Why parents will live longer than their kids
Filed under: Obesity
With the advent of new technology and medical advances, the life expectancy of humans has been inching upwards for thousands of years. Dying at 40 went out with the middle ages -- we're healthier than ever before. Wait, scratch that. We're not healthier than ever before. And life expectancy? It might start going backwards. No, it's not because the plague has come back. We're going backwards healthwise and it's all our own fault. It's because we're obese.
A report shows that, in Canada at least, kids won't live as long as their parents did, and this is because one quarter of the children aged 2 to 17 are obese or overweight. That's one in 4 kids. That's a frightening statistic. Heart problems, diabetes, cancer -- each of these kids is at a much greater risk of developing these problems. So how is it that as we get smarter, we go backwards at the same time? Who's to blame?
No kidding around -- kids hearts hurt by secondhand smoke
Filed under: Prevention, Smoking, Women Heart Health
Imagine being 11-years-old and already have artery damage from being exposed to secondhand smoke. That's what researchers from Finland's University of Turku found when they studied 402 children who had either had no exposure to secondhand smoke, light exposure, or heavy exposure.When they did ultrasound testing on the children, they found that those who had been exposed to secondhand smoke had reduced artery function. The more exposed a child was, the greater the damage to their cardiovascular system. Though researchers aren't certain what this means for these kids in the long run, they say that research in adults suggests that this kind of damage is not reversible.
A whopping 60% of kids are exposed to secondhand smoke in the United States. Not only does living with a smoker increase the risk of health problems like asthma, ear infections, and cardiovascular damage, but kids who live with smokers are more likely to smoke themselves.
JDRF's kids online: Community of kids with diabetes
Filed under: Type 1, Childhood, Support
The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International (JDRF) was started in 1970 by a group of parents advocating for their children. JDRF has grown into a powerful research and educational force for juvenile diabetes -- nothing short of amazing!
Check out JDRF's Kids Online, a community of kids handling their disease with grace, humor and courage. Kids Online offers a variety of interactive zones to engage youth and teens with juvenile diabetes. Just a sampling, the Your Life link provides tips to manage the disease from a kid's point of view. Don't miss the Your Stuff link boasting an Idea Zone to share artwork and ideas; Kids Say for a give-and-take of opinions; and Pen Pals where kids can forge friendships with other juvenile diabetics across the globe.
Sneak a peek at Kids Online and be inspired by this on-line playground. If you know a child with juvenile diabetes, make sure to send them a hyperlink!
Brit kids save diabetic dad in swimming pool incident
Filed under: Type 1, Daily News
Awww. Call me a sap, but I love these heart-warming rescue stories. A couple of British kids saved their diabetic dad recently from drowning. The man, Martin Limon (41), has diabetes and suffered a seizure while in a swimming pool. Talk about your bad timing. But wait! He had some good luck: his nine-year-old son saw him in time as he was sinking. The boy and his ten-year-old sister together dragged dad up to the surface of the water and held his head up until a lifeguard came to the rescue. They also helped emergency personnel treat their dad by telling them what he had had to eat for breakfast that day and what his blood sugar level had been. Said dad Martin, "I had been in the pool about five minutes when I started to feel a bit strange. I thought I would be okay but the next thing I remember is waking up in the ambulance." Now he's super-proud of his kids: "I know everybody thinks their kids are great, but what they did was fantastic."Now, someone probably would have saved this guy from drowning, kids or no kids. I mean, he was at a public swimming pool. There were other swimmers around as well as trained lifeguards and other pool employees. But it's still great that his kids reacted so quickly and appropriately. It must be absolutely terrifying for a little kid to see their dad going under the water like that. So it's cool that they did not panic and knew what to do.
Check out this adorable family photo, which I found posted on the Daily Mail's website.
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Gene flaws may increase kids' risk for type 1 diabetes
Filed under: Type 1, Childhood, Research, Daily News
A new study, a report of which has been published in Nature, has identified gene flaws that increase the risk for type 1 diabetes in children. By examining the genetic codes of thousands of children, some with and some without diabetes, as well as those of parents of diabetics, the researchers identified three changes on one specific gene present in those with diabetes. They then looked at 1600 additional diabetes patients' genetic codes and again found the very same marks, sometimes called "flavors" or "flaws." Two of these variations increase a person's odds of developing diabetes by fifty percent, say the researchers. However, the third seems to decrease risk for the disease.Type 1, says lead author Hakon Hakonarson, is a complex genetic disorder "involving mutations in several genes acting in concert to predispose someone to the condition." Important? Very. Best case scenario: understanding how these genes operate is the kind of knowledge that could lead to a cure. At the very least, such knowledge could help medical caregivers identify at-risk children - a step that could eventually precede the standard diagnosis procedure as we know it today.
Click here for more details about this study.
Courtney Love forced to give up smoking
Filed under: Smoking, Celebrity news
A few little bumps in the throat may have saved Courtney Love's health. Jonathon at That's Fit recently reported that the singer was recently forced to quit smoking by her doctor, who found benign nodules in her throat, caused by her daily cigarette habit. Though the nodules are benign, they could require surgery if Love doesn't stop smoking. I can only imagine that throat surgery would have a big impact on someone who sings for a living.Not only will Love hopefully enjoy a long music career now that she's given up cigarettes, she'll also quickly improve her cardiovascular health. And research shows that parents who quit smoking are less likely to pass the the bad habit on to their kids, so she's doing her daughter a favor as well.
Sugar-Free Gang cheers on UAlbany player
Filed under: Type 1
Capital News 9 of Albany, New York, reports on a bunch of good-hearted people who have teamed up to lend support to diabetics, including University of Albany basketball player Brian Connelly. The Sugar-Free Gang is their name. Their purpose? Encouraging people, especially young people, with diabetes to get out and live life as fun, healthily and normally as possible. The Capital News 9 article quotes a member of the Sugar-Free Gang, Patti Norris, who has a diabetic son: "Diabetes is not an obstacle in life. They can do something with it. You can live a normal life."About fifty children and their families are in the Gang and they all turned up at a recent game to cheer on Connelly, who has been diagnosed with diabetes. Said one young fan, "I know how it feels to have diabetes and you need to have a lot of support."
Connelly is doing well, says Coach Will Brown, and is playing every day. Still, it must be very cool to have your own special cheering squad in the crowd, right? Yes, says Connelly: "Just that I can be looked up to like that, I mean it feels great. Hopefully, I can set a good example."
But reading this article, it's clear that this is no one-way street when it comes to encouragement for young diabetics. Talk about a fun and super-bonding time for the kids involved in this: to get out, enjoy a game and cheer on a young up-and-coming player. No, they're not buddies with him. But the common link of having diabetes brings them all together. What a great idea! Kudos to the parents of the Sugar-Free Gang kids for making this happen.
Check out Capital News 9's website for a video clip of the game.
What about Potassium?
"Can't find what you are looking for? Try Google Search" Calorie Feature Article What about Potassium?Author: Rolf Rasmusson What about Potassium?Information on potassiumWhen you read about potassium and senate document report 264 you'll life should be changed forever. You're going to discover that the biggest fallacy most people aren't aware of is that if we eat a balanced diet, (the four food groups), we get all the nutrients we need to stay healthy and live a long life. The truth is, this has been a matter of public record for the past 60 years. Fact is that our farming soils are severely depleted of these so important minerals such as potassium. Without adequate mineral intake whether through supplements or certain foods the vitamins our bodies take in are worthless. We need this important mineral as it assists in muscle contraction and in maintaining fluid and electrolyte balance in body cells. Various surveys would have us believe that we get adequate amounts of daily intake but in truth how's that possible according to the senate document.We're taught that potassium rich food does the trick but in reality that really can't be so. Fruits and vegetables are mostly depleted of nutrients ? yes they still look good in the stores for sure. A little fancy treatment makes good marketing sense for the venders but not for us. As we contemplate the issues it makes us really wonder who's needs are being met with so many conflicting reports. The giant supermarkets aren't concerned about our nutrition; it?s the cash register that dictates the bottom line. Plant foods are harvested before they've even ripened; many are gas retarded from ripening, trucked across the United States, and then gas ripened. By the time the food gets to our dinner tables there's little or no nutrition left. But they sure look good. No longer can we rely on a "balanced" diet with merely so many calories or certain vitamins or fixed proportions of starches, proteins and carbohydrates. We know for certain that our diets must have a score of minerals. And potassium along with many others just isn't there. About the Author Senate doc 264 and much more at.. http://www.liquid-vitamins-4u.com... Electronic Calorie CounterCalorie Counting SheetCalorie Count In Food
Why don't insurance companies insure diabetic kids?
Filed under: Type 1, Childhood, Opinion, Products, Allie Beatty, Support, Personalities, Form and Function
Ed Hinerman, a life insurance specialist with the Hinerman Group, was posed an interesting challenge recently. For years he has successfully found affordable life insurance for many adults with type 1 diabetes, but he had never been asked about life insurance for children with Type 1 diabetes until now.
After speaking with underwriters in the top 40 or so companies, he found a discernible lack of interest due to lack of data. Companies would say that they couldn't consider someone with type 1 diabetes until they were either age 15 or age 20. A peer in the industry told Ed the knee jerk reaction was because insurance companies haven't done mortality studies on children. They simply don't have any data upon which to base the pricing for products. Uh oh!! That coupled with the fact that there really isn't any financial incentive for them to study and create products for a relatively small market that would produce relatively low premium, kind of sets the tone. Well, now the war has been defined and the battles are becoming clearer.
When Ed contacted the ADA for assistance in this matter - hold your breath (it's a shocker!) - they turned a cold shoulder on a diabetic's need. What if the diabetic's parents were doing what so many families do - and trying to buy a whole life policy to help pay for their kids college someday? It's really not fair! Here's where fair begins -- Ed asked me to gather some facts it will take to get the insurance companies attention. Does anybody have any idea of the mortality rate of children after being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes?
Bottom line. Life insurance companies make big money and for them to cut and run from children just because it might not make them more big bucks, or because they really haven't done their homework and aren't interested in doing it, isn't acceptable. Game on! I hope we can make a good showing, at the very least - hit one out of the park for the fans. Thanks for inviting me to play, Ed!