Saturday 10th May - Adjusting your "ATTITOOD" compass

I have been absent from the blog scene for a week while I have been writing another story for a book / screenplay and so have really wanted to remain focussed on that as the character plots developed.

I started with this to explain my absence after getting an email from a "concerned' friend who is keen to get her weekly fix of interesting content (her words) and felt I should do another blog for her. We were chatting and having known her for quite a while we ended up talking about things that were of interest and from that I normally get a spark of an idea of a subject to right about.

With most people nowadays there is a serious concern for not only their own health but also that of family and friends too. This is a more common aspect now with so many people getting lifestyle related diseases. She said she needed a blog cause she had been partying a little to much with her friends. This was my spark.

A report released in the last two weeks was of the concern to your health from "regular" alcohol consumption and how that potential damage is up against the perceived benefits that we have all been hearing for years "red wine is actually good for me as it has anti-oxidants in it".

This "marketing gem" was explained to me from my mother (whom I love dearly) two weekends ago when she said she was having trouble losing weight. Well as she explained her eating habits which I have spent a lot of time adjusting with the loving concern from a son who spends his time educating the masses, we found that she was eating much better. She then added that she had cut down on her "social" drinking and now only had a wine of an evening with dinner (oh and a glass of scotch just so I sleep better). I couldn't help but laugh at her justification and in fact her glass of wine was two glasses and a scotch each night. When we spoke of all the additional calories and a distinct lack of activity we pretty quickly worked out where the weight was coming from and how we could adjust her compass.

So is drinking alcohol a contributing issue to our health issues worldwide?

Bottom line from the report undertaken by the Cancer Institute of New South Wales (in Australia) pointed out that there is little benefit to "regular alcohol consumption" as indicated here :
- The report shows just two standard drinks a day can significantly boost the risk of developing breast, bowel, throat and mouth cancer.

With the increasing number of women suffering from breast cancer and men with bowel cancer it would seem logical that while hereditary factors play a part in this tragedy it also seems logical that you probably wouldn't want to increase that chance through your own wilful actions.

Having had a close friend go through the diagnosis and treatment for breast cancer which were emotionally devastating for her and her family (and friends) I think that the awareness of this research clearly should remain a preventative measure and be made part of the lifestyle campaigns that are being promoted. We now have taken steps to reduce smoking and while these haven't totally been effective in certain demographics (sadly young girls still are not hearing the message) so ANY steps to reduce the incidence of these forms of cancer should be encouraged, promoted and heard.

Now back to adjusting your ATTITOOD compass.
They say that knowledge is power. I think that knowledge that gets understood is powerful, when that knowledge transfers to action. A very good friend who is a U.S. University professor told me that creating change for long term is not easy to do, and if we don't create information that is personable to individuals then it will have a limiting effect. For me it was a friend getting breast cancer and losing a father to obesity that resonated my understanding to rise above the "noise of marketing" and get focussed on the path to a healthier me. Compass adjusted - TICK.

So maybe we need to adjust our compass from "hearing" to "hearing and then doing".

We ALL need to be responsible for our own lives and our own bodies. YOU only get one and when your Human ECO System breaks down it is up to YOU again to work towards a healthier place. Adjust YOUR dial NOW !!