Happy Meals

According to a recent report, Americans are not only fat, but they are getting fatter. The report, done by the Trust for America’s Health found that adult obesity increased in 23 states and did not decrease in a single state during the past year. Also, the report stated that childhood obesity is now at or above 30% in 30 states.

The highest rate of obesity was found in Mississippi, with a rate of 32.5 percent for adults (and an astounding 44.4 percent rate of child obesity). Three other states join Mississippi as having obesity rates over 30 percent: Alabama at 31.2 percent, West Virginia at 31.1 percent and Tennessee at 30.2 percent. Interestingly, 8 of the 10 top states with highest adult obesity are located in the South; where as the northern state of Colorado has the lowest rate at 18.9 percent. This is the fifth year in a row where Mississippi ranked the highest for adult obesity rates.

The fact that Americans are getting fatter is a concern for the healthcare industry because with obesity comes disease and illness and higher health insurance premiums. Despite the increase in nutritional standards from four to 19 states in public schools within the past five years, it is evident that the obesity epidemic is still flourishing. More has to be done by government, families, parents and individuals in order to promote healthy eating and life-styles, exercise and appropriate nutrition.

This past fall, national pediatrician guidelines doubled the recommended amount of vitamin D for kids. There is also much more concern over vitamin D deficiency, as demand for testing has increased by 80% to 90% this year, according to the Financial Times. Vitamin D has long been thought of as important to health, but what are its real benefits? Well, this year a $20 million government-funded trial is going to study whether vitamin D and fish oil lower the risk of cancer, heart disease or stroke. The study will follow 20,000 healthy older adults for five years. At the heart of this question is whether or not vitamin D deficiency causes a higher rate of disease among African-Americans. Researchers have thought that it is harder for people with darker skin to make vitamin D from sunlight, and perhaps taking supplements will reduce the risk of some diseases. The Boston Globe points out that the goal is to have at least 25% of the participants be African-American. The results of this study should be fascinating. If the vitamin D has no effect on the participants, then I do not think vitamin D will be viewed as unimportant. Vitamin D helps maintain one’s calcium balance, regulate one’s blood pressure, and helps fight against osteoporosis. However, if the vitamin truly does help against cancer, stroke, and heart disease the effects could be remarkable. “If something as simple as taking a vitamin D pill could help lower these risks and eliminate these health disparities, that would be extraordinarily exciting,” said Dr. JoAnn Manson from Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital. For millions of individuals, vitamin D could prove to be a life-saver.

Activities such as chess help improve brain health.

The life’sDHA Index of Brain Health recently evaluated the 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia on 21 brain health indicators in areas like physical health, diet, mental health and social well-being. Some of these indictors included time spent sleeping, smoking, education state rankings and consumption of DHA-fortified foods such as fish. This index is the first comprehensive state measure of the nation’s brain health.

According to the index, the nation’s top ten states with the highest brain health, listed from first to tenth are: the District of Columbia, Maryland, Washington state, Vermont, Connecticut, Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Maine and New Hampshire. The five states with the lowest brain health rankings starting with the worst are: Louisiana, Alabama, Oklahoma, Mississippi and Tennessee.

D.C., ranked #1, has one of the highest percentages of people who read for personal interest which helps brain health and also has a high consumption of fruits and vegetables. Many of the states with high rankings exhibit people who eat fish, avoid smoking, read for pleasure, watch their weight and place a high priority on education. On the other hand, Louisiana which ranked last place has a high incidence of Alzheimer’s disease and has the lowest breastfeeding rate nationwide. Since breastfeeding naturally provides DHA, which is important for brain development in infants, this statistic contributes to Louisiana’s poor brain health.

In order to maintain good brain health, people should eat fruits and vegetables in addition to DHA omega-3 rich foods like fish. A minimum of 30 minutes of physical activity a day and playing mental games and learning new things also contribute to good brain health. Other social behavior such as involvement in religious/spiritual activities is also beneficial.

Many of you probably read my recent post on the efficacy of the Gardasil HPV vaccine in older female populations. Gardasil innoculates against the 4 most common types of human papillomavirus, 2 of which are shown to cause cervical cancer. Though the vaccine is only approved for women under 24, recent studies have shown it also works in women 26 and older. Well, there’s a new chapter in the Gardasil story, one which has been filled with concerns not only about the vaccine’s efficacy but also it’s side effects.

When the vaccine first premiered, concerns were raised that in the long-term it could lead to infertility issues. Now, the shot’s maker, Merck, has been ordered by the FDA to include a revised label on the vaccine’s packaging and new warnings for its commercials. The new label informs readers of possible side-effects including syncope (fainting). It goes on to note that these fainting spells may sometimes include tonic-clonic (jerking) movements and seizure-like activity. This description is nearly identical to the one the Epilepsy Foundation uses to describe Grand Mal seizures. As it turns out, the label change is the result of many young girls vaccinated with Gardasil soon afterwards being diagnosed with epilepsy due to seizures. Tying these seizures or fainting with seizure-like symptoms is particularly concerning. It should also be noted that Gardasil’s manufacturer, Merck, is also the maker of Vioxx.

Check out my previous post on Gardasil here: HPV/Cervical Cancer Vaccine Protects Teens AND Older Women

President Obama has made clear his goal for universal health care for all Americans. When he addressed the American Medical Association on Monday, he called for an elimination of insurers’ practice of denying those with pre-exisiting health conditions, which got him a huge applause. “This is personal for me. I will never forget watching my own mother, as she fought cancer in her final days, worrying about whether her insurer would claim her illness was a preexisting condition so it could get out of providing coverage. Changing the current approach to preexisting conditions is the least we can do – for my mother and every other mother, father, son, and daughter, who has suffered under this practice.” While Obama does have support on this idea from the AMA, insurance companies are very hesitant to change many of their practices. Rescission has been a fiery issue between Congress and the insurance companies. This practice effectively cancels the coverage of some sick individuals. Rescission is particularly damaging because patients have gotten used to having coverage, and suddenly it is dropped. “No one can defend, and I certainly cannot defend, the practice of canceling coverage after the fact,” Rep. Michael C. Burgess, of Texas , told the Los Angeles Times. “There is no acceptable minimum to denying coverage after the fact.” Insurers claim, however, that the practice needs to stay in place to protect themselves from those who lied or committed fraud to get policies. The practice certainly saves the companies money, as a congressional investigation found that the canceling of 20,000 people in a five year period allowed the companies to avoid paying $300 million in claims. The problem is that not all of these people committed fraud or lied to obtain coverage. Many were simply dismissed because of their costly health conditions. The question over whether or not rescission will be allowed to be practiced by insurance companies will be a great debate for a long time.

California has recently outlawed the sale of children’s sippy cups and baby bottles containing the chemical bisphenol A, or BPA which is often used to harden plastics. This move is in response to the many other bills which have gone through state legislatures in the past year. Minnesota, Connecticut and the city of Chicago outlawed the sale of baby food containers made with the chemical amidst concerns that it poses a health hazard for children and adults. 55 bills in 20 states aim to limit the use or sale of baby food jars and cans of formula containing BPA. Additionally, Canada banned baby bottles made with BPA because of uncertainty as to the potential effects of low levels of BPA exposure over an extended period of time. The chemical industry and baby food manufacturers have been caught off guard in the last two years by the overwhelming push to ban the use of the plastic ingredient. They’ve mounted a defense of over a dozen lobbyists from groups like the American Chemical Council, Enfamil, and Similac. The concern of these groups is that when California does something, it tends to spread across the nation. With the FDA agreeing to reconsider the safety of BPA this summer, chemical and baby food industry representatives worry a federal ban could be on the horizon. Lobbyists for these interests argue the amount of BPA in consumer goods is so miniscule it shouldn’t pose any health risk to children or adults, and that there’s no scientific basis for such an assessment. They say that the amount of the chemical found in most Americans is 1000 times below what European regulators have established are safe levels for BPA. Studies connecting BPA concentrations with medical problems in adults have indeed proven too inconclusive to act on, but compelling evidence does exist. For example, a study by the Harvard School of Public Health concluded BPA from clear polycarbonate water bottles (Nalgenes) leaches from the plastic into the water and into the human body. The reason that concerns about BPA are so elevated for baby bottles and baby food containers is because BPA leaches from these vessels into food and milk generating significant exposures to young children who cannot metabolize the harmful chemical as well as adults. These assessments were the result of studies initiated after a 2007 study by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences which found BPA caused reproductive abnormalities in mice. For this reason, the American Academy of Pediatrics has sounded the alarm: “The AAP is deeply concerned…that the current scientific evidence is largely insufficient to draw accurate conclusions about the safety of exposure to BPA, particularly with respect to vulnerable populations including pregnant women, infants, and children.”

Though Medical Marijuana has been proven to help relieve pain for cancer patients and other sufferers, under federal laws it is still considered illegal. Charles C. Lynch, owner of a medical marijuana dispensary in California, was sentenced to a 1 year prison term. While state laws may allow for the disbursement of medical marijuana, federal laws doesn’t even though the Obama administration promised not to prosecute anyone if they have complied with state law.

“I find I cannot get around the one-year sentence,” Judge George H. Wu, the judge at Lynch’s hearing, said of federal sentencing laws. Though Judge Wu understands the state law and the many ways Lynch tried to oblige these laws, he had trouble finding a loophole that would avoid sending him to prison. A mandatory of five years is the sentence for this sort of crime, but the Judge reduced it due to Lynch’s lack of previous criminal history.

Many legal experts believe that this case highlights the conflicts between state and federal laws. Federal law prohibits the development, sale and use of marijuana for medicinal purposes, but 13 states allow it. The 13 states that allow it include Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington.

“He is caught between California’s voter-approved medical marijuana system and the Bush administration’s single-minded effort to smother it,” said Stephen Gutwillig of the Drug Policy Alliance. “That Attorney General Holder changed federal policy three months ago only makes this miscarriage of justice all the more disturbing. Charlie is like a forgotten prisoner of war, abandoned after a truce was declared.”