Examine the photo above closely. It’s a random shot taken at a crowded, early 1970s beach boardwalk. Is something missing to you?
OK, I’ll be more direct: Do you see a single adult or child with obesity?
Me neither.
Currently, the adult obesity rate in the US stands at around 41% and childhood obesity stands at about 20%. At these rates, a random snapshot on a busy day like this in the summer of 2023 would undoubtedly contain at least some people dealing with this all too common condition.
Interestingly, and concordant with the above photo, CDC data shows that adult and childhood obesity rates didn't begin growing quickly until around 1980, and have skyrocketed since then.
So what change occurred then and has continued to grow in the last 40 years?
The American Academy of Pediatric’s (AAP) brand new Clinical Practice Guideline for the Evaluation and Treatment of Children and Adolescents With Obesity suggests that it is “a chronic disease with complex contributing factors”, including “those related to broader policies and systems; institutions and organizations (ie, schools); neighborhoods and communities; and family, socioeconomic, environmental, ecological, genetic, and biological factors.”
In my humble opinion, the language here is clearly diluting and de-emphasizing certain modifiable contributors, in an effort to equalize them with others that have no real, actionable solution (eg- genetics and biological factors). After all, how could these factors be equal? How could they all take a sharp turn for the worse in some obesity-specific way in 1980?
They couldn’t have. That would make no sense at all. And, in the case of genetics, not nearly enough time has passed for any meaningful differences to have occurred anyways.
So what has changed during this time then? Here are at least a few things to consider:
Introduction and skyrocketing use from the 1970s and on, of the herbicide glyphosate, used in the popular weed-killer, Round-Up, and other chemicals, all falling into the general category of “obesogen”, or chemical compound that causes weight gain.
Massive increase in consumption of ultra-processed foods, many of which are addictive.
School lunches which detract from rather than support optimal health and weight.
An ever-growing onslaught of advertisements which push these foods on the public, especially children and teens.
Adults and children being less active than ever.
The worst part about all of this is that guidelines like those put out by the AAP are turning further and further away from the idea of promoting health as a foundational support measure to combat this rise in obesity, and closer to the same model used for most other “diseases” in conventional medicine: Deemphasize efforts to address underlying causal factors, and then use drugs and surgery as the primary and/or most “effective” solution.
Conventional medicine calls obesity a disease, offering “life-saving interventions” as a solution, which don’t happen to require any effort on the part of the individual to take control of the situation themselves, make lots of money, and side step the glaring need for regulation in the massive industries which are harming us all.
This is further compounded by some so called “lifestyle medicine” gurus also trumpeting the efficacy and utility of these “treatments”, while the AAP puts out guidelines recommending all physicians use them, along with even surgical interventions, at an earlier and earlier stage.
In the work I do, however, as with all other “diseases”, I think from the perspective of health. When health is not present, the initial stages of evaluating and addressing why should always clarify what in a person’s life might be necessary in order to help facilitate their best expression of the capacity for health they are endowed with. This approach does not deny the impact of biology, genetics, or the difficult life circumstances faced by so many people, to overcome the various aspects of their lives and environments that may be contributing to their challenges.
I just won’t let them stop me from trying to help, nor will they ever detract from my strong belief in the healing capacity of the human body.
The reasons underlying the conventional approach to another of so many forms of “health deficiency” our population is burdened with are potentially many, yet they all appear to have at least one thing in common. They do not, in any discernible way, support the health sovereignty of the person involved or their innate capacity to express the health they are capable of. If anything, they instead create further dependency of the person on someone or something, outside of themselves. Whether or not this is by design is a question for another article, but the results are undeniable.
A glance around any boardwalk, mall, or airport provides immediate and clear evidence that the optimal expression of health inherent to human beings has all but disappeared entirely. I would feel much worse about this scenario, but the timing is actually perfect. While some people's bodies may not always reflect it, people’s ears are more perked up, and their eyes are seeing more clearly than ever before, leading to a better and better understanding as to the shortcomings of the system in place as well as their place within it.
People are ready for something better and I am proud to offer help, and to do so in the right way.
Life equals health. If you have lost your way, I am here to remind you and to show you what you are capable of.
I 100% agree! It is a ginormous, multi-headed beast. As a mom trying to see the world through my children’s eyes, it is easy to become disheartened. The messaging comes from every direction. Only mom’s advice is boring or difficult… every other way is bright! colorful! fast! fun! easy! popular! Convincing little ones to forego the convenience foods designed to create addiction seems near impossible, so I just try to “limit” them where I can. The first step is recognizing that the beast does exist… that it’s not “just” you weakness or lack of willpower. The system is in fact designed this way now. You can sit there and be a victim, or you can strive to do better.