Currently, type 2 diabetes, heart failure and obesity caused by diet is what my main NIH funded research focus is.

I am currently applying for funds from the American Heart Association regarding this issue. And I will also apply for funds from the Ellison Foundation as it relates to aging and diabetes and obesity--because as one gets older, the weight becomes an issue.

There is a problem with bench to bedside research and vice versa. This research is called "Translational Research". I think what this M.D. did wrong was attend a breif session for CME credit on obesity and treating patients. I would say the majority of MD's are smart and well-meaning people, but when you have researchers presenting results with all these biostats to go along with it, I doubt that if you aren't actively DOING research, that you have problems understanding the implications and the outcomes from the research...

Meaning, if I say to MD's to suggest to their patients that our mouse genetic studies show that overproduction of the PAI-1 protein has been correlated to increased inflammatory responses in 75% of samples tested with a P value of 0.001, and how that correlates to the human population, blah, blah, blah the MD's may take that and see what they have in their patient population that they treat... Most of Big Pharma sell their drugs this way...

Even if the MD is also a Ph.D. does not necessarily mean they truly understand the scientific nature of a disease like a PhD, and vice versa--like I cannot go to an MD and tell him or her how to treat a patient. But together, we can work out this patient's issue--more like a patient population's issue... And the way things are, we are going to have to work together--along with DVM's, techs, biostatiscians [sp?], MPH's and other personnel as needed. Especially when we are going from bedside to benchside...

I am currently undergoing a medical issue that I won't go into. I was highly reassured by the MD I was speaking to because he also has a PhD. I could ask him questions about what was going on with me at the molecular level. When MD's do find out I have a PhD in molecular genetics, they start asking me questions and I cannot get them to stop. And don't let my husband who is a veterinarian come with me because we'd be swapping stories left and right. But it does take all of us to work together...

This MD probably is a nice "country doctor" with a small patient population that is trying to make a difference and doing all he can to ensure the best healthcare with the minimum amount of money... However, if I learn anything from my father, who is a dentist and having to spend my whole teenage years in his office working with patients, which made me decide NOT to go into the allied health profession, I think that 1) MD's do not have all the answers; 2) you are your own health advocate and 3) most of the best healthcare that an MD can provide is you trying to enrich your life and your soul--whatever floats your boat to live life...

I've done seent too many of my family members hooked up to things due to their chronic illnesses that made me decide I would NEVER EVER want to live that way... So, I will do whatever it takes to make it happen to be that way. And if I fail--like get cancer or some other lunacy, I will deal with it and strive... MD's love that kind of patient...

I went to NAAFA (National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance)'s website to see if they had taken a stance on this story. It wasn't listed anywhere.

My Dr. is stern, but he's not rude. And when he's to the point to where he sounds stern, I know it's because he cares, not because he's trying to hurt my feelings. I'm willing to bet that for her to sue, this is not the first time that he did not use tact in addressing her. She probably got fed up and decided to show him that just because she is fat - he cannot just talk to her any way he chooses.

When I first saw this thread, a picture of Dr. House (from the Fox TV show) popped into my head. House is funny on TV, but I doubt if I would be able to stand him for too long in real life. Hmmmm... maybe her Dr. is a 'House' fan......

:rolleyes: Just lose the weight. I CANNOT believe people out there are so sensitive.

This reminds me of that one Queens of Comedy joke. I'm so bad with names, I won't even try to remember hers.

Anyway, it was making fun of that (I believe) Jenny Craig commercial where the woman says something like, "I'd been thinking I needed to lose weight. Then, one day, my daughter came to me and she said, 'Mommy, you're fat.' I knew right then that something had to be done. So I picked up the phone and called Jenny...and now I feel GREAT!"

The comedienne then said that if that had been her it would have been very similar. Her version goes something like this, "I'd been thinking I needed to lose weight. Then, one day, my daughter came to me and she said, 'Mommy, you're fat.' I knew right then that something had to be done. So I picked up the phone and knocked that little girl upside the head...and now I feel GREAT!"

I LOVED that one!!!

I found this article today, which addresses this case. It gives us a little more information:

- The speech the doctor gave is what he calls "an obesity lecture for women" that he uses to get the attention of obese female patients.
- He tells them that they are likely to outlive their (obese) spouses and then find themselves alone because men don't go for obese women.
- He tells them about some of the health risks of obesity.
- He'd seen this patient "five or six times".
- He had talked to her about her weight before, but she kept gaining. She has also developed diabetes, gastroesophageal reflux, and chest pains.
- He's given this speech to other obese female patients, including one (mentioned in the OP) who is defending his actions.

In this particular case, the doctor did the right thing by giving her a good kick in the @$$. She's obese and now diabetic. More than likely, she is in denial that she even has a problem. The fact that she complained to the state indicates this - she didn't like the message, so she's out to get the messenger.

I would have much more of a problem with the doctor's "obesity lecture" if he used it routinely with women (or men) to whom he had not spoken before about their weight. I'm not obese - but if I were, and I walked in as a new patient, and the first thing I heard from that doctor was that lecture, it would also be the last thing I heard from him. I'd also have a problem if the weight gain were due to extenuating circumstances such as pregnancy - if I'd just had a baby, the last thing I'd need to hear is "You are obese, you need to get on a program." (Although, presumably, the doctor would know about the pregnancy.)

But in this case, the doctor was facing a woman who steadfastly ignored his advice to lose weight, and indeed kept gaining weight. She needed the wake-up call.

:rolleyes: I CANNOT believe people out there are so sensitive about being non-white. </sarcasm & example>

Just because you don't see how overweight people can be sensitive about stuff, doesn't mean that they aren't or can't. People can say the same thing about you with something YOU'RE sensitive with. And how many times does someone have to post that there are people out there who actually CANNOT lose the weight without expensive surgery? (I'm not saying this pertaining to this story) Get off your high horse.


ps. my first comment is not to be used as a racial comment, just an example.

No offense taken here and I understand your point.

However, I'm a big girl myself!! I started out at 350+ and have lost a good 100 pounds, but I'm by no means out of the red. I recognize that I'm fat - yes, fat.

I'm ok with it though because 1) I have the confidence to make it work and 2) I recognize that I need to lose weight (which I'm doing) for my health.

This person is probably both self-conscious and in denial. I'mma need for her to take a good look in the mirror, LOVE herself and get her body in order.

Who's talking?? Let me know and I'll take care of it! There are certain people (some of whom may be reading this right now - you know who you are!) who think I'm luscious. But really they love me for my personality, intelligence, openness, acceptance and, most important, the work of God in my life. The fact that my tummy feels like velvet is just a perk!

I would tell you the same thing I'd tell the subject of this thread - LOVE yourself! Either people are not talking smack about me or I'm just not hearing it. Whichever way it is, they can't change the fact that God loves me so much that I could never fully grasp it. So, who am I not to love His creation?

PM_Mama - On a very serious note, I have made lifestyle changes that have brought me to this point. I can honestly say that the most important thing I've done for my health was to see a naturopathic doctor (not a nutritionist) who monitors my health and is helping to bring my body back to equilibrium. Weight loss is a side effect of working toward optimum health. You kinda don't even have to try to lose weight if you just let your body do what it knows to do already!

Maybe you're an exception, but you can't always assume the healthiness or unhealthiness of anyone, overweight or not. The fact is that being obese can still lead to a whole host of problems (clogged arteries, vascular disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, joint problems, etc.). I feel like it's in any doctor's realm to warn their patients against gaining too much weight, and to get that point across clearly.

Any doctor who wouldn't do anything in his or her power to help a patient in that situation would be negligent, in my opinion.

I saw an interesting guest on CNN last night discussing this case. What she pointed out was this: If a doctor thinks his patient should stop smoking, he should suggest that they change their behavior AND give them ways to help them change their behavior, not say "You smell like an ashtray and men don't like that so quit smoking". But rather, "Smoking is very dangerous, leads to COPD, lung cancer, etc" and "There is a medication on the market that can help you quit, or there are numerous nicotine replacement methods you can try. Would you like a prescription for them or a referral to a stop smoking support group?". They address the actual problem, not the secondary effects.

So, when addressing someone who is overweight, a doctor could say "Your weight is at the point where it is unhealthy for you and I would like you get some nutritional counseling and exercise assistance. Here are names of people you can contact for this type of help" The doctor should address the behaviors, eating right and exercising, and offer solutions/treatment for them.

Ultimately, it is always the patient's choice whether they follow the doctor's advice or not. And, patients have choices about which doctors they choose to see again, in most cases. You are the doctor's customer and should be treated as such. Would you go to a doctor who tells you that you have a terminal illness by saying "Well, I hope you have life insurance" or "You do have a cemetary plot, don't you? Because you have to start digging your grave."

I wasn't making any assumptions about you - I don't know you and I'm not in the business of making assumptions about people I don't know.

I was just adding more of my opinion about the case in question.

I actually do think that people can benefit from people being blunt with them. So many people want doctors to walk on eggshells around them and try to "nicely" and without saying fat or obese tell them that they need to lose weight.

I know this isn't the exact same situation, but my dog has gained about 5 pounds in the past year for some reason. I'm assuming it's the handouts from the table that everyone gives her, but I wasn't really worried about it. I took my dog to get shots a couple weeks ago and the vet told me "you are going to kill your dog if you don't put her on a diet. She's fat and needs to lose about 8 pounds" (which is alot for a dog!). He basically was a complete ass and I was annoyed after the fact because I felt he could have said it in a nicer way. But, it prompted me to put her on a strict diet and monitor anything she eats...including milkbones-she only gets one in the morning now instead of one whenever she wants one...:) She has lost 3 pounds and is looking very trim...:p

So the point is, I think that sometimes bluntness can be annoying and (especially if it's about YOU and not your dog) offensive, but sometimes people need an asshole doctor to make them get the picture about the effects of their lifestyle.

I think being blunt only works in some situations. Just as being nice and tactful and pleasant only works in some situations. it depends on the person.
One person may have their doctor call them fat and that person may say, "hey, you know what? I am fat. I really should do something about it". Another person may be called fat and and that just might make them feel horrible and then depressed, which might make them turn to food, and then they get caught up in that vicious cycle. Obviously, one can't tell who's more sensitive and who's not, but I think one should always start off being tactful before being blunt.
Now this woman, has been told numerous times her health is bad and she hasn't done anything about it. At the end of the day, you can't help someone who doesn't want to help themselves.