How to Get a Cake with 100 Candles

The opening line of an article in the May/June issue of Psychology Today asks the question: “What does it take to get a cake with 100 candles?”

A loaded question, it may seem, but the article continues to discuss the connection between attitude and life longevity. It may seem obvious, but the more positive and optimistic a person, the more likely that he or she will live a longer and healthier life. A recent study published in Current Gerontology and Geriatrics Research noted that those who are optimistic, conscientious, welcome new experiences and maintain close relationships might live well beyond the century mark.

A growing body of academic research is now focusing on the psychological state of people as they age rather than looking at physical and genetic dispositions that support longevity. One particular study published this year in Health and Quality of Life Outcomes showed that individuals’ own actions had a greater influence on their overall health than outside factors, including upbringing and environment. Such actions include but are not limited to positive self-talk, healthy physical activities, and strong self-efficacy.

Numerous people have reached – and gone beyond – the 100-year mark. More than a decade ago, Perelman wrote that positive attitudes reap long life. In his book “100 Centenarians,” Perelman outlined the lives of 100 individuals who lived to be at least 100. Although published in 1999, the book carries an underlying theme that is still relevant today. It revolves around what today’s modern scientific studies are now finding through research: positive attitudes are associated with long and healthy lives.

Here are three key examples noted by Perelman:

1. Grandma Moses (aka Anna Mary Robertson) was born in 1860 and died in 1961 at the young age of 101.  Anna Mary suffered through numerous family losses from the blizzard of 1927 and an influenza epidemic of 1932. As she began to age, she started to paint to ease the pain of arthritis. At age 80, Grandma Moses sold her first paintings and the sales never stopped. Through family turmoil and her own physical aging, Grandma Moses never once uttered the words “woe is me.” She held a positive attitude and lived a long and prosperous life because of it.

2. Famous comedian George Burns had been born into poverty.  His given name was Nathan and he was one of 12 children of the late Louis Phillip Birnbaum and Dorothy Bluth. According to Perelman, George “joked” his way out of poverty. At age 7, he joined a quartet and sang on the street to make money. He quit school in the fourth grade to sing, dance and perform roller skating tricks in vaudeville. As the story goes, George became a famous comedian, actor and television star. His secret to a long life might be attributed to his healthy sense of humor.

3.  Rose Elizabeth Fitzgerald Kennedy, mother of former president John F. Kennedy, lived to be 105. She was a stern mother and one who demanded that children behave properly. In the limelight quite often, Rose always kept an air of dignity. She maintained a positive attitude and outlook, regardless of what challenges faced her. According to a quote in Perelman’s book, she said, “God wants us to be happy and take pleasure in life. He doesn’t want us to be sad.” Of interest, her latter years were spent in a wheelchair due to multiple debilitating strokes; however, she always kept a positive attitude.

Two other interesting individuals who lived a long and prosperous life are not as well known. One of them was Marie Louise Levesque Chasse Meilleur, 117, mother of 10 children and resident of Canada. She had 85 grandchildren, 80 great-grandchildren, 57 great-great-grandchildren, and 4 great-great-great-grandchildren. Perelman noted that she attributed her longevity to hard work and staying healthy. She had quit smoking at age 90 and died of natural causes in 1998. The other individual was Christian Mortensen, 115, of Denmark who stated in Perelman’s book: “A good cigar, lots of water, no alcohol and staying positive will keep you alive a long time.” He also died in 1998.

Some other notable Centenarians are: Dr. Katherine Bain, 101, a pediatrician who spearheaded efforts to create childproof safety caps for medicines as well as safety release standards for refrigerator doors; Irving Berlin, 101, writing of 1,500 songs including “God Bless America” and “White Christmas;” Dr. William D. Coolidge, 101, developer of the modern x-ray tube and tungsten filament used in electric light bulbs; Bessie Delany, 104, one of the first African American female dentists in the United States; Chester Cornelius Hoff, 107, New York Highlander major league baseball pitcher from 1911 to 1915 who struck out Ty Cobb during his second appearance; and Victor Mills, 100, Proctor and Gamble chemical engineer who developed Pampers disposable diapers.

Positive attitudes reap longevity. Research has confirmed this concept and real people have proven it by living to and beyond 100 years of age. Just maintain a positive attitude and you too may be able to blow out 100 candles on your birthday cake some day.

References

Bowling, A., & Iliffe, S. (2011). Psychological approach to successful ageing predicts future quality of life in older adults. Health and Quality of Life Outcomes, 9(1), 13-22.

Conrad, M. (2011). Feeling great at 108. Psychology Today, May/June 2011, 41.

Duenwald, M. (2002). Power of positive thinking extends, it seems, to aging. Global Action on Aging. Retrieved July 1, 2011 from http://www.globalaging.org/health/us/positive.htm.

Umstattd, M. R., McAuley, E., Motl, R. W., & Rosengren, K. S. (2007). Pessimism and physical functioning in older women: influence of self-efficacy. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 30(2), 107-114.

The New Age of Human Trafficking (i.e. Slavery)

While most people think that the era of slavery ended when the government abolished the practice with the passage of the 13^th Amendment in mid-1800s, this is far from the truth. Despite the Amendment, human trafficking continues as an underground movement – and one that threatens the health and freedoms of individuals worldwide. While most of the modern-day slavery exists in other countries, much of it does occur in the United States. According to a recent article in Diverse: Issues in Higher Education, “people can be purchased for less than a pair of shoes.” The article contents that a human being can fetch between $30 and $1,000 for the seller, with many of the victims being children. A separate report in the Journal Gender Issues revealed that human trafficking proceeds from around the globe exceed $44 billion (in US dollars) annually.

One specific report in the Journal of Humanistic Counseling, Education & Development found that 27 million victims of human trafficking occur annually worldwide with about 20,000 of those being victims in the United States. While modern-day slavery may not look like the slavery written in our history books, it does follow a similar pattern. Human trafficking involves forcing individuals into labor without their consent. This includes prostitution, street beggars, sweat-shop laborers, and any other forced employment. Human trafficking/slavery also encompasses any threats of death or harm to the individual’s family if their employment is not upheld. Such control methods include physical and sexual abuse or rape as well as confinement.

Women and girls make up 56%, men and boys 44% of those victimized by human trafficking in the United States. Furthermore 40-50% of all victims of human trafficking are children. One such example cited in Gender Issues discusses the fact that people from Thailand were forced to come to the hurricane-ravaged areas in and around New Orleans to clean certain disaster sites under deplorable conditions. In another instance, the journal also reported that many women from Mexico traveled into the United States and had their formal papers confiscated. They were able to “earn” their papers back through prostitution over time. Some of these women were as young as age 14.

Such human abuse is deplorable, and should not occur in the 21^st Century. Yet, it does. Locally, we are not immune to such human trafficking issues. Some concerned citizens have connected with the Crawford Health Improvement Coalition to increase the awareness of such activity in the United States, but more specifically in Crawford County. According to their information, several businesses owned or operated by Asian or Indian personnel tend to be feeding grounds for human trafficking. Such places will bring in foreigners from their native countries and force them into labor with promises of freedom later.

According to Polaris Project, a national project which focuses on identifying and stopping human trafficking, very little has been done on the state level to identify and subsequently eliminate modern-day slavery. According to the project’s statistics (found at www.polarisproject.org), only Virginia, California, and Wisconsin are specifically tracking cases of human trafficking. To date, the Federal Bureau of Investigations has convicted 185 people of human trafficking; The FBI Crimes Against Children Unit has convicted 182; and the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division/Criminal Section in conjunction with the U.S. Attorney’s Offices convicted 302 people. Furthermore, Immigration and Customs Enforcement has made 264 convictions of forced sexual or forced labor crimes. All four investigation departments above have more than 1,000 open cases of human trafficking combined.

So, if you think slavery is a thing of the past, think again. It’s very much alive and going strong – underground for the most part. Awareness is the first line of defense. Next, keep your eyes and ears open for suspicious activities. If you suspect any such human trafficking activities, there are two hotlines available to you. First, to report human trafficking, contact the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services at their national hotline: toll-free 888-373-7888. To report forced labor and worker exploitation, contact the U.S. Department of Justice at their national hotline at toll-free 888-428-7581. Or, you could visit www.humantrafficking.org to learn more information on this serious, yet quiet, issue.

References:

Academy for Educational Development. (2011). Human trafficking. Retrieved July 10, 2011 from http://www.humantrafficking.org/countries/united_states_of_america/helplines.

Hepburn, S., & Simon, R. J. (2010). Hidden in plain sight: human trafficking in the United

States. Gender Issues, 27, 1-26.

Hu, H. (2011). The dark side of globalization. Diverse: Issues in High Education, 28(7), 10-11.

Project Polaris. (2011). Retrieved July 10, 2011 from http://www.dreamcenter.org/new/images/outreach/RescueProject/stats.pdf.

Stotts, E. L., & Ramey, L. (2009). Human trafficking: a call for counselor awareness and action. Journal of Humanistic Counseling, Education & Development, 48, 36-47.

Don't Blame Ronald for your Poor Health Choices

A recent report in The Wall Street Journal revealed that more than 550 health professionals and organizations have signed a letter to McDonald’s Corporation asking them to quit marketing their Happy Meals to children and to retire their mascot, Ronald McDonald. Supposedly this letter was printed in six metropolitan newspapers across the country on Wednesday, May 18.

While I am a public health professional and concerned about the high obesity rates – especially among children, I question whether this is a suitable approach to building a healthier nation. Is it really McDonald’s responsibility to feed our children low-fat, low-sodium, low-sugar, and low-calorie foods? Whatever happened to personal responsibility? Whatever happened to parenting that involves appropriately feeding their children healthy and nutritious foods? Whatever happened to families teaching our children that food fuels our bodies and that it is important to select healthy options?

While it is truly not their responsibility, McDonald’s Corporation has gone above and beyond to offer healthy alternatives to the greasy hamburger and overly salted French fries commonly ordered at the chain. In McDonald’s defense of marketing to children, let’s take a look at the child’s menu options. The traditional “Happy Meal” comes with one of the following main protein sources: hamburger, cheeseburger or chicken nuggets. After the main dish selection, the options become rather interesting: you have a choice of fries or apple slices. Parents who are mindful of their child’s health will ensure they select the apple slices (or order it for them). Furthermore, the drink is not a sugary soda, but either low-fat milk or apple juice. Total caloric intake: 250 for the hamburger, 100 for the milk, and 105 calories for the apple w/dip for a total of 455 calories (take off 70 calories if no dip is consumed with the apples). In fact, a nonscientific survey of several of my peers who have young children indicated that their child prefers the healthy alternatives at McDonald’s. Perhaps my friends understand the concept of personal responsibility and instilling healthy behaviors to their children.

In addition to the Happy Meal, McDonald’s has many other healthy alternatives for adults as well. For example, they now offer oatmeal, a food choice that wouldn’t have been seen in the store even five years ago. They also have some of the best salads that fast-food chains offer, including the Asian chicken salad, grilled chicken salad, and side salad. Yes, many of the salads are topped with fried chicken, which is not the healthiest selection; however, my point is that there are options besides ordering high-fat foods. Furthermore, they even have a snack-size fruit and walnut salad.

At McDonald’s competition – Burger King, Wendy’s and Taco Bell – there are few, if any, options for children. Burger King does have apple slices, but doesn’t market them as part of their kid’s meals like McDonald’s has been doing. Burger King also only serves 3 different salads, unlike McDonald’s selection of 10. Wendy’s also has a limited menu for the health-conscious diner. Included on what they coin as their nutritious offerings are apple slices, four salad choices, a plain baked potato and a small chili. Taco Bell has no low-fat food choices as all of their salads are served in deep-fried taco shells, and they offer no fruit option. Probably the healthiest thing on the menu is the salsa...if eaten by itself!

The list of fast food restaurants seems endless, but the choice to dine at any of them comes down to personal responsibility. Although I seem to be defending it with great force in this column, I confess that I’m not a huge fan of McDonald’s and generally do not eat there...but that’s my personal choice. If I were taken to there, though, I know I would at least be able to find something relatively low-fat to eat.

According to the Wall Street Journal article I mentioned earlier, fast food restaurants as well as other food makers are routinely attacked for marketing to children. In response, federal standards have been posted by the Federal Trade Commission, the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. These guidelines suggest (not require) that marketers push their healthier items to limit children’s attraction to high-fat, high-sodium, high-sugar, and high-caloric foods.

Still, is it really the government’s responsibility to tell your child what to eat? I don’t think so. It comes down to parents teaching their children, it comes down to personal responsibility for your own health and the health of your family. If you choose to go to McDonald’s, that’s fine. Eat what you wish...but don’t blame the restaurant for your poor health because no one held a gun to your head for you to eat a Quarter Pounder with cheese for a whopping 740 calories, 42 grams of fat, and 1380 mg of sodium topped off with a side of fries (380 calories) and chased down by a large cola (210 calories).

References:

Burger King. (2011). Retrieved June 20, 2011 from http://www.bk.com.

Jargon, J. (2011). McDonald’s under pressure to fire Ronald. Retrieved June 20, 2011 from http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703509104576329610340358394.html

McDonald’s Corporation. (2011). Retrieved June 20, 2011 from http://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en/home.html

Taco Bell. (2011). Retrieved June 20, 2011 from http://www.tacobell.com/.