I went in with little muscle twitches in my legs and eyelids once—I still get those, still don’t know what they are—doctor says, “Consider getting more exercise”. Exercise my eyelids, right? I’m not blinking enough?
Clearly that is not what they are suggesting. Generalised exercise does clear up some such twitches. It may not in your case and it is even conceivable that you could die trying. But regardless the exercise suggestion in response to that complaint is not absurd or a valid target of mockery.
If this were the only thing doctors bizarrely said I should exercise for, I could shrug and say that maybe there is a mystical eyelid-exercise connection.
But I get told this a lot (mysterious lumps on your back? Exercise! Left foot makes a crunchy noise when you move it like so? Consider the benefits of exercise. You get lots of headaches? Try exercising! Sometimes the palms of your hands swell up for no reason? I recommend more exercise. You keep getting ingrown toenails? That may go away with enough exercise. If you exercise, you can’t breathe? Maybe you should fix that with exercise.)
I’m pretty sure that they’re coming up with this too quickly, for too many things, which means I’m suspicious of each instance of advice to get more exercise (for a specific problem; I’m tired of, but not suspicious of, the advice that it would just be a good idea in general.) I think it is more likely that they are saying this because I’m fat, not because it’s related to the problems I go in with. Often I am not even asked how much I exercise before a health professional says I need to do more of it.
I’m pretty sure that they’re coming up with this too quickly, for too many things, which means I’m suspicious of each instance of advice to get more exercise (for a specific problem; I’m tired of, but not suspicious of, the advice that it would just be a good idea in general.)
Perhaps more importantly it sounds like they come up with ‘exercise’ then stop. For many things exercise will help, even if only indirectly, but it certainly isn’t the primary treatment. Sure, exercise is great for asthma, but so are steroids—and sometimes the former isn’t enough. Likewise for blood pressure and heart disease. Come to think of it exercise is great for the symptoms of being a chronic smoker… but if the doctor stopped at ‘exercise more’ without going on to ‘stop smoking dumbass!’ there would be a problem!
I think it is more likely that they are saying this because I’m fat, not because it’s related to the problems I go in with.
Apart from being interpersonally rude that doesn’t seem to reflect well on their medical competence. There is a relationship between exercise and fat storage but it isn’t all that strong. Doctors aren’t supposed to be going along with popular stereotypes!
I’m reminded of the day I was running my first marathon. I was up to the 30km mark and starting to feel it. Then along beside me comes a guy built like a 44 gallon drum on legs. He was puffing away but looked like he was ready to run another 30km then maybe do it again after lunch. While I was slowing down with fatigue and complete glycogen depletion he was accelerating. That rather completely destroyed any preconceptions I may have had that people with a high bodyfat ratio must not exercise.
Often I am not even asked how much I exercise before a health professional says I need to do more of it.
It’s scary, but I have no problems believing that. Along similar lines my father’s doctor (well, former doctor) concluded from his high cholesterol on his bloodwork that he clearly eats too much fast food and needs to cut back on the KFC. Where was that doctor when the studies were published regarding just what the limits of the influence of diet on cholesterol are? Even worse is my mother’s (former) doctor insisting that she is a long term alcoholic and needs help, despite her protestation to the contrary. She hasn’t consumed a drop of alcohol in her entire life. The high indicators of liver strain are a known side effect of the rather potent medication she takes for neuropathic pain.
I often wonder just how some of these people go through a decade of training and still end up clueless.
Clearly that is not what they are suggesting. Generalised exercise does clear up some such twitches. It may not in your case and it is even conceivable that you could die trying. But regardless the exercise suggestion in response to that complaint is not absurd or a valid target of mockery.
If this were the only thing doctors bizarrely said I should exercise for, I could shrug and say that maybe there is a mystical eyelid-exercise connection.
But I get told this a lot (mysterious lumps on your back? Exercise! Left foot makes a crunchy noise when you move it like so? Consider the benefits of exercise. You get lots of headaches? Try exercising! Sometimes the palms of your hands swell up for no reason? I recommend more exercise. You keep getting ingrown toenails? That may go away with enough exercise. If you exercise, you can’t breathe? Maybe you should fix that with exercise.)
I’m pretty sure that they’re coming up with this too quickly, for too many things, which means I’m suspicious of each instance of advice to get more exercise (for a specific problem; I’m tired of, but not suspicious of, the advice that it would just be a good idea in general.) I think it is more likely that they are saying this because I’m fat, not because it’s related to the problems I go in with. Often I am not even asked how much I exercise before a health professional says I need to do more of it.
Perhaps more importantly it sounds like they come up with ‘exercise’ then stop. For many things exercise will help, even if only indirectly, but it certainly isn’t the primary treatment. Sure, exercise is great for asthma, but so are steroids—and sometimes the former isn’t enough. Likewise for blood pressure and heart disease. Come to think of it exercise is great for the symptoms of being a chronic smoker… but if the doctor stopped at ‘exercise more’ without going on to ‘stop smoking dumbass!’ there would be a problem!
Apart from being interpersonally rude that doesn’t seem to reflect well on their medical competence. There is a relationship between exercise and fat storage but it isn’t all that strong. Doctors aren’t supposed to be going along with popular stereotypes!
I’m reminded of the day I was running my first marathon. I was up to the 30km mark and starting to feel it. Then along beside me comes a guy built like a 44 gallon drum on legs. He was puffing away but looked like he was ready to run another 30km then maybe do it again after lunch. While I was slowing down with fatigue and complete glycogen depletion he was accelerating. That rather completely destroyed any preconceptions I may have had that people with a high bodyfat ratio must not exercise.
It’s scary, but I have no problems believing that. Along similar lines my father’s doctor (well, former doctor) concluded from his high cholesterol on his bloodwork that he clearly eats too much fast food and needs to cut back on the KFC. Where was that doctor when the studies were published regarding just what the limits of the influence of diet on cholesterol are? Even worse is my mother’s (former) doctor insisting that she is a long term alcoholic and needs help, despite her protestation to the contrary. She hasn’t consumed a drop of alcohol in her entire life. The high indicators of liver strain are a known side effect of the rather potent medication she takes for neuropathic pain.
I often wonder just how some of these people go through a decade of training and still end up clueless.
I have a notion that sleep deficiency during that training damages their mental flexibility.