Is Anyone in Washington Listening? By Dr. Evelyn Higgins

According to a study published in the journal Obesity, by the year 2030, 86 percent of American adults will be overweight. By 2048 the study suggests that all U.S. adults will be at least mildly overweight. Frightening? I do hope so! This affects each and every citizen both directly as well as indirectly. It is time to take this epidemic seriously and make some timely changes before it's too late. It seems during our present presidential campaign season the word "change" is often heard, yet in the reality of our nation, we pay for very few health care services that have to do with prevention and wellness, no less education. Such a link to lack of preventative services is going to skyrocket our healthcare costs; and many of the lifestyle diseases - cardiovascular disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, osteoarthritis and certain cancers - have already been linked to obesity or weight related problems, yet we simply prescribe a pill and hope for the best. Wouldn't it make more sense to allocate educational funds for media campaigns to explain the benefits of living a healthy lifestyle and maintaining a healthy weight, and how that can help each and every American? [more...]