Food addiction: the more effective treatment

Obesity can be considered a "chronic intoxication with calories." In this context, hospital treatment markedly facilitates weight loss and maintenance of results.

Data provided by Prof. Dr. Ricardo Chiosso (MP 13766), Medical Director in Diquecito Sanitarium.

• "Obesity is a disease difficult to manage, and requires long-term treatment to promote the development and maintenance of lifelong healthy habits."

• "Eating foods very tasty and pleasant creates an effect similar to the one of substance abuse. This "food-drug", a concept that has gained importance in the medical community over the past 10 years, is a central element to take into account when drawing a treatment against overweight, due to its high impact on the brain”.

• "When looking at specific receptors in brain of patients addicted to certain substances (for those who have lost control over alcohol and other drugs), the differences are not significant compared to those who abuse food intake".

• "In this context, obesity is a chronic disease and as a result of addiction to the food, the failure rate is very high."

• "The medical approach to a disease that involves a food addiction, and requires a profound change in habits, must include six essential elements to make the results endure over time: food, physical activity, psychotherapy (individual / group), drug therapy, surgery and hospitalization, each applied at the time and opportunity that requires each patient, and always taking into account that the best strategy is the all of them."

• "These weight loss strategies should involve a well-designed low-calorie program, healthy changes in lifestyle, individual support, reduction of calories from fat, regular physical activity, frequent contact with the patient and medication (in some cases), always framed in a treatment program aimed at changing habits."

Advantages of admission

Facing the complexities of treatment, the hospital becomes an option with many advantages in pursuit of favorable and long-lasting results. Its implementation entails the following advantages compared to other outpatient treatments:

1) Minimize the desertion. Admission purposes of weight loss minimize dropping out of treatment, compared to the high risk of dropping out of outpatient plans. Medical containment from both nutritionally and psychologically, reverses all the factors that threaten the continuity of the diet and, consequently, the achievement of the objectives.

2) Reduce the associated diseases. The hospital is in a remarkable clinical improvement of the conditions associated with obesity such as hypertension, gastro-intestinal disorders, metabolic disorders such as hyperglycemia, severe joint pain (hip, knee and lumbar mostly), sleep apnea and snoring, among others.

3) Improve the approach to cases of "intractable obesity." It is highly recommended in these cases, i.e. patients who need to reduce their body mass and cannot do on an outpatient basis because they maintain a high-fat diet, no physical activity and a stressful life, among other causes.

4) It provides more restraint to the patient. The placement is important as a means of restraint in situations of "crisis of life." The loss of loved ones, removal, migration of children and changes in working conditions, including stressful situations, are usually associated with sudden increases in weight. These can be reversed by a comprehensive medical approach that helps the patient to hold stress, retrain and change habits that result in a healthy weight.

5) Improving the pre and post operative. The rapid weight loss product of a placement is recommended in cases of pre-operative, for example in trauma interventions (hip replacement, knee), cardiovascular (bypass, angioplasty), digestive and plastic (post- weight loss: repair and model). Thus there is a reduction of surgical risk. It is also the ideal context to acquire the proper habits after surgery.

6) Preparation for bariatric surgery, and better post-operatively. In the case of pre-surgical view of laparoscopic surgery, lower weight causes an improvement of clinical conditions, and a decrease in size of liver and fat. In the case of post-operative, there is a reduction of disturbances, and learning of diet-therapy technique that patients apply on the future.

7) Minimize the "plateau effect" in the context of a long-term outpatient treatment. The hospital encourages what is known as "phased progress" of weight loss. Serve to reinforce eating behaviors and physical activity desirable. Also educates patients in the setting of targets in short-term modules, concrete and achievable.

8) Improving motivation. This improvement in motivation helps enhance compliance with treatment of obesity, initiate a process of change, through multidisciplinary education. This helps to multiply by 4 the results obtained with ambulatory efforts well done.

9) Help to learn new habits. The hospital promotes the application of behavioral changes in food with reduced calorie intake, as in physical activity habits.

10) Allows the study and investigation of each case. Allow a deep and continuous observation from a clinical point of view of the obese patient behavioral. As a side benefit, facilitates the production of research papers with large volumes of patients, enabling further progress to improve future strategies for treating patients.

DIQUECITO HEALTH RESORT
Ruta E-55, Km- 13 y ½ – El Diquecito, La Calera (Córdoba, Argentina)
Teléfonos: 0810 444 3438 – (03543) 460544 – 466131
Más detalles en: www.diquecito.com.ar

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