Dorothy – 2/10/98
An interview with Joy Ashenden of Church Corner Natural Foods.
New Zealanders are turning to complementary medicine to cure short term ills and for long term preventive health care.
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Joy Ashenden |
We all know that confidence in the New Zealand public health system is at a low ebb and after I talked to Joy it was clear to me that many New Zealanders are taking extra care to maintain their health by using complementary health measures against both serious diseases and minor ailments.
This practice falls into two areas – short term preventive care against seasonal illnesses such as colds and influenza, and long term preventive care, for example using good quality antioxidants to reduce damage from free radicals, the environmental pollutants that we are faced with every day from the food we eat and the air we breathe.
When Joy bought the business she expected her clients to be mainly in their twenties and thirties. She thought that older people might be sceptical about the value of complementary health measures and prefer to buy the patent medicines used in their younger days.
She is quick to admit that her expectations were wrong and that many older people are among her customers. She has been quite humbled by their knowledge of complementary remedies and the way they have often taught her about them.
Joy’s motivation for buying the business She had been involved in the corporate world and wanted to make a change away from that world which no longer held her interest and where she was no longer comfortable. She was being driven by stress and began looking at other ways of living. Her experience of complementary medicine before she bought the business had been from the outside, through the experience of friends, but she comprehended its value and has enjoyed the steep learning curve that has followed her entry into the health food business.
New Zealand health products Joy takes care to offer her customers choice in their purchases. Most choose to buy the New Zealand made products if they are available. Products mentioned in this article are produced and/or marketed in New Zealand unless otherwise stated.
What do the customers buy most often? For short term health care In the colder months for short term improvement in health people buy products to build the immune system to combat winter ills.
The biggest seller in the winter is Thompson’s Immunofort, which contains vitamins, minerals, herbs, amino acids (designed to fortify the body’s immune defence system), antioxidants and echinacea. There has been increasing awareness in recent years of this herb which combats infection and builds the immune system, and the demand for it has been high in 1998.
Good quality, odourless garlic and Vitamin C are also popular. A non-acid form of Vitamin C is a wise choice as it does not upset the stomach. When a cold is developing tablets containing Vitamin C, garlic, echinacea, and zinc are very beneficial. A big boost of tablets containing this combination is very effective in combating a cold.
Women at the menopause Many women who do not want to take the risk of having Hormone Replacement Therapy are searching for an alternative remedy for problems at the menopause. A lot of women are taking products like Thompson’s Menopause Support or Good Health’s Femone which contain phyto-oestrogen. Some products contain St John’s Wort which helps those with mood swings or mild to moderate depression. In Germany St John’s Wort outsells Prozac in a ratio of more than twenty to one.
Men with prostate problems Staff will suggest complementary remedies for these men only if they are being tested to ensure that the problems are not caused by cancer. If the cancer tests are negative many men are helped by taking Thompson’s Prostate or two imported products, Kordel’s Prostaguard or Radiance Prostaid.
Anxiety For anxiety problems Kava, produced in the Pacific Islands and marketed by Healtheries, is being used more and more. Often what appears to be depression is actually severe anxiety.
Sleep problems Many people prefer not to ask the doctor for sleeping pills which may be habit forming and choose instead to take Bullivants’ Sleep-ezy, Healtheries’ Kava Kalm, Red Seal’s Insomnia or Thompson’s Restful Sleep.
Allergies For hay fever and sinus problems homoeopathic remedies produced by Naturopharm or Weleda are frequently recommended. For sinus problems and hay fever, a tablet with horse radish, garlic and vitamin C produced by Blackmores has proved very effective.
An increasing number of people are discovering that they are allergic to gluten and need to eat gluten-free products. Imported goods, often rice based, are used to meet this need.
For those with a dairy allergy, who are often children, soy milk, rice milk and lactose-reduced milk powder compensates to some extent for the lack of dairy products, but these need to be combined with additional calcium.
Manuka Honey used for healing Comvita Active 10+ Manuka Honey, a New Zealand product now known worldwide, is an extra premium grade of Manuka honey. It contains an active antibacterial ingredient which has 2.5 times the bacteria killing power of standard antiseptic. It is in a natural form which is safe and easily absorbed.
It is used to treat cuts, burns and skin ulcers. It contains a natural antibiotic which inhibits the growth of bacteria, it stimulates tissue growth, absorbs moisture, provides nutrients, and creates a healing barrier.
Nectar Ease – a combination of manuka and bee venom has a high success rate in the treatment of arthritis. It should not, however, be taken by diabetics or people with cardio-vascular problems and high blood pressure.
For long term care ENZogenol – a New Zealand antioxidant ENZogenol is a powerful formulation of antioxidants. It is a New Zealand product, developed by researchers at the University of Canterbury. It is made from the bark of young pinus radiata trees grown in New Zealand’s sub-alpine environment in the complete absence of pesticides and chemical fertilisers in the pure soil, water and air.
A book is supplied with each purchase of ENZogenol tablets – “Fighting Free Radicals – The ENZogenol Story” In the opening chapter particular emphasis is put on the fact that “This extraction method ensures that a number of significant groups of antioxidants, lost in conventional solvent-based processes, are harvested in … exactly the same ratios to each other as exist inside the bark itself.”
Taking antioxidants helps to combat the free radicals to which we are exposed. These come from many sources – the increase in the levels of UV radiation with the thinning of the ozone layer, electromagnetic radiation, the chemicals in manufactured goods in our homes, cigarette smoke, motor vehicle emissions, and the stress under which most of us are living.
Some people use ENZogenol therapeutically for conditions like arthritis and other diseases that cause painful joints, for digestive problems, and for skin problems. Long term it is being taken as a preventative against health problems which are thought to result from the action of free radicals – coronary heart disease, stroke, cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, cataracts, and Alzheimer’s.
People who have tested the effects of taking ENZogenol have reported such results as a decrease in the pain from arthritis, improvement in skin conditions, increased mobility after a stroke, freedom from previously frequent migraines and nausea, and increased energy and a sense of well being.
However, taking a long term preventative does not necessarily show obvious results. It could be described as being like an insurance policy for the body.
ENZogenol was released on to the market only at the beginning of August. It is already proving to be a very big seller. It is available in two forms – a capsule containing only ENZogenol, or a tablet which combines ENZogenol, vitamins A, C and E and selenium.
There is a serious lack of selenium in soils in Canterbury and in areas in other countries, so it is wise for those concerned about preserving good health to find out whether there is an adequate level of selenium in the soil in their area.
Flax seed oil Fresh New Zealand flax seed oil, produced from flax grown in Canterbury, is taken as a preventive measure, and being rich in antioxidants helps to prevent coronary heart disease, cancer, arthritis, and skin problems, and to assist people to cope with stress. It is also valuable for easing stiff joints. A regular small dose of flax seed oil has enabled a customer to return to playing tennis at age seventy after stiff hips had made playing too painful for him to continue. It can be taken from a spoon as a medicine or used in blender creations, in breakfast muesli or dressings or dips.
Customers’ needs Knowledge of natural health products is steadily increasing in the community, so over half the customers come into the shop knowing exactly what they want. Some 30% need the assistance of the well informed staff. Staff at Church Corner Natural Foods make it their rule to suggest that customers who report serious health symptoms be checked by their doctor before embarking on self-treatment.
Self help One benefit of the widespread disillusionment with the public health system is that New Zealanders are increasingly taking personal responsibility for helping themselves to maintain good health.