Dr. Atkins death was unexpected. On 8 April 2003, he fell on an icy street, lost his conscience and never recovered until his death, 9 days later. On 17 April 2003 medical support was withdrawn and Robert C. Atkins passed away.
Soon after his death, nonbelievers and people who denied and blamed Atkins diet, showed very little compassion or sympathy.
Veronika Atkins, the widow, was very upset and spoke out about the real circumstances of her husband's death. She also felt extremely sad as the unkind rumors prevented her from grieving for her husband.
The rumors
258 pounds
This weight was considered obese by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's body-mass index calculator. Unusual because the 6-foot tall doctor had always been a very active person and dieting himself for many years.
Heart Disease
Dr. Atkins was suffering from a form of heart disease, of heart's muscle, in fact. This seemed odd, since he had always insisted that his diet made the heart and the blood vessels stronger and lowered the cholesterol level. In January 2003, the author of Atkins diet plan had a heart stroke arrest, which confused people even more.
The official version
This was puzzling information and everybody waited for the truth to be unveiled. But Dr. Atkins' widow and a good friend of the deceased (Dr Keith Berkowitz) untangled the situation and presented their version:
1. Dr. Atkins was a rather healthy 72-year-old person, with a moderate weight (less than 190-200 pounds). Dr. Keith Berkowitz said that the coma condition and being artificially fed led to an abnormal swelling during those nine days when his life was supported by medical equipment. People who saw him admitted that he was unusually swollen.
The liquids given by medical assistance could have been the cause of his growing.
2. Three years before his heart attack, Dr. Atkins (69) announced that he had been diagnosed with cardiomyopathy, which may have been responsible for the heart arrest three years later. Also, on his regular heart control, he found that his coronary arteries showed insignificant signs of coronary disease. Given his age, Dr. Atkins was a healthy person, able to control his cardiomyopathy, said Veronika Atkins.
Given these facts, everybody had to admit that Dr. Atkins had a stupid, accidental death. His head injury was in fact fatal to dr. Atkins.
Mayor's blunder
Just when things seemed clear and settled, a malicious statement of New York's Mayor brought the doctor's death into attention once more. Wrongly believing that he is off the record, Michael Bloomberg, the Mayor, joked around Dr. Atkins' death. He called him ?fat", saying that all the information about his head injury are ?bullshit". Thus, Mayor Bloomberg insinuated that Atkins may have died from weight-related problems, not from head injuries. All these just after he had sent the widow a condolence letter.
Before and after Dr. Atkins passed away
Dr. Atkins' life was remarkable. His studies and efforts regarding proper nourishment, diet and an active lifestyle really helped people. Lately, Dr. Atkins had begun to receive international medical recognition. Everyone following Dr. Atkins diet had to admit that it really works. Many people were satisfied and grateful for losing weight and attaining a new slim figure along with a new lifestyle.
Without a doubt, anyone undertaking a diet - any diet - should be aware of some health risks.
The Atkins had a major influence on the food industry. While Atkins meals (high protein foods, high fat) and Atkins supplements became notorious, others suffered a severe decline. Bread and high-carbohydrate foods manufacturers were removed from the market. Pizza and bread are not for Atkins dieters: those 30 million people who followed Atkins have known it for about 30 years.
It is hard to say how Atkins food chains and Atkins Nutritionals will evolve from now on. Will Atkins diet still be a popular one, after the author's death? How about health officials? Will they intensify their efforts in persuading dieters to drop off the diet? How about the competition? They might be thrilled with Atkins' absence, since he was the core of low-carb diet craze?
So far there have been some signs of distress for Atkins Nutritionals. It is stated that the company is dealing with some difficulties and is reducing staff. Atkins Nutritionals in Ronkonkoma, New York has 370 employees. Nevertheless, general opinion is that because the diet always had spectacular weight-loss results (especially on Induction phase), people will always want to try it.
Dana Scripca is a web editor and writes for Dr. Atkins' Diet Plan, from http://www.dratkinsdietplan.info/. You may contact her at http://www.dratkinsdietplan.info/..
bathroom cleaning service Northbrook ..A diet may be a fad diet or a healthy... Read More
Compulsive eating is characterized mainly by periods of impulsive bingeing... Read More
Have you ever seen an overweight rock climber or yoga... Read More
These days, Jennifer Secrist has little interest in idle activities.... Read More
Here are 7 simple habits that can help anyone enjoy... Read More
There are certain eating habits that can make you gain... Read More
Doctors prescribe Walking as the best medicine for weight loss.We... Read More
Foods that are high in fiber and protein are the... Read More
The perfect diet should be combined with a healthy weight... Read More
You know you have will-power. You can change a diaper... Read More
What if by making a few small changes in your... Read More
Any dietary plan on the market has some portion of... Read More
How do we know what we know? Often, our knowledge... Read More
Congratulations on waking up each morning and greeting the day... Read More
Is this even possible?Well hold on to your seat because... Read More
Making the Decision:Whether you are interested losing ten pounds that... Read More
In life, various factors contribute to weight gain. Be it... Read More
Good health is all too easily taken for granted until... Read More
I just read this conventional diet tip ? and we've... Read More
As if you needed another reason to hit the snooze... Read More
Whole grains and weight loss have a definite, scientific, and... Read More
Would you run out of fingers, and maybe even toes,... Read More
Yes, my healthy diet has at times suffered at the... Read More
Are you one of the 90 million Americans who are... Read More
Reading labels is an essential part of any weight loss... Read More
insured cleaning company Wilmette ..So you're overweight, "fat"--to be honest--and you want to start... Read More
All of us that have had a love-hate relationship with... Read More
Many celiacs lose weight before they are diagnosed; indeed it... Read More
MYTH: Fad diets work for permanent weight loss.FACT: Fad diets... Read More
To see the "low carb" diets on the way out... Read More
The Secrets have been in our family recipes, some even... Read More
I personal lost 60 pounds in 2003. Here are some... Read More
The Psychology of Weight Loss ? Your Approach!We have missed... Read More
The words I read made me furious. There it was,... Read More
While it would be ideal to make all of our... Read More
Don't diet, just eat and lose weight!First, the following "diet"... Read More
Teenagers with body mass indices between 25 and 30 require... Read More
A common question among weight loss professionals...If fad diets don't... Read More
Living a powerful, healthy, fit and trim life is a... Read More
Serious diet pills are intended for people who are overweight... Read More
More than any other time in history, people are all... Read More
How to Say No When You Don't Want the FoodA... Read More
Fat has had a lot of bad press and for... Read More
Today's society is about speed. We no longer have to... Read More
Do you tend to find your weight increases when you... Read More
Are you Telling Yourself It's Too Hard to Lose Weight?Telling... Read More
How many calories you consume has a big impact on... Read More
Dear BMTers,Low carb this and low carb that?that's all you... Read More
Here are 5 solutions to slimming:1. Set Mini-Goals: Try setting... Read More
THE 200 POINT SYSTEMWith so many different diets available, how... Read More
Weight Loss |