#47: Is Health a Moral Obligation? With Ethicist Alyssa Burgart, MD

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Is being healthy a personal virtue, or a civic duty? And how should you be treated if you're not healthy?

In this episode of Long Covid, MD, Dr. Zeest Khan is joined by Dr. Alyssa Burgart, pediatric anesthesiologist and bioethicist, for a timely conversation on healthism—the idea that health is a moral responsibility—and how it's shaping everything from doctor-patient relationships to public health policy.

Together, they explore:

• What healthism is and why it matters now more than ever
• How figures like RFK Jr. and Dr. Mehmet Oz are using morality and patriotism to frame health in political terms
• What these narratives mean for people with Long COVID and other chronic illnesses
• How blame and bias show up in the clinic—and how both patients and clinicians can push back
• Why trauma-informed care is critical for healing, not just treatment

This episode offers practical insight and ethical clarity for anyone navigating illness in a society that often treats sickness as a personal failure.

Read more of Dr Burgart's work on Substack

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