Category Archives: Definitions of Health

The denial of life.

By Michelle | Published: March 13, 2012

When I was 14, and sitting in a circle with my mom, my best friend, her mom, and her mom’s best friend, I came to a sudden understanding that has become the foundation of everything I write on this blog. I believe the occasion was a cookie exchange, and it was something my friend did […]

Also posted in Unified Theory | Comments closed

If only poor people understood nutrition!

By Michelle | Published: January 13, 2010

French version of this post here, courtesy Stéphanie Potin-Grevrend. It seems like some people are constantly wringing their hands about how poor people eat (to wit: badly.) And the most popularly proposed solution is to teach them (“them”) more about nutrition! Or educate them in general. Because obviously they just don’t know what they’re doing. […]

Also posted in eating | Comments closed

Don’t be poor (and other New Year’s resolutions.)

By Michelle | Published: January 4, 2010

Diabetes death rate drops — primarily among rich people. This is my SURPRISED FACE. Especially since, in 1995, the World Health Organization identified poverty as “the biggest single underlying cause of death, disease and suffering worldwide.” In a hilarious-because-it’s-sadly-true list posted to the Wikipedia article on the social determinants of health, a typical list of […]

Also posted in Unified Theory | Comments closed

Are fat people unhealthy? (part 2)

By Michelle | Published: July 3, 2009

Continued from part 1: …For health practitioners, particularly those enamoured with biochemical indices and relative-risk reduction strategies, the notion of one, simple solution [weight loss] to a myriad of chronic diseases — and possibly to mortality itself — is eminently seductive. Sadly, I also think it’s wrong. Why is it wrong? Because, first of all, […]

Also posted in Fatness | Comments closed

Are fat people unhealthy?

By Michelle | Published: June 18, 2009

There certainly seems to be a lot of evidence to support the conclusion that we are, or at least to show associations between high body weight and poor health. But I’m wondering, what’s really the most important question here? Whether fat people are unhealthy? Or why fat people might be unhealthy, if they are? I […]