POLICY AND HEALTH

Policy and Health

Joshua H. Matthews
Benedictine University

Author Note
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Joshua H.
Matthews, Department of Public Health, Benedictine University, Columbus, OH 43220.
Contact: Matthews.josh@gmail.com

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Abstract
Just over a hundred years ago cervical cancer and promiscuity was recognized as connected.
Shortly afterwords we began to more completely understand the connections between virus and
cancer within animal models followed by relationships between mycoplasmas and arthritis.
Attempts to link cancer and arthritis failed at that time, however resulted in extensive study into
inflammation, tumorigenesis, and toxicology. The advances in alternative directions to link
arthritis and cancer led to renewed research into infectious agents.
Well over a hundred inflammatory diseases exist, and are all share exceedingly elevated levels of
inflammation and degeneration throughout connective tissue. Inflammation being the prime
concern is the result of oxidative stress, which is often a combination of emotional and physical
trauma and both nutritional and environmental pollutants. The major culprit behind oxidative
stress in many cases is sugar abuse and glycation and the overutilization and mass consumption
of carbohydrates. Glycation is the result of sugar binding to a protein or lipid without an enzyme.
This leads to advanced glycation endproducts, which occur in many inflammatory diseases and
diabetes. Physical and mental stress also cause oxidation. In many ways, we have designed our
own doom with how unhealthy people are now living.

Keywords: oxidation, sugar, carbohydrates, inflammatory disease

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Inflammatory Diseases
Impacts on Health

Oxidative stress elevation is reversible, and many conditions resulting from are
controllable. Avoiding sugar containing foods and increasing antioxidant intake can great reduce
long term damage. Progesterone is both a strong anti-inflammatory as well as antioxidant.
Increased vitamin D and the amino acid N-acetyl cysteine also are helpful in management (NIH,
2010). Insulin resistance often occurs, and should be reversed as it brings a host of additional
concerns. In many cases management is aided by a healthy lifestyle of stress management,
making healthy choices with nutrition, and staying active. While the human body innately has
the ability to combat harmful substances through the use of white blood cells and Cryopyrin, a
protein which regulates inflammation and programmed cell death, eventually these fail (NIH,
2010). Most chronic inflammatory diseases are hereditary, though environment and nutrition are
expression determinants. Through and through our solution to pollutants is to add more
pollutants and chemicals to the mix and add more prescriptions.
The increasing cost that inflammatory and related diseases globally is in the trillions. The
speed in which more people are contracting them is far out pacing the ability to treat and provide
for. America alone is quickly becoming so severely obese and sick that we are in constant
jeopardy. The biggest deterrent to many inflammatory diseases to live a healthy way of live,
though with each day we seem moving further and further from that (CDC, 2010). The vastness
of inflammatory diseases is bolstered by our own hand. Of the many diseases that constantly are
sprouting humans must accept responsibility in their creation. We are becoming a sickly and ill
people.

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As a country we have a growing problem with the inability to be accountable. The

movement to be accepted has created a trend in naming everything and conventions such as
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and whatever flavor of the week social media site are all making
our narcissistic society it worse. Preferences have become orientations with the endless sexual
titles and the dire need for justification. Todays society isnt content with previous titles and
monikers and is continuously creating them in attempts to normalize whatever it is that strays
from convention. Wearing plaid and have a beard- your lumbersexual. You cant just like plaid,
happen to have a beard, but need identified. Ultimately, the title should be unhealthy. To make
matters worse, studies have begun showing a correlation between social networks and obesity
(CDC 2009).
We exist in a society that is desperate for a new flavor of dysmorphia between naming
everything and creating new socially acceptable parameters and shaming anything outside of
them, it seems that everywhere you look you see another unhealthy thought. Its hard to say
where it started. Continual over reaching in political correctness, twisted perception of what
feminist is, equality, or maybe the constant demands that everyone is a winner has warped the
lines. This applies to most all aspects of our society. Obesity is a perfect example. However,
social networks, chronic disease prevention such as obesity has seen the most positive outcome
from social-based intervention (CDC 2009).
In some circles you have fat shaming, while in others you see fat acceptance, but
rarely do you see in the media a neutral sentiment. To further impact the problem we are in an
oversaturated media driven society of extremes of size zero models airbrushed down further
mandating what normal should be. Look at action figures and dolls from the past 30 years and

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you see an obvious trend. Fat is either bad, or less commonly, good, though at the end of the day
is neither. Fat is a biological requirement. Unhealthy relationships with food is the root of the
problem. According to SCT, observational learning of novel behaviors or skills is dependent on
four inter-related processes involving attention, retention, production, and motivation (Bandura,
1997)
Ultimately people often gravitate towards where they feel safer. An example of this is
the overweight person embarrassed to go to the gym, or too fat to workout. The other side of
the coin is, like that overly supportive friend whom always tells you that you look great, people
flock to an unhealthy group to be normal. Sometimes you dont look great, though. Simply
put, shame isnt a motivator usually, but a separator. Half of the ads are focused on telling
someone to enjoy life with food and drink, and the other half to shame them for doing so. Selfefficacy reflects individuals' beliefs about whether they can achieve a given level of successful at
a particular task (Bandura, 1997).
Obesity is unquestionably unhealthy. Heart disease and stroke, Diabetes and food
hoarding, high blood pressure and depression, Cancer and Gallbladder Disease, breathing
problems and insomnia, Osteoarthritis and Gout; 68% of Ohio adults are overweight and 30%
are obese while 33% of children in Ohio are overweight or obese. The national average is just
lower at 32% (CDC, 2015). The national average of overweight adults (64%) is slightly lower,
but the numbers across the board are rising at an alarming rate yet the majority of the population
ignores this threat. But it isnt shameful, its a problem.

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Unhealthy lifestyles have proven that the issue is not self-regulating. In order to force
the related issues from unhealthy living there are a number of potential opportunities for society
to be guided to the right path. Utilization of sin taxes has long been effective, and even the
consideration of a nearly opposing virtuous taxes to reward those living a healthy life.
Regulating and even restriction on the informational and commercial landscape also has been
tip-toed around and would show positive results from strengthening. In children it has been
found by many health organizations that commercials and familiar characters play a large role in
making unhealthy decision (CDC, 2009) of which fast food and breakfast cereals are incredibly
notorious (McDonalds, Wendys, Lucky Charms, Trix, etc.).
Social media could be an answer, and in some cases is. There are plenty of
productive, helpful media sources that create a positive experience and inspiration to those
overweight. The problem lies in a society and media that is driven by the negative. Those
overweight are often socially isolated. There are plenty of cases that weve all seen on Facebook
alone where someone outside of the norm of the group is influenced in a healthy way to better
themselves. The concern is when these same people instead take part in unhealthy activities. I
think it was said best in Growing interest in interconnectedness has brought into focus an often
ignored issue: networks pervade all aspects of human health by Barabasi.

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References
Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (2016). Diseases and conditions. (2016). Retrieved
from http://www.cdc.gov/DiseasesConditions/index.html
Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (2016). Preventing chronic disease. Retrieved from
http://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2009/jul/pdf/08_0265.pdf
National Institute of Health (2016). Auto inflammatory diseases. Retrieved from
http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Autoinflammatory/
Progesterone Therapy. (2016). List of inflammatory diseases. Retrieved from
http://progesteronetherapy.com
The Gale Group. (2016). Social cognitive theory. Retrieved from
http://www.education.com/reference/article/social-cognitive-theory/