Why Don’t Doctors Tell Women The Truth About Obesity?

At the end of 2020, actress Rebel Wilson admitted that her journey toward motherhood was derailed in part by being overweight. Her doctor had told her she would have better chances of conceiving with in vitro fertilization if she lost weight before freezing her eggs. You wouldn’t think that would be controversial. Yet, body positivity activists rally against doctors being “fatphobic.” BuzzFeed writes up entire collections of instances where fatphobic doctors are “beyond unacceptable.” The medical industry has lost people’s trust in recent years , and one reason why is that it intends to “get you sick, keep you sick, and charge you money,” according to Russell Brand on a podcast episode where he discussed Big Pharma’s top dogs profiting from sickness. He was talking about the opioid epidemic, but the same sentiments apply to obesity. Let me tell you, many in the medical industry aren't focusing on long-term solutions , just medications. And they’re shifting the entire medical field in the name of political correctness. Obesity Is Not a Victimless Condition It’s true that people can be real bullies. Harassing someone over their weight is not okay and can sometimes backfire, leading someone to feel worse about their situation and dig their roots deeper into the problem. But issues also arise if doctors get called out for “fatphobia” when they’re really just telling a patient that there are severe health consequences for carrying extra weight. Are feelings more important than addressing the heightened possibility of heart disease, infertility, diabetes, many types of cancers, high blood pressure, stroke, lymphedema, sleep apnea, and more? Just last year, CNN spread the news that “fat-shaming by doctors, family, classmates is a global health problem,” citing that weight stigma leads people to blame themselves and avoid further healthcare. But how are you supposed to know that you should seek help if no one gives you that needed intervention? Compassion in providing care is important, but warm, fuzzy affirmations telling patients that they’re okay at any size is no way to show true compassion. You Need To Hear Hard Truths Obesity is one of the most prevalent causes of death in the United States, while also being one of the most preventable ! Consider the case of Catherine Oakeson , who called herself “The Fat Chick” and who died at 49 from a heart attack. Another fat studies activist Cat Pausé recently made headlines after she died in her sleep at age 42. If we aren’t allowed to tell people that obesity adversely affects their health, future generations will also grow up thinking that embracing excess weight is empowering so long as people don’t fat shame you for it. Obesity is one of the most prevalent causes of death in the U.S., while also being one of the most preventable. It’s ridiculous to me that even celebs who publicly go on weight loss journeys like Adele get accused of fatphobia . Body positivity warriors will lament that losing weight isn’t “self-love,” but what’s not loving about taking genuine care of yourself and protecting your longevity? The movement is bizarre. Genuine medical terms such as “overweight” or “obese” are being cancelled for their stigma by body positivity media conglomerates like BuzzFeed and their readers. They claim that the terms are too intimately linked to BMI, which they also think is problematic, racist, and a result of eugenics. I’m sorry to break it to them, but the higher your BMI is, the higher risk you have for developing really serious health problems. BMI isn’t always a perfect indicator of health, but when it’s used to evaluate the amount of body fat you carry, it can indicate your likelihood to develop heart conditions, diabetes, hypertension, and much more. And sure, there are rare genetic cases or ingredients in certain foods which can make a person who might otherwise have great self-control gain weight, but more often than not, it’s calories in, calories out. Medicine Has Been Infected by Political Correctness Many physicians are afraid of being berated for telling important truths. Doctors need to be able to treat us with honesty, otherwise, why are we coming to them for medical care at all? What often starts at the top trickles down into private practices nationwide. Just take it from the American Medical Association (AMA), which recently issued a 54-page guide on politically correct language. Another shocking case exposed that a medical student mistreated a patient because of a comment made about the student’s pronouns. Pronouns have become so important that medical students have to outwardly provide their pronouns and ask for their patient’s preferred pronouns, or else they risk failing their licensing exams. Medical students can fail their licensing exams for not asking about preferred pronouns. Pronouns aren’t the only gendered words medical professionals have to worry about. Don’t use “pregnant woman,” use “birthing person.” Or how about “chestfeed” instead of “breastfeed”? Now, they can’t even say someone is “vulnerable” or “high risk.” The CDC’s “Healthy Equity Guiding Principles for Unbiased, Inclusive Communication” says to avoid those terms, as well as steering clear of “unintentional blaming.” Ideology and Money Take Over The problem is not just fear and political correctness, it’s also miseducation . Although it can be assumed that most doctors enter into the medical field with the genuine and positive intention to help others, they are taught much more about pharmaceuticals than nutrition. Medical schools don’t pass on adequate knowledge to future physicians on nutritional truth and weight-loss counseling. An ICU nurse exposed her training program on Twitter , posting a screenshot that marked her quiz answer incorrect when she selected that it’s true that “obesity is a result of over eating and not exercising.” And it's not just your primary care physician or your specialist who are experiencing this. Doctors are facing entire areas of research being deemed taboo based on ideology and race. Florida’s Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo openly admitted the problem, noting “we have had so many scientific organizations that have left the science lane and entered the propaganda lane.” It appears that instead of being beholden to the patient and their best outcomes, many health professionals are now loyal to ideology and Big Pharma, whether or not that was their initial intent. What’s in it for the healthcare system if drug companies can’t make money from prescription drugs? Studies have shown that prescription drugs for preventable conditions are actually the ones from which the pharmaceutical industry makes the most lucrative profits. The pharmaceutical industry profits the most from prescription drugs for preventable conditions. In addition, health insurance companies profit billions each quarter, transforming the healthcare industry into big business that doesn’t bat an eye at how high your premiums or claims go up. To add insult to injury, prescription drug manufacturers give doctors a big payday if they prescribe more of the most addictive medications, like opioids. But it’s not just opioid prescriptions, doctors receive thousands of dollars from the pharmaceutical industry for many types of medications, speaking engagements, consulting, travel, and more. Closing Thoughts If there’s more of an incentive to keep you sick and medicated and less of an incentive to keep you out of the doctor’s office, then it's unsurprising to me that some medical professionals are being less than honest about the health consequences of obesity. In some ways, it feels like manipulation when you see how the medical industry profits from your prolonged illnesses and conditions. When your own fertility and health are at stake, the last thing a doctor should do is ignore looming problems out of fear of being canceled or out of misguided education that trickles down from powerful voices at the top. We need to rethink the way medical professionals are being trained and incentivized so that the genuine intentions they have in pursuing this career can be upheld and positively impact their patients' lives. Readers make our world go round. Make your voice heard in the official Evie reader survey .