Letters: Ozempic isn’t the answer to NZ’s obesity problem; Kamala Harris is qualified – but will that be enough for US voters?

"I’m not sure why Ozempic is being promoted as a weight-loss drug, let alone one that should be funded." Photo / Getty Images

Letters to the Editor

OPINION

Ozempic isn’t the answer

I’m not sure why Ozempic is being promoted as a weight-loss drug, let alone one that should be funded (”Company director loses 30kg taking Ozempic, wants the medication funded”, Herald, July 21). This is a silly idea – costly, lazy, and potentially dangerous.

Many years ago, I was getting overweight, and it was never any fun feeling and looking like a human pyramid, punching more holes in my belt, letting that excess body weight hang over it, covered up by loose clothing.

It was blood, sweat, and tears from that point. Changing my diet, sleeping better, hitting the gym and pavement, and exercising more than what I was eating. Limiting all the bad food and drink to next to zero. In 12 months, 18 kilos gone – from 97kg to 79kg.

Now stabilising at 84kg, it is a matter of maintaining my weight and health, which is easy, enjoyable, and satisfying.

Simple mathematics, and a safer choice I believe, than defaulting to an injectable.

Glenn Forsyth, Taupō.

Food for thought

The alarming global incidence of type 2 diabetes and obesity seems to have stalled our brightest brains. Discovery of insulin in 1922 was life-changing; now drugs like Ozempic have taken centre stage. But with side effects like stomach paralysis and diarrhoea, drugs that are toxic in themselves cannot be the answer.

Type 2 diabetes and obesity are a result of human folly. A look with fresh eyes is needed to understand why we get so sick through what we eat. Processed foods are a recognised problem, but equally guilty are so-called “vegetable” oils. They have shelf life, yes, but no nutrition.

Once pulverised, heated, extruded, bleached and coloured, they are no longer food. To make matters worse, we embraced these imposters as we discarded real fats like butter, lard and tallow. Scientists have recently discovered that saturated fat is not the demon we once thought. We do not listen.

Processed foods were not in our diet 100 years ago and type 2 diabetes was as rare as hen’s teeth. Why do we not join the dots?

Judy Anderson, Remuera.

Kamala’s roadblocks

I have thought for a long time that Kamala Harris would make a brilliant American President, and now it looks a distinct possibility that she could.

With a law degree, Senator and Attorney-General of California on her CV, Kamala is certainly eminently qualified. Her age of 59 will be seen as a plus too against Donald Trump who, at age 78, will be the oldest-ever US presidential candidate.

However, with America being populated by many racists and sexists, the fact that she is a woman of colour could be a tough hurdle to conquer. Hopefully there are enough intelligent voters who will see that Harris is a much better option than Trump, who is a convicted liar and a cheat.

Glen Stanton, Mairangi Bay.

Roadwork realities

I fully support Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown in his campaign to reduce the road-cone infestations plaguing our city.

It is hard to argue against his point that traffic management providers are exploiting their contracts by laying down an absurd number of road cones under the guise of road maintenance. They show little urgency in completing their tasks, causing undue frustration for residents. Many times, I have been inconvenienced by road blockages and safety vehicles parked by the kerbside while maintenance teams stand around looking at their phones.

I look forward to someone cutting through the red tape and putting an end to this ridiculous and costly situation.

Alan Walker, St Heliers.

Computers v people

The hackers of international IT systems can now relax and go back to bed. We have solved the problem ourselves and can manage quite well on our own now, thank you!

And, oh dear, what a terrible name for an internet security company: it sure struck a crowd. As all experienced computer users know, computers do not make mistakes on their own. You only get problems when some idiot fools around with it – usually in an attempt to fix or improve things! Why do I get nervous every time Windows issues an upgrade?

Robert Finley, Golflands.

CrowdStrike warning

I hope those pressing for a cashless society and for everything to be “online” have changed their minds after the chaos caused by the recent CrowdStrike outage. “Online” is incredibly vulnerable.

Anne Martin, Helensville.

Pylon PR

The power pylon collapse was not the result of incompetence. To quote the managing director on the Omexom website: “Thanks to our growing portfolio and global ties, we can deliver a greater breadth of expertise and experience, thereby contributing to New Zealand’s transition to a low-carbon economy.” So Northland can now boast that they were treated to a show of international skill by worldwide experts.

Lance Taylor, Mangakura.