Best Health News
July 4th 2006

In this issue:

Touch For Health Class scheduled Aug 5th & 6th.

Government slow to act on Senate enquiry recommendations

Our kids in crisis.

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Here is a picture from that Vietnam trip just to whet your appetite! Click on it to see full size.

Below are a couple of things that have come across our desk in the last few days that deserve attention - so we thought you may like to know about them.

TOUCH FOR HEALTH CLASS

Stop Press:

Sahaja will be teaching the first level of Touch For Health in Perth, on the weekend of August 5th and 6th see here for details Phone for further information or to express interest.

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The Weekend Australian June 17-18 2006 - Quote -

“The Senate inquiry (June 2005) into service and treatment options for cancer patients recommended:

• Expanding the Medicare benefits schedule to cover complementary therapy and self-help programs

• Dedicated funding for complementary medicine research

• Information on complementary medicine to be provided to patients and health professionals

As yet the Government has not made a decision on whether it will implement any of the recommendations.”  end quote.

There are many unanswered questions in that the Government has not bothered to implement these recommendations. Why not? Particularly as we are constantly being told of the high cost of health care to this country with it’s aging population. Surely it is in our best interests both financially and physically to stay out of the public health system and to stay well which is generally the focus of complementary therapies.

Also so often we hear that complementary medicines do not have enough research to be credible (albeit they have to undergo seemingly more rigorous testing than pharmaceuticals) so why again is the funding not being made available to prove the efficacy or otherwise of these products and practices.

One would think that in the interests of health the public need information to make informed choices however sadly most of the general public education comes from watching television advertisements which are hardly renown for having health as their main concern!

You might consider dropping a line to the Health Minister The Hon Mr Tony Abbott about this one.  This is his email address.

KIDS IN CRISIS

Additive Alert:

Giant food corporation Nestle are removing artificial colours from Smarties in the UK, but not here in Australia because Nestle ‘had received no complaints about Smarties’. Please, if you never do anything else about additives, just do this and join the Get Smarties campaign now being run by the  Food Intolerance Network

 

In case you are unaware of the problem with the artificial colours, and other food additives, our kids are in crisis. Last year, a quarter of children who attended outpatient services at Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne were there for learning difficulties and behavioural problems rather than medical conditions. A recent ACER survey showed that 30% of Year 9 students lacked basic literacy skills.

Now put this fact together with those figures:

Twenty years ago, when more than 800 schools in New York City removed artificial colours and two preservatives from their school lunches, the numbers of children with learning disabilities halved.

Reported in the August issue of the Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, a study tested the effects of calcium propionate (preservative 282) on 27 children in Darwin. After eating only four slices of bread a day for three days, 14 of the children who ate bread with preservatives showed worse behaviour.
Bread preservative calcium propionate, number 282 is still in Tip Top and Mighty Soft, but being phased out!  Brumbies and Baker's Delight are preservative free.

We personally recommend more whole grain breads than any of these, but at least get free of those which use these nasty additives.

Or just add the address in the "From" line of your most recent Best Health Centre News to your address book.

For a little light relief!!

During the examination for his new life insurance policy the doctor asked "Did your father die a natural death?"

"Oh no," said the patient. "He had a doctor."