Putting things in perspective

IvoryParchment
IvoryParchment Posts: 651 Member
in Food and Nutrition
We all know that having to figure out how not to get fat is definitely a "First World Problem." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_world_problem)

But I just found out about a disease I had never heard about called "noma." It is still a common problem in most of the world. It was only eliminated from developed countries about a century ago, though it was common in the Nazi concentration camps. It is due to poor nutrition.

A malnourished child gets a gum infection. It's not any strange tropical bacterium, just the normal mixture of bacteria anyone has in his mouth. It spreads rapidly because of the poor immune status, and it is not deterred by the natural boundaries between skin, muscle, fat and bone. The families live too far from medical attention to get the antibiotics that would quickly cure it. The tissue dies and falls off. 90% of the children die, and the rest are so horribly mutilated that they live the rest of their lives hidden indoors or with their faces covered with scarves.

There is a charity called Facing Africa that made a documentary about their work flying volunteer plastic surgeons to Ethiopia to do reconstructive surgery on people there. It's pretty graphic, but you can find it on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/facingafrica .

But it's something to put things into perspective when I want to complain that I have to moderate my intake to be sure I don't gain weight. My weight is a very nice problem to have.

Replies

  • woou
    woou Posts: 668 Member
    But it's something to put things into perspective when I want to complain that I have to moderate my intake to be sure I don't gain weight. My weight is a very nice problem to have.

    There will always going to be people who are more or less fortunate than us. I think, for me, I just don't want to compare my situation to others regardless of me being better off than them or not.

    As far as having weight problems, there are those who are impoverished with weight problems as well.

    This is my view anyway, but whatever point of view helps you most, go with it.

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