Unless you have been under a rock for the last few days, you have heard the AMA, the American Medical Association, declared obesity to be a disease.
I cannot believe this is real. How in the world is a lifetime of poor decisions dismissed as a disease? People are making unconscious, poor food choices are now able to lean on the crutch of disease supported by the American Medical Association.
From the LA Times:
The American Medical Assn. voted Tuesday to declare obesity a disease, a move that effectively defines 78 million American adults and 12 million children as having a medical condition requiring treatment.
The nation’s leading physicians organization took the vote after debating whether the action would do more to help affected patients get useful treatment or would further stigmatize a condition with many causes and few easy fixes.
In the end, members of the AMA’s House of Delegates rejected cautionary advice from their own experts and extended the new status to a condition that affects more than one-third of adults and 17% of children in the United States.
“Recognizing obesity as a disease will help change the way the medical community tackles this complex issue that affects approximately 1 in 3 Americans,” said Dr. Patrice Harris, an AMA board member.
Where do you stand on this issue?
Source: http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci-obesity-disease-20130619,0,4422080.story
Just as there are those that drink alcohol, and even over indulge in alcohol and never become alcoholics, there are those that overeat and do not develop an addiction to food. To better understand why obesity is a disease, I suggest everyone read, “The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite”. This book describes how salt, fat, and sugar affect the brain in the same way that other drugs do. The truth is, if alcoholism is classified as a disease that can be medically treated, so should obesity. Unlike other addictions such as cigarettes or alcohol, there is no way to quit eating entirely, this “cold turkey” model is ineffective to someone that is addicted to certain foods and overeating. Other medical measures may need to be implemented, such as a session with a psychologist to investigate the root of certain behaviors.
Before making quick judgments, let us first see what is most helpful for the majority of our children and adults in this country. We need to change the way we view food in America.