Alcohol has been in the center of research in the past few decades for a lot of reasons. While nobody with a sane mind questions the vices of smoking, sensible drinkers have hotly contested the alcohol debate. We know that alcohol is very high in calories, and it also can affect the way the body [...]
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I, like many others, have long believed that science will, one day, announce the discovery of a pill that will end obesity. One pill, and pow! no more cravings, and fat will melt off your muscles like wax from a lit candle. (pic: bmj.com) Many companies have clearly shared that fantasy or vision. Billions of [...]
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Many bariatric surgeons are excited about the procedure Gastric Plication (LGP) as a bariatric procedure. It promises to be a simple method (remember, “Less Is More!”) that gives weight loss results as good as sleeve gastrectomy without even the risks of that procedure (staple line leaks (read part one and part two here) or bleeding). [...]
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Weight loss plateaus may occur in certain patients who have undergone a sleeve gastrectomy as a primary bariatric procedure. What are the causes? What is the next step? What is the prognosis for these patients? This article discusses these issues. Please buckle your seat belts! First things first, who doesn’t know what a sleeve (as [...]
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“When you have a hammer, everything looks like a nail!” We have all heard of this saying, and all of us agree. A skilled laparoscopic surgeon plots to take out huge tumors and cysts through the keyhole method, while the dinosaur surgeon tends to think of employing his hands to remove organs (like the appendix) [...]
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In Part One, we came to the reluctant conclusion that the sleeve, safe procedure though it is, has a near 3 percent leak rate. Incidentally, the two of us at BMI have not yet had a leak in nearly five years of practice. For whatever reason though it may be (luck?), we would like to [...]
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Our patients are counseled in details about the pros and cons of various bariatric procedures, especially the one they are going in for. In today’s practice, most of our patients tend to favor the Sleeve Gastrectomy for its safety, ease of maintenance and less restrictive lifestyle. It also may be cheaper than the bypass to [...]
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Terms always change. This is because it gives a lot of people necessary employment. Take this business of changing the names of cities and countries. Take the terms which are no longer kosher (like ‘handicapped’, ‘housewife’, etc.). Has the world or reality changed because we employ new terms? Clearly, no one will claim that, except [...]
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In Part One, we outlined the nature of the beast. In Part Two, we dealt with ways of cooking it. Now, in this part, we will clean up the remains. Sorry to our Gujju (and other vegan) friends for this analogy! If you have had bariatric surgery and are now having reflux, what now? (Are [...]
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In Part One, we outlined the nature of gastroesophageal reflux and how it occurs, as well as how we detect it clinically. So let us now assume that you are awaiting bariatric surgery and have reflux symptoms. So how does your reflux have an implication on your surgery? Will bariatric surgery (after all, we are [...]
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