Harvard University Professor Dr. David Ludwig is under attack for his public call this week for some obese children to be taken from their parents to protect their health. Ludwig stated that “[i]n severe instances of childhood obesity, removal from the home may be justifiable, from a legal standpoint, because of imminent health risks and the parents’ chronic failure to address medical problems.” That legal standpoint may need a bit more work.
Ludwig is an obesity expert at Children’s Hospital Boston and associate professor at the Harvard School of Public Health. His comments came in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
First, in defense of Ludwig, he prefaced his statement by saying that such intervention would only be in severe cases. It is indeed possible for a child to be removed in a severe case where the child is in imminent risk of seriously injury or death due to either acts or omissions by the parents.
However, the statement rightfully raised concerns. There is growing evidence of genetic predispositions for obesity in some people. The parents may not be at fault in the continuing condition. Moreover, removing the child from the home will only increase stress for the child.
Parental rights are protected by the Constitution and, while child services are given a fair degree of discretion in the removal of children from homes to protect them, those decisions are subject to a full legal process. Most such removals are likely to fail under current legal standards absent a showing of imminent harm and a failure of the parents to follow medical advice. As a comparison, courts often express reluctance to order cancer treatments or medical interventions for a child when parents claim religious objections to treatment. The child is often at immediate risk when a court issues an order of removal or arrest.
The problem is that obesity is very common (unfortunately) among children today and they are all at some level of risk. An estimated 12.5 million children and teens (17% of that population) are obese.
Ludwig would need a case where the child is in immediate risk of heart failure of some of medical emergency. Such a status usually required hospitalization, not foster care. Moreover, experts in the article below question whether care would improve in foster care.
This was the case of 3-year-old Anamarie Regino who weighed 90 pounds and was removed from the home for two months. She did not show any improvement in foster care. She is now 14 years old and was raised by her parents.
Source: ABC News
Mike S.,
I love those old seltzer bottles… Miss the old glass milk bottles, too, as well as the days when they were delivered.. (Back to the selzer, as you said, “Now THAT was seltzer.”) I’ve had a couple of selzer bottles explode… one, in the middle of the night…
I thought that someone had broken in to the house… Called 911… And the bottle was in a rarely-used cupboard, so it took me a few days to figure out what had happened… The cops were very nice about the whole thing…
I’ve grown to like ice-cold water with a little citrus twist…, but it’s definitely an acquired taste…
Yes, there is movie based on Fast Food Nation, but I haven’t seen it…
“What about water with a slice of lemon, lime, or orange? It’s not quite the same — there’s something about a fizzy drink…”
anon nurse,
When I was a kid we always had a seltzer man delivering cases to our home. It would come in thick blue and/or green glass bottles and had a metal top like a siphon. Now THAT was seltzer. There was the problem of the bottle exploding, but usually only when put in the ice box and I’m old enough to remember ice boxes and the Iceman coming. I’m not someone who likes water as a beverage, probably it comes from my formative years.
Also wasn’t Fast Food Nation a movie, which I think I saw?
Mike,
What about water with a slice of lemon, lime, or orange? It’s not quite the same — there’s something about a fizzy drink…
I don’t know it’s already been mentioned here, but “Fast Food Nation” is worth the read, IMO.
Since they first came out I would only drink diet sodas. After having kids I switched to Seltzer Water and drink that exclusively. Problem is when I eat out I have to order club soda, which has salt in it.
Regarding the inappropriateness of sugar, isn’t it amazing that besides all their other unhealthy attributes, McDonald’s french fries also have sugar added? WTF?
Swarthmore mom,
Yes… and as pills are added, a rule of thumb, is that the side effects aren’t additive but, rather, exponential, as you probably know…
Anon nurse, too many side effects……..
Swarthmore mom,
Good points… (Too many “pill pushers” out there, from my perspective…)
You have to find a doctor that practices some form of integrative medicine. Otherwise by the time you are eighty they have you on 15 pills a day.
I couldn’t agree more, Elaine M. Unfortunately, too many who work in the healthcare field seem to view nutrition courses as mere formalities… It’s crazy…
anon nurse,
I wish more doctors/health care providers had a better background in diet and nutrition. What do you think?
And to take it full circle…. Love is medicine, as well…
Elaine M.
Yes it is… 🙂
shano and anon nurse,
And food is love.
Food is medicine. -shano
So true…
Yes, Elaine, because food is a big part of any human culture. Food is medicine. There is a reason humans combine different ingredients in traditional cookery. It fulfills a role of maintaining human health over the centuries.
Why do we have the traditional parsley sprig on plates? Because parsley is one of the relatively rare sources of Vanadium, something we need for health in ultra tiny amounts. No one eats it any more when it is probably the most vital thing on your plate these days.
Our food system is sick and that can only produce a sick culture.
Gyges,
Both my mother and I worked outside the home–as did my husband. We prepared home-cooked meals. Most of the salad dressings that I make take just a few minutes. They’re cheaper than store-bought dressings and don’t have sugar and preservatives in them. Soups and stews can be very economical–as they usually provide food for more than one meaI. It may be true that many people no longer have the desire to spend time to cook/prepare more healthful foods. That’s sad.
Mike and Shano,
I’ve actually read quite a bit on the subject, and it’s a combination of many many factors: an increased premium on “convenience” meant to sell kitchen appliances; lowered expectations due to war rationing and prohibition; the increase in both adults in a household working outside the home (cooking takes time); an emphasis on mass production; etc., all of which culminated in a detachment from the preparation and origins of food that no other culture in history has every had. Both in terms of physical remoteness, and conceptual awareness.
Not only do Americans not have the time or money to eat healthy, we no longer have the skills or desire to.
I try to buy local foods if I can. Austin is a source for many very good local products.
From the Mayo Clinic:
My favorite diet soda has a warning about phenylalanine. Is phenylalanine bad for your health?
Answer
from Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/phenylalanine/AN01552
Phenylalanine isn’t a health concern for most people. But if you have the genetic metabolic disorder phenylketonuria (PKU), or certain other health conditions, phenylalanine can be a serious health concern. If you have PKU, phenylalanine can cause mental retardation, brain damage, seizures and other problems.
Phenylalanine occurs naturally in many protein-rich foods, such as milk, eggs and beef. Phenylalanine also is sold as a dietary supplement. And the artificial sweetener aspartame (Equal, NutraSweet), which is added to many medications, diet foods and diet sodas, contains phenylalanine. Because of this, federal regulations require that any food product that contains aspartame bear a warning stating “Phenylketonurics: Contains phenylalanine.” This warning helps people with PKU and other conditions avoid products that are a source of phenylalanine.
If you don’t have PKU, you probably don’t need to worry about harmful health effects of phenylalanine — with certain important exceptions. Aspartame can cause a rapid increase in the brain levels of phenylalanine. Because of this, use products with aspartame cautiously if you:
– Take medications such as monoamine oxidase inhibitors, neuroleptics or medications that contain levodopa
– Have tardive dyskinesia
– Have a sleep disorder
– Have an anxiety disorder or other mental health condition
If you aren’t sure if phenylalanine or aspartame is a concern for you, talk to your doctor.
That sounds really good, Gene H.
Big Ag makes us sick so Big Pharma can sell us drugs.
That is the food system in the USA.