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Weight
Loss Surgery Research
All
of the below articles cover interest areas of people who have already had
weight loss surgery or are doing research to determine if weight loss
surgery is for them. These articles should be used along with the
Frequently Asked Questions section to allow you to become better
informed. If you have any suggestions for articles to be included
here, please send an email to:
webmaster@WLScenter.com
Interesting Foods
The following was sent
to me from one of my
Back On Track Mentoring Group members. It
presents some interesting things about the common foods
that we eat.
Your Medicine
Cabinet
We are in the middle of cold and flu season. If you have
caught a bug, you may be confused about which over the
counter remedies are usually acceptable or not for us to
take. This article from my book, “Weight Loss Surgery;
Finding the Thin Person Hiding Inside You” will
guide you through.
Am I Blue?
Many antidepressants cause us
to gain weight. And the extra weight can cause us
to be depressed. It's a vicious cycle.
Artificial Sweeteners: Doing the Opposite of
What You Think?
A new study from Purdue University indicates that
artificial sweeteners can cause us to gain weight. In this
study researchers used two groups of rats.
Reactive Hypoglycemia
Hypoglycemia is low blood sugar and normally occurs
after fasting. Reactive hypoglycemia is hypoglycemia that
occurs within 4 hours of eating and is a very serious
condition requiring a doctor’s supervision. Patients may
feel sweaty, shaky, dizzy, hungry, nervous, confused, sleepy
or flushed. It can be very dangerous and even cause seizures
and coma. Some don’t develop symptoms until years after
their surgery.
How
to be a Patient
Advocate Here is an article on how to be a patient
advocate that I co-authored with Joe Nadglowski, the
Executive Director of the Obesity Action Coalition.
Be
an advocate for weight loss surgery. There are many
thousands of people who are literally dying to have surgery
and are unable to because their insurance companies will not
cover it.
The Human Condition:
Wishing Your Life Away
This
is reprinted with permission from Balancing Act® by Alan Weiss,
a newsletter that I subscribe to. Alan touches upon a point that
is important for each of us to hear.
Recommendations on the Use of
Alcohol after Surgery
Allergies
In the January 1, 2007 Newsletter, Barbara Thompson asked
people to send their comments about allergies after weight loss
surgery. This is a compilation of reader's comments.
Lap Band vs.
RNY
Back Pain Following
Weight Loss Surgery
Sex Drive Following
Surgery
Jennifer emailed me with a request to ask if anyone is having the
same problem that she is. So many of us feel like we are alone and no one
is going through what we are. But I have seen over and over that if one
person is experiencing something, chances are many more are also.
Pregnancy and
Weight Loss Surgery
Pregnancy following weight loss surgery can be
frightening. Everyone wonders how their pregnancy will be affected
by the surgery. This article consists of some contributions I have
received from mothers and mothers-to-be about the subject.
You know you are a
weight loss surgery patient when...
We
form a community because we have shared so many common experiences This
list was made by a group of patients who circulated it on the internet a
few years ago. I hope this puts a smile on your face as you recognize how
many of these phrases sound like you?
US Launches Attack on Obesity
Web MD reported that the
government is putting its money where its mouth is when it comes
to funding for obesity research. The National Institutes of
Health has launched a tremendous effort that will involve research
and funds to try to combat obesity. The NIH has funded an Obesity
Research Task Force which will try to discover why some people are
obese and others are not. They are starting with the premise that
obesity is genetic and not a lack of willpower. Among their
funded activities is research into bariatric surgery to compare
the effectiveness and safety.
Changes In
Morbidity
Special Report: The Relationship Between Weight Loss and Changes in
Morbidity Following Bariatric Surgery for Morbid Obesity
Blame Atkins for Pricey Eggs?
The price of eggs has increased, but for a very good reason.
Restaurant Nutrition Information
How would you like to eat in a restaurant and know exactly what you will
be eating? You would know how many carbohydrates there are, how many grams
of sugar or calories. I eat out a lot and that idea is heaven for me,
because what I do now is to guess. Here is an article about how the FDA is
considering either suggesting or mandating that restaurants provide
nutritional information.
“Some Thoughts on New Diet Drugs”
by Barbara Thompson
In the April 9th
issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA)
there was an article on trends in weight
loss surgery. The entire issue was a
theme issue devoted to the subject of obesity.
Included in the issue were articles on
some new drugs to treat obesity.
“Children and Your Surgery: What About Me?”
by Barbara Thompson
You know that you are at a much higher risk of developing significant
problems when you stay morbidly obese, but to your children, you are their
Mom or Dad and you are in the only body that they have ever known.
“Risks of Surgery”
An article that features the March 10, 2003 issue of “People
Magazine” about a study documenting the risks of weight loss
surgery.
“How Do You Define Success”
by Barbara Thompson
How do we define success when referring to weight loss surgery?
“Not Feelin’ Groovy? Some Thoughts on
Depression”
by Barbara Thompson
Depression is very common during various points along your weight loss
journey. Knowing where the points are will help you to deal with the
depressions better when they happen.
Tips for Staying on Track
A subscriber to my Newsletter shared these with
me. I loved the common sense
and the wisdom and asked her if I could publish them for everyone to
share. I hope you enjoy them
as much as I did.
“Prevalence
and Trends in Obesity Among US Adults”
by Barbara Thompson
A review of Flegal, Katherine, “Prevalence and Trends in Obesity Among
US Adults, 1999-2000, Journal of the American Medical Association,
Vol. 288, Oct. 9, 2002, p. 1723-1727.
Could Leptin be the cause of Yo-Yo Dieting???
by Barbara Thompson
Why
is it that we diet and lose weight, but then gain it back plus
additional weight? Could
the answer be in the hormone Leptin?
Some Thoughts on Image
by Barbara Thompson
For
someone to succeed with weight loss surgery, they must learn to
truly appreciate the new thinner external image of their body and at
the same time, create a positive internal self-image by using daily
positive self-talk.
"Experts
weigh in on who should pay for obesity"
by Barbara Thompson
This article talks about insurance and the Human Resources/ Employee
Benefits managers where you or your spouse works
“When
Things Go Wrong”
by Barbara Thompson
Something I have always been known for is my honesty.
It comes through in my book and certainly when I speak to
patients. I would like to address what most people are reluctant to
talk about and that is what about when things go wrong.
Weight loss surgery is not without its risks and people
should be fully informed when they make the decision to proceed.
Surgeons call this concept
“Informed Consent” and this is a requirement of the
National Institutes of Health.
Weight
Loss Can Cause Divorce
Losing a great deal of weight can disrupt relationships.
You are changing every day, and you may find that your friends or
spouses are unwilling or unable to change in the relationship along
with you.
When
the Tool No Longer Works
by Barbara Thompson
Those
of us who are post-op know that right after surgery, the weight
tends to fall off at a rate that you have never known before.
Your former foe, the scale, suddenly becomes your best friend
– at least until that first plateau occurs!
Wider
Use for Obesity Surgery Urged
WebMD article reporting that for some people, diets just
don't do the trick, try as they might to lose weight. More and more, these
people are resorting to surgery to fight their obesity. But should that
number of people be more and more ... and more?
Healthy Forever;
Patient Compliance and Vitamin Supplements
by
Barbara Thompson
Surgery is just one step in a long journey to health that is
directly affected by what you as a patient do.
You determine if you will lose 50%, 75% or 100% of your excess
weight. And you determine how
healthy you might be by how closely you comply with all of those
nutritional warnings given to you by your surgeon and the support staff. One of the easiest requirements to follow is the
one involving vitamins.
Obesity
is Reaching "Epidemic Proportions"
Dec
13,2001: Surgeon General David Satcher declared war on obesity.
Although he did not say anything different than what is common
knowledge to us, it was encouraging to hear someone at the highest level
of the medical community in this country say that obesity needs to be
treated as a disease.
Helping
Your Overweight Child
Here is another good article about our overweight children.
Stress
and Eating
Along with the rest of the country, I have been sad and in mourning since
September 11th. I am usually so positive and upbeat, so this reaction is very
foreign to me. I love to
laugh, but now I find it hard to find humor. I am feeling the stress of
the conflict in which we are engaged...
“The
Obese Are Victims Not Perpetrators”
This
essay by George Cowan, MD,
discusses
how our obese condition is not something that we can control and
recognizes the mistreatment the obese endure.
Human
Causes of Hair Loss
This is a handout distributed at the support group meeting sponsored
by my surgeon, Dr. Philip Schauer. It address actions we can take of
avoid to try to minimize the hair loss that many of us experience
following surgery.
Georgia
Morbid Obesity Surgical Intervention Act
The text of the State of Georgia Morbid Obesity Surgical
Intervention Act, which requires health insurers in Georgia to provide
coverage for the treatment of morbid obesity when medically indicated.
Although this applies only to those insured in Georgia, the text
may help you to convince your own insurance company or primary care
physician of the validity of gastric bypass surgery.
"Obesity:
The Last Bastion of Prejudice"
by Sahale A. Flanagan
This was a high school research project which was presented at the 13th
annual meeting of the American Society for Bariatric Surgery in 1996.
It examines the prejudice we have endured, a prejudice which is accepted
by society.
Lap
Gastric Bypass Safety
"Gastric Bypass Surgery Safe When Done by Laparoscopy"
This article is from the Aug 28, 2000 issue of Physician's Weekly
Vol XVII no. 33
What exactly is Roux
en-Y (RNY) Surgery?
The Roux en-Y (RNY) gastric bypass surgery is
considered to be the "gold standard" in gastric bypass
surgeries. Read this article to find out about this wonderful and positive
life changing surgical procedure.
National
Institutes of Health Endorsement of RNY and VBG
Includes the NIH endorsement of RNY or VBG surgery for morbidly obese.
National Institutes of Health, Consensus Development Conference
Statement,March 25-27, 1991 Gastrointestinal Surgery for Severe Obesity
Gastric Surgery
for Severe Obesity
National Institute of Health document that explains the normal digestive
process, how surgery promotes weight loss, what the surgical options are,
what the benefits and risks are, and if surgery is for you.
Statistics
Related to Overweight and Obesity
To understand the significance of statistics related to overweight and
obesity, it is important to know how overweight and obesity are defined
and measured.
Obesity
Surgery - Another Unmet Need
Editorial discussing the effectiveness of surgery for the treatment of
morbid obesity. Life expectancy of those who do not have surgery,
need for more trained surgeons, etc.
Baxter, John. BMJ: British Medical Journal, Sept. 2, 2000, Vol. 321, Issue
7260, p. 523. 2 p.
Quality
of Life Assessment of Morbidly Obese Patients
The effects of weight loss surgery on the quality of life was examined
comparing two groups.
Van Gemert, W.G., "," American Journal of Clinical Nutrition,
Feb. 1998, Vol. 67, 197-201, 5 p.
Constipation (Article #1)
Why Am I Constipated? (Article #2)
If you are having problems with constipation, these two documents from the
National Institutes of Health may help you find some relief.
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