Posts Tagged ‘medical ethics’

Yesterday, we had the opportunity to offer (and gain) perspective on stigma and discrimination related to obesity. It came in the rich context of a three hour discussion on “Ethics, Equity, and Stigma in Obesity Treatment and Policy.” The Division of Medical Ethics  of NYU School of Medicine co-sponsored the discussion with the Comprehensive Program […]

A new essay in the AMA Journal of Ethics raises a surprising question. Should obesity be an unmentionable health condition? Does its diagnosis do more harm than good? Kristen Hardy writes instead about healthcare for fat people. She does not like the diagnosis of obesity because, she writes, “‘excess weight’ is a myth. Fat people […]

It’s a fact. People come in all shapes and sizes. FDA and pharmaceutical researchers know this. They know that body size and composition can have large effects on how a person responds to drugs. So why do we have such a troubling gap of body size diversity in clinical trials? In the AMA Journal of […]

We can’t miss it. Everywhere we turn, certain people are busy clucking about the health choices that other people make. Politicians see an opportunity to stir up their followers with talk about the health of transgender youth. Women’s health, especially regarding pregnancy, is a political hot button. On top of that, meddlers have lately become […]

Believe it or not, there was a time when MYOB was a more ubiquitous acronym than WTF. But it seems that we are presently more apt to express dismay at the behavior of others than to advise someone to mind their own business. Especially in health, MYOB seems to have disappeared from our vocabulary. Oddly […]

A close look at how health insurance denies access to care for children and youth with severe obesity reveals one thing. The system is really set up as insurance for profits – not for health. The story of Debra and Dan Tyler seeking care for one of their daughters, as reported by Ariana Eunjung Cha […]

Obesity Care Week has come as we are in the midst of a great public re-thinking of obesity care. Feelings about this subject are strong, but facts are catching up with those feelings and causing people to reconsider old ways of thinking. The dialogue goes in many directions, but a key issue is access to […]

“I weep.” So says a fat acceptance and eating disorder advocate who is agitated because of the guideline that emerged when the American Academy of Pediatrics spent five years analyzing reams of research on pediatric obesity, options for care, and the outcomes from that care. “Come on,” says one dietitian to another. “If you want […]

Medical ethicist Arthur Caplan is struggling. On one hand, he knows shaming people with obesity is clearly wrong. But while he rejects outright shame for people with obesity, he’s struggling with with the idea of acceptance. He decided to talk about this because he was watching the Emmy Awards and Lizzo came on. “For those […]

Trust is fragile. But the fragile currency of trust is the foundation for advancing science in peer-reviewed publications. Ethical journals work hard with authors and reviewers to ensure that their publications are trustworthy. Journals also have a process for correcting errors that slip into publications. Retraction is an option that’s necessary when errors invalidate a […]