Posts filed under 'Health Issues'
I happened, quite by chance, to watch a programme on TV last night about a 19 year old girl - Bethany Walton - who weighed 34 stone.
You can read more about her here, however it was a moving portrayal about the pressures and un-happiness that had driven Bethany to seek comfort food in such huge quantities. It showed how her life was affected by her gross obesity and gave a clear picture of her future - she was highly likely to die before she reached 30 years old.
That was unless she did something about it.
With a body mass index (BMI) of more than 70 she was more than eligible for weight loss surgery, however few surgeons would undertake the risks of operating on her. Apparently it took six months to find a suitable surgeon, but she and her family then had to face the high risk of her dying on the operating table.
This brave girl underwent the operation which reduced the volume of her stomach by ninety percent. What was exhilarating to see was what happened afterwards.
Losing a stone in weight a month, her weight soon reduced to a still large 30 stone, however the confidence and self-esteem that she started to regain was a joy to watch. She wanted to dress in feminine clothes again, to take care of her appearance, and to enjoy being a teenager.
She has a future again, though there are still plenty of challenges and health issues that she must face.
August 29th, 2006
Written By: chris
Yet more bad news for those who are over-weight or on the obese side of the scales, I’m afraid.
Scientists have found that obesity can be a major risk factor in contracting Alzheimer’s disease in later life. Apparently there is about a twenty year lag between being obese and the onset of Alzheimer’s.
The reasons for this are quite complex, however they centre around the increased tolerance to insulin that obese people can have. As their bodies become more resistant to insulin, they require more insulin for their cells to absorb sugars from the blood.
High levels of insulin are damaging to many cells in the body, including those in the brain, apparently, leading to Alzheimer’s disease.
If these findings are correct, then we have yet another important reason to ensure that we keep our weight under control.
However this gets me thinking and feeling more than a little concerned.
If there is only a twenty year gap between obesity and Alzheimer’s disease, then what is the prognosis for the increasing numbers of children who are obese?
Not only are they likely to contract diabetes, we now know that there is more chance that they will also suffer from Alzheimer’s disease - probably in their forties.
August 4th, 2006
Written By: chris
Is the United Kingdom the only place where there’s been major controversy over the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccination?
I doubt it, but even though this controversy raged a few years ago, the effects are only now starting to be felt.
In short, Dr Andrew Wakefield, published research whicht indicated that chidren who received the MMR vaccine were more likely to suffer from Autism and a bowel disorder. A so called “triple dose” of the individual vaccines was recommended instead.
The furore was immense. I vividly remember huge queues of anxious parents and frightened children waiting to pay almost any price for single vaccines from anywhere willing to sell them on a private basis.
Friends had children at the vaccination age then, and went to great lengths to get individual doses. Our children were younger so we had longer to come to terms with out terrible dilemma - should we give them the MMR vaccine and risk the dire consequences of autism - or should we give them the individual doses and risk them not being properly protected against measles and the other diseases?
Well, as the link above showed, Dr Wakefield’s research has been discredited - apparently it was only undertaken on 12 children anyway!
We decided to give our children the MMR vaccine and they have been fine. We made the correct decision.
However, in the UK, measles, which had previously been virtually eradicated, is now on the increase again - all because the concerns about the safety of the MMR vaccine.
This is a crazy situation, though I can understand the concerns of parents faced with the decision. All I can add to the debate is that our two children were fine and we can now be assured that as they reach school age that they will be safe from the potentially lethal measles.
July 10th, 2006
Written By: chris
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