 by Lauren Fiechtner, MD Is it fair to fine parents if their child with obesity does not lose weight? Lawmakers in Puerto Rico have proposed a bill that would do just that. Under the proposed bill, teachers would identify children with obesity and refer them to a counselor who would develop a diet and exercise plan. If the child does not lose weight in 6 months, the families would be fined $500. If in a year success still eludes, then the fines could increase to $800.
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 by Nicole Witham “6 floors today. I definitely climbed more than that. Let’s see, once in the morning, a couple flights in the afternoon, then...oh. Well, I did walk to the coffee maker more than usual today. That must count, right?” That is my internal dialogue after wearing my physical activity monitor for the day and noticing my sub-par activity.
 by Emily Oken, MD, MPH Asthma and obesity are the two most common chronic health conditions affecting both children and adults. The most recent data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that about 1 in every 6 US children are obese (17%), and almost 1 of every 7 (14%) will develop asthma by age 18. Both obesity and asthma are on the rise. Could these two conditions be connected?
 by Wei Perng, PhD For Christmas this year, I bought my parents a full-spectrum phototherapy lamp. As natives of Taiwan, an East Asian country with a subtropical climate and nearly year-round sunshine, my parents now suffer Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), aka the “winter blues,” due to Michigan’s long dreary winters. Although the idea of sitting in front of a light as an alternative to real sunshine seems strange to me, several of my friends and colleagues highly recommended a lamp to help relieve SAD symptoms. I figured, why not. My parents loved it. In fact, they were so enthusiastic that they bought one for me as well! Although I have not yet conjured up the self-discipline to put in my half-hour in front of the lamp every morning, I have been reading the book that came with it: Winter Blues: Everything You Need to Know to Beat Seasonal Affective Disorder by Norman E. Rosenthal, MD. I skimmed through the science behind how light therapy provides very specific types of illumination to the retina to influence hormones that regulate of sleep and mood patterns. What does this have to do with obesity and obesity prevention?
 by Matt Gillman, MD, SM When you hear the word primordial, does it bring to mind 1) a primeval ooze or 2) the ability to keep babies healthy for a lifetime? If you are interested in #2, read on...
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