Americans seem ti be obsessed with their health these days. why do u think so? how did this obsession start?
368969
It's because of the fear of death.
1058214
WE can't stop other people's compulsions. Obesity may be a global epidemic as you call it,but I think it is up to each and every individual to stay healthy and active and exercise and eat right. I see it as being a choice. These people choose not to do anything about it. That is their own fault...not mine. Many people that are obese are at higher risk of diabetes,heart disease,etc...these people don't even listen to their doctors half the time (in my opinion,of course) So,if they aren't willing to do anything about it,why should I concern myself?
507839
In a word, apathy. We no longer take the time or the effort to care of what's going on around us. If it's not an immediate threat to us or surroundings, we choose to ignore it. Blame it on the greed of America, the television, or poor parenting. We are country on the brink of exstinction because no one cares enough to get up and do anything about it. Unless, of course, they're getting something out of it.
156412
I sure do think that America is over medicated.  I mean come on, a pill for restless legs!  It seems when someone sneezes there are 100 people ready to hand out drugs that are sometimes addictive and usually have horrible side effects (either on the body or mind).
143235
There are millions of Americans with health problems. Not just smokers and the obese. Our rates are going to go up regardless. The problem isn't about who gets the healthcare. The problem is with how the government handles the whole situation. And with Bush in office, you can bet that it's not getting any better. Insted of pointing the finger at the people using the healthcare (including yourself), vote in the next election...
806082
I think we do.  For me, whenever something becomes an obsession or is done excessively, it is not good, even though that thing is orginally a good thing.  Like eating, we all have to eat to keep ourselves going.  A sensible thing is to eat the right amount of the right food at the right time.  If we eat too much, eat a lot of junk or if we eat at the wrong time (for example, eat when we're not hungry), we are violating our body and the result is that we get sick and feel really awful.  If we are obsessed with food, we have little time for anything else and that's not what life is meant to be.  Sex is like this.  It's a basic human need which has to be satisfied but it is not something we need all the time and do with just anybody.  The culture in which we live nowadays seems to preach otherwise, in the same way as it sells us highly processed junk food that doesn't nourish our body or promote health.  Sex, in the context of a loving, caring and committed relationship, is the highest form of human connection and not only does it satisfy the body but it also nourishes the soul, bringing us closer to our other half.  Junk sex, like junk food, that is sex consumed indiscriminately, has quite the opposite effect on us.  It is like drinking cola to quench your thirst or eating food high in MSG to satisfy your hunger.  The more you consume junk drink/food, the thirstier or hungrier you feel and the sicker you get.  Likewise, the more junk sex people have, the more emotionally depleted\nthey feel and the result of long term obsession with junk sex can leave people feel more and more dissatisfied, unfulfilled and degraded to the point where they can't feel their own value.  I always think that human society has evolved to the stage where we shouldn't be dominated by our animal instincts but the sex-obsessed culture of today's world seems to point to the opposite direction.  I have thought that in this world, where human rights are valued, our young women should be loved, treasured and protected and not used by men or exploited commercially.  In today's sex-obsessed culture, women's dignity and respectability doesn't seem to matter anymore.   This I think is detrimental to men/women relationships.  When a generation of young men grows up to believe that women are sex object, what hope is there for them to respect women?  What hope is there for a stable relationship where men won't treat women as something they could use for pleasure?  What hope is there for young women to have high self esteem and feel loved and valued?   I think junk sex is really a kind of self-harm.  If we value ourselves and fellow human beings, we don't allow ourselves to use others or be used, just for bodily pleasure, just as we don't contaminate our bodies with junk food that harm our health.
144696
Because we tended to not worry much about our health when we were younger, (myself included), and now that I'm in my 40's, it's catching up with me! Diet and exercise is the key to staying healthy, or at least ahead of the ballgame, so to speak.
501
Well, if you think about having illnesses and always being worried about health, older people might always want to pester people to let go of all the emotions bottled up inside of them. They have different points of views, like your example about the ice cream. So if you feel like you have a major problem with them, then try to put yourself in their shoes.
1166074
America keeps getting fatter every year. It's all about our surroundings and how easy it is to access everyting with little effort. Genetics of course play a big role. Everyone keeps getting bigger so women see it and I guess think since everyone else is it's ok. When a woman says she's happy with being fat, 99% of the time she is lying straight through her teeth. Some people think they are healthy when they are fat, but that's because they don't get out and try and do "normal" things. Go try and jog a mile slowly, if you get winded within two steps your not healthy.
1007363
yeah, i definetely agree with you.  people nowadays are just too lazy to actually watch what they're eating...that's why everyone is getting fat.  I wish it was required to learn about how saturated/unsaturated fats affected your body, as well as proteins and carbohydrates, and just learning about the body in general.  I have taken so many classes on how things affect the body and I wish everyone would have to learn those things because it seriously makes you so much more aware of your personal health!
25515
I think it's based off of society valuing what influential and rich people that they iconize look like.  The "elite" have the time and resources to devote to looking their "best" and usually that best is the opposite of what the average person in society looks like.\n\nIn the US it's hard to stay fit because most of us don't have jobs that keep us physically fit (or in the case of kids, they don't "get out and play" as much as they used to).  Also the cheapest food that is available is the worst for you but is the highest quantity that most people in the US consume which leads to so many people being overweight.  So the opposite (being skinny) is what's idolized.  Mostly it's wealthy people who have time to excersize and "personal trainers" and such to help them stay fit... the rest of us are on our own.\n\nBack a few hundred years ago, if you were overweight it was a major status symbol because adequate nutrition was hard to come by, and if you had enough food to be fat, you must have been really well off.  Again, what was attractive was the opposite of the average person who had to work hard at manual labor and probably didn't get enough to eat and so was skinny.\n\nTanning is another example... a while ago it was considered unattractive because if you were tanned it meant you were some serf working outside all day instead of being able to stay inside away from the sun.  Now it's the wealthy that have the most leisure time to spend outdoors so tanning is what's considered attractive.
1045742
well funny you should ask that , i believe so the government allows a lot of things to control the population growth, but i cant prove that , but i do know that the people put things in the food we eat to make us want to eat more if people would just read the package that our food comes in and look into what they are putting into there body's , a lot of the food we eat today has so much chemicals in them they over a period of time it will make people sick , and our food that is on the shelves today in time does kill us, and all of this is controlled by the government, that's why there are so many sick people in this world, so yes i do believe it ,if you will just think about it, # 1 killer in America is heart disease , and what causes heart disease, by eating the wrong foods that are filled with fat that clogs up the arteries , which slows down the blood flow and that will cause a heart attack because the heart has to work harder to pump , there are people that have blood sugar and that's caused by the food intake again , to much sugar in the blood can cause a person to have blood sugar or high blood pressure , again theses are more diseases, that people get in there body's because of the food that we eat that is controlled by the grovernment,
247493
Yup. People can say, "you're born with it" all they want. Plenty of people are born with DISORDERS. It's not like it is something to be ashamed of, anyway. I am not afraid to admit that I have an obsessive-compulsive disorder. Although I have some choice in my behavior, that doesn't make it a lifestyle choice.
987177
Selfishness and self seeking motives.\nI like to watch entertainment news to see what people value. It is generally an exaggerated view, but still a glimpse into the moral health of society in general. People value gossip, anorexic bodies, overpriced clothing and bags, and plastic surgery. I rarely see pop culture discussing the environmental values of a celebrity. They never discuss their exercise routine, healthy diet, or friendly demeanor. Our society is run by the seven deadly sins if we don't choose to live otherwise. I commend you for holding true to your morals. You will be rewarded with a happier and healthier life. Remember if somebody smears their negative energy all over you and then leaves that they take that negative energy with them, they have to live with it, not you. See them as sick people, not bad. Careful not to judge because it could be you with a closed mind one day................
400477
yeah i would say its a high number, probably something like your guess of 65 or 70%. America has such a high population of obese people... its really sad, and very unhealthy.
1011557
This obsession that you speak of is caused by people seeking happiness in all of the wrong places.\n\nNorth American culture seems to promote the idea that looks make you happier; studies show they do not.\n\nThe same thing occurs in studies about money making people happier.  Once again, studies show that it does not.\n\nSo you have a large scale "belief" perpetuated because all of the imagery we are shown leads us to believe that rich and attractive people are happier; once again studies show they are no more happier than a poor and average looking John Doe.\n\nSo why do we seek to be more attractive, more rich and have more things?  Because we're unwilling to dispell what we've come to believe with what is fact.  Happiness is a much simpler and personal formula.  It could be more time with the family, helping others or sitting around the house playing online poker.  Each person must learn to define it.
704565
American Heart Disease\n\n\nThe number one killer in America is cardiovascular disease. In 1991, heart and blood vessel diseases killed more than 923,000 Americans. More than two of every five Americans die of cardiovascular disease. Today, more than one in five Americans suffer from some form of cardiovascular disease, with more than 2,500 Americans dying from it each day. Of those with heart disease, 52.2 percent are male and 47.8 percent are female; 88.2 percent are white, 9.5 percent are black, and 2.4 percent are of other races. Clearly, heart disease is a national concern. \nAt least 250,000 people die of heart attacks each year before they reach a hospital. Half of all heart attack victims wait more than two hours before getting help. Studies show that under-educated people are more likely to suffer heart attacks. Estimates are that 3 million Americans suffer occasional chest pain. \n\nAs many as 50 million Americans have high blood pressure, the leading contributor to heart disease. Of those people, 35 percent don't know they have it. High blood pressure is easily detectable and usually controllable. \n\nOf thirty-five countries surveyed in 1991, the United States cardiovascular death rate ranked 17th for both males and females. The highest death rates were in the Soviet Union, Romania, Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary, and Czechoslovakia. The lowest were in Japan, France, Spain, Switzerland, and Canada. \n\n\n\n--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\nHope this helps.  The answerer Wagner is misinformed, as heart diseases kills hundreds on thousands anually in the US, and millions each year world wide.