NIH And The Sanctioning Of Child Abuse

By Michael Applebaum, MD, JD, FCLM

On April 16, 2007 the NIH issued a press release regarding a new study of bariatric surgery in kids. (http://www.nih.gov/news/pr/apr2007/niddk-16.htm)

April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month.

No one told NIH.

Their study is child abuse.

To justify the study, NIH lies through its institutional teeth.

“The reasons for weight gain are complex and multifactorial, influenced by genetics, environment, eating and physical activity habits, and society. The information gathered from Teen-LABS will help determine if adolescence is the best time to intervene with this surgical therapy,” says Thomas Inge, M.D., Ph.D., chair, Teen-LABS and principal investigator for the center at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.

Garbage.

There is only one reason for weight gain: more Calories in than out. Nothing else matters.

Ask any of these researchers if a person who ate more Calories than he or she burned would gain weight even after they “fixed” all of the other variables, “genetics, environment, eating and physical activity habits, and society.”

The answer would have to be “Yes.”

Unless these liars choose to lie again.

Anyone and everyone will lose weight if they consume fewer Calories than they burn.

Even after bariatric surgery.

“We know that bariatric surgery is not an easy way out for teens to control weight. They will still need to eat less food and exercise more,” says Mary Horlick, M.D., project scientist for Teen-LABS and director of the Pediatric Clinical Obesity Program of the Division of Digestive Diseases and Nutrition, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), the sponsor of Teen-LABS at NIH.

If these kids are going to have to diet anyway and "exercise" (really, train) anyway, then the surgery arguably adds little except mutilation and mayhem to a young body and money to the pockets of surgeons, hospitals, dietitians, counselors, etc.

In the known universe, it is a 100% physical impossibility not to lose weight if one burns more Calories than one consumes.

Bariatric surgery is almost never indicated unless, among other things, a person has failed at dieting.

It is impossible to fail at dieting UNLESS the diet advice is flawed or a person is unwilling to do the right thing.

Literally all expert diet advice is flawed. Including the diet advice of the NIH.

Rather than rethink their approach to dieting, NIH prefers to slice and dice kids. This is child abuse.

And if someone is unwilling to do the little it takes to lose weight, it should not be the responsibility of the rest of society to save them from themselves. Let them live fat lives. It is their choice. And save the money for important things.

This is a precursor to your tax dollars being used to pay for entitlements for the calorically rich fat people.

Stop them before it is too late.

Contact the following persons to voice your opinion:

The central study coordinator, Rosie Miller, RN, CCRC at Rosemary.Miller@cchmc.org.

East Carolina University
Gloria Potter
Assistant to Walter J. Pories, MD
East Carolina University
Metabolic Institute
4W-48 Moyer, Blvd
Greenville, NC 27834
Telephone: (252) 744-3290
Fax: (252) 744-1709
E-mail: potterg@ecu.edu

Columbia University
Amna Daud, MD, MPH
Clinical Research Coordinator
Center for Obesity Surgery
Columbia University
161 Fort Washington Ave, Suite 620
New York, NY 10032.
Phone: (212) 342-0085
Fax: (212) 342-1996
E-mail: ad731@columbia.edu

Weill College of Medicine at Cornell University
Laura Young
Research Coordinator
Cornell University
Division of General Surgery
525 E. 68th St. Room A-921
New York, NY 10021
Phone: (212)746-5661
Fax: (212-746-8680
E-mail: lay2003@cornell.edu

Faith Ebel
Research Coordinator
The Weill College of Medicine of Cornell University
525 E. 68th Street at York Avenue
Department Of Surgery
P.O. Box 294
New York City, NY 10021
Telephone: (212) 746-5661
Fax: (212) 746-8680
E-mail: fee2002@med.cornell.edu

Neuropsychiatric Research Institution
Justin Boseck, BA
Clinical Research Assistant
University of North Dakota/Neuropsychiatric Research Institute
700 1st Avenue, P.O. Box 1415
Fargo, ND 58103
Telephone: (701) 365-4947
Fax: (701) 293-3226
E-mail: jboseck@nrifargo.com

Kathy Lancaster
Clinical Research Coordinator
University of North Dakota
Neuropsychiatric Research Institute
700 1st Avenue, PO Box 1415
Fargo, ND 58107
Telephone: (701) 365-4945
Fax: (701) 293-3226
E-mail: klancaster@nrifargo.com

Oregon Health & Science University
Stefanie Greene
Research Coordinator
Oregon Health & Science University
3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Rd BTE 223
Portland, Oregon 97239-3098
Phone: 503-494-1299
E-mail: greenes@ohsu.edu

University of California at Davis
Iselin Austrheim-Smith
Clinical Research Coordinator
University of California at Davis
2221 Stockton Blvd.
Cypress Bldg. 3rd Floor
Sacramento, CA 95817
Telephone: (916) 734-7476
Fax: (916) 734-3951
E-mail: Iselin.austrheim-smith@ucdmc.ucdavis.edu

University of Pittsburgh
William Gourash, MSN, CRNP
Clinical Research Associate
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
Magee Women's Hospital of UPMC, Suite 5500
300 Halket Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
Telephone: (412) 641-3646
Fax: (412) 641-7612
E-mail: gourashwf@upmc.edu

University of Washington
Allison Devlin, M.S.
Project Coordinator
University of Washington
1959 NE Pacific Street, Box 356410 Seattle, WA 98195-6410
Telephone: (206) 616-6148
Fax: (206) 543-8136
E-mail: adevlin@u.washington.edu

Olivia Seibenick, BS
Research Coordinator
University of Washington
1959 NE Pacific Street
Box 356410
Seattle, WA 98195-6410
Telephone: (206) 543-3163
Fax: (206) 543-8136
E-mail: olivia3@u.washington.edu