Out of country surgery seems like such a great idea these days, especially with the none supportive incredibly ridiculous policies on gastric bypass and associated surgeries by provincial health authorities here in Canada. Why not go out of country? No waits times, considerably less costly and the surgeons are extremely qualified. But wait! It appears that not all OOC experiences are the same. In fact, if you’re not careful, you could bring back a hitch hiker that could kill you! Continue reading ‘Out of Country Surgeries – New Killer Super Bug’ »
Out of Country Surgeries – New Killer Super Bug
Exercise Program for Physically Impaired or Extremely Obese
One of the hardest things to start if you’re physically impaired or obese is some form of exercise. Worst of all, obesity and physically impairment always seem to go together. Just about every over weight friend I know has some form of physically disability that prevents them from getting more active.
The more weight we put on, the more problems we have.
Finally, WL&S Support can offer a exercise program that anyone can do, no matter what physically problems you have! Continue reading ‘Exercise Program for Physically Impaired or Extremely Obese’ »
Victoria Surgery Clinic Establishes LapBand/MIDBAND Progra
Another option is now available for patients wanting to access BC surgery alternatives to treat their obesity. Since March of this Year, the Victoria Surgery Clinic (privately operated) has completed 5 Lap Band/MIDBAND surgeries in their clinic.
Victoria Surgery Clinic has a long history of being a premium provider of privately paid surgeries. Founded in 1966, they have over 40 years experience providing patient paid and elective surgeries to British Columbians and Canadians far and wide. Continue reading ‘Victoria Surgery Clinic Establishes LapBand/MIDBAND Progra’ »
Weight Loss Surgery Restores Sexual Function in Women
Sex and obesity. The two words together conjure up visions of impossibilities, like mom and dad or worse, grandma and grandpa doing the “deed”. Well guess what? Mom and dad do have sex. So do grandma and grandpa, so it should come as no surprise that physical intimacy is just as important for morbidly obese men and women.
Unfortunately being obese creates incredible obstacles that prevent people from enjoying a normal level of sexual function. Physical limitations, medical co-diseases with obesity and self image challenges all limit both the physical and mental sexual desire for people suffering with obesity.
The good news is that a recent study has shown sexual dysfunction in morbidly obese women was almost completely resolved through weight loss surgery. Continue reading ‘Weight Loss Surgery Restores Sexual Function in Women’ »
Weight Loss Surgery Improves Mental Health
Really?
We all know that obesity is often co-associated with self -image challenges that frequently result in depression, anxiety and quality of life challenges. At The Endocrine Society’s 92nd Annual Meeting in San Diego, Dr Andrew Johnson presented a study showing that extremely obese adults after receiving weight loss surgery demonstrate not only better physical health but also improved psychological health. Continue reading ‘Weight Loss Surgery Improves Mental Health’ »
Roux-en-Y Surgery Boosts Insulin Sensitivity for Type 2 Diabetes more than Traditional Diet Treatments
Finally the facts speak for themselves. A recent research study has proven that gastric bypass surgery (Roux-en-Y) significantly increases insulin sensitivity for obese adult Type 2 diabetics over traditional diet options. In fact – 100% of the study population who received gastric bypass surgery, completely eliminated their Type 2 diabetic medications. This means that their insulin sensitivity challenges were entirely resolved through their gastric bypass surgery procedure.
This is compared to the control group who were put on traditional 800 calorie diets AND took at least twice as long to reach the surgery group’s weight loss. Only 55% of the diet group was able to completely eliminate their diabetic medications. Continue reading ‘Roux-en-Y Surgery Boosts Insulin Sensitivity for Type 2 Diabetes more than Traditional Diet Treatments’ »
Artificial Sweetener vs. Sugar – The Choice is Yours
The WHO (World Health Organization) recommends no more than 10% of your total daily energy should come from added sugar. Based on a 2,000 calorie daily diet, you should not exceed 12 teaspoons of sugar daily. To gauge how much sugar is in a serving, divide the grams by 4. I.E. – 4 grams of sugar per serving translates into 1 teaspoon of sugar.
Many people wonder whether they should be eating sugar (natural or refined) or should they use artificial sweeteners as a replacement, in order to reduce calories and blood sugar levels while at the same time retaining the sweetness in their favourite foods. Knowing what you are consuming and their side effects may help in the decision making process?
Do sugars or sweeteners cause people to eat more food? Continue reading ‘Artificial Sweetener vs. Sugar – The Choice is Yours’ »
Obesity – Prevention or Treatment
Almost every province and state across North America is struggling with this exact question. In fact for western and developed nations, it’s a worldwide problem. Even in counties like India which has in very recent years made dramatic strides both sociologically and economically. They too are experiencing sky rocketing levels of obesity. It seems that the price of “westernized” economic success in our world also includes obesity.
In a short span of 25 years, North Americans have leaped from a semi reasonable 20% of our population being overweight to an outrageous 60%! We all know that there are other critical challenges we face in our world today, but few will impact as many people’s quality of life, longevity and literally $10s of billions of dollars in cost as obesity will during the next 50 years. Continue reading ‘Obesity – Prevention or Treatment’ »
PHSA – BC’s Hidden 6th Health Authority & Why They’re Important
I’m betting you don’t know about British Columbia’s 6th Health Authority. Heck! Most of us are usually only aware of 2 – the one we live in that directly serves our needs and VIHA.
I believe it’s essential for all of us understand how #6 fits into the big picture, especially for obesity treatments including weight loss surgery options. They have major impact and influence over the provincial policies. So follow along with me as we take a closer look at the PHSA – (Provincial Heath Services Authority). Continue reading ‘PHSA – BC’s Hidden 6th Health Authority & Why They’re Important’ »
How Good is Wikipedia for Health Related Issues?
Image via CrunchBase
I’m a fan of Wikipedia. I go there often for all kinds of information including health and medical knowledge. So I was deeply interested in a recent study about the relevance of information on Wikipedia. Often we read that info on the Internet, including Wikipedia should be considered with disdain. “It’s not worth the a paper it’s written on” was how one physician I recently saw referred to web info I brought with me. He didn’t even read it!
Well guess what? Continue reading ‘How Good is Wikipedia for Health Related Issues?’ »
