To the editor:
The mayor is to be commended for his proclamation on Sept. 19 declaring October as the Complete Health Improvement Program [CHIP] month for the City of Kelowna. As with previous mayors, he recognizes the correlation of lifestyle choices and all chronic diseases our society suffers from. It is alleged up to 90 per cent of our diseases are lifestyle related.
Dr. Hans Diehl offered the first CHIP program in Kelowna about 30 years ago when some 2,500 people took the first two programs offered. Dr. Diehl created an awareness about the close relationship between chronic diseases and the Canadian diet, high in processed fare and animal products, such as meat, sausages, dairy and eggs. This awareness, supported by the local government, gradually translated into a movement that found its expression in the June 2001 Maclean’s Health Report that named Kelowna as Canada’s preventative health capital out of 54 health regions across Canada. It listed Kelowna as No. 2 in access to healthcare and as No. 1 in prevention.
Thirty years later, with the same science and information, CHIP is one of the most scientifically validated lifestyle medicine programs in the world.
Contact shipowicklarry@yahoo.com or 250-764-8638 for more information about upcoming events.
Larry Shipowick, Kelowna