The Internet is Not Your Doctor!

Let me begin with this, you absolutely CANNOT properly and accurately diagnosis yourself or others with the internet. There is too much false information that you just cannot safely diagnosis yourself. Even if the information is correct, if you are not a licensed physician you cannot diagnosis yourself.  That being said, if you think you might possibly be suffering symptoms of an illness, then you should make an appointment with a doctor and get some blood work done. Honestly, it’s common sense. The most common example of this faux pas is the gluten-free diet. Just because you happen to feel bloated after eating bread, does not mean your gluten intolerant. That is the whole point of the gluten-free diet, not to lose weight, but to avoid digestion problems and allergic reactions from being gluten intolerant. If you think you or your child might possibly be gluten intolerant then, allow me to reiterate myself, GO.SEE.YOUR.DOCTOR.  Anytime I hear about this the red mist of anger and annoyance descends.

In relevance to the previous paragraph, when you are reading an article or information online, you should check the credibility of the information and/or the person who wrote the article. Look to see if the article cites references and check those references. Don’t be stupid about information. Imagine if researchers never checked their sources…we would be in a sorry state.

For the record, it drives me absolutely crazy how the gluten-free diet is a fad rather than an actual health concern. Many people do this diet to lose weight rather than because they’re actually gluten intolerant. STOP DOING STUPID DIETS!!! Be realistic for goodness sake! The same goes for people who say they’re vegetarian and have no clue as to what they’re doing with that diet. Vegetarianism is not a diet, it’s a life style.

Lastly, if you’d like to see what anorexia is and how it affects people, then I recommend the documentary, Thin by Lauren Greenfield. The documentary was made in 2006. One of the girls, Polly, is now deceased; she took her own life. This is a very real end result of anorexia. Many girls [adolescents] and women with anorexia end up taking their own lives. It is extremely heartbreaking. Just remember, just because you may not be skinny like a celebrity, doesn’t mean you are not beautiful. Being super skinny from unnatural causes does not equal beautiful. It equals heart break, tears, and death. 


I'd also like to address the issue of the Arizona schools sending obese children home because they're obese. Don't do that. You have no idea the psychological issue you will inflict on these kids. It could very well lead to some of these kids, mostly girls, to become anorexic. Yes, I realize that obesity is a big issue in America, but so is the other extreme, anorexia. Anorexia is a psychological problem and an eating disorder. Obesity, while it can be due to a psychological problem, is really more because of the poor quality of food choices and the large portions America serves. Here's a tip for parents, you choose the food your kids eat, they choose how much of it they eat. So choose some healthy foods and they will eat it if they're hungry. It's okay to let them pick, one food, they would like to eat at a meal, but you choose the rest. 


Cheers,
-Claire