Medical Weight Loss
- Personalized medical weight loss program in the Washington, DC area
- Lifestyle changes and medications for weight loss
- Functional medicine approach addresses the “root cause” for long term success
- Advanced lab testing to determine barriers to weight loss
- Treats health issues associated with obesity
NIHA’s Medical weight loss program in the Washington, DC area blends a personalized approach with advanced lab testing, nutrition,weight loss medications and other tools to determine what your unique requirements are for weight loss.
As obesity is not caused by a single factor, there is not a single solution. Weight loss is determined by the interaction of one’s unique physiology and the environmental influences that are acting upon it.
Dr. Girish Kalva is board certified in Obesity Medicine and has been working with patients for medical weight loss for several years. Collectively, his patients have lost over 10,000 pounds!
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.
Exclusive NIHA Medical Weight Loss Articles
Wheat- How Many Times A Day Do You Eat This Food?
I’m reading a really interesting book these days….it’s been sitting on my shelf for quite awhile and I finally picked it up. It’s a New York Times bestseller called “Wheat Belly”, by William Davis, MD. I have quite a few people in my life that could benefit from the author’s conclusion that wheat can aggravate a variety of conditions from migraine headaches to diabetes to arthritis. He notes that the average American consumes 133 lbs. of wheat /year which translates in to more than half a loaf of bread daily! Now, not everyone consumes that much bread, but how about cereals, cookies, crackers, cakes, pretzels, pizza, burgers, bagels, muffins, pastries, pasta, wraps………you get the picture.
Why Diets are Fattening (And What To Do To Really Lose Weight)
If you've ever lost weight by dieting only to gain it all back (and then some) upon returning to your previous dietary habits, then you're no stranger to the vicious cycle of yo-yo dieting. Sadly, this roller coaster ride of ups and downs in our weight is more than...