Factors In Obesity And Overweight

There are many potential factors contributing to obesity and overweight. Some of which include: Poor diets with insufficient high quality nutrients,  excessive calorie-dense foods and beverages, stress, lack of quality sleep, sedentary lifestyle, hormonal imbalances and an unhealthy gut microbiome. See the complete list:

Do you have?

• Type 2 diabetes
• Pre-diabetes and Metabolic syndrome
• High blood pressure
• Heart disease and Strokes
• Cholesterol and Lipid problems
• Cancers (breast, colon, kidney, liver, endometrial)
• Sleep apnea
• Osteoarthritis
• Fatty liver disease
• Gallbladder disease
• Reflux disease /GERD
• Kidney disease
• Poor quality of life
• PCOS
• Mental illness such as depression, or anxiety
• Body pain and difficulty with physical function
• Infertility
• Fatigue
• Hormonal imbalances
• Pregnancy problems, such as high blood sugar during pregnancy, high blood pressure, and increased risk for cesarean delivery (C-section)

These comorbidities and symptoms can all be associated with excess body fat especially around the mid-section, called visceral adiposity. Furthermore, fat cells produce chemicals that initiate a cascade of inflammatory processes throughout the body, leading to other health issues. For those who are obese, health-care costs are almost $1,500 more per person per year than someone of healthy weight.

Medical Weight Loss in the DC area for Obesity and Related Conditions

The functional medicine approach to medical weight loss combines traditional tests with advanced functional testing tools to gain more detailed information. Are there barriers for weight loss in your physiology? Once testing is complete, a personalized treatment plan is created based on the individual patient’s needs.

Comprehensive History

The first step is to gather the patient’s history as far back as in utero to better understand the antecedents, triggers and mediators of the disease process. This can often times be done electronically in advance of the appointment. Anthropometrics and biomarkers are evaluated using the latest technology and clinical indicators helping to create a complete picture of one’s health.

Advanced Laboratory Testing

Additional advanced laboratory tests will further explore the “true health” status of the patient. This testing can reveal nutritional, metabolic, hormonal, and genetic factors playing a role in the disease process, which may hinder the patient from losing weight. Individualized diagnostic testing may also be recommended based on comorbidities.

• Comprehensive functional nutritional testing
• Leptin
• Stool GI Map test
• Adiponectin
• Insulin
• Hormones
• Complete Thyroid Panel (including antibodies)
• Advanced Lipid Analysis
• Inflammatory markers
• Stool analysis
• Oxidative stress
• Heavy Metal Toxicities
• Specific Genetic Testing
• Sleep study
• Coronary Calcium Score

A Personalized Treatment Plan

Monitoring Progress

We may work in collaboration with patient’s primary care to keep them informed of their progress and to refer them for additional medical tests and assessments.

In summary, NIHA’s Medical Weight Loss program blends advanced lab testing, nutrition, medication and other tools to determine what the best weight loss strategy is for your unique needs.

Get started today. CALL 202-237-7000 or request an appointment.