Demystifying Bariatric Surgery – III

Types of Bariatric Surgery

Bariatric surgery is performed using one of two procedures: gastric bypass or gastric banding. It is believed that bypass surgery generally produces faster results in weight loss, while gastric banding is more easily reversible. Both procedures reduce stomach volume, resulting in

reduced food intake. In gastric bypass surgery a new and smaller stomach is created by a line of staples. This is connected to a loop of the small bowel.

Currently, most gastric bypass surgeries are done with the use of laparoscopic technology. Instead of a large abdominal incision, the laparoscopic technique employs the use of a small video camera and several small instruments. This technique results in smaller incisions leading to less scarring and pain; and in most cases a quicker recovery time. In the case of gastric banding, a silicone band is placed around the upper stomach creating a small reservoir and a restricted passage to the lower stomach.

Continued in Part IV…

Demystifying Bariatric Surgery – II

Post-Surgical Care critical for Bariatric Surgery success

While Bariatric surgery generally takes around 2 hours, it is the post surgical care that is so vital for optimal weight loss. Post surgery, it is advisable to take an absence from work for three to six weeks. As your body still has to adjust to the effects of the operation, you will face minor discomfort in eating, and will be able to consume food only in small quantities.

Stick to guidelines

As the success of Bariatric surgery depends on reducing food intake post surgery, patients are advised to stick to the guidelines and restrictions that their surgeon has prescribed. Surgeons typically recommend post-surgical activities such as regular exercise, nutritional counseling, maintaining a food diary, psychological counseling, diet modification, and actively participating in support groups.

Patients who do not follow their surgeon’s guidelines will find that the weighing scale racking up the numbers again. For example, a survey conducted by Harris Interactive, for the American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery, highlighted that patients who were most compliant with surgeon recommendations after bariatric surgery lost 35 percent more weight the first year and tended to keep more weight off even after five years.

Continued in Part III…

Demystifying Bariatric Surgery – I

One of the most popular methods of weight loss surgeries, Bariatric Surgery, refers to surgical techniques that are performed to treat obesity by modification of the gastrointestinal tract. The term ‘Bariatrics’ is derived from the Greek word ‘baro’ meaning weight, suffix -iatr, signifying “treatment,” and suffix -ic meaning “pertaining to”. This method is an alternative for individuals who struggle to reduce their weight through diet control or exercise.

Bariatric Surgery is not new, and traces its history back to the 1950s. Records show that the first bariatric surgery was performed way back in 1954, by a surgeon named A J Kremen. The upper and lower regions of the small intestine were linked together to bypass the middle section, where most of food absorption takes place. The objective was to decrease the amount of food processed by the intestine so that the body absorbs fewer calories. Since then, the art and science of bariatric surgery has evolved constantly, and is one of the most popular methods for extreme weight loss.

Risk and side-effects

However, while bariatric surgery has been proven successful in producing extreme weight loss, one must understand that there are operating risks and side effects, as is the case with any other surgery. Most common complications include gastrointestinal symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, dysphagia, abdominal hernia and infections.

Continued in Part II…

I’m Asian – Will The Lifestyle Lift® Work for Me? – II

The before-and-after pictures on the Lifestyle Lift® website show people of multiple races and all ages who have successfully done the procedure. It shows that the procedure is in demand among men as well. The popularity of Lifestyle Lift® is more due to the fact that the procedure is completed in about an hour, with the person fully conscious; it also costs a fraction of the cost of a traditional facelift procedure.

For those with a tight work schedule Lifestyle Lift® is a good option, as it typically causes minimal downtime in ideal candidates. Individual results will of course vary, and as different races have different skin types, the results may not be consistent across all. But across all the 100,000+ people on whom the Lifestyle Lift® procedure has been successfully performed, the one consistent result has been a ‘naturally refreshed and rejuvenated’ look. Clearly, The Lifestyle Lift® is not intended to change appearance – it just makes you look the best you can for your age – no matter which part of the world you come from.

I’m Asian – Will The Lifestyle Lift® Work for Me?

How should race determine the success of a beauty procedure? The facial firming procedure from Lifestyle® Lift is a simple, cost-effective and customizable procedure that can work well for almost anybody. There is no significant difference in effects of The Lifestyle Lift® procedure between different skin types. What does make a difference is lifestyle – and the subtle changes you need to make to yours in order to make the results of The Lifestyle Lift® procedure last for the longest amount of time possible.

The other important factor that determines success for any cosmetic procedure would be the physician’s skill. Thankfully, all our doctors at Lifestyle Lift® are board certified (or eligible). They all have years of experience in their chosen fields and understand the levels of trust that patients place in their capable hands.

As we advance in age, the Collagen in the skin diminishes; the Elastin production also slows down making our skin dry and brittle. This decline in Collagen and Elastin also reduces the skins ability to repair itself. This is the main cause for the formation of wrinkles. With the facial firming procedure from Lifestyle Lift® you could get those wrinkles off your face and look naturally younger; the way you looked years ago, fresh and rejuvenated.

Next: Lifestyle Lift® advantages…

Before The Lifestyle Lift® – II

Before you opt for a Lifestyle Lift® technique, please ensure that you follow the precautions for a safe experience. Take a medical evaluation, stop smoking, stop taking aspirin-based medications three weeks before the procedure, and finally, be mentally prepared. This will go a long way in ensuring a safe surgery.

The success of The Lifestyle Lift® process also depends a lot on user expectations. Accept the fact that it cannot make anyone’s face look 25 years younger. Hence, it is extremely crucial to have realistic expectations.

In conclusion, a stint at any of the Lifestyle Lift® support clinics can help you re-establish your chin profile, remove wrinkles and fat deposits, eliminate bags under your eyes, and give you a firmer tighter neck – in short, make you look the best you can for your age!

Before The Lifestyle Lift®

As the ticker of ‘age’ goes on relentlessly, and the forces of nature take a toll on our appearance – most of us look older than we actually are. Fortunately, as technology has evolved, today it is possible to counter these seemingly inexorable changes through a simple and effective technique – The Lifestyle Lift®. The Lifestyle Lift® has transformed the lives of more than 100,000 patients. However, is it for everybody?

So who are the best possible candidates for the Lifestyle Lift® procedure? Experts believe that the best candidates are those who have begun to see clear signs of aging, such as sagging skin, wrinkles around the jaw and mouth, or folds in the skin around the neck. These individuals are normally between the ages of 40 and 60.

Safety is paramount at The Lifestyle Lift®. Accordingly, before Lifestyle Lift® begins a procedure, a team of professionals carefully assemble and review medical histories to ensure the patient’s safety during and after the procedure. Additionally, the organization ensures that each of its qualified doctors are certified (or eligible) by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, the American Board of Facial Plastic Surgery, and/or the American Board of Otolaryngology and Facial Plastic Surgery.

Continued in part II…

Anti-Aging Hormones: What You Should Know – III

Specific supplements

There are also specific anti-aging supplements and hormones that are used for each gender. For instance to beat the effects of menopause, there is estrogen and Menopausal Replacement Therapy. These were originally thought to decrease the risk of heart disease but in fact, they could increase the risk of heart disease, stroke and blood clots. Doctors recommend that you use these in the smallest doses for the shortest period of time. As with most anti-aging supplements, the dosage is crucial. It needs to be monitored very carefully because if there’s even a slight skew in how much you take in, your body will feel the difference immediately – and protest! Men are sometimes recommended a testosterone supplementation and although there is little evidence of its negative effects at the moment, there are signs that it could be linked to prostate cancer.

The thing to remember about anti-aging supplements is that they might improve the quality of your life, but they don’t ensure that you live longer. There hasn’t been enough research done on the long-term effects of injecting hormones, especially when these are unnatural and don’t match the molecular structure of what your body might naturally have produced.

Anti-Aging Hormones: What You Should Know – II

DHEA

Another amongst the anti-aging supplements on your supermarket shelf is DHEA (Dehyrdoepiandrosterone), which calls itself the ‘miracle drug’. Well, the bad news is that may not really be a miracle drug. It has been found successful in some specific cases and conditions (for instance in patients with depression). But if you’re looking at it as an anti-aging supplement, you should know that its use in age-related problems such as Alzheimer’s and skin aging (causing wrinkles) is unclear.

Melatonin

Some doctors prescribe the hormone melatonin which is well-known for bringing on sleep. It’s being cited as an anti-aging hormone but like the others it could have side effects too! These include nightmares, headaches, daytime drowsiness and depression. Another thing is that if you’re looking for anti-aging supplements, it’s unlikely that you will take only melatonin; you might be considering using it with other treatments but there hasn’t been too much research into how melatonin interacts with other therapies so you might want to check those details with your doctor.

Next: Specific supplements and more…

Anti-Aging Hormones: What You Should Know – I

Thinking about what kind of anti-aging treatment to go in for is becoming pretty similar to shopping at a well-stocked super-market. As you wander down the aisle wondering how to make sense of so many types of anti-aging supplements, each of them promising to inject your body with some miracle anti-aging hormone, it’s important to get some basics straight.

Not exactly ‘natural’

Anti-aging supplements and hormones which are prescribed are usually not an exact replica of what the body would normally produce. There may be a close similarity, but remember that your body can still tell the difference between the Real McCoy and a fake.

Secondly, many anti-aging hormones occur in combination with other hormones when they are secreted naturally. So if you’re taking a drug that puts more of one kind of hormone in your body without a corresponding amount of the others that naturally occur with it, your body is likely to be screaming from an imbalanced dose.

Human Growth Hormone

Amongst the anti-aging supplements, the Human Growth Hormone is most popular. People call it the “fountain of youth” because it’s what’s secreted by your pituitary gland as you’re growing up. It makes your bones stronger, skin thicker, body more flexible (converting fat to muscle helping you maintain a healthy weight) – it’s all about growth and vitality. But if you’re looking to beat aging, this is way more complicated than just exercise, or using Botox or lifestyle lift to erase wrinkles. The wrong quantity of this hormone could cause cancer or tumors, say some doctors.  It affects your sugar metabolism as well, leading to some talk about connections with using this as anti-aging supplement and diabetes. An excess amount might cause pituitary tumor which has symptoms that include frequent headaches and impaired vision. Without careful monitoring, doctors say you could also have problems with excessive bone growth, vocal cord thickening, fluid retention, arthritis and carpal tunnel syndrome.