Guardian Group Benefits’ Post

April is Alcohol Awareness Month, highlighting the need for understanding alcohol's impact. Every year in the U.S., alcohol is linked to over 200 health conditions and nearly 178,000 deaths. However, these risks are often overlooked in healthcare. The Core Resource on Alcohol aids healthcare professionals by providing evidence-based information on alcohol and health. https://1l.ink/N3V7J24 #HealthIsWellness #WellnessPath

"Kiwis want a world where children can... walk to school without being exposed to cheap liquor outlets or vape shops on every corner,” We agree! and support Professor Lisa Te Morenga, Co-Chair of Health Coalition Aotearoa 's critique of the Government Policy Statement (GPS) on health, setting out the Government’s expectations for the next three years. Of particular interest to those of us advocating to protect children from the harms of vaping and nicotine, are Professor Te Morenga's calls for the Government to: "Urgently strengthen vaping laws to protect rangatahi from nicotine addiction. Ditch its plan to allow oral nicotine products to be sold. Commit to meaningful lobbying regulations. Bring back our internationally lauded smokefree laws to rapidly end the deadly addiction to smoking in all population groups." "When it comes to policy and legislation this Government has made it clear its primary concern is for business profitability, even when this will have detrimental impacts on health." Visit vapefreekidsnz.org for our links and to add your voice to support stronger protections for our kids from Big Tobacco in Aotearoa. https://lnkd.in/gk5Ex54p

Read the comments thread for more super-interesting stuff.

Tobacco smoking poses a significant public health threat worldwide. Our Head of Tobacco Harm Reduction, Ben Illidge explains: “Designing and implementing strategies for eliminating or reducing the consumption of tobacco products presents a significant challenge due to regional discrepancies in availability, awareness, efficacy, and legal status of THR interventions.” Our recent project in collaboration with Inter Scientific and funded by Global Action to End Smoking (GA), evaluates the most efficacious interventions in the complex landscape of tobacco harm reduction, authored by Ben Kelsey, Natalie Searle, ANA CARBALLO, and David Lawson. Download our white paper for the full insights ➡️ https://lnkd.in/e4EXRwJ5 #Healthcare #Research #SmokingCessation #TobaccoHarmReduction

While it is important to recognise and highlight the differences between smoking and drinking, it is incorrect to say that there is a 'safe level' of alcohol consumption. Helen Whately MP, the World Health Organization has for years stated that there is no safe level: https://lnkd.in/erDuKUpt If we "want to fully embrace preventative care" as you rightly highlight, there are many evidence-based policies to reduce alcohol consumption and harm that would support this agenda. The Alcohol Health Alliance's manifesto explains many of these: https://lnkd.in/eVESSwa4

🧠 Wise Health Consumer Month: Ensure your patients know the risks of tobacco use and that there is treatment. Prioritize tobacco use dependence treatment for a wiser and healthier future. Connect with your Regional Tobacco Control Specialist at nyhealthsystems.org to make informed choices. 💙🚭 #WiseHealthConsumer #HealthEducation #TobaccoFreeNY

In our latest health insight article, we delve into the complex relationship between alcoholism and erectile dysfunction. An important read for healthcare professionals and anyone looking to understand the broader impacts of excessive alcohol consumption. #HealthcareInsight #ProfessionalHealth #AlcoholAndHealth https://lnkd.in/g7Ax7ayC

A tale of four countries: The UK and NZ governments actively encourage adult smokers to switch to safer nicotine alternatives.* The US govt actively confuses adult smokers about relative risks. And the Australian govt actively discourages adult smokers from switching to safer alternatives. *The UK Public Health Service not only actively encourages switching, but is now handing out one million free nicotine vapes to adult smokers as a public health intervention. Yes: One million. The results of these four country "experiments" (with no informed consent) are easy to see. By "no informed consent," I mean that the little niche field of tobacco control has now convinced 50%-60% of adult smokers in all four countries that all tobacco or nicotine products are equally harmful. Which is not only demonstrably false, but literally, like convincing 50%-60% of people with high blood pressure that their BP meds are as harmful as a heart attack.

🚭 Calling Decision Makers in Healthcare! Transform your organization into a hub of wellness by championing tobacco use disorder treatment. Despite progress, tobacco use remains a significant health threat. Implement evidence-based strategies to drive treatment, improve patient/client outcomes, and reduce costs. Let's lead the charge for a tobacco-free future! Connect with your Regional Tobacco Control Specialist at nyhealthsystems.org. 💙🏥 #TobaccoFreeNY