Prevention

In yesterday’s news…

…Researchers from King’s College London have found that introducing peanuts into babies’ diets can reduce the risk of peanut allergy by 71 per cent.

Professor Gideon Lack said: ‘Decades of advice to avoid peanuts has made parents fearful of introducing peanuts at an early age. The evidence is clear that early introduction of peanut in infancy induces long-term tolerance and protects children from allergy…’

It seems that Peanut allergy is preventable.

…The NHS advice: ‘Living with overweight and obesity can affect your quality of life and contribute to mental health problems, such as depression, and can also affect self-esteem.’

Experts claim that using the phrase ‘living with overweight’ reduces discrimination, that calling someone large or fat was offensive. The discussion continued…

…doctors recognise obesity as a disease, leading to a higher risk of having cancer, a stroke or dementia… is obesity was linked to genetics or is it preventable…

…Research scientists from the University of Manchester who believe a ban on sunbeds could save lives, suggesting there could be 1,200 fewer cases of skin cancer, and 200 fewer deaths.

Cancer Research UK says there are around 2,300 melanoma skin cancer deaths in the UK every year. Susanna Daniels CEO of Melanoma Focus says: ‘There’s no such thing as a safe tan… Sunbeds give out greater doses of UV rays than the midday tropical sun…’

Some skin cancer can be prevented.

‘Prevention’ is central to so many aspects of life: The way we raise and educate our children… our approach to health and safety at work… the importance of the police and crime prevention… regarding our health we say ‘prevention is better than cure’.

And yet so much of life is unpredictable. I don’t know what will happen tomorrow, let alone next month or next year. There is much that I can’t prevent.

Musing… on being careful with those things I can prevent… trusting my God with those things that I can’t prevent… and seeking the wisdom to know which is which.