What would you say if I told you that the inability to stop with "just one" cookie has to do with what's put in the food?  Research by Dr. David Kessler has uncovered a frightening thing: manufacturers rake in your money and ruin your health by creating products designed to induce you to:  "conditioned hyper eating." 

Brain studies tell this former FDA chief that some people really do have a harder time resisting bad foods.  As Kessler says, "layered and loaded" with fat, sugar and salt, and so processed that little chewing needs to be involved are the devilish components that cause hyper eating in many cases.

Don't be mistaken to think that overeaters need not take responsibility. However, there is a whole world out there, conveniently created by Madison Avenue to entice Americans to indulge.  Nearly  two-thirds of Americans are overweight or obese. Obesity is truly reaching epidemic proportions.

When I was 14 struggling with binge eating and compulsive consumption of high sugar foods, being overweight or obese was considered an oddity and shameful. If you were overweight (which I was for years), you were considered weak of character and will power.

Today even children as young as 9 years old are developing type II diabetes!  How can this be?

Here's just one of the things Kessler (currently at the University of California, San Fran.) found, along with other colleagues, in studying rats in order to learn why some people have such a hard time choosing healthier foods to eat:

They found well-fed rats work harder and harder for sips of a vanilla milkshake if the correct combination of fat and sugar is put into the shake.  However, adding sugar steadily increases their consumption.  Beware of low-fat foods that have high sugar content. That sugar gets turned readily into fat under the right circumstances of overeating high simple sugar, low nutritional content, low fiber and highly processed foods.

Additionally, there are factions of any and all populations who are at even greater risk for addiction to sugar.  Kenneth Blum, Ph.D., D.A.C.A.C.D. and Jay M. Holder, D.C., M.D., Ph.D. have shown through their research, the correlation between sugar, alcohol, drugs, gambling, sex and workaholism (the five major addictions) and a genetic deficiency in the brain that interferes with something called the "brain reward cascade."

There actually is an addiction gene, and for those born with it, given enough exposure and repetitive consumption of these sugar laden foods, serious addiction is an unfortunate and seriously potential outcome.

What to do?  The knowledge that this danger exists may not even be new to you.  But while knowing what is a problem and why it's a problem is all well and good, what the majority of people struggle with is how to solve the problem.

It would seem extremely simple -- i.e., "just say 'no.'“ With all due respect, if that worked, we'd have an addiction-free nation with no DUI's or drug-related crimes.  We'd have no obesity and the manufacturers of these highly unhealthy foods would simply go out of business.

No, we have "legalized addiction" that is literally killing Americans with obesity and obesity related diseases such as type II diabetes, and heart disease.

So what DO we do then?  It took me years to find the solutions and create real recovery for myself.  My passion is to assist the movement to get America healthy again – and most especially, to assist others born with the addiction gene who have developed full blown addictions to food and other substances.

My search lead me to the post-graduate program with the American College of Addictionology and Compulsive Disorders.  There are real answers and ones using alternative medicine instead of drugs.  That will be the subject of my next blog.  I want to shout from the rooftops things that many suffering people don’t know:  there are many doctors around the country able to assist people addicted to sugar and other substances through several really amazing alternative methods.

Until next time, I'm hoping some of you may want to comment in a discussion thread about how this issue has affected you or someone you love.

Blessings to All,

Dr. Chris

For more information, visit my website at http://www.theicandoctor.com and http://www.theicandoctor.com/freedomwellnesscenter.html

Also, I have a relative with two children that are, in my opinion, in serious danger of being obese. They eat alot of low-fat foods and ALOT of sugar. The older of the two is already showing signs of being overweight and he is only 10. I want to help but, this being family and my in-laws, it's a very touchy situation. Anyone have any ideas?