Summary
With more and more children developing Type II diabetes due to obesity, health advocates across the United States are trying to develop programs to combat the epidemic. The Junior Diabetes Research Foundation in Arizona is reaching out to young people around the Valley of the Sun with a series of seminars designed to educate children and their parents on stopping diabetes before it starts just through exercise and nutrition.
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http://www.azcentral.com/community/chandler/articles/0325ar-diabetes25Z6.html
Details
For nearly 15 hours a week, Dobson High School basketball player Erik Hagen sprints through fast-paced scrimmages and drills hoping to one day land a college scholarship.
At first glance, the physically gifted 17-year-old junior seems to be a model of perfect health.
That is until you see the tiny tube joining an insulin pump to his abdomen, providing him insulin that his body no longer produces.
Hagen's condition is genetic, but hundreds of other children are being diagnosed with Type II diabetes, a disease that was once only found in older, often overweight adults with poor circulation and insulin sensitivity.
With obesity rates rising among children, Type II diabetes has become prevalent in junior high and high schools nationwide.
To head off diabetes issues before they begin, Janice Jones, school education coordinator with the Junior Diabetes Research Foundation, is leading seminars at Valley schools and recreation centers for parents and children.
On Saturday, she will hold informational meetings at two local Gold's Gym locations, which provide the perfect settings to expose the connections between fitness, nutrition and diabetes, Jones said.
The treatment for Type II diabetes is also the best way to prevent it, said Sherrill Stephenson, 41, a registered dietician and personal trainer at Gold's Gym.
Coupled by poor nutrition, these sedentary children are at risk of becoming obese and eventually diabetic.
"Students are not getting the exercise they need and they don't seem to understand the basics of nutrition," she said.
"It has really affected teenagers who will take it further into life if they don't get a handle on it now."
Although the seminars are directed at a younger audience, Jones said anybody could learn the basics from her discussion.
About the author: Mike Adams is a consumer health advocate and award-winning journalist with a passion for sharing empowering information to help improve personal and planetary health He has authored and published thousands of articles, interviews, consumers guides, and books on topics like health and the environment, and he has published numerous courses on preparedness and survival, including financial preparedness, emergency food supplies, urban survival and tactical self-defense. Adams is an independent journalist with strong ethics who does not get paid to write articles about any product or company. In 2010, Adams created TV.NaturalNews.com, a natural living video sharing site featuring thousands of user videos on foods, fitness, green living and more. He also launched an online retailer of environmentally-friendly products (BetterLifeGoods.com) and uses a portion of its profits to help fund non-profit endeavors. He's also the CEO of a highly successful email newsletter software company that develops software used to send permission email campaigns to subscribers. Adams volunteers his time to serve as the executive director of the Consumer Wellness Center, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, and enjoys outdoor activities, nature photography, Pilates and martial arts training. He's also author of numerous health books published by Truth Publishing and is the creator of several consumer-oriented grassroots campaigns, including the Spam. Don't Buy It! campaign, and the free downloadable Honest Food Guide. He also created the free reference sites HerbReference.com and HealingFoodReference.com. Adams believes in free speech, free access to nutritional supplements and the ending of corporate control over medicines, genes and seeds. Known as the 'Health Ranger,' Adams' personal health statistics and mission statements are located at www.HealthRanger.org
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Thursday, March 31, 2005
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