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20 sats \ 4 replies \ @Undisciplined 15 Jan \ on: Do you think Obesity is a disease? HealthAndFitness
Here's the definition of disease:
There's nothing in it about being voluntary or self-inflicted. By my reading of the definition, obesity is a disease.
Smoking wouldn't be a disease, but the lung damage caused by it is.
So, you mean obese people have "body or one of its parts that impair normal functioning."
Well I've a friend who is pretty much overweight but I who am normal weight can never think of winning against him in dancing and athletecism.
I think the definition is right but it doesn't make sense for obesity.
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That's a good point, since obesity isn't defined around any particular misfunctioning of the body.
I agree with you that it's not a disease with how it's currently diagnosed. It's more of a comorbidity.
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Comorbidity would be more insulting and fear arousing for our Obese friends.
Why can't we simply call it a condition?
Ok, here's another example to my argument.
Is poverty a disease?
No. But many people call it so.
Is addiction of anything in itself always a disease?
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I think addiction might be, since it's a chemical physiological dependence. That implies abnormal functioning.
"Comorbidity" seems reasonable. Here's the definition:
In medicine, comorbidity refers to the simultaneous presence of two or more medical conditions in a patient
This would only apply in cases of another medical condition, though, so I guess I'm agreeing with you that it's just a "condition".
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