[Poll]Would you be less prone to taking medical advice from an unhealthy doctor?

see: House

]in all seriousness...being a doctor is not comparable to physically demanding professions like police, firemen and armed services. Doctors can do their job in a wheel chair. policemen, firemen, soldiers can't.

All you are really saying, imo, is doctors should respect healthy living and don't be a hypocrite about it. That is: Practice what they preach. Somewhat like a Priest should practice what they preach.

 

No, I don't see why it matters.

 

It wouldn't make me think he wouldn't know what he's talking about. But, it would make it a little harder to respect his directives about lifestyle choices. A smoking doctor telling me to give up cigarettes doesn't carry a lot of moral authority, nor does an overweight doctor telling me to stop being lazy and get some exercise. He must not actually think these things are as urgent as he makes out if he doesn't do it himself. So, I'd believe him about consequences, but not on urgency.

 

Your poll says overweight...the title of the thread is healthy. The myth is that you can know a persons health by just a glance at their waistline.

As a fat man I might be MORE likely to see a fat doctor, since he or she might be more likely to 1) look at my other numbers (blood pressure etc) besides just the one on the scale before treating me like a pariah and 2) actually treat the illness I came to see him/her for instead of using half the visit to try to push legal speed and apatite suppressants on me and ask if I have considered WLS.

 

nope. sure, he doesn't practice what he preaches but it doesn't make him less of an expert on the subject.

besides, if i'm overweight i don't really need a doctor to tell me i need to eat healthy and exercise if i want to prolong my life. also, being skinny does not equate to being healthy. thus, the skinny-fat look.

 

Man, this BBS is obsessed with fat people. Another thread aimed at insulting fat people? Come on man.

I'll play along though. Unless the advice I'm asking the overweight doctor for is what methods he uses help him exercise self control with his food, then I see no reason for his weight to impact whether I take advice from him.

Even if it is regarding diet and exercise, the fact that he may or may not be following his advice doesn't impact whether it is good advice. One can be an absolute expert on food and body chemistry and still make more choices.

This reminds me of when baseball teams hire a hitting coach who never played in the major and you get ignorant fans saying "How can he coach professional athletes when he didn't get out of AAA?" An expert is an expert.

 

Not being healthy is not strictly or always due to lifestyle choices. Therefore, assuming someone who had health problems would be incapable of providing sound medical advice, in light of their credentials, would be somewhat misguided, in my opinion. Some things are beyond your control.

Would you take flying lessons from Captain Sullenburger?

 

I have more of a problem with an out of shape personal trainer than an out of shape doctor.

Their physical condition has nothing to do with their ability to diagnose and treat people.

 

if it's medical advice on a lifestyle change (smoking, eating, drinking etc), I'd be more likely to ignore it if it came from a doctor who did not follow the advice himself. It's easier to justify, even if I know he's probably right.

But I don't think I'd dismiss his diagnosis or capabilities based on my perception of his health.

 

I voted yes, but I was under the impression you meant a fat doctor telling me to exercise or eat healthier.

If it was a fat doctor telling me that I have some sort of ear infection, or something unrelated to weight, I would listen to his advice.

 

this is internet age. who needs a fatty doctor! webMD!

the only time should you go see a doctor is when have the worst symptoms. anytyhing else, seee doctor google.

 

Is it ok with you if I go see a doctor is I don't have the worst symptoms but a prescription would get me well faster?

A doctor might realize the situation is more complicated/dire than you think it is or come to a different conclusion then what you're reading on The Crazy Cat Lady Blog.

 

Do as I say, not as I do. We all know which habits are healthy and which ones aren't, but there's also the matter of being able to enjoy your life. Everyone makes their own choices as to how far they are willing to go. The doctor should be able to tell you how much danger you are in at the time, but that has nothing to do with the doctor's own life or choices. Besides, if it's just appearance, that often has nothing to do with actual health.

As for seeing Dr. Google... I agree in the sense that I've been able to diagnose pretty much everything that's happened to me before actually setting foot in the doctor's office. Problem is that reading about what's happening to you does not get you access to the prescriptions you need.

 

Do as I say, not as I do.

 

LOL Isabel. Great minds think alike.

 

No. Not when they got fat eating fillet mignon.

 

How about dentists with bad teeth?

 

Probably the exception. Good teeth is part of hygiene, not a lifestyle choice.