Why I hate the AMA

I just got back from the doctor and my foot is infected again. It hurts like hell. I know in a little while it will stop, though. Just in the last 24 hours has been significant improvement.
Back to the AMA.
I was thinking this morning about my friend, Bill. Bill died about a year and a half ago. He was obese, and he went in for the gastric bypass. I warned him not to, but he was so sure it was safe.
The doctors told him there was some risk, but it was minimal. Less than 2% mortality.

They lied.

The actual mortality rate is much higher. For men, within one year of the operation it is around 10%. And no one tells that it will be a miserable year. My friend had the operation in March 2005, and except for about a two week period, spent the rest of his life between the nursing home and the hospital. During this time, he was put in a coma for months, and they amputated his leg. He could not have so much as a mouthful of water. He suffered until he bled to death and died around 6 months later. I guess he is on my mind today because he loved the Holidays. Christmas was huge for him. He decorated the house and really enjoyed the festivities. He also was a fan of Easter. When I visited him after he came out of his coma, he told me he was so excited that he may be going home for Easter. It hurt me to tell him that he had slept right through Easter. It was gone by over a month. Would Bill be here today if not for the operation? I don't know, but I do know he is dead because of it. And the medical establishment continues to put forward how wonderful this is.

God, or Darwin or whomever designed the human body had made mistakes, and only by mutilating it would it function properly. That is the opinion of the AMA, or at least how I can conclude this when I realize that they consider this mutilation a proper medical procedure.
I have seen so many of those uber fat people shows on Discovery. The ones where the guy or woman is between 700-1000 pounds. These shows bother me for a few reasons. First is that they focus on the tremendous volume that these folks eat. Second, they pay no attention to the causes. And I firmly believe there are causes for someone to gain that much weight. Some physical, some psychological.
I know some people who have eating disorders. They are not part of a freak show. Instead, they have serious issues. Every last one of them. I have a friend who ate 5 double cheeseburgers, and an order of fries. An hour later, she had two more double cheeseburgers and another fry. Does anyone think she was eating because she was hungry?

Hell no, she wasn't. Something was missing from her life.

I used to weigh a lot more than I do now. And I'm far from a lightweight today. But I look back at my life then, and I realize what the problem was. I was friggin miserable. And the only thing that made me happy was the time I spent eating. It gave me a little pleasurable respite from all the crap in my life. I've spoken to numerous individuals who are/were obese, and in nearly every case, it was the same story. Something was missing, and they sought to fill it.

And here is where the AMA is missing the boat. And just one more reason to hate them.

I believe, and so many individuals I have run into confirm it, counseling and support is more important for obesity than any pill or operation. Just look at how many people have had the bypass and then gain weight back. They had the corrective mutilation, they had the training, and they are right back on the path to obesity. How can anyone say it is physical? These individuals have a psychological dependency on food. And no operation, pill or plan is going to cure that.
Also, I have been studying nutrition. I have found a plan that works very well for me. If I had this from the beginning, I probably would never have become overweight to begin with.
Instead, the dairy industry, and the beef industry have lobbied to make these important and accepted parts of our typical diet.
Since I eliminated these foods and all but became a vegan, my diabetes is under control, and I am losing weight. I'm rarely hungry, and doing well. If I could walk, I'm sure the excess pounds would melt away. It's slow because my metabolism is at a standstill due to inactivity.