The Rise of Obesity

Today, I want to touch on the rise of obesity... At school pick up, I am shocked by the amount of obesity I see, from both the kids and the parents.  Truth is, a lot of factors impact obesity, some within our control, and some outside of our control.  The genetic factors, such as metabolism and how our bodies respond to food, is very individual.  Example: I have friends who eat way more healthy than I do, and they struggle with their weight more than I do.  A few years ago, I had a complete hysterectomy and my hormones were way out of whack (menopause at 36 - funsies!).  I certainly noticed a change in my weight once my body wasn't producing estrogen any more.  These factors are things we are just 'dealt' and we have to find a way to do the best we can with what we have to work with.

Another reason for the rise of obesity is a more sedentary lifestyle.  While most of us were growing up, we came home to play outside until dark.  Now, the first thing my 6 year old asks for after school is if he can play Minecraft. Sidenote: I don't get Minecraft.  It's like the graphics are pre-Nintendo.  I think my 1984 Atari had similar graphics to Minecraft.  At the same token, adults used to work in factory or manual labor jobs, now, many jobs can be done all day with out even leaving your home or desk.  Heck, we don't even have to walk over to our office neighbor to tell them something, we simply send a chat or text.

It's my personal opinion that the biggest contributor to obesity is the food we eat.  The truth is, we can't out-exercise the food we put in our bodies.  I've trained for half marathons, logging 20+ miles a week and I couldn't out-work my poor food choices, trust me, I tried!  Let's say I do an hour of strenuous exercise and I burn around 400 calories... That can be easily undone with 2 pieces of pizza for lunch and let's be honest here, who only eats 2 pieces of pizza, especially after you've 'earned' it by completing a hard workout?  I know awhile back, there was a big push from the government to get moving... Nothing wrong with that!  But, getting your kiddo moving for 20 minutes a day is going to have minimal impact on the obesity rates.

For many of us, we were raised with 'health food' being pasta, bread and bagels and all things low fat (which were loaded with sugar).  I sh!# you not!  A lot of this idea came from the government produced food pyramid.  Anyone remember seeing this set up in health class?

Of course, now more recent research has told us to reduce the amount of sugars and carbs we eat and some ways of eatings even tout high fat, protein and low carb.  And, even when we acknowledge the new information, it can be extremely difficult to change our way of thinking that fat isn't the enemy.  And, since the high carb, low fat lifestyle is what many of us were raised on, that is what we are comfortable eating ourselves and feeding our kids.  It's going to take decades to change the thoughts we have about what constitutes 'healthy' eating.

The last rise of obesity is our busy lifestyle and our dependence on fast food.  Y'all, I'm not pointing fingers - I'm so guilty of this, too!  We cram so much into our busy lives, we are headed to soccer practice with the kids and need to feed them.  I used to buy into the argument that eating health was expensive.  But, it's not eating 'healthy' (I use the term healthy loosely because most salads have the same amount of calories than the burgers) that is expensive, it is the convenience that is expensive.  Let's say a fast food meal will run you around $6.  A McSalad might run you $8.  The truth is, we could buy a pound of lunch meat, bread, cheese and a bunch of bananas for $8 and have lunches for the entire week.  It isn't the healthy food that is expensive, it's the convenience.

Just wanted to present some food for thought as we discuss the rise of obesity.

This is Your Brain... This is Your Brain on a Cell Phone

I watched a fascinating bit on CBS 60 Minutes and wanted to share...  Definitely check it out.  You can see lots of themes that we've covered thus far in class...

http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/why-do-you-have-cellphone-separation-anxiety

http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/brain-hacking/

Emotional Equations

Sometimes we have certain emotions and can't quite pinpoint what those emotions are about...  I came across this info graphic and thought it was a really interesting way to look at different emotions.  Hope you find it helpful...

Graphic from: http://honeybpatel.blogspot.com/2014/06/emotional-equations-by-chip-conley.html

Why Kids Don't Outgrow Reactive Attachment Disorder

This is an interesting article about Reactive Attachment Disorder... Check it out: http://instituteforattachment.ong/why-kids-dont-outgrow-reactive-attachment-disorder-and-what-happens-when-they-grow-up-without-help/

WHY KIDS DON’T “OUTGROW” REACTIVE ATTACHMENT DISORDER (AND WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THEY GROW UP WITHOUT HELP)

Temper tantrums, the physical need for daily naps, or thumb sucking—these are things that children usually outgrow with time. However, there are certain things that don’t dissipate without plenty of the right help, including the effects of early traumatic experiences. Reactive attachment disorder (RAD) doesn’t just disappear with time, contrary to what some people believe. Children who aren’t effectively treated for RAD most often grow into adults with personality disorders.

Reactive attachment disorder is a brain disorder

Even though other people can’t see the differences on the outside, the brains of children with RAD look different from the brains of children who didn’t experience trauma. Reactive attachment disorder is a brain injury that typically occurs as a result of early abuse and neglect. Just as a person can’t simply “outgrow” the brain disorder of bipolar disorder, neither can a person simply outgrow RAD.

When people experience traumatic events, the stress hormone cortisol gets released in the brain. This biochemical reaction to chronic and extreme stress changes the formation of the brain. Consider this analogy—think of the human brain like the earth and water like trauma. Over time, the release of water over the earth begins to erode the soil into pathways. As pathways form, the water rushes down those pathways again and again until they become canyons. Like the earth, the brain begins to look physically different than it once did. Therefore, the brain reacts differently as a result. When the brain experiences a trauma trigger, fear becomes an overwhelming irrational emotion. The brain automatically goes into survival mode and the person fights, flees, or freezes in his own way. Such triggers only make the erosion and canyons deeper with time. It is not something people can just forget, outgrow, or “get over”.

RAD may look like just another developmental phase, but it’s not

For those who don’t understand RAD or haven’t raised a child with RAD, the disorder can look like just another developmental phase. That’s because children who were abused or neglected before the age of 5 didn’t get opportunities to experience normal early child development. Therefore, they essentially get “stuck” in the developmental stage of a toddler. Their behaviors can look similar to that of a younger child. They steal, lie, argue, throw temper tantrums, blame others for their mistakes, and have trouble regulating their emotions, for example. Yet, children who were abused or neglected during their youngest years don’t continue to develop normally and “outgrow” it like other children. Their brains are hard-wired to stay put.

The assumption on behalf of the general public that children with RAD might just be a bit behind developmentally makes sense. They believe that the children will just catch up eventually. Unfortunately, it’s not that simple.

When children who aren’t treated effectively for RAD grow up

When children don’t get the help they need for RAD, their distorted thinking patterns only get more solidified. They often grow up to essentially have “adult RAD”—know as cluster B and C personality disorders. They include borderline, histrionic, antisocial, narcissistic, dependent, or obsessive-compulsive personality disorders. Each disorder is different from the other. Yet, all adults that suffer from these various personality disorders have difficulties with attachment and relationships.

Individuals battling personality disorders aren’t the only ones who suffer. Society as a whole pays the price for untreated trauma as well. According to stress expert and psychiatrist and traumatic stress expert Bessel van der Kolk:

Toxic stress in childhood from abandonment or chronic violence has pervasive effects on the capacity to pay attention, to learn, to see where other people are coming from, and it really creates havoc with the whole social environment. And it leads to criminality, and drug addiction, and chronic illness, and people going to prison, and repetition of the trauma on the next generation. (see reference)

We are all affected by early trauma as a society. It is all of our responsibility.

Ways to overcome early trauma

Childhood provides the best time frame to decrease the lifelong effects of trauma. The older we get, the harder it becomes to battle it. It is possible to battle personality disorders. However, adults must desire to work extremely hard to overcome those beliefs and behaviors that have been ingrained over their lifetimes. The best chances to overcome trauma is to begin the work as soon as possible.

We can all do something to overcome the effects of early trauma in our society. As parents, we can recognize and fight for the right help our children need. As friends and family members, we can educate ourselves and support parents raising children with RAD. As professionals, we can continue to learn about what works for kids with RAD as well as what does not. As citizens, we can advocate for sufficient funding and education to support parents raising children with RAD. There is not one easy solution but we each have a voice.

For parents, professionals, family members, citizens—everyone: 

• Know that the earlier parents can recognize and find effective treatment for their children, the better chances their children have to lead healthier adult lives. Please see our guide to help with the search for qualified attachment therapists.
• Learn the differences between attachment therapy and traditional therapy.
• Acknowledge that parents can’t do it alone. Parents need professional assistance to help their children overcome RAD. Furthermore, parents themselves need assistance to recognize their own triggers and anxieties surrounding raising their children with trauma backgrounds.
• Understand that, while love is important for children with RAD, love alone will not “fix” trauma.

Even though we can’t see it from the outside, trauma is very real in the everyday lives of those battling it. Unfortunately, to hope it away or wait until adulthood will only exacerbate the problem. It is certainly not an easy road but there is hope. We’ve seen many children get the help they need and grow into adults capable of leading happy lives.

Gender Identity Disorder Conversation Continued

Hi everyone!  As the Gender Identity Disorder conversation continues, I came across this and wanted to share...  I touch on this topic every semester, and I must say, I am so proud of my students for having mature, respectful conversations about this controversial, complex topic.  There are no easy answers.

Check out this story about transgendered teen Gavin Grimm:
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/gender-revolution-a-journey-with-katie-couric/videos/gavin-grimms-story-extended/

Trying to put my personal beliefs on the topic aside for a moment, a few things really stuck with me about this clip:

When I saw people emphatically cheering at the school board meeting, it made me very uneasy.  I'm not sure 'cheering' is a response we should have on this topic.  A kid, who is in a very tough situation, is hurting.  A school is divided.  It isn't a football game.  This is a complex decision with many ramifications.  When Gavin got up at the school board meeting: WOW!  Most kids shudder at having to do a speech in communications class.  This kid spoke up in a room, where clearly there were people who didn't understand/agree with him and were quite vocal about that.  No matter where your opinion falls on this issue, I think we can all give him props for doing that.  That would have been difficult for me to do, and he was 15-16 years old at the time.

To tie this issue back to another issue we cover is psychology when discussion research is the idea of an operational definition.  As one gentleman referred to in the video, what exactly do we base bathroom selection on?

If bathroom selection is to be decided on biological sex, then Gavin would use the women's restroom (biologically, Gavin is a female - even if gender reassignments surgery occurred, the DNA would still show an XY chromosome).  To complicate the article even more, there are intersexed individuals - people born with both male and female sexual organs.

We call it a women's restroom, even though woman is a gender term, and remember that is different than biological sex.  That, again, confuses the conversation even more.  A lot of this confusion is due to the fact that we've always used the words male/man and female/woman interchangeably, when in fact, biological sex and gender are completely separate dynamics.

As a refresher, check out this quick rundown of the difference of gender, sex and sexual orientation: https://youtu.be/xXAoG8vAyzI

Belief Perseverance

Belief perseverance is an interesting phenomenon that we all fall prey to, myself included.

Belief perseverance is the tendency to cling to our initial belief even after receiving new information that contradicts or dis-confirms the basis of that belief.

A few example in my life where belief perseverance has 'clouded' my judgment:

1.  I grew up in the 80's.  Bagels and pasta were considered a health food because they were low in fat.  I used to eat an entire package of Snackwell's cookies and not feel bad because they were fat free (sidenote: they were loaded with chemicals and sugar).  I still struggle with the fact that meat and fat are actually good for you, while carbs and low-fat products are bad for you.  And, while I know the science, it is still hard to make the mind-shift.

2.  I think back to a relationship I had.  He WAS a good guy (truth be told, he IS a good guy).  He would NEVER cheat on me.  Even when I saw evidence that he was unfaithful, I tried so hard to convince myself he wasn't because that isn't who I believed he was.  It took a mountain of evidence for me to realize what was happening.  My belief that "he would never..." held on tight, despite the mounting evidence.

3.  Think back to the last presidential election.  The mountain of social media posts, some true and some untrue, aren't swaying anyone's minds.  We have our minds made up, and when confronted with conflicting evidence (even if it's true), it's not likely to sway our opinions.

4.  Okay, this is a touchy one ~ and I don't mean to offend anyone here, but I think it is a great example of belief perseverance and how strong that force can be.  I'm a Christian.  I believe in the Bible.  I also am a scientist and believe in the scientific process.  There are several issues where science and the Bible don't jive and it is very hard for me to reconcile that fact.  Where there are discrepancies, the belief I held first typically wins out, even if I am presented with information that contradicts my initial belief.

5.  Another touchy subject: The belief that if the government says it's true or good, we accept that it is true.  I don't mean to sound like a conspiracy theorist, but I have to admit in my early 20's I was naive to the fact on how our government operated.  I believed they made decisions off of research...  the more I start to understand politics, I understand this is not at all the case.  Politics are extremely murky and often follow a money trail or some political agenda more than hard evidence.

6.  Some people hold the erroneous belief that autism is caused vaccinations.  There was some bad science that came out in the 90's on this topic.  The media and celebrities jumped on the study and were very vocal about the findings, even though the research design was flawed.  Once a plethora of new evidence was presented to debunk the finding, some people still cling very closely to this belief.

Our minds are incredibly powerful things ~ and sometimes that is a blessing and sometimes that is a curse.

How Nature and Nurture Hug It Out

It's a great debate that is present in any psychology class: Nature vs. Nurture.

Nature being our genes, biological traits that we inherit and have no control over and nurture being our environment (even in utero).  Which aspect is strongest when shaping who we are?  

I was watching men's beach volleyball during the Olympics and one of the commentators mentioned that if this Brazilian athlete had been born in the United States, he likely would have gone into the NBA, as he had incredible athletic talent and was very tall.  Of course, there is no way to tell if that were true, but if definitely got me thinking about the nature/nurture question.  

Genetically, this athlete was gifted; He was tall, strong, agile, etc.  However, his environment also had a huge impact on him, he was raised in a country where volleyball was a predominate sport, not basketball.  He obviously had parents, who encouraged him to play volleyball and nurtured his natural talent.  If raised in a different environment, his life may have been very different.  If his parents weren't supportive of his athletics he may have just been a tall guy who had lots of potential, but that potential would have never been discovered.  If he had lived in a place where basketball was a dominate sport, perhaps he would have played in the NBA and had a completely different lifestyle for himself and his family (I don't know what pro-volleyball players make, but I doubt it compares to what an NBA player makes).  

The same can be true for Michael Phelps.  Check out this article: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/suffer-the-children/201209/adhd-kid-olympic-gold-medalist. Michael was diagnosed with ADHD.  He could have easily been a kid who struggle in school, perhaps even one who dropped out because he didn't fit the type of mold that traditional school classrooms are built around.  Again, clearly, he has some genetics (nature) that assist him in being a champion swimmer (Have you seen his feet?  They are like fins!), He was also in an environment that nurtured that talent: a supportive mom who enrolled him on a swim team and a coach that saw talent, his family had the financial means to pay for swim team and his parents must have worked a schedule that allowed him to participate in practice, he lived in a community that had accessible pools so his craft could be fine tuned.  The combination of nature and nurture definitely played a roll in him ending up as the most decorated Olympian of all time.