Lifestyle Diseases

Recently obesity was officially classified as a disease.  This means it may end up eligible for medical reimbursement which theoretically will improve patient outcomes when dealing with excess weight.  A person is classified as obese when their Body Mass Index is over 30.  It has been estimated that at present that could be over 1/3 of adults in the USA.

 

Opponents of this classification point to the fact that obesity is caused by life style.  It is not an infectious disease.  Lack of exercise, diet and a host of other factors play a role in a person becoming obese.  It is a slow process that develops over many years.  Obesity is also deeply intertwined with other life style illnesses such as diabetes, cancer and stroke to name a few.

 

ISN’T THIS BASICALLY JUST CALLING WELLNESS CARE MEDICALLY NECCESARY?

 

If lifestyle modification is the presumed treatment for obesity then isn’t the medical establishment basically paying itself for providing wellness care?  Wellness care has been looked at as basically a side treatment for years for people willing to go further than standard medical treatment.  The idea of paying a doctor to talk to a patient about lifestyle modification has apparently just been made acceptable and at the very least I hope this makes it a more attractive alternative than say a bariatric surgery. 

 

However, given that the typical doctor in the USA has had virtually no training in nutrition, which is the cornerstone of any wellness program, should they be the ones handling the majority of cases in which patient’s seek assistance with what is essentially a wellness plan?  As the issue progresses in the years to come it will be increasingly important for the patient to seek a professional who has ample knowledge of what is actually required to attain wellness rather than just reading off some note cards. 

 

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