Science & Health

Obesity Therapy Becomes Another Level of Attack Against Fat

For more than 10 years now, Sylvia Martinez, a licensed creative arts therapist based in the West Village, has used art therapy as part of her work to help obese people loose weight and get to root of why they overeat.

With paintbrushes and pencils, Martinez teaches clients to express their feelings toward their condition.

“Therapy helps people overcome … [obesity and other eating disorders] that prevent them from living healthy and fulfilling lives,” said Martinez, who runs a private practice treat and works in the behavioral health department of Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx.

“People who are obese have a lot of emotional problems and health problems that accompany the obesity,” added Martinez, part of a growing group of professionals who counsel people who are obese.

In June 2013, the American Medical Association declared obesity as a disease, a move that raised debate. Some have argued that obese people simply need to be more disciplined about their diets, eat less and exercise more.

Obesity is persistent problem across the five boroughs. In a 2012 report, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene found that one in four New Yorkers are obese. Nationally, one in three Americans are obese, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Obesity can lead to type 2 diabetes, heart disease, cancer, osteoarthritis and sleep apnea, among other conditions.

Although some medical professionals and others generally link obesity to poor eating habits and lack of exercise, therapists such as Martinez say obesity can stem from a body injury or even sexual trauma.

A number of her patients have suffered from a bodily injury that left them unable to exercise or move on their own, resulting in severe weight gain. Some other patients have experienced sexual abuse and have overeaten to cope with their emotional distress.

These patients use food “as a way to sooth themselves,” Martinez said.

Despite The Spectrum’s attempts to interview obese patients, none of them agreed to share their story.

In her practice Martinez likes to help her clients see what food represents to them. She has clients draw body maps, make collages, paint and trace their own bodies. Her patients also construct a visual timeline of their lives to identify when they developed unhealthy eating patterns to understand the causes for that. She said these techniques help people get in touch with their bodies.

Not all medical professionals use the same methods as Martinez; yet, some of have their own way of consoling people in this situation.

Dr. Jamie Kane, of Park Avenue Medical Weight and Wellness Center on the Upper East Side, has been treating people who suffer from obesity for eight years. He says that the most effective way to treat obesity is figuring out what will work for an individual. Exercise and good eating is always a way to start.

“Psych therapy is not effective as a sole agent,” Kane said.

He added that, in cases where the individuals are “self-destructive” and unable to control their impulses, counseling may be necessary.

Addictions to certain kinds of life styles, sugars and refined foods foster obesity, according to Kane; and many Americans underestimate the chemical factors in the brain that predispose people to become obese.

“I don’t really think there’s a cure for obesity,” Martinez said. “But early intervention is important.”

She maintains that helping children in school to exercise and eat properly is a good step toward preventing premature obesity.