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Obesity In America
By Joshua Seth | May 16, 2008
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I just read this article about how now “more than half of all insured Americans are taking prescription medicines regularly for chronic health problems”.
Guess what the chronic health problems are?
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Heart disease
• Diabetes
• Obesity
All of these issues are the direct effects of being overweight. As I’ve said to tens of thousands of people in my weight loss hypnosis seminars, being overweight is really a life and death issue. And the really sad thing about it is that it’s completely preventable.
It’s not that there’s a lack of good information out there. Heck, you can download my “7 Steps to Permanent Weight Loss” for FREE right on this site. (It’s the sign-up form on the upper left hand side of every page). It’s that people in our society have become used to relying on pills instead of relying on themselves.
Instead of taking some pharmaceutical band-aid to mask the symptoms of being overweight, how about taking a little personal responsibility for changing your own mindset and behaviors?
I’ve written extensively on how the diet industry is conspiring to make people fatter (both on this blog and on my weight loss hypnosis website). Now it appears that doctors are playing the same game: writing prescriptions for long term medications instead of just telling people they need to lose some weight.
Over two-thirds of adult woman are now taking prescription medications for chronic conditions - most of which are related to obesity. This is unbelievable!
There are a lot of other interesting statistics in this article that I will begin to cite in my weight loss seminars. If you want to read the full article, it’s here.
This is a growing issue that will affect all of us, in the years to come, not just in terms of our own health and the health of our loved ones, but in many other areas of our society as well.
Let me know what you think about this.
Popularity: 32% [?]
Topics: Weight Loss |
May 16th, 2008 at 5:14 am
Joshua:
You have nailed it sir! I agree that it is in fact a conspiracy.
I’m a people watcher by nature. I am shocked when I sit still in a mall, airport or even aboard ship….and watch the “really” obese people stroll by.
Not that I am a lightweight myself…(carrying an extra 30 pounds…however by listening to your tape regularly…and doing “mindful eating”…I’ve lost 10 lbs. since returning from the cruise on April 28th.
Keep up the good work. You have my vote…your method is preferable over pills, potions and whatnot.
Best Regards,
Ed
May 16th, 2008 at 5:22 am
What you are saying is true and it is also true that these conditions are genetically driven. At the least, you need to aknowledge this. Being told to lose weight is superficial. The deeper issue is emotional pain that motivates people to violate their personal committments in an attempt to stop the pain. Your weight loss program must address these deeper motivations to be successful. I love what you are doing…helping people help themselves…Your Father!
May 16th, 2008 at 9:26 am
Every day in my chiropractic and nutrition practice I see people suffer with medications and the horrible side effects that go with them. It is apalling to me that other physicians aren’t willing to recommend diet and exercise. However, I also think overmedication is a reflection of the “magic bullet” mentality of our society. It is so important for our patients to know that they do have control over their own medical destiny and that many of the conditions they think are chronic CAN actually be reversed completely! It doesn’t happen overnight, but with proper recommendation, guidance, and self-empowering actions most people can live their full God-given potential without “magic pills and potions” that are statistically proven to kill people daily.
May 16th, 2008 at 11:32 am
Ed, congratulations in losing 10 pounds in a little over two weeks! Honestly, it’s testimonials like yours that keep me doing these weight loss seminars in the first place. I have other self improvement products coming out over the next few months, but I maintain that without your health nothing else matters. I can help teach people how to attract more money, play sports at an enhanced level, accelerate their learning, and manage their time better (as in the recently released Take Action Now system), but with nearly half our population slowly killing themselves with weight related issues none of the rest matter.
May 16th, 2008 at 11:36 am
Dad, I agree that the emotional component is what drives the behaviors in the first place. People who are using my Weight Loss Hypnosis System have CDs devoted to mindset, motivation, and overcoming cravings for example. People who just have the basic weight loss CD are encouraged to upgrade to the complete system for that very reason.
(NOTE: my dad is modest and fills in his posts as “Michael”. He is actually clinical psychologist, hypnotist, and master NLP practitioner himself who has been in practice and helping patients with these issues for over 30 years).
May 16th, 2008 at 11:41 am
Dr. Deanna, helping people to believe that they actually do have control over this issue is probably the number one suggestion I implant in the Weight Loss Hypnosis System CDs.
So many people feel disempowered around this issue that they turn to “magic bullet” pills to help them. You bring up a good point about the negative side effects of all these medications. I will do an article about that in the future.
May 16th, 2008 at 1:38 pm
I totally understand what is meant by the whole “magic bullet” mindset. The biggest problem I see is that there are lots of people who like to feel like a victim of things. They don’t want to hear that it is their own thinking and actions that contribute to their bad health. They don’t want to hear that they have to change that in order for things to not be as bad as they are (at the least).
One example that I can think of is a relative of mine who decided she needed to have gastric bypass surgery. While I can see the benefits for those who absolutely need it because they can no longer move, I KNOW that she did not “need” it. She was obese, but she was still completely capable of taking control of things on her own.
Now, because she insisted on getting surgery that basically forced her to eat less (rather than just doing it herself, and changing her diet around….and WORKING OUT), she broke a hip due to osteoporosis (she’s only 33), she had to have her gall bladder removed (a potential side effect as a result of the surgery), and now she has Lupus. She has zero energy, she’s depressed, and even more miserable about things than she was before she took the “easy” way out of “fixing” things.
People need to stop and think of the consequences of such “magical” solutions to things that really don’t always need such things.
I hope that I can convince more people in my life to look to your advice and come to this website for help and reassurance that they really can take care of some things on their own.
I believe that being overweight can be genetic…however, I do NOT believe that people should try and use it as a crutch and say they “can’t help it.” That is a load of you-know-what. I feel that my family has “those genes” that make you slightly “fluffier” than most, but that doesn’t mean we can’t try and break the mold.
Thank you for making some of your advice free. I will make sure to share it with as many people as I can
Grace
May 16th, 2008 at 7:28 pm
I completely agree with the idea that with proper nutrition and exercise most drugs (prescription or not) would be totally unnecessary. The conclusion that all these chronic ailments are linked directly to being overweight may not be completely accurate, however. I have high blood pressure and I have never been overweight. In fact, I’m about 20 pounds UNDERweight, and have been my entire adult life. I’m sure I could stand a bit more cardiovascular exercise, though.
May 17th, 2008 at 1:08 am
Wow Grace, that’s quite a story and ilustrates the point very effectively. I completely agree with you about the genetic component being used as a crutch. That’s why I don’t address it. It’s disempowering. To whatever degree it may be a factor in the cause it is completely irrelevant to the solution.
May 17th, 2008 at 1:14 am
Hi Trent, you make a good point about not all of the drug use being linked to the issue of weight, but undeniably much of it is. The trend is clear and it points to higher incidences of weight related illnesses, drug use, rising health care costs, and depression. Pretty much the story that Grace laid out in her comment above. You (and the other readers of this site) are in the minority because you are actually proactively seeking solutions rather than quick fixes. I applaud you all.
May 18th, 2008 at 9:38 am
Thanks for opening up this important can of worms, Joshua. Meds are synthetic means to rebalance an unbalanced biological system. And you’re right, they just end up just making things worse!
I’m from Canada and despite differences between our healthcare systems (Michael Moore’s “Sicko” is a fantastic documentary), our MDs seem to have the same problem: their pens already scratching on prescription pads before we even finish telling them what’s wrong.
In my humble opinion, I think capitalist ideology is what’s made this prevalent in our society. Doctors get a cut on every drug they sell (in Canada at least). So prescribing hypnosis to change beliefs and suggesting a healthy lifestyle doesn’t make the doctors any money.
If anyone’s interested, I’ve written about the differences between healthcare and sickcare on my total health blog (http://www.livelighter.org/healthcare-or-is-it-really-sickcare/).
Thanks for the great work, Joshua, keep it up!
May 19th, 2008 at 1:35 pm
Thank you so much for the weight loss hypnosis CD. I listen to it every day it helps me with many areas of my life. For one thing I no longer eat any food in front of the t.v.! I had a bad habit of getting popcorn and eating to much of it mindlessly in front of the t.v. Now I sit at the table for all my meals, even snacks. The foods that I eat now are healthy. It is fantastic that you helped me to feel better about myself. My goals are definitley reachable with your help.
May 24th, 2008 at 4:36 pm
You make a great point that so many people are taking prescription drugs for preventable conditions that could be controlled by taking control of their health care through better health care and mind control.
June 22nd, 2008 at 11:20 am
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