Individualized Weight Loss Plans

During the last decade, more than 50% of my patients reported weight gain and constantly struggling to maintain a healthy body weight. The trends in overweight problems were reflected in a study from the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), the “obesity rate among adult Americans was estimated at 32.2% for men and 35.5% for women, and the numbers continue to rise.” Yet it is important to emphasize the words healthy weight because for each person the numbers will be different regardless of their height and weight.

All too often I see people becoming obsessed with the body mass index (BMI), which is used to determine if a person is overweight. Based on my knowledge of medicine, determining an individual’s ideal weight requires a detailed health history intake, a physical exam, and a toxicity questionnaire (including an evaluation of the individual’s physical and emotional conditions and environmental quality). In other words, many factors must be considered before determining the optimal goal for a patient. It is not about the numbers; it’s about feeling healthy, happy, and light!

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has a wise approach to achieving and maintaining an ideal healthy weight for each individual person. TCM does not treat “excess weight”; rather, it concentrates on the underlying body condition that may have led to the excess weight.

The most common and critical conditions are emotional health, anxiety, depression, inability to manage stress, emotional childhood and adult trauma, pressure at work, unstable relationships, and sleep deprivation. All these factors are a high priority to address if you want to lose weight. You can eat healthy foods and exercise like crazy, but if you do not learn how to manage your mental health you will never be successful in weight loss. You might lose weight by using one of the many available meal programs, but more often than not you will experience the traditional yo-yo effect because the underlying issue is not being managed.

Another major cause leading to increased weight is endocrine problems: hypothyroidism, excessive glucocorticoid production, growth hormone deficiency, and/or hypothalamus dysfunction. Numerous hormones are important to maintain a healthy weight. One of them insulin, which is produced by the pancreas and regulates your blood sugar level as well as your metabolism of fat and carbohydrates. Being overweight can lead to insulin resistance and cause type 2 diabetes. Another important hormone is leptin, which is produced by the adipose (fat) cells and plays a role in suppressing the appetite. If patients are resistant to leptin, they can become extremely overweight because the brain never receives the signal to stop eating. In addition, changing levels of sex hormones—estrogen (for females) and testosterone (for males)—play a big role in body fat distribution. Once an individual (whether male or female) hits 40 years of age, it’s common for these hormones to decrease, leading to the accumulation of fat tissue. Growth hormones, which are produced by the pituitary gland, also affect metabolism; if they are deficient, the body will start to accumulate fat.

The list of the health problems which can lead to obesity can be long. In this article, I focused on two major causes I often see in my private practice. How can I help you lose weight?

None of my patients follow some “standard protocol” to lose weight. The first appointment with me, which lasts from 90 minutes to 2 hours, includes a detailed health history intake, main complaints, and a physical exam. I then develop an individualized plan for you according to your specific health conditions and goals. The sessions will include:

-acupuncture
-points injection therapy,
-teaching self-hypnosis techniques,
-prescribe natural herbs, supplements, homeopathy
-create a detox protocol based on whole food
-establish dietary meal plan according to body constitution and health problems based on TCM theory,
-advice what is the best and safe exercise modalities you can use,
-teaching simple and effective lifestyle changes you can make to improve your health and quality of your life.

The duration of the weight loss program is 2-3 months and dependent of patient goals.
I will be happy to answer all your questions regarding this program. I offer 30 min free consultation sessions “Meet the Doctor” which you can easily book online via my website.

My goal is to make you feel Happy and Healthy!!!
Yours, Dr. Tatyana.

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