On June 18 the American Medical Association voted to categorize obesity as a disease, moving the condition above its past designation as a major health concern. I disagree with this decision. The AMA said in a memo that more widespread recognition of obesity as a disease “could result in greater investments by government and the private sector to develop and reimburse obesity treatments. (American Medical Association, June) ” This statement uses the word “could” which is vague and argumentative. The reliability of this information is also questionable because it appeals to government and private sector for money to further their studies.
I believe that obesity is a choice and not a disease. I do not believe that a human being is born predestined to be obese. The council also stated that “labeling obesity as a disease
...might increase support for obesity-prevention programs such as physical education initiatives and reform to school lunch” (American Medical Association, June) . This statement also uses the word “might” which is also vague in nature and has no definitive meaning.
Board member Patrice Harris said, “Recognizing obesity as a disease will help change the way the medical community tackles this complex issue that affects approximately one in three Americans. (American Medical Association, June) This statement uses the work “help” which is invalid and the word “approximately” which is also an invalid argument. I disagree with this statement because it is the opinion of the board member and not a proven fact with data to back up the statement. I also think that reclassifying obesity as a disease will traumatize the individual and may shift focus on
expensive surgical treatment and away from ways to encourage healthy diets and regular exercise programs.
This article leads me to believe the AMA have been influenced by the pharmaceutical and weight loss industries and fabricated an epidemic to have the cost of their weight loss drugs and treatments to be funded by the American taxpayer. I don’t think that obesity should be classified as a disease if it can be cured by just exercise and the proper diet. A disease in my opinion is a condition that cannot be completely cured, only contained by medication.
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