Thanks to those who offer support in time of need

MY 10yearold grandson unfortunately suffered a medical event while walking along Cumberland St (27.12.18). My wife and I placed him in the recovery position on the footpath. Immediately a young man pulled up in his car and asked if we needed assistance, he rang the ambulance for us.

We were advised it would take some time for the ambulance to arrive. The young man stayed with us and then Jeremy from Off the Chain cycle shop came out with towels and something to cover him with, and make him more comfortable.

We were impressed at the number of people who stopped to offer help. After waiting over half an hour for the ambulance, a police car stopped, checked that the ambulance was still some time away. They then offered to take him to Dunedin Hospital for urgent attention. This shows how stretched our ambulance service is in Dunedin and how caring Dunedin people are.

We would just like to take this opportunity to thank police, the Ritchies Bus driver, the young man, Jeremy and all the other people who stopped to help. It was very reassuring. My grandson was discharged about four hours later and is today almost back to normal, although a little tired from his ordeal. G. Porter

Dunedin

ON the afternoon of Friday, December 28 I was driving my electric wheelchair along the West Harbour Recreation Trail. As I was examining a sign I moved the chair forward to look at it more closely. Unfortunately, a wheel decided to slip between the path and the grass. The wheelchair tumbled and I found myself scrutinising the grass at close quarters.

I would like to thank the members of the public, especially Paul whose last name I do not know, who assisted family members to lift me upright and place me back in the chair. Please take this as a personal thanks as I cannot thank you face to face.

I don’t think anything was damaged except my pride. Warren Palmer

Dunedin

Salt in diets

WE would like to further comment in response to Wayne Turner’s question about dietary salt in the ‘‘Ask a Scientist’’ column (ODT, 14.12.18).

Firstly, while salt is an essential nutrient, the vast majority of people in New Zealand (and around the world) consume excessive amounts of salt, risking high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke as well as a number of other health problems.

The World Health Organisation has asked all member states to reduce the amount of salt the population consumes by 30% by 2025 as a matter of priority.

We would strongly advise people not to salt their porridge, and to restrict the amount of salt used at the table and in cooking. The majority of salt consumed in New Zealand is in processed foods such as breads, cereals, salty snack, readymade sauces and meals and processed meats, so choosing ‘‘low salt’’ varieties is also advisable.

If you do use table salt at home, it is best to use iodised salt since New Zealand has a history of iodine deficiency. Rock and sea salts including the pink Himalayan salt, unless labelled otherwise, contains negligible amounts of other minerals including iodine.

The best way to measure dietary salt intake is to collect a 24hour urine specimen, (yes, collect all the urine produced in a 24hour period), although a record of all food and drink consumed over a period can also be used.

A blood test will tell you the salt level in the blood, but this is tightly controlled by the kidneys and will not tell you if you are consuming too much salt.

In contrast, a blood test will tell you if you are deficient in salt, but this is extremely rare in our current food environment.

Dr Rachael McLean, (Department of Preventive & Social Medicine)

and Associate Professor Sheila Skeaff, (Department of Human Nutrition) .

BIBLE READING: Laugh no man to scorn in the bitterness of his soul. Ecclesiastes 7:11.