Does that toy come with fries?

A popular debate has risen based off the suggestion from the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) that obese children should be put into foster care so they can get the dietary help they need to reduce their weight and protect them from long term health problems caused by obesity. This is not a new idea, another article in Pediatrics mentioned similar ideas in 2009. To me the main argument of this debate comes down to “who’s responsible?”

There is no argument that weight gain in children and adolescents has grown to epic proportions. The focus of the article centered around a 3 year old that weighed 90 lbs, and by 12 years of age grew to 400 lbs. To most parents there is no debate on whether or not this child was obese. A closer look at the family showed that the parents had some physical disabilities and financial difficulties. Other examples were teenagers who weighed four and five hundred pounds, all of them with health problems that stemmed from their weight.

Are parents responsible for having children that are overweight? Absolutely, just as responsible as they are for their children’s behavior in every other area. Despite arguments about thyroid problems, slow metabolisms, depression, hormone imbalances and evil marketing ploys by fast food chains, until we can absorb calories through the air, obesity is a behavioral choice. And parents are responsible for their children’s behavior.  Do I agree that the government should step in and use foster care to help children get back on the right track and make better diet choices? Absolutely not.

This is one more area that government does not need to take responsibility. Any effort to help overweight children should be addressed in education, at school and in some cases possibly with social services making house calls to help parents make better choices as well. As we learned with the 90 lb. 3 year old there might be some home problems that need to be addressed before a solution to the child’s weight problem can be helped. What we don’t need is the government monitoring our children with the threat of taking them away. Not only is this dangerously leading to other areas of restrictions, but at some point there will and has to be a magic number that this happens with. What number is that? And who makes that decision? What about children who are too thin?

One argument for putting children into foster care homes is child abuse.  There are obvious dangers to letting children become obese, and some of those dangers may not affect the child until they are an adult. In some cases, there may be more abuse than just lack of diet control. But in cases where poor food choices are the reason for obesity, there is no intent of abuse. Education and follow up should be adequate.

It’s time to take responsibility for our own health choices, and those of our children. I do not want to see that responsibility in the government’s hands either taken forcibly or in apathy. Teach children and families to make healthy decisions and hold them accountable for their actions, but let them have the responsibility.

Please give me your opinions and ideas! If I’m wrong, show me!

Getting old ain't for wimps!

Arthritis is a term you hear from just about every pain pill and infomercial on TV today. I’m sure everyone knows someone who suffers from the pain of arthritis, and maybe know someone who is debilitated by it. So how do you avoid it? What do you do once you have it? Can it be cured?

To begin with, let’s explain what arthritis really is: Joint inflammation. There are many different kinds, some you are genetically predisposed to (thanks Mom and Dad), and others you get like wear and tear from a car. Some can be caught from an infection; others can be influenced by diet. It’s very important to understand which type you have because treatment can differ a lot between them.

Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is a progressive arthritis that is very destructive. Unfortunately this comes on through no fault of your own. Typically the symptoms start from middle to late middle age, and usually occur in women more than men. Symptoms tend to start in both sides of the body at once, especially in the hands. Rheumatoid occurs from your body attacking healthy tissues, mainly cartilage in your joints. Other organs can be affected, and severity depends on how early the disease starts. Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis (JVRA) starts at a very young age, usually early teens, and can be devastating if not treated early. Corticosteroids are the medication most commonly used, and while they can have damaging side effects of their own, often are minimal compared with living with RA or JVRA.

Gout, or gouty arthritis, may have a genetic component, but diet influences the flare ups. Uric acid, which is not properly metabolized, can build up in the joints and cause pain. Usually one joint is affected at a time, a toe, ankle or foot. These attacks can come once and not appear again, or some have many episodes. Diet restrictions help, but there are medications that can help reduce the uric acid in your blood as well as corticosteroids to reduce inflammation.

Some arthritis may come about due to joint infections, called bacterial arthritis or septic arthritis. Typically once the infection is stopped the arthritis goes away.   The most common causes of septic arthritis are injuries to the joint and surgeries, especially joint replacements. IV antibiotics are usually given, and as long as the synovial fluid hasn’t built up (fluid found inside the joint), there are no side effects. This type of arthritis can also be found in infants, most commonly the hip joint. Watch for fever, redness, and unwillingness to move hip.

A group of arthritis called spondyloarthropathies is due to some genetic variant. The most common of these, Psoriatic Arthritis, happens to about 1 out of 20 people. It is usually associated with psoriasis of the skin and affects the hips and low back most often. Ankylosing Spondylitis and Reiter’s Syndrome are two other spondyloarthropathies. Both are generally managed with corticosteroids. Although they can do damage to the joints, usually they are not as aggressive as rheumatoid arthritis.

The most common arthritis is osteoarthritis. This is due to wear and tear on the joints. Everyone has or will have osteoarthritis, but those that get this type early are in for many problems in the future. It is also one of the leading causes for consumption of pain medication. Unfortunately there is no “cure” for osteoarthritis, and it’s usually a one way street. The best way to avoid getting it is to keep your joints healthy with full range of motion activities. Joints get nutrition from movement of fluid that comes naturally with joint movement. When this stops, the joints become desiccated, or dry up, and your body starts breaking the joint down and adding bone, which become bone spurs. Bone spurs, or osteophytes, reduce the joint’s natural range of motion, cause pressure and wear on surrounding soft tissue, and along the spine can cause stenosis, or narrowing of the much needed room for nerves. Stretching and gentle exercise can help joints stay healthy. For those joints that are fixated due to muscle tension or inflammation, chiropractic adjustments restore normal movement. The more freely moveable a joint is the healthier it stays, no matter what kind of arthritis you have!

For those of you suffering from arthritis, or pain you believe is coming from arthritis, the first step is to find out what kind you may have, then get on track to slowing it down with the proper treatment. The longer you wait, the less recovery you will have!