Obesity And Medicalization

In the past several decades obesity rate in America has been rising rapidly. Therefore, obesity has been medicalized to publicized the dangers of being obese and to help individuals suffering from obesity. However, through medicalization obesity numerous consequences are rising. New eating disorders are appearing, pharmaceutical and biomedical companies ' power in the medical industry in increasing, and the way how society view obesity is changing. Obesity has caused individuals to eat healthier and to have a cleaner diet, but the obsession to eat healthy has brought up a new eating disorder called orthorexia. "Orthorexia is defines as an unhealthy obsession with healthy food" (McNeilly). As mentioned eating healthy is a great habit, however …show more content…
Since medicalization of obesity "doctors who even mention weight to patients could charge more for the same visit"(The Atlantic). Doctors are given permission to talk about a patient 's weight even if that was not the purpose of the visit and charge them for obesity consultation, or offer them medications for obesity. Another duty of being sponsored by drugs are to promote the medication through television shows, interviews, or promoting it in there clinic by having posters or brochures. This act of promoting medicine for self-interest is defiantly morally wrong, especially from a puritan view, as a doctor 's job is to merely safe and help patients for their needs. Patients want to get help and be treated for the illness they came with into the clinic, not be suggested for another illness which has never been a …show more content…
In the health care it is believed that doctors do not give the same treatment to obese patients, and acts with negative emotions towards them, which eventually makes patients feel vulnerable and be overlooked in health care. As obese people receive health care treatment with lack of respect and equal treatment, it is more likely for them to stop visiting their doctor resulting in more health complications. Thus, doctors must stop stigmatizing their patients as it will bring more harm to patients when their job is to heal individuals equally. If more people stop stigmatizing, discriminating, judging obese people but start learning to understand the real definition of the illness obesity society will truly grasp the seriousness of the topic just like any other public