Obesity
Obesity is a serious condition that affects people of all ages and
socioeconomic groups. It is an increased body weight caused by excessive
accumulation of fat. Obesity is the second leading cause of preventable
death in the United States, after smoking.
The Body Mass Index Calculator (BMI) is a tool used to determine if a
patient is overweight, obese, or at risk of developing obesity. The BMI
Calculator calculates a patient's Body Mass Index by dividing the body
weight in kilos by the square of the patient's height. If the figures are
inches and pounds multiply the patient's weight in pounds by 703 and divide
by the result of the height in inches squared. Since this can be a slightly
complex calculation, fortunately there are a number of accurate BMI
Calculators freely available on the Internet. A BMI of 30 or more is
considered obese, and the risks of developing sever health related problems
increase by a factor of five once a patient has passed this level. A BMI
between 25 to 29.9 is considered overweight, and although there are
long-term health problems encountered already at this level they are not as
acute as those of obese patients. Common but grave health problems
associated with obesity are stroke, heart attack, kidney failure and heart
failure. Physicians should do everything they can to stop the onset of
obesity as early as possible, to prevent the more severe side-effects.
An associated problem is that some patients have a genetic tendency to gain
weight. Obesity runs in the family and is inherited through generations.
There are more studies needed to determine the influence of the genetics in
obesity, since socioeconomic factors also play a large role. Families often
share the same eating and exercise patterns and habits, and this is often
contributes to the obesity, although in our view the genetics play a far
more significant role than what is acknowledged by most Physicians today.
There are numerous other factors influencing patient's weight and causing
them to become obese. Some have biological problems such as a low adrenal
and Thyroid function; others have severe physical problems that limit their
ability to exercise. Recent studies also suggest that stress, sleep
deprivation, emotional problems are leading causes for cravings for sweets,
chips, ice cream and other fatty foods with a high Carbohydrate content,
which contributes to the development of obesity.
Physicians have a large responsibility in trying to stop patients becoming
obese in the first place because once the onset of obesity has come it is a
negative cycle that is difficult to break. However, the resources available
to medical staff today are rather limited. Information and recommendations
to overweight patients to do more exercise and eat healthier are often the
only tools available to physicians. Most prescription diet pills such as
Reductil and Phentermine can only be prescribed to severely obese patients
with a very high BMI, and these medications also have serious side-effects
that make them unsuitable for many patients. However, there are some
recently developed diet pills available with no known side-effects that can
be prescribed to overweight and obese patients. Probably the two most
promising ones are Solidax ADX and Xerisan, and although more research is
ongoing to determine the effectiveness of these types of diet pills the
initial research looks very promising.
To learn more about obesity and how to prevent this condition from occurring
in your patients please visit the American Obesity Association. |
