Height and Health

[TW for fat hatred; denial and violation of personal autonomy.]

If I went out and broke both of my femurs in order to insert fancy machinery that would gradually lengthen them, which would mean 1-3 days in a hospital, the services of an occupational therapist and weeks of rehabilitation, and assuming none of the complications inherent in such a procedure were to occur, in the end, I'd be an inch or two taller.

According to many leading authorities, physicians and the media, I would also be healthier.  Despite having two broken, and therefore weakened, femurs; despite the stress and pain of surgery (not to mention financial stress); despite the exercise lost from reduced mobility and the hospital stay; despite the fact that nothing whatsoever in the procedure actually addresses health - many professionals would consider me healthier.

Because BMI.

It really is totally ridiculous when you take a moment to think about it.

What happens if you bend your knees while being measured? If you just had a large meal?  If you have heavy things in your pockets?  If you just took a huge dump?  If you're wearing platform heels?

For me, not much, since I'm at about 40 BMI and am clearly a ticking time bomb or whatever.

But for someone right on the (completely arbitrary) line between "normal" and "overweight"?  I mean, their entire life and future health could be imperiled by those two pounds!  Why aren't physicians working to prevent this life-threatening scenario?  Telling patients to fast before a routine doctor's visit, sending them to pee before putting them on the scale, stripping them?  Heck, even a cavity search would be helpful - I mean, the TSA does it all the time, so it's okay, right?

Whatever is necessary for the health of our citizens. We will do whatever it takes.

Or... maybe we could, y'know, do the vaguely intelligent thing and ditch BMI as a measurement of health.

Just a thought.