There seems to be little tolerance among many otherwise good meaning people for those that have gained weight. With social media I see multiple daily scathing rants on how anyone who tries to help someone lose weight is doing it wrong, raking in money, doing harm. Just eat right and exercise and you’ll be fine they say. Anything else is quackery it seems. How did these people come to be overweight if it is that simple then? Certainly picking up Canada’s food guide and putting on some walking shoes should make us all look the same, with the exact same effort. Seeing an overweight person ignites an elementary school part of our brain that we compare ourselves to others, and when we see someone helping someone lose weight our opinionated know-it-all-about-everything side leaps out. Obesity is a medical condition that deserves the same respect as any other. Trained, well meaning individuals to help them also deserve that respect as well.
As a pharmacist, I see my personal recommendations changed by the patient all the time. Either it tastes bad, the packaging says something strange, their friend said another thing worked for them, etc, etc, etc. As a pharmacist it is my job to give them something that will not waste their money but it is just as important to give them something that will not harm them. I may give them the most proven cough and cold medication but in the end I realize it may not really work for them. I spend more time actually speaking to them about current medical conditions, current medications, allergies and past histories and experiences with other meds. Why do I do this? Because I don’t want the patient harmed with my recommendation. It really only takes me a second to put that all together and make a recommendation and hand them a bottle and say keep in touch. Will it work to their satisfaction? Maybe. Do I lose sleep over thinking if their cough stopped? No. Do I lose sleep wondering if they have a safe medication choice? No, because I cover all that when I gave them the medication.
This is no different with weight loss. I understand that overweight people do not want to be overweight. I understand that they know what bad food and good food is and that they need to move to burn calories. They are like the patient that changes my first recommendation. I can tell them to eat right and exercise and then “take care”, but then I wouldn’t sleep right. They need the motivation and tools to lose weight and obviously the current tools of how to do it aren’t being used. Motivation gained by bringing them to a lower weight safely is the next logical step.
As always, I have said that science has no place for belittling, putting down, threatening, or blaming. I love tracking down studies that show the most effective and safest way to treat people so that I have a second or third choice to give them. Do I have a study for every Health Canada approved item in my pharmacy? Well, no. In fact I don’t pack any studies on dextromethorphan for cough, PEG for constipation, clotrimazole for yeast infection. They probably exist out there. I just don’t have them. Funny how I am never challenged on this type of choice.
Although using terms like “melting fat”, “turning fat to muscle”, or “miracle cure” can take away credibility and I stay away from that, patient safety should be the most important factor.