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Originally Posted by Seaver
Um... what do you want them to do? I guarantee you every doctor tells fat people they're fat. Do you want them to lock them in a room and force them to exercise?
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Well, people aren't necessarily fat because they are stupid or lazy. They are just misinformed about what is healthy to eat and what isn't and how much food is too much.
At my last doctor's visit, he told me I was 20 pounds too heavy for my height. I also had high blood pressure & high cholesterol. He basically told me to lose weight and change my diet. OK, fine, but what kind of exercise and how much? What kind of diet? What foods will help me to lose weight?
Also, some people are overweight due to stress, a malfunctioning thyroid, and allergies to some foods. Diet can help, but
what diet? Most people don't even know they have these problems.
Why can't doctors simply give out information on why people may be overweight and how to lose weight. Give out information on what foods are good and bad for losing weight. Maybe some doctors do this, but my doctor doesn't. Also, any information a doctor gives to a patient has to be approved by the AMA or some other authority. For example, a doctor can't tell a patient to follow the South Beach Diet because it is not approved.
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Originally Posted by Sultana
Sorry, the medical profession does not at all need job security, come on.
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I'm not necessarily talking about doctors only as the medical industry. A person gets fat, develops high cholesetrol and diabetes, and the doctor prescibes medicine. The drug company makes money. Do you think that the pharmaceutical company hopes that this person loses weight?
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Originally Posted by onesnowyowl
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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I agree with your statements for the most part, but I don't see the doctors trying to move toward prevention rather than curing.
My health insurance provider through work (HMO Blue) has just started a wellness program that is free to all employees that is a preventative program. However, my work and a handful other companies are the only ones in the state of MA that have such a program in place. So I do see the health insurance companies making an effort by offering the wellness program.