James E. Rice, M.D., of FirstHealth Orthopaedics. “But with weight reduction, you do take the stress off so you delay the need for surgical intervention. If surgery is still needed, any weight-loss reduction will help make it more successful.” According to the American Obesity Association (AOA), back and joint pain is widespread among the nearly one-third of Americans who are classified as obese. AOA also reports that more obese people say they are disabled and less able to complete everyday activities than people with other chronic conditions. Dr. Rice compares the stress of excess weight on the body to the effect caused by carrying around a 50-pound sack of potatoes all day. “The musculoskeletal system wasn’t intended to support that much body mass,” he says. www.firsthealth.org/ortho
Cancer and weight Obesity will soon become the leading preventable cause of cancer—even surpassing tobacco. According to the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), more than 40,000 cancer diagnoses are linked to obesity each year. So are 15 to 20 percent of all cancer deaths. Obesity is also linked to poor cancer outcomes, including a higher risk of recurrence. Evidence indicates that breast, prostate and colorectal cancers have especially strong obesity links, but weight is also suspected in a number of other cancers including childhood leukemia.
“Patients are always looking for things they can do to help prevent or reduce the risk of recurrence of cancer. While I think it is easier for them to see the link between obesity and hypertension or heart disease, there is also a link between obesity and certain types of cancer. Controlling their weight is a risk factor for certain cancers that they can control.” —Ellen M. Willard, M.D. FirstHealth Outpatient Cancer Center
According to the ASCO, obesity also presents challenges in cancer detection and treatment since obese patients are more likely to put off seeking medical care and less likely to participate in screening programs or get preventive testing. They also present challenges in terms of imaging quality, radiation therapy, chemotherapy and surgery. www.nccancercare.org
Depression and weight There is something of a chicken-and-egg relationship between excess weight and depression. Does the weight gain cause the depression or does the depression cause the weight gain?
“You can’t just have one foot in the door (with lifestyle change.) You’ve got to have both feet.” — Devon Burnore, M.S., LPC, LCAS, NCC FirstHealth Behavioral Services With some people, even something as routine as a “bad day” can send a person heading for the refrigerator and the comfort of a big dish of ice cream, according to Devon Burnore, M.S, LPC, LCAS, NCC. “We treat ourselves to things that are bad,” she says. “It’s a vicious cycle.” A licensed professional counselor and licensed clinical addictions specialist with FirstHealth Behavioral Services, Burnore does the psychological evaluations for FirstHealth patients who are being assessed for weightloss surgery. She also counsels people with eating disorders. She says it’s important to know why a person overeats and to identify when the struggle with food began. Is it a matter of real hunger or is it stress? Is it binge-eating or a way to self-medicate? It helps to have a support system—a friend or relative in similar circumstances or even the structure of an organization like Overeaters Anonymous. Filling free time with an activity can also help—reading, exercising, even cooking, as long as it’s healthy food. “Something that fulfills the need for food,” Burnore says. www.firsthealth.org/behavioral
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