Hypocrisy of health care workers?

Started by nnguyenc
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nnguyenc

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i don't mean to offend anyone but it's something that really bothers me

roughly 60% of my classmates are overweight/obese

i just don't know how a health care provider can stress
life-style modifications when they themselves don't
abide by what they preach?


comments?
 
nnguyenc said:
i don't mean to offend anyone but it's something that really bothers me

roughly 60% of my classmates are overweight/obese

i just don't know how a health care provider can stress
life-style modifications when they themselves don't
abide by what they preach?


comments?
Click to expand...

damn, after working as a full time tech, my eating habits are so jacked up. Now i am paying for it by making myself going to the gastro doc. grin.
 
we sit on our arses studying all day..and when we're not, we're sitting in 3 hour lab classes, and then when we're not doing that, we're working/getting experience when we're not doing that

and then when we're not doing THAT...we're our partying it up
 
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Pharmacists have the right to be tubbies.

Fatties living off our tax dollars are the people that really piss me off. Stop shoving **** in your face and start saving a little money, and getting some exercise you tub of lard.
 
PumpkinSmasher said:
Pharmacists have the right to be tubbies.
Click to expand...
No.

A stressful job is no excuse for being fat. Don't get me wrong, because I'm not saying that it isn't difficult to lose weight, but it seems pretty hypocritical for a pharmacist to be fat when they know how to be healthy, because they paid thousands of dollars for a clinician's education (that's the most hypocritical part).
 
PharmDstudent said:
No.

A stressful job is no excuse for being fat. Don't get me wrong, because I'm not saying that it isn't difficult to lose weight, but it seems pretty hypocritical for a pharmacist to be fat when they know how to be healthy, because they paid thousands of dollars for a clinician's education (that's the most hypocritical part).
Click to expand...

I am not saying they have the right based on anything entailed in there job, I know plenty of pharmacists who are in shape and find time to bike 30 minutes each day or do some kind of cardio. It is annoying when people make excuses like they have no time, there is time for some kind of cardio you just have to make it. I use to be a big tubby myself but I found time between school and work and lost 75lbs, it was a lot of work/discipline but it is doable. I am saying they have the right of autonomy over themselves when it comes to what they choose to put into their bodies, as long as they are not negatively affecting other individuals, jut like any other American not living off the tax dollars.
 
nnguyenc said:
i don't mean to offend anyone but it's something that really bothers me

roughly 60% of my classmates are overweight/obese

i just don't know how a health care provider can stress
life-style modifications when they themselves don't
abide by what they preach?


comments?
Click to expand...
it bothers me all asian people eat nothing but grass and look malnourished
 
islander01 said:
damn, after working as a full time tech, my eating habits are so jacked up. Now i am paying for it by making myself going to the gastro doc. grin.
Click to expand...

Two out of every three adult Americans is overweight...so your statistic that 60% of your class is overweight sounds just about right. Of course, it would be nice if all health care workers were the epitome of good health, but that's just not the way life is. I don't know what to tell you, dude...except that this is America. It would probably take more than just the fact that someone is going into a health care profession to get your average American to shape up.
 
Hypocrisy is an interesting concept. I actually don't think being fat and telling people to not be obese is that bad. They are paying for your consultation and you should give the best evidence based answer you can. The healthcare providers personal lifestyle or beliefs has nothing to do with the best evidence-based advice.

You want hypocrisy? How about Christmas. We spend billions of dollars on worthless crap because it's the "season of giving." In reality, it's all just an elaborate scheme in which you get all the cool toys you want under the facade of giving. Sure, you buy your wife something she wants....but she buys you what you want. The net effect is that you essentially bought yourself something. THAT is hypocrisy. Meanwhile kids in Africa are dying of AIDS and hunger.

Or how about pharmacy itself. Few would go into it if it weren't for the money. Everyone lies about going into it to "help people". If you wanted to help people, you'd volunteer for free at a free clinic 30 hours a week and live off of 10 hours of per diem work somewhere else. Or go work for the IHS and help some people in true need. No, everyone goes to work in retail...the place where helping people has become an afterthought. THAT is hypocrisy.

Telling people the truth because its your job to? Eh.
 
PumpkinSmasher said:
I am not saying they have the right based on anything entailed in there job, I know plenty of pharmacists who are in shape and find time to bike 30 minutes each day or do some kind of cardio. It is annoying when people make excuses like they have no time, there is time for some kind of cardio you just have to make it. I use to be a big tubby myself but I found time between school and work and lost 75lbs, it was a lot of work/discipline but it is doable. I am saying they have the right of autonomy over themselves when it comes to what they choose to put into their bodies, as long as they are not negatively affecting other individuals, jut like any other American not living off the tax dollars.
Click to expand...
What you're saying is that it's ok to be overweight/obese as long as you aren't on a government health insurance plan.
So what happens when the overweight/obese pharmacist has his own health insurance plan? Should he pay more, because he has a higher BMI and is at a greater risk for complications due to his condition? Sometimes smokers get charged more for insurance, so why shouldn't an overweight/obese person have to pay more?

The only way for him to say that he isn't affecting other people by being overweight/obese is if he were to sign a waiver that would exclude him from health services altogether. Then he could eat himself to death, if he wanted to.

What about the argument that he is putting his family at risk, because he is more likely to die sooner of heart disease, diabetes, stroke, etc.?
 
What's worse than 2/3s of pharmacy students at the op's school being fat, is my wife's nursing school where some 80-90% of to-be-nurses are either fat, obese, or morbidly obese (yes, 400+lbs). Now THAT is hypocrisy.
 
You're in an American school aren't you :laugh:
You now all know that I'm Canadian. But, it's true - I hear you have Burger King in your hospitals.

In all seriousness, it's just the lifestyle of many surrounding you - in my school which is in one of the worst provinces for rates of obesity we have about 1-2 per class [out of 40] overweight/obese. About ~50% exercise >3x week.

We actually had a discussion on would patients be more prone to following your advice if you couldn't listen to it yourself? Probably not, to be honest. It just adds an element of difficulty if you see someone educated about the matter not being able to do it themselves, so then where does that leave you? You'd probably feel it wasn't _that_ important if the guy saying it didn't do it. Just my thoughts.
 
I see food as an addiction. Most fast foods are CI; addictive and no medical use. I know what I should eat, but instead I often choose what tastes good in spite of bad consequences. Wait, that's the definition of addiction that I learned in class, except never applied to food. I know I should study more, but often I do more pleasurable stuff instead. It's all about delayed gratification. You want to eat that carrot instead of Taco Bell for lunch and live longer? No, because I want that taste immediately. The idea that I can laugh at my other elderly friends after they have their strokes when I'm old and healthy just doesn't motivate me as much as the taste of sugar and fat.
 
futuredruggist said:
The idea that I can laugh at my other elderly friends after they have their strokes when I'm old and healthy just doesn't motivate me as much as the taste of sugar and fat.
Click to expand...

HAHAHA. Nothing motivates me like the taste of fat. Dear god. Learn to cook, you might enjoy some healthy dishes. Basil pan-seared scallops atop angelhair pasta [whole wheat]. Chicken breast cut up, mixed with whole grain noodles and spaghetti sauce. Too much work isn't it? Just won't be able to actually do it. I'd rather take the 15-20 mins to drive to McDonald's, wait in line, drive home and spend more time in the car than actually cooking. I'm living the dream baby.
 
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I do agree that we should try to set a good example to the patients we are trying to treat and educate. It's hard to respect the fat slob pharmacist wheezing as he's waddling his way over to you to tell you "you should really try to exercise and lose weight so you don't end up on beta blockers for high BP" :laugh: However, you should always give your most knowledgable advice no matter what regardless whether or not you have the willpower or desire to follow that advice yourself.
 
WVUPharm2007 said:
Hypocrisy is an interesting concept. I actually don't think being fat and telling people to not be obese is that bad. They are paying for your consultation and you should give the best evidence based answer you can. The healthcare providers personal lifestyle or beliefs has nothing to do with the best evidence-based advice.

You want hypocrisy? How about Christmas. We spend billions of dollars on worthless crap because it's the "season of giving." In reality, it's all just an elaborate scheme in which you get all the cool toys you want under the facade of giving. Sure, you buy your wife something she wants....but she buys you what you want. The net effect is that you essentially bought yourself something. THAT is hypocrisy. Meanwhile kids in Africa are dying of AIDS and hunger.

Or how about pharmacy itself. Few would go into it if it weren't for the money. Everyone lies about going into it to "help people". If you wanted to help people, you'd volunteer for free at a free clinic 30 hours a week and live off of 10 hours of per diem work somewhere else. Or go work for the IHS and help some people in true need. No, everyone goes to work in retail...the place where helping people has become an afterthought. THAT is hypocrisy.

Telling people the truth because its your job to? Eh.
Click to expand...

How uplifting! :scared:
 
Requiem said:
You're in an American school aren't you :laugh:
You now all know that I'm Canadian. But, it's true - I hear you have Burger King in your hospitals.
Click to expand...
I'm from the South (Louisiana). We have a reputation for "good food". Local dishes are very pleasing to the senses, but they should only be eaten occasionally at the most.
We had a Subway at the hospital where I worked. Unfortunately, the benefits of a low fat sandwich with fresh vegetables were balanced with Fried Chicken Thursdays, french fries, and frozen Cokes from the cafeteria. Their lasagna oozed with oil. The gift shop sold candy all day long. There were vending machines too, so if you resisted the cafeteria, the gift shop, and the coffee shop, you still had to fight temptation from the machines :scared:
 
BlueCrayon said:
I do agree that we should try to set a good example to the patients we are trying to treat and educate. It's hard to respect the fat slob pharmacist wheezing as he's waddling his way over to you to tell you "you should really try to exercise and lose weight so you don't end up on beta blockers for high BP" :laugh: However, you should always give your most knowledgable advice no matter what regardless whether or not you have the willpower or desire to follow that advice yourself.
Click to expand...


haha...i like your use of imagery..."waddling" is a good word

i used to work with this one pharmacist that is obese...she
sits on a stool and when a patient needs counsel...she'll
say make that angry face when she has to get herself off the stool
 
PharmDstudent said:
I'm from the South (Louisiana). We have a reputation for "good food". Local dishes are very pleasing to the senses, but they should only be eaten occasionally at the most.
We had a Subway at the hospital where I worked. Unfortunately, the benefits of a low fat sandwich with fresh vegetables were balanced with Fried Chicken Thursdays, french fries, and frozen Cokes from the cafeteria. Their lasagna oozed with oil. The gift shop sold candy all day long. There were vending machines too, so if you resisted the cafeteria, the gift shop, and the coffee shop, you still had to fight temptation from the machines :scared:
Click to expand...

Ja... ich verstehe. Es ist ähnlich hier.

We have a gift shop loaded with bars/candy & a cafeteria that has a brutal fries/poutine/hamburger section but there's also a stir fry bar with grilled chicken that's much healthier. It's all over priced.
 
Requiem said:
Ja... ich verstehe. Es ist ähnlich hier.

We have a gift shop loaded with bars/candy & a cafeteria that has a brutal fries/poutine/hamburger section but there's also a stir fry bar with grilled chicken that's much healthier. It's all over priced.
Click to expand...

You Canadians and your poutine. I don't like gravy on pretty much anything, let alone my fries!

I worked at the VA in San Antonio for almost 2 years, right next to the cafeteria. There was a Burger King, a pizza place and a fried chicken/southern food booth. The only decent food was at the sandwich shop, but their main selections still involved lots of meat and they didn't have anything other than lettuce, tomatoes & onions as veggies for their sandwiches. The staff tried to keep track of patients and not sell them any food at all, but lots of people got by them.

I personally am one of the pharmacy students that bothers the original poster. I could stand to lose at least 50 pounds. Maybe I'm a hypocrite, but I know that I'm still very healthy in all other aspects and I feel comfortable counseling patients on lifestyle changes.
 
nnguyenc said:
i don't mean to offend anyone but it's something that really bothers me

roughly 60% of my classmates are overweight/obese

i just don't know how a health care provider can stress
life-style modifications when they themselves don't
abide by what they preach?


comments?
Click to expand...

I got news for you...2/3rds of the US pop is overweight, about 1/3 is obese. No need getting upset at something you can't really change, and for the love...don't bag on these people. Sure, plenty people are to blame but by just looking at someone you can't tell who has a thyroid or other health problem and is working on a solution and the person who eats McDonald's for every meal.
 
soyroger said:
I got news for you...2/3rds of the US pop is overweight, about 1/3 is obese. No need getting upset at something you can't really change, and for the love...don't bag on these people. Sure, plenty people are to blame but by just looking at someone you can't tell who has a thyroid or other health problem and is working on a solution and the person who eats McDonald's for every meal.
Click to expand...

i take it you're fat?
 
nnguyenc said:
i take it you're fat?
Click to expand...

Pretty much. I guess I just have to accept it, but it's not too bad. I suppose it was being fat that got me through that half ironman triathlon a few years ago and also helped me run a 17:03 5K (that happened to be at the end of a sprint triathlon).

Anyways, I assume you took my post personally and were offended. Not too surprising since you get offended by other people's lifestyles. Just let it go man, the angst that is. Life will get much better for you after that. FYI - when your wife gets pregnant (if you guys want kids) use that same line on her and see how things go.
 
the thing you guys don't know is....i'm fat too (25lbs over IBW)

but i'm working hard to lose weight b/c i don't think my patients
will take me seriously
 
Requiem said:
Ja... ich verstehe. Es ist ähnlich hier.
Click to expand...
Nein. Wir haben kein Poutine. Ich hatte Poutine gegooglen 😛


180px-Poutine123.jpg

:d
 
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I don't think being fat is evil, wrong, or necessarily unhealthy. So in short, no, I don't think it's hypocritical to be "overweight" and to provide accurate information to patients on how to make choices that might benefit their health and quality of life.

This person summarizes a few good points about the anti-fat culture we currently live in:
http://kateharding.net/but-dont-you-realize-fat-is-unhealthy/

I'd also encourage folks to google "fatphobia" and "fat-positivity".

As someone else mentioned, I think it's important to give people the benefit of the doubt. As well as instead of focusing on someones appearance, it might be helpful to focus on what is actually the issue: nutrition and physical movement/exercise. You can have a "normal" BMI and be extremely unhealthy, and vice versa. Generally, BMI can often be a highly inaccurate measurement of health.

And as a side note, speaking on what makes you a good health professional, I don't think it's very "professional" to invalidate someone's opinion based on their BMI (a pretty good example of fatphobia). As some folks have done in this thread.
 
PharmDstudent said:
Ich esse dass nicht, veil esse ich Fleisch nicht. Obwohl haben wir das French Fry Po' Boy Sandwich mit Pommes, Fleischsoße, und ein Baguette in Louisiana. Das Sandwich hat kein Fleisch aber hat es Fleischsoße. Es ist für den armen Mann.
http://www.gumbopages.com/food/samwiches/po-boys.html
Click to expand...

Translation (as far as my one year of college German will take me):
I don't eat that, because I don't eat meat. However, in Louisiana we have the French Fry Po' Boy Sandwich, with french fries, steak sauce (or BBQ sauce - I don't know the precise translation) and a roll/baguette. That sandwich has no meat but has steak sauce. It's for the poor man.
 
Caverject said:
it bothers me all asian people eat nothing but grass and look malnourished
Click to expand...

I think diet has a lot to do with culture. Being healthy or not is just an individual choice, not much to do with professionalism.

I think grass is healthier than french fries and cheese.
 
Oh boy,
Oncologist better not get cancer and cardiologist better not have heart attack!
 
Epic said:
Oh boy,
Oncologist better not get cancer and cardiologist better not have heart attack!
Click to expand...

Too bad you aren't a dermatologist, Epic. You're probably going to get skin cancer from all the golf that you play!
 
Last summer I had an internship at a medical center, and I was very surprised to see people who were working at the cancer institute, smoking.
 
And of course you guys don't participate in anything unhealthy because that would be irresponsible..
 
^haha you got me w/ the drinking one i'll admit that

Epic said:
And of course you guys don't participate in anything unhealthy because that would be irresponsible..
Click to expand...

like what? eating pizza once every 2-3 months? or not drinking soda for more than 2 years? or not drinking coffee for longer than that? or staying away from fried foods + butter, etc as much as i can? i try my best (i'm not overweight, etc that i'm "forced" to try etc)...some people don't even care which is pretty sad
 
nerv12345 said:
^haha you got me w/ the drinking one i'll admit that

like what? eating pizza once every 2-3 months? or not drinking soda for more than 2 years? or not drinking coffee for longer than that? or staying away from fried foods + butter, etc as much as i can? i try my best (i'm not overweight, etc that i'm "forced" to try etc)...some people don't even care which is pretty sad
Click to expand...

Yeah...but don't you think we're all being a little hypocritical? Life's too short to sweat the small stuff; might as well enjoy it. And none of us are Saints. You can be the perfect picture of health and still get cancer, or get hit in the head by an eagle ray while you're riding a boat for that matter.

There's nothing wrong with indulging once in a while...splurging on sushi, sharing a bottle of wine, bar of chocolate with someone...that's what makes life fun.

But WVU's right, our job is to provide the most sound medication-related care to improve the patient's QOL. Concerning yourself with your classmates' or coworkers' weight/smoking/drinking habits is kind of irrelevant. Your patients will appreciate it if you can communicate and provide the care they're looking for.
 
nnguyenc said:
i don't mean to offend anyone but it's something that really bothers me

roughly 60% of my classmates are overweight/obese

i just don't know how a health care provider can stress
life-style modifications when they themselves don't
abide by what they preach?


comments?
Click to expand...

nnguyenc said:
the thing you guys don't know is....i'm fat too (25lbs over IBW)

but i'm working hard to lose weight b/c i don't think my patients
will take me seriously
Click to expand...

You're bothered by overweight people and you claim to be overwieght...so you basically annoy yourself.?.? What happens if you don't lose those 25lbs by graduation time, are you going to withhold lifestyle change counseling from overweight patients for the sake of avoiding hypocrisy?
 
One of my classmates is really skinny, but his cholesterol is a lot higher than this girl who is 2-3 times his side. He looks healthy, but all he does is smoke, drink and eat fried chicken. So just because someone is a bit overweight, it doesn't mean they're unhealthy.
 
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soyroger said:
You're bothered by overweight people and you claim to be overwieght...so you basically annoy yourself.?.? What happens if you don't lose those 25lbs by graduation time, are you going to withhold lifestyle change counseling from overweight patients for the sake of avoiding hypocrisy?
Click to expand...


i'm honestly thinking about a career change after graduation

but at least i'm making an effort to lose the weight unlike
others who i just observe eating saturated fats without
conscience
 
Moxxie said:
Translation (as far as my one year of college German will take me):
I don't eat that, because I don't eat meat. However, in Louisiana we have the French Fry Po' Boy Sandwich, with french fries, steak sauce (or BBQ sauce - I don't know the precise translation) and a roll/baguette. That sandwich has no meat but has steak sauce. It's for the poor man.
Click to expand...
Good job!
It's actually gravy, not steak sauce, which they get from roast beef. Fleisch = meat and soße = sauce.
The sandwich isn't exclusive to poor men anymore, but that's who they marketed it to originally; now it's just a cultural oddity.
 
PharmDstudent said:
That's a weak argument. I'll consider that argument when they take alcohol out of liquid medications.
Click to expand...

Not really. The amount of ethanol in those preparations isn't enough to intoxicate a fly. Alcohol dehydrogenase will take it out lickity split before any hepatic damage is dealt. It's all about dosage levels. Take enough Tussin DM and I'm sure you'd be trippin' balls.

Of course it's hypocrisy. It cracks me up. If a person were to take Ativan illicitly it's scandalous. A person gets hammered at the local pub and it's fine. Same damn neurotransmitter potentiation. It's another one of those things we don't consider the idiocy of. Ethanol taken at intoxicating levels is a rather dangerous xenobiotic. People are willing to stop taking all sorts of crap because there is a 0.8% chance of hepatic toxicity, yet you'll see a 24-pack cube of Miller Lite in their cart. It's f'n wonderful.
 
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