Urgently Needed: Scientists To Conduct 'Inclined Bed Therapy Trials 
Issue 31 of the New Zealand Journal of Natural Medicine, Nov 2018-Feb 2019, p 20.

Andrew K. Fletcher, the UK engineer and medical researcher who discovered 'Inclined Bed Therapy¹ (IBT) in 1994, is calling on New Zealand scientists to investigate IBT in trials.

His website, www.inclinedbedtherapy.com, hosts testimonials from IBT users whose anecdotal reports suggest that the simple tech­nique of raising their beds by 6 inches at the head end*, can improve health in a diverse range of ways. There are positive reports from sufferers of multiple sclerosis, varicose veins, leg ulcers, inconti­nence, oedema, diabetes, migraine headaches, sports' injuries, memory loss, Alzheimer's, among numerous other conditions, yet UK medical authorities have yet to acknowledge its potential cost­saving value and initiate clinical trials.

The idea for IBT originated from experiments Fletcher conducted using a looped tube to establish how trees circulated sap. Two solu­tions of varying densities were used, the denser of which contained a dye. As his YouTube videos demonstrate, gravity pulls the denser fluids down the vertical tubes and this movement creates a positive pressure in front of the descending solutes and a negative pressure and applied tension behind them, which cause the solutions to flow.

Fletcher believes IBT should be the first line of intervention for im­proving patient care outcomes and is eager for trials to begin.

“There is good reason to conduct further investigation into the thera­peutic value of sleeping on a bed raised by 6 inches. There was a reason why the pharaohs slept like this 5,000 years ago,” he said.

*Lift king-sized beds 7 inches.
http://www.naturalmedicine.net.nz

AUGUST 15, 2018

 IBT article from Nenah Sylver PHD "The Rife Handbook of Frequency Therapy and Holistic Health"

http://www.nenahsylver.com/description-and-contents.html [2009 version]

Inclined Bed Therapy (IBT) The angle of the bed can be as important as the materials with which it is constructed.

Recently, a new way of sleeping, called Inclined Bed Therapy (IBT), was developed in the United Kingdom by Andrew K. Fletcher. The head of the bed is elevated initially between three and four inches, and gradually raised to an optimum eight inches. This mode of sleeping may sound strange, but its origins are sound.

Fletcher first became interested in how we can make gravity work for us by investigating the mechanism by which trees draw water from the soil. This led to a public experiment conducted before an audience that included Forestry Commission scientists and the local press. Using a single length of 6mm bore open ended tube, and two vessels, water and minerals, Fletcher showed that water travels upwards much higher than one might think—as long as it’s part of a feedback loop where heavily mineralized water can flow down, and non-mineralized water can flow back up.

Any concentration of minerals suspended in water results in the production of heavier water. Heavy liquids produced in the uppermost parts of the tree by photosynthesis and concentrated by transpiration, must fall towards the roots because of the effect of gravity. But, for every action there must also be a reaction, and the reaction is that any downward flowing pulses of heavy mineral laden sap will cause a far greater volume of a lighter, dilute solution, in adjoining tubes, to be lifted.

. . . Some of [the heavy downward-flowing fluids] are used in the continuous cycle of growth of the tree, while any remaining heavy liquids which reach the roots are re-diluted by incoming water and flow back to the leaves having become lighter, drawn up by downward flowing concentrated solutions in a continual cycle.

The water utilization of trees applies to that of humans, too. Heavily mineralized blood plasma flows down as a result of gravity, and blood plasma that is not heavily mineralized flows back up. Due to the pumping action caused by the heavy mineral- laden fluid and the lighter fluid containing fewer minerals, there is no stagnation of movement.

However, there is stagnation when the body is horizontal. By sleeping on an incline, we make gravity work for us, and not against us. Fletcher pointed out that baboons and other primates sleep in anything but a horizontal position in the branches of trees in order to avoid predators. Cattle and sheep, when given a choice all sleep facing uphill. Birds sleep standing in an upright position. Emperor penguins, for instance, are able to withstand the harsh conditions of Antarctica’s winter as they huddle together in an upright posture for several months without food. . . . The eggs, which they incubate, are maintained at a temperature near to that of our own body temperature.

Clearly then, the metabolic rate that maintains our own and every other creatures body temperature is linked, in some way, to the force of gravity, but how? (Although a five degree incline used while sleeping has some similarities to an upright position, the two are quite different. I will address this in a moment.) Once Andrew Fletcher secured the help of his family (including pets) in his experiment with inclined beds, he was able to measure the biochemical and physiological changes that result in the body. First, urine density was found to have increased during the first morning visit to the bathroom, compared to when sleeping flat.

In addition: Measurements were taken [of heart and respiration rates] while they slept both horizontally and in the inclined position. Over several weeks, it was constantly observed that in all cases the heart rate decreased by around 10 – 12 beats per minute during inclined sleep, and the respiration rate decreased by 4 to 5 breaths per minute when compared to horizontal sleep. These measurements were later repeated and electronically confirmed by a nurse working in the Operation Recovery Room of Derriford Hospital, Plymouth. Yet the circulation, oxygen sats and metabolism in all cases was higher in the “inclined” sleep than the horizontal or traditional sleep position.

One can imagine Fletcher’s excitement as his investigation extended beyond his family to willing friends and neighbors. Reports of enormous healing benefits began pouring in. All who took part in the inclined bed therapy experiments experienced benefits, some being almost beyond belief. Several people have shown that it is possible to reverse damage to the central and peripheral nervous system, including complete spinal cord injuries and nerve damage caused in chronic progressive Multiple Sclerosis, including damage to the optic nerve.

Varicose veins, leg ulcers, edema, arthritic conditions, lethargy, muscle wastage (atrophy) and osteoporosis have all responded well to this therapy. Some respond in four weeks while others may take four months or more. An improved resistance to infection has also been observed and I am hoping that this will enable people suffering from immune deficiency disorders to achieve a stronger resistance to seasonal viruses and bacteriological infectious organisms. These results do sound too good to be true, don’t they?

Yet Australian rifer and massage therapist Ken Uzzell has reported major improvements from sleeping on a slanted bed. “I crushed my neck and lower back from an accident many years ago. Since IBT”—Ken had been doing it for only nine months when he wrote me about this —“I haven’t had any therapy or pain killers. Plus, my pelvis doesn’t go out. It’s like I never had injuries. I am close to being the fittest I have ever been.” Uzzell also observed major improvements with his massage clients who began doing IBT. All sorts of conditions were lessened or eliminated entirely: acid reflux, arthritis, back pain, edema, Multiple Sclerosis, metabolic disorders, Parkinson’s, and respiratory distress that included sleep apnea and snoring.

Some of Uzzell’s clients are professional athletes. When they began using IBT, he recalls, their coaches were “staggered” by their performance increase. “I was told not to spread the word too aggressively, since after all, people like their competitive advantage.” There are sound physiological reasons for this apparently disparate list of improvements during IBT.

1 With vastly improved circulation of bodily fluids—even though the heart is not working as hard as it does during horizontal sleep—nutrient conveyance and waste removal are more efficient.

2. the reduced compression on the spine allows the lymph tissue to move more freely and drain more easily.

3. the fascia, or membranes enveloping the muscles, unwind.

“This is eight hours of low level prolonged traction that is unwinding the fascia,” Uzzell points out. “Rife therapy unwinds the fascia as well. Relaxing the fascia is a huge boost to every system of the body.”

4 the more efficient flow of blood and lymphatic tissue allows for much better temperature regulation. This is why IBT subjects feel warmer during cold weather and cooler during hot weather.

5 the slant allows the entire spine to elongate. This encourages better hydration in the spinal discs and the fluid sacks in the joints, which leads to lessening or total elimination of back and joint pain. The mild traction effects on the spine can produce dramatic results. “Some very nasty spinal degenerative conditions appear to be reversing without the need for surgery or drugs,” Uzzell writes on his website. “Bones actually grow longer, you will grow taller. However, for a period of one to eight days, you will feel initial aches in muscles as they elongate and reset.” Note that some people feel worse before they feel better, especially involving spinal injuries. However, this is a common reaction with corrective therapies that address the underlying causes rather than just the superficial symptoms.

Fletcher writes: We found that the first week or so feels a little strange and some people experience a slight ache in the spine, that appears to move upwards into the neck, causing a slight stiffening; however, this soon disappears and seems to be a threshold that needs to be passed before the full benefits of this therapy are experienced. Several participants, including myself, have reported a slight increase in height, suggesting the spine is adopting a more upright posture and is probably due to a gentle easing or stretching in the spine.

With such a marked increase in circulation and waste removal, are there any detoxification effects on the body? “You may initially get rapid detox and resulting headaches,” Uzzell advises. “But eventually, all systems in the body will respond and normalize.

From my observations, physical trauma exits the body in about six weeks, and emotional trauma releases in three to four weeks.” Having known Ken for years as an enthusiastic rifer and dedicated scientist, I could not resist the temptation to experiment. Fortunately, my partner was also willing. He raised the head of our bed with cinder blocks to four inches (later upgrading the cinder blocks to wooden bed risers). We bought a sturdy wooden bed frame with a headboard and put the headboard at the foot of the bed to prevent the mattress (and especially blankets) from sliding downward. After a couple of weeks sleeping much more soundly, we decided to raise the bed to the highest recommended slant of 8 inches.

To my surprise, it didn’t take long for us to get used to the slant—in fact, my body seemed to crave it. Although I had one fairly rough week of increased neck and back pain, accompanied by pinched nerves (I assumed that the fascia was indeed unwinding from prior injuries), I noticed afterwards a marked increase of energy and far less pain. My partner stopped snoring almost immediately, another surprise since it had been such a serious ongoing problem. I feel confident that our health will continue to improve the more we sleep in this manner.

Now, the difference between standing upright and lying down with your head raised at a 5-degree slant. Ken explains: Edema, swollen legs due to the break down of the lymph system, is resolved. It sounds as though it should be opposite, and the legs should be elevated as per doctors instructions, but I have seen the reverse to hold more value with this problem than raising the legs. When standing upright, the fluid in the legs will not be discharged, but it is at 5 degrees.

Humans are not the only ones who like IBT. “I’ve tested the 5 degrees with numerous pets, cats and dogs,” Uzzell reports. “After shuffling around a little, they always choose to sleep uphill, and then they won’t move for the duration of their sleep.” This certainly cannot be attributable to a so-called “placebo” effect. In any case, animals will not allow themselves to be uncomfortable. If you have a painful and/or degenerative spinal condition, it’s important to ease into the change of angles very gradually.

Start with a two-inch incline and increase it only every few months. When you become used to the shift, this is your signal to raise the bed a bit higher. The bed can be raised with bricks, wooden wedges or blocks, or pieces of hard foam. Inclined Bed Therapy costs almost nothing, is totally self-administered, can eliminate pain, decrease your doctor appointments, and increase the quality of your life. Since it’s not drug-related, studies on IBT may not appear soon in the medical journals. But since it doesn’t cost much money or effort, consider trying it. You might be surprised and delighted.

Published with kind permission from Nenah

INCLINED BED THERAPY A NEW ANGLE ON HEALTH

Sleeping on a bed inclined at five degrees has great benefits for circulation, metabolism and the immune system. It can also ease a range of conditions from Alzheimer's disease, diabetes and glaucoma to migraines, multiple sclerosis and varicose veins.

by Jenny Hawke ©March 2016 NEXUS Magazine

Read more: Inclined Bed Therapy Article Nexus Magazine by Jenny Hawke Marth 2016

"As a retired Physician, I can honestly say that unless you are in a serious accident, your best chance of living to a ripe old age is to avoid doctors and hospitals and learn about nutrition, herbal medicine and other forms of natural medicine unless you are fortunate enough to to have a naturopathic physician available.

Almost all drugs are toxic and are designed only to treat symptoms and not to cure anyone.

Vaccines are highly dangerous, have never been adequately studied or proven to be effective, and have a poor risk / reward ratio.

Most surgery is unnecessary and most textbooks of medicine are inaccurate and deceptive. Almost every disease is said to be idiopathic (without known cause) or genetic-although this is untrue.

In short, our mainstream medical system is hopelessly inept and / or corrupt. The treatment of cancer and degenerative diseases is a national scandal.

The sooner you learn this, the better off you will be."

HERALD EXPRESS, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 1999 11

Sweet dreams of cure for MS
Can sufferers heal themselves in their sieep?

A former boiler-maker from South Devon claims he is on the verge of a breakthrough in the treatment of multiple sclerosis -using six inch blocks of wood.

Andrew Fletcher believes sufferers from the crippling neurological disease can ease their symptoms simply by tilting their beds.
Two woman who were each blind in one eye apparently regained their sight after sleeping at an angle.
And now the 43-year-old Paignton man has embarked on a worldwide research project in a bid to prove his theory — and force a cynical medical establishment to sit up and take notice.

Mr Fletcher, who has no scientific or medical qualifications, is trying to recruit 300 MS sufferers via the internet to test his ideas.

He wants volunteers to sleep with their heads and shoulders raised by six inches and to record their observations in a diary.

The cause of MS, which affects 85,000 people in the UK alone, has baffled scientists for years.
Mainstream studies are concentrating on immunology and virology, cell biology, epidemiology and genetics. One high-tech theory is that a virus or bacterial infection prompts the body's immune system to attack itself.

But Mr Fletcher, of Berry Drive, insists that fluids are driven through the body by gravity — and that chemical impulses cannot travel through the nervous system so effectively when the spinal cord is lying horizontally.

He insists that some of the 100 participants who have signed up for his trial so far are already reporting improvements in their symptoms.
"People have stopped sweating so much at night, they've stopped getting up to go to the loo, their balance is better in the morning and they don't feel so stiff," he said.

"I've got an oil tanker skipper from Bolivia taking part, a cardiologist from South Africa and even a neurologist from Canada--"He is sceptical but he's going to give it a try. It all suggests that I'm on the right track."

Betty lams, an MS sufferer and author from California, has also reported positive results after sleeping with her head raised.

"I'm very excited about this study. Together we will make a difference," she said.
Although the powers that be in Britain have branded Mr Fletcher's earlier research efforts "unscientific," they seem unwilling to repeat the work on a larger scale.

"Most medical studies are funded by charities and huge drug companies — and there are no profits in my idea because it's so simple," he said.
"The Multiple Sclerosis Society are not being helpful. There seems to be a reluctance to accept new ideas.
"Adrian Sanders (Torbay's MP) tried to get the Prime Minister and Department of Health to listen, without success.
"I intend to use my data to beat the MS Society with a big stick and force them to take action — even if it bankrupts me."

Determined

Adrian Ellis, the charity's spokesman, told the Herald Express: "He's a determined man — you can't knock him for that.
"But neurologists can't see how sleeping at a slightly different angle would affect MS, which is a complex disorder.
"Let's see the proof. Then we'll prick up our ears and pay attention."

Mr Ellis conceded that alternative therapies had a "hard time" from the medical establishment because their claims are harder to prove.
"The list of these therapies is as long as your arm. If people find benefit from one of them, we would not try to stop them using it.
"But we would urge people to approach it with caution and get advice from a doctor."

What is multiple sclerosis?

MULTIPLE sclerosis is a> disease of the brain and spinal cord and occurs when the fatty sheath that protects the nerve fibres becomes scarred.
When the myelin sheath is working properly, electrical impulses to the muscles and sensory organs are passed quickly and efficiently.
If it is damaged the messages become slower, distorted or non-existent.
The symptoms depend on which nerves are affected but include blurred vision, pain behind the eyes, ringing in the ears, tingling or numbness in the arms or legs.

Some people experience giddiness, loss of balance, difficulty with walking, speech problems and incontinence.
Countries with temperate climates, such as the UK, have a higher incidence of MS and the condition is more common in northern latitudes such as Scotland.

ANDREW Fletcher, who is looking for volunteers to put his theory to the test.
by JON ROSAMOND

Snubbed inventor off to US with bed design
DEVON inventor who claims he has found a cure for crippling diseases has been snubbed by medical experts.
Andrew Fletcher says a bed he designed in 1994 has miraculously cured patients sufferng from chronic diseases and serious injuries - but the British Medical Association BMA) has refused to endorse his invention.
And the 44-year-old former engineer says has been now been forced to find backing or his Natural Sleep System abroad.
He said: 'I came up with the idea in 1994 after I realised hat gravity is very important or human circulation and so we should sleep at an angle hat lets gravity help draw blood around our bodies.
'I decided to test it out on my wife who had a varicose vein in her leg. We tilted the bed and four weeks later the vein was flat.
'My wife thought it was ridiculous at first so I got my mum who suffers from arthritis to do the same - and shortly afterwards she could move her toes and ankles.
'No-one should ever sleep on a flat bed, a sloping bed is much healthier.'
Now Mr Fletcher, of Paignton, is now concentrating on promoting the idea on the other side of the Atlantic, where one of his 'patients' claims to have been cured of Multiple Sclerosis.
'I am trying to get it established in the States. I think I have more chance of my idea being recognised over there as they are less sceptical.'
Andrew came up with his idea seven years ago and won world-wide acclaim for his invention at the International Inventions Fair at London's Barbican Centre in 1997.
But since then progress has been agonisingly slow as no-one will invest in his idea.
Torbay MP Adrian Sanders, a supporter of Andrew's work, says that in time his invention will be accepted in this country.
He said: 'Genuine things are happening to the people who follow Andrew's advice. The difficulty is the medical establishment wishes to see things proven beyond any reasonable doubt. It will be a long hard struggle for him.' •

CURE CLAIM: Andrew Fletcher

WESTERN MORNING NEWS • WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 10 1997
TIM CUFF

Sleepy slope to good health?
• HEAD START: Torquay engineer Andrew Fletcher, whose theory about the therapeutic effects of gravity are being investigated by Swedish scientists, sits beside his bed which is raised at the head
THE Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, which awards Nobel Prizes, is to investigate a Westcountry engineer's theory that sleeping on a slope can improve your health.
Andrew Fletcher challenged the academy, which awards the physics, chemistry and economic sciences prizes in memory of Alfred Nobel, to try to disprove the benefits of his simple "raised bed" invention. Academy chairman Carl-Olof Jacobson has told Mr Fletcher details of his theory relating to gravity and the way fluids travel through the body will go to the seven scientific institutes linked to the academy. Mr Fletcher, 40, of Paignton, who has been researching his theory for three years, said: "I challenged the academy to pick up the gauntlet I threw down and it has and I am absolutely delighted. My research will now to subjected to the most stringent tests the scientific institutes can find to see if they can pick holes in it and I welcome that."
Mr Fletcher believes that raising the head of the bed by six inches allows the body to continue to function, while we are asleep, in the way it was designed to during the day. "Gravity drives the body fluids in one direction, from head to toe, and when gravity runs in the wrong direction things start to go wrong. Lying flat on a bed causes a drag effect on the fluids, it holds them back. It is possible to reverse many of the symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis and complete spinal cord injuries, using the beneficial effects of gravity to encourage regeneration of the central
and peripheral nervous system," he said. A raised bed survey by the Multiple Sclerosis Resource Centre, involving 10 people with MS and four other people, two with severe spinal injuries, one with psoriatic arthritis and an ex-terminal alcoholic, has concluded there could be substantial benefits to be gained by sleeping on raised beds and recommended further studies.
Those surveyed said there had been an improvement in signs and symptoms including mobility, balance, sleep, body temperature, veins, tremors, spasms, skin quality, sensory perception, energy level, mood swings and endurance.
by MICHAEL TAYLOR

Keep Your Head Up
How angling your bed can improve your health
Three years ago, if anyone had suggested to Penny Meredith that something as simple as propping up the head of her bed could radically improve her quality of life, she wouldn't have believed them. However, today 54-year-old Penny is a firm believer in the practice. Penny, a divorcee from Paignton, Devon, with three grown-up children, has had psoriasis since the age of 18. When she was in her early 30s, she developed psoriatic arthropathy, a painful arthritic condition. 'As time progressed, the pain and stiffness grew worse,' remembers Penny, who runs a guest house. 'I took painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs which took the edge off the pain, but they upset my stomach, so I preferred to do without them if I could. Then, about eight years ago, my condition deteriorated considerably.
'I also work as an auxiliary nurse, which can be quite physical, and it got to the point where I was so stiff, I thought I'd have to give up. It was very depressing.' Then, in October 1995, a visitor to Penny's guest house told her about an inventor he'd met called Andrew Fletcher, who was achieving amazing improvements in people's health, just by raising the head of their beds a few inches. Penny contacted him and asked him to visit.
He explained his theory by saying that, by lying flat, we're not making use of gravity -the force that powers our vital bodily functions. By raising the head of the bed six inches, so that the entire body is tilted, the circulation and the metabolic rate are speeded up and fluid flows naturally through the body. Andrew had conducted _____ experiments
involving about 300 people with various health problems, from varicose veins to multiple sclerosis. In almost every case, sleeping at an angle improved their symptoms.
'What Andrew was saying made sense to me,' says Penny. That night I propped the head of my bed up with two house bricks. Next day, I had no pain at all and was able to move normally for the first time in years.'
Penny continues to be pain-free and mobile, and is so impressed by what angled sleep has done for her that she's bought an angled bed, made by Oasis Concepts.
'I won't risk going back to the way I was,' she says. 'In fact, if I stay at someone else's house I prop up the head of my bed with books or phone directories - anything to get that tilt!'  Penny is now pain free.

HERALD EXPRESS, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 1998 17
Andrew's dream of success turns into reality ...
BED boffin Andrew Fletcher (pictured) is sleeping easy after winning a prize at the London International Inventions Fair.
Mr Fletcher's Naturesway invention is based on the theory that by raising trie head of a bed six inches, the symptoms of MS and spinal cord injuries can be eased.
He was awarded a prize for the Invention Thai Will Generate the Most Employment.
After four years of working on the project, Mr Fletcher's beds are already being made by a major bed manufacturer and he has received interest from big hospitals.
Andrew said: "At last I'm getting recognition for all the hard work I've been putting into the project."

THE BI-MONTHLY NEWSPAPER OF THE MOTORCYCLE ACTION GROUP MAILED TO 16,000 RIDERS, ISSUE 98 APRIL/MAY 98
New Slant On Spinal Cord Injuries
Sleeping on a tilted bed could bring hope to victims of spinal chord injuries suffering from paralysis according to plumbing engineer Andrew Fletcher. The revolutionary concept is as simple as it is revolutionary and depends upon the effect of gravity in influencing nerve growth and regeneration.
Fletcher's studies involve numerous cases of paralysis victims who have experienced enhanced feeling and movement and a reduction in other symptoms after sleeping in beds raised six inches at the head end.
The rationale lies with placing the brain higher above the remainder of the nervous system so that gravity assists the growth of nerve tissue. Fletcher studied American research on fish and frogs which spend their entire lives oriented in the
same way with respect to the earth. In experiments where optic nerves were severed the nerves were seen to re-grow after a period of time, restoring sight.
Case histories of human experiments in which horizontal bed rest has been replaced with the downward sloping option include one example of a woman suffering from Multiple Sclerosis who recovered her sight sufficiently to have her driving license restored and can now drive without the use of spectacles. Other examples of the efficacy of this treatment include one of a boy whose hands were permanently clenched and cold, but who can now write a little with a pen and feel warmth returning to his hands.
Fletcher suggests that nerve growth occurs around a path of circulation which is assisted by a more upright posture. A further dimension to his research which draws on the research of others is humidity. Cases of Multiple Sclerosis are apparently more common in humid environments where the lungs and body generally remain more moist. The inspiration for Fletcher's research comes partly from his days in plumbing and from the observation of trees and the manner in which they transfer fluids throughout their huge structures.
It should be stressed that no claims of total recovery are being made and the medical profession retains its customary scepticism of new 'miracle' cures. 

Magnews 98 April/May 98

Torbay Weekender, Thursday, March 27 1996,
Simple solution to circulation problem
Bay inventor's bedroom secret
"IN time it will be looked back on as the greatest discovery of the 20th century."
This is the dramatic claim of a Paignton engineer who believes he has found a revolutionary way of reversing numerous human ailments.
People suffering with multiple sclerosis, nerve damage, arthritis and varicose veins have all benefited from this new discovery, claims Paignton's Andrew Fletcher.
There is even medical evidence to prove his research has done away with cot death, he says.
Mr Fletcher, of Berry Drive, believes that by raising the head of a person's bed by only six inches gravity's effect on the flow of blood during sleep can improve the body's health immeasurably.
"A man who'd suffered from MS for 32 years tried out the treatment, and within weeks his spasms had stopped and sensitivity was returning to his skin," said Mr Fletcher.
"I wanted to take it further, so I contacted other MS sufferers - and they had the same results.
"There's even someone who's suffered paralysis from a neck break, and now they're having some sensitivity returning.
"Let's face it, we as a species were never designed to sleep lying flat. We're designed to live upright - it's how our bodies are constructed."
Mr Fletcher made his discovery while researching how trees are able to raise water to their tops and therefore defeat the laws of gravity.
Torriceli's 17th-century law of physics dictates that water in a column will only rise 32 feet under atmospheric pressure.
Penny Meredith's Paignton
In 1995 Mr Fletcher says he disproved this 'law'. He added a solution of salt to the top of a 78-foot plastic tube hanging over Brixham's Overgang cliff, with both ends placed in water-filled demijohns, and was able to raise the water up the 78-foot cliff.
Mr Fletcher suggests that by elevating the human body during sleep -we spend one-third of our lives asleep - it would, with a natural supply of salt, improve circulation - and therefore the body's overall health.
His theories have spread far and wide - with beneficiaries as far afield as Germany, California and Canada.
Closer to home, though, Mr Fletcher has won supporters: Penny Meredith, a trained nurse and arthritis sufferer who runs (he Durdle D'or guest house in Paignton, has been so impressed by the effect of the treatment she has chosen to raise all the beds in her house.
People will now be able to stay at her home and benefit from the Naturesway facilities.
There is also a major bed manufacturer that is interest in the principle Mr Fletcher's bed design and plans to market it later this year.
 Pictured: Andrew Fletcher and Penny Meredith with one of the raised beds at Penny's guest house

HERALD EXPRESS, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 1997 13

Here is the latest snooze!
Head up it's 'miracle' sleep cure!
• Pictured: Andrew Fletcher (left) and Adrian Sanders MP share some pillow talk with Penny Meredith.

PILLOW talk by Torbay MP Adrian Sanders may bring Government recognition for an alternative way of sleeping.

Mr Sanders is fighting to get the Government backing for the Naturesway Sleep System, established by former engineer Andrew Fletcher, of

Paignton.

Mr Fletcher's invention is based on the theory that by raising the head of a bed six inches, the symptoms of MS and spinal cord injuries can be

eased.

Mr Sanders has been very impressed by stories from MS sufferers about how the system has changed their lives.

And, he says putting the idea into practice could save the NHS a considerable amount of money.

One person who advocates the Naturesway Sleep System is Penny Meredith, owner of the Durdle D'Or guest house, Paignton.

She said: "I used to have terrible arthritis and immerse my hands in hot water for an hour or more every morning until they began to move.

But now I am brilliant, I've no pain whatsoever, it's been mirraculous."

Andrew's system is also being featured at the London International Inventions Fair at the Barbican Centre from Novement 27th to the 30th.

by DEBBIE SPERRY

Penny's condition is psoriatic arthritis.

HEALTH
Tilt your bed for a really healing sleep... Daily Mail, Tuesday, November 4,1997

Vital steps: Roger Kirk can now stand up to MS

SIMPLY raising the head of your bed by Gin, so that you sleep at an angle, could improve your health dramatically, according to an inventor who has spent four years researching and proving his theory.
It is based on the idea that by sleeping in a completely flat position, we are Ignoring the very force that powers our vital functions — gravity.
Andrew Fletcher, an engineer from Paignton in Devon, worked out that by lying flat, the circulation and the metabolic rate is slowed right down. By raising the head of the bed, and continuing gravity's natural pull, fluids are drained down through the body.

He says: 'Putting the body at an angle of at least five degrees simply allows it to work as it was designed to.'
The inventor, his wife and two children have been sleeping on angled beds for two and half years. During this time, Andrew discovered that while the heart and circulation rate drops, the metabolic rate increases, producing additional warmth, particularly in the feet and hands.

Over the last three years, he has conducted trials involving around 400 volunteers, with ailments ranging from spinal cord injuries to varicose veins. The results are said to have been 'astounding' with almost all volunteers having achieved improvement in their symptoms.
One 12-year-old girl with cerebral palsy, who had been in a wheelchair all her life, is now, after 18 months of 'angled bed therapy', taking her pet terrier for walks. Great Ormond Street Hospital, in London, has asked her parents for details of the trials.

However, Andrew Fletcher says: 'I am confident that angled sleep will alleviate all kinds of health problems.' •

The high point came on October 12 this year, when I took two steps — without even thinking.'
The Multiple Sclerosis Resource Centre has published a report based on the angled bed survey, which says: 'There is good reason for further investigation.' Raised Bed Survey
But Dr Derek Gay, who has been researching the effects of MS on the brain for the last ten years, says: "The biochemistry and physiology of the human body is extremely sophisticated and isn't likely to be influenced by crude factors such as gravity.'

Roger Kirk, a former design engineer, has had MS for 33 years and has been wheelchair-bound for eight. Roger, 51, who lives in Stoke Gabriel, Devon, was approached by Andrew Fletcher in October 1995.
'My first night sleeping at an angle was uncomfortable and I woke with a headache,' he says. 'But within a week, I was feeling quite different. The muscle and joint pains which normally plague me were greatly lessened and I felt more relaxed.

AWOKEN Sleep system recognised

A LIFE-CHANG­ING invention by a former West Country engineer has at last been recognised by a major British medical organisation.
Andrew Fletcher, of Paignton, has been fighting since 1994 to have his Naturesway Sleep System accepted by medical professionals and is delighted his theory has been in­cluded in the latest newsletter of The Med­ical Physics Group.
'This changes everything. It's the recognition I've been waiting for,' he said. 'It changes the science books. It sounds outlandish but it's going to stop a lot of disabilities in children and could even prevent cot deaths.

'I never thought things would happen this quickly. I thought I'd maybe get my work published in a normal journal and then have to fight for another 10 years to convince the medical body of its worth. It's amazing.'
The Sunday Independent was the first news paper to reveal the Naturesway System, which involves raising a person's bed a few inches with blocks of wood or ordinary house bricks.
Since then Andrew estimates he has helped 'thousands' of people suffering conditions such as those with spinal injuries and multiple sclerosis.
One success story was John Cann, of Gunnislake, who had no feeling in his legs for eight years after an operation went wrong until he tried Andrew's system and the feeling returned.

Driving

More recently a Brixham man with advanced Parkinson's disease went from being doubly incontinent and being unable to walk or talk to driving his car within five weeks of adopting the system.
'The results have been phenomenal,' said Andrew.
The system was developed after hours of studying gravity driven circulation in the human body. In his published paper Andrew said: 'The rhythms of nature, like the ocean tides, are irrefutably linked to the influences of the sun, moon and earth's gravitational force.
'It is no co-incidence that animals and plants synchronise the birth of their offspring.'Yet, each of us chooses to ignore the power of gravity every night as we lay in our flatbed.'
Andrew believes that babies often cry because they are unhappy lying flat in a cot rather than at an angle in the mother's womb and the result could of­fer an explanation for cot death.
Jeff Jones, editor of the Medical Physics Group Newsletter said: 'It's right that we should be cautious and constructively critical of new ideas, but at the same time welcome them for, as poet Mark Van Doren said: "Bring ideas in and entertain them royally, for one of them may be the king".' By KIRSTY TURNER kirsty.turner©
http://sundayindependent.co.uk