Lifestyle Intervention
Arizona Advanced Medicine has helped hundreds of clients get control of their lifestyle.
Arizona Advanced Medicine was designated a First Line Therapy Center of Excellence in Lifestyle Intervention in July of 2007.
We use the latest tools and research to construct an individualized lifestlyle management program which adresses diet, exercise and stress management to help you be the best that you can be. Our staff has specialized training in lifestyle intervention and will help you to stay on track and attain your goals.
Overweight is both a physical and psychological medical problem that can be overcome.
Weight Loss and Management
Managing your weight is critical to having a long, happy and fulfilling life. Overweight or underweight both can adversely affect your health risk. The majority of Americans have some weight issues; but there is an epidemic of obesity in our children. For the first time in this country’s history, the next generation will be less healthy than the last.
Evaluation
- Body measurements are excellent predictors of health risk. They include: Body Mass Index (BMI), Waist to Hip Ratio (W/H), and Body Impedance Analysis (BIA) which includes measurements of fluid, lean body mass, fat mass, and other information. They are used to help design your individual program and to follow your progress.
- Digestion and absorption is one of the fundamental body functions that must be optimal for your cells to be adequately nourished. We know that much of cell function is determined by the biochemical environment of the cells. Digestion and absorption of key nutrients is measured by our in-house urine testing.
- Detoxification and elimination functions must be adequate for you to metabolize and get rid of waists. This is evaluated by measuring transit times, urinary indole, and antioxidant adequacy.
- You can’t beat your metabolism. Adequate adrenal and thyroid functions are essential for weight management. The adrenal gland allows you to take fat out of storage and make it available to burn in order to manage your blood sugar. The thyroid gland controls your Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR), or how fast you burn calories. Most individuals are stressed enough that these function are not adequate and they have no organ reserve. This results in fatigue and lack of motivation. Support of these functions optimizes your internal weight loss mechanisms.
Commitment
If you are committed to the program and make the space in your life to carry it out; it will work for you and you will attain your goals. All it takes is a commitment to invest your time and energy.There is nothing that any doctor or medicine can do that will overcome what the patient won’t do.
Capabilities
Diet
First Line Therapy is a clinically tested weight management program that will help you lose weight and decrease your cardiovascular and diabetes risk. It is individualized to you based on many clinical measurements, listed above. It consists of: low glycemic index meals; healthy, balanced meal replacements; frequent small feedings and regular exercise. The meal replacement powders not only limit your calories but activate your metabolism to process fat and carbohydrate better. When compared to other meal replacement powders, First Line Therapy clients lost fat, rather than lean body mass (muscle) and lowered their blood cholesterol and triglycerides significantly better than the people using the other powders.
Exercise
Think time, not speed or intensity. You have to start with where you are. Your evaluation gives us an idea of how many calories you need to burn, considering how much you will be eating and your resting metabolic rate. For most people, you need to work up to 45 minutes of exercise every-other day for starters; and, as you become more fit, increase the time and intensity of your workouts. The latest exercise recommendation to lose weight is 90 minutes, five days per week. What most people tolerate best is mall walking. Malls are secure, air-conditioned and are open most of the day and evening. Most mall offices actually know the distance around the inside circumference of the mall. No window shopping, keep moving.
Stress Management
We all experience stress. We can not avoid it. Good stress, bad stress, internal stress, external stress, emotional stress or physical stress, it doesn’t matter it all adversely affects us. It taxes and then reduces our adrenal, thyroid, pancreas, and other functions, which in turn, adversely affects our risk of many chronic degenerative diseases.
Our primary stress management tool is “Healing Rhythms” a computerized stress management training biofeedback device that works on heart rate variability. Heart rate variability technology has been well researched and is the best method for monitoring stress levels. There are literally textbooks written on its uses in managing chronic diseases like hypertension. It is relatively inexpensive and was developed by Dean Ornish, M.D., Deepak Chopra, M.D. and Andrew Weill, M.D., some of the leaders in alternative and integrated medicine. It attaches to your three middle fingers and interfaces with your computer to lead you through 15 different stress management exercises. Our staff has specific training in its use to reduce your physiological responses to stress.