Obesity kills. Since the mid-1970’s, Americans have been at war with the battle of the bulge. According to the Journal of American Medical Association (2004), around 400,000 people die each year because of obesity. While these statistics are grim, there is hope. Many programs are available for weight loss including Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers, and Nutri-System. For those individuals who have a body mass index of 40 or more or a body mass index of 35 with severe medical problems related to their obesity there is another alternative, the gastric bypass surgery. Although considered to be a dangerous and highly evasive surgery, the gastric bypass is an incredible tool for weight loss because weight loss from the surgery promotes a better self-image, increased physical mobility, and a reduction in physical ailments.
Obesity is a problem that affects over half the population in America. The gastric bypass surgery is becoming more popular as people with major health problems need an extra boost to help them lose weight. The surgery is highly controversial because of the major health risks involved such as dying on the operating table, dying from complications after the surgery, and the development of diseases such as osteoporosis in the future. Clark (2003) reported, “The most commonly cited mortality rate for bariatric surgical operations, across the United States, is 0.5%……that means about 1 out of 200 patients will experience a fatal result. The costs of obesity related health issues are astronomical to both insurance companies and families. For someone who is morbidly obese, having the surgery would tremendously cut back the health care costs by eliminating many health problems.
While depression is a widespread epidemic that can affect anyone, according to Simon (2006) people with obesity can have up to a 20-44% increase in the chance of being affected by depression. Why is this? Depression is directly related to a person’s self image. People who are over weight have a very poor image of themselves. This can stem from childhood if the person was over weight and children called them names or even in adult hood when passed up for that job, treated badly in a store, or laughed at by others. Unfortunately, depression is a vicious circle. People who are depressed want to eat more because food brings comfort and if they are put on medications for depression some of the side effects include weight gain. In society today where there are size zero supermodels and Hollywood’s emphasis on the perfect body; it is no wonder that many overweight people have a complex about how they look. As a whole, our society has been trained to look down on obesity even though about half of our society is overweight. Such negative feedback on obesity causes the obese person to feel ashamed in how they look, a sense of failure at what they have let themselves become, and rejection from peers due to how they look.
Increased physical mobility is every obese person’s dream. Being able to walk without pain is usually one of the first goals. Being overweight puts much stress on bones and joints making it hard to move around. Even getting out of bed in the morning can be an enormous chore. As the weight comes off after the surgery, the body actually starts to feel lighter and the person becomes limber. Walking is one of the first steps towards exercise and is one of the easiest to do. Patients find exercising to be exhilarating and fun when the pain starts to go away. Problems such as degenerative disk are usually related to obesity because of the stress that is placed on the back from being over weight. Losing weigh will talk the pressure off of the obese person’s back. Degenerative joint disease is another ailment related to physical mobility that is lessened as the weigh is reduced.
The gastric bypass can eliminate type-2 diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart disease, sleep apnea, asthma, and acid reflux disease. Besides these major health benefits, there are so many other benefits as well. Permanent weight loss, which is the goal of the surgery, is also a great benefit. Patients may also reduce their medicine intake drastically such as blood pressure medicines or inhalers for asthma. Because the stomach is reduced to the size of a walnut, patients only eat a tiny portion to feel full and satisfied. Patients are also usually healthier through following their vitamin supplementary intake.
The gastric bypass is an excellent tool to help people achieve their weight loss goals. Though considered drastic by some, this surgery has been a lifesaver for others. Each surgery is a personal journey for someone and the gastric bypass may be the last thread of hope for that person. As the surgery becomes more popular, the statistics will be in favor of the gastric bypass because doctors will have more experience. The benefits of this surgery far out weigh the risks when looking at the big picture.
References
Clark, G.W., (2003). Regarding Surgical Mortality Statistics. Retrieved October 3, 2007
from http://gastricbypass.netfirms.com/surgicalmortalitygwclark.htm
Mokdad, A.H., Marks, J.S., Stroup, D.F., Gerberding, G.L., (2004). Actual Causes of
Death in the United States, 2000. Retrieved October 3, 2007 from http://jama.ama-
assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/291/10/1238?maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10&RE
SULTFORMAT=&fulltext=Obesity+deaths&searched=1&FIRSTINDEX=10&re
ourcetype=HWCIT
Simon, G.E., Von Korff, M., Saunders, K., Miglioretti, D.L., Crane, P.K., van Belle, G.,
Kessler, R.C., (2006). Association Between Obesity and Psychiatric Disorders in
the US Adult Population. Retrieved October 3, 2007 from http://archpsyc.ama-
assn.org/cgi/search?fulltext=Obesity%2C+2006
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