Welcome to our blog & Theme of the month 'Obesity'

Hi bloggers,

Finally we have not only a blog but also a website and newsletter. How exciting! We plan to use these tools to bring you up to date information about health that will have a positive and important impact on your lives as our valued clients and patients, in addition to this we will report on activities at the office in Hawthorn regarding all the practitioners at the office and any upcoming events.

Team@Wellbeing

Yours in good health, 

Tom Dawson (Chiropractor), Gae O'Neil Donnellon (Kinesiologist), Sarah-Jane Purnell (Naturopath), Clare Sullivan (Myotherapist), Paul Dowie (Podiatrist), Deanna McIntosh (Receptionist), Nat Nicque (Marketing Manager).

Theme of the month: 'Obesity'

Chiropractor’s perspective

Our first practice focus topic for the Newsletter starts this July and it’s a focus on Obesity. Obesity is when the overall fat content in our bodies has reached a level where it puts us at risk of a myriad of diseases that include heart disease, diabetes, strokes and cancer and that is just the really obvious ones we've all heard of. The annual cost to our society through lost productivity, the health system and the cost of caring for these grossly overweight people and the problems that have been created by their lifestyles is $58 billion dollars per year, put more simply, its $158 million PER DAY and that was in 2010, the problem is probably not getting any better.  In the years between 1995 and 2008 the number of people considered to be living a sedentary lifestyle, one that is lower in the level of recommended activity to remain healthy increased significantly, and much of the problem is that our children are adopting our poor habits. Childhood obesity is such a problem now that what used to be known as adult onset diabetes, caused by overeating sugary and fatty foods and a high stress lifestyle, is now known as Type 2 diabetes as children are now getting it, there are now 7.5 % of our children’s population that are considered obese and studies have shown that once children are classified as obese the risk of them being obese in adulthood increases enormously. When the adult rate of obesity is already 55% for women and 68% for men we are looking at health crisis like no other we have ever faced, ever, its really as bad as that.  

The only possible answer for this is to adjust our diet, exercise, lifestyle habits and to lower our stress levels responsible for some of the physiological effects of weight gain, there is no other solution. In the past few years the use of medication for obese related illnesses has gone up dramatically and crisis interventions such as lap band surgery, even having portions of some peoples stomach removed are being recommended yet the problem of lifestyle and exercise seems to be one that our health care system is not addressing well enough.  Our practice Nutritionist Sarah-Jane who has experience in corporate health initiatives has highlighted to me that workplace checks are terrific for diagnosis of illness but the solutions presented are the same old medical ones like medication with very little follow through on the long term health and wellbeing of the individual involved.

The obvious subject for me to discuss as a Chiropractor would be to discuss the increase in weight gain from the point of view that it puts more stress on the spine and our joints and leads to everything hurting more, more chances of contracting degenerative joint diseases and doing yourself more injuries, but it’s so much more than that.  Studies have shown that problems with the spine contribute to an increase in bad health on a neurological level as well, when our spines are unhealthy, neurological reactions mean we are more likely to build fat around our organs, we are more likely to increase the levels of hormones in our system that contribute to stress and therefore heart disease and diabetic conditions happen over time.   It is important to remember that these are NORMAL responses to stress when the body enters this stress state, this CATABOLIC survival state, the ONLY long term real solution is lifestyle change, lowering the different forms of stress is the only way that we can return the body to its natural state by addressing how we eat, how we move and how we think! The final thing that is important is that it is not about PAIN, these processes can be happening in your body with no pain whatsoever, something like back pain is the last symptom of the problem of an unhealthy spine, not the first, so when do we need to have our spines checked?

At Wellbeing we are striving to offer our community a practice where most aspects of your lifestyle can be addressed and YOU can make a decision how much healthier you want to become. If you are obese or looking for solutions to your health problems, we can help you on many levels at Wellbeing.

Naturopath’s perspective
As a Naturopath and Nutritionist I consider obesity as an absolute health priority. Good health is about doing the best by your body, working with it to prevent potential imbalances and diseases from occurring. As Dr Tom Dawson has outlined above, obesity related conditions are costing the health care system a staggeringly high amount of money and too many lives are being cut short due to a condition that simply is preventable. As a practitioner of Wellbeing Hawthorn I am passionate about disease prevention and bringing about the best possible health in each individual I see. 

Firstly how do you know if you are obese?

According to the World Health Organisation:

• a BMI greater than or equal to 25 is overweight
• a BMI greater than or equal to 30 is obesity

A potential flaw with the Body Mass Index (BMI) definition is that it doesn’t allow for an accurate description of actual body fat on the individual. Another important measurement to assess risk for developing obesity related diseases according to the National Health and Medical Research Council is the waist circumference measurement. 

Increased risk
- Men: more than 94 centimetres
- Women: more than 80 centimetres

Greatly increased risk
- Men: more than 102 centimetres
- Women: more than 88 centimetres

We are able to go a step further here at Wellbeing Hawthorn and use Bio-Impedance Technology to assess your body fat %, muscle mass, metabolic rate, metabolic age and hydration levels to assess total health risk.

Working toward a solution

If you have been diagnosed as either overweight or obese it can be overwhelming to decide the best next step. We are bombarded with a smorgasboard of potential weight loss programs and diets claiming to quickly and easily shed our excess kilos. In my many years of working closely with weight management I hear time and time again cases where a particular diet (usually involving calorie/kilojoule or nutrient reduction) has indeed reduced kilograms however those kilograms and often a few more are regained very soon once the diet is finished. Another common story is that no matter how little someone eats or how much they exercise, nothing seems to make a difference to their weight, they have hit a roadblock. Understandably with any failed weight loss attempt frustration follows as does resignation that successful long term weight loss is all too difficult.

Treatment with a Naturopathic Nutritionist is different. I seek to understand the underlying cause of your weight gain and identify any roadblocks you may have on your journey to a healthy weight. 

Roadblocks may include:

• Stress
• Elevated Cortisol levels      
  
• Hormonal changes        
• Thyroid conditions       
  
• Medication
• Toxicity     
  
• Blood sugar imbalance & insulin resistance 
• Emotional eating
• Emotional sabotage not allowing yourself to reach your goals due to feelings of being unworthy or undeserving

After identifying any roadblocks and treating them accordingly I will then recommend a program that best suits the individual client. This may involve small steady dietary and lifestyle changes or a fully integrated program like the highly successful Shake-it program from Metagenics. What I have learnt over the years of working in weight loss is that not one plan fits all, what is required is an individual approach and establishing a long term program to restore healthy weight and optimal health.

Myotherapist’s perspective

“Take care of your body.  It’s the only place you have to live” – Jim Rohn

Obesity affects so much more than our appearance. Effects of obesity on the muscular system alone can result in pain, dysfunction and wear and tear on our body’s supportive structures.  This can lead to a young person’s body working and feeling “like it is one hundred years old” completely unnecessarily.

Obesity causes increased strain and load on our body’s weight bearing joints such as the knees, hips and back.  This leads to the muscles that support and stabilise these joints to be put under immense pressure and strain.  This can lead to pain, injury and arthritis.  In turn, losing excess weight can help take some of the strain off from our body’s supportive structures.  You only get one body to carry you through your whole life, and it is worth looking after.

Kinesiologist’s perspective

Obesity and eating disorders often have an underlying emotional dysfunction (stress eating) coupled with psychological conditioning  (comfort eating) for example as children we are given a treat after an accident.

The hypothalamus in the brain has two centres dealing with appetite, the feeding centre and satiety centre.

The feeding centre is always active and is inhibited or controlled by the satiety centre (I am full) centre.

Kinesiology can help by alleviating the stress involved in making dietary changes in your life, making healthy food choices. Helping the body feel satisfied and function at an optimum level of performance and contentment when on a weight loss program.