I spoke with Karen Urbanek, a Health Education Specialist in
the region surrounding Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She presents on Nutrition and
Chronic Illness at Health Clinics for Nurses and patients, and at
Company-sponsored Seminars, Elementary Schools, and most often at a Health
Center in West Bend, WI (my home town).
The first Public Health trend we discussed was and increase
in prevalence of diabetes among children and adults alike. She said that the causes
were consistent consumption of nutritionally-depleted and processed foods and overall
lack of education. “When people are unaware of the effects of a poor diet, they
don’t make the connection that they could be perpetuating their health issues
with every bite they take,” she explained.
She presents frequently on the
link between diet and diabetes, and definitely takes a more educational
approach in combating it (i.e., rather than sending a pre-diabetic to a health
clinic to learn about insulin injections, she would rather teach them how to
reverse it through diet improvements). It is rapidly spreading throughout particular
regions in Milwaukee where the lowest divisions on the socioeconomic latter live.
Not only is there a significant lack of education because of high school
drop-out and insufficient health education programs in schools and the community,
but previous lack of access to nutritionally dense foods created unhealthy
cultural habits.
Secondly she discussed an increase in leukemia and childhood
cancer. She said this is a very alarming health trend because previously cancer
was an illness that would (by far and away) be associated with the later stages
in life. Influences of this trend include a variety of sources, including poor
diet (low in antioxidants, living plants, and cancer-fighting micro-nutrients), lack
of exercise, and excessive exposure to EMF rays. This is a leading reason why
education needs to be increased. A lot of the major health concerns we are
dealing with are chronic, and can be largely prevented and aided in reversing
through lifestyle changes.
Childhood allergies and intolerances are dramatically
increasing as well. Not the “seasonal”
allergies but allergies and intolerances to foods (such as gluten). Karen attributes this to a detrimental intake
of mercury, of which the statistical correlation is undeniable, and also to the
excessive modification of certain foods. She used wheat as an example: although wheat used to be an amazing whole
grain that was ideal for just about everyone, it has been genetically modified
so excessively that it is practically a different plant. Not everyone can
tolerate it now.
On a brighter note, Karen also mentioned an increasing awareness
on parents’ behalf of the correlation between lifestyle and health
outcomes. More and more parents are realizing
that food may make a difference, she said. Her optional health classes (ones
held at a health education center rather than at a school or workplace where
people would be normally) are growing in size and diversity. School Districts are welcoming health
interventions, such as the one she is involved in, and parents are fully behind
it. It is less “health-nutty” to be interested in how to incorporate more
produce into one’s diet, although it will take a while for the culture shifts
necessary to decrease bad foods to take place.
Lastly we discussed influenza. Despite the increase in flu-shots that have
become available, this is still a growing health concern. Karen believes it has
more to do with people’s weak immune systems than anything. People who get the flu-shot can still get
sick, especially if their immune system was weak to begin with (namely,
pregnant women and small children).
Karen actually gets irritated with how strongly flu-shots are promoted,
because whether or not you get the flu has more to do with your personal state
of health, she says. To combat this health issue, she teaches how to eat and live to maintain a strong immune system.
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