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Across America, the number of overweight and obese individuals is rapidly increasing. In fact, among people of all ethnic groups, obesity is the second leading cause of preventable death in the United States. It may also lead to other life-threatening illnesses, called co-morbidities, such as Type II Diabetes, cancer, heart conditions, and hypertension.

In the Grand Canyon State alone more than 58% of the population is overweight or obese. It is epidemic among Arizona’s large Native American population, which has some of the highest rates of obesity and diabetes in the world.

Obesity is the condition of being significantly above one’s healthy weight, which is determined by a person’s individual body mass index (BMI). Those with a BMI of at least 25 are considered overweight; those with a BMI of 30 or above are considered obese. BMI is calculated by the following formula: BMI = weight in pounds x 703 / (height in inches)2

Treatment Options

Obesity is a disease, not a character flaw. However, many of our fellow Arizonans who suffer from this disease attempt to self-treat their obesity by means of willpower alone, as if maintaining a healthy weight were merely a matter of making a New Years’ resolution. Others with obesity turn to trendy diets, Spartan exercise programs, or the use of “miracle medicines” that promise rapid, safe weight loss. But, the few who do manage to lose significant weight by these means almost always quickly regain it. And others simply choose to ignore it – until it’s too late.

Fortunately, another option exists: weight loss surgery. Surgical weight loss – also known as bariatric surgery — has been proven to help ease (and in some cases completely resolve) obesity-related health problems for individuals with a BMI of 35 or higher. It can also help those who are obese but have no co-morbidities to reach their ideal weight and lessen their chances of developing weight-related health problems in the future.

About Weight Loss Surgery

Weight loss surgery procedures, such as the gastric bypass, gastric banding or gastric sleeve procedure, are generally performed laparoscopically. Some procedures, however, may need to be performed through open surgery, depending on the patient’s weight and other risk factors. In Arizona, more and more patients are choosing gastric banding, or Lap-band surgery, during which an inflatable silicone prosthetic band is placed around the top portion of the patient’s stomach using a laparoscope. This band is inflated with saline to create a small pouch above the band and restrict food intake. This enables patients to feel hunger less often and feel full more quickly, and thereby lose weight.

Common weight loss surgery procedures are generally safe and effective when performed at the advice of and under the care of a licensed practitioner of bariatric medicine. As with all surgical procedures, however, weight loss surgery of any type exposes the patient to the possibility of major postoperative complications, including the possibility of unforeseen death.

Considering Surgical Weight Loss

Weight loss surgery can be a true lifesaver, but it is not a magic bullet against obesity. Patients who fail to alter their dietary and lifestyle habits subsequent to the surgery may regain any weight lost.

Those considering bariatric surgery as an option for the management of obesity should carefully weigh the risks and possible outcomes of these procedures in consultation with their physician prior to making any decision.

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An epidemic is stalking Utah – and you may have the disease already.

The disease is called obesity, and its main symptom is weight in excess of that which is healthy. From time to time, statistical data on public health is compiled into actuarial tables by the insurance industry. These tables are used to determine the most healthy weight for persons of a given height, build, and age. If you are above your healthy weight, you are suffering from obesity.

And you are not alone. In the Beehive State alone more than 55 percent of adults are overweight or obese — over 977,000 Utahans!

The epidemic is getting worse. The percentage of obese adults in our state has grown more than 112%. over the past decade, with obesity among children growing fastest.

We’ve got to do something to stop it — for our sake, and the sake of our children.

The Options

Living with obesity can be a struggle. Many people try to lose weight by means of celebrity-backed diets, rigorous exercise programs, or whatever weight-loss pill “miracle” is in the magazines this month.  Some succeed — but many who do quickly regain the lost weight, and all risk making a bad situation worse.

Gimmicks don’t work. The only safe way to attain one’s healthy weight is through medical treatment aimed at reducing caloric intake. Fortunately, medical science has this approach down cold. Medically-supervised programs that teach patients how to eat a healthy diet and increase their activity level are almost always effective in producing gradual, safe weight loss in obese patients.

But some cases of obesity are just too severe for these programs to work. Weight loss surgery stands as a weapon of last resort for the dangerously obese.

Weight Loss Surgery: What is it?

Weight loss surgery is an invasive medical procedure intended to counter a patient’s obesity by limiting the amount of food – and thus calories – that her or she can consume. Bariatric procedures are performed under general anesthesia, and most by means of small incisions instead of open surgery. This family of procedures has been proven to help individual who are obese but beyond the help of behavior-based therapy alone.

Considering Surgical Weight Loss

But surgery alone is not a magic cure. Patients who have surgery must religiously follow postoperative instructions or risk regaining the weight they lost. Each procedure entails different risks and benefits; before deciding that surgery is the answer in a given case, the patient should discuss the risks and possible outcomes of these procedures with their physician.

The Battle

The people of Utah are famous for their optimism and spirit. Weight loss surgery may be the best strategy for some Utahans, but no matter which method we choose, we must all face this epidemic of obesity in our state.

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Hypnosis Works for Weight Loss

By C. Devin Hastings

Novel and Effective Weight Reduction Technique Does Not Require Pills, Patches, Supplements or Surgery and Can Easily Prevent Holiday Weight Gain.

Holiday weight gain is a problem for millions of Americans. Researchers at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) found that a large percentage of Americans who gain weight during the winter holiday season do not lose the extra weight. In fact, the weight accumulates over the years.

NICHD Director Duane Alexander, M.D. who noticed this troublesome trend states:

“These findings suggest that developing ways to avoid holiday weight gain may be extremely important for preventing obesity and the diseases associated with it.”

Devin Hastings, a researcher and international speaker on diabetes and the mind states: “During the holiday season, many people with diabetes face very tough challenges. Harmful eating habits and weight gain are dangerous and difficult problems for them. Because of this, I looked for safe answers that could help my diabetic and overweight clients.”

Devin’s research “led me to surprising clinical weight loss findings that can help not only diabetics but anyone who struggles with weight loss.”

As a result of his research and client successes, Devin created a very informative website for those who are dealing with obesity and weight loss challenges. This website, www.Weight-Loss-Answers.com (or www.WLA4U.com) contains information that has helped many of his clients to lose weight successfully and permanently.

“Safe, sustainable weight loss is an inside job. Diet pills, weight loss programs or even weight loss surgery can not do what really needs to be done”, says Devin who, 9 years ago, lost over 40 pounds using the method studied and validated by Harold B. Crasilneck, Ph.D. and James A. Hall, M.D.

What safe weight loss method did doctors Crasilneck and Hall confirm as effective? They found that: “Hypnotherapy can often help in treating obesity, an observation that is one of the most clinically confirmed in all the literature on hypnosis.”(1)

This statement is made more credible because these doctors did two important things: First, they conducted their own studies and second they conducted a comprehensive meta-analysis of a large number of other reliable hypnosis weight loss studies.

Although this evidence is extremely compelling Devin cautions: “Hypnosis is not a magic wand. Although some of my clients have easily lost a lot of weight in a very short period of time, most of the incredible changes I have seen my clients make are accomplished over time and with commitment.”

Is there other believable evidence that hypnosis can help people with diabetes and weight loss problems? Yes. In the July 2001 issue of Scientific American it states:

“A 1996 National Institutes of Health technology assessment panel judged hypnosis to be an effective intervention for alleviating pain from cancer and other chronic conditions.

Voluminous clinical studies also indicate that hypnosis can reduce the acute pain experienced by patients undergoing burn-wound debridement, children enduring bone marrow aspirations and women in labor.

A meta-analysis published in a recent special issue of the International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, for example, found that hypnotic suggestions relieved the pain of 75 percent of 933 subjects participating in 27 different experiments. The pain-relieving effect of hypnosis is often substantial, and in a few cases the degree of relief matches or exceeds that provided by morphine.” (2)

If severe pain can be controlled by hypnosis then one can imagine weight loss cravings also being controlled by hypnosis.

Also, given the dubious safety and effectiveness of diet pills and the hazards of invasive and often ineffective surgery, one must wonder why, if hypnosis is so obviously effective for pain management, why isn’t it used before drastic and very expensive steps for weight loss are taken?

And, since hypnosis has been proven to have the ability to match or exceed the power of morphine then one must wonder how much better hypnosis is than diet pills and diet patches.

Who has used hypnosis to change their lives for the better? A number of people. Internet research has revealed the following well-known people have benefited from the use of hypnosis:

–Sondra Ray, author of The Only Diet There Is and several other best sellers.

–Tom Mankiewicz, the super talent who wrote “Superman the Movie”

–Beau Upchurch, a power-house pitcher for the Dodgers baseball team.

Devin Hastings also states: ” I can absolutely assure you of 2 things: (1) Someone will change their life for the better now because they have just discovered that intelligent and accomplished people have successfully used hypnosis. (2) It is far easier and cheaper to hypnotically prevent weight gain than it is to lose weight.”

Hypnosis has been proven to help anyone use the power of their mind in a positive, life changing manner. This fact is clinically confirmed and, interestingly some of society’s most successful have used hypnosis.

As a self-improvement method, hypnosis is worth serious investigation—especially during the holiday season which is a time of great stress, weight gain, short tempers and holiday blues.

References:

(1) Chapter 11, Hypnosis in the Treatment of Nutritional and Dietary Problems. Clinical Hypnosis: Principles and Applications by Harold B. Crasilneck, Ph.D. and James A. Hall., M.D.

(2) July 2001 Scientific American: The Truth and the Hype of Hypnosis written by Michael R. Nash.

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Obesity is a health crisis in Illinois. Across our state, the number of overweight and obese individuals is rapidly increasing. In fact, more than 61% of the population of Illinois is overweight or obese. Not only is obesity the second most common cause of preventable death in the United States, but it can also foster comorbidities—that is, life-threatening illnesses related to obesity—such as heart disease, high blood pressure, and Type 2 Diabetes.

Unsurprisingly, Illinois also spends a fortune each year – some $3.5 billion – on expenses attributable to the obesity epidemic.

It’s obvious that something must be done to stop the epidemic of obesity in our state.

Getting Fit

Weight loss itself is a no great problem: by cutting a person’s daily caloric intake below the number of calories their body needs to maintain life, weight loss can be easily effected. The difficulty comes in conquering the primal urge to eat when hungry.

Obesity is not simply a matter of weight, nor is it a character flaw. It is a disease caused by a disordered relationship with food. For some, the pleasure of eating is a substitute for emotional satisfaction. Others are food addicts, who battle an overwhelming urge to eat even when they aren’t hungry. Sadly, the pain of obesity often leads those with the disease to attempt self-treatment, including fad diets, exercise programs, or gimmicks like so-called weight-loss pills. These efforts lead some to lose significant weight, but most quickly regain it. Many people suffer damage to their health as a result of such quickie “cures”.

No miracle cure for obesity exists. The only way to successfully treat the disease of obesity is through medical care, based upon a complete change in the patient’s lifestyle and eating habits. To beat obesity we must change the way we relate to food, making better food choices and eating less of it. Most of us can accomplish this through education and willpower, in some cases combined with counseling and support. For the rest, weight loss surgery is the only way to combat the disease.

About Weight Loss Surgery

Weight loss surgery works by surgically altering the patient’s stomach and/or digestive tract in order to physically limit the amount of food the patient can eat at a given time. This may be done by removing part of the stomach, or by re-routing the flow of ingested food around the areas where the calories are absorbed. In Lap-band surgery — the most widespread procedure — the stomach and bowel are not cut; only a few small incisions in the abdomen are made to allow the surgeon access to the stomach. An inflatable band is then placed around the stomach, creating a small pouch. If successful, these alterations will cause the patient to take in fewer calories each day than he or she burns, resulting in steady, safe weight loss.

But losing weight is only half the battle. Only a complete change in a patient’s lifestyle can win the war on obesity. Patients who fail to change their activity level and dietary habits may regain any weight lost via surgery.

Summing It Up

Weight loss surgery is a powerful weapon in Illinois’ fight against obesity, but it is only one weapon. To win the fight, we must be willing to change the way we live – eating better food, and less of it, and living an active lifestyle. Only by combining these weapons with our will to win can we conquer obesity and live longer, healthier lives.

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Obesity — the condition of being significantly above one’s healthy weight — is a health crisis in Alabama. Across our state, the number of overweight and obese individuals is rapidly increasing. In fact, almost 65% of the population of Alabama is overweight or obese. It is the second most common cause of preventable death in the United States, and may lead to life-threatening illnesses, called co-morbidities, such Type II diabetes, cancer, heart conditions, and hypertension.

Unsurprisingly, Alabama also leads the nation in adults suffering from high blood pressure, with 31% of Alabamians diagnosed with the condition compared to 24.9% nationally according to a 2002 study by the United States Centers for Disease Control (CDC),. And Alabama’s adult diabetes rate of 10.5% was the highest in America, more than double the 5% rate in 50th-ranked Minnesota.

Getting Fit

Something has to be done to stop the epidemic of obesity in our state. Unfortunately, obesity can be one of the most difficult diseases to treat. Weight loss itself is a simple matter: once a person’s daily caloric intake falls below the number of calories needed, the body begins to burn fat to stay alive, resulting in weight loss. The difficulty comes in restricting caloric intake – the primal urge to eat when hungry is almost irresistible.

Many people who suffer from obesity also have disordered relationships with food, consuming food  to quell uncomfortable emotions rather than for nutrition or the pleasure of eating. In fact, many among the obese in our state are food addicts, plagued by a constant desire to eat even when they are not hungry.

Obesity is not a character flaw. It is a medical condition requiring medical treatment. Sadly, the pain and emotional trauma of obesity often leads those with the disease to attempt self-treatment. Many obese persons try to lose their excess weight by means of gimmicks, fad diets, exercise programs, or so-called weight-loss pills.  These efforts lead some to lose significant weight, but most quickly regain it after they discontinue their weight loss program. Many people suffer damage to their health as a result of such quickie “cures”.

No miracle cure for obesity exists. The only way to successfully treat the disease of obesity is through medical care, based upon a complete change in the patient’s lifestyle and eating habits. To beat obesity we must change the way Alabamans think about and relate to food, enabling us to eat better food and less of it.

For most of us, education, counseling, support, and willpower are enough to accomplish this. For the rest, another option exists: weight loss surgery.

About Weight Loss Surgery

Weight loss surgery is performed under general anesthesia. Most procedures are performed laparoscopically, though some may need to be performed through open surgery. The three main types of weight loss surgery are malabsorptive, restrictive, and combination, each with different risks and benefits. In each, however, the principle is the same: to surgically alter the patient’s stomach and/or digestive tract in order to physically limit the amount of food the patient can eat at a given time. If successful, the surgical alterations will cause the patient to take in fewer calories each day than he or she burns, resulting in steady, safe weight loss.

Weight loss surgery can be a true lifesaver. However, it is not a magic cure for obesity; only a complete change in the patient’s lifestyle and relationship to food can cure the disease. Patients who fail to follow postoperative instructions may regain any weight lost or reach a weight-loss plateau over time. The decision to undergo weight loss surgery is also irrevocable; currently, only the Lap-band procedure is reversible.

Those considering bariatric surgery as an option for the management of obesity should carefully weigh the risks and possible outcomes of these procedures in consultation with their physician prior to making a decision.

Alabama can win the war on obesity, but it will take time, money, and the will to win. By educating ourselves, supporting one another, and using weight loss surgery as a weapon of last resort, we can make our state healthier, happier, and a better place in which to live.

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