obesity

obesity/shutterstock

Today U.S. Rep. Bill Cassidy, MD (R-06-LA) introduced a bipartisan bill focused on treatment and prevention of Obesity in America. The "Treat and Reduce Obesity Act of 2013" takes an important step to curb this growing epidemic by providing physicians with the necessary tools to address obesity and diabetes in this country.[read more]

 

Obesity is an epidemic among Americans -- an estimated one-third of us are obese, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention -- and consequently a major drag on the U.S. health care system. It’s a major root cause of diabetes and the American Diabetes Association estimates that 26 million Americans are living with diabetes and another 79 million are thought to be pre-diabetic, including those with insulin resistance.[read more]

A recent study published online in PLOS ONE discusses how data from Facebook can be utilized by pubic health workers for surveillance of obesity prevalence.[read more]

There is one thing clear about Lap-Bands: it is taking care of the patients after surgery, teaching them how to use the band, that is critical in how it is used. There have been a number of reports in the literature about centers that have removed bands, didn’t have the results with the bands that many others have reported, and felt that their results with the band must be global results. Those results are in stark contrast to Lap-Band surgeons who use the band a lot, who have great results with their patients, who see their patients often.[read more]

Cuba, before and after? / shutterstock

During the period of the economic crisis in the first half of the 1990s, Cubans were walking and bicycling more after their public transportation system collapsed, and eating less. This enforced fitness regime lasted only until the Cuban economy began to recover in the second half of the 1990s.[read more]

Fried Chicken- a favorite- this nicely prepared by my good friend Dolce Debbie

Simple thinking: if I eat fat, and I get fatty liver disease, then it must be the fat that caused the fatty liver. Turns out that human beings are not that simple. It was that same simplistic thinking that led to: if I eat fat, and have fat in my arteries, then it must have been the fat that I ate that caused this- so I should eat less fat.[read more]

Calories in equal calories out is the physics formula that many have incorrectly used to describe how to lose weight. In Coca-Cola’s world, almost any calorie is fine, if you expend the energy. That is not the case. It is not a simple matter of taking in and expending calories, it is a matter of what you do with those calories once you have them.[read more]

This start-up just may not make it. The HapiFork from China will vibrate if it feels that you are eating too fast. It's coming out in February and will set you back about $100 dollars. On top of that it needs an app! You can take pictures of what you are eating too. Watch the video - it tells the story...[read more]

Obesity has become a national health crisis in the United States. Carrying about significant amounts of extra weight significantly increases the risk of several serious and potentially deadly health conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer. The costs of treating obesity-related illnesses puts a severe strain on the healthcare system as well, which negatively impacts everyone.[read more]

Ok, here is some pre-work for you as you prepare for your annual Thanksgiving stuffing (pun intended). Thanks to TDWI writer, Dr. Kevin Campbell, for sharing what that meal is going to do to our blood vessels and to our waistlines. Groan…one more thing to worry about.[read more]

It is taken as fact that weight loss, which is associated with many diseases, will reduce the risk of these diseases, but is this really true?[read more]

Usually, the problem with dieting is that people run out of motivation and support and just end up gaining the weight back. Autom is a weight loss coach that takes care of all that...and more. She adapts to your behavior and keeps track of what you eat and how much you exercise. She talks to you and advises you. She is low-maintenance and personable. And she's cute![read more]