In 2024, West Virginia once again allowed the sale of raw milk. Raw milk is milk that has not been pasteurized. For decades, this had been illegal in West Virginia. To physicians, scientists, and public health leaders this was unfathomable. Scientists, public health leaders, and citizens have long accepted pasteurization to be one of the…
All posts in January 2025
Why do we need to treat obesity?
I’ve spent three posts detailing the internal and external causes of obesity: appetite, metabolism, and our environment. The next question is: why do we care? Why should we concern ourselves about treating obesity? Not just vanity Beauty and weight have a complicated social position. Over the centuries, the ideal shape, size, and fatness of “beauty”…
The Disease of Obesity, Part Three
In my previous two posts, I discussed appetite and metabolism. This post will focus on the many ways the typical American environment is weight-promoting. Changes in our daily lives, occupations, neighborhood walkability, and food supply all contribute to the increasing rate of obesity. Our food supply We have long suspected that there is something amiss…
The Disease of Obesity, Part Two
In my last post, I discussed the complexity of appetite. This post will cover another important topic: metabolism. Metabolism is a very complicated topic by itself. The Krebs Cycle has terrorized biology and medical students for decades. Metabolism is a dance of hormones, receptors, signals, and activity. Thankfully, I’m not going to subject you to…