Shelly Binkley (@healthewoman) is a Utah OB-GYN with over 5,000 followers on Twitter. She has been named one of the 50 doctors to follow on the social networking site. But, earlier this week, she set off a frenzy when she tweeted the following:
A 5’2″ woman weighing 254 pounds today told me she eats “hardly anything.” I guess that might be true if “anything” means the whole cow.
While Binkley received support from some of her followers who felt that overweight people should control their food intake just like smokers should control their cigarettes, she also received quite the backlash.
One follower felt it was a betrayal of her patient’s trust:
To tweet that as a care provider? Completely unethical.
Others addressed the basic attitude of publicly mocking obesity on the Internet:
(Make sure to visit McNee over at Former Fat Dudes!)
Binkley’s response to the drama she started was rather dismissive:
Obesity is a complex problem, Dr. Binkley. We’re not going to fix it so simply, with just a pill or a procedure. And that’s coming from a girl who had bariatric surgery. You don’t wave a magic wand and watch your patient drop fifty pounds before your eyes. But mocking them in an online forum does no good either. It simply serves to make you feel superior.
The reality is that we know we are at. Usually, what you view as denial isn’t; it’s shame. Because we know we’re overweight. But it’s not an easy problem to fix. And the heavier you get? The more the odds are stacked against you. But the more likely society is to judge you as lazy and out of control. And, unfortunately for anyone who has been in that position, doctors are very much a part of society.
When you’re morbidly obese, doctors are apt to talk at you, rather than to you. You are your obesity, your medical problems, rather than a living, breathing human being. I’ve seen this change dramatically as I’ve lost the weight. I’ve somehow become a human again in the eyes of doctors. I get to have a voice, a say in my medical care. They ask me questions and listen to my answers.
Dr. Binkley claims her intention was to demonstrate the risks of obesity during pregnancy, when the fetus has no control over its mother’s eating habits. However, her tweet never mentioned that her patient was pregnant nor that she had any obesity-related health conditions. Instead, she raised the issue of the woman’s weight solely to poke fun at her eating habits, something that was wholly unnecessary and unethical.
Still, Binkley maintains her goals were benign:
I never meant to offend anyone, and I feel very sorry.
But what will she do when faced with obese patients in the future? Will she offer compassion or condemnation?
Source: KSL News
A relatively benign comment, while certainly hurtful, was also certainly truthful, and a reflection of the frustration that everyone on all sides of the issues feels.
When obese people complain about being judged, IMO they have a legitimate beef if they feel they are being judged as:
* Lazy
* Stupid
* Simply lacking in self control
But it’s not really judging to say that a woman who is morbidly obese is eating a lot. (Even when done in a crass way.) And it’s not judging to call her recall ability into question – she is almost certainly consuming her share of a couple thousand kCal/day.
Finally, let’s all agree that we aren’t using the dictionary definition of the word.
It’s nice to have a doctor who is compassionate and caring, but you still have view that as icing. The cake is competence, of course.
*applause!!!*
My (female) OBGYN was the first person to mention my weight to me when I got home from being abroad. If these gynecologists are tired of working around the problem of big thighs to get to the bits that actually concern them and their specialty, then I think it’s time for them to try out a different department. My weight is between me and my family doctor, my nutritionist, my (soon-to-be) surgeon, and the scale. Gynecology can keep its nose where it belongs – and we all know where that is.
The OAC and the Utah Bariatric Surgeons sent a letter to this Doctor. In fact one of the Surgeons is reaching out personally.
April 27, 2011
Shelley Binkley, MD
Dear Dr. Binkley,
We are contacting you today on behalf of the 25,000 members of the Obesity Action Coalition (OAC). It has recently come to our attention that on the social networking Web site Twitter you made the following statement “Tweet” on your account, “A 5’2″ woman weighing 254 pounds today told me she eats ‘hardly anything’. I guess that might be true if ‘anything’ means the whole cow.”
We are deeply saddened by this statement as it further perpetuates the already pervasive negative stigma and bias associated with obesity. Obesity currently affects more than 93 million Americans nationwide. Alongside the physical effects of obesity, this disease also leads to tremendous emotional and social consequences, which are most often the result of negative stigma and bias. Individuals affected by obesity are often stigmatized in various settings, such as employment, school, mass media and more. In addition to this, the disease of obesity is often stigmatized in the healthcare setting as well. Studies suggest that individuals affected by obesity are less likely to seek medical assistance due to this type of negative weight stigma and bias.
As the OAC represents the more than 93 million Americans affected by obesity, we respectfully request that you no longer stigmatize individuals affected by obesity through meaningless statements, such as the one appearing on your Twitter account. If you would like to discuss this issue or the issue of weight-stigma and bias with the OAC, please feel free to contact me at our National office at (800) 717-3117.
Sincerely,
Joseph Nadglowski Barbara Thompson
OAC President and CEO OAC Chairman of the Board