The Incomprehensibility of a Chronic Disease

Head of a Man, painting by Pablo PicassoA steady stream of headlines makes it obvious. The incomprehensibility of a chronic disease like obesity is overwhelming. The New York Times tells us it’s a hard truth about obesity medicines: “You’ll probably need them forever.” The wellness industry is peddling dubious strategies for an “off-ramp” from GLP-1 therapies with inflated claims about “sustained remission.”

All of this serves to promote denial about the true nature of obesity as a chronic disease.

“It Doesn’t Sit Well”

The fact is that people really do not like facing the fact of a chronic disease. Any chronic disease.

Rather than deal with the reality of cancer as a chronic disease, we talk about “beating” it. It feels good.

Otherwise credible researchers make inflated claims about soup and shake diets to “beat type 2 diabetes.” Our video feeds are full of ads that promise healing  and freedom from conditions like psoriasis and ulcerative colitis without a word about how the symptoms return when the medicine stops.

We don’t like to think about the limits of our own mortality. It just does not sit well. So wrapping our heads around the reality of any chronic condition is discomforting. It is easier to pretend that a one-and-done approach can solve the problem and relieve us of burdensome thoughts about a chronic disease.

Deal with It

But here’s the thing. Avoiding the subject does not make it go away. Simply losing weight does not cure obesity. It’s possible to thrive despite having a chronic condition, but thriving becomes more likely if we have a strategy for keeping it under control.

And the good news for dealing with obesity is that we have many options. Surgery can provide a big and lasting measure of control. But it is not the final word. Diet and fitness strategies are not a complete solution either, but they can do a lot to improve our health. The advanced medicines we have now can make a big difference. Even more and better ones are on the way.

If we want to overcome obesity, we have to come to terms with its chronic nature. When we do, the problem becomes manageable.

Click here for perspective from New York Times reporter Dani Blum and here for perspective on the cognitive biases that affect our ability to deal with chronic diseases.

Head of a Man, painting by Pablo Picasso / WikiArt

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January 19, 2026