Obesity management and scientific evidence

Obesity is now recognized as a critical target for public health intervention in many parts of the world, affecting virtually all age and socio-economic groups within both developed and developing countries. This study's objective is to provide an overview of the full range of methods and models available for weight loss, including some methods used by overweight and obese people without medical supervision. Many diverse approaches for achieving weight loss and weight maintenance have been evaluated. According to some evidence-based guidelines, in order to achieve the best treatment outcomes, it is recommended that a combination of dietary therapy with low-calorie diet, increased physical activity, and behavioral therapy be incorporated. Advances in treatment and innovative policy initiatives focusing on prevention could reverse the global problem of obesity and overweight. The most effective forms of treatment require collaboration among health care providers in primary care settings, including nurses, dietitians, psychologists, physicians, and psychiatrists. Effective strategies for weight loss require management strategies that combine dietary therapy and physical activity by using behavioral interventions. Thus, in the near future, the Korean government must develop evidence-based (clinical or community) guidelines for obesity management. Also, due to the lack of high quality primary studies on obesity management in Korea, future randomized clinical or community trials are recommended in this area.

Stress management and mind-body medicine: focusing on relaxation and meditation

Stress management is important and various stress management methods are required in the area of clinical preventive services. Although defining stress is somewhat complicated, stress can usually be divided into two concepts, stressors and the stress reaction. Stressors are stimuli that arouse the stress reaction. Examples are disasters, life events requiring changes, and everyday hassles. The stress reaction is often called the 'fight or flight reaction' and is mediated by the sympathetic nervous system and various hormones, including cortisol and catecholamine. Stress is closely related with health behaviors and several chronic diseases. Stress is measured using biological tests or self report, including questionnaires and interviews. Psychosocial Wellbeing Index-Short Form, Brief Ecounter PsychoSocial Instrument-Korean version, Global Assessment of Recent Stress Scale, and Symptom Checklist-90-Revised are examples of questionnaires that are widely used in Korea. Stress coping methods are categorized into stimuli-oriented methods, cognitive-behavioral methods, and mind-body interventions. Relaxation and meditation are widely used mind-body medical interventions. Relaxation Response and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction are two of the most widely used meditative programs in the Western mainstream medical system. Abdominal breathing, Progressive Muscular Relaxation, relaxing imagery, Autogenic Training, and biofeedback are other well-known techniques for relaxation and stress management. Relaxation and meditation are effective in improving health behaviors and quality of life, and complement the treatment methods of various chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disorders and cancer. Relaxation and meditation also seem to be effective methods for use in clinical preventive services. Program development, standardization, and further study are necessary for more widespread use of mind-body interventions in the area of clinical preventive services.