circulation.

Several physiotherapists and no less than five neurologists-one of whom now sleeps inclined, have shown a great deal of interest in the logic behind the inclined bed.

Your comments of "If something starts to suggest convincingly that there is a specific effect for MS, then we may be able to do something, leaves me somewhat confused. Are you saying that you are now prepared to examine the data

from the study? Or are you saying that all of the evidence we have already collated is of little interest to the MS Society.

Please don't make the mistake of thinking that the messages on the message board tell the whole picture. If everyone posted their reports on the message board the MS Society would have to act! Furthermore, the study is currently

showing evidence of long term progressive MS Reversal!

I ask you again to assist with this study.

Sincerely         Andrew K Fletcher

The Mutliple Sclerosis Society Of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

5^th October 1999

Dear Andrew

I have had a number of Emails in response to your posting of my previous letter on your web page. I am sure everyone will understand that, with the volume of mail I receive, it is pretty well impossible for me to reply to everyone individually, so I hope this will do instead.

The emails had a variety of different views about the inclined bed approach, from people who have felt benefit to people who think it is yet another in the litany of therapeutic claims for MS that come to nothing.

Some people seen to think that I or the MS Society are opposed to the therapy. Not So; like you, we don't have enough information to know whether or not it works. In my last letter I mentioned some of the reasons why it would be difficult to conduct a trial on the treatment. I would highlight two factors: the first is that this doesn't seem specific to MS and it is practically impossible to conduct a trial of something that is thought to work for a whole range of unrelated conditions. The second is that we have not been able to find a reputable scientist who thinks that your hypothesis is testable, or who has another hypothesis for why it might work - on the contrary, all of those we have spoken to are highly sceptical. This is one of the things that leads me to wonder whether the different hypothesis might prove fruitful. I wonder, for example, what a researcher in physiotherapy might think about posture change and its mechanical effects on the body?

The Society's view about alternative and complimentary treatments is that by definition, most people with MS are adults and are entitled to make decisions for themselves. I am sure you will continue to make the information freely available and encourage people who want to try the treatment to talk to their doctors. If something starts to suggest convincingly that there is a specific effect for ms, then we may be able to do something more in the future.

With every good wish.

Yours sincerely,   Peter Cardy   Chief Executive

Ref: 99/G/F

25 Effie Road, London SW6 1EE

Tel 0171 610 7171 FAX 0171 736 9861

MS National Help line: Free phone 0808 800 8000

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Web-site: http://www.mssociety.org.uk

Chairman: Sara Phillips Hon Treasurer: Maurine Dickson Medical Advisor: Professor Alan Thompson

Registered Charity 207495

Patron: H.R.H. Princess Alice,
Duchess of Gloucester, QCB, Cl, GCVO, QBE
Founder: Sir Richard Cave, KCVO, CB, DL President: Michael Willis, IP, RIBA
THE MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS SOCIETY
OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND
Andrew Fletcher 'Summer Haze' 26 Berry Drive Paignton Devon TQ3 3QW

27tn August 1999

Dear Andrew
Thank you for letting me know about your web-site and for the suggestion that we might meet.
I would not want to drag you all the way to London for a meeting without some clear purpose, and at the moment I cannot see what it would be. I have read all the material on your web-site, and it does not seem to add much to what you had previously circulated. We are not likely to support a trial, for several reasons. The first is that you are proposing an intervention that is not specific to MS or any other condition, and without some clear rationale for why it might work for MS it would be impossible to conduct a meaningful trial. Secondly, given the rather hostile approach you have taken to the Society in communications with me and with the media, it would be difficult to envisage working together satisfactorily. Thirdly, you seem to be selling beds and it is nearly impossible to conduct dispassionate work with someone who has a vested interest of that kind.

I have no reason to doubt your assertion that some people with MS feel better as a result of sleeping in a new position, but the evidence, even from the statistics you provided, is very thin and questionable - and as you know, people with MS benefit from all sorts of interventions, even placebo. I wonder whether your theory about the transport of fluids in the body is barking up the right tree, and whether there might be a much more obvious mechanical explanation?
With every good wish. Yours sincerely,
Peter Cardy
Chief Executive
cc:     Dr Lorna Layward David Harrison

25 EFFIE ROAD, LONDON SW6 1EE   TEL: 0171-610 7171    FAX: 0171-736 9861
MS NATIONAL HELPLINE: Freephone 0808 800 8000 e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.   web site: www.mssociety.org.uk
Chief Executive: Peter Cardy   Chairman: Sarah Phillips   Hon Treasurer: Maureen Dickson   Medical Advisor: Professor Alan Thompson
Registered Charity 207495

22nd October 1997
The Welfare Dept.,
Multiple Sclerosis Society
25 Effie Road
Fulham
London SW6 1EE
Dear Sirs
I believe that you have now been made aware of the results of the trial regarding Mr. Andrew Fletcher's theory regarding the raising of the head of a bed by six inches and its effect on sufferers of Multiple Sclerosis.
As Secretary of the Teignbridge Branch whose members took part in this experiment, I have seen the benefits that our members who took part and am very pleased on their behalf.
I know that you have to avoid building up peoples hopes with miracle cures, Andrew does not claim to cure people, only to help them.  So when are you going to go public with the other members of the Society.
I look forward to receiving your comments, I have no vested interest in this but I think Andrew deserves some recognition from the M.S. Society, he has put his life and soul into this project, which he has not done for monetary gain.
Yours faithfully
Sheila M. Bracey (Mrs)
Hon. Secretary - Teignbridge M.S. Branch

P.S. Incidentally a few of our members have also felt benefit from Yoga which they attend a class once a week.

THE MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS SOCIETY OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND

TEIGNBRIDGE                                                                               PATRON: H.R.H. PRINCESS ALICE. DUCHESS OF GLOUCESTER. GCB.CI.GCVO.GBE.
FOUNDER SIR RICHARD CAVE KCVO. CB. DC
25th March 1996
A. K. Fletcher Esq
Dear Andrew
On behalf of the Teignbridge Multiple Sclerosis Branch I would like to thank you very much for the interesting and informative talk which you gave to us at our February meeting.  Several of our members are having very good and positive improvements i.e., better circulation and sleeping more soundly at night and several others are noticing improvements regarding varicose veins, one of whom is my husband who have suffered from these for a very long time.
I enclose a copy of our March's newsletter and I will also mention the bed raising for the benefit of our members who are unable to attend our monthly meetings.
Once again many thanks for all your help and I will keep you informed of any further developments.

With kind regards

D.G.Mackean

Care of John Murray (Publishers) Ltd

50 Albermarle Street,

London

W1X 4BD

Tuesday, 04 May 1999

Dear Mr MacKean

I have been advised to contact you by Des Dunne at Qualifications and Curriculum Authority 29 Bolton Street, London, with a view to obtaining you comments on a completely new theory for fluid transport in plants and trees.

In 1994 I picked up your GCSE Biology book and read your comments about fluid transport. It was you honesty with regards to the lack of supporting evidence for current explanations which caused me to take a fresh look at the problem.

I ignored everything, which had been written and looked at the problem from a new prospective. Being a lateral thinker, I took into account only the things I could see to be relevant to a tree.

1. The tree trunk is near vertical.

2. The tubes inside the tree are predominantly either vertical or sloping.

3. 98% of the water drawn in at the roots is lost as transpiration through the leaves.

4. The liquids in the tree contain soluble minerals and sugars, which are heavier than water.

5. The liquid that is lost in the evaporation from the leaves is pure.

New Theory

Evaporation must concentrate residual liquids at the leaf. Gravity acts upon the heavier fluids by drawing them down, providing the tree with a power source. An equal reaction must occur in the less dense liquids, as you cannot have something flowing down without something flowing up to replace it.

This simple flow and return system caused water to flow seventy-eight feet up a cliff in Brixham in 1995, in front of Forestry Commission Scientists and Journalists. Given that the apparatus is a single length of open ended tube and a couple of glass open ended bottles filled with boiled water and a small amount of concentrated saline solution provides the power source, one would have presumed that this demonstration delivered a deadly blow to osmosis capillary action and root pressure.

What actually happened was that the people who witness this experiment do not want to rock the boat of accepted science. Following the last five years I have begun to understand why it is so difficult to offer new explanations to established science. But and it’s a big BUT. The truth has to prevail and this simple experiment may be reproduced at Infant level education.

It may not have been written in a way that will suit everyone but it is the truth and to me that’s all that matters in science.

I know that you are the correct person for this to sit with and I would have written earlier but couldn’t get through the red-tape. If you doubt my words then please repeat my experiments.

I look forward to your comments with interest and thank you for showing integrity when you wrote about fluid transport, for if you had not been so honest, I would never have begun this fascinating journey.

Dr David Cutler of the Jodrell Laboratory Kew has said that he will help me to write a paper, Bill Davies from New Phytologist, but we can’t do it alone and hope you might be interested in joining us.

Sincerely

Andrew K Fletcher