Nicholson Clinic

When most people think of a serious weight loss plan to tackle obesity and prevent potentially serious, life-threatening complications, they imagine a highly active exercise routine and strict diet. While those two factors play a critical role, of course, a seemingly more passive practice can also give efforts a huge boost. Researchers are finding that meditation can serve as a critical component in an overall plan to lose weight and keep it off. Whether pounds are shed through diet and exercise alone or surgical intervention, such as a gastric bypass, has also been performed, meditation can prove very useful. The simple practice of mindfulness meditation, in fact, has been shown to deliver a number of benefits for those on a journey to lose weight and keep it off. Mindfulness meditation is a practice that involves clearing the mind of extraneous thoughts while focusing on a particular feeling or sensation, such as breathing. The practice is meant to help people develop the abilit...

Obesity is strongly linked to heart disease and other life-limiting conditions. Losing weight can help take stress off the heart, but researchers are finding one particular method for shedding pounds seems to have a greater impact on overall heart health than another common option. When it comes reducing levels of high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I, bariatric surgery tops lifestyle interventions significantly. Those findings come from a study conducted at the University of Oslo in Norway. It was focused on learning which weigh loss method would more readily reduce troponin levels. Cardiac troponins are used to help diagnosed heart injury and to confirm if a heart attack has occurred. Its presence may also indicate low-grade damage in patients who have yet to fully develop cardiovascular disease. To uncover which method for weight loss might have a greater impact on troponin levels, researchers tracked troponin levels in a surgery group and a lifestyle intervention group. After 12 mon...

Many people understand that obesity can shave years off their life expectancies courtesy of a host of negative medical conditions it can promote. From increasing chances for the development of diabetes to rising cancer and heart disease risks, carrying around extra pounds just isn’t good for the health. It’s been long established that losing weight can help lower those risks, but can losing it courtesy of bariatric surgery help, as well? Studies have indicated a strong link between bariatric surgery and longer-term survival rates for both men and women. Most recently, researchers at the University of Washington School of Medicine dove into the topic by conducting a study involving 2,500 patients and 7,500 matched controls. The study group involved mostly men (74 percent) and mostly older people with a median age of about 52. While previous studies focused on younger women, researchers wanted to see if bariatric surgery had positive lifespan effects on older people, many of which alr...

If you are overweight and have been struggling for many years in an effort to find something - anything - that can help you drop the pounds, you understand the frustration of fighting a battle over which you seem to have little control. One diet after another, exercise routines, a history of stopping and starting, and jumping on board the next fad that takes the internet by storm; all with the hope that this next thing will be the miracle that somehow changes your life, thus allowing you to slim down and finally stick to something that may bring you health and happiness. Weight loss is a challenge; no one would ever choose to struggle. Those who are overweight - considered obese - are at risk for a host of medical conditions and the longer they stay overweight, the more at risk they become for declining health. Faced with such a situation, many people may consider weight loss surgery - including Lap-BandⓇ surgery, Gastric Bypass, and Sleeve Gastrectomy. These state-of-the-ar...