Just shortly after the U.S. government declared obesity a nationwide epidemic, health insurers have become skeptical of the drastic and expensive fat-reducing procedures such as "stomach stapling" surgery. The demand has been on the rise for these bariatric surgeries, shrinking of the stomach, that have jumped to 103,000 in 2003 from 16,000 performed in the early 1990s.
Experts said some of the issues driving the "stomach stapling" frenzy include the rise in obesity, less-invasive surgical techniques and celebrity endorsements such as Al Roker and Carnie Wilson.
Health insurers have expressed concerns with the $30,000 procedure recommended for morbidly obese people, who are defined as those overweight by 100 pounds for men and 80 pounds for women. According to data, only 4.7 percent of Americans fall into that category. Experts said risks of the surgery include excessive bleeding, blood clots, infection, ulcers, gastrointestinal leaks, respiratory failure and spleen injury.
Several Blue Cross plans have decided to stop coverage of this procedure due to its health risks and high costs, while other insurers said they would cover it only in cases when it was "medically necessary."
New England Journal of Medicine March 11, 2004;350(11):1075-9
Gastric bypass surgery is the only approach and answer traditional medicine has to offer for obesity. Its long-term success rate borders on 10 percent and it is fraught with other complications including bone loss, immune system damage and liver failure that may not appear until 10 years after the surgery. Needless to say, I am not an advocate of this procedure when far more effective, healthy and less expensive options exist.
A staggering 61 percent of American adults currently meet the scientific definition of obesity, putting them at increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, stroke, arthritis, depression and several forms of cancer. This is a problem of catastrophic proportions and one that can be relatively easily corrected. Gastric bypass may seem like the quick fix, however it is not the solution because of its many negative long-term health consequences.
The obesity problem is not caused by large amounts of fat, but rather by the excess grain carbohydrates in our diets. Anyone who has reviewed my nutrition plan is familiar with this. However, even when people know what they need to do, they may still be unable to replace grains with vegetable greens due to emotional attachments.
Fortunately, there are some effective tools that address these emotional barriers that impair one’s ability to follow this program.
We have had a fair measure of success using EFT for this problem. While EFT can be performed at home, addressing complex behavioral issues usually requires a qualified EFT therapist. You can use Gary Craig's EFT therapist listing to locate one. You can also consult my EFT Series on DVD or VHS for further EFT instruction, as this can be used at home to enhance the work you do with a qualified practitioner.
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