In Japan, food is judged on its health properties, real or imagined, and fads of such foods are fed by media frenzy. It is only a short time ago that all Japanese were eating blueberries for better eyesight and natto to slim down. Drinks, especially of the sort sold in 350 or 500 cc pet bottles in convenience stores, do not fare differently. Many teas make claims about bringing down the level of body sugars or helping you get slimmer…

Contrary to the US, Japan’s $48-billion-a-year soft-drink industry consists for a large part of sugarless teas (with ot without health claims) rather than of sodas and other unhealthy products. This has been ascribed to the graying of the population, but I have my doubts: most buyers seem salarymen and young people, at least when you look at the convenience stores. There has always been a connection in Japan between food and health. What keeps amazing me is the sheer volume of this industry in Japan. Teas, juices, and soft drinks of all varieties take up a solid refrigerated wall in convenience stores. The number of different products is mind-boggling. As is the number of new drinks brought to market every year: 1,500! Many of these fail, of course, but the sheer logistical power of Japan’s companies is impressive, to say the least.

Every Family should have a first aid kit in their home. But not every family’s kit should be the same, according

to the Singapore Health Promotion Board. The board has a few suggestions to get started.

* Thermometer – Either the traditional glass type or the new electronic kind is an important tool for monitoring fever.

* A small torch – This can be used to find small objects embedded in an ear or nostril, and to look at the back of the throat.

* Materials for treating small wounds – Cotton swabs, antiseptic solution, antibiotic ointment, gauze bandages and adhesive tape to secure it, and bandage scissors.

* Tweezers – For removing splinters and things lodged in the skin.

* Simple medications – Paracetamol, antacids, antihistamines for allergies and runny nose, cough medicine and diarrhea medicine.

After stocking your kit with the basics, customize it with special items your family might need. such as inhalers for asthma. Remember that first aid is simply the first application of care. Keep emergency phone numbers nearby to call in the professionals for serious problems.