Changebridge Medical Associates Combats Obesity Epidemic

Changebridge Medical Associates Combats Obesity Epidemic with Medically Supervised Weight Loss Program That Targets Long-Term Success.  March is ‘peak time’ for dieting as people look toward warmer months.

At a time when obesity is fast approaching smoking as the leading preventable cause of death,¹ Changebridge Medical Associates (www.changebridgemedical.com) is offering a new medically supervised weight-loss program focusing on realistic, long-term weight loss.
 
The program’s introduction comes during a peak time for dieting, according to market researcher the NPD Group. “Traditionally, many consumers start diets as part of New Year’s resolutions; however, the actual percentage of consumers on a diet doesn’t peak until March,” according to the group.²

 
New among Changebridge Medical Associate’s offerings is the HNT Program for Health and Weight Management™ (www.myhealthone.com). This 20-week program is for people who are ready to make lifelong changes to how they eat and exercise. It offers safe, rapid and effective weight loss, using Health One meal replacements and gradually reintroducing grocery-store foods to meet individual meal plans. The program includes medical monitoring, intensive lifestyle counseling via weekly education group sessions and some individual coaching. Physical activity is encouraged.
 
“We feel that it is important to give our patients a tool with which to manage their weight,” said Dr. Arnold I. Pallay, medical director of Changebridge Medical Associates. “Excess weight is a contributor to high cholesterol, heart disease, diabetes and arthritis. By promoting healthful eating and lifestyle habits, we can help prevent some of those complications. At Changebridge Medical Associates, we offer several options for medically supervised weight loss. We are excited about the new HNT program. This is not a diet, fad or gimmick. It helps people change their relationship with food in a way that leads to more successful weight loss and management for the long term.”
 
The HNT program was founded in 1994 by Steven R. Schultz, Ph.D., M.P.H. Dr. Schultz has more than 30 years of experience in the field of weight loss and nutrition. His goal was to create a comprehensive approach to weight loss that is useful for anyone wanting to lose from 10 to 300 pounds. The program has since been used successfully in a variety of settings, from hospitals to clinics and doctors’ offices. Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee lost 105 pounds using Health One.
 
The local HNT clinic is run by Karen O’Connor, program director. O’Connor holds a B.S. in food and nutrition from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. A goal-oriented professional, O’Connor practices what she preaches. She has trained for and run the Chicago Marathon and participated in a three-day Avon walk to earn funds for breast cancer research. She spent a summer during her college years counseling children at a weight-loss camp. She comes to HNT after giving herself a one-year sabbatical from the corporate world in order to widen her knowledge of how people live outside the USA; she and her husband now are raising their son in New Jersey. She started offering HNT classes in June 2009 in Mt. Olive, N.J., with Dr. Anthony Miccio of Family Health of Mount Olive. They have expanded to include Dr. Pallay from Changebridge Medical Associates as the medical director for Montville and surrounding towns.
 
“I believe in the success of all my patients,” she said. “That process comes within their own self journey. As the coach, I guide them to set realistic goals, provide the tools and point out small successes along the way until they feel and see results and believe in themselves.”
 
Importantly, the HNT program is not “a diet mill of hope and defeat,” said O’Connor. “HNT provides inspiration for those who tried and failed before. I think of this program as the antidote to the revolving door. We are not a support group. We give people specific skills and strategies, and we teach people not to be afraid of food.”
 
The HNT group will meet at Changebridge Medical Associates, Suite C3, 170 Changebridge Road, Montville, on Thursday evenings, beginning March 25th. Those interested in participating may attend a free informational session at the same location on March 4, 11 or 18 from 7:15 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. To register for the program or information session or to receive more information, contact Karen O’Connor at 973-587-0101 or e-mail KOconnor@myhealthone.com.
 
The HNT program is also offered in Mount Olive, N.J., at 183 S. Rt. 206, Mount Olive , N.J. 07828 .
 
About Changebridge Medical Associates
Changebridge Medical Associates is a full-service family medical practice with a tradition of using innovative technologies with a human touch in patient-focused health care for children, adults and seniors. 
 
Arnold I. Pallay, M.D., F.A.A.F.P.; Frank Iannetta, M.D., F.A.A.F.P.; and Inna Zdorovyak, M.D., D.B.F.P., are board-certified, residency-trained physicians. Anna Chung, M.S., PA-C; Genevieve Castaneda, M.S., PA-C; and Jessica Oliveira, M.S., PA-C, are board-certified physician assistants with extensive experience. Drs. Pallay, Iannetta and Zdorovyak all have attending privileges at St. Clare’s Hospital; Drs. Pallay and Iannetta also have attending privileges at Morristown Memorial Hospital and Chilton Memorial Hospital in Morris County. Practice areas of expertise include women’s health care; sports medicine, especially for the adolescent; and geriatric evaluation and management. The practice is noted for its advanced electronic health record systems and application of genetic screening in primary care. Changebridge Medical Associates is located at 170 Changebridge Road, Suite C-3, Montville, NJ 07045. For more information, call 973-575-5540 or visit www.changebridgemed.com or the blog www.changebridgemed.wordpress.com.
 
About HNT
HNT is committed to a responsible, long-term approach to weight management and is highly regarded in the obesity research community. The HNT Program for Health and Weight Management™ results in an average weight loss of two to four pounds per week, and successful patients experience results similar to those of bariatric surgery. The high-quality, low-calorie Health One meal replacement is administered under the supervision of a medical professional and trained health educator. Participants lose weight rapidly and safely and keep the weight off through the powerful lifestyle and health program.  
 
¹ Actual Causes of Death in the United States , 2000. Journal of the American Medical Association, March 10, 2004. Modifiable behavioral risk factors are leading causes of mortality in the United States . The leading causes of death in 2000 were tobacco (435,000 deaths; 18.1% of total US deaths), poor diet and physical inactivity (400,000 deaths; 16.6%), and alcohol consumption (85,000 deaths; 3.5%). Other actual causes of death were microbial agents (75,000), toxic agents (55 000), motor vehicle crashes (43,000), incidents involving firearms (29,000), sexual behaviors (20,000), and illicit use of drugs (17,000).
² NPD Group release, January 2, 2006.

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[Kathleen Durland, RN]

To access Changebridge Medical's website, please go to www.changebridgemed.com. Website listed in this article is incorrect.