As you know, medications used for weight loss are not magic pills or shots. They require your patient to make changes, consciously or not. When your patients make changes in addition to their pharmacotherapy, they can see significantly more benefit. Unfortunately, due to the limited time physicians have with their patients, it is difficult to advise on diet and lifestyle recommendations little more than “eat well and exercise”. As a Registered Holistic Nutritionist, I can guide your patients to a healthier diet and lifestyle, with or without the use of medications.  

Since 2014 medications such as liraglutide (Saxenda/Victoza) and more recently semaglutide (Wegovy/Ozempic) approved for weight management. Since then, several leading international medical groups have since updated their recommendations on treating obesity.

Obesity Canada: Updated its standards of care document in October 2022 to include use of semaglutide, the chemical name for Wegovy, and a related diabetes drug, Ozempic. These guidelines say doctors should tailor treatments to individuals using nutrition, physical activity, psychological interventions, medications, and surgery, and that BMI is not an accurate tool to identify obesity-related ailments.

American Gastroenterological Association (AGA): In November 2022, prioritized semaglutide over older medications in its new guidance but suggested that drugs should be used alongside diet and exercise changes in patients who had inadequate responses to lifestyle interventions alone. It also said patients would need to be on these drugs for life.

 Registered Holistic Nutrition services may be eligible for coverage through your patients’ extended benefits.