Is Obesity a “Disease” or a Trojan Horse? The Debate Inside The AMA.

Mike Magee The vote of the A.M.A. House of Delegates is in – obesity is a disease.(1, 2) But what exactly does that mean? To say that the issue is complex and controversial is an understatement. Just take a look at the debate that preceded the AMA vote. Against Declaring Obesity A Disease: The AMA […]

Obesity Prevention: HBO, IOM, CDC, NIH and The White House Go Public May 14 and 15.

Mike Magee Health Commentary has been focused on the challenge of obesity for over a decade. The facts have been clear. But the will to deal effectively with this crisis has been spotty at best. The costs are rising – in financial, human, social and cultural capital – and weighing us down in a thousand […]

What Obesity and ED Have In Common: A Medical “Trojan Horse”.

Mike Magee Ten years ago, during the wild first weeks that followed the release of Viagra, the first effective traetment for erectile dysfunction, much of the debate avoided the issue of effectiveness (most agreed it was effective) and focused on the question, “Should insurers reimburse for this treatment?” Two years later, states far and wide […]

Is High Fructose Corn Syrup The Next Trans Fat?

Mike Magee In the world of Mad Men consumer advertising, first you name it, then you sell it.(1) OK, it’s a little more complicated than that. In naming a consumer product, you consider what that product might mean to the consumer and study what types of terms resonate. And when the product is launched, and […]

The Bob Butler Tribute: 2 Week Seminar on Aging – Day 9

The Bob Butler Tribute Seminar Day 1. Aging Demographics Day 2. The Challenge of Longevity Day 3. Measuring Aging Vitality and Independence Day 4. When Caregivers Need Care Day 5. Long Distance Caregivers Day 6. The Economics of Living Longer Day 7. Financing Home Health Care Day 8. Elder Abuse and Vulnerable Elders Day 9. […]

Doctors Don’t Discuss Diet With Obese Patients

Source: Los Angeles Times “With the nation’s high rates of obesity and the low odds of weight loss, perhaps weary doctors are just giving up. National statistics show that only about half of obese Americans were advised by their doctors to cut down on fatty foods. The rate, from a 2006 survey, has not changed […]

Thank You, Jamie Oliver!

Meredith Magee Donnelly As an early childhood educator I learned that nutrition and education go hand in hand. Too often children are labeled as ADHD or a behavioral problem without first looking at their diets. During one of my summer breaks I researched the effects food additives and dyes have on the behavior of children […]

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