Obese Third Grader Taken From Mom

A Cleveland third grader who weighed more than 200 pounds was taken from his mother after officials reportedly said she did not do enough to help the boy, who suffered from a weight-related health issue, to lose weight.

“They are trying to make it seem like I am unfit, like I don’t love my child,” the boy’s mother, who was not identified, told the Cleveland Plain Dealer. “It’s a lifestyle change and they are trying to make it seem like I am not embracing that. It is very hard, but I am trying.”

Officials first became aware of the boy’s weight after his mother took him to the hospital last year while he was having breathing problems, the newspaper reported. The child was diagnosed with sleep apnea and began to be monitored by social workers while he was enrolled in a program called “Healthy Kids, Healthy Weight” at the Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital.

The boy lost a few pounds, but recently began to gain some back, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported. At that point, the Department of Children and Family Services asked a juvenile court for custody of the boy, citing his soaring weight as a form of medical neglect, according to the newspaper.

Taking obese children from their families has become a topic of intense debate over the past year after one high-profile pediatric obesity expert made controversial comments in the Journal of the American Medical Association advocating the practice in acute cases.

“In severe instances of childhood obesity, removal from the home may be justifiable, from a legal standpoint, because of imminent health risks and the parents’ chronic failure to address medical problems,” Dr. David Ludwig co-wrote with Lindsey Murtagh, a lawyer and researcher at Harvard’s School of Public Health.

A trial is set for the boy’s ninth birthday next month to determine whether his mother will regain custody.

But one family who has been in the same position as the Ohio family told ABC News they disagreed with the practice when “Good Morning America” spoke with them in January.

“Literally, it was two months of hell. It seemed like the longest two months of my life,” mother Adela Martinez said.

Her daughter, 3-year-old Anamarie Regino, weighing 90 pounds, was taken from her parents and placed into foster care a decade ago.

Anamarie didn’t improve at all in foster care, and she was returned to her parents. The young girl was later diagnosed with a genetic predisposition.

“They say it’s for the well-being of the child, but it did more damage than any money or therapy could ever to do to fix it,” Martinez said.

Anamarie Regino, who is now a teenager, agreed.

“It’s not right, what [Dr. Ludwig] is doing, because to get better you need to be with your family, instead of being surrounded by doctors,” she said.

When told of the Regino case, Ludwig said his solution of state intervention did not always work.

“Well, state intervention is no guarantee of a good outcome, but to do nothing is also not an answer,” he said.

ABC News’ Dan Harris and Mikaela Conley contributed to this report.

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Can the Economy Make You Fat?

Being in debt and worrying about how you are going to make that next credit card and mortgage payment can make you overweight. That’s the word from researchers, who say that “the recent credit crunch will have health implications,” and that “debt can be associated with the probability of being overweight or obese.”

The investigators from the University of Mainz, Germany, studied more than 9,000 people and found that 25 percent of the 949 people in debt were obese, compared to only 11 percent of the remaining 8,318 participants. One of the biggest factors in the relationship between debt and being overweight is stress; another is having to choose less expensive, often sugary and fatty foods.

According to the American Psychological Association’s “Stress in America” report, 43 percent of people say they overeat or eat unhealthy foods when they are under stress, and worries about work (or the lack thereof) and debt, especially house costs and medical costs, are among the most stressful.

The biology of stress, debt, and being overweight begins with biochemistry. When the body is in a stressful state, it releases large amounts of stress hormones, especially cortisol. The longer cortisol and other stress hormones remain at high levels in the body, the more damage they can cause, including memory problems, insomnia, depression, fatigue, a buildup of fat in the arteries that can lead to heart disease, and accumulation of fat molecules, which can lead to overweight and obesity.

Actually, stress and cortisol work in two ways to promote weight gain: retention of fat molecules and triggering overeating as a way to deal with the stress and depression. High cortisol levels can increase food cravings, especially for sweets and foods high in fat. People in debt may turn to “comfort foods,” such as ice cream, cookies and cake, candy, and other sugar-rich foods because they have a calming effect.

When sugar hits the taste buds, they release endorphins, the body’s natural pain killer. The endorphins tell the body to release the hormone serotonin, which can make you feel good. Eating lots of sugary foods quickly raises the body’s blood sugar levels, giving you a temporary high. The higher you feel, the harder you will fall, causing you to feel down and depressed. The solution: you eat more comfort foods, starting the cycle again and promoting weight gain.

Given the current economic climate, it does not appear that the stress associated with debt and money worries will go away soon. In the meantime, here are some tips on how to avoid overeating and overweight during these trying times:

* Think before you eat. If you’re going to eat something to make you “feel better,” go take a walk, call a friend, read, play a video game, or anything that will distract you.

* Don’t buy sugary and other tempting foods. If they are not in the house, you are less likely to eat them.

* Change your habits. If you typically eat cookies while you’re driving in rush hour traffic, bring a bottle of spring water instead.

* Never grocery shop when you’re hungry

* Do not engage in other activities while you are eating, such as watching TV or driving. This leads to mindless overeating and overweight.

* Practice stress-reduction methods such as yoga, meditation, exercise, tai chi, or hypnosis.

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Lose Weight in RI and everywhere else…

We have been helping people lose weight in RI and throughout the US for more than 15 years. But how affective is hypnosis for weight loss? Here are some statistics.

In a 9-week study of two weight management groups (one using hypnosis and one not using hypnosis), the hypnosis group continued to get results in the two-year follow-up, while the non-hypnosis group showed no further results (Journal of Clinical Psychology, 1985).

In a study of 60 women separated into hypnosis versus non-hypnosis groups, the groups using hypnosis lost an average of 17 pounds, while the non-hypnosis group lost an average of only .5 pounds (Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 1986).

In a meta-analysis, comparing the results of adding hypnosis to weight loss treatment across multiple studies showed that adding hypnosis increased weight loss by an average of 97% during treatment, and even more importantly increased the effectiveness POST TREATMENT by over 146%. This shows that hypnosis works even better over time (Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 1996).

Here are some of the studies:
Cochrane, Gordon; Friesen, J. (1986). Hypnotherapy in weight loss treatment. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 54, 489-492.

Kirsch, Irving (1996). Hypnotic enhancement of cognitive-behavioral weight loss treatments--Another meta-reanalysis. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 64 (3), 517-519.

Allison, David B.; Faith, Myles S. Hypnosis as an adjunct to cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy for obesity: A meta-analytic reappraisal. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. 1996 Jun Vol 64(3) 513-516.

Stradling J, Roberts D, Wilson A, Lovelock F. Controlled trial of hypnotherapy for weight loss in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea. International Journal of Obesity Related Metababolic Disorders. 1998 Mar;22(3):278-81.

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Bewear of the Acai Berry weight loss scam

Acai Berry: The $100 Million Dollar Weight Loss Scam

Attorney general of Connecticut, Richard Blumethal, announced an investigation into the business practices and questionable science associated with Acai berry products. which has been primarily pitched by Internet-based companies as a wonder treatment for weight-loss.

If you spend any time online, you have surely seen ads with the headlines, “Oprah’s Diet Secret”, “Seven Rules to a Flat Stomach, or (the worst) “Amy’s weight loss blog”, “Karen’s weight loss blog”, etc… on almost every page online.

If you actually clicked on one of these ads, you probably ended up on what looked like a blog with a before and after picture of some woman who has lost weight. She then tells a story about how she saw Dr. Mehmet OZ and Oprah say that Acai is a miracle diet food. It might also mention Rachael Ray.

The woman then says she tried it herself and the pounds just came flying off. It is kind of believable as it looks like a real person and there are even comments on her blog. There then is a link to one of the many companies selling Acai Berry on a free trial basis.

So what is the Problem with posting blogs about what is supposed to be such a great product?
Well, the first problem here (one among many) is that these blogs are all fake!

The woman depicted on Tara’s Diet Blog, Olivia’s Weight Loss blog, Alicia’s Diet Blog, Becky’s Weight Loss blog, and at least 75 other blogs is a German model named Julia who has nothing to do with Acai or any weight-loss product. The German photographer who made the original photos of her available on Istockphoto.com said the pill companies manipulated some of the “after” images to give the impression of weight loss.

Now, the people running the blogs are definitely a part of the problem, but they are not the cause. These are just opportunist people who see an easy way to make a buck by promoting what is considered by many to be the biggest diet pill hoax of the 21st century.

Although they are not “associated” with the folks who market the pills, they are affiliates who get paid an ungodly amount of money every time they send these people a free trial through one of these blogs.

Here is the next problem. Acai Berry Will Not Help You Lose Weight

In truth, Açai has less antioxidants than concord grapes, blueberries, and black cherries. But more importantly, there isn’t even any credible evidence that suggests antioxidants promote weight loss.

The attorney general from Connecticut says it more strongly,

“There is no competent scientific research that demonstrates any of the claimed effects of Acai berry, including weight loss, detoxification and increased energy and vitality.”

And so we dig a bit deeper to the third problem. Oprah Did NOT Endorse Acai Berry

And the truth about the Oprah show with Dr. Oz is that they never mentioned Acai as a weight loss aide, but rather just that many fruits that were healthy (like tomatoes). In fact, on Oprah’s website they have a statement out that says,

“Consumers should be aware that Oprah Winfrey is not associated with nor does she endorse any Açaí Berry product or online solicitation of such products.”

And so just to be clear, there is no Acai Berry supplement endorsed by Oprah, Dr. Perricone, Rachel Ray or Dr. Oz.

So why am I posting this information?

Simply put, some people want to improve their lives and change their habits so badly, that they will often fall ptey to scams such as this in hopes of doing so. And again here is yet another example that there is no Miracle Magic Pill that can change your life

The only thing that products like these will help you lose is your hard earned money.

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