“Although we have the same age on our ID cards, our bodies’ real ages are not the same, changing with hormone levels in the blood. Your ID says 40, but what’s your real age? You have to get a blood test to read the chemical values and analyze it. Your hormone results might only be 30, which is the youthfulness many people desire. Because it’s not just about looking good, but also having a quality life far removed from a lottery of severe diseases and close-to-home issues that age us, wear us out, and degrade our bodies. The main culprits are fats and weight, for which you are the biggest influencer.”
Dr. Tanupol Virunhagarun Chief Operating Officer and Director of BDMAS Wellness Clinic, and an expert in Preventive and Regenerative Medicine, honors us with advice and consultations on obesity and weight loss for slowing down aging and staying away from diseases. “I’ve noticed that some patients believe they must rely on doctors and medications. Coming to the doctor and taking medication will cure them. Monitoring various levels, such as for diabetes, blood sugar, and cholesterol, will improve. Yes, as long as patients take the medication prescribed by their doctors, these levels will adjust and remain worryingly stable. However, I actually think these patient groups are more concerning than before. Because if they continue to rely on medication without changing their lifestyle habits, they’ll have to take medication for the rest of their lives. And you must not forget that each type of drug consists of chemicals that the body cannot produce itself. Introducing foreign substances can lead to long-term side effects, such as sexual dysfunction from blood pressure pills, muscle wasting, liver inflammation, short-term memory, and osteoporosis from cholesterol medication, leading to many more diseases, prompting the developed medical world to start valuing disease prevention without drugs but focusing on changing and enhancing life attitudes for the patients’ own health by letting them see and slowly act on it themselves. I want to make it clear if you want good health, you have to start with a good attitude first; love health, no one will love your health more than you. Prevention, awareness, and self-knowledge is the solution.”
What causes obesity and how to know if you are at risk
“We need to understand what obesity is. Obesity is a condition of ‘central obesity’ where there is a significant amount of fat accumulated in the body. This fat can be divided into 2 types: subcutaneous fat found just under the skin—try pinching your belly to feel it; and the more dangerous and harmful type that embeds around organs such as the liver, pancreas, intestines, and heart. To thoroughly check for this type 2 fat, medical instrumentation like X-ray or Dexa Scan (Whole Body) is required. This new science allows for a detailed understanding of how much fat is distributed and hidden throughout your body, such as in the abdomen, hips, waist, underarms, thighs, or even internal organs. Such detailed examination can reveal whether you’re at risk of severe diseases or obesity-related conditions.”
“I’d like to briefly share the global phenomenon on obesity. Previously, the worldwide medical community did not see obesity as a disease. Thus, we only monitored and waited to treat diseases caused by obesity. But today, having a significant amount of both types of fats in the body is considered a disease because it triggers many severe conditions like diabetes, heart and vascular diseases, heart failure, colon cancer, or even the silent threat of sleep apnea conditions.”
“These are serious, non-communicable diseases that we bring upon ourselves, resulting from behaviors, lifestyle, the rush of life, neglect, not caring about eating, not exercising, insufficient rest, and high-stress levels. Anyone accumulating these four aspects over the years will start showing signs of belly fat and receive an immediate pass to risk these mentioned diseases.”
