Wednesday, October 9, 2013

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Bariatric Webinars Allow Patients to Begin Road to Surgery From Home
LifeBridge Health Blogs » bariatric surgery , dr. christina li , dr. cynthia long , dr. kuldeep singh , northwest metal dining table base , Sinai Hospital » Bariatric Webinars Allow Patients to Begin Road to Surgery From Home
Dr. Cynthia L. Long , an advanced laparoscopic and bariatric surgeon at Sinai Hospital , stares intently at a computer screen. She holds a cordless phone to her ear, nodding and smiling as she listens to the other end. Though she s in the comfort of her own home, Long is still reaching out to prospective patients who want to know more about life-saving weight-loss surgery .
20 years ago, this would be considered unthinkable, and not just because the internet hadn t quite come roaring metal dining table base into world-wide prevalence. When the National Institutes of Health first endorsed metal dining table base a form of gastric bypass surgery in 1991, few people had even heard of the procedure, much less considered it as a viable, life-saving medical treatment.
More than 20 years and countless celeb success stories later 70s rock goddess Ann Wilson, TV personality Sharon Osborne and NBC staple Al Roker are among the many who’ve turned to surgery as they reclaimed their health to say that weight-loss surgery information is everywhere would be an understatement. Google the phrase bariatric surgery and you ll get over eight million hits. An ample number metal dining table base of blogs, You Tube channels and reputable medical sites exist to explain and illustrate how it works.
Sometimes, this information overload can prove the old adage true: There really can be too much of a good thing. This plethora of resources can easily mislead or overwhelm people who, after years of grappling with obesity, are finally considering surgery. To reach these people in a safe, assuring way, bariatric surgeons at Sinai and Northwest hospitals are cutting through the online chatter metal dining table base and using technology to reach candidates for these vital procedures.
With the explosion of the Internet and social networking, people in general are much more computer savvy, and that opens up much greater opportunities, explains Long. We re able to meet them where they are.
Sinai s Bariatric Surgery Program , which has been designated a Center of Excellence by The American College of Surgeons, offers the latest surgical techniques, physician expertise, nutritional counseling and emotional support. Its surgeons are linked up with established online resources such as Lapband.com metal dining table base and RealizeMySuccess, where patients can seek local experts. They are also expanding their own Web offerings. metal dining table base
In 2011, Long added monthly Webinars metal dining table base as an alternative to her hospital s in-person information sessions. The two-hour online chats allow prospective patients to hear directly from a surgeon regarding the main types of bypass surgery; ask questions about the procedures, possible side effects or follow-up care; and get a feel for the doctor who might treat them throughout the process.
With a format that allows patients to attend from home, the Webinars can make the first steps on the road to bariatric surgery a little metal dining table base easier. Some morbidly obese patients, says Long, are literally handicapped by their weight, and may have difficulty getting into a car or walking across a large hospital to a live session. metal dining table base For others, the biggest burden can be emotional; some folks fear pursuing a surgery that can deliver dramatic results but still carries a stigma in some circles.
People are gambling their current reasonable health for better health, but there are risks to each and every surgery, metal dining table base and fears of complications are very real and rational, says Christina Li, M.D. , head of the Division of Bariatric and Minimally Invasive Surgery at Sinai. Some patients also worry about what other people will think. People who don’t understand the process and extensive education and commitment necessary to succeed in this process will often tell our patients that they are taking the easy way out, when this in fact is not true.
More than nine million Americans are severely obese; those best suited for bariatric surgery have a body mass index, or BMI, of 40 or more, or a BMI higher than 35 accompanied by heart disease, hypertension, diabetes or other major medical problems.
Despite time-tested options that have been proven safe, Kuldeep Singh, M.D. , division head of bariatric surgery at Northwest Hospital, estimates only 1.5 percent of those who need weight-loss surgery will ever have it. Many of Singh s 2,000 patients consider the operation for three to five years, contending with prejudice even from other doctors the whole time.
They are very frustrated because nothing really helps on a long-term basis, Singh says. Obesity doesn t mean somebody is lazy. Obesity doesn t mean somebody is stupid. Obesity is a medical metal dining table base issue, a complex problem.
Finding a surgeon whose style puts patie

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