In the News 8-23-12

First up...

'The Beast' races to lose 100 pounds

What an inspiration this guy is!  He started at 380 lbs and since February 2011, he's run a 5k, a 10k, a half marathon and a full marathon!  Now he's training for a full length Ironman competition.

What I love about this guy's story is that it's one I've heard repeated time and time again out here in the blogosphere.  He went to an amusement park with his daughter but wouldn't fit on the rides.  How many of us have spoken about the one thing...the one instance...that pushed us over the edge and we decided that enough was enough?  But that's certainly not the only similarity.  He found inspiration through social media.  An old friend on facebook lost 240 lbs and he looked to her for tips and support.  A great read if you're lacking in motivation this morning...

Let's move on to bad melons...oh the puns!  The puns!

FDA names Indiana farm tied to contaminated melons

So a salmonella outbreak has been traced back to a cantaloupe farm in Indiana.  So be careful when buying cantaloupes!  Is it just me or are there more and more food recalls lately?  Beef, lettuce, spinach...cantaloupe.  I mean...were there always this many recalls but the internet has made it easier to spread the word (which is a good thing) or it because there are more mass food producers out there? Back in the day when you used to buy produce from your local farm..and they had salmonella...I suppose it would only affect your local community so it wouldn't be a big deal, right?  It goes back to buying local...probably just a better way to go.  Smaller chance of getting it, you know where your food comes from and if you do happen to catch some deadly disease from it, it's a lot easier to nail down the culprit responsible.  Just sayin'...

Next up...for the empty nesters out there...how to keep your college kids healthy.  So their tips and then my thoughts in blue.

How to help your college student stay healthy away from home

•Get vaccinations, medical exams - You should be doing this anyway.

•Plan ahead for emergencies:  Have your health care provider prepare a written summary of any acute or chronic conditions for college records. Parents and students should review the details of the students' insurance plan.  If these plans are anything like the plans I had in college, you're better off sticking with your parents' plan, especially since you can stay on until 25 now. 

•Self-help 101: Basically, make sure your kids know their basic health status (allergies, etc.) but also make sure they have a first aid kit, epi pens, etc.  If you have a child who has chronic illnesses, you should've been making them more aware of it long before they're heading off to college!  Have they been in a bubble through high school?  Or have you been hovering so much that they've learned virtually no independence?!?!

•Prioritize sleep, good nutrition and exercise: Talk to your child about monitoring these (habits) and keep track of them.  If your child is living in a dorm or actually went to a different state for college, how are you supposed to track them??  Again...teach your kids some responsibility.  

•Encourage the use of support services on campus:  This one's a good idea. Most kids don't even know what's available to them.

•Stay alert to stress, anxiety and emotions:   Again, if your child doesn't live with you anymore, this is going to be tough.  Hopefully if your child is really struggling, they'll come to you with it but there's a good chance they won't.  You can try your best here but going to college is a major life change and yes..it can be emotionally taxing.  Again..if college were that easy then EVERYONE would go!  It's supposed to be a little demanding!

My issue with this article is that it just reinforces the idea that these "kids" aren't ready to be on their own.  I'm not saying don't prepare them.  You MUST prepare them.  But for the love of pete, start doing it in high school!  At 18, they're technically adults and there comes a time where you've gotta let go.  Now I've never been there.  My kids are little but I remember when my sister went off to college and then I went off to college and the whole idea was to find your way.  Don't worry so much.  College is NOT the real world yet.  They've got 4 more years to figure it all out..ahem...cause god knows WE all have it figured out, right?


And now it's time for the segment I like to call "From the Duh Section of the Paper..."

Study: Obesity surgery can help prevent diabetes

Do I really need to even go into this article?  OK...Fine..Some highlights, taken directly from the article... Again my thoughts are in blue.

Doctors are reporting a new benefit from weight-loss surgery — preventing diabetes. Shocker!

It is "provocative and exciting" that surgery can prevent diabetes, but it is "impractical and unjustified" to think of doing it on millions of obese adults, Dr. Danny Jacobs, a Duke University surgeon.  Really?  It's much better that we keep building dialysis centers every 10 feet.  

"If surgery is the only treatment we have, we have to accept the cost ramifications of that" and give up "the naive notion" that we can just teach severely obese people how to lose weight, said Roslin, who consults for some makers of bariatric surgery equipment.  I'm real surprised that a consultant for makers of bariatric surgery equipment would feel this way *rolling eyes*  This also shows how it is a money making proposition for them.  They don't care if you're one of the types that COULD lose the weight on your own.  They don't want you to...and they don't want you to believe you can.  Surgery is NOT the only treatment we have...people can diet and exercise and lose the weight themselves...  it's generally not as successful long term but it can be done!  There are hundreds of bloggers who prove that...The Beast up top proved that... my BFF proved that.  I don't like the negativity this guy puts out there.

Researchers led by Dr. Lars Sjstrm of Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Gothenburg, Sweden, tracked 1,658 patients who had bariatric surgery — mostly bands and stomach stapling — and 1,771 similar patients who just got usual care and counseling on how to lose weight.
None had diabetes when the study began. After about 10 years on average among those still in the study, 392 developed diabetes in the usual care group versus 110 in the surgery group. Researchers calculated that surgery had reduced the odds of getting diabetes by 78 percent.


OK...so not much in the news today but a few things caught my eye.  Tomorrow's Friday, thank goodness and I've got a long workday ahead so off I go.  :)

Special shout out to Jenn who faced the inner demon yesterday and overcame it.  I'm proud of you!