Obesity and discrimination

Someone sent me a link about obesity by Theodore Dalrymple. There was a paywall, so I didn't read it, but wondered--was she telling me something? Bob and I are both 30 pounds heavier than when we met in 1959.

So I did a search, "Dalrymple obesity" and see there are over a decade of articles by him, each just as alarming as the previous. It seems one is no longer "obese" but "has obesity." That's an important language change. It's a disease in the new medical speak, he says (he doesn't seem to agree with that language). Now it's a pandemic larger than the one we're in right now and accounts for a high death rate. And over 2 billion (in 2014) globally have this disease. It used to be a disease of the rich, but now it's a disease of the poor.

 
Dalrymple, a physician, admits he's prejudiced toward personal responsibility. He's balanced enough to point out evidence going a different direction, like a study on antibiotics which is so much more common in the last 50 years, particularly given to children. Something similar has often occurred to me--we consume an alarming amount of medicines, supplements, toxins, and chemicals that produce a stew that probably isn't fit for human consumption--the fluoride in water for tooth decay to zinc oxide for skin protection to antibiotics in the meat. And there must be hundreds of examples. I take 2 prescriptions for my heart and one for my bones, then I toss down non-prescription fish oil for my bursitis (it works), calcium for my bones, and Vit. B complex for my brain health (not sure that's working). Your mileage will vary.

However, whether obesity is a "have" or an "is", overweight people of every ethnic group, sex, age, and race face serious discrimination and bullying everyday. I believe it is far worse than racial discrimination and because it affects both health and careers, existing or new laws and regulations don't stop it. There have been advocates, support groups and ad campaigns, urging the non-obese who are now the minority to just be kind, nice, and non-prejudiced, but so far I don't see it working.

 
So while the jury is out on the cause of 73.6% of Americans being either overweight or obese, it's everyone's responsibility to be kinder and stop the discrimination. No rioting or culture cancelling necessary.

The Warren Gap fallacy—or how she promotes envy and sows discord

For Example:

There are three married couples; all named The Bruces. White, 8th generation, college educated Americans.   Bruces A are 20+ years old; Bruces B are 50+ years old and Bruces C are 65+ years old. From top to bottom, Bruces A, B, and C.

Bruces C are much wealthier than Bruces A and Bruces B. They have pensions, 403-b, 401-K, Social Security,  investments  and 2 homes. Bruces B have some savings, no investments, and 2 homes.  Bruces A have one house, no savings or investments.  There’s a wealth gap.

Bruces B have a much higher income than Bruces A and Bruces C.  There is an income gap.

Bruces A are much healthier than Bruces B and Bruces C.  There is a health gap.

Bruces A have minimal health insurance, some hospitalization coverage never used; Bruces B have great health insurance from large self insured employer—OSU; Bruces C have Medicare A & B, plus supplemental. Good, but not as great as Bruces B.  There is an insurance gap.

Bruces A take no medications at all.  Bruces B have minor conditions requiring little medication.  Bruces C have had heart, blood pressure, cancer, asthma, cholesterol problems, all treatable.  There is a health consumption gap.

Bruces A are usually employed or under employed—they are students or lower level employees; Bruces B are fully employed, or self-employed and are DINKS; Bruces C are not employed even irregularly.  There is an employment gap.

Bruces A rarely ever have a vacation or travel; Bruces B occasionally travel to visit relatives or vacation close to home; Bruces C travel to many countries and enjoy cruises, they eat out frequently, attend art events, pursue hobbies.  There is a leisure gap.

Which of the Bruces, A, B, or C, does Elizabeth Warren want to tax to "help" the other two?

Penn Jillette’s 105 lb. weight loss

Penn Jillette (atheist, libertarian entertainer) was on Glenn Beck again last night, and I'd noticed his weight loss the last time, so I looked it up. 105 lbs. Even on 6'7" that shows.

“I was on six very powerful meds to bring the blood pressure down,” Jillette, 60, tells PEOPLE. “My doctor said I needed to get my weight down, and if I brought it down 30 or 40 lbs. it would be a little easier to control. And then he said something in passing that completely blew my mind – he said, ‘If you got down to 230, you probably wouldn’t need any of the meds.’ ”

I don't think I could follow his diet. http://greatideas.people.com/2015/04/08/penn-jillette-weight-loss-las-vegas-home/

His typical daily diet consists of an “enormous salad” with vinegar as dressing for lunch (he doesn’t usually eat breakfast) and a dinner consisting of 3 lbs. of greens and three servings of black or brown rice with a vegetable stew, along with lots of fruits for dessert (his favorite is “an enormous amount of blueberries with plain cocoa powder”) and vegetables with vinegar or Tabasco sauce as a snack.

Notice the cocoa powder? Good for cognitive function and weight loss.

Medical marijuana

I'm sure most conservative commentators and bloggers will jump all over Obama for this one--the new federal guidelines. Not me. Maybe there is no benefit, maybe medical marijuana is just another placebo, but we'll never know until there are large clinical studies, and there won't be any if we make criminals out of the doctors and patients who are trying to ease chronic, debilitating pain. It certainly can't be worse or more addictive than some of the prescription medications like Oxycontin. Is this another follow the money fight? Now let's see if the state and federal regulations can control this as a medical treatment. Probably not.

How colds affect the economy

This is our Friday Night Date restaurant; but we are not in a rut. Sometimes we go to the one in Worthington or Dublin.
Actually, this is just one man's cold. My husband's. He was sniffly all week, so we didn't go out to eat at the Rusty Bucket. He got a little sad, so I said I'd go get a pizza. Instead of getting our usual take-out from Iacono's (medium pepperoni with extra cheese) which has gone up to $14.50 because of the greenies burning corn for fuel, I drove over to Marc's and picked up a frozen large pep for $5.50. It was OK, but nothing to blog home about. Both Rusty Bucket and/or Iacono's lost on that deal, but also the waiter we would have tipped. Even Cheryl's Cookies missed a sale because sometimes we stop there on our way out and I get a yummy chocolate peanut butter brownie.

Then Sunday, I suggested he stay home from church. I sat with Joyce, whose husband Bill also had a cold and stayed home. But she told me about her neighbor who is recommending ZiCam, the kind you dab on your nose. He's had great success, she said. So today while I was at Marc's I bought some ZiCam, and while I was browsing the shelves, I also picked up a new cold product from Alka-Seltzer Plus Immunity Complex that I hadn't seen before. Whatever money we saved by not going out Friday night, then buying a cheap pizza, was definitely used up buying cold meds. I don't think any of them really help, but you feel good doing something, don't you?

Speaking of greenies, one of the reasons they want to knock down your commercial building and start over is to lower the occurrence of 4 of the most common respiratory illnesses which account for 176 million days of lost work each year. "Improvements in green design and construction will create a 9-20% reduction in cases of the common cold, translating to 16 to 37 million fewer cases annually." Well gosh, think of all the people in the OTC business they will put out of work. (These stats, if you choose to believe them, are not mine--they come from a left coast think tank via Buildings magazine, May 2008, p. 32.)