Driven by the efforts of a relatively unknown organization, the American Medical Association (AMA) declared obesity a disease at its annual meeting on June 19, 2013.1 The resolution has the potential to "induce physicians to pay more attention to the condition and spur more insurers to pay for treatments."2 The Obesity Medicine Association (OMA – formerly the American Society of Bariatric Physicians) is the little-known organization driving the AMA's focus on obesity – a focus reinforced at this year's AMA House of Delegates meeting with the passage of an OMA-authored resolution to "help de-stigmatize obesity."3
As the current pattern begins to unfold, these efforts open the door for widespread and undoubtedly reckless prescription of weight-loss drugs (not to mention millions of questionable surgeries) to hundreds of millions of patients. And while the campaign will grow slowly and even subtly, with approximate two-thirds of adults overweight and half of those obese, the profit potential is unlike anything seen before.
This is not to say that the lack of fitness in this country shouldn't be of concern; nor is this an effort to discount the challenges faced by those who are overweight or obese. On the contrary – these conditions reduce quality of life, introduce unnecessary disease and significantly shorten the lifespans of millions of people every year.
My father fluctuated between overweight and obese most of his life until he died suddenly of a stroke at age 61. Watching the challenges and issues he faced continues to inspire me to take my own fitness more seriously. Having just turned 62, I understand that while he was a great doctor, he was also a lousy patient.
We Have Only One Option
If they haven't already, your overweight patients will soon be prescribed weight-loss drugs to reduce the risks of the consequences of obesity. This may also include a conversation about the latest surgical solution. Ignoring the side effects of these drugs, the American people will eventually awaken to the realization that they can, at the very least, cause impotence, heart attack and stroke – but not before it's too late for too many.
This inevitably leaves you with a choice: address the needs of your overweight patients with sensible, conservative, wellness-based care now, or abandon them to the wiles of the medical-drug company alliance. There is no third option, and among the first two options, you know the choice you must make.
If the campaign against obesity is as effective as the recent campaign against pain was, yours will soon be the only nondrug, conservative, professional voice your patients will hear on the topic of weight loss. Left with no alternatives, your patients will accept as gospel the marketing propaganda parroted by their medical providers. We have already seen this page in their playbook.
Make no mistake, this is a serious issue that needs to be addressed with every one of your overweight patients. Take the time to educate yourself about the diet, nutrition and fitness opportunities you can offer them. The solution is us; the time is now.
References
- Frellick M. "AMA Declares Obesity a Disease." Medscape, June 19, 2013.
- Pollack A. "A.M.A. Recognizes Obesity as a Disease." The New York Times, June 18, 2013.
- "American Medical Association House of Delegates Approves Resolution to Help De-Stigmatize Obesity." Obesity Medicine Association, June 13, 2017.
Read more findings on my blog: http://blog.toyourhealth.com/wrblog/. You can also visit me on Facebook.
Click here for more information about Donald M. Petersen Jr., BS, HCD(hc), FICC(h), Publisher.