Dear my “Obesity”

1, What is a disease?
A 2008 commission of experts from The Obesity Society att empted to defi ne
“disease.” They concluded the term is too complicated to be fully defi ned. Unlike
scienti fi c measurements that have an equati on and numbers behind them,
“disease” can’t have as much of a cut-and-dry defi niti on  unable to defi ne clearly

CONCEPT: Disease, any harmful deviation from the normal structural or

functional state of an organism, generally associated with certain signs and
symptoms and differing in nature from physical injury. A diseased organism
commonly exhibits signs or symptoms indicative of its abnormal state, a
period of time to develop disease and ways to cure it.

Why is there a controversy?

In 2013, AMA (American Mecial Associati on House of Delegates members voted at the
annual conference to defi ne obesity as a disease, which was somewhat controversial
‘cause it went against the recommendati ons of the AMA’s councils on Science and Public
Health

Then, what is obesity?

Like breathing air, our capacity to get fat is part of normal physiology. Doctors consider
obesity to be a conditi on in which a person develops excess body fat, also known as
adipose ti ssue. Someti mes doctors may use the term “adiposity”. This term describes the
state of excess fat ti ssue in the body. It is a cosmeti c concern that increases the risk of
other diseases and health prbs, such as heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure

Why a disease?
Not all medical experts agree with the AMA.

FIRSTLY, there’s no clear way to measure obesity.

Because the measure that is used to categorize obesity: body mass index (BMI) is
fl awed. Studies suggest that it doesn’t apply to everyone, such as endurance
athletes and weightlift ers, as it doesn’t measure your overall fate or lean ti ssue
(muscle) content. To illustrate, may people who have a BMI higher than the level
that is considered obese are healthy, while others below it can have metabolic
issues and dangerous body fat levels. Thus, doctors can’t always use BMI to defi ne
obesity.

Additonally, while symptoms or signs to fi gure out a disease can be noti ced by
pati ents or medical determinants by doctors, to make sure, a physician need to
examine each pati ent as an individual, take a detailed history such as blood insulin,
cholesterol based on the complete profi le of the individual, which means that
obesity doesn’t possess clear sign or symptoms which doesn’t meet the need of
being a disease that we stated.

SECONDLY, obesity doesn’t always refl ect poor health.

Obesity can be a risk factor for other medical conditi ons like heart disease and
diabetes but it doesn’t guarantee a person will have health problems. Some doctors
don’t like calling obesity a disease because obesity doesn’t always cause direct
negati ve health eff ects and those health problems can develop in the adsence of
obesity.

THIRDLY, a number of factors infl uence obesity, some of which can’t be controlled.

While eati ng choices and physical acti vity level can play a role, so can geneti cs,
lifestyle, psychology, environment and more. Some aspects of obesity are
preventable, Some medical experts express concern that calling obesity a disease
can “foster a culture of personal irresponsibility.” Because doctors oft en want their
pati ents to take an acti ve role in their health, some worry classifying obesity as a
disease may aff ect how people treat their health or think of their opti ons and their
abiliti es or worry more and eat less.

FINALLY, the categorizaion of obesity as a disease could have a pernicious infl uence
on eff orts to remedy the prb as its true origins. The treatment of diseases usually
involves drugs, medical technology, clinic visits and surgical procedures. If obesity
is a disease, its management depends presumably reside in these domains, which
can lead to heavy cost while 1 in 3 American get caught by obesity. Collecti ve need
for drugs and bariatric surgery would be staggering. While the the best of drugs are
prone to side eff ects, and to date, weight management has been forced to rely on
anything but drugs. The long-term eff ects of bariatric surgery are sti ll highly
uncertain, parti cularly for ever younger candidates. Even if surgery proves
sustainably eff ecti ve, the need to rely on the rearrangement surgery as an
alternati ve to bett er use of feet and forks seems a societal travesty.

CONCLUDE
We don't wait for people to drown and devote our focus to resuscitati on. Instead, we do
everything we can to prevent drowning in the fi rst place: we erect fences around
swimming pools, stati on lifeguards at beaches, off er swimming lessons, and keep a close
eye on one another at the water's edge. People sti ll drown, so we need medical
interventi on as well. But that is a last resort, far less good than preventi on, and applied
far less commonly . Finally, we just want to say: calling obesity a disease contradicts the
functi oning of our bodies, and implies a blame residing there.

REBUTT

1, A reason the AMA decided in favor of obesity as a disease is that it will decrease the
stigma of obesity that comes from the widespread thought that it is just the outcome of
excessive eating and not enough exercise. Doctors say some people do not have complete
control of their weight.

2, The resolution of AMA: “The suggestion that obesity is not a disease but rather a
consequence of a chosen lifestyle exemplified by overeating and/or inactivity is
equivalent to suggesting that lung cancer is not a disease because it was brought about by
individual choice to smoke cigarettes.”

3, Those who did not agree with the change of classification cited that making obesity a
disease would categorize one-third of Americans as being sick and may lead to more
medication and surgeries that are expensive, instead of lifestyle changes.