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Thinness equals health. There are generations of doctors that have been trained to believe this, and we have been indoctrinated by this concept for so long that it’s hard to believe anything else. One of the biggest contributing factors to this is the widespread adoption of the Body Mass Index (BMI) as a measure of health by the medical system.

So where exactly does the BMI originate from and should we still be using it as a tool to assess someone’s health? To help me answer these important questions, I invited primary care Internist Dr. Kara Pepper to explain why the BMI is fraught with misinterpretation, and what we should be looking at instead. We also explore how patients who struggle with eating disorders can be better supported in a clinical setting.

If you are someone that is struggling with an eating disorder, please reach out to your medical team for help, or contact the National Eating Disorder Help Line for further advice.

Connect with Dr. Pepper:

It's Not Just You podcast

Website

Instagram

Twitter

Resources:

Health at Every Size

National Eating Disorder Help Line

Find an eating disorder professional

Books:

Fearing the Black Body - the Racial Origins of Fat Phobia

Fat Talk - Parenting in the Age of Diet Culture

It's Always Been Ours - Rewriting the story of Black Women's Bodies

Audio Stamps

02:36 - Dr. Kara Pepper tells us more about who she is and who she helps.

04:12 -  We find out where Body Mass Index (BMI) comes from, how it has evolved over time with the drug industry, and where we're at currently.

10:21 - Dr. Rentea asks what Dr. Pepper would advise us to look at when it comes to our health, if BMI is not the main thing to focus on. 

12:26 - We learn how both clinicians and patients can do a better job in making sure that they're getting screened appropriately for eating disorders.

All of the information on this podcast is for general informational purposes only. Please talk to your physician and medical team about what is right for you. No medical advice is being on this podcast.

If you live in Indiana or Illinois and want to work with doctor Matthea Rentea, you can find out more on www.RenteaClinic.com

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