The first week of February this year was celebrated as Worldwide Salt Awareness Week.
Most Australians would probably ask: what is there to be aware of? We’re all aware of salt. But maybe we’re not all aware of just how much more salt we consume than is good for our health.
The ideal intake of salt is 1-2 grams per day, but many Australians consumer five or ten times that amount.
Salt is a leading cause of high blood pressure; and high blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart attack and stroke.
The Australian Division of World Action on Salt and Health (AWASH) has developed some simple ways we can pinch salt from our diet: we should limit takeaways and fast foods, avoid salty snacks or limit them to occasional treats, look for low fat or no fat options when shopping, use lemon juice, garlic, vinegar or herbs and spices when cooking (we should also avoid rock salt and sea salt). The AWASH website: www.awash.org.au provides other good suggestions on how we can “drop the salt”.
The first week in February was also designated National Naturopathy Awareness Week; and while so-called natural medicines have appeal (it is estimated more than 50% of Australians regularly use some form of complementary or alternative medicines) much of the advice offered by natural medicine practitioners really does need to be taken with a grain of salt.
One form of alternative “medicine”, namely homeopathy, is not really medicine at all. Homeopathic products contain no active ingredients. There is no evidence of benefit except for a placebo effect.
There can be a distinction between complementary and alternative treatments, where the former are used together with the “conventional” therapy and the latter instead of. In either case, with complementary and alternative medicines (CAMs), there is the potential for problems to occur.
Clearly, natural is not always necessarily safe. But if CAMS are your cup of herbal tea, then there are ways of managing the risk.
The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia has produced a fact card titled Complementary Medicines. The card – which is available from all pharmacies across Australia providing the Self Care health information – identifies the problems and pitfall of CAMs, and also indicates which of the claims made for various CAMs can be supported by evidence.
Recent studies have shown the herb saw palmetto, previously thought to be effective in treating non-cancerous prostate enlargement, may not be any better than placebo; while echinacea may not be of any benefit in preventing or treating colds.
Of even greater concern is the fact that some commonly used CAMs can cause serious side effects. Following a safety review, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) in Australia has concluded that medicines containing black cohosh should include the warning statement that, “Black cohosh may harm the liver in some individuals”.
St John’s wort – considered useful to treat mild depression – can interact with a number of prescription products causing toxicity or a reduction in effectiveness.
On the positive side, many people have gained some pain relief from osteoarthritis symptoms with glucosamine; and long-term use of cranberry juice or extract helps prevent the occurrence of urinary tract infection.
The undeniable fact is that complementary and alternative medicines are made up of chemicals, just like any medicine. If they are taken in a dose sufficient to have some benefit, they can also do harm.
Before self selecting any CAM, especially if you are taking a prescription medicine, check first with your pharmacist. And ask for the Complementary Medicines fact card at one of the Self Care pharmacies – call 1 300 369 772 or check out the Pharmaceutical Society’s website at www.psa.org.au and click on Self Care Pharmacy Finder.
