this is the title of one of the articles discussed in our previous class session, and in my opinion the lay article that received the most comments. With that idea in mind I decided to dive in a little further and take a look at the band procedure.
When I first read this I was pretty disturbed by the claim of the title. As my background in science has taught me there is no cure for diabetes. What’s scary is people that are unaware of the science will see this article or others like it and take the easy way out and have the surgery without looking at the consequences.
Members of the class did mention that the potential surgery patients cant just decide to do it and proceed with the surgery right away….of course there are explanations from specialists and physician but ultimately the decision is up to the patient and if a doctor refuses to proceed with the surgery the patient can find another one to perform the procedure.
There is defiantly a correlation between obesity and diabetes. Obesity is a result of hyper-nutrition, which leads to insulin resistance and dyslipidema and eventually through a series of interwoven pathways, after several decades results in type II diabetes. Weight loss has shown to improve some of the secondary symptoms and bring diabetes into remission, but the diabetes is still present and will “reactivate” if long term modifications to lifestyle are not taken seriously.
So if obesity results in diabetes then we should be able to resolve the diabetes by getting the obesity in check right?
If only it were that easy…. As I mentioned during the discussion in class function follows structure. Our stomachs along with the various enzymes use mechanical breakdown of the food to proceed with digestion. Most of the time when we have to alter the way something in our body works something else malfunctions as a result, this is the case with this type of surgery.
1) Ok first question, how is the band put into our bodies?
The steps are pretty simple and can be found at (http://www.lapband.com/en/learn_about_lapband/the_procedure_safety/)
| Step One: | Your surgeon implants the LAP-BAND® System around the upper part of your stomach, much like a belt. |
| Step Two: | A tube is then connected from the LAP-BAND® System to a small access port, fixed beneath the skin of your abdomen. |
| Step Three: | After the first four to six weeks, adjustments to the LAP-BAND® System are made through the access port. This is done as needed — more frequently in the first year — to maintain optimal weight loss, by adding or removing saline solution. |
2) The hard part comes next
· NOW the patient has to re-develop a relationship with food…
o Eat ridiculously small portions ( we are talking about a couple bites)
o Chew for a long time (30 chews per bite)
· I took this quote from http://www.lapband.com/en/learn_about_lapband/safety_information/
o “Patients can experience complications after surgery. Most complications are not serious but some may require hospitalization and/or re-operation. In the United States clinical study, with 3-year follow-up reported, 88% of the 299 patients had one or more adverse events, ranging from mild, moderate, to severe. Nausea and vomiting (51%), gastroesophageal reflux (regurgitation) (34%), band slippage/pouch dilatation (24%) and stoma obstruction (stomach-band outlet blockage) (14%) were the most common post-operative complications. “
There are a lot more complications besides the aforementioned above. So the question now is…. Is going through something like this to lose weight (since the article states obesity is a major risk factor to diabetes) really worth it?
I believe it is not worth it…the main goal of our group was to present the point that ultimately the best method for controlling the symptoms of diabetes is through lifestyle changes and physical activity. If a healthy lifestyle is put into play and taken seriously the weight will evenly come off and the diabetes symptoms will go into remission
(if your interested there is much more to read about the lapband @ http://www.lapband.com/en/learn_about_lapband/ )
This is really interesting!! I think that when we think of surgery we think of a quick fix, while in reality we are changing the whole dynamic of our body. I think it's important to realize that when you get surgery, you really have to change your mentality and daily life style in order to get the whole affect and be truly healthy. Thanks of explaining it! After our discussion I was very curious what the surgical process involved.
ReplyDeleteWhen I read this the first question that came to mind has to do with medical policy,and cost. I am wondering if many insurance companies are willing to pay for this procedure or other procedures that similar to this in nature? Would it be, perhaps more cost effect to pay for gym memberships and a nutrition counselor?
ReplyDeleteI agree that the title is misleading. Diabetes cannot be cured. It can be treated, and type II can be prevented, but as of this point there isn't a cure.
Someone was talking in class this week about visceral vs. cutaneous fat and why one is worse than the other. I wanted to refresh on that, myself; here's a good paper: http://www.nature.com/oby/journal/v14/n2s/full/oby2006277a.html
ReplyDeleteDo you know if the specialists and physicians urge their patients to start lifestyle changes before performing the procedure to help them adapt to what life will be like with the LAP-BAND® in place, such as chewing 30 times per bite?
ReplyDeleteI agree that this is a risky procedure, but I feel like people would elect to have this done when they felt like it was the last option. There are plenty of people who have tried dieting, and personal trainers but they could not lose the weight because of their relationship with food. I feel that most people would take these healthy lifestyle changes seriously since their health does depend on it, but its a lot easier to write that down than to be someone dealing with the physical and psychological aspects of changing how they lived. Just how there are plenty of people that feel like this is the last option, there are also plenty of people who look at this a quick fix.
What do you think the best way to prevent type II diabetes? Possibly educating kids about the risks of a sedentary lifestyle and poor eating habits? In the last decade the number of children with type II diabetes has increase dramatically. I don't know how they are teaching kids to lead healthy lifestyles in school. I remember being taught the food pyramid in elementary and middle school, and then being able to buy three large cookies and a fruit roll-up for a dollar at lunch. So, like many things that are taught in school, it is learning how to implement the knowledge into everyday life that is truly important. I am interested to see how much of an effect campaigns like the NFL's Play60 has had on childhood obesity.