Why the Health Promotion Blog? (hpb)

These past few days, I have been (once again), having an exchange of letters in the Singapore press with the Health Promotion Board (HPB).

It set me thinking... what is the real aim of the Health Promotion Board? Is it to promote health by encouraging healthy diets and lifestyle? Or it is to be politically correct in not going against the interests of certain other government bodies and commercial organisations?

A few issues made me think about this.

1. The Head of Nutrition at the HPB publicly declared, in a letter to the Straits Times Forum on Sep 20 that "organically grown foods offer no nutritional advantages over non-organically grown foods."

2. On the same day, the same person was quoted in TODAY newspaper as saying that tap water is the best drink. In doing so, the person totally avoids the issue of possible dangers associated with chlorination. At the same time, she declared that fluoride added to tap water is good for the teeth, again totally avoiding the controversy surrounding fluorides.

3. In researching the nutritional advantages of organic foods, I came across a website called Nutrition Australia - a non-government, non-profit, community-based organisation.... www.nutritionaustralia.org and I thought how different Nutrition Australia is compared to a government-linked health promotion organisations like the HPB.

I feel there is a need for a similar organisation for Singapore - but of course, the information it provides can be useful for anyone, anywhere in the world.

Then the name Health Promotion Blog came to mind. I got to my computer, registered this blog, and here it is.

To differentiate between this and the Health Promotion Board (HPB), I use the acronym hpb, with lower case letters, for Health Promotion Blog.

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A bit about myself...

My biggest achievement in life is that I have stopped seeing medical doctors and taking their medicines for the past 20 years, ever since I discovered natural health in 1985, and macrobiotics shortly after.

Before that I was sickly, always getting the flu and visiting the doctors every two to four weeks. I do fall sick still, especially when I am overworked, like right now. But now I either take care of myself or, if it gets too serious, consult a Chinese sinseh or some other complementary healthcare practitioner.

Through my study of macrobiotics, I have also helped a number of people reverse various health conditions. So even though I do not have formal qualifications in any field of healthcare, I dare say I know a fair amount about health.

I am a writer by profession. I used to publish a printed newsletter on natural health called The Good Life, between 1989 and 1997. Now, I contribute occasional articles to newspapers and magazines, and also occasional Letters to the Editor.

My latest letter, the one that led to the creation of this blog, was published today, Sep 22. You can read it here:
http://www.straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/forum/story/0,5562,342294,00.html?

I am familiar with many complementary and alternative healthcare practitioners in Singapore and will invite them to air their views here as well. If you have comments to offer, feel free to post as well.

I am new to blogging. So give me a while to set this up properly.

I hope to make this blog both enjoyable and useful. Do come back regularly.

Cheers,
Richard