Complementary and orthodox methods of tackling diseases should be used in tandem, Prince Charles told a conference of medics on integrated health at the Royal Society of Medicine in London, but not at the expense of losing the best of what complementary practices offer.

While stressing the importannce nutrition had to play in fighting growing health problems such as childhood obesity and allergies, Charles praised TV chef Jamie Oliver's efforts to improve school meals. He also highlighted attempts by head teachers to combat behaviour problems through diet.

Since first raising the issue in the seventies Prince Charles said there had been a real shift in thinking on homeopathic medicine.

At that time the Prince was criticised for "attacking modern medicine", but today he was rewarded by being made an honorary fellow of the Royal Society.

According to Charles one in five people turn to complementary therapies, and three-quarters of people would like to see them available on the NHS.

But he also advised individuals to take responsibility for their health by "choosing nutritious, organic, locally grown food", because, he claims, years of over-refining, processing and polluting food had led to the adverse health problems people suffered and inflicted on their children.

An over-reliance on packaged, processed food was damaging the nation's health and was leading to food-related epidemics and chronic diseases, he said.

In stating the nation had lost touch with the source of their food, the Prince referred to a study which found a link between nitrate levels in vegetables and gullet cancer.

Another study by Durham County Council showed that children's behaviour and concentration was improved by doses of fish oils and certain fatty acids.

The researchers separated the VALUE trial participants who weren't diabetic at the start of the trial into three groups, depending on the number of diabetes-predicting factors they had. The patients in the highest-risk group were six times more likely than the lowest-risk group to develop diabetes during the trial period. But among the patients in the highest-risk and second-highest-risk groups, the patients taking valsartan were significantly less likely to develop diabetes.

This finding, the authors say, suggests valsartan has some effect on glucose metabolism -- a crucial factor in diabetes risk.

An estimated one in three Americans have hypertension, or high blood pressure, which is defined as any level higher than 140/90. (Blood pressure is considered high if the top number is 140 or over, the bottom number is 90 or over, or both.)

If uncontrolled for long periods of time, high blood pressure puts people at a much greater risk of heart attack, stroke and other cardiovascular problems. High blood pressure is especially common among African Americans, middle-aged and elderly people, people who are overweight, people with diabetes, heavy drinkers and women taking birth control pills.

A wide range of drugs is available to help control blood pressure, and diet and exercise have been shown to help as well. ARBs and CCBs, the two classes of drugs represented in the VALUE study, are newer and more expensive than older diuretics and beta blockers. But researchers are continuing to find, through studies such as VALUE, that certain drugs may hold more benefit for certain groups of patients than for others. The VALUE trial is the largest study involving an ARB ever performed.

Jamerson presented the results on behalf of the entire VALUE team; the new analysis was led by Sverre Kjeldsen, M.D., Ph.D., who has held an adjunct position at the U-M and is chief of cardiology at the Ullevaal University Hospital in Oslo, Norway.

med.umich/