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Joined 1 year ago
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Cake day: August 2nd, 2023

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  • In the US, doctors are obligated to treat patients in immediate need of care (in a professional setting - an emergency department, for example - not just walking down a street.) They can’t discriminate against patients for non-clinically relevant reasons (race, gender identity, etc.) They CAN refuse care if they lack specific skills or the patient is “abusive.”

    HOWEVER, these are ethical obligations (I pulled that info from the American Medical Association’s Code of Medical Ethics.)

    You asked about legal obligations.

    I am not well versed in doctors’ legal duty of care - laws are not consistent across national and local jurisdictions.

    You also used the word “aid” so I am approaching it from an emergency context.

    In a professional setting, there are limited reasons a medical professional could refuse emergency care where the immediate outcome is death. Perhaps someone with more legal expertise could direct you - I’m only familiar with ethical constraints.




  • Not encouraging you or anyone to take Ozempic but the fact that they work so well for weight loss proves that there is a biological pathway that reinforces overeating. It’s beyond the dopamine feedback loop - there is an actual biochemical reason that we are compelled to overeat. It validates the idea that being successful at weight management isn’t decided by willpower alone. Some people are just more biochemically predisposed to overeat.

    These new GLP-1 receptor agonists have shown promise mitigating many compulsive behaviors from overeating to alcoholism to behavioral compulsions. It’s a new area of pharmacology and I’m super excited to watch them discover novel treatments for all manners of issues.