The metaphorical idiom ‘the white elephant in the room’ has never been truer than when working with the obese patient who has a number of medical and orthopedic problems. When …
Physical Therapists Advising Patients on a Healthy Lifestyle
Most recently the APTA provided a nutrition webpage and has indicated that nutrition is part of the professional scope of practice for physical therapists. The APTA continues with its position …
Encouraging Your Patient to make a Healthy Lifestyle Change
In my last entry I addressed how the physical therapist might initiate conversation about weight loss with their patient. However a plan to see your patient make a successful healthy …
How to Address Obesity in the Patient with Osteoarthritis of the Weight Bearing Joints
Every orthopedic physical therapist is confronted with the obese patient who is 80-100 pounds overweight and has osteoarthritis of the knees. After performing hundreds of straight leg raises along with …
Increasing and Activating Whole Body Muscle Mass Reduces Insulin Resistance
The significant increase in chronic diseases related to metabolic syndrome is exploding in our nation. The number of people in the US that have diabetes has increased over 3-fold since …
Lessons from The Biggest Loser…Holding on to the Lean Body Mass is Critical to Reduce the Suppression of the Resting Metabolic Rate
During the TV show The Biggest Loser, the 14 participants lost a ridiculous amount of weight (average weight loss – 128 pounds) over a 30 week period, which is approximately …
Why Do We Gain Back the Weight We Worked so Hard to Lose? Lessons from the Biggest Loser.
You may have seen the headlines several weeks ago about 14 of the “Biggest Loser” contestants who were followed for 6 years and how they gained their weight back…well actually …
Diet and Inflammation
When my patients present with chronic joint pain, along with abdominal obesity and hypertension, I suspect underlying inflammation. While this may seem to be an easy determination, the treatment is …
Are Your Gut Microbes Making You Sick and Overweight?
Recent research has shown that the gut microbes that live in our gastrointestinal tract are responsible for how healthy we are and also whether we become obese. We all have …
Holiday Weight Gain and Related Health Hazards
On the average how many pounds do US adults put on during the holidays? 2-3 pounds? 4-5 pounds? After following 165 adults during the holidays, researchers demonstrated the average weight …