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Fat at the Doctor: A Very Real Problem

  1. kellbrigan says:

    Sorry, but how and where do we “fight?” By definition, any doctor that recommends making weight “loss” attempts is at best dumb on one subject and at worst a quack about everything. The bottom line is we have no access to medical care that we can trust. (This goes for all women, actually.) How and where are we fighting for accountability in research and practice? Where are the malpractice suits? The peer reviews? The registry a la “No Free Lunch” for doctors committed to practicing evidence-based medicine (for fat people and everyone?) Recently, I wrote to ASDAH and asked why they have no MDs in their membership. They said, “Yes, we do!” and then crickets. I’ve seen lists of psych counselors and eating disorder specialists who are practicing HAES (aka. evidence-based medicine), but nowhere on any list have I seed any MD other than a handful of ob-gyns who may or may not actually be practicing HAES. I’ve asked this same question every ten years or so and only get verbal abuse in response. (And, the same people who verbally abuse me also tend to plagiarize my writing, but that’s another war…) We don’t need forty blogs are casual, extra-marital fat sex and clothes clothes clothes. We do need a concerted effort to call for peer review and investigation of quacks who are still recommending dangerous and pointless weight “loss” attempts. We need to reveal ALL instances where MDs are getting very illegal kick-backs from diet pushers. We need to identify online, with door stickers, in the press those doctors (all five of them) who are willing to provide legitimate medical care for fat people, and we need to list and identify those doctors guilty of killing and maiming fat people through neglect or yoyo dieting. We’ve had more than enough of the ultra-left wing, pornographic self-esteem bullshit. We need to grow up and do the boring, multi-partisan (Yes, evangelicals and lefty radicals might have to share air space) footwork in Congress and with state and federal oversight agencies to expose and eliminate the exploitative, illegal and immoral quacks who are killing fat people for fun and profit. There’s nothing in “Dealing at the Doctor’s Office” that solves the trust problem; a bad doctor relying on bad (or no) research who thinks of fat people as walking corpses to be exploited for profit and then buried won’t be changed by a single speech from a single fat person. All the “fatshion” and orgies in the world won’t bring a victim of medical murder back to life.

  2. bellnikkia says:

    Well stated! With what science has shown, why are so many medical professionals still hung up on bmi? Can they not clearly see that it is a flawed system? Thankfully my doctors look at overall stats rather than judging my health on my weight as it fits into some bmi chart.
    Also, kudos to your mom for putting that doctor in his place when you were younger.

  3. Sarah Bunny says:

    When I was early in my ED recovery process (my restrictive habits followed the same path as yours, from what I can tell), I had my blood work done at the office of the doctor who had encouraged me to seek help. Although the MD was incredibly compassionate, clearly the nurse with hadn’t bothered to look at my chart; when she called to tell me I had high cholesterol (completely genetic — EVERYONE on my dad’s side of the family has it), said nurse suggested I watch what I eat to try to bring it down (fewer fried foods! More exercise!). Um… okay. At that point I was eating fruits and veggies almost exclusively and exercising three hours a day. Perfect advice for an anorexic.

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