Adventist Church inaugurated a medical school in Peru Lima/Peru | 03.10.2012 | Health & Ethics School to serve Northwest South America; Peruvian national is founding dean The Seventh-day Adventist Church inaugurated September 20 a medical school in Peru, the first Adventist school of medicine in the Northwestern region of South America. Church leaders said the School of Human Medicine at Peruvian Union University in Lima expands the church’s capacity for healthcare ministry in Peru and surrounding Spanish-speaking countries, an area with great demand for Adventist physicians. At
Ahead of ‘World No Tobacco Day,’ a call to rekindle Adventist anti-smoking efforts Geneva/Switzerland | 30.05.2012 | Health & Ethics Seventh-day Adventists need to reprioritize their historic anti-tobacco message, church health officials say. At the forefront of the smoking-cessation movement for decades, the church’s efforts have lately lost their edge, says Adventist world church Health Ministries Associate Director Dr. Peter Landless. The challenge to regroup comes as anti-smoking advocates gear up for this year’s World No Tobacco Day. The annual emphasis day, observed May 31 and sponsored by the World Health Organiz
Germany: 'Cradle' earns Adventist hospital chaplain national recognition Berlin/Germany | 27.11.2011 | Health & Ethics A Seventh-day Adventist hospital chaplain in Germany was recently awarded for offering distressed pregnant women a safe alternative to abandoning their babies. Gabriele Stangl, chaplain of Waldfriede Adventist Hospital in Berlin, received Germany's Medal of Merit this month for operating what hospital staff call the "cradle" (in German: Babyklappe), a padded box behind the hospital clinic accessible by a single unmonitored entrance where women can anonymously leave their unwanted babies.
New Zealand Adventists's join the alcohol campaign Auckland/New Zealand | 31.07.2010 | Health & Ethics The Seventh-day Adventist Church of New Zealand is taking a public stand in support of initiatives to dismantle New Zealand's heavy drinking culture. The Church has specifically endorsed the 5+ Solution based on the WHO sponsored publication “Alcohol: No Ordinary Commodity”. Paul Rankin, Health Director for the Adventist Church, speaking on behalf of the 12,000 adult baptized church members in New Zealand, said the Church backs the Law Commission’s recommendations and is hopeful the gove
In Kenya, Adventist leadership distancing itself from proposed abortion law <br> <br> Members expected to 'make informed decisions,' church official says Nairobi/Kenya | 11.05.2010 | Health & Ethics Seventh-day Adventist Church leadership in Kenya are not urging opposition or support for a proposed law that may relax abortion restrictions in the country, instead encouraging church members to vote according to their consciences. The law, part of a proposed constitution, is widely opposed by Kenya's Protestant Christian majority. Adventist Church leaders have distanced themselves from the opposition, specifically declining to participate in an ongoing campaign to amend the law's wording b
New smoking ban in Finland expected to pass by summer Helsinki/Finland | 31.01.2010 | Health & Ethics The Finnish government took further measures for public health earlier this month by proposing a ban on smoking in private cars with underage occupants and prohibiting stores from displaying tobacco products. While government statistics report that only 20 percent of the Finnish population smokes, the goal is to eliminate smoking entirely, said state Health Ministry secretary Ilkka Oksala in an interview with the BBC. Health experts for the Seventh-day Adventist Church supported the move,
Adventist world church, ADRA launch campaign to stop violence against women <br> <br> EndItNow signatures will go to UN Silver Spring, Maryland/USA | 20.10.2009 | Health & Ethics The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) and the Seventh-day Adventist Church's Women's Ministries department joined together to stop violence against women October 14 during the launch of a new advocacy campaign. Titled EndItNow, the campaign calls Adventists around the world to work in their communities to stop violence against women and girls, campaign organizers said. The EndItNow campaign features a signature drive, aiming for 1 million signatures representing each of the
Health statement positions Adventist Church to lobby on global issues Silver Spring, Maryland/USA | 18.10.2009 | Health & Ethics Seventh-day Adventist Health Ministries will now have greater emphasis on public health and possible partnerships with allied organizations, following action taken October 14 by the world church's Executive Committee. Adventist Church officials voted a recommended statement from a July conference, which brought together top Adventist Church leaders and World Health Organization (WHO) representatives to explore partnership possibilities for implementing public health initiatives. The statem
Adventist Church moves to strengthen partnerships with health organizations Geneva/Switzerland | 08.07.2009 | Health & Ethics Denomination's health focus can contribute to world heath goals, church president says The Seventh-day Adventist world church president July 7 called on Adventists to partner with other health organizations in offering primary healthcare globally, a request that urges the denomination's members and institutions to shed individualistic approaches to offering care in communities. World church president Jan Paulsen's remarks came on the opening day of a global health conference, which is expl
Global Conference on Health and Lifestyle in Geneva, July 6-11 Geneva/Switzerland, | 03.07.2009 | Health & Ethics From July 6 to 11, the city of Geneva (Switzerland) will host the Global Conference on Health and Lifestyle. The six-day international event, with the sub-title "An Exploration of Lifestyle in Primary and Spiritual Care", offers twenty tracts and seminars, over 250 presentations by 140 international specialists. Participants will receive latest scientific facts demonstrating how lifestyle choices impact primary medical and spiritual care to reduce medical costs, improve healthcare, and improve t
U.S. Faith groups welcome tobacco regulation <br> <br> Faith coalition cheer Congressional approval of FDA regulation of tobacco industry Washington D.C./USA | 22.06.2009 | Health & Ethics American Faith leaders have applauded U.S. Congress for its action approving landmark legislation authorizing the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to regulate tobacco products. "Better late than never, the Congress has responded decisively to pleas from medical and scientific experts and hundreds of religious leaders across the country to give the American consumer regulatory protection from the relentless marketing of this deadly health threat," said Wesley "Pat" Pattillo, the National C
Deadly Tobacco Products Devastate Developing World New York/Geneva | 27.05.2009 | Health & Ethics As World No Tobacco Day is commemorated on May 31, 2009, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) is calling for increased efforts to control the tobacco epidemic focusing on the developing world, where those least able to combat the deadly and debilitating effects of tobacco consumption are also the ones who are most at risk. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of death in the world. More than 80 percent of the world’s smok
Pitcairn Island, Fearful Of Flu, Closes Its Borders, Then Opens Them Again Adamstown, Pitcairn Islands, South Pacific Ocean | 05.05.2009 | Health & Ethics Tiny, isolated Pitcairn Island, which a few days ago sent out a world-wide invitation to visit its shores, on May 2 closed its borders due to the world-wide Swine flu scare. Some hours later, island officials downgraded the restriction to allow visitors who pass a local health check. Whereas an emergency meeting of the local population on May 2, resulted in a barring of all incoming maritime traffic, subsequently island officials have decided that yachties will be allowed ashore if they pass
In Mexico, Adventists cancel church services in wake of swine flu outbreak Mexico City, Mexico | 30.04.2009 | Health & Ethics In the wake of the swine flu outbreak, which has, according a report from the World Health Organization (WHO), claimed 57 lives in Mexico, the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the country is taking measures to reduce the probability of an outbreak reaching its institutions and churches. Mexico's four major church regions have cancelled church services throughout its 2,571 churches and suspended classes in the 230 Adventist schools and two universities, following the federal government's mandat
Adventists join Interfaith group collaborating efforts against malaria Washington, D.C.,/USA | 29.04.2009 | Health & Ethics Members of faith groups from around the world, including representatives from the Seventh-day Adventist Church, are coordinating efforts to slow the spread of and eventually eradicate malaria. The One World Against Malaria Summit met April 24 in Washington, D.C. to discuss methods of partnering with government organizations and also between various faith communities. During the summit, a group of Muslim and Christian leaders announced the Nigerian Interfaith Action Association against mal
After 200-Year Prohibition Liquor Now Flows On Pitcairn Island Adamstown, Pitcairn Islands/South Pacific | 10.04.2009 | Health & Ethics The tiny Pitcairn Island, home to some 60 descendants of the sailors of the famed mutiny on the Bounty - which hasn't had too good a history with the stuff in the past - now has laws permitting the consumption of alcoholic beverages. An ordinance permitting the sale and consumption of liquor on Pitcairn has been signed by the island's Wellington-based governor on March 17, 2009. It carries the weight of law on the island. Interestingly enough, the ordinance prohibits the consumption of liquo
Australian Adventists welcome ban on junk food television ads Wahroonga, New South Wales/Australia | 08.09.2008 | Health & Ethics The Seventh-day Adventist Church in the South Pacific has welcomed the State Governments call for junk food and drink advertisers to agree to an Australia-wide voluntary withdrawal of their advertisements in children’s television viewing times. South Australian Health Minister John Hill said the Government will implement a voluntary ban first, but if that does not curb the number of advertisements, then it will legislate. Mr Hill says banning the advertising of soft drinks and foods high i
Adventist Church to develop partnership with Pan American health organization Silver Spring, Maryland/USA | 15.04.2008 | Health & Ethics The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) is seeking to engage in partnerships with Faith-Based Organizations (FBOs), including the Seventh-day Adventist Church's Health Ministries, as part of their effort to connect with FBOs who deliver as much as 40 percent of health care in many developing nations. PAHO, the World Health Organization's regional office in North and South America, is based in Washington, D.C., and has scientific and technical experts at its headquarters, in its 27 country
Doors close for Christian college at U.S. health institute Weimar, California/USA | 05.02.2008 | Health & Ethics Citing financial reasons, board members of Weimar Institute of Health & Education in Northern California announced in a statement last month that the self-supporting Christian college known internationally for its eight-step, 18-day NEWSTART health recovery and disease prevention program will close its doors on June 20. The NEWSTART program hinged on many of the healthy lifestyle principles -- including proper nutrition, exercise and temperance -- advocated by the Seventh-day Adventist Churc
WHO seeks Adventists among faith-based groups for renewed partnership Geneva/Washington | 10.01.2008 | Health & Ethics The World Health Organization (WHO), based in Geneva, has asked Seventh-day Adventist health leaders to join its initial consultations as it prepares to renew partnerships with faith-based organizations. After 30 years of shying away from such affiliation, WHO, under its new director-general, Dr. Margaret Chan, is actively seeking to reach groups that can more effectively implement global health goals, health officials said. Adventist leaders and WHO officials said the Adventist Church was
British Adventist Woman Receives National Honor London/United Kingdom | 07.12.2007 | Health & Ethics A Seventh-day Adventist woman has received the queen of England's recognition for her community service. Joan Saddler, a member of the Hampstead Adventist Church and the London Adventist Chorale, received the Order of the British Empire (OBE) from Queen Elizabeth II during a ceremony on December 6 at Buckingham Palace. [img id=1109 align=left]Saddler was recognized for her promotion of equality and diversity in healthcare, volunteer service, and for her work with the Adventist Development
Christian communication rights group calls for public role for HIV+ people in churches Toronto/London, | 30.11.2007 | Health & Ethics The World Association for Christian Communication (WACC) is calling on its members and partners to encourage their faith communities and their local media to make visible the contributions of people living with HIV and AIDS in parish and community life. In a statement issued today, the organisation's General Secretary, the Rev. Randy Naylor says, "Men and women living with HIV and AIDS make daily contributions to the life of their faith communities. Sadly, these contributions are not always
Australia: National Health Conference Encourages Health Professionals To Discuss Spirituality With Patients Adelaide, South Australia/Australia | 11.09.2007 | Health & Ethics The Second Australian Conference on Spirituality and Health encouraged health professionals to discuss their patients’ spiritual beliefs and to pray with them if patients asked. More than 300 health professionals, academics and pastoral workers attended the conference initiated and organised by the South Australian branch of Adventist Health. It was held in late August at the Festival Theatre in Adelaide. “Physicians should take the spiritual history of their patients and identify their sp
South Africa: Grandmothers with HIV, AIDS Find Support in Churches Johannesburg/ South Africa | 25.05.2007 | Health & Ethics Young people are not the only ones living with HIV or AIDS. Yet when one thinks of the spread of HIV and AIDS, particularly in Africa, the image that usually comes to mind is that of young parents leaving behind orphaned children. "No one thinks of older people contracting the disease," says Dr. Eugenia Giordano, associate director for Johannesburg-based Adventist AIDS Ministry (AAIM). "But there is a subset of specifically grandmothers living with HIV or AIDS." As Dr. Giordano and her h
United Kingdom: Clerics fume over 'No Smoking' signs at churches London/United Kingdom, | 24.05.2007 | Health & Ethics When legislation banning smoking in public places comes into force in the United Kingdom on July 1, even cathedrals must have signs at the door warning people smoking is forbidden inside. Wedding cars and hearses will also have to display signs. The crematorium and associated bereavement services, which are run by the city council, have been non-smoking for 15 years. When the ban on smoking in public places comes into force it will be an offence not to display signs at all entrances to pu
Faith-based organizations play Key Role in African HIV/AIDS Fight Washington D.C./USA | 14.02.2007 | Health & Ethics Faith-based organizations (FBOs) are playing a key role in the fight against HIV/AIDS in Africa, a new United Nations (UN) report has said. According to an important study released February 8 by the World Health Organization (WHO) at the National Cathedral in Washington DC, efforts are needed to encourage greater collaboration between public health agencies and faith-based organizations (FBOs), if progress is to be made towards the goal of universal access towards HIV prevention, treatment, c
Pomegranate juice may reduce Alzheimer’s risk, Says Researcher Loma Linda, California/USA | 22.12.2006 | Health & Ethics "Before you gulp down that eggnog or spicy apple cider this holiday season, take a moment to consider what your drink can do for your brain. If you opt for a glass of pomegranate juice, you may be staving off Alzheimer's disease", says Dr. Richard Harman, lead researcher and author of a study released last month by U.S. based Loma Linda University (LLU) in collaboration with Washington University researchers. "This study is the first to show beneficial effects (both behavioral and neuropatho
ADRA Fights HIV and AIDS in Togo Lomé/Togo | 01.12.2006 | Health & Ethics The international non-governmental organization Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) is combating the spread of HIV and AIDS in Togo through educational programs that raise awareness about HIV and AIDS. According to the Integrated Regional Information Network (IRIN), Togo, a small country of five million people, has the third highest prevalence of HIV and AIDS in West Africa with some 200,000 HIV-positive people in Togo. ADRA Togo’s HIV and AIDS awareness project, implemented in
Adventist "Women" of the Year 2006: Medical Doctor and HIV/AIDS Worker in South Africa Awarded Seattle, Washington/USA | 18.10.2006 | Health & Ethics During a banquet on October 14 at the 24th Annual Conference of Association of Adventist Women (AAW) in Seattle, Washington (USA), Argentinian born Dr. Eugenia Lopez-Sustache Giordano, associate director of the Adventist AIDS International Ministry (AAIM), has received a "Woman of the Year" award from the Association of Adventist Women (AAW). AAW is an independent group that considers itself an advocate for women in the church. Dr. Eugenia Giordano’s work focuses on women and children. In the la
Australia: Adventist-owned Weet-Bix is Australia Phillip, Australia's Capital Territory/Australia | 28.09.2006 | Health & Ethics An iconic cereal born from the Seventh-day Adventist church's health message is Australia's favorite trademark for the 100 years that nation has been registering brand names. [img id=813 align=right]Weet-Bix, produced by church-owned Sanitarium Health Food Company in Berkeley Vale, New South Wales, was voted the country's most cherished brand in a survey conducted by IP Australia, the federal agency that registers trademarks. The brand beat out nine others, including the Australian Broadcast
U.S. National Council of Churches chosen for faith-based health care survey New York/USA | 30.05.2006 | Health & Ethics The first nationwide, in-depth, systematic study of health services provided by religious communities is being undertaken by the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA (NCCUSA). The project will survey more than 100,000 congregations to determine the level of health care education, delivery, and advocacy being offered. The study, made possible by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, will be conducted by the Rev. Dr. Eileen W. Lindner [pictured], deputy general secretary
Adventist Healthcare Is About 'Whole Person Care,' says Loma Linda University Chief Loma Linda, California/USA | 26.04.2006 | Health & Ethics Dr. Lyn Behrens relies on a host of people to do her job. As president of Loma Linda University's (LLU)Adventist Health Sciences Center, she has recognized her strengths as well as the ones she lacks. "I don't try [to] be someone that I'm not," she says, explaining that she relies on a team with "expertise in the areas I don't [have expertise]. "I don't ever hire or invite people to be part of our team that aren't the best we can possibly find to help fulfill the mission here. And it makes a
33 percent of Fiji prostitutes are school students shows survey Suva/Fiji | 30.03.2006 | Health & Ethics A survey in Fiji has found that 33 percent of women engaged in the sex trade are school students. The survey was carried out by the Save the Children Fund (SCF) whose director of programmes, Margaret Logavatu said many of these students are those from outer islands sent to Suva for education. The non-governmental organisation was shocked by the survey. Save the Children is the world’s largest independent global movement for children. Save the Children Fiji has discovered that the more tour
Helping HIV/AIDS Victims; Church Programs Expand to Rwanda Kibuye/Rwanda, | 18.01.2006 | Health & Ethics HIV/AIDS is on the rise and there is a community of people that now, more than ever, need to be told about God's love. An estimated 40 million people worldwide are living with the disease, according to the United Nations. The Seventh-day Adventist Church has long opened its hospitals to serving those infected with the HIV/AIDS virus, but more recently the protestant mainstream world communion has also opened its church doors. The local church is committed to uniting words of hope with hope i
Malawi: Kids Say 'No' to HIV/AIDS Through TV Show Blantyre, Malawi | 13.01.2006 | Health & Ethics The "monster" is big, grey, and boxy with huge, sharp, white teeth, and is intent on swallowing its victims whole. Parents may have heard this description before when their children talk about that "monster" in the closet or under the bed. This time, however, the monster does not only reside in the imaginations of children. The monster is very real and, while it is not huge and ominous-looking in real life, its effects are. The monster is in fact a miniscule virus that killed millions across Sub
Health: Loma Linda University, LLU Medical Center Mark Centennial Loma Linda, California/USA, | 21.12.2005 | Health & Ethics In 1905, Albert Einstein published the Special Theory of Relativity, the first jukebox was invented, and, on a small hill in Southern California called Loma Linda, a dream began. The Seventh-day Adventist-owned Loma Linda University and Loma Linda University Medical Center (LLUMC), celebrate the fulfillment of that dream with its 100th anniversary this year. Officials at the institution say the unwavering dedication of those who promoted healthful living and provided care for the sick ha
Largest Medical Missions Conference in World Celebrates 10th Anniversary Louisville, Kentucky/USA | 20.10.2005 | Health & Ethics Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization to Host HIV/AIDS Consultations November 11-12 in US city of Louisville The Global Missions Health Conference is the largest event of its kind in the world. This year the GMHC celebrates its 10th anniversary, Nov. 11-12, at Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, Kentucky/USA. For the first time the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization (LCWE) will host the North American Consultation on the Role of the Church in the HIV/AIDS Pandemic, No
Adventist Church Holds First International HIV and AIDS Conference Berrien Springs, Michigan/USA | 04.08.2005 | Health & Ethics "HIV and AIDS Call to Compassion", the first international conference of its kind held by the Seventh-day Adventist Church, took place at U.S. based Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan, from June 23 to June 27, 2005. The conference was held in conjunction with an International Church Planting Conference on the same campus and focused on church planting from a world-in-need perspective. Between 75 and 100 people from around the world, including directors of various church ministri
Philippines: Government and Adventists in Healthy Lifestyle Festival Cebu City, Philippines, | 17.06.2005 | Health & Ethics Bringing better health to Central Philippines was the goal of a recent collaboration between Seventh-day Adventists and the Philippines government's Department of Health. The two-day "Healthy Lifestyle Festival" brought more than 2,000 participants to the campus of East Visayan Academy in Talisay City, Cebu, Central Philippines. Three hundred volunteers from the government and Adventist hospitals assisted in the festival, which offered "one-stop" health services and featured strategies for m
Adventist Health Addresses HIV/AIDS in the South Pacific Lae/Papua New Guinea | 10.06.2005 | Health & Ethics "HIV/AIDS in Papua New Guinea is no longer a problem, but a crisis," reported Gad Koito, director of health ministries for the Papua New Guinea Union Mission (PNGUM), quoting Papua New Guinea’s Minister for Health. "And as a church, we have started very late," he added. His comments were part of a report from the Commission on HIV/AIDS established by the church's administrative South Pacific Division (SPD), delivered to the SPD executive committee’s midyear meeting. At present, 12,000 HIV/AI
ADRA Distributes Free World No Tobacco Day Kits Silver Spring, Maryland/USA | 19.05.2005 | Health & Ethics To commemorate World No Tobacco Day on May 31, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) is providing free World No Tobacco Day kits. The kits include a poster, announcements, ADRA tobacco-free project updates and activity ideas. A free video and lapel stickers are also offered. The materials promote a tobacco-free lifestyle and educate on the impact of tobacco, especially on developing countries. The kits can be downloaded at www.adra.org or be requested by calling in the USA 1.80
Lesotho: Sewing Teaches Women with HIV/AIDS Self-Sufficiency Maseru, Lesotho | 12.05.2005 | Health & Ethics In a region where poverty and HIV/AIDS are inextricably linked, a recent workshop in Lesotho taught women sewing skills as a means of income generation. The "Workshop on Sewing for HIV Positive Women" is a small but significant step towards self-sufficiency where a third of the tiny country's adult population is living with HIV/AIDS. Twenty-four women attended the six-day workshop organized by Dr. Eugenia Giordano, associate director of Adventist - AIDS International Ministry (AAIM) and Hari
North American Adventist Health Study Searches for Link Between Diet and Cancer Loma Linda, California/USA | 17.04.2005 | Health & Ethics Lydia Newton from the U.S. State of Arizona belongs to a small but growing club. At age 112, she is one of an estimated 180,000 people around the world who are a hundred years and older. Newton is also one of the 26 centenarians participating in the second Seventh-day Adventist Health Study conducted by researchers at the California based School of Public Health, Loma Linda University, in partnership with Oakwood College and the Seventh-day Adventist church in USA and Canada. The school is r
Caribbean: Thousands Pledge to Avoid Tobacco, Alcohol and Other Harmful Substances Silver Spring, Maryland/USA | 08.02.2005 | Health & Ethics The word "temperance" may bring to mind the 1920s prohibition era in the United States of America (USA) where the government instituted laws against the sale and consumption of alcohol, but for members of the Seventh-day Adventist church, the practice is still relevant today. Part of recognizing the addictive and general harmful nature of alcohol and smoking is signing a temperance pledge, church officials say. More than 4,500 people signed the pledge in the Caribbean during the last two wee
Britain: Adventists Join in Protest of Watford, Hertfordshire, U.K. | 19.01.2005 | Health & Ethics Britain's 24,000 Seventh-day Adventists were among many in this nation of 60 million who saw little humor in a recent television portrayal of a controversy between Christ and Satan. Instead, they saw blasphemy. A British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) telecast of "Jerry Springer -- The Opera," taken from a hit musical stage play in London's West End, reportedly featured an obscenity-laden "shouting match" between a diaper-wearing actor portraying Jesus Christ and another portraying Satan. Su
Canada: Adventists Call for Prayer on Marriage Issue Oshawa, Ontario, Canada | 19.01.2005 | Health & Ethics "Our community needs to seek God's guidance on the issue of marriage," says Pastor Dan Jackson, president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Canada. Jackson is calling on all Seventh-day Adventist churches across Canada to have a special day of prayer on January 29 (Saturday). "Canada is about to make a monumental decision on our cultural framework by redefining marriage to include any two persons," he said. This is a social experiment with unforeseen consequences that will affect our childr
HIV/AIDS Pandemic Spreads, Adventist Church in Africa Aims to Help Johannesburg, South Africa | 19.01.2005 | Health & Ethics The numbers are going up every minute -- literally -- for the roster of people contracting HIV/AIDS. Globally, 11 people contract HIV every minute and, every minute, six die from AIDS. Nearly 40 million worldwide are living with HIV/AIDS, according to the Adventist Development and Relief Agency's (ADRA) 2004 DVD "The Face of AIDS," and health experts believe it is likely to surpass the bubonic plague, the deadliest-ever pandemic, within the next 10 years. ADRA's statistics also estimate
Adventist Health Professionals Say Smoking Cessation Requires Complete Program Loma Linda, California/USA | 21.11.2004 | Health & Ethics With many options for ending the fatal habit of smoking, millions have found that trying to quit using only one of the following methods: support groups, taking medicines, or using nicotine replacement aids such as the patch or gum, is not enough, said Dr. Linda Hyder Ferry, M.P.H., in a recent interview. Ferry is a Seventh-day Adventist pioneer in the field of smoking cessation and the primary consultant for the booklet "Tobacco: You Can Be Free," which came out in June. Ferry added, o
International Temperance Role of Adventists to Continue Auckland, New Zealand | 12.08.2004 | Health & Ethics Seventh-day Adventists continue to influence the international temperance movement with the election of a church leader to the World Woman's Christian Temperance Union, or WWCTU. Joy Butler is the WWCTU's new director of Christian outreach. She accepted the position at the organization's 36th triennial convention, held recently in Auckland, New Zealand. "I have had misgivings about the WWCTU, but attending the convention has strengthened my commitment to it," says Butler, the director of
International Adventist Nurses' Convention Met in Coventry Coventry, U.K. | 19.07.2004 | Health & Ethics From July 12 to 16 a major Adventist Nurses' Convention was held at the Royal Court Hotel near Coventry. The event was organised by the Seventh-day Adventist General Conference Health Ministries department and U.S. based Loma Linda University School of Nursing, in conjunction with the British Union Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church Health Ministries department. It was largely funded by "The Ralph and Carolyn Thompson Charitable Foundation" and was attended by around sixty people fro
Adventist World Church Works With WHO On Antiretroviral Treatment Geneva/Switzerland | 30.06.2004 | Health & Ethics Religious denominations in Africa are being told to emulate Seventh-day Adventist churches as models "of health and healing and treatment" for HIV/AIDS patients, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The WHO, an agency of the United Nations, recently made special mention of Adventist churches, whose emphasis on healthy living has been a hallmark of its message since its earliest days. "As a special recognition of the work of the Adventist communities, [the WHO committee] also a
ADRA Encourages World No Tobacco Day Observance Silver Spring, MD, USA | 28.05.2004 | Health & Ethics The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) International is urging the observance of World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) on May 31 by making resources available that raise awareness of the impact and dangers of tobacco use and what individuals can do to play an active role in commemorating the day. "Although ADRA’s worldwide anti-tobacco programs are making great progress, much more remains to be done," stated Charles Sandefur, president of ADRA International. "I encourage individuals and le
100 Countries Have Now Signed UN Tobacco-Control Treaty Geneva/Switzerland | 28.03.2004 | Health & Ethics One hundred countries representing 4.5 billion people have signed the global treaty aimed at curbing tobacco use, which now claims nearly 5 million lives every year and causes an estimated annual net loss of $200 billion in treatment and lost productivity, the United Nations health agency WHO reported March 25. With the signatures of Ecuador and the Republic of Congo, 100 countries and the European Community have now signed the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. The convention, unani
World No Tobacco Day 2004 Geneva/Switzerland | 28.03.2004 | Health & Ethics The Tobacco Free Initiative proposes that World No Tobacco Day 2004 focus on tobacco and poverty. The contribution of tobacco to death and disease is well documented. Less attention is given to the ways in which tobacco increases poverty. Tobacco is the fourth most common risk factor for disease worldwide. The economic costs of tobacco use are equally devastating. In addition to the high public health costs of treating tobacco-caused diseases, tobacco kills people at the height of their pr
Adventists Support WHO Tobacco Control Treaty Silver Spring, MD, USA | 04.07.2003 | Health & Ethics "As smoking rates decline in the United States of America and other western nations, the tobacco industry has aggressively targeted developing nations to find new customers for its deadly products." (Campaign for Tabacco Free Kids) At the opening ceremony on June 16 in Geneva, 28 countries signed the new global tobacco treaty. This treaty was adopted last month by all 192 Member States of the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO). The first international treaty, the Framework Conv
