Educate Yourself

Recent Canadian statistics show that we're eating more healthy fruits and vegetables and less unhealthy margarines and fats. Health Canada is working on a new Canada's Food Guide and the presence of health-damaging trans fats will begin showing up on packaged food labels later this year.

According to a recent survey by Cornell University, an overwhelming 84 percent of us believe there is a strong relationship between the foods we eat and our overall health. Studies also show that 75 percent of Canadians who are regularly taking vitamin supplements feel the supplements have a moderate to strong impact on their overall health.

Natural health and nutrition have become modern-day personal concerns. Many of us are getting by on the advice handed out in books, magazines, and on television and radio shows. However, conflicting advice, incomplete information, and the influences of marketing leave many confused and frustrated.

Others are relying on their doctors for nutrition advice, often to no avail. Despite the US Surgeon General's landmark 1988 Report on Nutrition and Health, which stated that up to 71 percent of deaths are related to diet, research reveals that the majority of medical school graduates in the US feel their clinical decision making and clinical care regarding nutrition is inadequate. Unfortunately, the scenario is no different in Canada, where family doctors have relatively little training in the provision of dietary advice in either disease-specific or prevention programs. Medical students at the University of British Columbia, for example, receive a sparse five hours of nutrition education.

We are living in a time when it's necessary to take health into our own hands. While we need and appreciate modern medicine, the many decisions we make every day affect our health.

New Distance Education Course

In answer to the need for complete information, sound advice, and practical suggestions for health, the alive Academy of Natural Health has designed the Family Health and Nutrition self-study course. It will educate both the layperson and professional about the many aspects involved in health for the whole family. Grandparents, parents, teachers, principals, coaches, nurses, doctors, and counsellors anyone who is interested in family health can benefit, personally and/or professionally, from this healthful education.

The course serves as a learning tool, guide, and reference, covering topics such as body knowledge, healthy shopping, nutritional know-how, lifestyle issues, emotional health, healthy-home tips, dietary supplementation, herbal and homeopathic medicines, natural healing methods, and advice for maintaining health through all ages. A section on common conditions helps students help themselves and others with natural health and nutrition advice based on alive Academy of Natural Health's expertise in the field.

Research has identified the family as one of the most influential environmental factors affecting food- and nutrition-related decisions in children. Through knowledge and practice today, we can have healthier families tomorrow.

For more information about Family Health and Nutrition, contact the alive Academy of Natural Health toll-free at 1-800-663-6580, ext. 331.