| Issue Date: August 13,
2006
Childhood Dieting: Mothers, take a chill pill
Note
to moms: If you're preoccupied with dieting, weight and body
size, you might be unwittingly passing on your obsession to your
children, especially to your daughters, says an ongoing study of
adolescents (5,331 girls and 3,881 boys) and their mothers.
"While
childhood obesity is certainly a national problem," says
epidemiologist Alison E. Field, assistant professor of pediatrics at
Children's Hospital Boston, "an unhealthy concern with weight can
lead to frequent dieting and low self-esteem in teens."
Overeating is not good for your health, but dieting is not
an effective tool for long-term weight control. In fact, dieters gain
more weight.
In girls,
preoccupation with thinness can lead to unhealthy behaviors, such as
vomiting and using laxatives.
Boys
don't usually want to be thin, but they may focus on not being fat
and having more defined muscles. These boys are at risk for dieting
and for using steroids and creatine to bulk up.
How
parents can help
To
promote a healthy weight without overstressing the issue, try
Field's tips:
-
Play up
exercise; be active together.
- Cut
down on empty calories, especially sweetened beverages.
- Don't talk about feeling fat in front of your children.
-
Limit portion sizes.
-
Recognize that if dieting hasn't worked for you, it won't for your
kids.
- If
your child is overweight, ask your pediatrician about seeing a weight
loss specialist trained to work with kids.
-
Talk to your children about what a healthy body weight really looks
like. Explain that pictures of skinny models may be
manipulated.
-
Discuss celebrity weight obsession and its connection to eating
disorders, drug use and hospitalization.
-
Know what a healthy weight is by using body mass index (BMI). Learn
your child's BMI at cdc.gov/nccdphp/
dnpa/bmi/index.htm.
-
Susan T. Lennon
Go to top
Insomnia: Turn your brain waves into soothing music
A
neurofeedback treatment called brain music therapy, or BMT,
offers a drug-free way to relieve insomnia, anxiety, depression and
stress-related disorders, says New York City psychiatrist Galina
Mindlin, M.D., Ph.D.
Brain
waves are recorded using an EEG (electroencephalograph), a painless
procedure that takes about five minutes. Then, special software
converts the waves into musical tones, and a unique CD is created
using the individual's brain waves. One track on the CD is a 10- to
12-minute "relaxation file" that eases anxiety and promotes sleep.
Listening to this music is like hearing a lullaby of your own relaxed
brain waves, Mindlin says. The other track is a two- to three-minute
"activating file" that boosts performance, concentration and
attention span. Cost: $550. For details, go to
brainmusictreatment.com.
-
Peggy J. Noonan
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