Choose a topic in society that interests you which you would like to find out more about. It should be an issue of controversy that means something to you. Common themes include, but are not limited to: race and ethnicity, pop culture, politics, crime and punishment, health and nutrition, education, free speech and censorship, art and pornography, smoking and narcotics. Narrow it down to one specific aspect. For example: If you were to choose the issue of smoking and narcotics, you may narrow it down to: If you chose crime and punishment, you may narrow it down to: should convicted felons have the right to vote? The point is to narrow it down to one specific controversial aspect that interests you. Once you have done so explore the issue in a brief essay by answering the following questions:
The focus of Public Health facilities is to research and provide the public with the best health care and nutrition which would help them in leading a quality life. However; in recent years there has been a rising trend of having a certain body type and many people are putting themselves on ridiculous diets to achieve that body type. The increase in this trend is due to the rising usage of social media where people are always bombarded by extravagant lifestyles. The unfortunate side of this extravagant life is that it may not even be real but it makes people want to achieve it for themselves. People, usually women put themselves on extremely strict diets that would make them social media-worthy and many professionals are profiting from these insecurities by promoting miracle teas and smoothies that have no proven health or nutritional value. These professionals are putting the health of their viewers at risk by supplying them with these products. Physicians and psychologists have shared their concerns as there are growing cases of anxiety, stress, eating disorders, vomiting, rashes, jaundice, etc. For example, Kombucha tea is claimed to be a miracle tea that can help in weight loss, fight cancer and treat arthritis, however; there is no proof as these claims have not been proven scientifically (Sreeraman, 2010). A statement by FDA informed that Kombucha tea can be safe to consume if it is prepared properly and excessive consumption can lead to severe acidosis which is caused by the high production of lactic acid; this can also lead to cardiac arrest (Asaff, 2017).
Apart from medical professionals’ concern, now, there is an increasing societal uproar against the toxic influence of social media. Many individuals are claiming that people who are trying to lose weight are fatphobic and vain. This negative opinion is deeply rooted in misinformation and highly toxic “Woke Culture”, where people are pretending to be educated on different matters then try to “educate” others. The problem with this is that these people are not professionals and they are using their own opinions as facts. This group is equally problematic as the professionals that are selling miracle weight loss products. My stance on this subject is to research everything thoroughly and follow the advice of the doctors and nutritionists that have been in this field for years. If people want to lose weight to develop a positive body image for themselves then that is their personal choice and they should not be shamed for it, however; they should avoid putting their health at risk by using products with the false promise of weight loss. These diets have no nutritional value and are putting people in hospitals (Elstein, 2016). For the past decade, eating disorders are on the rise with an approximately 7% increase in the cases every year. The reason has been attributed to social media and sites that promote “thinspiration”, meaning the websites promote having eating disorders. Apart from this, different eating trends are also contributing to the desire of having a certain body type (Jones, 2017). This issue is interesting as it is not only a medical dilemma but it is a deeply rooted societal problem as well. This topic is multifaceted and the more research was conducted, the more complex it became; it was like peeling the layers of an onion. This topic is not just about endangering the health of oneself to obtain a certain physical appearance but it is also deeply psychological. I would like to research more about the medical and nutritional effects of this issue as it has become a sensitive topic that even the medical professionals have to deal carefully. I would like to know why this topic has become so stigmatized over the past decade.
References
Asaff, B. (2017). Kombucha Tea Deaths: Potential Dangers of Excess. LoveToKnow. https://vegetarian.lovetoknow.com/kombucha-tea-deaths
Elstein, M. (2016). Weight loss programs—Miracles or madness? Professional Beauty. https://search.informit.org/doi/abs/10.3316/informit.404482984298602
Jones, C. (2017, September 21). Why is anorexia on the rise? | Eating Disorders. https://patient.info/news-and-features/why-is-anorexia-on-the-rise
Sreeraman, V. (2010, July 27). Experts Urge Caution Over Side-effects of “Miracle” Tea. Medindia. https://www.medindia.net/news/experts-urge-caution-over-side-effects-of-miracle-tea-71894-1.htm
