BROADCASTS.com

A few months ago, there was a HuffPost article entitled "Everything You Know About Obesity is Wrong," by Michael Hobbes.\xa0 It discussed the struggles of people who have obesity and how the medical system has failed them.\xa0 It quoted Stephanie Sogg, PhD, a clinical psychologist at the Weight Center at MGH (notice how it isn't called the "weight loss center").\xa0 In it, Dr. Sogg describes her approach as "being nicer to her patients than they are to themselves."

Given that this article lambasted physicians for not being able to effectively discuss weight issues with their patients, I contacted Dr. Sogg to find out how we can improve at this.\xa0 She provided me with an article she wrote.\xa0 This article should be read by EVERY CLINICIAN IN THE COUNTRY.\xa0 It is that powerful and important.

In the episode title, I paraphrased an article she wrote entitled, "Bad words: why language counts in our work with bariatric patients." In it, Dr. Sogg explains how language can influence they way that we think about things.\xa0 As physicians, we are authority figures and community leaders, so thereby, the language we use can influence how our patients think about themselves and our colleagues think about their patients, for better or for worse.\xa0 This isn't a discussion on how to lose weight.\xa0 This is a discussion on how to effectively discuss a topic that is extraordinarily sensitive and full of landmines.\xa0 This is a discussion on how to avoid those landmines and earn the trust of a patient who is struggling and could use your empathy and understanding.

The article that lambasted physicians:\xa0

https://highline.huffingtonpost.com/articles/en/everything-you-know-about-obesity-is-wrong/

Her article "Bad Words: why language counts in our work with bariatric patients"

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1550728918300285

Dr. Sogg:

https://www.extension.harvard.edu/faculty-directory/stephanie-sogg

https://www.massgeneral.org/doctors/doctor.aspx?id=18165