Obesity as a national trend has forced the healthcare industry and individual practices to find alternative ways to fight the epidemic. Doctors who care about reversing the trend have agreed that medically supervised weightloss lessens a desperate reliance on widely promoted miracle cures that do not work. One of the more innovative means of addressing obesity and weight loss has been through telemedicine.
Telemedicine works because there is an incentive for both doctors and patients. Doctors join a national network of physicians who promote online services to assist weight loss. Without too much more of a time commitment and without sacrificing current face-to-face consultations in their individual practices, doctors who agree to join this kind of network are able to earn extra income and increase their patient pool.
Patients also see several benefits. They are able to consult with a licensed professional about their individual circumstances without spending travel expenses to a doctor's office and without the wait time usually required for in-person appointments. Doctors use a variety of online tools to guide patients through weight loss and monitor their progress. Both the doctor and patient can choose to communicate as much as necessary to reverse weight.
There is an additional benefit for some patients who are morbidly obese. Some feel an alarming degree of shame when they have to face the public who judges them for their weight. They tend to avoid social circumstances that make them feel as if they are on display. Telemedicne has shifted the focus from this sense of shame to the work of weight loss.