http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-berardi-phd/ama-obesity-disease_b_3479179.html
http://msue.anr.msu.edu/news/american_medical_association_now_classifies_obesity_as_a_disease
http://www.usnews.com/debate-club/should-the-american-medical-association-have-classified-obesity-as-a-disease

The American Medical Association has (somewhat, I believe it was announced last month?) recently declared obesity a disease to be treated by physicians.
"The purpose of the policy is to advance obesity treatment and prevention," says AMA President Ardis Dee Hoven. "It issues a call for a paradigm shift in the way the medical community tackles this complicated issue so that we can reduce the number of Americans suffering from the effects of heart disease, diabetes, disability and other potentially life-changing health conditions."

My question being, how are we going to treat obesity with no ties to other conditions or diseases? When you go to a doctor and tell hem you're ill, they prescribe pills or send you to surgery. Are we going to give the 'lazy' (I don't like using that word to describe it but it's the easiest way to explain it) percentage of overweight people liposuction and medication to treat their supposed disease?
While obesity can be a serious health concern, I think this is silly. Obesity is either a symptom or a condition as I see it, and if there's an underlying cause for concern then they should be treated, without a doubt. But people who just don't feel like getting up today or eat unhealthy foods day in day out? That's something to see a life coach (Or whatever they're called) about, rather than a doctor.
Just going to go ahead and apologize if this sounds insensitive; I just can't stand the idea of this getting in the way of my treatment. I'm really sorry if I offended anyone.

As I see it, obesity can be a consequence of a medical condition, as you've suggested,in which case the underlying illness is what should be treated or a cause, in which case it should be dealt with alongside the treatment for the condition itself. Either way, prevention is probably the key, and it should include a healthy regime, a lot of exercise, etc. But to treat it with medication or medical procedures is wrong, I think, unless of course it has to be taken care of quickly, for some other reason.
But it just goes to show that in medicine, like in general life, people usually choose easy and quick solutions to their problems. I know a cardiologist who tells me that people who develop cardiac problems due to unhealthy diet and such often come to her expecting drugs will make it all go away, and refuse to change their way of life, and in extreme cases don't even comply with prescribed treatments and then come back complaining and asking for more drugs. This kind of reminded me of that. People don't seem to realize that health is something we have to work to keep, not a given, and only concern themselves with it when they're seriously ill. It seem to me that the described approach to obesity is an excellent example of this.

"The American Medical Association has (somewhat, I believe it was announced last month?) recently declared obesity a disease to be treated by physicians." I think this is a stupid idea, considering that the vast majority of physicians are not the least bit trained in nutrition, which plays a big role in obesity.

"My question being, how are we going to treat obesity with no ties to other conditions or diseases?" The only way I can think of would be liposuction. But if you just do that, and the person doesn't change the habits that led to them becoming overweight in the first place, they'll just get fat again.

Again, I think it's stupid to try to treat obesity without addressing its causes. That's like taking a painkiller because your foot is in tremendous pain when you walk because you broke it, yet you don't take steps to get it fixed. You just keep walking on the broken foot and taking the painkiller so it doesn't hurt. That approach makes no sense to me. With obesity, there are multiple possible causes. It's foolish to treat a symptom while ignoring the symptom's cause.

If america really wanted to stop obesity, they would cut all of the artificial crap they sell as food. But of coarse, that would mean a crap-ton of money loss. But this is america, so health isn't as important as profit. . .

>>4 you say that like obesity is a phenomenon that only occurs in america

bump

>>4 Australia is fatter than America, and Canada is getting pretty close. Also, the Government is not the one shoving fast food in our faces, they often have healthy campaigns running. Fast Food is not more expensive, it is a hell of a lot harder to live healthy, in a way, they would make more profit if we all ate meat and organic vegetables. It is the population not the corporations that are making us fat, so stop trying to find a mysterious force to blame it on.

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>>7 **mexico

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Whether obesity is a disease or not, its not really my issue but to see people who have it, and don't do anything about it, just lazing at home, not doing exercise, now that's annoying. You were given a life by your parents, whether you want it or not, so you should take better care of your health, and eat properly. Eating fast food like chips, pizza, etc shouldn't be on a daily basis, if I say, I only need them sometimes, and remain a healthy diet, eating vegetables, fruit and drinking water, people say preferably 8 cups a day? Anyway, obesity or not, whether you decide to get up and start exercising is totally up to you, but sooner or later it'll get the best out of you. I think giving medication is wrong but usually people would rather take the easy route, thinking I'll get better if I take this, but it's not. You're just denying yourself, face the world.T_T

Obesity isn't only about "I'm overweight and it does damage to my health" but it's more like "I'm overweight, it's a problem to my health but i don't know how to cure this and i don't have intention to get better". Sometimes obesity is a consequence of a mental problem, it's the same as anorexia.
Some case is about a person who continuosly tells to him/herself "I'm fine, I'm well like this" but he/she doesn't fully understand the effective medical condition.
Obesity has to be cured with different medical treatments: the ones which can convince the patient in getting cured, and then the effective cure, which will include an healthy or a drastic diet, physic exercise and, in extreme cases, liposuction.
We don't have to blame the government if there is too much junk food: a person should be aware of the risks of an unhealthy diet. But maybe a reduction of the prices of organic and healthy food such as fruits and vegetables could be an option!

'murica.

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Sleepology you can say no go away all you want but im not going anywhere I have every right to come on this site as you do.

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