Health

Gastric bypass hypnosis: Help or hype?

BACKGROUND: Weight-loss surgeries make changes to your digestive system to help you lose weight by limiting how much you can eat or by reducing the absorption of nutrients, or both. They are done when diet and exercise haven't worked or when you have serious health problems because of your weight. (SOURCE: www.mayoclinic.com)

SURGICAL PROCEDURES: Weight loss is usually achieved by reducing the size of the stomach with an implanted medical device (gastric banding) or through removal of a portion of the stomach (sleeve gastrectomy or biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch) or by resecting and re-routing the small intestines to a small stomach pouch (gastric bypass surgery). (SOURCE: www.news-medical.net/health)

WHY IS IT DONE: Weight loss surgeries are done to reduce the risk of potentially life-threatening weight-related health problems, such as:

  • Heart disease
  • High blood pressure
  • Type 2 diabetes

Gastric bypass and other weight-loss surgeries are typically done only after you've tried to lose weight by improving your diet and exercise habits. (SOURCE: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health)

RISKS: As with any major surgery, gastric bypass and other weight-loss surgeries pose potential health risks, both in the short term and long term. Some of these risks include:

  • Blood clots
  • Leaks in your gastrointestinal system
  • Death (rare)

(SOURCE: www.mayoclinic.com)

GASTRIC BYPASS HYPNOSIS: Weight loss surgery is very expensive, but hypnotherapist claim their hypnosis sessions can provide similar weight loss results for a lot less money. The idea of losing weight through hypnosis has been around for decades, but now some hypnotherapists are offering "gastric bypass hypnosis," also called "lap band hypnosis." This "procedure" is done to "reprogram" the minds of patients to believe their stomachs are actually smaller, making them incapable of eating large meals without feeling uncomfortably full.  SOURCE: http://abcnews.go.com)