Health Tips

Reasons to Maintain a Healthy Body Weight

It is that time of year when we, traditionally, think about losing weight. We want to look good in a swimsuit, or on vacation, or just because we are wearing fewer layers of clothes and it is harder to hide the bulges. But there are more reasons to lose weight then how you look.

Obesity has become an epidemic in the United States and we are reaping the health hazards of being overweight. Many of the health problems I saw in the Emergency Room were weight related. Let me list a few

Being overweight is hard on your joints, especially your weight -bearing joints. Ankles, knees and hips carry the load of the excess weight causing them to wear out earlier. One theory on that may be that the increased pressure on the joint forces the joint fluid to decrease in volume allowing the joint surfaces to come in contact with each other. Without the cushion of the fluid, the joint surfaces become inflamed which causes breakdown of the cartilage of the joint. The inflammation causes pain, the loss of cartilage causes pain, and bone on bone joints are extremely painful. Joint replacement can help restore function and reduce pain, but an artificial joint can never take the place of the one God gave you in the first place.

Another health hazard, even more problematic than joint pain and destruction, and more deadly, is adult onset diabetes. In many cases, this type of diabetes is simply an overtaxing of the pancreas’s ability to produce insulin. Every cell in your body needs insulin in order to use the glucose (sugar), that is necessary for nourishing that cell. That includes fat cells, so the larger your body, the more insulin it needs. Somehow, the fat cells never just starve to death, probably because the brain which is the organ that consumes the most glucose, has the control and just triggers you to eat more. Meanwhile the food your are eating, whether it be sugar, protein or fat, is turned into glucose because that is the only form the cells can use, and is excreted by the kidneys in your urine. There isn’t enough insulin to push it into the cells to be used.

Diabetes is hard on all body systems, but especially on your heart. You are much more likely to have a heart attack if you have diabetes. It also increases your risk of high blood pressure as your vessels decrease in size with fat and calcium deposits; and high blood pressure increases your risk of stroke and other problems. Kidney failure is also high in diabetics because of the increased work load of excreting all that unused glucose, not to mention that the high concentration of sugar in the blood destroys the very delicate internal structure of the kidney. Those high concentrations of sugar/glucose is also destructive to your vessels and therefore effect every system in your body.

Last but not least is the increase risk of infection after surgery if you are obese. Fat tissue does not need a large blood supply so it doesn’t mend as quickly as other tissue. It can also interfere with circulation to the skin, slowing the healing process, and increasing the chance bacteria have of getting started. In diabetics, because of the increased concentration of sugar in the blood, which bacteria love, that risk is even higher. It used to be that a patient was required to lose weight before surgery, but doctors gave up the battle. That doesn’t mean the risk went away, it just means they got tired of a fight that no one listened to.

I won’t tell you how to lose weight; the bookstores of full of information on that. Just be advised, if the diet doesn’t include food from every type of food, it isn’t healthy. You do need those vitamins, minerals and fiber, but it takes less food to supply them, than you think.



	Health Tips from Nurse Sue Reasons to Maintain a Healthy Body Weight Water, and the Basics of Healthy Eating Healthclub-Free Exercise Options Especially for Flu Season Rest, Sweet Rest “Good health isn’t cheap, but compared to poor health, it’s a bargain.” ~Sue

	Reasons to Maintain a Healthy Body Weight It is that time of year when we, traditionally, think about losing weight. We want to look good in a swimsuit, or on vacation, or just because we are wearing fewer layers of clothes and it is harder to hide the bulges. But there are more reasons to lose weight then how you look. Obesity has become an epidemic in the United States and we are reaping the health hazards of being overweight. Many of the health problems I saw in the Emergency Room were weight related. Let me list a few Being overweight is hard on your joints, especially your weight -bearing joints. Ankles, knees and hips carry the load of the excess weight causing them to wear out earlier. One theory on that may be that the increased pressure on the joint forces the joint fluid to decrease in volume allowing the joint surfaces to come in contact with each other. Without the cushion of the fluid, the joint surfaces become inflamed which causes breakdown of the cartilage of the joint. The inflammation causes pain, the loss of cartilage causes pain, and bone on bone joints are extremely painful. Joint replacement can help restore function and reduce pain, but an artificial joint can never take the place of the one God gave you in the first place. Another health hazard, even more problematic than joint pain and destruction, and more deadly, is adult onset diabetes. In many cases, this type of diabetes is simply an overtaxing of the pancreas’s ability to produce insulin. Every cell in your body needs insulin in order to use the glucose (sugar), that is necessary for nourishing that cell. That includes fat cells, so the larger your body, the more insulin it needs. Somehow, the fat cells never just starve to death, probably because the brain which is the organ that consumes the most glucose, has the control and just triggers you to eat more. Meanwhile the food your are eating, whether it be sugar, protein or fat, is turned into glucose because that is the only form the cells can use, and is excreted by the kidneys in your urine. There isn’t enough insulin to push it into the cells to be used. Diabetes is hard on all body systems, but especially on your heart. You are much more likely to have a heart attack if you have diabetes. It also increases your risk of high blood pressure as your vessels decrease in size with fat and calcium deposits; and high blood pressure increases your risk of stroke and other problems. Kidney failure is also high in diabetics because of the increased work load of excreting all that unused glucose, not to mention that the high concentration of sugar in the blood destroys the very delicate internal structure of the kidney. Those high concentrations of sugar/glucose is also destructive to your vessels and therefore effect every system in your body. Last but not least is the increase risk of infection after surgery if you are obese. Fat tissue does not need a large blood supply so it doesn’t mend as quickly as other tissue. It can also interfere with circulation to the skin, slowing the healing process, and increasing the chance bacteria have of getting started. In diabetics, because of the increased concentration of sugar in the blood, which bacteria love, that risk is even higher. It used to be that a patient was required to lose weight before surgery, but doctors gave up the battle. That doesn’t mean the risk went away, it just means they got tired of a fight that no one listened to. I won’t tell you how to lose weight; the bookstores of full of information on that. Just be advised, if the diet doesn’t include food from every type of food, it isn’t healthy. You do need those vitamins, minerals and fiber, but it takes less food to supply them, than you think.