Offering the promise of a trim figure, gastric bypass (and other weight loss) surgeries have grown nearly tenfold in a dozen years. However, as "beneficial" as they seem for patients, it appears weight loss surgery is even more beneficial -- or rather, profitable -- for hospitals:
More than 140,000 patients spent $25,000 apiece on their surgeries in 2004, generating revenues exceeding $3.5 billion.
Many of the nation's hospitals (one-third of which are down money) depend on weight loss surgeries; the surgeries help balance the costs of emergency rooms, providing care for the uninsured and other cash drains.
The 433 gastric bypass procedures performed at one California hospital generated a whopping 6 percent of that hospital's total income in 2003.
But the profits don't stop there. Another key source of revenue for hospitals occurs after patients have had their surgery -- when they return to the operating room for plastic surgery to have extra folds of skin removed.
It's becoming increasingly clear that every hospital is eager to jump on the money-making bandwagon: According to the American Society for Bariatric Surgery, at least 1,445 surgeons are administering the procedures at more than 450 hospitals across the United States (at last count).
The Risks Far Outweigh the Benefits
Many private health care insurers don't cover the surgery, leaving the mounting costs to fall in the laps of patients desperate for quick-fix "cures." More importantly, some insurers are wary the rapid explosion of weight loss surgery is endangering patient safety.
According to a medical director at a Cypress-based insurer, getting weight loss surgery isn't like getting your appendix taken out; it's a complicated procedure with many risks such as blood clots, stroke and abscesses. Further, hospitals with inadequate pre- and postoperative diet and counseling programs, along with inexperienced surgeons, can place patients at risk of serious complications and even death.
Consider the facts:
In an analysis of 150 weight loss studies, one in five patients experienced complications.
The most serious complications from weight loss surgery included intestinal leaks, blood clots and bowel obstructions (a common cause of death in weight loss cases is infection stemming from bowel leaks).
Death rates for weight loss surgeries range from a reported 0.5 percent to nearly 3 percent.
Los Angeles Times June 7, 2005 (Registration Required)
Two-thirds 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. Many Americans are exchanging convenience for their health and that is one of the central reasons why we are struggling with an obesity epidemic.
The American culture is used to getting more and more of everything faster and faster, so why not expect this for health problems? Sure seems to be a logical deduction. Unfortunately, the argument breaks down when it comes to health (at least for now, and, I suspect, for most of our lifetimes).
It is difficult to project the impact of technology such as genetic engineering and nanotech on health, but I suspect that the bulk of future improvement will relate to energetic medicine. We will still have, of course, basic requirements that have always existed, like eating the right foods, getting enough sleep and exercise and staying away from toxic poisons, if we are going to maintain our health.
Without any question, the current state of surgery is relatively barbaric and absolutely no substitute for the restorative power of natural health strategies for chronic degenerative diseases. That will likely change when we have Star Trek-type technology, but that will not be in any of our lifetimes.
For example, let us review the long-term success rate of the type of surgery described in this article. It is only about 10 percent, and it is fraught with many other complications including bone loss, immune system damage and liver failure that may not appear until 10 years after the surgery.
Prior research has even shown that 2 percent of patients die within 30 days of gastric bypass surgery.
There are clearly better options than this procedure -- options that are healthier, more effective, safer and less expensive.
Guidelines for Normalizing Your Weight Naturally
Reduce (with the idea of eventually eliminating) your intake of grains and sugars. The body's storage capacity for carbohydrates is quite limited, so when you eat an excess of grains and sugars they are converted, via insulin, into fat. In addition, grains and sugars suppress the immune system, contributing to allergies, and they are responsible for a host of digestive disorders. They contribute to depression, and their excess consumption is, in fact, associated with many of the chronic diseases in our nation, such as cancer and diabetes.
Begin to modify your diet according to your body's unique nutritional type. This is the best way to start improving your diet and learn more about the right kind of foods you should eat. What may be healthy for others is not necessarily healthy for you and vice-versa. That's why eating according to your type is the proven way to ascertain which foods work best for you. You can discover your nutritional type right now by taking the free online metabolic test. You can also learn more about eating properly and understanding your nutritional type through my book, Total Health Program.
Get moving on an exercise program. There is no shortage of literature documenting the major benefits exercise has on improving one's health and lowing the risk of diseases. Exercising is always key to keeping your body, mind and soul healthy. I suggest reading Paul Chek's book, How to Eat Move and Be Healthy, a perfect complement to my nutritional plan. Chek's book challenges you to take control of your health and gives you the steps to designing your own individual nutrition and exercise program. You will find the many descriptive "how to" illustrations both easy to follow and implement into your exercise routine.
Improve your emotional health and well-being. It doesn't matter how devoted you are to a proper diet and lifestyle, emotional health is absolutely essential to your physical health and healing. That is why I suggest adopting the concept of my psychology tool the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT). EFT is an energy psychology tool that uses acupressure techniques that can help you to channel your stress-related thoughts and leave you feeling calmer and more able to face your challenges. You can use the free EFT manual to learn this technique, or you can seek further assistance from my EFT series on DVD or VHS.
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