“Our Telehealth program will help our patients lose weight and put them less at risk of COVID-19 hospitalization.”
SALT LAKE CITY (PRWEB)
April 17, 2020
With 40 years of experience guiding permanent and healthy weight loss, MD Diet Weight Loss & Nutrition today announced a remote online telehealth option for its highly popular weight reduction program. The urgency of this move is spurred on due to research implicating obesity as the top ‘chronic health factor’ leading to hospitalization from COVID-19.
“In an effort to flatten the curve of COVID-19, while still assisting those struggling those with obesity, we are pleased to announce our new Telehealth program,” stated Cathy Gonzales, FNP-BC, Health Care Provider at MD Diet. “Our Telehealth program will help our patients lose weight and get out of the obesity range putting them less at risk of hospitalization from this life-threatening disease.”
In the largest U.S. study (4,000 patients in New York) conducted to-date on COVID-19, scientists found that after age, obesity was the factor most associated with hospitalization due to COVID-19. In fact, they found that obesity puts patients more at risk for hospitalization than any respiratory or heart condition or even diabetes. Scientists have a couple of theories as to why this is the case.
Obesity is well-recognized as causing an increased inflammatory response in the body and inflammation seems to make a COVID-19 illness worse. Another reason may be the fact that people with obesity have lower oxygen levels than someone of a healthy weight. Low oxygen levels are one of the main drivers of COVID-19 hospitalizations.
Other countries around the world, including France, China and Mexico have voiced their concerns about the obesity link to COVID-19 hospitalization. France’s Chief Epidemiologist Jean-François Delfraissy recently raised a voice of warning, “…we’re worried about our friends in America, where the problem of obesity is well known and where they will probably have the most problems because of obesity.”
The CDC has taken note of these new findings and has listed obesity as putting individuals at higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19 on their website.
Interested persons may sign up for a free online nutrition class and orientation to the MD Diet telemedicine approach.
About MD Diet, Weight Loss & Nutrition
For more than 40 years, MD Diet has helped hundreds of thousands of patients in California and Utah transform their bodies and their health with proven medical weight-loss programs. This is accomplished through a combination of education and lifestyle modifications to help improve health and vitality while safely shedding unwanted pounds. Under the guidance of our nurse practitioners, nutritionists and experienced, compassionate staff, patients learn how to lose weight and live healthier and more confidently.
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