Summary

Original source:
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/stlouiscitycounty/story/1E259E8693A7652B86256FBB001E17FF?OpenDocument

Details

• She arranges visits to the hospital rooms of people just undergoing the surgery.
• "Is this what I have to look forward to the rest of my life?"
• Surgery could solve a major public health problem in a country obsessed with thinness yet facing an obesity crisis.
• Hyped by celebrity testimonials and dramatic photos, surgery is now a favored treatment in the battle against fat.
• But behind the lofty claims, serious concerns about safety and long-term effects are mounting, interviews with more than 40 doctors, researchers and patients show.
• In the past two years, patient deaths have prompted at least 10 hospitals in six states to suspend their weight-loss surgery programs, the Post-Dispatch has found.
• Shekelle said that while the RAND report found surgery was more effective than other tactics for treating the most seriously obese, the same conclusion could not be drawn for people who were less overweight but still morbidly obese.
• And while the surgery helped resolve some conditions, like diabetes, it was not clear that patients live longer than obese people trying other treatments.
• Many in the obesity surgery field have been eagerly anticipating an answer from the most rigorous, ongoing weight-loss surgery study in the world - the Swedish Obese Subjects study.
• In North Carolina, Blue Cross Blue Shield tries guiding customers to the best and most experienced surgeons, something it does for only one other procedure: bone marrow transplants.
• It was set off by Dr. Jeffery Thompson, chief medical officer for state Medicare, who was shocked by mortality statistics he received in the summer of 2003.
• Dr. Harvey Sugerman, president of the American Society for Bariatric Surgery, accuses insurers of "doing their darndest" to block access to an operation effective at curing diabetes and perhaps easing other weight-induced conditions.

Related Articles

Popular Topics: Health, Gastric bypass, Bypass surgery, Diabetes, Breast cancer, Prostate cancer, Heart disease, Depression, High cholesterol, Osteoporosis, Vaccines, Autism, ADHD, Infertility, Weight loss, Cancer, Alzheimer's, Trans fats, Acrylamides, Fluoride, Mercury	Take Action: Support NaturalNews.com Email this article to a friend Share this article on: NewsVine | digg | del.icio.us Permalink to this article: http://www.NaturalNews.com/005581_health_gastric_bypass_bypass_surgery.html Reprinting this article: Non-commercial use OK, cite NaturalNews.com with clickable link. <a href = "http://www.NaturalNews.com/005581_health_gastric_bypass_bypass_surgery.html">Gastric bypass surgery often leads to many health problems</a>
Receive our Natural Health Newsletter for FREE Subscribe now (it's free!) to win. We randomly choose a subscriber each month to send $100 in eco-home products or a RealGoods.com gift certificate (our choice). Plus, you'll receive FREE news, articles and action alerts from NaturalNews.com editors and join over 800,000 monthly readers who report extraordinary health improvements after becoming a subscriber! Receive breaking news alerts on natural health solutions, renewable energy, the environment, global warming and more. Receive a free instant download of our $29 Secret Sources guide that reveals top sources for little-known health and diet solutions.	Your Email Address: Free Subscription Code: Enter the numbers you see: 100% free of charge. Unsubscribe anytime. Absolutely no spam. We respect your email privacy.
Recommended Special Report: Seven Words that can Change the World by Joseph R. Simonetta Read this special report now... "Seven Words That Can Change the World reveals the astonishing, simple truths that have the power to forever transform our world for the better while freeing our minds from the enslavement of limiting beliefs. This is not a text for the simple-minded; it is a guiding philosophy for the mindful, intelligent few who are wise enough to seek out -- and recognize -- the higher simplicities of truly purposeful living." - Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, editor of NaturalNews.com	More on NaturalNews.com: • Streaming Health Ranger Videos • CounterThink Cartoons • FREE Special Reports • Podcasts