From Your Health Journal…..”As many of my readers here know, I always say how much I enjoy Dr. David Katz’ articles, and today is no exception. I hope you all visit the Huffington Post site to read the entire article (link below). The article starts off by saying how the overweight child was more exception than norm. Nowadays, it is starting to become more of the norm. Recently, we learned over recent months that while the overall prevalence of childhood obesity may have stabilized, and perhaps even declined a bit in some locations, the prevalence of severe obesity has risen steeply. Sadly, too many children are suffering from risk factors for heart disease as well as diabetes. Change is needed, and a strong education on healthy lifestyle. Please visit the Huffington Post web site to read this entire article as well as other great articles.”

From the article…..

I suspect all of us can remember witnessing schoolyard incidents back in our day, a generation or more ago, that involved someone picking on a “fat” kid — or back then, perhaps, when childhood obesity was more exception than norm, “the” fat kid. Some of us can doubtless recall participating in such exchanges, to our credit if we attempted to interrupt them, to our shame if we were complicit in them. Generally the abusive banter, when that’s all it was, served as what passed for wit: reminding a fat person they were fat. As if they might have forgotten.

But however we look back, and however the recollections might induce a wince, we must acknowledge that the situation is far worse now — because childhood obesity is far worse now. It affects far more kids, of course — but also is apt to affect them far more severely. In fact, we learned over recent months that while the overall prevalence of childhood obesity may have stabilized, and perhaps even declined a bit in some locations, the prevalence of severe obesity has risen steeply.

So make no mistake: The time-honored and dishonorable practice of literally adding insult to the injuries of childhood and adolescent obesity not only persists, but now afflicts more of our kids than ever. Children trying to overcome the burdens of obesity on their health and self-image are routinely obligated to weather a daily storm of bullying, abuse, and derision. They are denied the solace of friendship — and often turn to food for comfort. And then, of course, eating the wrong things in the wrong amounts for the wrong reasons worsens the obesity — and a downward spiral exerts its perilous pull.

At the bottom of it is not just dyslipidemia or Type 2 diabetes or joint pain. At the bottom is genuine despair.

To read the full article…..Click here