Overweight or obese? Know the difference & treatment options

Do you really know what is meant by the term “obesity?” It gets thrown around a lot. Does it denote that anyone who is overweight or has some excess weight to lose is obese? Or is it more than that? Well, there is a medical definition of obesity as well as for the term “overweight.” The medical definition for overweight is based on body mass index (BMI). It is measured in units of kg/m2, which means that it requires height and weight for the calculation. The medical definition for obesity pivots on the BMI calculation.

In medical terminology, overweight and obesity are part of a disease process. They are caused by the increase in the size and the number of fat cells in the body.Obesity is a severehealth condition that causesproblems such as atherosclerosis,cancers, diabetes, heart disease, high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure, metabolic syndrome, and sleep disorders.

Causes

Some of the causes of overweight and obesity are listed below.

• Energy imbalances: Energy imbalances can cause overweight and obesity.Overweight and obesity develop over time when your children take in more calories than they use. This type of energy imbalance causes the body to store fat.
• Hypothyroidism: Children with this condition have low levels of thyroid hormones. These low levels are associated with decreased metabolism and weight gain, even when food intake is reduced. Children with hypothyroidism also produce less body heat, have a lower body temperature, and do not efficiently use stored fat for energy.
• Medicines: Medicines such as antipsychotics, antidepressants, etc. can cause weight gain and further lead to overweight and obesity.

• Unhealthy lifestyle habits: Lack of physical activity, unhealthy eating patterns, not enough sleep, and high amounts of stress can increase your children’s risk for overweight and obesity. Lack of physical activity due to watching TV, using a computer, playing thevideogame for very long hours has been associated with a high BMI. Acute stress and chronic stress affect the brain and trigger the production of hormones that control the energy balances and hunger urges. Acute stress can trigger hormone changes that make your children not want to eat. If the stress becomes chronic, hormone changes can make your children eat more and store more fat.
• Unhealthy environments: Many environmental factors can increase your child’srisk for overweight and obesity. Social factors such as having an unhealthy environment in the neighbourhood can lead to overweight and obesity. Built environment factors such as easy access to unhealthy fast foods and limited access to recreational facilities or parks can lead to overweight and obesity
• Family history and genetics: Overweight and obesity can run in families, so it is possible that genes or DNA can cause these conditions. Certain DNA elements are associated with obesity.

Conclusion

With child obesity, the likelihood of poorer health outcomes in terms of such diseases as cancer, cardiovascular disease, obstructive sleep apnoea, diabetes, high blood pressure and overall premature death increases as BMI increases. The treatment will be determined by the cause and severity of your child’s condition and whether they have further complications. Obesity in children can be treated with homeopathy effectively. Homeopathic medicines help to increase metabolism which is otherwise slow due to obesity. Specific medicines in homeopathy like Phytolaccahelp in reducing body fat without any side effects.

Dr Batra’s® homeopathy clinic is specialized in handling obesity in general and childhood obesity in particular. Theexpert dieticians and nutritionists methodically and scientifically evaluate the child’s growth parameters and understand whether the child falls into the obese or overweight category. They have a team of paediatricians and endocrinologists who help to monitor the child for any secondary problems such as blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, etc.