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Page 1 of 2 Professor Ian E. BrighthopeProfessor Ian Brighthope graduated in Agricultural Science in 1965. For the next three years he was involved in teaching and research. His research interests were in the fields of agriculture and veterinary nutrition, including the nutritional health of cattle, horses, sheep, dogs, pigs and poultry. His involvement in the design and implementation of field trials provided him with a deep respect for scientific methods, its strengths and its weaknesses. He was a Foundation Member of Agricultural Technologists of Australia, now renamed The Australian Institute of Agricultural Science and Technology. In 1969 he entered medical school at the University of New South Wales and following three pre-clinical years, completed his clinical Studies at Monash University in Victoria. After completing his residency and a year of general medicine and anaesthetic practice, he traveled widely throughout Europe and North America searching for solutions to the problems created by the significant gaps he recognized in the normal medical training of doctors. This educational travel included a six month appointment as a ship surgeon with travel to many parts of the world. This travel and educational process to learn about all forms of medicine and healing has continued throughout his career. His interest in the implications of human nutrition in health and disease commenced in his undergraduate training as a doctor and has continued to develop throughout his career. It was in the fields of plant and animal nutrition that Professor Brighthope became aware of the importance of optimum nutrition and the use of nutritional and biochemical supplementation in animal production, the treatment of animal dysfunction and the potential of this approach in the prevention and treatment of human disease. Also, the addition of agricultural and food processing chemicals to the food chain concerned him and this resulted in his investigating their harmful effects on the human nervous , immune and endocrine systems. Neglect of these areas of human care prompted him to adopt the nutritional approach in his medical practice, which was the first of its kind in Australia. The Brighthope Clinic and Biocentre which developed in his medical clinic now specializes in Nutritional and Environmental Medicine with particular interests in cancer patient care, heart disease, psychiatric disorders related to foods and chemicals, the chronic fatigue syndrome, arthritis, asthma, food and chemical sensitivities, auto-immune diseases and diabetes. The antioxidant and intravenous Vitamin C clinic under his management was the first of its kind in Australia. It has treated patients from all walks of life from all over the world. The Brighthope Clinic was the first Integrative Medicine Clinic in Australia in which modalities such as herbal medicine, homeopathy, acupuncture, chiropractic, intravenous nutritional therapies and others were integrated with mainstream and hospital medicine in the 1970's. In the early 1980's, he coined the term ‘Integrative Medicine', which was initially registered as a business and publishing house. Chelation therapy was started in the 1980's and continues to be of great clinical value to patients with cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and many other disorders. It was the first Chelation Centre in Australia in which wholistic detoxification programs were instituted. The approach to the management of many diseases in his centres is unique. Professor Brighthope pioneered the first post-graduate medical course in nutrition in Australia and remains on the faculty as one of its principle lecturers. He initiated the ACNEM fellowship program and examinations and plays a pivotal role in maintaining ACNEM as the peak body in Nutritional and Environmental Medicine in Australia. A quality assurance and continuing medical education program is an integral part of the qualifying fellowship program. Professor Brighthope also initiated the formation of the Graduate School of Integrative Medicine at Swinburne University, and is an adjunct Professor with Professorial rights and privileges of a full professor at the University. Professor Brighthope has published extensively and has appeared regularly in the media as an advocate of natural health. He is the author of five books and many scientific articles and reviews. His books have been endorsed by Linus Pauling - the only person to have ever been awarded two unshared Nobel Prizes. Professor Brighthope is also listed in the International Authors and Writers "Who's Who". He has a very busy lecturing schedule to health professionals in Australia and Internationally. In addition, Professor Brighthope also consults for the manufacturing industry in nutrition and micronutrient supplementation, and supervises and consults for various health resorts and specialist clinics, preventive medicine programs and sporting concerns. He and his companies have initiated and/or sponsored many major events in Natural Medicine in Australia for more than 20 years, including international and national conferences and University based research. The research programs have included the study of Vitamin E in Cancer, the Risk Factors in Breast Cancer, the attitudes of Medical Practitioners to Complementary Therapies and the Antioxidant Activity of Polyphenols in Grapeseeds. Research in into the benefits of probiotics continues as a result of Professor Brighthope's interests in this area. |
