Two- thirds of the adult population in the United States are overweight and about one-third are obese. This data was taken by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) in 2001 to 2004. According to the World Health Organization report in 2003, there are over 1 billion adults worldwide who are overweight. And with each passing year, the trends are getting worse.

More and more people are getting interested in losing weight and showing interest on choosing a healthy lifestyle. The weight loss market has also sharply increased for the last few years, includeing books, CDs, lotions, creams, pills, body wraps and other materials. Aside from these products, there is also a significant increase on the number of fitness centers, weight loss groups and other food products and supplements that aid in losing weight.

Obesity and being overweight are not just weight issues. Obesity is also known to increase risk of diabetes, coronary heart disease, high blood cholesterol, stroke, hypertension, gallbladder disease, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea and other breathing problems, and cancer in the breast, colorectal, endometrial and kidney.

Overweight and obesity can also lead to psychological disorders like depression and could even result to complications and irregularities during pregnancy and menstruation. Increased mortality can also be brought about by overweight issues.

There are numerous causes for weight gain. A hormonal imbalance or deficiency can be one of the causes by slowing down the metabolism. Weight gain can also be brought about by wrong diet, prescription drugs like steroids, antidepressants and diabetic medications. Diseases in the organs can also cause fluid retention and can cause puffiness in the body.

There are a lot of people who gain weight due to other causes such as emotional eating. There are people who as a response to stress and depression eat excessively. Stress may also affect the eating habits of people and can eventually cause weight gain.

Weight loss can be unintentional or intentional weight loss. Diseases and infections can affect the metabolism and lead to unintentional weight loss. On the flip side, intentional weight loss is about putting forth an effort to improve fitness, health and appearance. People who are overweight and obese should undergo intentional weight loss to avoid any risk of developing disease like heart disease and certain types of cancer.

Aside from the mentioned risks of being overweight, studies have shown that there are a lot of people who are suffering from back pains because of their weight. Extra weight around the middle of the body can cause the individual difficulty in carrying the weight and could affect the back, legs and feet.

The spine is used to carrying the normal weight of the body, and if an average person puts on too much weigh, the spine will start to feel pain and discomfort because of the extra weight it is carrying around. Overweight people also tend to feel pain in their pelvic area. Because of the additional weight, the pelvis tilts forward and can squeeze the sciatic nerve.

Fortunately, there are people who are willing to help with the weight problem. Chiropractors will help you deal with back pain and even help you with weight loss. Weight loss can be difficult for some, but a simple low calorie and proper diet could just be combined with exercise to gain results.

A chiropractor can help you especially if you are experiencing challenges with your back. Although exercise can be uncomfortable sometimes, it should not hurt your back or cause you any pain in the spine. This is why it is important to get in touch with a chiropractor to find out how you can begin a proper exercise routine.

Aside from helping you relieve back pain, a chiropractor can also recommend several types of therapy to help you with your weight loss. A chiropractor can also help you design a weight loss plan composed of nutrition and exercise that suits your needs. They can also offer a support group to help deal with the weight loss process.

A chiropractor can help you with the following concerning weight loss:

• Detoxification – toxins can destroy the cells and at the same time can also cause inflammation. Aside from that they also change the appetite and weaken the cell’s ability to burn and lose fat. Chiropractors can recommend detoxifying therapies to patients, to help them prevent sickness once they lose weight.
• Improving sleep – the body needs to repair itself and sleep is the most important time to repair itself. Not enough sleep affects your weight loss plan, and also increases leptin which has an effect on your appetite.
• Digestion – since chiropractors are knowledgable about nutrition, they can also recommend food that would help in the digestion and absorption problems of the body.
• Food allergies – chiropractors can help identify food that you are allergic and/or sensitive to. This would help you avoid any inflammation and any other problems which can be associated with weight gain.