CREATION Health

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) — mainly cardiovascular diseases, cancers, chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes — are the world’s biggest killers (http://apps.who.int/). They kill more people than accidents, hunger or infectious diseases. Furthermore, to provide the treatment for all these diseases is a huge burden to the world’s economy. Yet, with an appropriate lifestyle change ¾ of heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes, and 40% of cancer would be prevented.

Seems easy. Well it is not. The biggest risk factors, namely: tobacco use, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity and harmful use of alcohol seem to be difficult to change. As people, we are often ‘slaves of our habits’. We do not want to change them, since they provide us with some comfort, ease our pain, and sometimes are just automatic. Peter talks about ‘aimless conduct received by tradition from our father’. Not silver nor gold could redeem us from this, but only the precious blood of Christ Himself (1 Peter 1: 17 – 19).

Because of Redemption, God calls us to live a holy life – a life that brings glory to God. We do not want to harm our bodies or minds – a priceless gift from our loving heavenly Father. To help people to make positive lifestyle changes, and as a result to enjoy more satisfying lives, Florida Adventist Hospital has developed a lifestyle program called CREATION Health.

CREATION Health has now reached the Baltic Union! From 21 to 23 May, around 30 people from all three conferences, and also from the Adriatic Union, had a CREATION Health training for future program leaders. Together we worked through all the important factors that have biggest influence on people’s health and that can be modified. CREATION Health seminars are not meant only for sharing information, but they are also a good way to provide the necessary group support allowing a change to happen, motivating, and inspiring the participants to reach their positive health goals.

Our trainers Kenneth Scribner and Sheryl Chernault from the USA walked us through the CREATION Health program, talked about their own experiences and answered the questions. We had also a sharing time when participants from different conferences talked about the health work they are doing in their areas. As a result of the training, Latvian participants have already started the seminars in Riga, and Estonian participants are going to start the seminars in Rakvere in autumn. We hope that through this work, people in our communities can enjoy better health, as well as more fulfilling lives, and that they can meet their Creator, who wants what is best for them in this life and in the life everlasting.

Alla Nõmmik,
BAUC Health department director