East West Information

Manitoba is about to relax pandemic rules, but anyone looking at Alberta's elimination of all COVID-19 mitigation measures with fear or envy is in for relief or disappointment.

Like many students Nyle Maker is looking for his second dose of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine before starting university in Hamilton. But unlike most, he has already received a full series of the Russian vaccine and is embarking down a murky road of not just mixing shots, but effectively doubling them.

During the last 26 years, we’ve certified over 119,000 health, nutrition, and fitness professionals. Each month, we recognize one of our distinguished graduates who use what they have learned to inspire others and make a difference. 

This morning I was reading an article in my favourite news magazine The Economist and came across a passage that reads as follows:

“About two out of five American adults are obese, according to the CDC…..Almost half of Americans have high blood pressure, and 12% have high cholesterol. About one in ten has type 2 diabetes.”

Perhaps I am overly sensitive, but I could not help notice how the authors talk about Americans BEING obese, vs. Americans HAVING high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or type 2 diabetes. 

Of course the authors could have chosen to talk about Americans being obese, hypertensive, dyslipidemic, and diabetic, but they did not. 

Perhaps “chose” is too strong a word, because it implies intention and making a conscious decision. Rather, I think the authors probably gave no thought to this at all. In fact, they may be surprised that this is even a “thing”. 

However, this “thoughtlessness” about the use of the word “obese” remains common place, even amongst colleagues working in the field of obesity, who should by now know better. While the major obesity journals now at least pay attention to people-first language, copy editors of most medical and scientific journals appear blissfully ignorant that this is even an issue. 

Thus, we continue to see the term “obese” used freely in manuscripts, lectures, and conversations.

How much of this should we continue to tolerate and does it even matter?

Well, if it doesn’t matter, we would probably not even be talking about it. But we are, so I guess it does. 

Do I now sit down and write a letter to The Economist pointing out the problem – or do I just roll my eyes and shrug it off to thoughtless ignorance?

I guess I’ll find out.

DrSharma
Berlin, D

Chinese authorities have announced mass coronavirus testing in Wuhan as an unusually wide series of COVID-19 outbreaks reached the city where the disease was first detected in late 2019.

Florida's largest hospital systems are expanding their coronavirus units, limiting visitors and fearing staffing shortages as they deal with a statewide surge that is breaking records set last year for both cases and hospitalizations.