A Disease of Self Hatred

"Retreat" by Joslyn Smith

Eating disorder activist Joslyn Smith has written a very personal and raw rebuke of the American Medical Association’s decision to classify obesity as a disease at the We Are The Real Deal blog.

In “A Disease of Self Hatred,” Joslyn remembers three interactions with health-care professionals – two doctors and a nurse practitioner – over a 15-year period that were infuriating, frustrating and, ultimately, enlightening.

Among her recent conclusions:

Joslyn Smith

"The past fourteen years of struggling with an eating disorder that has come frighteningly close to taking my life more than once have taught me much. They have taught me that there are health-care providers who understand the mechanisms of bodies and metabolism – my metabolism – and do not subscribe to the idea that my body is diseased because it is large. They have taught me that when one finds those health-care providers, they are not to be taken for granted, because they are few and far between (which is the main reason I left my job in D.C. and moved to upstate New York). And most of all, they have taught me that the most important thing I can do to take care of my health is to know my body and to speak my truth."

To read all of Joslyn’s powerful message, go here.

Thanks for reading.