Monday, February 6, 2012

Rickets?

I got an inbox from my sister today that I can't get out of my head.

She's a 3rd year nursing student doing her OB/Peds rounds right now and today she learned that rickets is making a comeback in America.

Do you catch that?

In. AMERICA.

Do you know what rickets is?


Rickets is a disorder caused by a lack of vitamin D, calcium, or phosphate. It leads to softening and weakening of the bones.  (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001384/)


Back the unfortunate childhood diseases wagon up there.

Did that read "caused by lack of vitamin D & calcium...???"  You mean like, lack of SUNSHINE & MILK?

This disease in AMERICA?  Are. you. kidding. me?

Do you want to know what's sadder?

Lauren furthered her inbox to me by saying that, while this isn't an epidemic in America (yet!), it's being caused by children staying indoors in front of the TV's & video games day in and day out and drinking soda instead of milk.  If you can afford to buy your kids soda you can afford to by them milk.  Trust. me.

I've thought about this all day.  I can't get passed it.  Are we one of the "smartest" countries in the world or aren't we? 
Why are our children obese? (see above - duh!). 
Why are childhood disabilities making a comeback?  (see above - duh!). 
Shame on us, America. 
We can do better than this!

We are a wealthy nation.  We should be helping children in third world countries overcome rickets, not giving it to our own. 

It's time to put our game faces on. 

1 comment:

Tamara said...

I agree with your comments in this post. I can however believe that this is happening. It seems to me that homemade and off the farm have been made to be bad for us. And we have let our children get entertained by action on the tv and not encouraged them to go into action and use their amazing imaginations.
To me natural and real are the best. And getting some sunshine makes me feel good and does me good (vitD). thanks, Jenn