Bariatric Surgery Is Simply Weight Loss Surgery By Another
Name
Many of us are familiar with the terms Gastric Bypass
Surgery and Weight Loss Surgery but the term
Bariatric Surgery is one that you may not have come across before.
The term bariatrics comes from the Greek "baro" (weight) and the suffix
"-iatrics" (a branch of medicine - as in geriatrics) and first came into use
just over 40 years ago when it was felt that the treatment of obesity, together
with the study of its causes and prevention, warranted its own branch of
medicine.
Today bariatrics encompasses all aspects of medicine associated with obesity
including what is more properly termed bariatric surgery.
In addition, surgeons performing weight loss operations will often prefer to
use the title of bariatric surgeon and many are members of The American Society
for Bariatric Surgery (ASBS), which was formed some 20 years ago and which
represents the largest group of obesity specialists to be found anywhere in the
world.
Despite its relatively short history, bariatric surgery has become a major
component of the healthcare system due in no small part to the explosion of
obesity across the Western world.
Literally millions of Americans are classed as being clinically obese today
(at last count the figure was put at over 72 million) and a significant
proportion of these people are sufficiently overweight to be categorized as
morbidly obese and candidates for bariatric surgery.
Bariatric surgery is also a quite unique field of surgery in that obesity
brings with it a number of medical conditions including diabetes, hypertension,
sleep apnea, urinary incontinence, liver disease, and arthritis all of which can
potentially be cured through bariatric surgery.
More in its favor however is the fact that, at present, it is the only real
solution to the problem of severe obesity. While most doctors will start
patients on a program of diet and exercise to cure their weight problem this is
being seen by many today as nothing more than the "politically correct" thing to
do and a required step in a process that will ultimately lead to surgery if a
satisfactory solution is to be found.
The traditional route of diet and exercise simply doesn't work in the vast
majority of cases and many specialists in the field are fast coming to the
conclusion that dieting can actually do more harm than good in the long run.
Similarly, drug treatment to assist in weight loss is also proving less than
effective for most patients and, although new drugs are under development and
testing, most doctors again feel that this is not the answer to the problem.
At the end of the day, despite the risks and complications, bariatric surgery
works and, for many patients, this is the route that they want to take.
This said, bariatric surgery is certainly not an easy way out for people
suffering from morbid obesity and the surgery itself is just the start of what
will become a dramatic and permanent change to your lifestyle. In particular, it
will be necessary to adopt an entirely new eating regime following surgery and
patients need to follow what is often referred to as a bariatric surgery diet.
This takes some getting used to and, while it is not easy for many people,
bariatric eating is very much the secret to continued weight loss success.
As technology advances, surgical techniques improve and surgeons gain
experience there can be little doubt that bariatric surgery will continue to
grow.
More articles about gastric bypass surgery:
Gastric Band Surgery Is A Popular But Not Always Advisable Option - Although laparoscopic adjustable gastric band surgery has become a firm favorite since it was licensed for use in the Unites States in 2001it is not suitable for everyone and this article looks at some of the reasons for refusing gastric band surgery.
Is The Gastric Bypass A Response To a Manmade Problem? - As more and more people are classed as morbidly obese every year we have to ask ourselves whether this is not simply a natural response to a man-made problem.
The Risks Of Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Band Surgery - Since its introduction in the United States in 2001, laparoscopic adjustable gastric band surgery has proved increasingly popular, not least because of the low risk and relatively few complications associated with it. There are however risks to gastric band surgery and these need to be considered carefully.
Gastric-band surgery may be option for obese children - Seattle Times
12 Mar 2010 at 6:49pm
Gastric-band surgery may be option for obese children Seattle Times In 2009, 220000 people in the United States underwent weight-loss surgery, according to the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, ... Dr. Feiz (drfeiz.com) Asks: What Is Better for You? Lap Band Surgery/Realize ...PR Newswire (press release)
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Auburn's Dr. Fox to appear at Seattle Bash - Auburn Reporter
11 Mar 2010 at 4:23pm
Auburn's Dr. Fox to appear at Seattle Bash Auburn Reporter Dr. Fox no longer performs bariatric surgery but manages obesity patients. He is so well respected by his peers that he was voted ?Man of the Year (1997) by ...
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Outcomes After Bariatric Surgery Revisions - Science Daily (press release)
15 Feb 2010 at 7:21pm
Outcomes After Bariatric Surgery Revisions Science Daily (press release) 16, 2010) ? Revisional bariatric surgery appears to be associated with a higher risk of complications than the initial procedure, according to a report in ... Repeated Weight-Loss Surgery Carries Added RisksBusinessWeek Study Finds Higher Risk of Complications After Bariatric S...
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