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Current News and Personal Opinion is produced
by
John Hardman RPA-C as a volunteer service for Minnesota PA's.
(September 17, 1999) Update on last week's column. Writing about cholesterol certainly had an effect on causing me to consider what I was doing about my own weight. So with the conviction of a man with a mission I set out once again to combat the battle of the bulge. The first day at work after my new found effort got me a compliment from one of the receptionists, "John, have you lost weight?" My gosh I hadn't really started, and already I was receiving praise for my efforts! Perhaps it was the clothes that I wore that day, or was it the attitude? For sure I was going to do it this time! Regardless, I suffer from the same problems that many of my patients suffer. Weight loss is one of the hardest things to do.
There is a plethora (and only a true overeater would use such a word as plethora) of web sites dedicated to nutrition, diet, and exercise. Of those that appeal to me, one truly strikes at the heart of the problem. Overeaters Anonymous posts a site that explains their ideology.
From their own site:
" What is OA? Overeaters Anonymous is a fellowship of men and women from all walks of life who meet in order to help solve a common problem - compulsive overeating. The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop eating compulsively. OA is a non-profit international organization that provides volunteer support groups worldwide. Patterned after the Twelve-Step Alcoholics Anonymous program, the OA recovery program addresses physical, emotional and spiritual recovery aspects of compulsive overeating. Members are encouraged to seek professional help for individual diet/nutrition plans and for any emotional or physical problems."
I would leave it to each individual to determine for themselves if the principles of OA are appropriate for them. As a PA you may wish to browse the site, and talk with some members of OA and determine if this may be of value to recommend to some of your patients.
On a lighter note, pun intended, NutrtionNewsFocus.com is an excellent source of nutritional information, especially regarding what's Hot in the popular press. You can sign up for a daily email, which explains one of the latest tips or fads in a "What you need to know," format. The site itself has an archive of back stories, and a search engine to look up your nutrition questions. It started in September 1998, a year ago, and I started subscribing soon thereafter and it remains one of the most interesting and informational email that I get in my often overstuffed email box.
Tips For Exercising Success is an excellent site to look at before anyone begins an exercise program or for PA's to look at to get ideas on how to motivate patients to exercise. It starts out with a well advised reminder that if you have been sedentary for a long time, that you should seek a medical evaluation before beginning a physical activity program.
Tips include making exercise fun, wearing comfortable clothing, and finding a schedule that is flexible and works for you. Best tip, in my humble opinion, was surrounding yourself with supportive people, and knowing what to ask of these people in the way of support.
The Physical Activity and Cardiovascular Health: Fact Sheet site, set up by the American Heart Association lists many facts for PA's to share with their patients, and when printed out, makes a colorful (if you have a color printer) patient education sheet. Physical Activity In Your Daily Life is another great site for exercise related facts, figures, and encouragement.
Exercise search at Health Finder is a great resource list of topics related to exercise. I typed in "exercise" in the search engine at a related healthfinder.gov site and came up with this list of numerous sites.
Use the HealthFinder site to browse the many other related exercise sites, or type in your own search words to find just those topics that interest you.
So there you have it! Remember that September is Cholesterol Awareness Month and "Know your Number."