Obesity New treatment for obesity

Extreme overweight must be treated multimodally

23/10/2014

More and more people are suffering from severe obesity, in about one fifth of the population, according to body mass index (BMI) even obesity. Those who are affected by obesity have usually come a long way with many unsuccessful dietary trials behind them. In order to be able to cope with the disease in the long term, a stay in a hospital is, in many cases, the only chance - because patients are also accompanied psychologically and nutritionally.

More than 20 percent of people clearly too fat
Strong obesity affects more and more people in the western nations, but in this country more than 20 percent of people are now considered to be far too fat. Obesity has a detrimental effect on many aspects of life and is socially an increasing problem due to various side-effects, such as diabetes mellitus and joint wear as well as increasing immobility and disability.

Obesity from a BMI of 30
To estimate the body weight in relation to body size, the so-called „Body mass index“ (BMI), which can be calculated with a simple formula (body weight / height2). From a value of over 30 is usually from one „obesity“ spoken, with three degrees of severity are distinguished. In order to get the strong weight problems in the long term under control, but usually a change in diet is not enough. Instead, sufferers need to learn to integrate exercise firmly into their everyday lives and adopt alternative strategies for the so-called „emotional eating“ to develop in grief or stress.

Multimodal treatment with sports, diet changes and psychotherapy
This is also where the doctor, Christine Graf, focuses on the therapy of obese children and adolescents. Her concept encompasses the three areas of sports, nutrition change and psychotherapy, in which the young patients are treated twice a week for eleven months multimodal treatment, said the professor of the German Sport University Cologne to the news agency „dpa“. Their program, however, is not primarily about rapid weight loss - it is instead the goal that children and adolescents learn and experience the impact of sport and activity on their own bodies. A central step, because instead of a falling BMI is rather an improved fitness „important for the fight against obesity“, explains the expert further.

Changing the diet is often a big challenge for the sufferer
This fight is for many sufferers a real agony. The young patients are massively demanded in view of the oversupply in the conversion of their nutrition, explained Christine Graf, because „it is infinitely difficult to get nothing to eat. One is thrown away with food. "For many sufferers, therefore, a hospital stay is the only chance to get the overweight under control, because especially with severe obesity outpatient treatment is often not possible, says Dr. Manuel Enzenhofer of the Stuttgart Bürgerhospital opposite the „dpa“. Instead, the specialist in psychosomatic medicine and psychotherapy "often psychodynamically works with his adult patients to identify underlying causes of obesity." An important approach, because "massive obesity often has psychological causes, in many cases, the roots go back to childhood, for example, by abuse or neglect have led to mental injury." As a result, negative feelings, loneliness and lack of attention with food are compensated - a vicious circle, because those affected are getting fatter, which continues to burden the psyche.

Psychotherapy helps to learn new strategies for dealing with stress
Correspondingly, in addition to a nutritional accompaniment, psychological care in the treatment of obesity is of great importance, because in the therapy those conflicts could be revealed which are responsible for the weight gain. If the overweight can be attributed to psychological reasons, there are various possibilities for the soul „to treat“. An important area here is the behavioral therapy, in which patients can learn in the context of individual and / or group discussions, not to compensate for negative emotions such as loneliness or frustration by eating. Instead, new stress reduction strategies are being developed, including physical activity as well as relaxation techniques such as exercise. Count meditation or autogenic training. (No)

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