Over the years, video games, curtailed recess periods, and increasing amounts of homework have drastically reduced the amount of exercise that children get. At the same time, junk food and unhealthy snacks are available almost all day long in homes and schools. Perhaps it should come as no surprise that childhood diabetes and obesity are on the rise. Unfortunately, there are a number of parents that do not take their children to a pediatrician or licensed medical practitioner.

While folk remedies and prayer may serve to encourage a person to feel better, they do not and can not take the place of proper diet counseling and medications for diabetes. As you may be aware, certain populations are more prone to believe in spirits as the cause of illness, as opposed to scientifically definable pathogens and chemical agents. In many cases, you will find that well meaning parents will be bilked of their money by folk healers while their children continue to suffer with curable diseases.

Even though Madeline Neumann’s parents did not seek the advice of a folk healer, they still stood by and did nothing more than pray as she died from a completely curable form of diabetes. As you may be aware, Madeline was only 11 years old when her parents decided to deny her access to lifesaving medical care. She remains one of the saddest testaments to what happens when quackery and malformed spiritual training take the place of modern medicine.

There is no question that spiritual practices serve an important role in the well being of an individual as well as a society. Nevertheless, there is also a time and place for the intervention of modern medicine and scientific practice. As more children suffer from diabetes and obesity, it is crucial to ensure that they obtain the life saving benefits of modern medicine.