Dismissing Known Lipedema Symptoms as Obesity Violates the Hippocratic Oath

Hi friends, this post is intended to share with physicians and healthcare providers, whom you’ve worked with to get a lipedema diagnosis, and have been ignored or gaslighted, despite providing resources such as the Clinician’s Guide to Lipedema from the Lipedema Foundation. Best of luck to you! Remember if you aren’t being listened to especially when you come armed with symptoms that present as lipedema and have medical information in your hands like the Guide, it’s OK to fire your provider and file a complaint.

Susan

The oath that has guided healers for millennia is renewed by the next generation of physicians.

Medical Providers: Do you have a patient presenting with symptoms of lipedema, who has come to you for help, perhaps with a copy of a Clinician’s Guide to Lipedema? Have you dismissed her, diagnosed obesity or lymphedema, or told her to lose weight without consideration of the Guide? Have you said that lipedema doesn’t exist, or it’s an excuse for obesity?

How Does This Align with the Hippocratic Oath?

The Hippocratic Oath has guided physicians for centuries with its core tenets of providing proper care, maintaining ethical integrity, and above all – doing no harm to patients. However, when it comes to the chronic adipose disorder lipedema, too many medical professionals are violating this sacred oath.

One of the most common misconceptions, is mistaking lipedema for simple obesity or lymphedema. This leads to patients being dismissed, fat-shamed, and subjected to unnecessary interventions that fail to address their actual condition.

When women present with the hallmark signs of lipedema – disproportionate fatty accumulation in the legs/arms, easy bruising, pain, and a failure to respond to diet/exercise – they are armed with clinical information from sources like the Lipedema Foundation. Ignoring this evidence is a dereliction of the physician’s duty.

Dismissing Legitimate Symptoms Causes Harm

The Oath explicitly requires physicians to treat the sick properly and to the best of their abilities. Dismissing legitimate symptoms and information about lipedema directly contravenes this principle. It causes actual harm to the estimated 17 million American women suffering from this disease.

Despite this relatively common disease, there are few physicians who are aware of it. This lack of awareness is inexcusable in an era of readily available medical information and research. Physicians have an ethical obligation to maintain updated knowledge, especially for conditions as prevalent as lipedema which impacts up to 11% of women.

Upholding Integrity and Equality

The Oath also demands physicians uphold ethical integrity and treat all patients equally, regardless of personal beliefs. When lipedema patients are disbelieved, fat-shamed, or have their symptoms dismissed due to preconceived notions about obesity, it represents a violation of these principles.

As the Lipedema Foundation’s materials clearly outline, lipedema is a pathological accumulation of adipose tissue that has little to do with lifestyle factors. Judging or discounting patients based on their appearance is unethical and goes against the equal treatment the Oath demands.

A Call to Awareness and Action

The principles of beneficence, non-maleficence, and respect for human life enshrined in the Hippocratic Oath require physicians to become aware of lipedema and provide proper care. When patients present with clinical information from credible sources, it should be the starting point for a dialogue – not an opportunity for dismissal.

Ignoring lipedema signs and symptoms causes actual harm through disease progression, emotional distress, and a delay in effective treatment like decongestive therapy or liposuction. It is a dereliction of the solemn duties physicians vow to uphold.

The path forward is clear – through awareness, education, and adherence to the Oath’s ethical principles, the medical community can begin properly recognizing and treating the millions of women impacted by lipedema. Only then can we live up to the virtues the Hippocratic Oath enshrines.

For more information, check out the Clinician’s Guide to Lipedema at https://www.lipedema.org/clinicians-guide.