ALABAMA BANS OBESITY: Should Bipolar Be Banned, Too?
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Posted By: agnes levine on September 03, 2008 I believe that America still has a long way to go with promoting healthy lifestyle changes. We must step up the effort to instill good eating habits in our children along with regular exercise. The best way to teach these patterns to our children is to model good health habits daily. Even if it is taking a family stroll through the neighborhood for a half hour before preparing for bed. We spoil our children with junk food and gadgets (electronics) because we rush through life, lack good parenting skills in many cases, and did not have good health habits instilled in us unless we were atheletes. It is hard as a woman to stay fit after child-bearing and we must work especially hard. Another issue I have to raise is our mental healthcare. If we are in poor mental health, such as depressed, we tend to reach for the junk food or "feel good/comfort" foods. This leads to obesity. In addition, many medications have side effects causing weight gain. It becomes an endless cycle of poor health. How do we change this? We need to educate ourselves and our families about good eating habits. We as parents can cook more fresh vegetables and buy fresh fruits to include in the menu daily. If we are forced to get junk food, make the wisest choices of nutritional value on the menu (i.e., salads, grilled sandwhiches, fruit cups). If we must take medications with weight gain side affects (psycho-tropic drugs for clinical depression or manic depression tied to Bipolar), exercise daily and watch your calorie (junk food) intake. Choose fresh vegetables and fruits over canned products and strive to bake or broil meats rather than fry them. Also, fish is better brain food than red meats! In addition, walk, walk, walk! A thirty-minute walk is as simple as 15 minutes through your neighborehood and turn around and go the 15 minutes back. Do so briskly. Time yourself and challenge yourself to cover greater distances as walking becomes routine. Meditate while you walk and develop your personal relationship with God. Listen to the birds and not the noise in your head. When I first heard about Alabama's state law proposing to ban obesity by making State employees pay $25 for insurance if they are obese, I laughed and thought the radio announcer was joking! This is not funny for many reasons and it should NOT become state law for these many reasons: 1) While it may seem like obesity is self-inflicted, many obese people are innocent victims because of other underlying mental health issues or the way they were raised. Should we then make adult victims of child molestation pay a penalty for seeking mental healthcare?; 2) Obese adults are ususally unhappy themselves and worried about more serious health risks due to being obese, but it was a learned behavior. Should we make adult victims pay a penalty because 40 years ago there was no concern about eating moderate, nutritional meals? Forty years ago everybody dined on meat and potatoes.; 3) The learned behaviors of obesity must be corrected meaning that these adults must now learn (by mandate) a healthier life-style. Should we penalize senior citizens by deducting $25 from their Social Security Income because they failed to teach good, healthy eating habits to their children? 4) There should not be a time limit on adults learning a new way of healthy living, but emphasis should be put on TEACHING the younger generation healthy eating habits and physical and mental exercise. Should a person who can lose ten pounds quickly due to their body's metabolism escape the fine while another person in the samge weight-loss program category, but a slower metabolism, be fined because they were each given one month to lose the excess weight?; 5) I don't think adults should have to pay the $25 penalty for their obesity, but if it were to happen, maybe they should pay for each child who is obese instead. This will begin to re-shape America more visibly and profoundly and, of course, health wise. However, who will pay for all the obese children on welfare?; and 6) My over-all thought is that the government should not become big brother in our kitchens any more than we tolerate them in our bedrooms, churches, etc. In addition, if the government cannot regulate mental illnesses and the side effects of medication to treat the brain disorder, people with Bipolar should not be fined because they are seeking treatment and gain weight as a consequence. Persons with a brain disorder often struggle with obesity as a direct consequence of the medications approved by the FDA! Knowing that, the government is further "milking" an individual first through the high-cost of healthcare to stay stable and then by penalizing them for any excess weight due to staying mentally well. This is ridiculous! If Alabama bans obesity than it must also ban all brain disorders and prescription drugs as well!! Considering all these reasons, and there are many more, do you think Alabama is on the right track by out-lawing obesity? If you struggle with obesity and mental illness, visit the National Medical Association at www.nmet.org or the National Association for Mental Illness at www.nami.org. Today, I pray that Alabama find a more sensible way to trim its budget. Agnes ~ Too Wise Not To Praise Him! Author of "Cooling Well Water: A Collection of Work By An African-American Bipolar Woman" ISBN 0975461206 Winter Release Pending - www.myspace.com/coolingwellwater Founder/President of Levine-Oliver President, The exclusive publisher of Swaggie's Voice. Experience Swaggie's Voice at http://swaggiecoleman.blogspot.com and leave your comments. If you enjoyed this article, Join HBCU CONNECT today for similar content and opportunities via email! |
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agnes levine
Part-Time Teacher, Baltimore County Public Schools Member Since August 2008 |
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