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GVT: Hon Annette King: Launch of Lifecare book series

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Jul 26, 2004, 7:21:07 PM7/26/04

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Launch of Lifecare book series =20

Health Minister Annette King launched the Lifecare series of books, =
written by New Zealanders for New Zealanders to help them live with and =
manage chronic diseases.=20

---------------------------------

Thank you Professor Judith Kinnear for your warm introduction, and thank =
you Professor Geoffrey Annison and Dr Rachel Page for inviting me to be =
here tonight to launch these four Lifecare books.=20

Firstly I would like to congratulate Victor Marks for his creative =
inspiration that led to these books. Victor, I understand you have =
first-hand experience of heart disease, having suffered a heart attack =
while holidaying in Ireland and undergoing heart surgery and a spell in =
intensive care. I think it's great that you have taken some positive =
action after such a worrying experience, and I'm sure these books will =
help many people who have gone through what you have.=20

I know Victor was also instrumental in getting pharmacies throughout New =
Zealand to stock the books, and I believe 68 pharmacies around the =
country are now selling them. I'd also like to thank ProPharma, and Tim =
Stevens, for their work in ensuring distribution at pharmacies.=20

Rachel, I want to acknowledge your valuable contribution as project =
manager and also your input as a specialist in diabetes. And the =
Institute of Food, Nutrition and Human Health at Massey University for =
editing, publishing and providing funding for the books. And last but =
certainly not least, I want to congratulate all the authors who are here =
tonight: Victor, Sue Pearson, Amber Strong, Louise Farmer, Suzi Penny =
and Denise Robbins.=20

I think it's really important that people with chronic diseases - such =
as diabetes and heart disease, the topics of two of the books -- are =
able to manage their illnesses themselves. That is something that I =
strongly believe in, as does the Ministry of Health. That means people =
need good, detailed information about their conditions, and what the =
best techniques are to manage them.=20

Although it must come as a big blow, it is important to remember that =
being diagnosed with a disease such as diabetes or cancer need not mean =
you lose your quality of life. With the right knowledge and outlook, =
life can in fact be very rewarding. That's the idea underlying these =
books, and it is one that I applaud.

I believe that information is our strongest weapon against cardiac =
diseases, diabetes and cancer -- not only to manage these illnesses, but =
also to prevent them and treat them. These books form another useful =
part of our information arsenal. As the saying goes, knowledge is power. =

These books on wellness are consistent with the Government's health =
policy, particularly the Primary Health Care Strategy, as we move =
towards preventative strategies and informing the public about their =
health and well-being. Lifestyle choices are key to preventing and =
managing illness, and these books focus on these issues. =20

The fact Lifecare books are being sold in pharmacies shows how important =
information is becoming to our approach to health.

The book on Food Matters is of special interest to me, as I launched the =
Healthy Eating Healthy Action Implementation Plan in June. That plan =
integrates nutrition, physical activity and obesity, and Food Matters =
has sections on basic nutrition, how to stay healthy, watching your =
weight and the importance of staying active.=20

I was intrigued to read in one of the "Interesting Fact" boxes presented =
in the book, that a high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet may trigger =
cravings for carbohydrates. This is all the more reason to take heed of =
the Ministry of Health's Food and Nutrition Guidelines for Healthy =
Adults, to follow a balanced diet.=20

I particularly like the "Try This" boxes that are dotted throughout the =
book along with some good recipes, which will inspire readers to take =
some practical action. But it seems that watching what you eat is not =
all doom and gloom - it was encouraging to see a recipe for an "Almost =
Healthy Chocolate Pud"! =20

One question asked in the Food Matters book is "To supplement, or not to =
supplement?" The best nutrition strategy for promoting optimal health =
and reducing the risk of chronic disease is by eating a wide variety of =
nutritious foods in our everyday diet. Vitamin and mineral =
supplementation is only appropriate in specific circumstances, =
preferably on the advice of a health professional.=20

As Minister for Food Safety I take a close interest in the safety of =
supplements. In December last year I signed the Trans-Tasman Agreement =
for the Establishment of a Joint Scheme for the Regulation of =
Therapeutic Products, which I hope will ensure that New Zealanders have =
access to safe products.=20

The book ends with a chapter on Ideas About Food -- Are They Fad, Fact =
Or Fiction? The Fads suggest that there's a magic bullet to keep us all =
trim, fit and healthy. Unfortunately we know there is no magic bullet, =
although I sincerely wish there was! It's up to all of us as a nation to =
work together to provide a healthy environment. The Healthy Eating =
Healthy Action Implementation Plan provides the framework for this. It =
is also up to us as individuals to make use of the resources available, =
such as this book, to maintain our own health.

The introduction to the Cancer And How To Live With It book really =
struck a chord with me. It talks about the "irrational fear" for someone =
diagnosed with the disease. It says that "all too often when people are =
told they have cancer, their lives become frozen by the news. It's as =
though they think that there is no life beyond cancer." And, of course, =
it's a fear that is easy to understand. But this book shatters many =
public misconceptions about the disease - that cancer is always =
incurable and always fatal; that you can no longer enjoy a normal life. =

What impresses me is that all these books are presented in simple, =
down-to-earth language that the average, non-medical person can =
understand. They generally align with the position of the New Zealand =
Guidelines Group, and the information contained in them can be very =
useful.=20

Importantly, people who have first-hand, personal experience of the =
illnesses - such as Victor Marks -- have written some of these books. =
That gives them a unique perspective. Those who read them can feel =
reassured that the author has been where they are, can understand, and =
is an example to help them overcome their fears.=20

In the same way, it's nice to see a book written by New Zealanders for =
New Zealanders, because often books by overseas authors are not relevant =
to our geographical situation or our culture and customs.

Lifecare books have a great focus on practical things that people need =
to know to change their lifestyles, from techniques to quit smoking, =
recipes for balanced eating, to coping with stress and the benefits of =
exercise. These things can not only slow these diseases, but also =
alleviate symptoms and speed recovery. They also play an important role =
in prevention. That's why I think these books will become an invaluable =
tool not just for people who have the illnesses, but also for people who =
don't. These books will appeal to and are accessible to the general =
public.=20

It gives me great pleasure to be here tonight, and to declare the =
Lifecare series of books well and truly launched.=20

The Annette King mailing list operated by OneSquared Limited.

To unsubscribe, enter the following address in your browser address bar =
and press the Enter key.

http://www.beehive.govt.nz/Lists/index.aspx?UID=3D2160&unsubscribe=3Dyes

You can also subscribe to this service or change and maintain your =
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<html><head></head><body>Launch of =
Lifecare book series Health Minister Annette King launched =
the Lifecare series of books, written by New Zealanders for New =
Zealanders to help them live with and manage chronic diseases. =
 --------------------------------- Thank you Professor =
Judith Kinnear for your warm introduction, and thank you Professor =
Geoffrey Annison and Dr Rachel Page for inviting me to be here tonight =
to launch these four Lifecare books. Firstly I would like to =
congratulate Victor Marks for his creative inspiration that led to these =
books. Victor, I understand you have first-hand experience of heart =
disease, having suffered a heart attack while holidaying in Ireland and =
undergoing heart surgery and a spell in intensive care. I think it's =
great that you have taken some positive action after such a worrying =
experience, and I'm sure these books will help many people who have gone =
through what you have. I know Victor was also instrumental in =
getting pharmacies throughout New Zealand to stock the books, and I =
believe 68 pharmacies around the country are now selling them. I'd also =
like to thank ProPharma, and Tim Stevens, for their work in ensuring =
distribution at pharmacies. Rachel, I want to acknowledge your =
valuable contribution as project manager and also your input as a =
specialist in diabetes. And the Institute of Food, Nutrition and Human =
Health at Massey University for editing, publishing and providing =
funding for the books. And last but certainly not least, I want to =
congratulate all the authors who are here tonight: Victor, Sue Pearson, =
Amber Strong, Louise Farmer, Suzi Penny and Denise Robbins. I =
think it's really important that people with chronic diseases - such as =
diabetes and heart disease, the topics of two of the books -- are able =
to manage their illnesses themselves. That is something that I strongly =
believe in, as does the Ministry of Health. That means people need good, =
detailed information about their conditions, and what the best =
techniques are to manage them. Although it must come as a big =
blow, it is important to remember that being diagnosed with a disease =
such as diabetes or cancer need not mean you lose your quality of life. =
With the right knowledge and outlook, life can in fact be very =
rewarding. That's the idea underlying these books, and it is one that I =
applaud. I believe that information is our strongest weapon =
against cardiac diseases, diabetes and cancer -- not only to manage =
these illnesses, but also to prevent them and treat them. These books =
form another useful part of our information arsenal. As the saying goes, =
knowledge is power. These books on wellness are consistent with =
the Government's health policy, particularly the Primary Health Care =
Strategy, as we move towards preventative strategies and informing the =
public about their health and well-being. Lifestyle choices are key to =
preventing and managing illness, and these books focus on these issues. =
 The fact Lifecare books are being sold in pharmacies shows how =
important information is becoming to our approach to health. The =
book on Food Matters is of special interest to me, as I launched the =
Healthy Eating Healthy Action Implementation Plan in June. That plan =
integrates nutrition, physical activity and obesity, and Food Matters =
has sections on basic nutrition, how to stay healthy, watching your =
weight and the importance of staying active. I was intrigued to =
read in one of the "Interesting Fact" boxes presented in the book, that =
a high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet may trigger cravings for =
carbohydrates. This is all the more reason to take heed of the Ministry =
of Health's Food and Nutrition Guidelines for Healthy Adults, to follow =
a balanced diet. I particularly like the "Try This" boxes that =
are dotted throughout the book along with some good recipes, which will =
inspire readers to take some practical action. But it seems that =
watching what you eat is not all doom and gloom - it was encouraging to =
see a recipe for an "Almost Healthy Chocolate Pud"! One =
question asked in the Food Matters book is "To supplement, or not to =
supplement?" The best nutrition strategy for promoting optimal health =
and reducing the risk of chronic disease is by eating a wide variety of =
nutritious foods in our everyday diet. Vitamin and mineral =
supplementation is only appropriate in specific circumstances, =
preferably on the advice of a health professional. As Minister =
for Food Safety I take a close interest in the safety of supplements. In =
December last year I signed the Trans-Tasman Agreement for the =
Establishment of a Joint Scheme for the Regulation of Therapeutic =
Products, which I hope will ensure that New Zealanders have access to =
safe products. The book ends with a chapter on Ideas About Food =
-- Are They Fad, Fact Or Fiction? The Fads suggest that there's a magic =
bullet to keep us all trim, fit and healthy. Unfortunately we know there =
is no magic bullet, although I sincerely wish there was! It's up to all =
of us as a nation to work together to provide a healthy environment. The =
Healthy Eating Healthy Action Implementation Plan provides the framework =
for this. It is also up to us as individuals to make use of the =
resources available, such as this book, to maintain our own =
health. The introduction to the Cancer And How To Live With It =
book really struck a chord with me. It talks about the "irrational fear" =
for someone diagnosed with the disease. It says that "all too often when =
people are told they have cancer, their lives become frozen by the news. =
It's as though they think that there is no life beyond cancer." And, of =
course, it's a fear that is easy to understand. But this book shatters =
many public misconceptions about the disease - that cancer is always =
incurable and always fatal; that you can no longer enjoy a normal life. =
 What impresses me is that all these books are presented in =
simple, down-to-earth language that the average, non-medical person can =
understand. They generally align with the position of the New Zealand =
Guidelines Group, and the information contained in them can be very =
useful. Importantly, people who have first-hand, personal =
experience of the illnesses - such as Victor Marks -- have written some =
of these books. That gives them a unique perspective. Those who read =
them can feel reassured that the author has been where they are, can =
understand, and is an example to help them overcome their fears. =
 In the same way, it's nice to see a book written by New =
Zealanders for New Zealanders, because often books by overseas authors =
are not relevant to our geographical situation or our culture and =
customs. Lifecare books have a great focus on practical things =
that people need to know to change their lifestyles, from techniques to =
quit smoking, recipes for balanced eating, to coping with stress and the =
benefits of exercise. These things can not only slow these diseases, but =
also alleviate symptoms and speed recovery. They also play an important =
role in prevention. That's why I think these books will become an =
invaluable tool not just for people who have the illnesses, but also for =
people who don't. These books will appeal to and are accessible to the =
general public. It gives me great pleasure to be here tonight, =
and to declare the Lifecare series of books well and truly launched. =
 The Annette King mailing list operated by OneSquared =
Limited. Click <a =
href=3D'http://www.beehive.govt.nz/Lists/index.aspx?UID=3D2160&unsubscrib=
e=3Dyes'>here</a> to unsubscribe. If the unsubscribe link is not =
active, enter the following address in your browser address bar and =
press the Enter =
key. http://www.beehive.govt.nz/Lists/index.aspx?UID=3D2160&unsubs=
cribe=3Dyes You can also subscribe to this service or change and =
maintain your existing subscription list by going to: <a href =
=3D =
'http://www.beehive.govt.nz/lists/default.cfm'>http://www.beehive.govt.nz=
/lists/default.cfm</a> </body></head>
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