Okay people, let's start off with this little gem right here, shall we:
Obesity affects nearly 20% of kids and teens in the U.S. and about 42% of adults, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
TWENTY PERCENT OF OUR CHILDREN ARE OBESE!
Yeah, sometime over the past three decades or so we just totally biffed it when it comes to diet and exercise. I'll leave it up to you to ponder how this may have happened. Blame the food pyramid, high fructose corn syrup, lack of exercise, or simply the amount of garbage foods that can be found in almost any aisle at the grocery store.
We biffed it.
And while some of us realize that this problem could be easily solved with a better diet and some moderate exercise, Big Pharma has other ideas:
Yes, the big pharmaceutical companies are here to help again, folks!
New guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics:
Children struggling with obesity should be evaluated and treated early and aggressively, including with medications for kids as young as 12 and surgery for those as young as 13, according to new guidelines released Monday.
The longstanding practice of "watchful waiting," or delaying treatment to see whether children and teens outgrow or overcome obesity on their own only worsens the problem that affects more than 14.4 million young people in the U.S., researchers say. Left untreated, obesity can lead to lifelong health problems, including high blood pressure, diabetes and depression…
For the first time, the group's guidance sets ages at which kids and teens should be offered medical treatments such as drugs and surgery — in addition to intensive diet, exercise and other behavior and lifestyle interventions, said Eneli, director of the Center for Healthy Weight and Nutrition at Nationwide Children's Hospital.
I'm sorry, but I'm old enough to remember when fighting obesity was considered racist.
However, now that the big corporations need more of our hard-earned cash, it's time to start treating obese minors with drugs — and even surgery!
What in the world is going on with all these new surgeries they want to perform on children?!?
It's like:
Yeah, man.
Maybe instead of "waiting it out" we could actually pick up real food at the grocer, take the time to prepare this healthy food for our children, and then watch them grow into healthy adults who don't need surgery due to how obese they are.
Just an idea.
But no, we won't do that.
Because for every great manmade epidemic we encounter, there's always Big Pharma there to help us out.
I'm sick of it.
Here's some beautiful commentary from others who feel the same:
And this thread:
And my personal favorite:
Come on, folks.
