Chapter 1

The Problem

As I stated earlier, there has recently been an abundance of emerging information from the scientific and medical communities, which points to a direct connection between what we eat, what we do, and how we feel. Nutrition and lifestyle have been found to be major players in a long list of illnesses, diseases, and disorders. These include, but are not limited to: alopecia, Alzheimer’s, arteriosclerosis, autism spectrum disorder, cancer, chronic fatigue syndrome, cirrhosis of the liver, diabetes mellitus type 2, depression, food sensitivities, gastroesophageal reflux disease, gout, heart disease, hypertension, inflammatory bowel disease, obesity, and arthritis.

In 2014, the Journal of the American Medical Association reported that 34.5% of adults and 17% of youths in America were obese. Obesity is directly related to an increased risk for diabetes mellitus type 2, heart disease, cancer, high blood pressure, and sleep apnea. According to the CDC, heart disease is the leading cause of death in America. Each year approx. 610,000 people die from cardiovascular disease in the U.S.A.

Over 29 million Americans have diabetes. Per the American Diabetes Association, diabetes was the seventh leading cause of death in the United States in 2010, and diabetes was mentioned as a cause of death in a total of 234,051 death certificates. While these numbers alone should be enough to underline the serious nature of this disease, a newer 2017 study, published in the journal PLoS ONE, found that diabetes was actually the third leading cause of death in America, and not the seventh as had been previously believed.

These facts don’t even take into account the rest of the world, but metabolic syndrome is quickly becoming a worldwide health epidemic. Metabolic syndrome is a combination of factors that increase a person’s risk for heart disease, diabetes, and stroke. Such factors include high triglyceride levels, low HDL levels, high blood pressure, high blood sugar levels, insulin resistance, and obesity.

As reported by the World Health Organization, in 2014, more than 1.9 billion adults 18 years and older were overweight. Of these, over 600 million were obese. This equates to 39% of the world’s adults being overweight, and 13% being obese. So in 2014, an astonishing 52% of the world’s population were overweight or obese. Since 1980 worldwide obesity has more than doubled!

The worst news is that this rising obesity rate is no longer only an adult problem. In 2013, 42 million children under the age of 5 were overweight or obese, and per the CDC, childhood obesity in America has more than doubled in children, and quadrupled in adolescents, over the past 30 years. This means the health and wellbeing of our children is also in jeopardy.

What’s it to me?

My maternal grandparents were two of the most wonderful people you could ever come across. Wherever they went in the world, they made lifelong friends. It seemed like anyone who met them couldn’t help but fall in love with them both. They used to get letters, postcards, and even occasionally gifts from people they’d met, who lived all over the world. They were kind, and warm hearted.

My childhood memories are full of my Nanny and the wonderful stories that she would make up to tell me. She would knit and crochet hats, vests, and sweaters for me and my siblings. She was a wonderful cook, and her home always smelled like good things cooking. She was a worry wart who didn’t let me stand too close to the curb, or stand in more than half an inch of water at the beach! I adored her. I often joke that I inherited the “worry gene” from her.

My memories of her also include the special diet, which she would occasionally cheat on, for her type 2 diabetes, and that she had to take nitroglycerin for her angina. She was always a little overweight, and her arms were usually cool on my face, when I pressed my cheek to her on a hot summer day. I don’t know every medical condition that she had, but I do remember that at one point she was taking so many different medications that she could barely walk in a straight line, even with assistance.

My grandfather, who we lovingly called Poppy, was the patriarch. He took so much pride in the generations that he and my grandmother started together. He was a hard worker and a family man. He was extremely intelligent, with a devilishly good sense of humor. He didn’t own a car, and he used to walk everywhere. He used to take me on long walks with him to the park, the movies, and to the grocery stores and shops in his neighborhood. He ate yogurt with his breakfast almost every day. He loved fresh fruit, and salads with mayonnaise for salad dressing. He used to always tell me, “everything in moderation.” He was relatively healthy for most of his long life. He did develop prostate cancer late in life, and very late in life he was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and a slow growing form of bone cancer. He died at 93 from pneumonia.

I never knew my paternal grandparents. They died before I was born. My grandmother Anna died of cancer at age 58. My grandfather Robert died at 47 from sudden cardiac arrest.

My father. My childhood hero and protector. As a little girl, I remember that my dad seemed like a mountain to me, at six feet tall. Due to my fear of the dentist, my dad was the only one I would allow to take me to appointments. Upon arrival, I would immediately announce a need to use the restroom. My poor dad would routinely and patiently be forced to enter the girl’s bathroom to retrieve me. If he did not, I would never have come out on my own. As a child, my dad taught me to swim and how to ride horses. He bought me my very first set of oil paints. Growing up, I spent many hours with him working on various projects, like cutting up the branches from a fallen tree, painting the inside walls of our home, and partnering on catering jobs together. He taught me that I could do anything that I put my mind to.

I almost lost the chance to share any of this with him, though. When my sister and I were just toddlers, a life-threatening form of cancer was discovered in his neck. Thanks to the work of a brilliant doctor, and a complex surgery, he made a full recovery. When I was a young teen, my dad was put on a salt-restricted diet, and began taking medication for high blood pressure. At one point, his pressure was so out of control; he was hospitalized. As the years went on, he had to overcome prostate cancer and, more recently, a thyroid removal surgery. To replace the hormones his body can no longer make for itself, he will be on hormone replacement therapy for the rest of his life.

My mom. Oh, the complicated relationship between a mother and a daughter. There is such a deep bond, and yet also the unique ability to drive each other completely mad. Of course, I have many lovely childhood memories of time spent with my mom, too. She always smelled like perfume, and I always thought she was beautiful beyond compare. We spent rainy afternoons together, playing board games or cards. She taught me to cook, bake, and garden; and she patiently tolerated the ensuing mess that came with all my creativity. For as long as I can remember, she has always been on one diet or another. She yo-yo dieted for most of my life. Big or small, I always thought she was more beautiful than any movie star. I remember how vibrant and active she used to be. She had a flourishing social life. She’d run around town with her girlfriends, going shopping, to the salon, and to luncheons. She was a great bowler, who played in a league, and she was very active in charity work.

She was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in her early forties. At 75, she now suffers with the multitude of complications that inevitably come as your body is broken down by this disease. Like her mother before her, she is on a host of medications. Her poor health has left her housebound and she is rarely able to attend social events or family functions.

I also grew up with the sweet, happy, and sometimes mischievous girl that was my sister Robin. Robin was always a part of my life, as she was my senior by three years. At three years, old Robin was diagnosed with having an emotional disability. It was over fifty years ago, and not very much was known about autism spectrum disorder back then. Sometimes, pervasive thinking, false beliefs, or lack of knowledge can lead even well-meaning physicians to give out bad advice. The doctors at that time told my parents that Robin was deaf, couldn’t see very well, would never speak or feed herself, and would require more care than my parents could possibly give to her. They advised my parents to place her into a home, for the good of all involved. You see, back then it was also considered a shameful secret to have a disabled child. My family was almost torn apart as other family members chimed in, agreeing with the doctor’s advice. Despite everything, my parents loved their baby too much to give her up. Not knowing, at the time, how wrong the doctor’s proclamations would be, they kept her anyway. She learned to speak, to feed herself, to walk, to climb, and to run. She had unimaginable energy, and she was at times way more than a handful, for sure. She had laser sharp vision, and not only could she hear, she had an uncanny ear for music. It wasn’t long after her initial diagnosis that my parents found her humming along to music by Beethoven, which was playing on the radio!

As she grew up, she gave incredible joy to our family. She was always singing and laughing. Her happy spirit was contagious. It was impossible to be in a bad mood when she was happy. She had boundless love to give to her family, and to anyone else she came to know. She held no prejudices, she had no malice for anyone, and she had my grandfather’s wickedly sharp sense of humor. She did have her limitations, and problems. Sometimes she could get very frustrated. She would repeat things over and over again. Sometimes it just seemed like an attempt to make conversation, but at other times, it seemed like she just couldn’t get out what she really was trying to say. She would pull on her own hair, and cry with frustration. She was never able to have what most would call a normal life. She never left home, went to college, got a job, or found her soul mate. She suffered from skin rashes, food sensitivities, and alopecia, but overall Robin lived a happy existence. She was safe and secure; loved and accepted.

Robin passed away suddenly, in 2015. It was on July 4th, and for me, the fireworks that night were in tribute to her. It was just a short time before her 54th birthday, which would have been in August. She had barely shown signs of having anything more serious than a bad flu in the weeks before she went to the hospital. Once she was hospitalized, we were told by the doctors that she had pervasive amounts of cancer in her abdomen. The cancer had caused so many complications that treatment was not possible. She died in the hospital within 3 days.

Robin taught me the meaning of love. She taught me to have compassion, empathy, and patience for the differences in others. She lived her life with exuberance, every day. She loved people for their merit, and didn’t concern herself with color, creed, or sexual orientation. Her sudden death made me realize that tomorrow could be a day too late, and that I needed to stop procrastinating, and go after my dreams today. My sister inspired me in life, and in death. The unique things that I learned from Robin will stay with me for the rest of my life.

My father-in-law, Ike, died of colon cancer at the age of 61. He was a good man. Not unlike my father and my grandfather, he, too, was a hard worker who loved his family, doted on his grandchildren, and was loyal to his friends. He was funny, kind, and generous.

My brother-in-law Barry had heart disease. He passed away two years ago, due to complications from cancer. He was only 62 years old. Barry was a devoted family man. He left behind three children, a grandson, and his wife of over 40 years. His family feels his loss daily.

My amazing mother-in-law, Selma, has been my best friend and confidant for more than 29 years. Selma is fighting a battle with cirrhosis of the liver. Oddly, she has never really been much of a drinker. She’s a beautiful person who has always maintained a positive outlook on life. Over the years, she has repeatedly been there for us. She’s been my cheerleader, my co-conspirator, and the voice of reason whenever I needed one. I love her very much. I admire her greatly for her grace, strength, and spirit.

There are several others, people who I count among my friends and family, who also suffer from chronic illness and disease.

I have been fortunate in that, somehow, I have thus far evaded any serious illness. I’ve spent much of my life battling with my own body weight. I was dieting by the time I was 14 or 15 years old. I have been rail thin, and I have been very overweight. My relationship with the scale, and with food, has been an unhealthy one. My turning point came about 4 years ago.

My husband, myself, and my daughter were living a distance away from family at the time. It was a good five-hour drive to see any of them. Back then, I was employed as a manager for a large wholesale and distribution chain. I was working 6 or 7 days a week, for 12 to 14 hours a day. My position in the company had no growth potential. I felt underappreciated, uninspired, and stressed out. I was about 30 pounds overweight. Being only five feet tall, thirty pounds is a lot of extra weight to carry. I was tired all the time, and I was miserable.

In the meanwhile, every time I spoke with my mom, dad, or brother on the phone, I was reminded of how poor my mother’s health was. Over time, she consistently began to have new symptoms; her health issues seemed to become more and more complicated. Those phone conversations were my wake-up calls. Even back then, I understood that a person’s weight and lifestyle could have a serious impact on their current and future health. I realized that I would have to make some big, permanent changes in my life if I wanted to avoid all the health issues that plagued my mother, and her mother before her.

My life, and the lives of so many others, have been touched by the diseases that afflict today’s humanity. I believe we are facing the beginning of a worldwide health crisis.

My interest in this topic was initially sparked by my desire to avoid developing chronic illness, and to achieve optimal health for both myself, and my family. Realizing, now, that this situation is so much bigger than my own family, I would also like to do the same for you, and your family.

The Facts

Since the 1980’s, obesity worldwide has more than doubled. Most of the world’s population lives in countries where being overweight or obese kills more people than being underweight.

Some common health problems associated with adiposity (being overweight or obese) are cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, musculoskeletal disorders, and cancers like endometrial, breast, and colon. Cardiovascular diseases, chronic kidney disease, and diabetes are among leading global and regional causes of death. Between 1990 and 2010, the total number of deaths caused by cardiovascular diseases increased by more than 25%, and those of chronic kidney disease and diabetes nearly doubled. The number of people with diabetes has risen from 108 million, in 1980, to 422 million in 2014. Diabetes is a major cause of blindness, kidney failure, heart attacks, stroke, and lower limb amputation. Alzheimer’s disease and cancers, such as liver cancer and pancreatic cancer, have also been linked to insulin resistance or diabetes. Almost half of all deaths attributable to high blood glucose occur before the age of 70 years. The World Health Organization projects that diabetes will be the 7th leading cause of death, worldwide, in 2030.

Here are some interesting facts, put out by the National Health Council in 2014.

» Chronic diseases affect approximately 133 million Americans. By 2020, that number is expected to grow to an estimated 157 million, with 81 million having multiple conditions.

» Approximately one in two adults has a chronic condition.

» Approximately 8% of children, ages 5 to 17, were reported, by their parents, to have at least one chronic disease or disability.

» Many people suffer from more than one chronic illness.

» Almost a third of the population is now living with multiple chronic conditions.

» In 2009, seven in ten deaths in the U.S. were due to chronic diseases.

Clearly there is a common thread here. With the climbing obesity rate over the last 30 or so years, we are also experiencing an overwhelming surge in chronic illnesses. It’s also important to note that chronic disease is not limited solely to those who are overweight. There are plenty of slim, seemingly healthy people, walking around with chronic illnesses. These illnesses run the gamut, and include everything from acid reflux disease to diabetes and cirrhosis of the liver. The reality is there are many people walking around today, undiagnosed, who don’t even realize that they’re sick.