A Functional Medicine and Obesity Specialist’s Approach to Weight Loss
I have exciting news-- I completed an Obesity Medicine Fellowship through Columbia University Institute of Human Nutrition, accredited by the American Board of Obesity Medicine in 2023. Learning is my superpower, passion, and hobby. With Ozempic’s (semaglutide) new popularity, I want to make sure you are getting access to the most up-to-date weight management treatments with expert level care.
In functional medicine, we approach weight loss much differently than the conventional world. For starters, we believe it is important to note that your weight is NOT the cause of your symptoms. Weight bias in healthcare is a real issue, and unfortunately many clinicians are quick to blame excess weight as a cause of illness rather than digging deep into a health issue to treat the condition holistically. Oftentimes, when the root cause of a condition are addressed, weight loss naturally occurs.
Through my educational journey this past year I learned best practices for prescribing all types of weight loss medications. I am so grateful to have medications in my “toolbox” to support you. Sometime they are the necessary and previously missing ingredient for weight loss success. When appropriately used, these medications complement the whole-body, functional medicine approach to health that may ultimately promote weight loss.
A functional medicine approach to weight management includes:
Reducing Inflammation. Inflammation is one of the first factors we address in a functional medicine weight loss approach. Inflammation is your body’s way of fighting against infection and injuries in an attempt to heal itself. Over time, certain factors may cause low-grade, chronic inflammation that is detrimental to your weight loss efforts. Stress, toxins, gut infections, food sensitivities, and poor nutrition can all play a role in causing low-grade inflammation. Through personalized testing, I aim to identify potential causes of inflammation to tailor the best treatment plan for you.
Insulin resistance occurs when your cells become resistant to insulin, a hormone responsible for controlling blood sugar levels. If you have insulin resistance, you may experience frequent sugar cravings, fatigue after meals, weight gain or difficulty losing weight, and constant hunger. Your diet is the best way to reverse insulin resistance. However, rather than focusing on restriction or a trendy diet, I want to help you identify your macronutrient needs and a lifestyle eating pattern that you can follow for the long run.
Optimizing your gut health is important. Your gut plays a crucial role in your overall health and weight loss efforts. More specifically, beneficial gut bacteria help you maintain a healthy gut lining, prevent overgrowth of harmful bacteria, and may even regulate your metabolism. Having a healthy and diverse balance of gut bacteria may prevent weight gain over time.
Assess your hormones. All our hormones work together like a beautiful symphony. Optimizing thyroid health and sex hormones can play a role in maintaining weight. Hypothyroidism affects nearly 12 percent of all Americans and may cause unintentional weight gain or hinder weight loss efforts.
Support Natural Detoxification. Your body has a system in place to eliminate toxins and waste products. However, a typical American lifestyle usually entails a high toxic load with a nutrient-deficient diet. Unfortunately, this pairing may cause disruptions in your natural detox mechanisms. During functional medicine weight loss, we aim to support detoxification by 1) supporting the body with nutrient rich food that supports liver health, 2) increasing intake of antioxidants, and 3) optimizing pathways in which your body can eliminates toxins via sweat, urine, and bowel movements.
Weight loss is not as simple as the diet industry may want you to believe. A functional medicine approach identifies and treats the root causes of your symptoms and can promote weight loss in the process.
At Relish Health I support a mindset of abundance versus restriction. Rather than focusing on the scale, we can help you identify and treat various factors that may ultimately promote sustainable weight loss.