Family Chow Hall

Response to MSNBC article on obese hospital care

June 7th, 2006

“Hospitals prepare for growing ranks of obese” — This headline screamed out at me this morning and I knew immediately I had to respond to it.

The health care industry (does anyone have doubt anymore that it IS an industry?) is gearing up to treat larger numbers of large patients. We all recognize that we Americans as a whole are gaining huge amounts of weight, and so far, nothing has slowed us down.

No diet book, no food pyramid, no pill or fitness facility has been able to put a dent in this trend toward obesity.

Now, hospitals are preparing to reap sizable profits from obese patients by installing larger doorways, beds that hold more weight, lifts to help transfer patients, and sturdier toilets. This all sounds good - and it is - but the attitude I sense from the health care industry is all wrong. They seem to be mainly concerned about getting high numbers of overweight people in their facility, and making them feel comfortable so that they will keep coming back with their numerous health problems.

Here is the quote in this story that really bothered me:

“There is a huge volume of patients that need services, and until we get a better pill for weight loss, we have a big problem,” said Daniel Jones, chief of bariatric surgery at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Boston.

A better pill for weight loss? A better pill? This reaffirms my suspitions that doctors want to give everybody a pill. What about prevention? What about education? What about emotional help? Do doctors ever ask, “What’s causing this… how can we stop this?”

Okay, I’m sure a lot of doctors do ask those questions. Personally, I have had a hard time finding them.

Many obese people have medical conditions that affect their ability to control their weight and health, and these people deserve a comfortable environment, no matter where they are - from the hospital to an airplane.

But many obese people CAN control their weight, with the proper education, motivation and help. And they deserve something more than “a better pill,” or band-aid treatments that temporarily solve the effects, but not the causes of their weight problem.

America - praise God - is a land of plenty. A land of over-consumption and instant gratification. Let’s remember that living in this land is a blessing, and let’s not let it turn into a curse.

Entry Filed under: Food As Medicine, Mixed bag, Supper