Healthy Living

Sark is a healthy place to live. The people who live here have clean air to breathe, good local food to eat and take plenty of exercise by walking and cycling around the island. However, high blood pressure and diabetes are quite common on Sark as they are in the rest of the world. Being screened for these diseases, which often have no symptoms, is an important part of ensuring that you stay healthy.

There are always some improvements we can make to our lifestyles. The following information contains links to other websites. If you have concerns about your health, you may want to book an appointment to discuss this with your doctor before starting an exercise programme or adopting a particular diet.

Alcohol

The recommended maximum intake of alcohol for a man is 4 units a day (28 per week). For women the limit is 3 units (21 per week). A pint of strong cider is 3 units and a small glass of red wine is 1.6 units. A bottle of lager is 1.7 units. In pregnancy NO alcohol is recommended.

If you regularly exceed this intake, over the long term you will have an increased risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, liver problems and nerve damage. In the short term, excess alcohol causes depression as well as relationship problems and loss of earnings. Symptoms of alcohol dependency are craving, shaking and sweating when alcohol is stopped. If you become physically dependent on alcohol, stopping suddenly can be fatal. It is better to reduce your intake in steps over 2 weeks. If you would like help with reducing your alcohol intake please discuss this with your doctor.

Smoking

There are many benefits to stopping smoking but the process takes a lot of willpower. We now know that smoking increases your risk of developing most cancers, in particular lung and throat cancer. It also greatly increases your chances of having a stroke or a heart attack, reduces fertility, causes impotence and harms others by passive inhalation.

If you have decided that it is time to stop smoking and you would like some help we can provide nicotine replacement therapy in the form of patches, gum or inhalators. We can also provide medication that helps to reduce craving. These medications are charged at cost price, not subsidised by Professor Saint Fund (but this is still cheaper than cigarettes).

Drug Use

Illicit drugs are available in the Channel Islands and the penalties for importing these substances are severe. If you use drugs and would like confidential advice on reducing harm or coming off them please make an appointment to see your doctor. For information about drugs, go to talktofrank.com.

Exercise

Regular exercise is important to maintaining your physical and mental health. The aim is to build up to at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise on 5 or more days a week. This can reduce your risk of heart attacks and strokes and is also good for asthma, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, arthritis and depression. Please see the british heart foundation pages for further information.

Healthy Eating

Healthy eating can reduce your risk of developing heart disease and cancer. It also can help you to control your weight and reduce your risk of developing diabetes. The diet recommended for people who have diabetes is the same as for people who do not have diabetes.

A healthy diet should contain at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables per day (portion size is roughly the size of your fist). Try to reduce your fat intake and replace saturated fats (eg found in butter) with healthier fats (eg found in margerine). A low salt diet can help reduce your blood pressure and eating at least two portions of oily fish per week can improve your chances of survival after a heart attack. Please see the british heart foundation website for further information.