Obesity in America
Posts tagged Health Problems
Gastric Bypass Complications
Aug 21st
There is no denying that obesity is a serious problem these days. It is often a sign of poor diet and lack of exercise, which are usually indicators of poor overall health, and it can lead to a number of serious, potentially fatal health problems. Obesity is even being referred to as an epidemic in the news these days.
Considering the way the media and much of our culture treats obesity, it is not surprising that so many people are turning to their doctors for things like prescription drugs and surgeries to cure their obesity. According to the American Public Health Association, the number of American adults who have had gastric bypass surgery increased between 1998 and 2002 from 7 in every 100,000 to 38.6.
On one hand, it is clear that people are becoming more concerned about their obesity, and that is a good thing. On the other hand, however, it may not be such a good thing that so many more people are choosing gastric bypass surgery. While the surgery does help a lot of people, gastric bypass complications are very common, and they are often very serious, causing death in at least 2% of patients, according to the New England Journal of Medicine.
There is a wide range of bypass complications that can occur. Since the surgery involves your stomach and bowels, which handle a lot of bacteria, post-operative infection is very common. Also, if your surgery is not done perfectly or if your incisions heal poorly, you could end up with a hernia, which may require more surgery and an even longer recovery.
Because of the risk of pulmonary embolus (the blocking of a main artery in your lung) during abdominal surgery, most gastric bypass patients are put on medication to thin the blood. Because of these medications, gastric bypass complications often include hemorrhaging, or internal bleeding, which can be life-threatening, especially if it goes unnoticed.
When it comes down to it, the connection between your bowels and your stomach is simply not an easy connection to reestablish once it has been severed, as it has to be during a gastric bypass. A surgeon must be very careful when stitching or stapling this connection not to make it too tight or too loose. Scar tissue will cause the hole to shrink, and if it shrinks too much, you will not be able to digest properly. On the other hand, if there are any holes, you will be at risk for infection.
Other complications include things related to the changes in your metabolism a gastric bypass will cause. For example, many people experience what is called “dumping syndrome,” a symptom of which is diarrhea resulting from the consumption of a food your newly designed stomach can no longer handle.
All things considered, the possibility of gastric bypass complications could outweigh the benefits of having the surgery in all but the extreme cases of obesity in which more healthy and natural methods of losing weight have already failed. Give diet and exercise an honest try before even considering surgery, or bypass complications may leave you worse off than you were to start with. If you do finally decide on surgery, it should be an act of necessity to save your life, not because you want to look better.
Our site contains a wealth of information on both gastric bypass and heart bypass surgery. If you are planning on or have already had either of these serious operations, you need to stay informed to reach your long term goals.
Why is Childhood Obesity Becoming an Epidemic in America?
Aug 21st
In recent years, childhood obesity has become an overwhelming problem in America. It is an issue that can lead to many serious health problems such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, type two diabetes and cardiovascular disease. One of the keys to solving this problem for good is finding out why it exists in the first place.
Many experts believe that advancements in technology have played a major role in the rise of obese children. With all of the video games and computer games available, children are far less likely to engage in active play to get the exercise that they need to maintain a healthy weight. Parents should encourage their kids to spend time playing outside and plan active family activities such as biking or hiking.
Another major contributor to instances of obesity in children is the amount of fast food that most of them eat on a regular basis. Fast food is convenient, so many parents feed it to their children several times a week when they are busy. Teenagers are also likely to eat it when they are out with their friends because it is inexpensive. However, fast food is filled with preservatives, high levels of fat and countless other elements that make it extremely unhealthy.
In the past, schools attempted to feed nutritious meals to students and forced them to exercise through participation in gym class. However, as school budgets get cut, there is less money to provide nutritious food in the cafeteria and there are not strict guidelines in place about the types of food schools must serve. On top of the dietary issues, many schools have eliminated gym classes which means that a child who does not exercise at home will not exercise at all.
One of the major reasons that children become so obese at such young ages is that their parents will not acknowledge that there is a problem. Many chalk up their child’s high weight to genetics or simply think that it is baby fat and they will grow out of it. These are just excuses and, unless parents acknowledge the problem and take steps to solve it, their children will grow from unhealthy children into unhealthy adults.
Childhood obesity is a serious problem that needs to be rectified so that children can grow into strong, healthy adults. It is caused by inappropriate eating habits, lack of exercise and lack of attention on the part of parents. It is very important that children with obesity issues get them under control so that they can avoid serious health problems in the future.
