Comments on: Health and Sustainability: Two Events on Peak Oil, Climate Change and Healthcare http://transitionculture.org/2008/04/02/health-and-sustainability-two-events-on-peak-oil-climate-change-and-healthcare/ An Evolving Exploration into the Head, Heart and Hands of Energy Descent Mon, 13 Feb 2012 00:35:27 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Judith Newton http://transitionculture.org/2008/04/02/health-and-sustainability-two-events-on-peak-oil-climate-change-and-healthcare/comment-page-1/#comment-56980 Judith Newton Thu, 03 Apr 2008 02:57:01 +0000 http://transitionculture.org/2008/04/02/health-and-sustainability-two-events-on-peak-oil-climate-change-and-healthcare/#comment-56980 <p>Thanks for all this info, Rob and Mark. I especially appreciate the bit about the Roseto Effect.</p> <p>I also wanted to share that there is a similar-ish free online conference happening Thursday, April 10 from 11am - 4pm Eastern US time. It's called <i>Converging Environmental Crises</i> and is a teach-in on energy, climate change, water, agriculture and population put on by the Ohio State University College of Public Health.</p> <p>See: http://tinyurl.com/22yv7k</p> Thanks for all this info, Rob and Mark. I especially appreciate the bit about the Roseto Effect.

I also wanted to share that there is a similar-ish free online conference happening Thursday, April 10 from 11am – 4pm Eastern US time. It’s called Converging Environmental Crises and is a teach-in on energy, climate change, water, agriculture and population put on by the Ohio State University College of Public Health.

See: http://tinyurl.com/22yv7k

]]> By: Mark http://transitionculture.org/2008/04/02/health-and-sustainability-two-events-on-peak-oil-climate-change-and-healthcare/comment-page-1/#comment-56972 Mark Wed, 02 Apr 2008 17:47:00 +0000 http://transitionculture.org/2008/04/02/health-and-sustainability-two-events-on-peak-oil-climate-change-and-healthcare/#comment-56972 <p>Interesting topic and one that goes largely unaddressed in discussions on PO/Climate - with the exception of Greer, <a href="http://thearchdruidreport.blogspot.com/2006/10/public-health-slow-motion-disaster.html" rel="nofollow">who has a good post on that theme here</a>.</p> <p>The research, production and distribution of most pharmaceuticals is hugely energy intensive, not to mention polluting to manufacture and polluting when they pass from people into the sewage system and sea. The over-reliance on pharmaceuticals is one side-effect which may well disappear in any energy descent scenario.</p> <p>The good news is that strong communities and greater social interaction make for far healthier populations with far lower incidences of heart disease and other major causes of death as wartime Britain and the <a href="http://www.uic.edu/classes/osci/osci590/14_2%20The%20Roseto%20Effect.htm" rel="nofollow">Roseto Effect</a> show. The need for energy-intensive medical practices may diminish with closer community ties.</p> <p>Although this will be controversial to some of today's doctors and rationalist sceptics the "big five" of Herbalism, Acupuncture, Homeopathy, Osteopathy and Chiropractic are well placed to provide a sustainable alternative in the transition to a lower energy future.</p> Interesting topic and one that goes largely unaddressed in discussions on PO/Climate – with the exception of Greer, who has a good post on that theme here.

The research, production and distribution of most pharmaceuticals is hugely energy intensive, not to mention polluting to manufacture and polluting when they pass from people into the sewage system and sea. The over-reliance on pharmaceuticals is one side-effect which may well disappear in any energy descent scenario.

The good news is that strong communities and greater social interaction make for far healthier populations with far lower incidences of heart disease and other major causes of death as wartime Britain and the Roseto Effect show. The need for energy-intensive medical practices may diminish with closer community ties.

Although this will be controversial to some of today’s doctors and rationalist sceptics the “big five” of Herbalism, Acupuncture, Homeopathy, Osteopathy and Chiropractic are well placed to provide a sustainable alternative in the transition to a lower energy future.

]]>