To the editor:
About “Oprah, Ozempic, and Us” by Treci McMillan Cottom (March 23 column):
I’ve always been a huge fan of Oprah Winfrey and understand why she does everything in her power to shed light on obesity as a disease and the cost of medications. However, it is important to remember her three points:
1. People have to take these drugs for the rest of their lives or they are very likely to gain the weight back (a nice bonus for Big Pharma).
2. Where are the long-term studies on physical safety/health for lifelong use? There aren’t any because no one takes these drugs for that long.
3. The side effects of achieving weight loss with these drugs can sometimes make dieters so miserable that they want to stop taking them. So what? Will it go back again? We already know that yo-yo dieting is harmful to the body.
andrea candy
South Salem, New York
To the editor:
Treci McMillan Cottom’s column about our nation’s chief dieter, Oprah Winfrey, raised some compelling points.
As a registered dietitian and certified mental health counselor who has treated food-related illnesses for many years, I also often hear clients talk about Oprah as if she were better qualified than me to address health and emotional issues related to food. I have heard him speak.
Growing up in Milwaukee in the ’60s and ’70s, I don’t remember ever seeing anyone who was obese. Muscle weighs more than fat, so we saw “big-boned” girls. In 1996, I learned about body composition, which takes into account the weight of muscle, bone, organs, and fat, rather than just a scale.
My client was overjoyed to discover her body composition! At last, they felt safe in a larger body that was not defined by BMI.
Oprah revealed everything but the truth.she Apparently I have an eating disorder. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. Her diet has played its part throughout her life, but she lacks the necessary commitment. Since she started taking weight loss pills, it’s not that the “food noise” in her mind has disappeared, but that there needs to be a deeper commitment. Although these drugs are effective, they have side effects and do not address the root cause of the eating disorder.
Oprah should stop promoting diets and giving health advice. I often ask my clients: “Can I see an unqualified doctor?” Or an unqualified manicurist? So why should you listen to advice from someone who isn’t a licensed nutritionist about what you should be consuming? ” Oprah fits into that category.
Chrisanna Wright
Punta Gordo, Florida
To the editor:
Oprah Winfrey’s weight rises and falls like the tide. Every time a wave crests, she throws away her latest attempts at loss, finds new possibilities, weighs less, and this is my latest and greatest path to the promised smooth land. Tell the world (mainly women) about it. And in the process, create new wealth.
Oprah is extremely skilled as an actress, author, interviewer, and con artist. There’s another possibility that her followers should consider when evaluating her latest ideas on drugs and weight loss. That means she might not know what she’s talking about.
Andrew Workum
perrysburg ohio
Plugged or Unplugged: Life Lessons in Two Habitats
To the editor:
Damien Cave, “School Separation Brings Families Closer” (March 27 news article):
Thirteen-year-old Amelia Cave and her family are learning valuable life lessons without any digital devices at school in the Australian bush.
I had a similar experience as an undergraduate when I received a grant to conduct anthropological research among descendants of the Incas living in the Peruvian Andes. Living there without electricity was a traumatic and life-changing experience.
But the most important lesson to be learned will be when Amelia returns to her natural habitat in the wired world of the 21st century. We cannot act as if smartphones and social media are abnormalities that should be avoided. After all, the author of this article’s father spends about six hours a day on his iPhone.
These devices are part of us, formed during human evolution. We need to use them, but we need to use them better and smarter.
steve nelson
Williamstown, Massachusetts
The author has written a book about how electricity drives human evolution.
To the editor:
The saying, “Grades apart bring families closer together” could not be more in line with the current trend of glorifying nature and belittling the digital world.
Why can’t we hear from people who would rather enjoy the internet’s plethora of music, literature, and just plain fun than coexist with or fight against nature?
And isn’t it time to stop contrasting the digital world with “real life interactions,” as if interactions on a smartphone are somehow unrealistic?
Felicia Nimue Ackerman
Providence, Rhode Island
Humane ways to fight rodents
To the editor:
On “Are Glue Traps Too Cruel to Use in Combating Mice and Rats?” (News article, nytimes.com, March 28):
I was disturbed by one interviewee’s assertion that glue board is popular because it’s cheap, and that New Yorkers don’t care if rats and mice die.
No one wants to share their home with uninvited rodent “guests,” but many people are avoiding the use of cruel glue boards in favor of more humane and effective solutions.
One example that is attracting attention in many households and businesses is a “working cat” that has been spayed/neutered, microchipped, and well cared for, patrolling the property and preventing the appearance of rats and mice. It’s about eliminating. Cats kill rodents, but it is their scent that contributes most as a deterrent. People who own cats as pets have known this for years.
But more importantly, humans attract rodents by leaving trash behind. The most effective and humane solution to eliminating rats and mice from an area is to eliminate their food source. Maintaining a clean environment by disposing of food scraps and trash in metal bins will go a long way in eliminating these unwanted visitors.
steve gruber
new york
The author is director of communications for the New York City Mayor’s Alliance for Animals, a private nonprofit organization.
the arrival of spring
To the editor:
Re: “What’s the best way to welcome spring? Give your front door a makeover” (Real Estate, nytimes.com, March 27):
Doors and entryways provide a bridge between the outside world and the interior of your home. Its importance transcends time. The ancient Roman god Janus controlled doors, transitions, and temporality. The Roman poet Lucretius used images of light and doorways to describe perception, depicting the eye as a portal of transportation and questioning traditional anatomical models of vision.
I agree that the foyer deserves an April reset. Hide clutter, brighten colors, and incorporate seasonal items. But apart from function and aesthetics, these spaces and boundaries have philosophical meaning. The entrance hall he sees as a passageway between two places, separating the comforts of the home from the hassles of the outdoors, while at the same time facilitating access and allowing unobstructed access to sunlight.
Portals that are both entry and exit locations end at the same point they start. Drive away winter and open your room and heart to spring.
Rachel Brooks
princeton new jersey
