Obesity care
We are at a crossroads where the advancements in obesity science and treatment outpace a workforce that is not fully prepared to apply these breakthroughs. This is the first line in the Introduction to my just-released book published by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, called Patient-Centered Weight Management: The Six Factor Professional Program and…
I just got back from the Your Weight Matters National Convention, celebrating the Obesity Action Coalition’s (OAC) 20th anniversary. The OAC has worked tirelessly to improve access to obesity treatments, raise public awareness, challenge weight bias and provide compassionate obesity care education and support. This weekend the OAC brought together obesity care clinicians with individuals…
Responses to treatment for overweight and obesity care vary across different subgroups and individuals. This has implications for both patients wanting to manage weight better as well as their treating clinicians. When studies report average responses to lifestyle modification interventions, medication therapies or surgical treatments, this means that some individuals exceed expectations while others lose…
With exciting new obesity medication treatments available, I’ve seen clinicians from all specialties showing interest in the latest obesity care breakthroughs. For example, cardiologists, liver specialists, gynecologists, orthopedic surgeons and even dermatologists are paying more attention than ever before. Specialists along with their team of advanced practice physician assistants and nurse practitioners typically work within…
As a leader in obesity medicine, I have been passionate about educating clinicians on the best practices of providing care to their patients who are living with obesity. Toward that end, I’m excited to share that I have a new book for healthcare professionals coming soon, titled Patient-Centered Weight Management: The Six Factor Professional Program…
Recently published papers and news articles are covering exciting findings related to obesity complications, co-morbidities and treatments. There are over 200 such complications that are related to obesity. Three of the complications may go unnoticed but have been shown to improve with treatment by one of the new highly effective obesity medications: Sleep apnea, a…
It’s no secret that the new, highly effective injectable obesity medications have impressive weight loss benefits. This has led millions of people who struggle with weight to ask their health care professionals whether or not they are candidates for taking these new medications. But we’ve known for a long time that there is more to…
For the past 4 decades, I have treated patients who struggle with weight. And I have also identified a subset of individuals who are more tempted by the obesogenic food environment we all live in. “I think about food all the time.” “As hard as I try, I can’t clear my head from being preoccupied…
If you struggle with excess weight, most likely your health care visits include measurements of your weight, height, and blood pressure, as well as a calculation of your BMI (body mass index). But what about your waist circumference? As an obesity medicine physician specialist, I’ve been measuring waist circumference on my patients for over 25…
Consensus is hard. As a member of the Lancet Commission on Definition and Diagnostic Criteria of Clinical Obesity among 58 experts from around the world, our just released report aims to define clinical obesity and aid in clinical decision making and therapeutic interventions. With over 1 billion people living with obesity worldwide, this report begins…
