Children Aren’t Born Obese

Although obesity has been classified a disease, antibiotics and other pharmaceuticals can not “cure” it. One of the arguments that science has produced to reduce personal responsibility for obesity is genetics. Genetics may in fact play a role, however, genetic expression can be influenced by personal behavior. The answer to obesity seems so logical and straightforward. Consume less calories, exercise more and watch the weight come off. With nearly 2/3 of the U.S. population overweight or obese, there must be more than meets the eye. The answers to this problem will require social programs to assist in modifying behavior. We have a moral responsibility to help correct this problem. In doing so we will effectively reduce diseases (ex. diabetes, cardiac, cancer, etc…) and medical expenses.

As we join hands and sing “kumbaya” now that a solution has been discovered, why has it taken so long? Is is possible that this has never been the real goal? Healthcare is a business. Businesses are motivated by financial gains. How does government, the medical industry and the pharmaceutical industry benefit from this solution? I am not suggesting they are creating the problem, but I am suggesting that treating this ongoing and growing EPIDEMIC produces more profits than resolving it.

When 163 cases of measles was classified an “epidemic”, after the Disney outbreak in 2014, our congressman began churning out legislation mandating changes to the vaccine laws. This “call to action” was based on 163 cases. According to the Centers For Disease Control, there are 78.6 million adults (34.9% of the adult population) classified as obese. There are approximately 12.5 million children classified as obese. The percentage of children aged 6–11 years in the United States who are obese increased from 7% in 1980 to nearly 18% in 2012. Similarly, the percentage of adolescents aged 12–19 years who are obese increased from 5% to nearly 21% over the same period. Where is the call to action from our congressman to address this REAL EPIDEMIC? Where is the legislation being proposed for changes to the public school lunch programs? Where is the legislative mandates requiring year round physical education in our schools. Where is the media outcry calling for change to current policies to address THE OBESITY EPIDEMIC? Why did Congress respond so quickly to 163 cases of measles that resulted in ZERO deaths? Would you guess the the total number of deaths resulting from 78.6 million adults suffering obesity and 12.5 million children likely exceeded ZERO?

Can you see the imbalance in addressing children and their health needs? Why? If we care so much about our children’s well being, why do we rank number 1 in infant mortality? Why have we not addressed the epidemic of childhood obesity in a meaningful way? Why does our government, medical institutions and pharmaceutical industries seem to only focus on vaccines?

Is there money to be made mandating changes to the school lunch programs? NO. Is there money to be made increasing physical education requirements in schools? NO. Is there money to be made mandating all children be vaccinated? YES. Have we really reduced the importance of our children and their quality of life to whether or not financial gains can be achieved?

If you were to contact your congressional representative and asked what their efforts have been to reduce childhood obesity, what do you think their response would be? On a federal and state level, these efforts have been minimal and ineffective. There are no special interest groups directing these congressional representatives on the issue of obesity. There are plenty of special interest groups making STRONG RECOMMENDATIONS on how congressional representatives should vote regarding vaccine legislation. Big pharmaceutical companies have huge financial stakes in the legislation before congress these days.

Magicians call it “slight of hand.” They force your attention away from an object to create an illusion that something has disappeared. I am saying in this article that our government is pulling a “slight of hand” on all of us. There is no real evidence that our government is attempting to correct our horrible track record concerning infant mortality and obesity. There is, however, a great illusion created as they take the focus away from these failures and redirect our attention to the vaccine program. Just like the magician, they make the greater truth disappear!

Maybe we should move the focus from 163 children to the 12.5 million children and the complications that obesity causes.  What are your thoughts?

Tags: children, diet, disease, ethics, fitness, health, weight loss