Mar
01
2010
By John E. Lewis, Ph.D.
Today, children face more challenges than ever in trying to achieve and maintain their health. The prevalence of the internet and video games negatively affects kids' desire to play outside and participate in physical activities, and the preponderance of fast food restaurants and processed foods at our grocery stores, along with their appealing advertising campaigns, results in an over-reliance of poor dietary choices that are too high in calories and too low in nutrition. Childhood obesity is dramatically rising and is now the most significant health crisis affecting children today. Physical inactivity and poor nutrition are the principle causes of obesity, according to the US Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Agriculture (USDA). In addition, children are now dealing with rates of Type II Diabetes and cardiovascular disease previously only seen in adults.
So what can we do to help our children?
In addition to proper rest and sleep, stress reduction, avoidance of toxins, such as second-hand cigarette smoke, and drinking plenty of water, health begins and ends with
proper nutrition and exercise. Eating properly should consist of a reliance on a plant-based, whole food diet. Eating plants in their most natural state, looking as much
like when they came out of the ground or off the tree, should be the goal. Eating a plant-based, whole food diet will give us the vitamins, minerals, carotenoids, flavonoids,
and the thousands of other ...
Posted in: Home, Profesor's Point of View
Mar
01
2010
By John E. Lewis, Ph.D.
Childhood obesity is dramatically rising and is now the most significant health crisis affecting children today. Physical inactivity and poor nutrition are the principle
causes of obesity, according to the United States Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Agriculture (USDA). Thus, children should be made aware of the severity
of the problem that their generation faces, and they also need to understand that being active, which was taken for granted by so many prior generations, is one of the
principal keys to being in good health. As the electronics age has consumed so many aspects of daily life in the last couple of decades, children of today are indoctrinated
into the technological craze at a very early age. Popular electronics are readily affordable by most families, so children grow up learning how to operate everything from
televisions to computers to video games to PDAs and cell phones. While the use of technology provides our society with enormous advantages in access to information and
convenience, with such freedom at least partially comes the price of good health due to the sedentary lifestyle that such electronic equipment promotes.
In considering how electronic equipment can help to promote a more active lifestyle in children, one of the obvious appliances is the pedometer. Pedometers, like most
electronics, come in a wide variety of models, styles, features, and options, but a simple pedometer that accurately measures steps ...
Posted in: Home, Profesor's Point of View
Feb
18
2010
Why is this Flu season different than other flu seasons?
We are all facing two very similar but distinct forms of the Influenza virus this year. First, we have the seasonal Flu or the regular flu. The symptoms of that are similar to any other influenza like virus and not generally indistinguishable from the H1N1 Influenza virus (previously known as the Swine Flu virus). While your physician prefers to be very precise in evaluating each patient for the specific type of illness and virus upon presentation, it is somewhat more complicated this year since the viruses have symptoms that have initial presentations similar to each other. Not to mention all the other winter illnesses that are traditional residents for this cold and flu season time of year. The H1N1 is more dangerous just by the nature of how easily and widely it will spread this year and the number of people who are expected to contract the virus. Even though it is not any more virulent or deadly than any other flu, it is this fear of a pandemic spread that is causing the heightened vigilance by all health care workers.
Why are we so worried about the H1N1 influenza virus? Isn’t it basically the same virus as the seasonal virus?
The significant concern right now by the health care community is based on the fact that H1N1 is a new ...
Posted in: The Flu
Feb
18
2010
So much of what we know about children's health has changed over the last few years. We have seen a dramatic rise in diseases associated with childhood obesity. Much of what we have grown up thinking about obesity focused on adult Medicine. We have had a tendency to not worry about overweight children because we were all led to believe that these children would simply outgrow their baby fat, with no residual health concerns. Most parents still believe their children's excess weight will magically melt away when they get to school.
But with the lack of exercise, no play time or physical education, poor nutrition, and a sedentary lifestyle, children are remaining obese into adulthood. Recent research
has shown the longer a child stays outside the healthy norm (high BMI) for weight, the more likely they will suffer a negative impact on their health from being obese. We
now know the damaging effect of obesity on an individual's health starts sooner rather than later. Your child's diet, habits, level of activity, and family history all are
integral parts of heart health. While we continue to give quite a bit of credit to our family's genetic history, we must include lifestyle and cultural habits as an important
contributor to our family's heart health history. We are not powerless with this history. Whatever the age, we can make a difference in the health of our children's heart.
Heart ...
Posted in: Your Heart
Feb
18
2010
Childhood Type 2 Diabetes is on the rise. This is the type your child has a much higher chance of getting if they are overweight and obese.
Understanding diabetes?
Insulin is the key factor in the diabetes discussion. It is the body's regulator of sugar in the blood. When the insulin in your body stops controlling the sugar
level in your blood and the sugar stays high for extended periods of time then the result is diabetes. High blood sugar level over time has many negative effects on your body.
There are two major types of Diabetes.
Type 1 or insulin dependent Diabetes Mellitus, where the body does not make enough insulin and the sugar level in your blood rises and cannot be controlled without giving
the individual insulin, from an outside source.
Type 2 diabetes or insulin resistant diabetes. In this type there is usually enough insulin in the body to start, it is just that the insulin your body makes does not
work as well as it should. Your body becomes resistant to the effects of the insulin that you make. In spite of you making more insulin in response to rising sugar, your
body becomes less sensitive to the insulin effects and sugar levels continue to rise.
What is the difference between how you get each type of diabetes?
You are born with the tendency to develop type 1. There is very little you can do to prevent ...
Posted in: Diabetes
Sep
04
2009
The conclusion of a recent study from the University of Missouri has added validity to the concern most of us who care for children share, “Overweight Kids Experience More Loneliness, Anxiety.”
We all grew up with the realization that the obese child in school was generally excluded from sports and parties. But there was a general perception that they were the jokesters and the life of the classroom. Maybe not the one you would expect to be homecoming queen or king, but happy and fun to be around with the “good personality”. However, this new study sheds light on the true impact that being obese has on a child’s emotional spirit. “As childhood obesity rates continue to increase, experts agree that more information is needed,” this University of Missouri study found. In addition, the study determined that, “overweight children, especially girls, show signs of the negative (emotional) consequences of being overweight as early as kindergarten.”
This study gives the evidence we need to push for more resources to understand why these children became obese in the first place. More effective intervention needs to be implemented before the psychological trauma of loneliness and depression advances. Once a child is on the path to becoming obese, behavior patterns have already been set in motion.
The University of Missouri-Columbia study found that, ” both boys and girls who were overweight from kindergarten through third grade ...
Posted in: Parent, Nutrition & Kids
Sep
04
2009
7 steps for a Healthy Start to the new school year!
Physician well visit- Make sure your child’s vaccines are up to date. The list of required and recommended vaccines keeps growing and requirements have continually changed. Additional shots added to the list of requirements in many states include the second Varicella (Chicken Pox vaccine) and the Meningococcal vaccine, especially for college bound students. Try to schedule your child’s annual doctor’s visit ahead of the usual preschool rush. Check your insurance policy to understand how often your plan covers a physical examination. Generally speaking, it is once a calendar year and you need to be aware of some of the time frame requirements from many local schools. They might overlap with insurance requirement and you may have to discuss this problem with your child’s school administration. This year there is added concern because of the possibility of having to get two flu vaccines. Make sure you keep current with the recommendation of the CDC and your physician regarding the necessity, availability, and safety of the seasonal flu and H1N1 vaccines.
Sports, fitness and forms. Most school sports teams require a separate participation form. Make sure your child’s physical exam is up to date and current, at least within the last 6 – 12 months for this form. Consider having an EKG if your child we be playing a particularly intense sport. Ask ...
Posted in: Parent, Nutrition & Kids
Sep
04
2009
Daddy Duty
A call to duty for dads. What is the revised job description for fathers today? Provider, sports enthusiast, household helper? The primary nurturing role still seems to be mom's domain. So what is our role? We are there to have fun, do some chauffeuring and help pay the bills. Everyone keeps telling us we should be more involved with our children, more hands on. But what does that mean? I don't see the moms giving up their day job of child rearing, food selection, taking care of the kids when they are ill, and comforting their emotional needs. As a matter of fact in my Pediatric practice, I rarely see the dads. The doctor visits are primarily under the auspices of mom. Anything dealing with health, vaccines, behavior, nutrition and development is generally supervised and determined by mom. “Not that there is anything wrong with that”. Even in households, where both parents are actively involved in child care, when I call a house and the dad answers the phone, he always puts his wife on the phone when the conversation's focus turns to his child's health. I would say with very few exceptions, the dad's are involved with the discussion, but the moms are the hands on decision makers. When I do finally meet a father in my office it is usually because mom cannot make it to the ...
Posted in: Parent, Nutrition & Kids
Sep
04
2009
Remember the first time your baby started to cry and scream from hunger pains? You were so nervous that you only wanted to make her happy and stop crying. You followed all the instructions from the baby book to calm her down. Then you fed her and the crying suddenly stopped with the muffled sounds of her swallowing down the milk one loud gulp at a time. Now that was gratitude for food. You lived from feeding to feeding. A big burp after eating was like music to your ears. It didn't get any better than that.
Where did those magic moments go? Now you are grateful if you can get your children to the table away from their many distractions long enough to eat. You are happy if they will eat their meal without a struggle. Dinner is just another chore on the long list of things to do. With all the effort you put in, you would think they would appreciate the food you make for them or at least remember what they ate for the last meal. Have you ever asked a child what they had eaten for the most recent meal? Nine times out of ten they do not remember what they ate let alone be grateful for it. Certainly you want your children to eat healthier and be aware of the benefits of eating well, or ...
Posted in: Parent, Nutrition & Kids
Sep
04
2009
Everyone is welcome at the Family Dining Table; the best place for fun and friendly family health. There are no requirements or special eating habits at our table. Just pull up a chair, sit down and relax. “Our table is your table”. Our mission is to reinforce the importance of family time in influencing our children's health and nutritional choices by bringing as many families and friends to the table as possible. Our table is not just about the food we eat, but the nourishment we provide as parents and caretakers. The table is also a place to listen to the concerns of the people we care about. Problems are solved, bonds are reinforced, and dreams are encouraged at the table. We will be here to guide and support you on your quest for better family health and nutrition.
With families being fractured into so many directions by our over scheduled lives, it is not surprising to find that the influences on our children from outside sources are growing. The media, in the form of television, internet, marketing, and celebrity worship, has taken a surrogate role in guiding many of our children's choices. The average child spends considerably more time in front of the television or computer than they do interacting with their parents. So, where are they getting their health and nutrition information? It needs to be from us, the ...
Posted in: Parent, Nutrition & Kids
