Val asked:


Hi,

Previously, I’ve asked this question: How can we ban fast food from the breakfast/lunch/dinner table?

On my blog : www. banfastfood.com I write against fast food as the primary choice for children and families.

Some people who responded to my first question spoke about the constitutional rights of people to eat what they want and that other people’s eating habit shouldn’t matter to others. Statistics prove that most people who eat fast food and the majority of the obese are working class individuals. Those are people who cannot afford health insurance; people who will crowd emergency rooms for emergency care; people who are less educated; people who will not be productive members of society because they will die of heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, etc… Healthcare cost will continue to rise and the price of health insurance with it.

We regulate tobacco, street drugs and prescription drugs because drug addicts are a burden on society. Isn’t obesity?

Jeff Wisdom asked:


I think they aught to tax ALL the sugary foods Lets face it obesity is a real problem in this country and with a soon coming health insurance plan WE (in order to make it palatable to the insurance co’s) need to do what we can to lessen the rate of diabetes and heart disease

kathy_is_a_nurse asked:


Hi…I’m helping an author write a book. He needs some specific examples of recent medical breakthroughs (say in the last 10 years or so), new drugs, or innovations made possible by the increased processing speed of computers and/or the ability to communicate quickly over long distances. Suggestions can be in any aspect of medicine, but we are especially interested in cancer, heart disease, diabetes, or obesity.

The more specific details or links you can provide the better, since we will have to source our references in the book.

Thanks to everyone who contributes.

Andrea asked:


The New England Journal of Medicine stated that, “The American healthcare system is at once the most expensive and the most inadequate system in the developed world.” It’s true, we spend more money on healthcare than any other nation, yet according to the WHO, we average #23 for life expectancy, #15 for overall achievement, and #72 for performance on the level of health (how well the healthcare system improve’s a citizen’s health).

And it’s not for a lack of technology or medication. A Kaiser Family Foundation study showed that in 2003, 3.1 BILLION prescriptions were filled that year, which equals 11 prescriptions for every man, woman, and child in the US. But childhood obesity, diabetes, depression, autism (CDC says 1 out of 166 children has autism)and other diseases are on the RISE, and America has the highest percentage of people suffering from mental disorders. Heart disease and cancer are running rampant. Our healthcare system is not working. How can we fix it?
. . . It’s really not about a “lack” of resources. Our healthcare system kills about 800,000 people annually (www.lef.org), making it the number one killer in the US, surpassing even heart disease and cancer. I’m not saying that the medical system doesn’t save lives, b/c emergency care in the US is amazing, but in general our health as a nation is terrible.

kathy_is_a_nurse asked:


Hi…I’m helping an author write a book. He needs some specific examples of recent medical breakthroughs (say in the last 10 years or so), new drugs, or innovations made possible by the increased processing speed of computers and/or the ability to communicate quickly over long distances via technologies such as the Internet. Suggestions can be in any aspect of medicine, but we are especially interested in cancer, heart disease, diabetes, or obesity.

The more specific details or links you can provide the better, since we will have to source our references in the book.

Thanks to everyone who contributes.

Older F asked:


I am curious about the health risk of obesity and I wonder if anybody could point me in the general direction of stats that specifically monitor coronary heart disease in obese individuals without a family history. Secondly I am also interested in the number of individuals suffering severe health consequences as a result of Diabetes Type II (by serious I mean : amputations, strokes, blindness). PLEASE NOTHING ANECDOTAL

Calvin T asked:


someone that treats psychological problems, heart disease, diabetes, cancer, obesity, broken bones etc? i know this sounds kind of silly but i’m those kinds of person who would like to save the world. i’ve been thinking long and hard what i would like to major in college and have a successful career. i would love to help people with cancer or heart disease etc and help them get better. i would preferably not be a nurse or doctor for that matter because i don’t handle stress too well. i like to work at my own pace. can someone help plz?!?!

Margarethe De Clermont asked:


Crash diets don’t result in permanent weight loss and may be detrimental to your health.

Many sites on the internet claim that their diet results in significant weight loss in just three, four or five days. This type of weight loss is always transient. It is usually 90% water which will be put straight back on as soon as your body rehydrates, which it must do if you are not going to suffer severe health problems.

Most quick weight loss diets are merely fashionable for a short while; though they do make a lot of money for the inventor in associated product sales.

If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

1. Diets that promise quick and easy weight loss are usually based on eating more of one food type and none of another. These do not give the benefits that you would get from a balanced diet. They may suggest you take supplements but many supplements are not absorbed by the body unless they are taken along with the foods that the diet has banned. After a few weeks, if you stick to it that long, you may begin to develop nutritional deficiencies.

2. Fad diets are often boring and over restrictive. After the novelty of the first day or two, you will find that you do not enjoy your meals anymore. You will then start to crave comfort food constantly and will give up on your diet pretty soon after. You may even feel guilty, blaming yourself for not losing weight.

3. Most fad diets do not follow the recommendations of the American Heart Association regarding the fat levels in the diet. Often the diet will recommend high fat foods and low carbs which if taken long term, could result in heart disease. The promoters may tell you that the diet is only intended to be followed for a short time. But you probably will not reach your goal weight in that time, and then what? You either continue with a plan that is not good for your health, or stop and probably gain back what you lost.

4. Many fad diets do not help you to incorporate enough servings of fruits and vegetables in your weight loss program, nor do they give you the variety of foods that your body needs.

5. Quick weight loss diets are a temporary solution and do not help you to make permanent changes to your eating habits. Permanent changes are the only way to remain at your target weight once you reach it. Fad diets encourage yo-yo diet-binge cycles of fast weight loss and equally fast weight gain. This is worse for your health and your self esteem than if you had stayed overweight.

Self-hypnosis, especially if combined with NLP, is a very effective way of changing your unhealthy eating habits and addictions permanently. You can also use it to reduce stress levels (and comfort eating!) and to increase your self-confidence dramatically.

Whatever the hype may say, these diets will not be helpful in the long run. The best way to sustain weight loss is to eat a varied and healthy diet, do not overeat, exercise regularly and avoid rapid weight loss diets.