Bariatrics

Bariatrics is a subfield of medicine which focuses on obesity’s causes, treatment, and prevention. The term “bariatrics” was first used in the mid-1960s from the Greek root, “bar” which means “weight” and the suffix, “iatr”, for “treatment”. The medical care approach includes adhering to a diet and workout regimen, pharmacotherapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and surgery. More recently the term has also been used to refer to equipment used for obese individuals. For instance, bigger hospital beds are euphemized as “bariatric”.


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