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Ads for weight loss medication are everywhere. For the people experiencing or treating eating disorders, it’s “a catastrophic situation.” So says Dr. Elizabeth Wassenaar, a board-certified psychiatrist specializing in obesity medicine and eating disorders.
Dr. Wassenaar has seen kids younger than 12 prescribed GLP-1s for weight loss. She’s also seen a rapid rise in patients relapsing, and believes the widespread use of such medication is further contributing to deadly diet culture, a world in which the only acceptable body is a dangerously thin one, and millions of people suffer the long-term side effects.
Dr. Wassenaar is joined by Olivia, a recent CU grad who is in recovery for an eating disorder. Both women dissect Boulder’s health + fitness culture and the way it contributes to unhealthy behavior.