Treating Obesity as a Disease

Per Medscape Medical News:  October 7, 2011 (Orlando, Florida) — Physicians who specialize in treating obesity are conceding that education to promote prevention and lifestyle improvements will not be sufficient to reverse the obesity epidemic.

"We really need a Manhattan Project for medical treatment in the field of obesity--we need prevention, we need behavioral modification, we need more drugs, and we need to look at better indications for bariatric surgery," surgeon Dr John Morton (Stanford University, CA) said. Because of the negative social stigma attached to obesity, there is still a lot of reticence among patients, physicians, and the general public to support obesity treatments other than diet and exercise. That must change if the problem is going to be solved, Morton argued. "We need to mainstream the treatment of obesity. That's really the big thing here. We wouldn't be having this conversation around oncology or cardiology. It would just happen. Those patients would get treated."
I believe that gross obesity is like any other addiction (drugs, alcohol, cigarette smoking).  Gross obesity is one's inability to 'say no' or cease a specific activity; eating becomes an addiction.  This eating disorder, like any other disease, costs all of us in missed work days, higher costs of healthcare, and a nation of unhealthy persons.  It has to be difficult for any person with an addiction to 'say no' when we live in a society where ads permeate every aspect of life (eg:  alcohol ads, ads that advise you to 'tell your doctor you need this sedative', etc) and focus especially on food (eg:  buy two pizzas and get a large soda for 1/2 price).  Researchers have found that individuals who participate in a complete wellness program of diet, exercise and lifestyle change lose more weight and keep it off longer than those who partake in fad diets or 'weight loss' gimmicks.  Psychological therapy is also recommended to get to the 'root cause' of the overeating addiction.

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  If you (or someone you know) has an eating disorder, call or email my office today.  Enroll yourself in my Wellness Program; a custom-designed program for healthy living.  Take control of your life today and do something positive for yourself.
k@kmondesire.com   917-701-7582