Having undertaken conventional training in pharmacy at a time when it seemed "magic bullets" were the answer to all of mankind's ills, I assumed that my generation would probably be the first to exist disease-free and had visions of rapaciously devouring the fruits of immortality, which modern science would no-doubt deliver in the very near future. This was my plan. As I learned later on, if you want to make your God laugh-tell him your plans!

I joined the commercial world of marketing medicines where I worked in sales and marketing functions for a leading pharmaceutical company. I found myself in an industry that offered GREAT pay. Even better, so it seemed, was that this industry was so awash with cash that it couldn't be spent fast enough. The more that was spent on promoting products, the more they were prescribed and the more money there was to invest in marketing and sales and the greater human beings we were because we were curing the world of disease. Or so I thought.

There were costs-costs that noone seemed to care about. We never saw patients, they were only statistics in very expensive medical statistics reports, and to us, doctors weren't providers of healthcare but customers who had to be influenced. Alternative treatments were simply competitors that needed to be eliminated. Side effects? They were something that only appeared in competitor products. I found myself questioning my so-called career in healthcare. I wondered if there might be a different world out there- one whose focus did not include making money at the expense of sick people, and one with a different approach to medicine. I wanted out.

I became involved in the development of essential fatty acids as medicines and breathed a sigh of relief. But, this venture was so successful that the privately owned company was much sought after by investors. The investors were significant but ultimately required a pay-back. I found myself surrounded, once again, by money motivated medicine-a smaller version of BIG PHARMA, so to speak.

As you probably guessed by now, unlike Jane Eyre, I didn't marry that seductive siren, even at a second invitation. Instead I became more involved in natural medicine, completing a Masters in Nutritional Medicine, which was extremely enlightening. It was shortly afterwards
that I encountered the UK researchers studying salvestrols. By now, I had met so many purveyors of snake oil, peddling smoke and mirrors, that I was-and still am- highly questioning of all claims for breakthroughs in all forms of medicine, especially in the field of oncology, where some of the more odious examples of humanity exploit highly vulnerable people.

Yet, the more I learned about Salvestrols, and the more I spoke with the people involved in the research, the more I recognized their sincerity. They had a genuine desire to thoroughly  investigate their discovery without selling out to commercial considerations. The more I looked at this compelling science, the more it seemed there really was something here that was real and promising. Probably the key influencer in my decision to become involved with the company, which I eventually did, was the team's genuine dedication to ethical research into natural products in a way that is harmonious with nature.

For those who have not heard of salvestrols, research suggests that salvestrols, a naturally occurring compound found in certain fruits and vegetables, is a highly effective cytotoxin when introduced to diseased cells. The experience of being involved with Salvestrols has reinforced my beliefs in properly grown foods. There is so much more to the food we eat than  our basic vitamins. With a better understanding of agronomy and plant and human biochemistry we can better understand the wonderful benefits natural foods properties have to offer us.

Mike Wakeman has a BSc (pharmacy) from Aston University as well as a MSc Pharmaceutical Analysis) from Manchester University. He is currently on the scientific team at Nature's Defence in the UK.

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