The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Healthy living, tobacco suits, and B.S.E. Healthy living is in vogue these days, or at least it should be as governments look more and more to preventative medicine to assist our ailing medical system. Manitoba even has a Healthy Living Ministry, which to date has instituted a smoke ban in the province and little else except provide a few dollars to help problem gamblers, and even less to help problem smokers. The healthy living kick has led us to being besieged with health tips, health studies galore, and brilliant tips from fitness experts. One very recent tip is that exercise has a positive effect on brain function. An Illinois study found that aerobic exercise improved cognitive ability in adults 60-75 who had been couch potatoes. By walking three hours per week, those in the study improved their short-term memory and their ability to focus on a task. The authors claim it is never too late to exercise and reap the benefits. Other experts claim circuit training, in which you move from exercise to exercise with little stopping, is of great benefit to mind and body, as is regular strength training. In mid- January, the U.S. Health Department announced new dietary and fitness guidelines. Their advice was to eat 4.5 cups of fruit/vegetables per day, eat a variety of foods low in fats, sugar and salt, keep trans-fat intake as low as possible, and severely limit salt intake. To keep off the pounds they advise 60-90 minutes of exercise daily, but you can break it up into 10-15 minute workouts. They say the important thing is to get started and keep at it! A different approach, in a heart study out of Maryland, claims your heart and health will be greatly enhanced if you laugh long and often. Researchers found that those with heart disease are 40 per cent less humorous than those without, and are more angry and hostile. Shakespeare was right: "A light heart lives longer." Those who take a low dosage aspirin each day may be interested in a major Harvard study, which studied the effect of vitamin E and aspirin on women over 45. The 10-year study of 40,000 healthy women found no benefit from taking vitamin E, and less benefit than men who take aspirin to prevent heart attacks. They found a benefit in preventing strokes and blood clots in those under 65, which is offset by an increased danger of intestinal bleeding. The greatest benefit is for women over 65 with 34 per cent less likely to have a heart attack. Scientists speculate that gender difference may play a major part in the different responses to aspirin. Everyone knows that smoking is bad for your health, including the vast majority of those who smoke, although quitting is very difficult for many. Loyal Right Corner readers will recall previous articles on smoker's rights, one of which dealt with the popular myth that smokers are a drain on the health-care system. The first quoted research by CTV that found Canadian smokers' health-care costs are $3 billion per year, while tobacco taxes of $8 billion are collected by the two levels of government. In other words, smokers who pay the taxes pay $5 billion more per year than they cost the health-care system. Last February, "The Corner" quoted research from a southern university's study, printed in a recently published book called: "The Private And Social Costs of Smoking Over The Life Cycle." The authors claim that as smokers die younger than non-smokers, their cost to society is only a fraction of what governments and anti-smoking groups claim. Why are these research findings repeated? Because a recent B.C. law Ñ "Tobacco Damages And Health-Care Cost Recovery Act", which allows the province to sue tobacco companies to recover the costs of treating diseases caused by smoking, is being challenged in the Supreme Court by the tobacco companies. Manitoba is joining in with B.C. to refute the challenge. Who knows how the Court will rule, but even if "Big Tobacco" loses, it will simply add on the extra costs so that smokers will continue to pay which is exactly what has happened in the USA. It is worth repeating that Healthy Living Ministries should be spending big dollars to help smokers quit the habit Ñ counselling, free nicotine patches, paying for the new anti-smoking drugs, etc. Their approach so far has been to raise taxes on tobacco, bring in anti-smoking laws, and publish a few anti-smoking ads. Another health "issue", at least for Canadian cattle and farmers is the continuing B.S.E. crisis, and a continuing ban on shipping live cattle to the U.S. Canadian ranchers and the West were eagerly awaiting the re-opening of the border in early March when a Federal Montana judge prevented the opening. Cattle prices have never been as high in America. So much for free trade! The Bush Administration had decided to re-open the border after a two year ban. The U.S. Senate then jumped into the act, voting on March 3rd to overturn the decision. The charge was led by North Dakota democrat Kent Conrad who claimed, "They've got mad cow disease!" Conrad's push is a slap in the face for Manitoba, as the economies of Grand Forks and Fargo are greatly enhanced by Manitoba tourists. How about a boycott of North Dakota, Manitobans? President Bush promised to veto the bills if they ever reach his desk, however ranchers and farmers continue to suffer financially, and provinces like Manitoba have given only token help. The judge's ruling and the Senate vote came shortly after Paul Martin announced Canada would not join the missile defence plan. Critics claim the events are connected, especially because of the way Martin handled the refusal, actually lying to the President by claiming no decision had been reached. Both governments claim there is no connection. Really!
