Matt Bush, Online Content Producer
Created: 4/30/2007 9:36:05 AM
Updated: 4/30/2007 1:57:27 PM

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Yoga can do more than help increase your flexibility and reduce
stress. It can also help patients who've had weight loss surgery
connect with their new bodies.


Yoga can do more than help increase your flexibility and reduce
stress. It can also help patients who've had weight loss surgery connect with
their new bodies.


Some are turning to bariatric yoga, a new spin on a centuries-old
practice. Karleen does yoga any chance she gets. It's a dramatic change for a
woman who never used to exercise.


The difference now is Karleen is more than 70 pounds lighter, thanks
to lap band surgery and a new yoga class designed for people who've
had weight loss surgery.


Karleen says, "We're all pretty much at the same level and we don't
feel intimidated by the tiny little skinny people that can do
everything and bend into a pretzel."


Karleen is showing off the moves she learned from the bariatric yoga
class she takes twice a week at Good Samaritan Hospital in San Jose,
California.

Anesthesiologist and yoga master Dr. Mathew Cook teaches the class.
Dr. Mathew Cook says, "The combination of the mindfulness in yoga and
then the meditation -- what it does is it brings you really into a
place of feeling like you can take on the world, you can engage, you
can be in your body, you can do things. And I think people do much,
much better when it's not just a physical aspect."


Karleen says because meditating helps her relax, she's cut back on
stress related snacking. She has more energy too. Karleen says, "We work a lot on balance so I'm more flexible, I'm able to do other exercises."
These moves have helped her lose 101 inches in a year.


Karleen says, "I never feel I can't do that and don't even want to
try. I always feel really good. I leave really rejuvenated. "

NBC /

The duodenal switch (DS) is a variation of the biliopancreatic diversion and also works primarily by malabsorption.

The operation can be performed as an open operation through a midline incision from the base of the breastbone, or laparoscopically. Technically it is a complex operation which can take 5–7 hours to complete, and will usually require a post–op hospital stay of 4–6 days.

A large portion of the stomach is removed by dividing it lengthways along the inner curve (called a sleeve gastrectomy) and the pyloric valve at the bottom of the stomach (which regulates how quickly to stomach contents empty into the small intestine) is left intact. This means that although the food holding capacity of the stomach is reduced, its function remains intact.

A short segment of the duodenum at the base of the stomach is left but the remainder cut and the second half of the small intestine bought up and joined to the duodenum (this part of the operation is very similar to a RNY gastric bypass but is slightly lower down in the digestive tract).

Then, as in the BPD operation, the bypassed section of small intestine is then rejoined to carry bile and pancreatic juices to the latter part of the small intestine near where it joins the large intestine (colon).

Digestion and absorption of fat depends on it mixing with bile (from the liver and normally entering the duodenum). As this mixing does not occur until much further on in the intestine after a DS, the body's ability to digest and absorb calories from fat is severely reduced. As a result weight drops, even when eating quite normally.

Of all the operations, DS is associated with the greatest weight loss (after 2 years 80% of patients have achieved normal weight). However, the risks and side effects are also higher with a DS than with other operations.

The risk of death from surgery is the same as a RNY gastric bypass at 1 in 100 operations. However, about 30% of patients experience major problems with offensive wind and diarrhoea, resulting from the undigested fat and the upset to the normal balance of bacteria in the intestines. This can be minimised by following a low fat diet.

As well as preventing the absorption of fat and calories, the DS also hampers absorption of protein and essential minerals and vitamins such as iron, zinc and Vitamins A, D E and K. This can lead to a life threatening condition called protein–calorie malnutrition. Unfortunately, without regular follow up this condition can creep up and overwhelm the patient before anything can be done to correct it.

To avoid this happening, as well as taking vitamin and mineral supplements, DS patients need to take double the normal intake of protein in their diet for the rest of their life. For this reason a good multi–disciplinary team, and a patient committed to complying with diet, supplement instructions and to attending appointments are both vital ingredients to successful outcomes with this surgery.

Resource: http://bospa.org

A Safe and Effective Surgical Weight-Loss Procedure for Highest-Risk Patients:
A relatively new procedure, the Vertical Gastrectomy/Gastroplasty was developed to minimize postoperative complications for our highest-risk patients. It is ideal for older patients (>50 years old) and extremely obese patients (BMI>50), due to excellent weight loss and minimal incidence of complications or postoperative problems.

How the operation works:
1) The surgeon staples the stomach vertically, removing the part of the stomach responsible for storing the majority of food and causing patients to get hungry.

2) The surgeon then removes about 90-95% of the stomach, leaving a small, thin, tube-like stomach with a capacity of about 2 ounces (50-60cc).
This procedure generally takes about 90 minutes to perform. Patients can expect a hospital stay of 1-3 days after this type of weight-loss surgery and the ability to return to work and normal activities very quickly.

Vertical Gastrectomy Works Safely and Quickly:
Large and rapid weight loss and very few complications - even in patients weighing 500 pounds or more - make VG weight-loss surgery a smart choice for many patients. On average, patients lose 1/2 to 1 pound or more per day after this surgery; we have witnessed weight losses of more than 250 pounds in a year.

Because there is no malabsorption or rearrangement of the intestinal tract, vitamin deficiencies or nutritional problems are almost non-existent after this procedure.

Post-Op Dietary Plan for the Vertical Gastrectomy:
Following surgery, it is imperative that VG patients adhere to a strict postoperative diet. Patients are placed on a liquid-based diet for 2 weeks after surgery; 4-6 weeks after the operation, they graduate to a 600-800 calorie/day solid diet. Most patients can consume about 1000-1200 calories per day once their goal weight is achieved (usually 1-2 years after surgery).

Long-Term Results with Vertical Gastrectomy Weight Loss Surgery:
Patients who undergo Vertical Gastrectomy surgery experience a 70-80% loss of excess weight, on average.

Consider VG Weight-Loss Surgery:
Is Vertical Gastrectomy right for you? First, determine your Body Mass Index, then learn more about the specific requirements and benefits of each type of bariatric surgery we offer.

In recent times outside beauty and staying forever young are the newest trend among today’s society. Women are the highest percentage of this trend because women have been conditioned at young age to believe outer beauty is unsurpassed. Plastic or cosmetic surgery in the past has been kept hushed, never knowing did she have her nose worked on? Today plastic surgery is being embraced by the millions and highly looked upon. Some major causes for plastic or cosmetic surgery come from low self-esteem issues, sexual satisfaction and the need to be accepted as beautiful.

The top five surgical cosmetic procedures in 2004 were: liposuction, breast augmentation, eyelid surgery, rhinoplasty, and facelift. The top five non-surgical cosmetic procedures in 2004 were: Botox injection, laser hair removal, chemical peel, microdermabrasion, and hyaluronic acid. Overall, since 1997, there has been a 465 percent increase in the total number of cosmetic procedures. Surgical procedures increased by 118 percent, and non-surgical procedures increased by 764 percent (ASAPS Statistics).

In recent research from Dental and Health Articles, women who have had cosmetic surgery have found greater satisfaction in their daily lifestyles. The study was published in the January-February 2006 issue of Aesthetic Surgery Journal (Dental and Health Articles). “The benefits of cosmetic plastic surgery appear to go beyond enabling patients to feel better about their physical appearance,” commented Mark Jewell, MD, President of ASAPS, which publishes Aesthetic Surgery Journal (Dental and Health Articles). Low self-esteem is major cause for plastic or cosmetic surgery. Many women feel the need for plastic or cosmetic surgery even close friends of mine. It is no secret that a boost in confidence brings out other good qualities in a person. As research has shown the best way for women to raise their self-esteem according to society is an increase of plastic or cosmetic surgery use.

More importantly with more research available now the concept of wanting a better self-image and the need to feel confident is one of the more reoccurring reasons women have plastic or cosmetic surgery. In a recent study, Dr. Sarwer, found that a year after receiving cosmetic surgery, 87 percent of patients reported satisfaction following their surgery, including improvements in their overall body image and the body feature altered. With this in mind the increase in plastic or cosmetic surgery has increased because of the need to feel perfect. Having low self-esteem is from not feeling ideal. Repairing the part of the body needing work by elective surgery is the only cure to feel whole by today’s standards.

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In the late 1960’s and 70’s, Dr. Edward Mason began use of a procedure called Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB), also a malabsorptive procedure. This has since become the surgery of choice. Over 75 percent of surgeons prefer using this procedure because risks are minimal and can be treated.

During surgery:

A surgical device places parallel lines of staples diagonally across the upper end of the stomach and cuts between the lines, partitioning the stomach into two uneven parts. (Some surgeons only staple and do not cut, leaving the stomach in one piece, but divided by the staple line.) The upper pouch is the only part of the stomach that food will enter after the surgery. This pouch is about the size of a golf ball and can hold 20-30 ml. The amount of food a patient can consume in one meal after this surgery is severely restricted.
The surgeon then chooses a point along the small intestine and cuts it. The end of intestine that is no longer joined to the stomach is brought up and sewn on to a hole in the new pouch, creating an outlet for food and bypassing the first section of the small intestine. The end of intestine that drains from the lower (now unused) portion of the stomach is connected to the part of intestine that now exits the pouch. This allows digestive juices formed in the lower portion of the stomach to mix with the food after it leaves the pouch. The intestinal bypass causes some of the food consumed to be absorbed incompletely.

What’s the difference?

Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass is identical to the traditional gastric bypass except that instead of being performed through an incision extending from the lowest aspect of the breastbone (xiphoid process) to the umbilicus (navel), it is performed through several smaller incisions each measuring about an inch or less in length. A laparoscope connected to a video camera is inserted into the abdominal cavity and the surgical field is visualized on video monitors in the operating room. Long thin surgical instruments are inserted through additional small incisions and the surgeon performs the surgery by watching the video monitor. The operation is performed in a virtually identical manner whether it is done laparoscopically or open.