|
|
Even some doctors admit they blame the patient when it comes to type 2 diabetes. That prejudice may be adding to a health crisis.
Diabetics Carry an Extra Burden of Shame
Type 2 diabetes has been called “a disease of shame.” Breast cancer kills far fewer people than diabetes, but gets more attention and more research dollars. The reason is clear: Type 2 diabetics tend to be obese, and we still think of obesity as a self-created illness, caused by too much eating and too little exercise. Even some doctors will admit they are less sympathetic to their diabetic patients.
Peter Attia, MD, was one of them, until his own experience opened his eyes. Despite rigorous daily exercise and healthful eating, he was verging on obesity. Medical tests pinpointed the culprit. He was insulin resistant — a precursor to diabetes. The diagnosis made him question the link between obesity and diabetes. “Are we trying to treat obesity by getting people to eat less when in reality we ought to be getting people to change their eating to combat insulin resistance?”
The experience also stirred up a painful memory of an obese woman with diabetes he treated as a young resident. “She was in the emergency room for a condition I considered completely preventable,” he confessed. “She did in fact sense this was a physican who was judging her.”
Dr. Attia tells his story to audiences like TEDMED in hopes that it will influence the thinking in both the medical community and on the street.
More than 25 million Americans have diabetes, most of them with type 2. Dr. Attia says if we can shed our preconceptions about what causes the disease, we may find new ways to reduce the spread of diabetes and, with it, the stigma of obesity.
“The moment you take a look at yourself and identify imperfections in yourself, it allows you to be more tolerant of imperfections in others, even if you perceive obesity to be a moral failure, which I absolutely do not.”
Last Updated: 04/24/2014
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét