I know it when I see it

Leo Treyzon says that in medical school he was taught to look for and identify Wegeners's granulomatosis, errlichiosis, and tetrology of Fallot, but he’s never come across them either in training or in his practice. Meanwhile, over a third of his patients are obese (not just overweight), but that wasn‘t included in his training. Although the government seems to recognize the seriousness of obesity, medical educators do not, he says in this article, “Assessment of obesity management in medical examination,” in Nutrition Journal (full text, free at PubMedCentral).

Few Americans have a healthy lifestyle

Jennifer Corbett Dooren writes in the April 26 Wall Street Journal that only 3% of Americans lead a healthy lifestyle. The study appears in the Archives of Internal Medicine, abstract here. What does a healthy lifestyle involve?

1) Not smoking.
2) Regular exercise.
3) Maintaining a healthy weight.
4) Eating 5+ fruits and vegetables per day.

Pretty simple, innit?

Wisdom from the Heartland

Rita B. Keller of Indianapolis had a letter published in the April 27 Wall Street Journal.
"When I was growing up, the amount of soda pop and other sugars consumed by children was controlled by parents, of all people. And it would never have occurred to those parents to blame their child's obesity on a bad old corporation."

Don't like meetings? Try on-line.

Gekko says she doesn't like meetings or "sharing" about fat stuff, but she's using the Weight Watchers on-line program with ease. Read it here I've known her on-line for about 4 years, and she never looked overweight to me. Go figure.

More on the new Pyramid

Paula and her Pals weigh in on the new pyramid. Today Glenn Beck poked a bit of fun at it and took calls for suggestions. He also pondered the missing 300,000 who have dropped off the death list of obesity in the most recent study. He said the only job better than being a meterologist was working for the U.S. government, where nobody cared if you get it wrong.

New Pyramid

Press release from USDA: "Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns today unveiled MyPyramid, a new symbol and interactive food guidance system. "Steps to a Healthier You," MyPyramid's central message, supports President Bush's HealthierUS initiative which is designed to help Americans live longer, better and healthier lives. MyPyramid, which replaces the Food Guide Pyramid introduced in 1992, is part of an overall food guidance system that emphasizes the need for a more individualized approach to improving diet and lifestyle."

Full report here.