Signs of a Good Bariatric Surgery Candidate
If you're obese and have tried every diet imaginable, sticking to it faithfully, and still can't lose the excess poundage, you might be a candidate for weight-loss surgery.
But bariatric surgeons don't choose just anyone. To qualify, a prospective patient must satisfy certain criteria. First, a person's body mass index, or BMI, must be at least 40 - or he or she must weigh at least 100 pounds more than his or her ideal weight.
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Bariatric Surgery Found to Lower Risk of Death
Obesity is on the rise, and so are associated health risks like diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, and sleep apnea. Although once believed to be a risky and rare procedure, bariatric surgery is becoming a prevalent option for people who suffer from morbid obesity. Over 175,000 patients underwent bariatric surgery last year and the number is expected to grow this year. Although there are risks in undergoing these procedures, the surgery death rate has fallen over the years as the technique becomes more sophisticated and less invasive.
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Obesity and Weight Loss Surgery
Severe obesity is a chronic condition that is difficult to treat through diet and exercise alone. Bariatric surgery is one of the best options for people who are severely obese and cannot lose weight by traditional means or who suffer from serious obesity-related health problems. The surgery promotes weight loss by restricting food intake and, in some operations, interrupting the digestive process. As in other treatments for obesity, the best results are achieved with healthy eating behaviors and regular physical activity.
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New GERD Procedure
For Julie Bayley there’s nothing better than cooking up an exotic home cooked meal and pairing it with the perfect bottle of wine. But, Julie says that for years her epicurean indulgences left her paying the price…unrelenting vicious heartburn. “It is like a river of lava coming up into your throat and just burning relentlessly and at the same time that is happening there is this pressure on your chest, it is just unbelievable pain,” says Julie.
Julie suffers from GERD…gastroesophageal reflux disease. This chronic reflux of stomach contents into the esophagus is often due to a weakening of tissues that make up the valve-like barrier between the esophagus and stomach. Most GERD patients have abnormal functioning of this valve allowing stomach contents to flow freely into the esophagus causing severe heartburn.
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Women, Obesity Rates, and the Fountain of Youth
The fattening of America is so out there, so obvious, the question has become how do we get the message that we need to reverse the trend?
Perhaps, the message is sinking in, at least among women.
New research released by the CDC shows, among women, no significant increase in obesity was observed between 1999 and 2004…roughly a third of females remain obese
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OBESITY SURGERY SURGE
With the unbelievable rise in obesity rates here in America comes what many would consider an expected consequence- the number of Americans having weight-loss surgery more than quadrupled between 1998 and 2002.
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