| Bariatric Surgery.info For Treatment of Morbid, Malignant Obesity |
Gastric surgery to treat health of morbidly
obese patients |
Obesity Epidemic Raises Need for Surgical TreatmentAccording to the US Surgeon General, obesity is now a major health
risk, being the second leading cause of Clinical Obesity Affects 1 in 3According to US government studies, 34 percent of Americans are clinically obese, of whom many suffer from morbid or malignant obesity. Surgery a Major Treatment OptionGiven the lack of success with more conventional weight loss diets, gastric banding and gastric bypass stomach surgery has become a major option in the treatment of morbid and malignant obesity. According to the American Society for Bariatric Surgery, the number of gastric-bypass surgeries has risen from about 16,000 (1993) to 103,000 (2003). The number is expected to grow to 145,000 operations in 2004, marking an 800 percent increase in 11 years. Non-Surgical Treatment of ObesityThe non-surgical approach to obesity reduction may include any combination of the following elements: (1) Diet (2) Exercise (3) Counseling (4) Weight loss medication. The recommended approach for health providers when treating obese patients is to focus on modest, measurable and realistic goals. Sadly, according to the National Institutes of Health, weight reduction using non-surgical methods is generally non-sustainable. Weight Loss Surgery - Catch 22The Catch 22 is: stomach surgery is gaining popularity because obese individuals lack the ability to follow a healthy diet and take regular exercise. Yet, this is the precise behavior demanded of patients who undergo gastric surgery, if they wish to lose weight successfully. See also: ------------------------------------------------ Gastric Bypass Bariatric Information |