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Health101.org presents Adult
Diseases Begin in Childhood
When I was in my late teens, I experienced "roller-coaster" blood sugar levels. When my blood sugar was high, I couldn't sit still and couldn't concentrate; when it was low, I was without energy, and my thinking was fuzzy at best. When it was in the middle (normal), I felt great, and I loved life! This blood sugar level behavior, if allowed to continue, can lead to diabetes. If I hadn't adjusted my eating habits to halt this daily roller-coaster ride, I'd probably have diabetes today (regardless of genetic predisposition). When my niece, Tiffany, was nine years old, she experienced abnormally high and low blood sugar levels (hyper- and hypo-glycemia), but more profoundly than I ever did, and at nine years old! When her level was low, you couldn't carry on a conversation with her, she was too out-of-it. And when it was high, well, don't try and take her anywhere in a car. The cause? Her diet. How do I know? When she spent time with me, she got no junk food, and no dairy products, only healthy fare (fruits and veggies), and her blood sugar levels remained in the normal range. When she eats right, she's a delight to be with; creative, articulate, bright, fun, eager to learn, and most notably, well behaved. Diet can have a profound effect on one's health, especially a child's. Many children have been put on drugs to deal with symptoms that are most likely caused by an unhealthy diet. For most parents, this is due to a lack of knowledge, which is easy to remedy. For some parents however, even though they've been given truthful information, it's just easier to put the child on drugs than to impose, and have to enforce, strict dietary practices (granted, most school lunch programs don't make this any easier). And shame on the pharmaceutical companies that give school districts financial incentives to recommend that students be put on Ritalin or other drugs. It seems
to be the thing now-a-days to see how many acronyms can be created for
"emerging" diseases. Is there an evil species on another planet
that's pointing an ADHD/SAD/CFS ray, or a diabetes ray, at this planet?
Or is it more likely that an unhealthy diet and the lack of attention
to the other "Basics of Health" is to blame. A healthy diet in childhood is an investment in your future health. No one would argue that it is a wise thing to start investing for your financial future early in life, but how many of us actually think about investing for our future health? There are parallels between health and finances; if you wait too long to start investing, it can be a case of too little too late. An example of a good investment, health-wise: Eat pesticide-free, organically grown fruits and veggies, and avoid dairy and grain products. Where
do you go for sound, truthful health information? Well, I know people
who were told by their doctor, in no uncertain terms, that they'd have
to be on medication for the rest of their life. Yet, with adherence to
proper lifestyle practices, they were able to eliminate the meds and
the symptoms that warranted their prescription. Now, I'm not suggesting
you stop taking medication, just that there's a lot of misinformation
out there, and many mainstream (and alternative) healthcare practitioners
are simply lacking truthful knowledge, so you can't blame them for relying
on drugs when there are better options. The remedy? Educate yourself,
keeping in mind that there is nothing more important than your
health, or the health of your children. This will help you stay well ahead
of the too-little-too-late curve. Also
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