Can Obesity Be Treated Successfully with Weight Surgery?
Occasionally, many of us realize we need to lose a few pounds and we go on a diet or start exercising more. Count yourself as fortunate if you are in the group of people who have no problem losing weight like that. The seriously obese person might have battled with extra weight all their lives. For folks like them, it is no easy task to take off even a few pounds and keep them off. Obese people have higher risks for diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease and usually develop physical limitations that preclude getting meaningful exercise. You might wonder what can be done. If not by diet alone, can obesity be treated successfully with weight surgery?
The evening news often carries stories about the disturbing trend of increasing incidences of obesity in America. Particularly unsettling reports are the ones that identify childhood obesity as being on the rise. When I heard that story, I was shocked but I was not very surprised to hear it. Advertisers target children with messages about how they need this product, that game or should eat a certain gooey candy or drink their syrupy soft drink. Kids literally eat this stuff up, if you’ll excuse the pun. Even adults are not immune to the advertising. Recently, I saw a glossy magazine at the supermarket that had a headline about how some celebrity had lost a massive amount of weight, right above a headline for a spread about holiday cookies. That’s a great example of the “push me, pull you” that is influencing us every day. On the same magazine cover, a pencil thin celebrity smiled out at me. I looked closer at the photo and observed that not only had the image been airbrushed, it had been altered so that her body no longer observed the conventions of human anatomy! Her arms and thighs were at impossible angles to her body and weren’t even in proportion with it. How’s that for an unattainable image of so-called perfection?
You may have heard of surgery for weight loss before and if you are obese, you might have wondered if it might be right for you. Of course, it’s not a magic wand, but it is a very effective part of a comprehensive surgical weight loss program, such as what is offered at Eastern Maine Medical Center, in Bangor. Their program includes robotics assisted weight surgery that is the most advanced surgical technology available today. Complementing the actual procedure is a strategy that treats the patient as a whole person, not just a surgical case who is sent home to recover on their own. Treatment at their facility includes visits with counselors even before the operation is scheduled. Psychological counseling assists the patient with delving into their underlying issues regarding their lifestyle. Physical therapy can get them on the right track to build a productive, new life. Nutritional counseling and support group sessions round out the program, helping the patient build a strong foundation.
~admin
Tags: surgery for weight loss, surgical weight loss, weight surgery
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