Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Indigenous health problems - a modern tragedy

For many years, I wanted on the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait in Australia modern and that we as a society can have and not have done writing health problems in the attack of a hit modern lifestyle Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.

Many of my readers do not realize they have Aboriginal ancestry. I can make my lineage ascend Drew, a very important family in the Macleay River Dhungutti region, near what is now Kempsey, Tennis New South Wales, from the early 1800s attracted the public was good in most language groups Australia was on time and through travel and wedding took Drew, in close relationship with most tribes.

My personal journey, my ancestors connections culture and Dhungutti identification, exposes the terrible reality that the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait in the 21st century, Australia. I think that's all of us, indigenous and non-indigenous to support the implementation of strategies, and do what is, what we have to do to repair the damage that was done to my people.

Prior to this discussion so far, I would like to clarify that this is a process "without error". Guilt and try to appropriate compensation for past injustices is not the way to improve the health of the first Australians. It is a minefield of political, social and racial to be played at national and international levels to combat the injustices of the past and present, but his health status of Aboriginal and Torres Strait necessarily independent of this process.

The main health problems of indigenous peoples today are the diseases facing excess and are symptomatic of modern life. They are:

Obesity

Cardiovascular disease

Type 2 diabetes

Race

There are dozens of more serious and chronic glaucoma, with debilitating health effects of disease victim, but these four items are priced when it comes to reducing the health and premature death.

The most frustrating thing is all these chronic diseases that are preventable and reversible. The quality of diet, regular exercise and good mental health are all the ingredients necessary to remove these killers.

This is the part where many readers think: If "Yes, it's a great idea, but the government has pumped billions of dollars in setting the Indigenous Health and nothing has changed, why change now.?" I want to be thinking in this regard, the reasons for this, but look at the big picture and put all this "help" in context.

Conventional wisdom in the late 1800s and subsequent years, said that indigenous peoples were very primitive are to understand today's society and treated and kept as pets or small children. I'm not trying to generate debate simply say what reality was. He arrived just as the hour governments marked protection, indigenous white employees "with" indigenous peoples were and their business. The level of protection were also part of the food "civilized" of Aboriginal people in their care. "Civilized" Food has become Maccas, KFC and other fast food nutrients bankrupt.

Today we do not have to do the "head case" for all of our decisions for us, and for the most part, we are free to go our business, what we want. In fact, indigenous people living in cities by non-indigenous population melted are not even aware that they have Indian blood. but unfortunately, there are still a large number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait who grew up in neighborhoods and reserves and low socio-economic environments in which the welfare culture and "protect" the chief Fella not more than 100 years, except the introduction of fast food restaurants moved.

The key to getting out of this worldly mentality and the belief that "it is my destiny, I'll put up with it," is for everyone to understand more about Aboriginal culture, spirituality and the power and the dream to make decisions that take into account all these factors.

For each of the aborigines, family and country are the beginning and the end, when it comes to our identity, wealth and well-being. The Dreaming, as our elders say, laws and spiritual beliefs which we live. If you go out of our family or our country is our mental health to suffer, and continue our physical health. We are so disconnected from everything that identifies us and gives substance to our existence, we are victims of depression and anxiety and take drugs and / or alcohol as a way to fill the void frequently. Many young people turn to crime and when they were stopped looking for other indigenous peoples, the next step to be "family" was put back in prison for the city.

Understanding these strong ties to family and country gives us the opportunity to find new forms of education, advocacy, employment and social services. I'm not talking about being the last thing you need is to speak Aboriginal communities. What I am talking about is something that should be addressed in a number of different levels.

1. Government

Federal, state and territory in Australia have all political office declared in creating jobs and attract business investment in Australia. Create incentives for companies with factories in or near remote Aboriginal communities incentives to employ local labor, to find a solution to provide two important issues for indigenous peoples; 1. Employment in the family; eliminates the need for family and country to go out to work; and 2. The disposal of large blocks of downtime that could otherwise be filled with alcohol and / or drugs. This not only new possibilities of direct jobs will be created, there would be hundreds of direct jobs created in the construction of roads and infrastructure to support new business.

2. Local Government

The role of local government is important because consultants are community leaders who live and work among their constituents. These organizations have the ability to coordinate and support health initiatives in the grassroots level and fitness. I need to get local initiatives, such as those produced in the Community, sets managed by the Community as well as the complete list of all the cultural issues that occur. Other initiatives in non-staple level are usually the result of a well-meaning but misinformed official meeting in an office somewhere in the capital and the community does not "buy" with no connection to the principles of idea and therefore do not it does feel involved.

3. Local communities

I had great success with the introduction of a wide range of local people for exercise, diet and enjoy a healthy lifestyle, simply giving them the opportunity to participate, only to peer pressure and the advantage of knowledge. I met all the elderly in the community and asked him to come to me my Boot Camps, encouraging people and help them see with an example. Also found special rates negotiated for a group of students and trainees with local center Aboriginal fitness and personal recommendations, advice and encouragement. The secret of success of these two programs have been supporting the elderly and the fact that the initiative came from the community is not a stranger.

I received a scholarship to a young Aboriginal people to complete a double degree in commerce and fitness. A prerequisite for granting the scholarship eventually returns to the community and establish a personal training business and fitness group in the community, for the community. To do this, older people have a boxing gym and weightlifting available on site and subsidies to cover the cost of bus fare for the individual. Physical exercise and the need for nutritional counseling is now available and comes from one of them.

This is just one example of how sustainable changes can be done and how each of us has the power to make that change. This is a new generation coming in a measurable and sustainable improvements, but if we do nothing, that's exactly what will happen; nothing.

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