First of all this post may deal with obesity which is sensitive for some people.

I am a meteorologist and while obesity is not my field. I do have a minor in health science. Since 1995 Obesity rates have skyrocketed. There have been many ways doctors have approached the problem. Diet change and exercising, diagnosing endocrine disorders, among other things.

However, the main focus has been on the adults aged 18 and up. Now doctors are focusing on children. This is where a new controversy has emerged. Last week the American Journal of Pediatrics released two recommendations that have set off a fire storm even among the medical community.

The American Journal of Pediatrics has recommended children as young as 8 years old be put on weight loss medication. They also recommend gastric bypass surgery for children 13-17. Some doctors think this is extreme while others are getting behind it. I am going to be breaking down each approach and give my own personal take on this. So here we go.

Weight loss drugs. Some pediatricians are pushing for obese children to be put on weight loss medication. Drugs specifically for weight loss. They claim that weight loss medication can cause a person to lose more than 15 pounds. They approach this as obesity can be cured. There are new weight loss drugs being marketed. There are also over the counter weight loss drugs too that some doctors have been recommending.

Gastric Bypass, this is a complex surgery. Basically this surgery used to be done out of desperation. Basically they take part of the small intestine and bypass parts of the stomach. Some versions even remove part of the stomach.

In my own opinion I think these ideas are nuts for children. I will explain why.

Weight loss drugs have serious side effects. While weight loss drugs sound good on paper. These drugs can cause side effects mainly cardio problems. One of the ones that has been known to cause cardio problems is Phen-Phen. Also these drugs that are over the counter are not really regulated. The main issue I have with these drugs is they are being pushed by big pharmacy as a cure obesity. While some people might need medication. If a person especially a child is overeating due to past trauma, using food as a coping tool, or feeling alone. A drug is not going to fix that problem. It would just be a patch over a big problem not being addressed.

Gastric Bypass surgery is okay for adults who want it. But this type of surgery has had some complications. There have been instances of people dying in surgery. Also while this surgery does cause you to lose weight. It can cause muscle weakness in the core region. Hernias are the main complication from Gastric Bypass surgery. A 13 year old child's body is still developing. In fact, most children are just starting puberty around that age. It would be dangerous to do this type of surgery given how muscles, bones, and organs are not fully developed.

Here is what I think should be done. I think its time we look at is a child or person eating due to past trauma, dealing with depression, using food as a coping mechanism. As I stated drugs/surgery won't fix that underlying issue. Second, I think there really needs to be more testing done on endocrine problems. There are several endocrine diseases that can make people obese. The problem is a lot of people do not know they have these conditions.

I also think we need to take a look at what is in the food. Fructose corn syrup is a very bad ingredient because it makes the body crave more sugar. I also think we need to look at carbs recomendations. The guide lines cause for 300 carbs a day 200 for people with diabetes. Yes the body needs carbs but 300 is very high. Several doctors think it should be lowered to 150-180.

exercise is important it does not have to be using a machine. Just walking or moving around for more than 30 minutes 3 times a week is very good.

Now I will be honest on the charts I am considered Obese. I did not become obese until I was in my mid 20's and here is what happened. I had a non cancerous brain tumor. This tumor which I had removed, fried my endocrine system. This is what caused me to gain weight. I would fall in to those with endocrine diseases.

Anyway, this is my take on the controversial guidelines the American Journal of Pediatrics are suggesting. I am not a fan of this and personally I think it is nuts.

Absolutely agree with you, it is extreme to overly medicate children or directly retort to surgery. I know obesity in children is not something to be taken lightly, but going to the other extreme isn't good either.

There are tons of reasons for obesity, like you said. Most importantly, the results of weight loss by changing diet and/or habits take their time to show, and society has become terribly obsessed with having results immediately. This has driven people nuts to the point of declaring the need of surgery for something that can be treated (not cured) over a period of time.

The problem may not actually be the child, but their parents. Some don't want their children to eat something, be it healthy or not, for whatever strange reason. This can also induce to some kind of trauma or at least the search of freedom by consuming that food when they're out of their parents' sight. Some also induce bad habits in their children, or don't care about what they eat or its quantity. Yet because of that, the child needs drugs or surgery? Have we gone insane?

Let's not forget that obesity can also be transitional due to all hormone changes happening as our body develops, and sometimes other kind of medication can also induce obesity (or at least some form of weight gain) as a side effect. So before resorting to extreme measures, we should consider all the possible solutions applicable before that and test their effectiveness.

And we can't ignore the fact of bullying. Many children would actually demand to be given those drugs or take on the surgery just so the bullying stops. It's very hard to deal with that kind of psychological torture, and in my opinion we should focus on eliminating bullying BEFORE eliminating obesity. It may be harder, it may take more time, but it's what needs to be done for a healthy society.

There's just so much work to do regarding how society views obesity, and these doctors stating such abominations don't help solve the problem at all. I sincerely hope this doesn't trespass frontiers and is debunked in the US before reaching outside, because the fire storm can reach biblical magnitudes.

I agree with you. I think pushing medication and surgery that isn't necessary on anyone is pretty crazy. Pushing it on children that aren't equipped to make their own decisions is even worse. Obesity obviously has negative health effects, but the solution to that should be to live a healthier lifestyle. I don't think medication should be seen as the solution, but rather a last resort.