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Lap-Band Surgery: Houston Bariatric Surgeon Advocates Access to Help Solve Global Obesity Epidemic Health Articles | April 28 Cheap NFL Jerseys China , 2016

Houston UT MIST bariatric surgeon Erik B. Wilson MD discusses the relative advantages of LAP-BAND庐 surgery and encourages governments worldwide to make this low-risk, minimally invasive weight-loss procedure available and affordable to obese individuals. Doing so could help solve our global obesity epidemic. Within a short time, the money saved by not treating obesity-related diseases could more than offset the initial cost of this bariatric procedure.



LAP-BAND聽surgery, also known as gastric banding surgery, is a minimally invasive surgical approach to controlling obesity. Through small incisions in the abdomen, a surgeon positions a flexible Cheap NFL Jerseys , saline-filled band around the uppermost portion of the stomach, helping patients eat less and lose weight as a result. Since 1994, more than 750,000 LAP-BAND庐聽procedures have been performed worldwide, enabling patients to lose 30 to 40 percent of their excess weight within only two years. When compared to other bariatric procedures, LAP-BAND庐聽surgery offers excellent outcomes Cheap Kids Jerseys , a low risk profile, and one of the most affordable surgical alternatives available. So why aren’t more patients interested in pursuing this clinically proven weight-loss approach?


LAP-BAND庐聽Cost


There are many possible reasons why more obese individuals do not actively pursue weight-loss surgery such as gastric banding to help them overcome obesity—even after they have closely followed a physician-supervised weight-loss program. One of the primary reasons is cost. According to Erik B. Wilson M.D., Medical Director of Bariatric Surgery at Houston’s UT MIST Center for Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery, only certain health insurance plans cover LAP-BAND庐聽surgery, so those who cannot afford to pay out of pocket continue to suffer, often developing comorbid conditions requiring medical intervention: arthritis Cheap Youth Jerseys , high blood pressure, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, etc. He believes that our government and health insurance providers need to ask a key question: at what point is the return on investment worthwhile? One LAP-BAND庐聽procedure today could prevent a host of obesity-related, costly comorbidities, essentially paying for itself in a matter of years.


Other countries are addressing the same kinds of questions. According to ABC News Australia Cheap Womens Jerseys , medical researchers at the Menzies Institute for Medical Research in Hobart, Tasmania, recognize the value of LAP-BAND庐聽surgery. In fact, they are urging their government to offer taxpayer-funded LAP-BAND庐聽surgery to morbidly obese citizens who cannot afford private insurance because the cost of obesity is putting a strain on their economy and endangering the lives of their citizens.


Bariatric Surgery Candidates


What else prevents obese individuals from seeking safe, low-risk weight-loss surgery? In the case of LAP-BAND, Houston聽residents often do not know that they are good candidates. Essentially Cheap Mens Jerseys , anyone with a BMI of 35 to 40 who has tried unsuccessfully to lose weight under physician supervision is a potential candidate for LAP-BAND庐聽surgery. In fact, because of its low risk profile, more severely obese patients are candidates for LAP-BAND庐聽surgery than for any other traditional bariatric surgery procedure.


In some cases, obese patients are not referred for bariatric surgery because their general practitioner may be unaware of the advances made in this surgical specialty over the past 50 years. Some physicians who have been practicing medicine for many years may associate weight-loss surgery with the first gastric bypass procedures of the 1960s, which had numerous complications.


Now, however Cheap Jerseys China Online , minimally invasive, laparoscopic alternatives such a procedure to be performed on an outpatient basis, and recovery time for LAP-BAND surgery is much shorter than that of a standard operation. In addition, because no portion of the stomach or digestive tract is cut, and no large incisions are required in the abdomen, the pain and scarring from LAP-BAND surgery are minimal. In addition Cheap Jerseys China Wholesale , the LAP-BAND device itself can be adjusted as needed to help a patient maintain steady weight loss, and it is also completely reversible.