Doctors Visits and Weight Talk
Many disregulated eaters who are
heavy have had difficulty talking with medical professionals due to their
treatment of “overweight” patients. We know from anecdotal experience that this
is true, and now a study in the journal Obesity
gives us proof. But don’t despair, you can
learn to get the most out of medical visits.
Says Dr. Kimberly A. Gudzune of
John Hopkins School of Medicine where the study was done (Sarasota Herald-Tribune (5/7/13), “The bedside manner may improve
with slimmer patients. Doctors seemed just a bit nicer to their normal-weight
patients, showing more empathy and warmth in their conversations. It’s not like
the physicians were being overtly negative or harsh. They were just not
engaging patients in that rapport-building or making that emotional connection
with the patient.”
No surprise to many of you, I’m
sure. While this is disappointing news, it may feel good to be validated. It
can be hard to know whether or not you’re imagining people’s judgmental
attitudes, and disregulated eaters often have self-trust issues to start with, wondering
if they’re being “too sensitive” or if the health practitioner is truly being inappropriately
weight-focused or dismissive. Either
way, these encounters with medical professionals far too often keep people from
seeking health care when needed.
Let’s examine the reasons health
practitioners might react as they do. They’re as much a part of our fat-phobic,
t...
Source: Normal Eating - Category: Eating Disorders Authors: eatnormalnow Source Type: blogs