| Medical
Activism Resources
Compiled by Lynn McAfee
Here is a beginning list of resources and ideas that can
be helpful in medical activism. There are tens of thousands of resources available; the
hardest part is figuring out what information you absolutely need to complete your
project.
Remember, you are already an expert on the most
important aspect of the project: a fat body!
First, remember that you don’t need to do hours and
hours of research to get the information you need. Sometimes less is more. Too much
research can leave you confused and intimidated.
The public library is a good place to start for basic
information. Don’t look just for books; most of the current information may be in
periodicals, so check the periodicals indexes. Research is much easier on the web. Even if
you don’t own a computer, many public libraries offer free computer time: check it
out! Almost all medical libraries are open to the public. Call ahead. Identify yourself
and ask when the public can use the library, and what the rules are, as well as whether
any training is available in doing Medline searches for medical information. Librarians
usually try hard to be helpful, but don’t expect them to do the searches for you.
Resources
Healthy Weight Journal—http://www.healthyweightnetwork.com.
Excellent nondiet journal for health care professionals, but written in plain language.
$59 year (6 issues). BC Decker Inc., P.O. Box 785, Lewiston, NY 14092, 800-568-7281. HWJ
devoted their entire September/October issue to "Helping the Large Patient."
This one issue is available for $15.
Obesity Medications and Research News—
http://www.obesity-news.com. Comprehensive
monthly reports on recent obesity research, especially pharmaceutical research. Technical,
but understandable. $60 year. OMR, P.O. Box 19316, Alexandria, VA 22320, 703-960-3649.
American Dietetic Association Consumer Nutrition
Hotline—Call 900-255-5267 to get customized answers to food and nutrition
questions. You will speak to a registered dietician, who can help you find your way
through health and nutrition "miracle" claims. $1.95 for the first minute and
$.95 for each additional minute. Well worth the money.
Medline,
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/PubMed/, the
database maintained by the National Library of Medicine, is now free to the public. Search
for medical articles on any subject. Most have abstracts available.
"Health on the Net" Foundation
sponsors http://www.hon.ch/HomePage/Home-Page.html.
It offers links to medical sites, hospitals, and support groups. Good consumer information
on a variety of medical issues is also at http://www.achoo.com/.
A very readable site.
Doctor’s Guide to the
Internet—Diabetes: http://www.pslgroup.com/diabetes.htm.
Excellent, comprehensive site. Includes lots of links and resources, as well as all the
recent medical press releases related to diabetes.
Another readable professional site is http://ipn.intelihealth.com/ipn/ihtIPN.
You can search both these sites for any medical topic.
Drug Information—A good resource
for looking up drugs by category and getting information in plain English on medical
questions—
http://www.thriveonline.com/health/library/lookitup.drugs.html.
The Physicians’ Desk Reference (PDR), gives prescription drug information. It will
help you decide what you want your doctor to explain. (Pharmacists can also answer
questions about drugs you’ve been prescribed and drug interaction.)
Plus Size Pregnancy—
http://www.teleport.com/~rvireday/plus/.
Resources for pregnant women of size, including links to relevant health sites and a large
section on gestational diabetes.
Toll-free numbers of organizations that provide health
information are at http://nhicnt.health.org/Scripts/Tollfree.cfm.
Mary McGhee is a long-time fat activist
whose web pages offer links to many fat-acceptance resources, social change organizing
tools, and medical activism resources. Her sites put you in a "change-the-world"
state of mind! Check out
http://www.wolfenet.com/~marymc/fatacc.htm
and http://www.wolfenet.com/~marymc/tools.htm.
Up-to-date links to resources for fat
people, including medical resources and medical equipment (often called bariatric
equipment), can be found at http://www.sizewise.com/IHWIDTD-links.htm.
This is Judy Sullivan’s wonderful web site, a companion to her print book Sizewise
(Avon Books: 1997).
New England Journal of Medicine
editorial on the failure of dieting and the controversy surrounding obesity and health.
"Losing Weight—An Ill-Fated New Year’s Resolution." Check your public
library or print from the web site http://www.nejm.org/content/1998/0338/0001/0052.asp.
Make your doctor read this!
Archives of Family Medicine (Arch Fam
Med) vol. 7, July/August 1998, pages 381–86 contains a study documenting the
relationship between delay of gynecological care and body weight ("Body Weight and
Health Care Among Women in the General Population").
Abstract is available at
http://www.ama-assn.org/sci-pubs/journals/archive/
fami/vol_7/no_4/fbf7012a.htm, but get the complete
article from the library: it’s worth the trip. A wonderfully compassionate editorial
follows the article.
Delay and avoidance of medical care by
fat women is documented in another Arch Fam Med article by C. L. Olson et al., 1994;
3:888–92. It finds that 32 percent of women with a BMI of 27 or more delayed or
avoided health care based on concerns about being weighed.
Abstract is available at
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/
query?uid=8000560&form=6&db=m&Dopt=b.
Get the complete article at the library.
Amplestuff is one-stop shopping for
many special needs, including hospital gowns, reacher sticks, and large blood pressure
cuffs. It also prints an informative newsletter. P.O. Box 116, Bearsville, NY 12409,
914-679-3316. Information is also available at http://www.amplestuff.com.
Home Health Care makes hospital beds
for people up to 1,000 pounds, including a queen-size hospital bed, and carries other
"bariatric" equipment. The Council on Size & Weight Discrimination receives
a donation for every sale they generate. Call toll-free 877-574-3233 and mention the CSWD.
Ed. Note: Readers,
please send your ideas for helpful medical and activism resources (either on-line or not)
to Lynn McAfee at Lynnweb@hotmail.com, or write
to her c/o CSWD, P.O. Box 305, Mt. Marion, NY 12456. We will continue to share this
information with you in Radiance throughout the year. |
