If we're going to focus on blaming the medical profession for not treating obesity, we have to blame insurers too. Too few insurers have caught on to preventative medicine, because they don't want to pay out unless there's a problem. Despite the fact that preventative medicine costs less, lots of insurance doesn't pay for it yet. A lot of insurers don't cover appointments with dieticians, when they should.
The fact is, the blame lies with the American people. Our lives have gotten more and more sedentary with time as we eat more and more unhealthy foods. We have no idea what a real portion size looks like. I doubt many of us weigh out our foods or label-read. I think a great many people really have no idea what they're putting into their body, and I think many of them don't care--modern medicine will fix it. Well, sorry, but obesity is one of those things you can't fix in modern medicine without major surgery, and in the meantime, the extra weight has taxed your cardiovascular system and joints to the point of permanent damage. This will remain true until we move towards a preventative model, which doctors are TRYING to do.
Besides, don't you imagine that it's a little fearful for the doctor to tell some 40-year-old woman she's obese? I can just see that fight. They may move slow, but they're heavy.
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If I am not better, at least I am different. --Jean-Jacques Rousseau
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