Don't Eat the HotDog !

[Guest]

Unicorn wouldn’t it be wonderful if there were “simple” solutions to “complex” problems. Physical abuse is readily identifiable. Dietary abuse is not. You state that you believe that children should be removed from their homes in the case of “extreme dietary” abuse. The problem here is who is to determine the definition of what constitutes “extreme dietary abuse”.

 

A number of years ago government sponsored studies determined that the consumption of eggs constituted a major health hazard. There was a major campaign to eliminate eggs from the diet.

 

Obviously, I don't think the government should be involved just because they feed their children too many hot dogs, or too many anything in particular. I've been a licensed physician for well over 2 decades (1989), and I don't recall any major campaign, either from the government or from organized health care, to eliminate eggs from the diet. I do remember hearing about how bad eggs were in the lay press, but certainly not on the basis of randomized clinical trials. I personally think that physicians should be required to warn parents if their children's BMI is in the top 5%, and that insurance companies should be required to offer parents of obese children nutritional information. I believe that if children's BMI's are in the top 1%, parents should be required by law to obtain nutritional counseling, and that follow-up within 6 months should be required. If there is no improvement in the BMI (or if the parents blow off the follow-up appointment), there should be mandated, unannounced Children's Protective Services visits to see what's going on in the kitchen (especially if the BMI is in the top 0.5%). I think that removing the children should be considered if parents show total neglect for the child's well-being after repeated attempts at intervention, especially if: (1) The BMI is in the top 0.1% (again, with parents unwilling or unable to help their children), or (2) persistent BMI's in the top 1%, with evidence of organ damage, such as liver damage, heart damage, or high blood sugars. Just because the damage isn't visible, such as a bruise or fracture, doesn't mean we can't measure the damage, and it doesn't mean the damage isn't serious. Indeed, bruises will heal, but liver, heart, kidney, and other organ damage can become permanent.