The “War on Obesity” has been raging for decades. Just like many similar wars, such as drugs and terrorism, it has a very nebulous enemy and never really has an end. These types of “wars” rarely accomplish their stated objective. This war is attacking ordinary, law-abiding citizens who happen to be traveling around in bodies that are larger than whatever society has deemed “appropriate”. From babies to the elderly, no one who is fat is truly safe from this war, nor are those who fear becoming fat. *Disclaimer: We will be using the terms “overweight” and “obese” for this episode because they are the medical terms currently being used and therefore have specific definitions. We personally find them offensive when used to describe people and will normally use the terms larger/smaller bodied, or fat/thin throughout the podcast.    

Should There be a War on Obesity?

Discover how shifting the focus off of weight in health care can greatly improve health outcomes for patients. It is increasingly evident that diets do not work, and that patients of a wide range of sizes can benefit from increasing healthy habits without weight change. With this evidence, we as medical professionals can more effectively and ethically treat our patients by changing how we interact with them around weight. We will explore how to do no harm to our patients of all sizes without recommending weight loss.

This podcast is intended for medical professionals, but we welcome all listeners. DeAun Nelson, ND, and guest hosts will discuss relevant topics such as: obesity as defined by BMI, determinants of health, weight stigma, healthism, weight loss, Well Now, Health at Every Size®, Body Trust®, weight science, research, and more.

The information in this podcast is not intended to provide medical advice. For more information, visit our website at www.donoharmpodcast.org and you can follow us on Facebook @firstdonoharmpodcast and Instagram, @donoharmpodcast today.

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Health & Fitness

CW: BED, OA, Some specific amounts of food used for examples Amy Pershing, who cowrote Binge Eating Disorder: The Journey to Recovery and Beyond with Chevese Turner, joined me on the podcast to discuss this challenging and common eating disorder that is often overlooked. Amy shares so much great information with us about BED from all sides of the disorder, having experienced it herself and recovered. BED Recovery Program: www.thebodywiseprogram.com Intuitive Eating Program: www.hungerwise.com In this episode:   Her history around dieting and BED   BED - most common eating disorder   BED seen as a willpower issue   How to screen patients for EDs/BED   What does Binging look like?   How does shame affect our thoughts around binging?   Trauma   BED can manifest in any body size   How do you start to find help   Person in culture and how it affects eating disorders   Advocacy for patients in the world     Amy Pershing LMSW, ACSW is the Founder of Bodywise Binge Eating Disorder Recovery Program and the Vice President of the Center for Eating Disorders in Ann Arbor. She is the co-founder of Pershing Consulting LLC, which offers training to clinicians treating BED worldwide. Based on 30 years of clinical experience, Amy has pioneered a treatment approach for BED that is strengths-based, incorporating Internal Family Systems and somatic trauma techniques. Her approach also integrates “attuned” eating and movement and a “health at every size” philosophy. Amy is also the creator of “Hungerwise™,” a 9-week program for ending chronic dieting and weight cycling. Pershing lectures internationally and writes extensively on the treatment of BED and her own recovery journey for both professional and lay communities. She has been featured on radio, podcast, and television speaking about BED treatment and recovery, relapse prevention, weight stigma, and attuned eating and movement. She is the winner of The Binge Eating Disorder Association's 2016 Pioneer in Clinical Advocacy award, has served on a variety of professional boards, and is the Past Chair of the Binge Eating Disorder Association. Amy is the author of the book  Binge Eating Disorder: The Journey to Recovery and Beyond (Routledge, 2018), and maintains her clinical practice treating BED in Ann Arbor.

Binge Eating Disorder with Amy Pershing  LMSW

Content Warning: Discussion of Weight Loss Surgery Fiona Willer, AdvAPD, FHEA, MAICD and PhD candidate, joins us today to discuss weight science. We talk about everything from bariatric surgery to the state of research around fatness. If you are interested in weight science, you will be interested in this episode!

Weight Science with Fiona Willer

Hello all! I've missed you! This is a relatively quick update of the last six months or so of my life. My experience in the hospital gave me some additional insight to treating larger patients and I even talk a bit about the topic of the day, Covid-19. I personally love update podcasts, so I know some of you will be happy to listen. If you are not like me in this, I should be getting an interview or two out soon. Stay Safe!

Update Spring 2020

This episode is fairly far ranging in topic and trying to pinpoint every topic was too daunting. We discuss philosophy, medicine, compassion, engaging with patients on a human level and more. Deb Burgard is such a thoughtful person who has taken a lot of time to really think about the topics surrounding not just fatness, but also social justice and how to make the world a more compassionate place. It starts with each of us individually, but I think it helps to listen to Deb and take in her joyous wisdom. I hope that you enjoy listening to her as much as I enjoyed making this episode with her.   Deb Burgard, PhD, FAED, is a psychologist and activist from the San Francisco Bay Area specializing in concerns about body image, eating, weight stigma, and relationships. She is also one of the founders of the Health at Every Size(r) model, the original BodyPositive.com website, and the Show Me the Data listserv, building communities where people can find each other and the resources to resist weight stigma, especially in medical and psychological treatment.  Her activism includes working with healthcare providers to integrate an understanding of the social determinants of health and creating interventions that address structural oppression and support stigma resistance.  She can be found at conferences sparking impromptu dance parties in the pool.  Resources: Poodle Science link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H89QQfXtc-k www.bodypositive.com BodyPositivePhD on IG, Twitter   FB group for doctors: Health At Every Size Doctors

Compassionate Care with Deb Burgard, PhD

Thank you for your patience!! What a whirlwind August has been. Here is my interview with the marvelous Lesley Williams, MD. She does a lot of work talking to other physicians about why weight independent health care is so important to improving health outcomes! In the episode (not in order): How Dr. Williams got involved with HAES Health Equity and health access How access and respect are due to all patients, regardless of their health goals Talking to doctors about the fear of having harmed patients unknowingly Are there fat old people? (answer: yes) Surgery on fat people Why hospitals should make sure to recognize that they have fat patients And more!   "Everyone deserves to pursue their own level of health, or lack thereof,...regardless of that pursuit, they deserve respect and access to whatever it is they need."  - Dr. Lesley Williams   About Dr. Williams: Lesley Williams, MD is a Certified Eating Disorder Specialist and board certified Family Medicine physician. She received her Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Kentucky College of Medicine and completed her Family Medicine residency training at Mayo Clinic Arizona. She has worked exclusively with eating disorders for over 15 years in the full spectrum of treatment settings. Dr. Williams recently established Williams Wellness Medical Group, an outpatient eating disorder focused medical practice in Phoenix, AZ. She is also currently the Medical Team Lead for Banner Behavioral Health Hospital in Scottsdale, AZ. Her areas of special interest and expertise include: Health Equity and Health at Every Size Advocacy. Dr. Williams is a member of the American Academy of Family Physicians. She was recently appointed to the Academy of Eating Disorders Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee. Due to her hard work and dedication to the field, in 2018 Dr. Williams was named as one of the Top 80 Female Eating Disorder Leaders in the United States. lesleywilliamsmd.com www.medicalgroup.com

Should There be a War on Obesity?

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