The Obesity Apologists

[Bouncer]

Only thing I have to say about this article is... oh brother! :x

Obesity Problem Answer Might Be in the Bugs in Our Stomachs - ABC News

[Scrumhalf]

:agreed: While gut flora certainly have a significant impact on our health, it is interesting how there is not a single mention in the article of lack of exercise.

[Turbo3000]

:agreed: While gut flora certainly have a significant impact on our health, it is interesting how there is not a single mention in the article of lack of exercise.

Exercise and eating correctly doesn't fit into our current healthcare model.

I'm Dr. Superior and you are Patient S, you have HBP and hyperlipidemia. I can prescribe a statin and an ace inhibitor and I'll most likely see you on a 1 to 2 month basis until your meds are stabilized. And then every 6 months if you are on a good track. That is a lot of checks from your insurance that go in my pocket. I could also tell you to eat good and exercise, most patients don't want to hear that THEY are in control of the problem, they would rather you prescribe a magic pill. The blame falls on mostly the patient, but on the doctor as well.

Quick story:

We do case studies all the time and have to work up SOAP notes on the patients. We then have clinical discussions with faculty regarding the health problems of the patient. You must rank the order of problems, with 1 denoting the biggest problem.

Every patient usually has HBP, hyperlipidemia, maybe a history of MI, etc. Also, they are usually overweight as well. I was one of the only students consistently putting obesity down as a patient problem, and I would get angry during case discussions because the faculty really acted like the obesity wasn't needed on the list. I finally asked one day "If obesity is a major risk factor for these disease states, why aren't we placing that as the number one problem?", the faculty responded with "no one has ever died from being overweight" :panic:

They also like to tell us that you can't trust a patient to eat good and exercise, and I let them know that you can't trust a patient to take a pill every morning either.

It is all about self accountability, something that has been lost in our system of values.

[FitnessBrat]

I find nursing to be the complete opposite. Everything learned in school pretty much has obesity as a contributing factor, so it certainly isn't a secret. We also prioritize, but MANY a patient gets Imbalanced Nutrition: More than Body Requirements as a diagnosis. I never thought I wanted to be a teacher, but nursing is SO much about teaching and patient education.

As strongly as you seem to feel about pharmaceuticals, I almost feel like you picked the wrong profession. ;)