Ted Talks - #1
Daniel Murphy
Salt Lake Community College
Biology 1090-003
Initially, I too, was guilty of assuming that an individual with Type-II Diabetes was essentially responsible for their ailment. Becoming overweight to the point in which you are obese and begin developing related significant health-related problems takes many years of compounding deliberate behaviors. Obesity is not resultant simply from a night of overindulgence, or an extended trip in which you neglect your structured lifestyle behaviors. Rather, a methodical nature emerges where poor dietary choices, lack of exercise, and a failure to place sufficient attention to your well-being are generally the cause. At least, that was my general impression. While there may be a previously unconsidered cause, insulin resistance, I believe that the onus still falls on the individual to seek out and understand their bodies and the associated causes of their ailments.
One aspect that I felt that the speaker, Peter Attia, neglected to emphasis was: the individual responsibility for each patient. There is compelling evidence that treating the source of the problems is far more effective than treating the symptoms. However, I feel that he glossed over a significant portion of the equation: the individual themselves. Even if an individual is morbidly obese, largely resultant of insulin resistant, it is still incumbent upon the individual to seek out the cause, discover an effective treatment, and, perhaps most important: to take steps to manager their illness. My primary concern is that, for those who may be obese or overweight, that they may take information such as the concept of insulin resistance and use it to further exonerate themselves from responsibility.
The reality is, humans have always, and will forever, continue, to make choices that are deleterious to our own well-being despite a wealth of information available. Peter touches upon a very important aspect that is perhaps missing in today’s healthcare field: treat the cause, not the symptoms. So many individuals want a “quick fix” or a “magic pill” that will act as a panacea. This, however, often masks the underlying reasons for an ailment and only further encourages the behavior from all aspects of those involved in healthcare (physicians, medical companies, patients, etc). As Peter put most poignantly: “getting the cause and effect correct makes all the difference in the world”.
Works cited:
· "Peter Attia: Is the Obesity Crisis Hiding a Bigger Problem?" TED: Ideas worth Spreading. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 June 2013. <http://www.ted.com/talks/peter_attia_what_if_we_re_wrong_about_diabetes.html>.
Daniel Murphy
Salt Lake Community College
Biology 1090-003
Initially, I too, was guilty of assuming that an individual with Type-II Diabetes was essentially responsible for their ailment. Becoming overweight to the point in which you are obese and begin developing related significant health-related problems takes many years of compounding deliberate behaviors. Obesity is not resultant simply from a night of overindulgence, or an extended trip in which you neglect your structured lifestyle behaviors. Rather, a methodical nature emerges where poor dietary choices, lack of exercise, and a failure to place sufficient attention to your well-being are generally the cause. At least, that was my general impression. While there may be a previously unconsidered cause, insulin resistance, I believe that the onus still falls on the individual to seek out and understand their bodies and the associated causes of their ailments.
One aspect that I felt that the speaker, Peter Attia, neglected to emphasis was: the individual responsibility for each patient. There is compelling evidence that treating the source of the problems is far more effective than treating the symptoms. However, I feel that he glossed over a significant portion of the equation: the individual themselves. Even if an individual is morbidly obese, largely resultant of insulin resistant, it is still incumbent upon the individual to seek out the cause, discover an effective treatment, and, perhaps most important: to take steps to manager their illness. My primary concern is that, for those who may be obese or overweight, that they may take information such as the concept of insulin resistance and use it to further exonerate themselves from responsibility.
The reality is, humans have always, and will forever, continue, to make choices that are deleterious to our own well-being despite a wealth of information available. Peter touches upon a very important aspect that is perhaps missing in today’s healthcare field: treat the cause, not the symptoms. So many individuals want a “quick fix” or a “magic pill” that will act as a panacea. This, however, often masks the underlying reasons for an ailment and only further encourages the behavior from all aspects of those involved in healthcare (physicians, medical companies, patients, etc). As Peter put most poignantly: “getting the cause and effect correct makes all the difference in the world”.
Works cited:
· "Peter Attia: Is the Obesity Crisis Hiding a Bigger Problem?" TED: Ideas worth Spreading. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 June 2013. <http://www.ted.com/talks/peter_attia_what_if_we_re_wrong_about_diabetes.html>.
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