Food Psych #207: Doctors Without Diet Culture with Louise Metz
Medical doctor and Health At Every Size advocate Louise Metz joins us to discuss why weight management has no place in evidence-based medicine, how our current medical system can get in the way of providing compassionate care, why it’s actually not necessary for doctors to weigh their patients, how physicians can shift their practice to be more weight-inclusive, and so much more! Plus, Christy answers a listener question about dealing with digestive symptoms.
Louise Metz is an Internal Medicine Physician who has expertise in the medical management of eating disorders and gender-related health care. She is the owner and founder of Mosaic Comprehensive Care, a medical practice in Chapel Hill, NC offering primary care and specialty care that is inclusive and affirming of all bodies. After receiving an undergraduate degree in Biology and Women’s Studies at Duke University, she attended medical school at the University of North Carolina. She completed her internship and residency in Internal Medicine at the University of California at San Francisco. She has previously held academic positions at NYU’s Bellevue Hospital and Duke University, and has published research on heart disease in women. She created Mosaic using a unique model of individualized and collaborative care with a focus on body diversity and complexities of health. She is passionate about providing weight-inclusive medical care, and committed to helping to change the paradigm surrounding the way we address weight and health. Find her online at MosaicCareNC.com.
We Discuss:
Why Louise thought her parents’ “hands off” approach to her picky eating as a child was helpful
When she became aware of diet culture and started engaging in disordered eating behaviors
Physical symptoms of polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), and how they can affect body image
The differences in how larger people and thinner people are diagnosed and treated in healthcare
How social justice and feminism motivated Louise to pursue medicine
The lack of training in nutrition and eating disorders in medical schools
Complexity Theory, Chaos Theory, and how they can apply to medicine
Louise and Christy’s experiences with “fence-straddling” between weight-inclusive and weight-centric paradigms
Why medicine can be more of an art than a science
How Louise was introduced to Health At Every Size® (HAES®)
How our medical system can get in the way of providing appropriate care to patients
Why it’s actually not necessary for doctors to take your weight most of the time
The few circumstances where monitoring weight is appropriate
The overemphasis on weight in pregnancy
The lack of evidence for weight as a proxy for health
The contradiction of recommending weight management in evidence-based medicine
Louise’s experience educating medical students and providers on HAES
The importance of compassion and lived experience in healthcare
Why medical care can be traumatic
How physicians can shift their practice to become weight-inclusive
Why NOT offering weight loss services is still patient-centered care
How weight-inclusive providers can work with people who want to lose weight
Why it should be easy for physicians to shift to a weight-inclusive practice
Resources Mentioned
Some of the links below are affiliate links. Affiliates or not, we only recommend products and services that align with our values.
Submit your questions for a chance to have them answered on the podcast!
My online course, Intuitive Eating Fundamentals
Pre-order my forthcoming book, Anti-Diet: Reclaim Your Time, Money, Well-Being, and Happiness Through Intuitive Eating
Help spread the anti-diet message by subscribing to the podcast
Anna Lutz’s work
Slides from Christy's HAES vs. Weight Management debate at FNCE 2018
Ragen Chastain’s work and her Food Psych episodes #58 and #119
Mosaic Comprehensive Care’s website, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
Weight-Inclusive Care Letter created in partnership with Lutz, Alexander & Associates Nutrition Therapy
Listener Question of the Week
How can a person live less rigidly when a change in daily routine is a trigger for digestive symptoms? How does disordered eating intersect with digestive issues? What are some non-food approaches to managing digestive symptoms? What are some of the ways that wellness culture has heightened our concerns with digestion? Why does avoiding certain foods sometimes worsen digestive issues? How can someone get help for their digestive symptoms without worsening their disordered eating? Is it possible that a person’s fear of having digestive issues is worse than the symptoms themselves?
Resources Mentioned: