Weight loss can be the result of a conscious effort to lose or avoid excessive body weight, or the loss can result from a psychiatric or medical problem.
Losing weight can have important health benefits, as obesity is a major cause of high blood pressure and other serious disorders. However, weight should not be lost obsessively or as a fad; excessive weight loss can in itself entail serious health risks. In some individuals, weight loss is a reflection of a potentially serious psychiatric disorder, such as depression or anorexia nervosa. Persons suffering from anorexia nervosa can die from extreme weight loss and low body weight.
Unless losing weight is a medical necessity, deciding when and how to lose weight is a personal decision. In all cases, however, undertaking a weight reduction program should involve planning, with care towards maintaining proper nutrition.
Diet. Although a primary factor of losing weight is eating less, it is important to maintain a balanced diet. Determining proper calorie intake also depends on body type and on how active a person is. Extreme restriction of calories is a short-term solution to a long-term problem; it is neither healthy nor very effective.
Exercise. A person undertaking a reducing diet should increase his or her activity level. But an obese person-even one who is otherwise healthy-should not suddenly start a program of prolonged, heavy exercise. The strain on the heart and other organs could be dangerous. An exercise program should be developed gradually.
In order to be successful, a weight loss program should include long-term dietary and life style changes that allow a person to keep excess weight off. There are many support groups available which provide encouragement and motivation to lose weight.
Hospitalization - Admission Procedures
The procedures you follow on admission to a hospital vary from one hospital to another, but basically the process is the same in most institutions in the United States.
Care of the Dying - Reaction of Children
A child's reaction to death depends on many factors. A child's first experience with death is often the death of a pet. A child under the age of eight cannot understand that death is irreversible and may expect the mother or father to bring the pet back to life. After the age of eight or nine, the child's understanding is usually as rational as an adult's understanding.
Care of the Dying - Moment of Death
Do not be alarmed if the patient's breathing makes a groaning or croaking sound. It does not mean that he or she is in pain. When a dying patient slips into a coma, the position of the neck and body produces the noise, which can be reduced by gently turning the patient's shoulders or body.
