Conditions We Treat

ADHD is a complicated diagnosis for many parents to handle. It is easy to feel stuck between a rock and a hard place when it comes to treatment. On one hand, your child’s ADHD will most likely make school difficult. On the other hand, giving your child stimulants can be equally as scary.

At CentreSpring MD, we treat children with ADHD every week and often see their symptoms almost disappear when we find the right treatment plan. Our approach to ADHD is treatment from the cause instead of the symptoms. ADHD is believed to be caused by a deficiency of dopamine (a neurotransmitter) in the brain, a serotonin deficiency or imbalance of norepinephrine. Stimulants increase dopamine in the brain but at the cost of side-effects like loss of appetite, nervousness, headaches, nausea and trouble sleeping. Our goal is to find what is blocking the production and maintenance of neurotransmitter

levels and treat the root instead of the symptoms.

Many vitamin deficiencies cause symptoms such as inattentiveness, hyperactivity and forgetfulness. One of the first tests I do on children with ADHD is an extensive, functional medicine nutritional evaluation. This test tells me whether or not a patient is low in a certain amino acid, vitamin, fatty acid or heavy metal. It also evaluates issues like methylation and oxidative stress. Also important is the test’s ability to tell me if a patient has heavy metal toxicity from mercury or lead.

Vitamin B12: B12 is involved in the production and maintenance of the myelin sheath (the protective coating on nerve cells), essential fatty acid metabolism and energy production. Sufficient B12 can also help boost the production of certain neurotransmitters and catecholamines.

Magnesium: Known for having a calming effect through its role in neurotransmitter synthesis, such as serotonin. Magnesium is involved in over three hundred bodily processes. Signs of a deficiency include sensitivity to loud noises, insomnia, anxiety, hyperactivity, restlessness, panic attacks, salt craving, and both carbohydrate craving and carbohydrate intolerance.

Omega 3 Fatty Acids: Healthy fats are vitally important for your wellbeing and they are even more important for children. In fact, studies have shown that many children with ADHD have very low blood levels of omega 3 fatty acids. Omega 3 fatty acids DHA and EPA are important structurally and functionally for the brain. EPA affects hormone metabolism, dopamine (neurotransmitter that regulates mood) metabolism and immune systems. DHA is the major structural component of nerve cells.

Food allergies and intolerances have been connected to ADHD. In addition to vitamin deficiencies, I also consider possible food allergies or intolerances. Recent studies have found food additives or a gluten intolerance may be linked to ADHD. An elimination diet and keeping a food diary is a good way determine whether an allergy or intolerance is triggering certain symptoms.

Sleep is often undervalued for those with ADHD. Children with ADHD, on average, need more sleep than non-ADHD children. Lack of sleep can also exacerbate or mimic symptoms of ADHD.

Recent research into meditation for ADHD shows that transcendental meditation reduces anxiety and stress by 50% while also improving attentiveness and concentration. Meditation is ideal for those with ADHD because it does not require focus, but rather practicing an awareness of one’s surroundings. You can start teaching children about meditation by setting aside time every day for them to sit quietly and draw or read. You can also model the behavior for them and have them join you during meditation.

Research also shows that children who play outdoors in “green space” or a place with grass and trees have significantly milder ADHD symptoms than those who play in a “built space” or indoors. Children with hyperactive symptoms benefitted the most from open spaces, like a soccer field or a lawn. Green space also showed improvement in concentration and impulse control.

Treatment of ADHD is about finding what works best for your child. Unlocking the right treatment plan is a process, but will make school a better experience for your child. Call us at 404.814.9808 to schedule an appointment for your child with one of our providers.

Anxiety can be a serious condition that can be detrimental to your overall health. In integrative medicine, we know that anxiety can lead to a host of many chronic diseases. Instead of prescribing medication to simply mask your symptoms of anxiety, at CentreSpring MD we aim to get to the root cause through the use of natural remedies.

Conventional medication is reported to not keep the majority, more than 70%, of patients in remission after 5 years. Fortunately, many natural remedies exist that do not carry with them the side effects of conventional medication, nutrition being one of the main components. Eating a diet rich in B vitamins, magnesium and Omega-3 fatty acids can greatly reduce symptoms of anxiety. In addition, supplements and essential oils can also be helpful.

Some Causes and Symptoms

While anxiety is our body’s natural response to stressful situations, it can also be detrimental to our health when it is excessively prevalent in our day-to-day lives. If anxiety is your response in situations where it isn’t appropriate, and it is a constant feeling for you, that is when you know you must take steps to minimize symptoms and begin to heal.

Common causes of anxiety are:

• Stress
• Past traumatic experience
• Thyroid imbalance
• Hormone imbalance
• Too much caffeine or sugar
• Excessive drinking

Common symptoms include:

• Tightness in the chest
• Muscle tension
• Fast heartbeat/heart palpatations
• High blood pressure
• Trouble sleeping/insomnia
• Panic attacks
• Irritability
• Lack of concentration
• Digestive issues

Treatment

While there are many medications on the market that claim to treat anxiety, as mentioned above, they often come with unpleasant and even dangerous side effects.

Natural treatments that are proven to help reduce your symptoms range from supplementation, to essential oils, to nutrition.

Supplements:

• Ashwagandha
• Kava root
• GABA
• Magnesium
• B Complex

Diet:

• Minimally processed foods; aim for a clean, well-balanced diet
• Limit sugar intake
• Little to no caffeine or alcohol

Essential oils:

• Lavendar
• Chamomile

Lifestyle:

• Light exercise
• Sleep (aim for 7-9 hours per night)
• Meditiation
• CranioSacral Therapy
• Regular massages/facials for relaxation

To find out more about how we approach anxiety here at CentreSpring MD, please call our office at 404.814.9808 and schedule an appointment with one of our providers who will develop a customized, unique treatment plan for you to heal you from the inside out.

High-cholesterol can be a serious indication of your health due to its well-known indication of heart disease. Cholesterol is actually produced in the liver, and is essential in the production of hormones and vitamin D in the body.

You’ve probably heard that HDL is the ‘good’ component of cholesterol, and LDL is the ‘bad’ component. But recent research is showing that looking only at LDL, HDL and triglycerides may be too simplistic. We also all know that statins are the common drug prescribed to effectively lower LDL cholesterol. However, we are learning that particle size and subtypes are helping doctors to determine whether statins may or may not be helpful.

At CentreSpring MD, we believe that managing cholesterol levels adequately should involve more than just medication management. Lifestyle modification that includes changes to diet, exercise, sleep and stress all play key roles in reducing cholesterol. An integrative approach addresses the full spectrum of a patient’s health to help find a number of different ways to reduce cholesterol.

Common Causes & Symptoms

Unfortunately, high cholesterol does not show any outward signs or symptoms itself, so it is difficult to know if high cholesterol is posing a risk to your heart.

Causes:

• Chronic stress
• Obesity
• Poor diet
• Lack of exercise

Treatment

As mentioned above, conventional approaches include the use of statins, but also often recommend weight loss and a healthy diet as a key component in lowering your cholesterol. In integrative medicine, we take it a step further and look at the whole body, including your lifestyle, for treatment options.

Lifestyle:

• Weight Loss
• Reduce sugar intake
• Avoid foods containing trans-fat
• Exercise
• Don’t smoke
• Relax (yoga, meditation, massage, acupuncture, CranioSacral Therapy, etc.)

Nutrition:

• Eat nuts containing mono-saturated fats like almonds, walnuts and cashews
• Eat soy protein sources in place of animal protein
• Use fresh garlic
• Drink green tea
• Up your fiber intake
• Limit refined carbs

Supplements:

• CoQ10 (coenzyme Q10): a powerful antioxidant that protects LDL cholesterol from oxidizing, and re-energizes the mitochondria in the heart cells
• Fish Oil: the abundance of essential omega-3 fatty acids can lower blood fat levels, minimize inflammation, and increase HDL cholesterol

If you are one of many patients in this country confused about cholesterol or dismissing your numbers, it may be time to take a good look at your numbers with one of our providers. In addition to the standard lipid panel (LDL, cholesterol, triglycerides), the VAP test or LPP test may be helpful in helping you and your doctor determine your true cardiovascular disease risk. Call us at 404.814.9808 to schedule an appointment!

Chron’s disease is an inflammatory bowel disease, IBD, that is the cause of inflammation in the lining of the digestive tract. This leads to abdominal pain, severe diarrhea, weight loss, fatigue, and malnutrition. It’s easy to understand how this disease can get in the way of your day-to-day life. If you suffer with Crohn’s, you know this all too well.
While conventional medicine tells you there is no cure, and only prescribes medication to mask your symptoms and likely cause scary side effects, here at CentreSpring MD we know there are integrative options to help you find healing. It is possible to take back control of your health through diet and lifestyle modifications.

Diet:

• High-calorie
• Dairy-free
• Low-fat
• Low-fiber
• Low-salt

While your specific diet will depend on your unique makeup, medications, and other factors, there are general rules you can follow to find relief through nutrition. Some general rues are:

• Avoid spicy, refined, and processed foods, including gluten, corn, oats, dairy and yeast
• Eat a healing diet to decrease inflammation
• Limit high-fiber foods, like raw fruits and veggies
• Consume more prebiotic rich foods (asparagus, bananas, and honey)
• Eat smaller meals more frequently

Stay hydrated

Supplements:

• Probiotic
• Curcumin
• Glutamine
• Omega-3

Slippery Elm

Lifestyle:

• Regular exercise
• Breathe deeply
• Make time for relaxation (yoga, walk in nature, massage, acupuncture, CranioSacral Therapy)

If you have tried to manage your Crohn’s and colitis symptoms on your own but have not found relief, one of our providers would be happy to sit down with you and create a customized treatment plan!

While it often goes undiagnosed, depression is the most treatable form of mental illness. A reported 340 million people suffer from depression worldwide. If you are one of those affected, we want you to know you are not alone.

We take an integrative approach to healing depression, rather than just putting a Band-Aid on the symptoms. If you suffer from clinical depression, which is not associated with or affected by external situations, there is a natural path to healing.

How We Approach Depression

We take the approach of finding what life event, any medication you’re taking, or nutritional deficiencies might have caused or are causing your depression. We also look deeper to rule out any other serious causes, such as certain typed of cancer, or infections such as AIDS, mono, viral hepatitis, or neurological disorders.

Lifestyle modifications we often recommend include:

• Regular exercise
• Checking your medications
• Eliminating caffeine
• Acupuncture
• CranioSacral Therapy
• Talking with a therapist

Supplements:

• B Vitamins
• Fish Oil
• St. John’s wort

You can learn more about our approach to depression and how you can get your life back by calling us at 404.814.9808 and scheduling an appointment with one of our providers.

Research has shown that you can keep diabetes at bay permanently just by changing your diet, which is part of the three-pronged integrative approach we take to treating prediabetes here at CentreSpring MD. There are ways to reverse diabetes with diet alone.

Go high fiber, low sugar. Fiber, best in the form of fruits and vegetables, takes longer to digest, preventing insulin spikes and blood sugar peaks and valleys. Aim for 40 g of fiber a day. (The average American gets only about a quarter of that!) Then follow the “no white food” rule: Avoid sugar and refined carbohydrates. This will also help manage insulin resistance and can help you avoid or minimize use of medications. (Consider these 13 Delicious Low-Sugar Dinners.)

Add superfoods. Fenugreek, garlic, vinegar, and aloe vera are considered to be diabetes superfoods. Watch your diabetes markers improve once you start adding fenugreek seeds and garlic to your favorite recipes, dressing salads with oil and vinegar, and drinking a few daily ounces of aloe vera juice, available in drugstores.

Meditate. In studies, mindfulness meditation reduced blood sugar spikes and improved hemoglobin A1C scores—a diabetes marker—within 3 months in people with diabetes. Stress can cause blood sugar to rise, so managing daily tension is critical for diabetes prevention. Devote 2 to 3 hours a week to practicing a stress-management technique.

Try Gymnema sylvestre. You probably haven’t heard of this Ayurvedic herb, which can be found in health food stores, but studies show that, taken in a starting dose of 250 mg, it may lower blood sugar levels; improve the function of the pancreas, where insulin is made; and help the body use glucose more effectively. Add this to a diabetes-beating supplement regimen that includes 2 to 3 g of omega-3 fatty acids, 200 mg of alpha-lipoic acid, and 500 mcg of chromium picolinate daily. (Check out other herbs that heal.)

If you still need support other than diet modifications, it’s important you schedule an appointment with one of our providers who can recommend a customized diet and treatment plan to reverse your diabetes naturally!

Fibromyalgia is widespread muscle pain that can be debilitating. There is no specific cause for this pain, and it is often long-term. There are natural ways to reduce this pain, and find relief from fibromyalgia.

At CentreSpring MD, we often recommend a specific diet that aims to reduce inflammation. That diet includes:

• Green vegetables
• Lean protein (preferable organic, grass-fed)
• Fermented foods
• Foods rich in omega-3 fats, like salmon
• Antioxidant rich foods

We also recommend that patients avoid gluten, sugar, processed foods and excessive alcohol and caffeine.

Supplements such as magnesium, fish oil, vitamin D3, d-ribose, and ashwagandha also greatly help in the management of pain and symptoms.

For a customized treatment plan to reduce and eliminate your Fibromyalgia pain, call us at 404.814.9808 to schedule an appointment with one of our providers.

At CentreSpring MD, we look for root causes of your symptoms and checking a variety of hormones is a part of our workup for most patients. Hormones such as testosterone, estrogen, DHEA, progesterone, insulin, leptin, cortisol and a complete thyroid panel are a few of the hormones that we evaluate regularly.

Stress can play a significant role in the fluctuation of your hormone levels. An alarming 75% of adults reported moderate to high levels of stress according to the American Psychological Association. They also reported stress as a top health concern for U.S. teenagers and further commented that if they don’t learn to manage stress, it could have serious long-term health implications.

Stress triggers the fight or flight response and the release of cortisol from the adrenal glands. The result is a temporary increase in energy production, however it is at the expense of all of the other processes not required for immediate survival. Short-term stress is something we can recover from; the effect of chronic stress, however, can cause a host of signs and symptoms in the body.

Common symptoms associated with imbalanced hormones include:

• Fatigue
• Weight Gain/Changes in Body Composition
• Hair loss
• Changes in temperature control/ hot flashes
• Changes in Libido
• Sleep Disturbance
• Digestive/Appetite issues
• Infertility
• Menstrual changes

Testing your hormones is one way to be proactive about your health. I will commonly tell my patients, “you don’t know what you don’t know,” stressing that proper lab testing is invaluable. Due to the continuous fluctuations in our stress levels, environmental toxin exposure, level of physical activity, nutritional status, etc., our hormone levels will differ from month to month and certainly from year to year.

Through extensive history-taking, physical examination and comprehensive lab evaluation, the providers at CentreSpring MD can identify a variety of hormonal imbalances and create treatment plans that improve your health now and into the future!

Inflammation has been found to be the root cause of many chronic health conditions. But what is inflammation and how can you lower it and reduce the risk of disease? It’s impossible to treat inflammation with just one approach or one system of medicine! That’s why at CentreSpring MD, we use an integrative and functional medicine approach to evaluate your inflammation, keep it low and prevent future diseases.

What is inflammation? Inflammation is not always a bad thing. It is a response in your body typically caused by an acute injury of some sort. This could be as simple as high stress, a muscular injury, surgery or even an infection. In these cases inflammation is a normal part of your body’s immune response. When inflammation starts to wreak havoc on our bodies is when it is unresolved and turns into a chronic state. Things in our everyday life can contribute to increasing inflammation: emotional stress, a diet high in sugar or processed foods, poor digestive health, exposure to toxins. When the stimulus is ongoing your immune response keeps working but is unsuccessful which then leads to an increase in inflammation. The chronic inflammation then changes your immune system and activates genetics leading to disease. Your genetics play a role in determining what disease process will or will not be activated by the chronic inflammatory response. Nearly all diseases result from some form of chronic inflammation. Some major examples include: Arthritis, ADHD, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, Autism, Crohn’s and Colitis, Acne, Multiple Sclerosis, and autoimmune diseases like Lupus.

So how do you know if you have chronic inflammation? Some signs and symptoms to look out for include:

• Fatigue
• Pain
• Inattention
• Cognitive decline
• Brain Fog
• Joint Pain

Diet:
One great way to reduce inflammation is through foods. A diet high in processed foods and sugars can cause a chronic inflammatory state. Through altering diet alone, you can see huge differences in your overall health and wellbeing and decrease your risk for disease.

• Focus on a whole foods diet. Reduce or eliminate refined sugar, caffeine and white flour and minimize processed snacks and meats.
• Decrease your amount of animal protein you consume. It is OK to include fish and some high-quality natural cheese and yogurt.
• Choose sprouted flours and nuts and cook with olive oil, ghee and unrefined coconut oil.
• Eat fruits and vegetables from all parts of the color spectrum, and loads of cruciferous vegetables. Eat dark, leafy greens, berries and orange and yellow fruits often.
• Increase foods in your diet that are high in omega-3s like wild salmon and herring (consuming at least two to three times a week). You can also include chia seeds and flax seeds in your diet to boost your Omega 3s.
• Frequently cook with anti-inflammatory foods and spices like garlic, turmeric and ginger.

Lifestyle Balance and Stress Management:

So many people forget about this aspect of your health and wellbeing. It is important to take a step back and evaluate your lifestyle to determine if it enhances your health or is detrimental to it.

• Assess career and work demands and balance them with your health needs and goals.
• Practice self-care on a regular basis: making time for yourself through regular massage, meditation/prayer, exercise and relaxation.
• End toxic relationships and practice forgiveness, moving on, and finding more positive influences.

If you have any of these, you may have chronic inflammation. Reach out to your integrative health care provider to have them see if inflammation is the cause of your symptoms. By running simple blood tests we can determine if you are showing any signs of early or chronic inflammation.

A happy belly is a healthy belly. Over the last few years, the onslaught of information about the gut and the microbiome has dominated research. It is somewhat amusing, since the concept of digestive health is not new to older systems of medicine. Gut health dictates every other aspect of your health. Some researchers refer your gut as your “second brain.”
Symptoms of poor digestive health can include:

• Reflux
• Constipation
• IBS
• Bloating
• Flatulence
• Abdominal Pain
• Bad Breath
• Body Odor

These symptoms are just a few signs of “leaky gut,” better known today as malabsorption or increased intestinal permeability. For us, these are the early indicators of inflammation in progress, a microbiome unbalanced and an immune system soon to be out of control. If you have any of the symptoms listed above, you may have a leaky gut or malabsorption—and are not absorbing nutrients from your food.
Healing Leaky Gut
If you think you are dealing with leaky gut, there are a few things you can do to start repairing your gut.

1. Re-evaluate your diet to take out gut-damaging foods. These include wheat and grain, sugars, conventional dairy and low-quality/conventional meats.
2. Consider your medication. NSAIDS and antibiotics can be damaging to the gut. Of course, check with your provider before removing, if these have been prescribed for you.
3. Heal with foods! Nutrition is one of the best ways to start to heal your gut (and your overall health). Introduce fermented foods, like kimchi or sauerkraut (not made with sugar), coconut kefir. Try an anti-inflammatory diet. Also, go for grass-fed beef and wild-caught salmon, which is high in Omega-3.Bone Broth is great for the belly as it’s amino acids, collagen and glycine can heal the cell walls.
4. Take your probiotics. Rebuilding the healthy gut bacteria is essential to repairing the gut wall.
5. Other supplements that can help are digestive enzymes to help make sure all food is digested, and l-glutamine, an amino acid that helps repair the gut lining.

A badly damaged gut may require a more intensive approach. At CentreSpring MD, we offer more detailed testing for leaky gut and malabsorption. Meet with one of our providers to help you determine if this testing is right for you.

Lyme disease is an infection caused by a bacteria found in ticks or other insects. It is reported that up to 300,000 Americans are diagnosed with Lyme disease each year, according to the CDC. While symptoms often start feeling flu-like, they often worsen and become a case long-term chronic inflammation.

Even though Lyme disease is most often caused from a tick bite from a tick that is carrying the bacteria, it is your individual body’s response to these bacteria that determines whether or not it will develop into Lyme disease. Your immunity largely affects how these bacteria will affect you, which is why it is crucial to build your immunity in order to prevent and treat Lyme disease.

The conventional approach to treating Lyme includes a host of antibiotics that are administered over a two-week period. The problem is that not everyone will respond to these antibiotics, especially in anyone where the disease has spread to the central nervous system. In integrative medicine, we also know that antibiotics weaken the immune system, which is the exact opposite of what we want when treating Lyme disease.

Prevention is Key
Protecting yourself from insect bites and upping your immunity are keys in prevention.

• Use a natural bug spray or repellent
• Wear long pants, long sleeves and long socks to keep ticks off of the skin
• Check skin after being outside
• Keep your immunity high before you go into an environment where you might get bitten (outdoors in wooded areas)

Natural Treatments

1. Eat to Up Immunity. Consume a diet of high-antioxidant foods, probiotic-rich foods, and bone broth to keep your immune system functioning optimally. With a highly functioning immune system, you will be less likely to have a negative response if you are to get bitten.
2. Take supplements that can up your cellular health. You want your cells as healthy as possible so that when they are attacked, they will be able to repair themselves quickly.
• Vitamin D
• CoQ10
• B-Complex
• Omega-3 Fish Oil
• Magnesium
• Turmeric
• Probiotic
3. Sleep well and reduce stress. Stress and negative emotions have been proven to weaken the immune system. Make sure you are getting enough sleep, scheduling out time to relax, and time to have fun with your friends and family. These are all key components in managing your immunity.

Lyme disease is a complex and multi-level disease and every patient’s response to treatment and medication will vary. It is important to seek out the care of a professional. At CentreSpring MD, we have treated many patients with Lyme and take an integrative approach to find healing. Call us to schedule an appointment at 404.814.9808.

Yes – menopause is a natural part of aging that nearly every woman will experience in her lifetime. But that doesn’t mean it has to slow you down, or cause your life to come to a complete halt due to fatigue, night sweats, and hot flashes.

While some women sail through this time of life, many find themselves victims of the menopausal energy zappers: hot flashes, night sweats, and insomnia. Sleep disturbances are among the most common complaints.

Sleep issues often can be traced to hormone fluctuations that result in night sweats—basically, nocturnal hot flashes that wake you up, drenched. While there are natural ways to tame your hormones, you also have to calm your nervous system and reduce levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Here’s what we often recommend:

Avoid hot-flash foods. Caffeine and alcohol affect everyone’s sleep, but we now know that excessive consumption can trigger hot flashes and night sweats. You don’t have to give up these drinks entirely. Just reduce your caffeine intake to under 4 ounces per day, and limit alcohol to two or three drinks a week. Sugar is also a hot-flash food, so cut refined sugars and simple carbohydrates.

Take the right supplements. So-called adaptogens—substances that help your body deal with stressors—decrease cortisol and stabilize estrogen fluctuations. The herbs rhodiola and ashwagandha, often found in combination, may help. Starting dose is 200 mg each. Studies have found that black cohosh can reduce hot flashes and improve sleep. Take 40 mg twice daily. Evening primrose oil, starting at 500 mg, may help manage night sweats.

Go Eastern. Trouble staying asleep? I treat this common problem with the Chinese remedy jujube (extract of red date). The starting dose is 250 mg. In Indian Ayurvedic medicine, Brahmi powder—a.k.a. Bacopa monnieri—mixed in warm milk (with a pinch of nutmeg and saffron) is a powerful sleep aid. Start with 100 mg. And learn to appreciate yourself and how far you’ve come. In Ayurveda, menopause is seen as a “vata” phase, an enriching time of transition, during which women are meant to be nurtured and respected. Nurture and respect yourself.

For more information on how we treat the symptoms menopause with an integrative approach, please call us at 404.814.9808 to schedule an appointment with one of our providers.

We have heard and felt the rumblings of discontent with the recent decision by the AMA to label obesity as a disease. We also know that many think of obesity as a reflection of poor choices, a lack of personal responsibility and a condition of the lazy, apathetic and unmotivated.

At CentreSpring MD, we understand the frustration with this condition that is costing our health care systems billions of dollars. America, after all, is the fattest country in the world, with obesity rates at 36 percent of adults, according to the CDC.

In our busy integrative practice, obesity presents in varying forms and wearing different circumstances. Obesity, like many other conditions, is an individual story for each patient. Much as cancer care has to be personalized based on genetics and risk factors, obesity also needs to be seen as a disease resulting from a complex interaction of unique factors for each patient.

The advantage of an integrative practice is the gift of time with patients. In hearing our patients’ stories, we have learned that obesity is ultimately the consequence of a series of poor choices, but that those choices are rooted in more complex health issues. It is a vicious cycle of not feeling well, trying to find a way to feel better, resorting to food to feel better and then not feeling well again. We know that for every 20 pounds of excessive weight, there is a significant drop in energy, ability to move, and lowered self-esteem, leading to worsening depression and anxiety. Imagine what happens when weight gain approaches 50 or 100 pounds.

We believe the rampant obesity in our country is the result of five primary issues; diets mismatched for genetic types, depression and anxiety, stress and the hormone shifts that stress will create, sedentary lifestyles and environmental toxins. Beating obesity may improve with increased physician awareness and creation of patient education models, but will not improve until each patient is managed individually. The role of the physician should be to identify the main cause of obesity and assist the patient in navigating the transition from knowledge to action.

Labeling obesity as a disease may be a start in at least acknowledging the complexity of this particular condition, but it will not solve the obesity crisis. For the majority of patients that are obese, depression and anxiety are the root of erratic eating patterns and poor choices. It is hard to get someone isolated from family, living alone, or stressed financially to focus on healthy eating and healthy lifestyles. Fast food, easily accessible and cheap, becomes a more realistic option, but furthers nutritional deprivation. Existing nutritional deficiencies aggravate feeling “bad” and the cycle continues.

The beauty of our country is the mix and melting pot of different ethnicities. This melting pot, however, makes health care challenging. Many patients are placed on “diets” that are not good fits given their genetic backgrounds and hormonal patterns. Emphasizing whole grains in the African-American, East Indian and Hispanic population is a recipe for further frustration with obesity. These cultures were not originally grain-based, so the standard American diet is a very poor fit.
Solving the obesity crisis requires a team, focused on the individual patient, finding the triggers for a-motivation and creating a plan for success. The physician should be at the center of that team, assessing and understanding the inner workings of each patient. The emphasis on movement, food, and environmental toxins should continue, but in a way that is ultimately stream lined for each patient. We do need the food industry to shape up, physical education back in our schools and government programs that incentivize weight loss. The most critical piece of this American health challenge will be the physician, leading the patient on a journey towards optimal health, and guiding the patient towards realistic programs that support the physician patient goals.

Obesity as a disease is a tentative first step, but much work remains in revamping the medical approach to these patients and creating a culture to support weight loss. Here at CentreSpring MD, we will offer you a customized treatment plan that works for you, your genetic makeup, and your lifestyle. Call us at 404.814.9808 to see how we can help.