Healthcare Uncovered and Guest Bloggers!

This week, I wanted to share an interesting segment on our nation’s current healthcare status. Also, I have two guest blogger’s, Amanda Kidd and Marina Salsbury discussing tips on obesity issues with college students and factors that may affect our weight.

1) Healthcare Uncovered (source: The Boston Channel)

Clip 1
http://www.thebostonchannel.com/video/27538726/detail.html

Clip 2
http://www.thebostonchannel.com/video/27538932/detail.html

Clip 3
http://www.thebostonchannel.com/video/27538873/detail.html

2) College Obesity

By: Marina Salsbury

Obesity is becoming an increasing problem in adults and children throughout the United States. As our culture becomes faster- and faster-paced and technology use rises, adults are finding less time to exercise or to cook healthy food while spending more time sitting at desks. College students are often thought of as an active demographic, but in reality they spend quite a bit of time sedentary in lectures, in dorm rooms completing online college classes, and hours reading in libraries. Troubling statistics show that up to one third of college students are struggling with obesity, and many aren’t making healthy choices to combat this statistic.

Obesity is not the same as being overweight. “Overweight” simply means weighing more than is recommended given one’s height and weight. It could be due to an excess of fat, muscle, or even water weight. On the other hand, obesity is an excess of body fat occurring when one consumes more calories than one burns off.

College students’ lifestyles lends themselves to obesity if healthy habits aren’t instituted. There are a number of reasons for this. First, students may no longer be eating three healthy meals each day as they were when living at home. Skipping breakfast is disastrous since the student will be hungry all day and will turn to unhealthy food choices to satisfy hunger. Secondly, some college students eat a large amount of junk food filled with empty calories. Soda, chips, candy bars, and alcohol are all high-calorie foods without much other nutritional value.

Thirdly, stress leads to eating. College students certainly find themselves under a great deal of stress from packed class schedules, hectic work environments, and unrelenting deadlines. Many students turn to comfort foods, which are often high in carbohydrates, fats, and calories instead of other healthy options to provide energy-laden minerals and protein.

Fourthly, a great many students are unable to find time for exercising. Without a daily routine, students find they’re simply too tired to exercise, have too many other activities, or are fighting peer pressure to party instead. Regular exercise is critical to health in youth as much as later in life, but college-age students often fail to realize this until they encounter serious health problems.

Students need to be warned that this issue is about more than just body image and self-esteem. While it is true obesity can greatly affect these social and psychological aspects, there are a number of other long-term consequences to obesity. Obesity can negatively affect the reproductive system, the weight-bearing joints of the body, and may even cause problems such as gallbladder disease and frequent heartburn.

College campuses and students can both equip themselves to fight this rising epidemic. Campuses can provide healthier food and drink choices in vending machines such as nuts, dried fruits, water, and fruit juices. They can also install more exercise equipment and provide outdoor or indoor running tracks, swimming pools, and game courts. Campus cafeterias should focus on serving foods made from whole ingredients and should offer adequate portions of fresh fruits and vegetables.

However, it’s up to students themselves to make the wise decisions when faced with a variety of choices. Students should be careful to eat three balanced meals each day and never to skip breakfast. Carrying healthy, portable snacks in one’s purse, car, or backpack can make food choices easy when sudden munchies hit. Eating a healthy snack before going to a party or other social gathering can ward off later overeating.

In addition, students should exercise for at least thirty minutes four to five days every week. Exercise can easily be fit into any day by making choices such as walking to the library, running errands on foot instead of by car, and taking the stairs instead of the elevator to class.

Each college student has the option of breaking free from the dangerous cycle of unhealthy eating behaviors and minimal exercise. Peer pressure should not stop anyone from caring for his body to have a healthy future. In addition, good habits established in college can become lifelong changes for the better.

3) Top 10 Factors that can affect our weight

By: Amanda Kidd

When you refer to a person as being obese or over weight, it means that the overall body weight of the person in comparison to his height is too high. Over weight means having extra body weight from bone, fat, muscle and/or water whereas obesity simply means having a high amount of extra body fat. Managing your weight consistently may be a problem for many, especially if they are under medical treatments or ill in some way or the other. It could get in the way of losing weight and there is no way to deal with it but to be aware of what causes the weight change and make the best out of the situation. Listed below are the top ten medical conditions and factors that may affect your weight.

1. Low thyroid

A thyroid that is under active can put an end to your metabolism, thus keeping your weight on. If you have the slightest suspect that your thyroid is out of control, make sure you visit a doctor and have him assess all aspects of your thyroid production and subscribe medicines accordingly. For some regular prescriptions would work but for others, it could be natural remedies like Armor or homoeopathic and Ayurvedic remedies, assisting the treatments with daily exercise also helps to balance your hormones.

2. Some medications

Many medicines can prevent weight loss or make you gain weight. Steroids and asthma inhalers in particular are known to cause weight gain, invariably slowing or stopping your progress. It is important that you talk to your doctor and have him suggest alternatives to your steroid medications and how to ease off them.

3. Pain

Chronic pain can indirectly affect your weight. It will harness your desire to exercise, thus making you lethargic and prone to weight gain. If you are in constant pain from arthritis or other injuries, you become inactive, but you end up not adjusting the food intake accordingly, thereby slowing metabolism rates. It is understandable that doing severe exercises might be difficult, but it is still possible to do some sort of movements. Get the advice from a physiotherapist who can guide you towards exercises fit for you and may even ultimately help in healing your state.

4. Low blood sugar

Low blood sugar means your blood sugar has dropped fast without any warning and has caught you unaware. It could be followed by nausea, headaches, crankiness and a heavy duty craving for any kind of food, and lots of it. The craving for food would make you binge on sweet, fatty and starchy foods, invariably putting your weight at stake. When in a situation like this, the key is to eat enough protein meals. Keep some snacks around and eat them when you are hungry. You could say goodbye to low blood sugar with proper nutritional methods.

5. Diabetes

Diabetes and weight gain unfortunately share a symbolic relationship. People who are overweight or obese have a high chance of developing diabetes and so the weight must be controlled at least to reduce risk. People with Type 2 diabetics who can regulate their blood sugar levels with a proper diet can often reach their desired size as opposed to those using insulin who would need a more monitored weight loss programme. If left unnoticed, it causes severe weight gain.

6. Birth control pills

As much as birth control pills have certain other advantages, the weight gain associated with it is vital. It could sometimes be a little, or sometimes a lot and varies from women to women. If you realize that you are gaining weight by consuming birth control contact the doctor who prescribed them and find a formulation that would help reduce weight gain. Also try and avoid the three month shots and systems which would wreak havoc with the hormones and will significantly add on pounds. Find another method of contraception if you are fighting an increase in weight.

7. Food sensitivity

Food sensitivity can also cause weight gain without really realizing it, as it is not an immediate reaction. They could occur hours later in the form of bloating and swelling of hands feet and ankles and around the eyes. Much of it is due to fluid retention caused by inflammation and the release of certain hormones, in addition to the fermentation of certain foods which can result in swollen body parts.

8. Kidney, heart or liver diseases

If your kidneys have failed or you have a liver disease then the chances of weight gain are more as there is significant amount of fluid retention. They could appear as general puffiness all over the body especially around the ankles and the eyes. People with congenital heart defects on the valves, interior walls of the heart or the arteries and veins can also be prone to weight gain.

9. Cushing’s syndrome

The Cushing’s disorder is caused due to the excess amounts of a hormone called cortisol. Fat accumulates around the face, upper back and abdomen making one look over weight. Other problems include muscle weakness, easy bruising, high blood pressure and glucose intolerance.

10. Breathing problems

Although it is unclear whether the weight gain is caused due to sleep disordered breathing, people with breathing problems like snoring and sleep apnea are known to have a persistent weight gain issue. The breathing problems are associated with alterations in energy metabolism which in turn leads to weight gain.
Other than these problems, weight gain could also be due to an underlying issue like ovarian cyst, obstruction of lymph fluid etc. If you start noticing weight gain without any particular illness, it is advisable to get in touch with a doctor who would be able to do tests and diagnose the problem before it is too late. At the end, if you have a proper diet and a healthy exercise regime, you should be able to handle your weight loss issue properly.