(8) Contraindications of weight reduction

 The trend of weight reduction is continually outspreading all around the world. Every government is paying more and more money to cure obesity and other diseases caused by it. But what is the effect? Perhaps people who have taken weight reduction know it clearly. Some scientists think that “obesity” is an epidemic disease. We fully agree with them because in most cases, obesity is not simply caused by super nutrition, and cannot merely reduce weight by doing exercises. Hepatophilic viral disease that causes secondary obesity and hepatic edema is the most common reason for obesity. Since it has a relationship with virus infection, it is of course correct to call obesity an epidemic disease.

 Since HAA (Hepatitis A surface Antigen) was found in 1964, although people have got much advancement on the knowledge about viral hepatitis in the past 30 years, human being cannot effect a radical cure of it nor control its global spread. Many people are infected with viral hepatitis in Hong Kong, particularly children, young people who are more easily ignored. But hepatic edema and liver diseases causing secondary obesity are usually being wuzzled. Today, with the trend of weight reduction, we wish to bring forward this topic and advise that we can avoid hepatic edema exacerbation that may be caused by taking some weight reduction treatments. This is a topic we should pay much attention.  Therefore we suggest to you the following situations:

• 1.      Have you ever been diagnosed to have acute or chronic hepatitis and that your weight increased apparently in short term and then got obesity?

• 2.      Did you have blood test that showed abnormal liver function ; the antigen and antibody reaction of viral hepatitis has a positive result (with the exception of those who confirmed with positive result and was caused by injection of hepatitis virus vaccine) ?

• 3.      Is your lineal consanguinity or intimate person has viral hepatitis, hepatocirrhosis and liver cancer history, or blood test shows that surface and kernel antigen of viral hepatitis is positive (viz. virus carrier) ?

• 4.      Have you ever encountered the following situations : have severe diseases, have child birth, undergone surgery or acute/chronic haemorrhage (including superfluous menses, stomach bleeding, hemorrhoids bleeding, trauma bleeding, and so on) and then became fat gradually, especially those who have got blood transfusion?

• 5.      Have you been treated with steroid drugs for treatment of long-term diseases such as rheumatism, asthma, gout, etc and after that, your weight increased apparently in short term?

• 6.      Are you one of those whose liver function was damaged because of taking drugs (especially those who use injector together with others) or taking liver harmful drugs chronically for special reason (for example, to take isaphenin chronically for chronic coprostasis) ?

• 7.   Are you involved in homosexuality ?

        People who have any one of the above situations should not take diet pill to reduce weight. Even if you wish to reduce diet and increase exercise, you should exclude the possibility of hepatic edema first. Otherwise you would gain weight as you try to lose weight and it is not good to your health.

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