By: Dr. Riffat Sadiq, CEO of WNY Medical, PC, Channel Creator

Patients on the stage of morbid obesity on the BMI scale are at risk of having complications due to various health concerns. Some of these risks include diabetes, cardiovascular disease, high cholesterol, and joint pain. These issues can occur because the body had additional weight on it, causing the body to become more worn out much faster than usual. This can be considered an urgent medical emergency, and it is something that should be treated as such.

Weight loss pills are better than having many surgeries, due to these various complications. Various surgeries include heart surgery, stomach reduction surgery, and other extensive procedures that can have more complications, as a result. Talk to your doctor about what the best solution for you and your body is.

Unfortunately, some people use weight reduction medication for the wrong reasons. They are already slim but want to be slimmer. They want to look good and feel better about themselves. Weight loss medications have a variety of side effects that should be taken seriously, and under these circumstances, I will not recommend taking these medications. The side effects need to be taken seriously just like the weight loss itself. Weight loss medication is life-changing for those in serious need. Significantly though, we must treat obesity as a major disease.

Obesity is like filling up a glass of water; you don’t realize until you cannot put one more drop into the glass, that it is spilling. We don’t realize how serious these conditions can become. We must plan for our bodies for the now and for the future. If I don’t gain control of my eating habits, I can get diabetes, high cholesterol, or high blood pressure. If I get high blood pressure, I am at risk of a stroke or heart attack. Another risk factor for obesity is stopping ourselves from doing the activities we love to do, which are normally easier to do under different situations. Prevention is better than a cure.

Imagine carrying an extra weight on your shoulders every day. It makes you tired. It makes you dislike the regular activities you once loved. Upon gaining weight, there are emotional and psychological problems. If a person is obese and they don’t feel good about themselves, their self-esteem will not improve. Now, we are depressed and require mental health medications. It really is a snowball effect, going from treating one problem to the next. Once we lose weight, self-esteem and energy levels can improve. Your work-life balance will be more stable and happier. Your relationships will improve, too. Not only with yourself, but others too. For these reasons, I recommend weight loss medication. Target the problem at hand, before more of them develop. We are preventing additional problems from occurring. If we treat obesity, we don’t have to treat the additional problems that come with it. We are preventing these issues from occurring. Don’t forget, prevention is better than a cure.