AMA: Obesity is a disease
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Dear Ms. JustJennie1,
It is a mistake to assume that just because something is a disease that it automatically removes so called personal responsible... At least that is the case with men... With men, there is no excuse for us being fat...
But, you forget that having to bare children is not easy at all...
Finally, Ms. JustJennie1, I am not putting you down or insulting you... I just have a different opinion...
:huh: Not quite sure what you're saying here.
And I am saying that it will add to the excuses people now give for being obese. The "It's my genes" "I have a slow metabolism" "I'm big boned" will now turn into "Well I was just diagnosed with obesity."
What I am trying to say that having a disease does require people to be accountable for why they have the disease in the first place... I also tried to say that it is much easier for men to lose weight than it is for women...
Basically, I would not rag on a woman just because she is overweight... It is up to each woman to seek out help... Women should not be forced into believing that they should be as thin as an anorexic fashion model...
Finally, I meant what I said when I stated that I did not mean to insult you Ms. JustJennie10 -
But, you forget that having to bare children is not easy at all...
It's bear, not bare. Using bare brings a whole pedophilic context you probably wanted to avoid.0 -
The thing that scares me about the ACA (ObamaCare), and the health and wellness program is that a bunch of government administrators will make the determination of what is fat. For example when I was in the Navy they used average circumferance as a way to determine body fat. I am currently 15% body fat but would be considered 25% by the average circumferance. I suspect a similar measurement standard will be used because it is cheap and easy to do.0
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I see probably a political agenda here. Something that's considered a disease is easier to get funding/contributions to help "cure" it.
A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
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Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition0 -
I hope they can find a cure. It is wierd how this horrible disease only effects countries with fat lazy people. I will pray for all of us.0
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Doctors want to be able to bill insurance companies for drugs and surgeries related to obesity. That's what this is all about. It's a money game. It's about making sure that people can get WLS for vanity's sake when there are no other indications.
It's just about billing. It's not a statement about the nature of obesity and it shouldn't be portrayed as such. This isn't about care. It's about payment.
All that being said, the OTHER reason people become obese, other than the "lifestyle" reason everyone is so focused on, is medication.
My friend is a social worker and she has a 12 year old client who just put on 60 pounds in a very short amount of time based on a change in medication; this girl looks like she is going to burst out of her skin. She has not changed her lifestyle. The medication is putting the weight on her. This happened once before, when her meds were changed. As soon as the meds were adjusted, the weight fell right off of her. It's not always "laziness." Perhaps now that her obesity will be considered a disease, the doctors will have to find another alternative for her treatment that does not induce it. Just a thought.0 -
I agree that obesity is a disease. A disease is an abnormal condition that affects the body. Its abnormal to punish your body. Do we want to punish our body ? No we don't, but we do. I myself believe, and some will agree, eating right and exercise works to battle the problem for awhile and then you get burned out and gain a lot back. You know what's right but you just can't help it. That's where I believe the abnormality sets in. The cure is you, life style change and someone to help support your fight.
It is not an abnormal condition. It is your body storing energy from overeating. Obesity is a behavioral problem.
Not always. It can be caused by leptin defiiciency in very rare cases and there is to some extent a genetic component to obesity. We are not quite as in control of how much we eat as we would like to believe.
I had a professor that taught a course entitled "Physiology of Obesity". She argued that obesity was just a genetically determined as height. Given, we see height as completely genetically determined in this society, but there is an environmental component that we don't really think about because we don't live in an environment where large numbers of people are malnourished. We live in an obesogenic environment, so it's hard to see that there is some genetic predisposition.0 -
This is such a big massive steaming pile of horse dung. Only in America. You'll pay for this, literally, with your tax dollars.0
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Good I hope that's true now maybe we can start looking at preventative measures and actual solid treatment to treat a disease with such high recidivism and mortality.
"Preventative measures and solid treatments" like what? What can possibly be done to stop someone from opening their mouth and shoving food into it? Do you think you can force someone to exercise? Force them to eat healthy? The only thing this is going to do is make the excuses easier. "Oh yeah. I need the scooter to get around on because I have a disease. It's called obesity." Or allow the government to raise taxes on certain foods and/or eliminate foods like they tried to do in NY. It's ridiculous! Fast food isn't the problem. Big Gulps isn't the problem. Junk food isn't the problem! The problem is people not taking responsibility for their own issue. I have a friend who has started going to the gym with my husband and I this week. She is up early and meets us there at 5:30 in the morning to do a 90 minute workout that I came up with for her. Why is she doing this? Because she gained weight and is unhappy with herself and is TAKING RESPONSIBILITY and DOING SOMETHING ABOUT IT!
Yes obesity is preventative but calling it a "disease" isn't going to make any difference.
I don't know if I necessarily agree here. I do agree that obesity, for the most part, is a personal responsibility. However, an action like this could lead to greater preventative initiatives in schools and places of employment. While it might not be a "disease" per se, that does not mean that the issue should not be acknowledged in some way. While you can't force people to eat better and exercise, you can urge and motivate people to make better choices.
Which is what schools are trying to do now. They are trying to eliminate things like soda and chips and make healthier options available for children but it's met with opposition by people deeming it not 'fair' that the school interfere with things like that.
As for employment: How and why is it an employers responsibility to educate their employees on healthy choices? Sure they could implement some kind of an incentive to lose weight but it's not their responsibility. Again it is putting the burden on someone else to take care of. I get that not everyone knows what is healthy and nutritious but with all the information out there about what is good for you what's not etc. you can't really play dumb any more. Yes, junk food and fast food is affordable but there are grocery stores that have produce and healthy food reasonably priced. I go to my local Price Rite for fruits and produce because it's a lot cheaper per lb than my normal grocery store.0 -
"A reason often given for making the declaration is that it would help remove the stigma that obesity is a result of eating too much or exercising too little."
OMG, my head is going to explode.
Obesity is almost ALWAYS a result of eating too much or exercising too little, usually a combination of both. Pretending that's not true doesn't actually make it not true. You don't have a disease (yet). You're freaking lazy!
[/quote
^^^^^^This^^^^0 -
This may sound harsh...but is it neccesarily wrong that obese people be charged more for health care? Just like alcoholism, smoking, drug abuse, most of the time obesity is the result of a choice to be excessive in eating and ignoring healthy habits. If you make the choice to eat too much, maybe its acceptable that you be charged more for health care.
I can't say I don't agree.
Please tell me why then are the majority of obese people of lower socio-economic status? Hooray for charging poor people more for health care! *eyeroll*0 -
On the plus side, now I get to use the big stall in the bathroom even if the wheel chair guy is in there!
Score!
Next stop... parking decal. Then I won't have to walk as far.0 -
Dear Ms. JustJennie1,
It is a mistake to assume that just because something is a disease that it automatically removes so called personal responsible... At least that is the case with men... With men, there is no excuse for us being fat...
But, you forget that having to bare children is not easy at all...
Finally, Ms. JustJennie1, I am not putting you down or insulting you... I just have a different opinion...
:huh: Not quite sure what you're saying here.
And I am saying that it will add to the excuses people now give for being obese. The "It's my genes" "I have a slow metabolism" "I'm big boned" will now turn into "Well I was just diagnosed with obesity."
What I am trying to say that having a disease does require people to be accountable for why they have the disease in the first place... I also tried to say that it is much easier for men to lose weight than it is for women...
Basically, I would not rag on a woman just because she is overweight... It is up to each woman to seek out help... Women should not be forced into believing that they should be as thin as an anorexic fashion model...
Finally, I meant what I said when I stated that I did not mean to insult you Ms. JustJennie1
Why are you focusing only on women? There are plenty of obese men out there. It's not just a female thing. And I disagree that men lose weight faster than women. I know plenty of men who struggle with their weight and plenty of women who can lose at the drop of a hat.
And not sure where you're offending me, unless you are implying I am obese in which case please take a look at my profile picture which was taken last month.
Not being argumentative here I just don't see the validity in your points.0 -
Obesity is a choice. Sometimes an educated choice, sometimes an uneducated choice, but a choice regardless.0
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Doctors love to call things "disease" just so they can feel more important.
Doesn't matter what you call it, it's perfectly curable without medical intervention for most people.0 -
By this thought any habit forming drug, or life style can be called a disease. NascAr drivers could be classified as having a disease for driving to fast and constantly putting themselves in harms way. (Going by the idea that it is abnormal to punish the body).I agree that obesity is a disease. A disease is an abnormal condition that affects the body. Its abnormal to punish your body. Do we want to punish our body ? No we don't, but we do. I myself believe, and some will agree, eating right and exercise works to battle the problem for awhile and then you get burned out and gain a lot back. You know what's right but you just can't help it. That's where I believe the abnormality sets in. The cure is you, life style change and someone to help support your fight.
So, because someone doesn't have willpower, we should call obesity a disease.
Really?
As for the reply that they already charge for obesity, yes, and now they can charge more and those that do not charge have a reason. Imagine the coat of insurance when you have a "disease" As opposed to just being "overweight".
Perhaps I am just paranoid, after all people would never do something simply for financial gain.
Edit. Typing on cell and keep having typos haha.
Exactly. The fact that people can't control their own actions is ridiculous. Next thing you know, being on facebook or instagram will be a disease, because some people are just so addicted to it. Let's just go ahead and take the tax dollars from more people that actually try to better themselves, to pay for those that get fat, are too lazy to change it, and call it a day.0 -
This may sound harsh...but is it neccesarily wrong that obese people be charged more for health care? Just like alcoholism, smoking, drug abuse, most of the time obesity is the result of a choice to be excessive in eating and ignoring healthy habits. If you make the choice to eat too much, maybe its acceptable that you be charged more for health care.
I can't say I don't agree.
Please tell me why then are the majority of obese people of lower socio-economic status? Hooray for charging poor people more for health care! *eyeroll*
Yes... and let's just keep in mind that obese people aren't actually the minority. If the population balance is too far tipped, then insurance companies will just raise rates across the board.0 -
Harsh crowd.
Yes, overeating.
But, is there an underlying condition that makes it difficult to lose weight, maintain, and easy to gain weight? Are there biochemical abnormalities that go beyond willpower?
Obesity is an epidemic. Perhaps classifying it as a disease is a first honest step for society to step up and fix it. Aside from drug and surgery approaches, other things society could do include charging $5 for a burger at McDonalds and $0.99 for a full salad.
I don't think we should just start complaining that obesity is only a willpower problem for lazy people.
My tuppence.
Sean0 -
I see probably a political agenda here. Something that's considered a disease is easier to get funding/contributions to help "cure" it.Doctors want to be able to bill insurance companies for drugs and surgeries related to obesity. That's what this is all about. It's a money game. It's about making sure that people can get WLS for vanity's sake when there are no other indications.
It's just about billing. It's not a statement about the nature of obesity and it shouldn't be portrayed as such. This isn't about care. It's about payment.
Yep. Follow the money.
Why? Being fat is awful. Why do think it is necessary to further stigmatize fat people? I agree with whoever said we should pay our own way, & shouldn't have our health care subsidized by skinny people, but other people's fat shouldn't be any of your business.And I tend to think that a little bit of stigma is probably a good thing...0 -
The obesity of today is not simply the result of personal choice or slothfulness. As Robert Lustig says, we need to understand why we now have such a propensity for morbidly obese six month olds. And it is not only in the US, the UK and other well-developed nations. It is now a problem world wide including in poorer countries.
Very recent research shows that some causes of obesity occur in the womb based on what the mother eats and her own body chemistry. Does that mean an adult has no responsibility for taking care of their obesity? ("Not my fault; Mom did it.") Of course not. Just like any other disease, we are responsible for seeking treatment and behaving in ways that mitigate the effects of the disease.
I am astygmatic, just like my mother. Like her, I mitigate the effects of the astymatism by wearing glasses. This prevents a great many accidental collision, both when driving and when doing other things. I am responsible for wearing my glasses. If I had refused to wear them from a young age, my education would have suffered along with my earning ability and I may have become a burden on the state. I would have been more likely to have to seek medical care for injuries I suffered because I couldn't see what I was doing. In some cases, the government even requires that I wear my glasses, like when I am behind the wheel of a car. I think we can find some parallels here with how we think about obesity and personal responsibility. I may not be responsible for my astigmatism but I am responsible for mitigating its effects on society. The government may be responsible for enacting legislation that mitigates the effects, for example with more vigorous food labeling requirements and surgeon general's warnings.
It's a complex issue.0
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