2nd Jul, 2021
In a new series, we’re debunking persistent myths of weight loss surgery. Read the first and second posts in our series, Weight-Loss Surgery Myths Debunked - You'll Have Terrible Scars, and Weight-Loss Surgery Myths - You'll Probably Gain Back the Weight. The idea that you'll miss out on key nutrients following weight-loss surgery isn't true. But like every myth, underneath is a kernel of truth somewhere, so let… Read more »
25th Jun, 2021
In a new series, we’re debunking persistent myths of weight loss surgery. Read the first in our series, Weight Loss Surgery Myths Debunked - You'll Have Terrible Scars. The idea that you'll probably gain back the weight following weight-loss surgery is another common myth. But is it true? According to the largest, most comprehensive studies around the globe, the answer is no. The Weight Regain Myth… Read more »
18th Jun, 2021
Diet and exercise are enough when you do them right—or so we are told. Just mind your diet and exercise, right? This is something we've heard since childhood. And how could such straightforward, commonsense advice possibly be wrong? Unfortunately, it's the wrong strategy for treating obesity. Here's why the medical management of obesity isn't nearly enough. Widespread Environmental Changes Let us start by acknowledging that the… Read more »
11th Jun, 2021
In a new series, we're debunking persistent myths of weight loss surgery. Is it true that weight-loss surgery will leave you with terrible scars? It's a common misconception, but it's not true. Today, minimally invasive surgery or laparoscopic surgery normally creates four or five small incisions ranging from 5 to 20 mm in length. For most people, the scars fade with time and become very… Read more »
4th Jun, 2021
After metabolic surgery, people report far less hunger and a greater sense of fullness or satisfaction after less food. But how does this occur? It turns out that hunger and fullness are both a lot more complicated than researchers once thought. Some of us feel hungry almost every minute of every waking day, while others only feel their hunger stir with external cues such as… Read more »
28th May, 2021
For teenagers with severe obesity, is metabolic surgery an option now or should it wait until they reach adulthood? What are the risks, and what are the advantages? These challenging questions have been considered by both parents and doctors for many years, and some of the recommendations may surprise you. Obesity in Teenagers Let us start with recognizing the problem. An alarming number of children… Read more »
7th May, 2021
All too often, people wait far too long to move forward with treating their health. This is especially true for weight loss surgery. I cannot tell you how many times I see people in the office who come to see me once something dreadful has already occurred. Common examples are that an individual has taken a fall, suffered a severe injury to a hip or… Read more »
16th Apr, 2021
In a recent study from the excellent research team at The Cleveland Clinic, investigators reported the results of obese individuals who acquired COVID-19. They compared two matched groups among a total of 363 COVID-19 patients: one group with obesity and one group with prior morbid obesity but having had weight-loss surgery. The findings were significant. No weight-loss surgery patient required the ICU, mechanical ventilation, or dialysis,… 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 »
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 »