SALISBURY -- Obesity, also referred to as excess weight, has taken control of many Lower Shore residents.
Known to contribute to many well-known chronic health issues, such as heart attack, stroke, some cancers, orthopedic deterioration, failing energy levels and diabetes -- with many health professionals describing the rise in diabetes as an "epidemic" -- Dr. Gail Anderson has opened a medical practice focusing solely on medical weight loss.
Obesity assistance programs are "critically needed for our area," Anderson said. Her practice offers a comprehensive program to achieve successful weight loss: diet and nutrition, exercise and behavior modification.
Anderson opened a practice on the Lower Shore in 1993 as a radiation oncologist at Peninsula Regional Medical Center. But when she noticed many of her cancer patients, who had sent the disease into remission, falling to diseases brought on by obesity, she wondered how could she help curb an epidemic increasing in the area. She left the cancer practice in 2009 with a mission to focus on chronic diseases.
Anderson took two years to learn the science of medical weight loss. She joined The Obesity Society and The American Society of Bariatric Physicians to further educate herself. She also toured the country to engage in conferences and symposiums from Harvard to the Cleveland Clinic and took extensive obesity courses during a six-month period. To benefit her patients and help change their eating habits, Anderson took courses in cognitive therapy.
"It is the most helpful form of therapy," she said. "Before people have an action, they have a thought, and if their thoughts can be changed, then their feelings will change, which will change their actions."
In the tri-county area, the latest available data from the Wicomico County Health Department -- from 2009 -- indicated 70.7 percent of the population was considered to have an "unhealthy weight," 69.2 percent were considered "overweight" and 31.3 percent were categorized as obese.
Diabetes was affecting 14.3 percent of the Lower Shore population, and high blood pressure was affecting 36.36 percent, with the percentage of patients taking medication for high blood pressure at 87.1 percent. However, 47.2 percent of the population engaged in regular physical activity.
As reported by the Health Department, community members who are overweight or obese are more likely to report a number of adverse health conditions, including hypertension, high cholesterol, kidney disease, diabetes and "fair" or "poor" physical health.
Mike Hall, an instructor at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, said "the real factor to being healthy is losing body fat, not just weight."
"Many people who are overweight do have diabetes, but because they are overweight does not mean they will have diabetes; it is an increase in insulin resistant," said Malinda Cecil, a registered nutritionist at UMES.
As a result, Anderson's new medical practice focuses solely on medical weight loss by using dieting, education, counseling and intensive support.
She said there are three key advantages to her practice.
Medical supervision is offered on conventional low-calorie diets and special diets. As a specialist, Anderson monitors medications to identify those causing weight gain and examines weight in the context of any other medical issues so it can be done as safely as possible. She provides personalized diets -- all diets are evidence-based and shown through research to work -- and Anderson customizes each for the patient's circumstances. Her office also offers a comprehensive program for education, individual counseling and staff support.
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