One issue is that health consequences related to size are determined on a population level, and then applied on a personal level.
Yes, weight is linked to hypertension, type 2 diabetes and heart disease on a population level. But that doesn't mean that every person with a certain weight/BMI is at increased personal risk, nor that every person with a "normal" weight is at minimal risk for those conditions.
And I agree with basically the therapist's approach you outline. There are many presenting problems which are unrelated to weight at all, and in those cases, there's probably no reason to bring weight up at all (yet many doctors will.) And there are presenting problems where health behaviors are likely a factor, in which case it may be beneficial to address these behaviors rather than the actual weight number itself. If someone has high cholesterol, recommending a low cholesterol diet and increased exercise will address the existing health problem without mentioning the weight directly.
As a pediatrician, I try to promote healthy eating and healthy behaviors in general to all my patients, rather than just lecture those whose charts tell me are "overweight."
As a side note, there is an awful lot of fat phobia and ridicule of fatness which takes place behind the scenes in medical circles, removed from actual discussions of actual health.
no subject
Yes, weight is linked to hypertension, type 2 diabetes and heart disease on a population level. But that doesn't mean that every person with a certain weight/BMI is at increased personal risk, nor that every person with a "normal" weight is at minimal risk for those conditions.
And I agree with basically the therapist's approach you outline. There are many presenting problems which are unrelated to weight at all, and in those cases, there's probably no reason to bring weight up at all (yet many doctors will.) And there are presenting problems where health behaviors are likely a factor, in which case it may be beneficial to address these behaviors rather than the actual weight number itself. If someone has high cholesterol, recommending a low cholesterol diet and increased exercise will address the existing health problem without mentioning the weight directly.
As a pediatrician, I try to promote healthy eating and healthy behaviors in general to all my patients, rather than just lecture those whose charts tell me are "overweight."
As a side note, there is an awful lot of fat phobia and ridicule of fatness which takes place behind the scenes in medical circles, removed from actual discussions of actual health.