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Weight Management

by Dr. Raj Rakhra

Obesity clearly poses a danger to good health. It has been associated with numerous health problems including heart disorders, high blood pressure, diabetes, gall bladder disease, respiratory conditions and certain types of cancer such as breast and endometrial cancer in women and cancer of the colon and rectum in men. Obesity also results in a decreased life span for both men and women. Commercial diets for weight loss have been shown to be ineffective and even damaging to health. A well-balanced diet, which avoids excessive fatty foods, includes regular exercise, drinking plenty of pure water and reducing stress can help maintain a healthy weight, compatible with one's body type. Weight loss has become a national obsession in North America which is often fueled by the urge to meet the artificial standard of beauty, fostered by the fashion industry. The fact is that one quarter of our population are overweight. Even more troubling is that the number of overweight children is increasing. When these children grow up to become overweight adults, it will lead to an even greater frequency of adult obesity.

An abnormally high proportion of body fat indicates obesity. Although it is commonly assumed that obesity is due to overeating. In fact a complex interaction between one's culture, environment, exercise habits, eating styles as well as ones genetic makeup, biochemical individuality and physiological set points are all playing part in being over or underweight. There are other conditions such as food allergies, nutritional deficiencies that are often easily treatable. Other reasons why weight gain is problematic may be due to sluggish metabolism, chemical toxicity, insulin imbalance, impaired thermo genesis, the mechanism by which fat is burned to produce heat, excessive dieting, or psychological factors. Sometimes obesity may be a signal that more serious disorders need to be diagnosed, such as hypothyroidism or Cushing's Syndrome (hyper secretion of adrenal cortex in which excessive glucocorticoids are produced disrupting protein and carbohydrate metabolism).

Thin people often have a higher metabolic rate and burn calories at a much faster rate than obese individuals. Metabolic rate (BMR) is the rate by which the body utilizes energy. The type of food a person eats may affect metabolic rate. Complex carbohydrates are most effective in raising the metabolic rate. Fats have a negative net effect because, while they may increase the metabolic rate somewhat they don't increase it enough to offset the added calories.

An inefficient thyroid gland (hypothyroidism) can be the cause of sluggish metabolic rate. It is very possible that lab tests will not indicate the existence of the hypothyroidism. Other tests, such as basal body temperature and symptoms, such as chronic constipation, fatigue, feeling cold and a tendency to gain weight may point to sub clinical hypothyroidism. Correcting this problem often leads to weight loss.

Impaired Thermogenesis - The body contains two types of fat tissue - white adipose tissue stores fat and brown adipose tissue burns up fat to produce heat in a process called thermogenesis. Impairment in this process may lead to obesity and lead to deposits of fat into white adipose tissue. Chronic dieting can alter its function.

Fat-Stored Chemical Toxins - Most environment toxins are stored in the fat tissues. The accumulation and storage of these toxic materials is called "toxic bioaccumulation." One physical response to subtoxic chemical exposure is obesity and possibly a higher fat to muscle ratio.

Insulin Imbalance - Many cases of obesity are due to an imbalance of the hormone insulin. Insulin allows the body to utilize glucose and carbohydrates. Factors such as genetic predisposition, food allergies, eating habits, and stress may interfere with glucose and carbohydrate utilization resulting in a condition known as glucose intolerance and obesity. Excessive sugar consumption may also contribute to glucose intolerance and obesity. If insulin is not rapidly cleared from the blood stream after a meal, it will cause an individual to feel hungry. Usually insulin signals the body to stop eating, but if the person has chronically elevated glucose levels due to inefficient insulin, he may eat more. Thus the more refined
carbohydrates a person eats, the hungrier he or she may become. Since the insulin is not converting the glucose to energy, more glucose is then moved into the fat cells to create more fat.

Dieting - Low-calorie diets and exercise have been the typical solution for losing weight. Whenever the body is deprived of food, it ensures survival by decreasing the metabolic rate in order to compensate for fewer calories. The energy is stored so efficiently into the adipose tissue that some one of normal weight can survive for almost two months without eating.

Psychological Factors - Food is a part of all our social activities. Food is used to help celebrate almost all holidays and other events. Dieting can make a person feel deprived of something and feel emotionally down, and eating can temporarily curb that feeling of loneliness and depression. While many people can eat comfort foods under stress, problems can arise when unhappiness leads to chronic over eating. When someone eats for reasons other than hunger, then often professional help is required. The goal of behavior treatment is to modify eating and physical activity, typically focusing on gradual changes.

Treatment - Proper diet and exercise are the most effective ways to lose weight. However it is not always how much a person eats, but what a person eats that is important. It is also important to eat complex carbohydrates.

Detoxification - Obesity is almost always associated with toxicity, as many toxins are stored in the tissues. During weight loss we lose toxins, more toxins than normally and thus we need protection through greater intake of water, fiber and antioxidant nutrients such as Vitamin C, E, beta-carotene, selenium and zinc. Lcysteine can also be used to help the liver and intestines detoxify.

A whole food diet and the occasional vegetable juice fast, exercise and relaxation are all helpful as well as drinking eight glasses of water supplemented with cranberry juice extract to help the kidneys flush out toxic wastes. Fiber (Triflax Forte) is required to move waste from the colon and milk thistle cleanses the liver. Limit the intake of fats, increase exercise, and reduce simple carbohydrates. Food fuels the furnace of metabolism, exercise stokes the fire. Exercise that causes sweating and heavy breathing is sugar-burning exercise. Overweight people need fat burning exercise, which requires, slow sustained activity. Forty five to sixty minutes of vigorous walking every day is best.

We also use Ayurvedic herbs Triflax forte to detoxify the colon, YR gugglu to stimulate metabolism and other supplements that are rich in fiber and amino acids to help achieve the necessary weight loss.

Dr. Rakhra's clinic is located at 121 - 14 Street North West in Calgary, Alberta. He may be reached at: 270-7033. See display ad at the beginning of this article for more information.Visit his website at: www.aynh.com



Dr. Rakhra's clinic is located at 121 - 14 Street North West in Calgary, Alberta.
He may be reached at: 403-270-7033.
See display ad in this issue for more information.
Visit his webiste at: www.aynh.com

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