If obesity is a problem, why are people living longer?

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William McCarthy
Medical Director, Nova ABC Weight Loss Clinic, NOVA ABC Weight Loss Clinic
www.novaabc.com  
703-494-1020

Dr. William McCarthy is the Medical Director at the NOVA ABC Weight Loss Clinic

Dr. McCarthy has been in private medical practice in the Northern Virginia area since 1976.  He received a BS (Magna cum laude) at Xavier University in Cincinnati, his M.D. degree at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C, and served his internship and residency in Family Practice at the University of Wisconsin Hospitals in Madison, Wisconsin. Dr. McCarthy is board certified in bariatric medicine, which is the medical specialty of weight  disorders.  At this time, there are only approximatly 300 board certified bariatricians in the United States.

 
 He has served as the Chief of Staff and board member of Potomac Hospital here in Woodbridge.  He founded the nationally recognized Continuing Medical Education program at Potomac Hospital and served as it director for over twenty years.  He has been repeatedly voted by his peers as one of the top physicians in the D.C area in the Washington Consumer Checkbook.  Dr. McCarthy has also served as a board member of the Northern Virginia Foundation for Health and Medical Care and on the board of Physician’s Care insurance.  He was the team physician for the Prince William professional baseball team for many years, chosen by the Pirates, Yankees, Cardinals, and White Sox.   Dr. McCarthy has an outstanding reputation as a physician and educator, known not only for his broad knowledge of medicine, but also as a compassionate and caring physician.  After years of treating the health consequences that were brought on by excess weight, Dr. McCarthy decided to shift the focus of his care to the treatment and prevention of the actual cause of these medical problems.  Dr. McCarthy has attended numerous conferences, intensively studied the most current medical literature, and has spent time working with well known, experienced bariatricians in order to enhance his knowledge in the science of weight loss, metabolism, nutrition, exercise, and behavioral aspects of weight control.  He now dedicates his experience and knowledge to those who lives and health are adversely affected by their excess weight.

If obesity is a problem, why are people living longer?

This video is about obesity and weight issues in our society, which is now recognized by the medical profession as the world's #1 health problem. I will answer your questions about the impact of excess weight; the consequences and what can be done about it.

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Transcripts

Host: If excess weight and obesity is such a problem, why are people living longer?

Dr. William McCarthy: Well part of this has been in the great strides we have made in treatment of medical diseases. We are much more aggressive these days in treating a lot of the problems that are caused by obesity. For example, we are much more aggressive in treating hypertension, diabetes, strokes and heart attacks. So, people actually are able to have the consequences of obesity treated and so they can live longer in spite of having these diseases. The problem we are seeing now is that we are starting to see complications because people are on so many medications. Everyday we turn on the news and we hear about a certain medications that maybe causing a problem and so we are treating the consequence of obesity with a medication, that may in the long run, cause more problems than it is suppose to treat.

We also are seeing disabilities as a result of obesity. People are living, longer but they are getting into an old age and they are limited by the bone and joint disease and other consequences of obesity.

So, we maybe able to treat the medical problems, eventually it is going to catchup with us.

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