Is
Gastric Bypass Surgery the Answer for You?
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Gastric bypass surgery (also referred to a weight
loss surgery, bariatric surgery, and the exotic-sounding Roux-en-Y
bypass) is fast becoming the solution of choice in overcoming
excess weight. In the United States the number of procedures
performed each year has been growing at an astonishing rate.
And
why not? With celebrities like Carnie Wilson and Al Roker
serving as role models for many Americans frustrated by overweight,
it seems downright trendy. And the before and after pictures
are nothing short of amazing. It is a true inspiration to
see people who have spent their entire lives battling weight
gain finally liberated - able for the first time to enjoy
normal happy lives. The results are hard to argue.
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Visco-Fiber
Pill
Similar results without the risks of surgery; Safe &
effective alternative gets little attention
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How
does it work? Well, we cover that in some detail elsewhere, but
the concept is pretty simple. Essentially, the procedure involves
making the stomach smaller - so small, in fact, that it can only
contain about a cup of food at a time. When the stomach is full
it triggers brain receptors which eliminates the patient's feeling
of hunger very quickly. Because they are not hungry as long, they
eat less, and they lose weight - usually very rapidly.
Surgery
is a Convenient Solution...
Perhaps Too Convenient
In
fact, gastric bypass surgery has become so popular that many - including
many doctors - are crying foul. They claim that such surgeries should
only be pursued as a last resort - when the health of the patient
is threatened and nothing else has worked. Instead, many patients
turn to surgery not so much out of desperation but convenience.
Rather than struggle with diets and exercise, they figure a quick
surgery can set them on the short and narrow path to success in
a flash.
Well,
that very well may be true, but many do not appreciate just how
narrow that path is until it is too late. Living with this solution
is no picnic. There are many negative gastric
bypass side effects, including very violent bouts of vomiting
and diarrhea. The after picture is not always pretty.
It's
also not without very real health risks. While it is certainly true
that living with obesity has its own risks, even morbidly obese
patients should seriously consider the very real danger the procedure
imposes. Every patient needs to study the many gastric
bypass risks very carefully before agreeing to proceed.
Make
Sure to Explore all Your Options
Clearly,
gastric bypass surgery has arrived. Just a few years ago, it was
considered by most of the public as a radical and dangerous alternative.
Now it seems that most Americans put it in the same league as a
tummy tuck or face lift. It is funny how general opinion can move
around.
In
part, this change in opinion has been driven by the bariatric surgery
community itself; physicians, hospitals, and other care providers
have been quite active in promoting surgical solutions to America's
obesity epidemic. While it may be rash to challenge the integrity
of this portion of the medical community, it is clear that they
do have an inescapable conflict of interest here. Bariatric surgery
is expensive - and highly profitable for those who offer it. Advice,
counseling, and research from anyone with a vested interest in a
specific outcome should always be suspect. (That's always true,
not just in medicine.)
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What
is interesting is how other alternatives - which are certainly
safer, cheaper, and in many cases just as effective - are
still considered by most people to be hare-brained schemes.
In fact, some of the same people who dismiss these solutions
out of hand as too unorthodox hardly think twice about jumping
up on a table to have their stomachs cut up.
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It
seems anyone desperate enough to agree such a thing would be.. and
probably should be.. open to trying just about anything once. To
help the process, we have
collected some of the saner gastric
bypass alternatives here. You owe it to yourself to check these
out before taking the final plunge.
Make
an Informed Decision
If
you are like many - and the number grows every day - gastric bypass
surgery will be the final solution to your struggle with being overweight.
The good news is that because so many people are undergoing the
surgery and so many more are seriously considering it, there are
more resources than every before which can provide you with the
information you need to make an informed decision.
Remember,
this surgery is a solution you will need to live with the rest of
your life. So make sure you spend time studying what life will be
like after surgery before you take the plunge.
Read
cookbooks for people
who have had the procedure; cook some of the recipes and try them
out.
Read
biographies of people
who have already been there.
There
is a wide range of opinion; you should know all of it before you
undergo this expensive and often dangerous procedure.
For
your convenience, we've collected some books
on gastric bypass surgery here that we can recommend highly.
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