Specifically, obesity can be a primary, chronic disease.  Obesity can be caused or exacerbated by genetic, psychosocial, or environmental factors.  Obesity is most commonly progressive and can be fatal.  Obesity is characterized by impaired control over eating, preoccupation with eating, overeating despite adverse consequences, and distortions in thinking, most notably denial. (I’m not overweight, I’m just big boned)

There is a small minority of obese patients who have genetic or glandular conditions which are the primary cause of their obesity, and these patients are readily diagnosed and treated through medical means.  Most persons who are obese have reached their current condition because of psychosocial or environmental factors.  These patients are much more difficult to treat because of the complexities of the root cause of their obesity.

The area to concentrate upon in treating obesity is the ‘impaired control over eating’ aspect of the disease.  To some this may indicate a lack of will-power, or lack or self-control.  But it demonstrates the addictive properties that food has for many people. For many of the obese, food has become their way to cope with the stresses of life.  Just as the smoker looks to a cigarette when stress increases, the alcoholic needs a drink to face life, so to does the obese person crave their ‘comfort foods’ to bring them security and comfort in a stressful world.

Does that mean that obesity can be, and should be, treated similar to alcoholism?  In the vast majority of cases –YES.  What may have begun by a little overeating or decrease in exercise has become an addictive disorder that needs to be addressed as such.  That means a comprehensive approach to treatment which addresses as many aspects of the condition as possible.  The psychological, the emotional, and the physical components all need to be addressed for long term success in fighting obesity.

As in treating any addictive condition, the first step is the recognition and admission that there is a problem.  If the patient does feel that they have a problem, then all the treatment and counseling that you provide for the patient will be marginally successful, at best.  You should also avoid quick fixes such as fad diets, appetite suppressant drugs, and surgical procedures, as these will typically not have the desired effects on the obese patient’s condition.

The best and most successful way to treat obesity, as in many chronic disease conditions, is through lifestyle changes.  Lifestyle medicine, where the doctor provides instruction and counseling, will have the best chance of permanently managing the obese patient’s condition.   Finding and treating the root cause of the obese patient’s food addiction, no matter what form it may take, will provide the treating healthcare provider with the best chance for successfully controlling the patient’s weight and improving their health.  Once the factors that are causing the patient’s overeating problems are isolated, than a successful treatment program can be developed to reduce or eliminate the patient’s dependence on food to satisfy their addiction.

The successful healthcare provider will spend time determining the cause of the food addiction, and address this issue first and foremost.  The concierge doctor who takes the time to fully understand their patient, and the lifestyle medical provider who understands the importance of treating the whole patient, will be successful in treating obesity.  Once the underlying factors causing the obesity disorder is diagnosed and addressed, then any of the typical treatments for weight loss can be employed with expected results.

Reducing the obesity problem in America will free up more healthcare resources for other non-preventable diseases which require comprehensive and expensive treatment regimens.  We have limited resources to direct to healthcare in America.  We need to stop spending so much of the healthcare dollar on preventable diseases.  Getting the obesity problem under control will go a long way toward achieving this goal.