Blog
2nd Apr, 2021
“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” is a quote attributed to Ben Franklin. In medicine, we have all learned quite well over the years that prevention is often the best treatment. This has held true for a range of health conditions, from the simple to the complex. Wearing seatbelts prevents injuries with car accidents. Smoking cessation and weight loss prevent heart… Read more »
26th Mar, 2021
For Dr. Sasse's patient Evangelina, metabolic surgery was about more than improving her physical health. It was about changing her mental health too. "I felt that my esteem sunk below zero. I was so embarrassed to show up to functions no matter how many nice outfits I had to wear," she says. "There was no hiding my obesity." Making the Decision At 56 years of… Read more »
26th Mar, 2021
Just published in the Lancet, a preeminent medical journal, a recent European study with more than 10 years of follow up compared surgical treatment of advanced type 2 diabetes to treatment with medications, diet, and lifestyle interventions. The results show surgery is the clear winner, with patients randomized to the surgical arm experiencing fewer complications of diabetes, better kidney function, lowered cardiovascular risk, and better… Read more »
19th Mar, 2021
There is no question that a very sophisticated effort has been purposely undertaken by the food industry to provide all of us simple consumers with foods that are increasingly irresistible. And bad for our health. Delivering those amazingly pleasurable mixtures of salt, sugar, fat, flavors, and scents lead us to consume an immense quantity of processed snacks that we would simply never have done with,… Read more »
12th Mar, 2021
The most recent guidance from the American Urogynecologic Society has called out the dangers of anti-cholinergic medications used to treat bladder incontinence. Describing the class of medications which includes the most widely prescribed names such as Ditropan, Oxybutynin, Detrol, and Vesicare, the guideline paper describes that “Recently, additional concerns have emerged regarding prolonged use of anticholinergic medications and the associated risk of cognitive impairment, dementia,… Read more »
5th Mar, 2021
As we know, obesity increases the risks of many serious adverse health conditions, including many types of cancer. A 2020 study reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association Dermatology evaluated more than 4,000 individuals over a 20-year time frame and found that skin cancer, including malignant melanoma, occurred far less often among those individuals treated with metabolic surgery. As the authors write, “These… Read more »
26th Feb, 2021
Major weight loss is a great thing. Studies from around the world continue to emphasize that excess body weight is bad for our health and bad for our quality of life, so losing weight is the top priority. Most people feel better, live longer, and enjoy life more after major weight loss. But that does not mean there are not some side effects. If you're… Read more »
19th Feb, 2021
Surprises are only nice in certain situations and usually not in situations like surgery or health care. Far better to have clear expectations for what will happen after weight-loss surgery from the moment you wake up until the one-year anniversary and beyond. Guidelines & Clarification We do our best to provide good guidelines and the range of potential expectations after surgery to every person who… Read more »
15th Feb, 2021
Recently it was announced that a new weight-loss medication called Semaglutide demonstrated promising results in a trial and is moving toward FDA approval for treating obesity. It is already used at a lower dose to treat type 2 diabetes. The medication is an injectable hormone analog that is very similar to an existing weight-loss medication, Liraglutide, also a hormone analog of the same hormone, called… Read more »
12th Feb, 2021
Dr. Sasse has been writing articles for Sixty and Me regarding the efficacy of sacral neuromodulation for incontinence. But in his last post for the website, he introduced something new - metabolic surgery. Is metabolic surgery safe for seniors? The answer might surprise you. From the Article "The answer might surprise you, but the resounding response from wide-ranging studies is yes. In fact, the surgery… Read more »