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Unfortunately, disturbing
studies regarding the health habits of today’s adolescent
youth reveal that teens are ticking time bombs.
We all know that smoking,
eating junk food and lying in the sun contribute to cancer,
diabetes and heart disease. Recent studies show that the
incidence of these diseases are creeping up in younger
populations of females, especially in countries that have
adopted a western lifestyle of a high fat diet and munching in
front of the computer.
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Diseases such as
smallpox, the bubonic plague, and malaria have been an issue
of public health more than pharmaceutical medicine and
hi-powered drugs. Obesity with its related health
consequences, is our modern day plague. Without a magic pill,
we must rely on a timeless classic solution—education.
Obesity is one of the
primary causes in most modern day chronic illnesses. It leads
to diabetes, heart disease, respiratory problems, sleep
disorders (Obstructive sleep apnea), as well as premature wear
and tear on the back and joints. Diabetes is the number one
cause of blindness, kidney failure, “silent” heart attacks and
limb amputations.
These may seem like
trivial concerns relevant to those over 45. In actuality the
habits learned as children and teens from their parents can
predetermine your child's later health and quality of life.
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Thirty is the Magic Number
One disturbing indication of this learned poor diet behavior
is the factors leading to osteoporosis. Known widely as a
bone-loss disorder, medical studies are showing that calcium
deposition into bones ENDS after a woman turns 30. Prior to
age thirty is the only time a woman can invest calcium into
her bone bank. After this age, she cannot add more calcium;
her body will only withdraw it. She must live the rest of her
life with what she put in prior to thirty. The period in which
bone formation is highest is during adolescence. It is during
this period when bone growth is at its highest and when her
diet is most critical to her long-term health.
For girls who don’t get
adequate sources of calcium, (via a healthy diet, not only
through cow milk), the chances of calcium depletion leading to
premature osteoporosis is elevated. Educating yourself and
your tween and teen child about appropriate sources of
calcium, including supplementation is critical for your
daughter’s lifetime bone health.
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Exercise and Bones
Increasing studies are
confirming the crucial link between bone strength and physical
activity. If you or any of your female relatives have been
diagnosed with osteoporosis, chances are your doctor will
prescribe weight-bearing exercise before he even speaks about
medication. Weight-bearing exercises strengthens the bone
matrix and reduce re-absorption. This is particularly crucial
during adolescent years, the period in when calcium is rapidly
absorbed and forms the girls basic bone matrix. This
building slows considerable during her twenties.
The message is clear:
If your daughter is not getting regular physical activity,
including weight bearing as well as aerobic, she is at
elevated risk for premature osteoporosis. With children
growing up in front of cable TV and video games, the
opportunity for physical activity has been drastically
reduced, increasing the likelihood of both female and male
osteoporosis.
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Looking Healthy and
Being Healthy are Two Different Things.
As a physician who has
worked with professional dancers across the US, I’ve had the
opportunity to see the strongest, and most flexible athletes
ever. From the outside, these svelte performers are the
epitome of physical fitness. Yet, though they were slim and
toned, their diets were horrid. Female ballerinas share a
similar diet to many “slim” teenage girls: cottage cheese,
chocolate cake, coffee, and cigarettes. Their diet lacks the
necessary calcium, vitamins, minerals, and protein essential
to building a reproductively healthy young woman. Many of
these elite individuals are now suffering from a range of
premature related illnesses including spine, joint
problems and depression. Many can trace the cause to poor
diet. A girl or young woman may appear healthy, disguising the
true reality. Without a nutritious diet including the
required calcium, vitamins, and minerals during her crucial
adolescent years, she (or he) is priming herself/himself for
problems in the near future.
The best way to deal with
this is to teach by example. Teenagers are rebellious by
nature; they are also extremely impressionable. We are in an
era where our unhealthy habits are literally killing us.
Blaming public education, corporate greed, fast food or the
government will not improve the lives of anyone. Taking the
initiative to promote a healthy way of living is the one gift
you can give your children this year for which they will thank
you forever.
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