I’m outraged over today’s news that surgery for obesity can cure diabetes.
Here’s part of the article:
“CHICAGO - A new study gives the strongest evidence yet that obesity surgery can cure diabetes.
Patients who had surgery to reduce the size of their stomachs were five times more likely to see their diabetes disappear over the next two years than were patients who had standard diabetes care, according to Australian researchers.
Most of the surgery patients were able to stop taking diabetes drugs and achieve normal blood tests.” The article continues that obesity surgery is “achieving remission in a matter of days or a month“.
“We have traditionally considered diabetes to be a chronic, progressive disease,” said Cummings of the University of Washington in Seattle. “But these operations really do represent a realistic hope for curing most patients.”
For the rest of the story visit: http://health.yahoo.com/news/ap/diabetes_obesity_surgery.html
So what’s the cure? Go have surgery?! And this quick fix is from Australian researchers. Now I’m not only outraged, I’m ashamed that my own country would propose this sort of instant solution. Really guys, you should be ashamed of yourselves. I’m so disappointed.
The silver lining is that it’s now made even more obvious that obesity is the major cause of diabetes. That’s right, for many people, diabetes is a self inflicted disease.
Making such a drastic decision to have the surgery for obesity surgery should never be a first option.
First of all people need to be educated so that they see their eating habits caused this disease and just as they created it, they can cure it. I’m scared that if we see surgery as a first solution to this problem that we’re not addressing the cause. It’s a short term solution with an extremely high chance that unless their lifestyle changes, they will again be in the same situation.
Sure, a small proportion of the chronically overweight population are in such a desperate situation that surgery is the last resort but surgery is never the first way to reduce weight.
Recently I was at a party talking to a woman who had surgery just before Chrismas to insert a band reducing the size of her stomach. She was thrilled at the weight she was losing. She explained to us that she had to limit her food intake to half a cup of food because that was all her stomach could hold and that she was skipping the bread sticks and crackers because they filled her up too fast. I was thinking, that’s good because those white bread products can be really fattening but I was horrified when she shared she couldn’t drink a full glass of water (or anything else) because her stomach literally could not hold more than half a cup!
This lady knew full well what she was getting herself into and was fully committed. After all, she did it just before Christmas! In my book that shows top marks for determination.
Obesity is a battle with emotions. There is no quick fix. I feel so sad for people who are constantly struggling with their weight because I know it’s just a matter of changing habits. Changing your habits and moving your emotions to where you want them to be is not easy, in fact for many people it’s the hardest thing you’ll ever do, your Mount Everest. But truly, it’s the most rewarding victory you’ll ever have: to feel good and look good.
If you want to know smart, powerful strategies to help make losing weight simpler write me a comment and I’ll reply personally. (I’m not selling anything, I just know ways that make it an awful lot simpler.)
Technorati Tags: diabetes, surgery, obesity, losing weight, gastric, band, stomach, stapling
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January 23rd, 2008
My kid sister is turning 21 shortly and is considering getting Gardasil, the anti-cervical cancer drug. There’s been a huge advertising campaign saying how wonderful it is but until recently we had not heard much about the serious side effects.
I was once a big supporter of vaccines and even had the Hep B shots when these came available years ago but in recent years I’ve become a lot more cautious. My sister knows that I’m now ultra cautious about vaccines but was still surprised that I have chosen not to get the Gardasil vaccine as I’m concerned about the long term safety of this relatively new drug. I’m concerned about my sister and the daughter of my friends having this vaccine given the serious side effects we’re now hearing about Gardasil.
I really feel for parents trying to decide whether to vaccinate their daughters, this must be a hard decision so I hope this post will help. Protecting ourselves is wonderful as long as it’s safe and effective. Girls now have so many more vaccines than boys (rubella and now three shots of Gardasil) and I can’t help wondering if there has really been enough investigation about how safe is the combination of all these drugs on our bodies?
So I want you to read some of the side effects other girls and women are experiencing. Here’s an extract of comments from: http://www.kkrasnowwaterman.com/blog/tabid/2962/bid/1691/HPV-Vaccine-fainting-seizures-and-other-side-effects.aspx
Reason Number 1 - Vaccines have never been tested.
The gold standard of medical science is the double blind crossover placebo study. This test has never been performed on any vaccine currently licensed in Australia. In an astounding leap of logic, contrary to all rules of science, vaccines are assumed to be safe and effective and therefore, it is considered to be unethical to withhold vaccinations for the purposes of testing them.
What put this into perspective for me was hearing the statistics that we’re at a greater risk of dying in a car accident than from cervical cancer. One of my friends half-joked that we should vaccinate against car accidents.
Please share your comment.
Yours in health,
Kerri
Technorati Tags: gardasil, hpv, vaccine, side effects, side-effect, concerns, parent, girl, daughter, decision, healthy
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December 6th, 2007
The summer holiday season is over in the northern hemisphere; the days are shortening; and the nights getting longer and cooler. While you cling on to any remnant of summer you can find, through the odd warm day, the remaining summer flowers, and the holiday snaps you are now having printed, the remorseless progression into autumn and winter will continue.
For those of you who are overweight or borderline weight, you are now entering the danger zone. Autumn spills into winter and the winter holiday season, and the holiday season brings with it a lure to binge on all the traditional foods of Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year. So, as your outdoor activity is likely to decline, and your indoor activity likely to include lifting a lot of food and drink to your mouth, but not otherwise increase, it is a period of the year when you will be in danger of tipping your weight over the edge or up the scale.
If you are on, or should be on, a weight loss diet, or are on the brink of needing one, then now is a great time to take stock and plan ahead with fortitude. By being prepared for the diet battle of the Christmas holiday season, it can be a battle you will win with comfort. I do not say ease, because nothing comes easily when it means resisting some of your favourite foods; especially at a time when those around you are overindulging.
Once the summer holiday period is over, you have 3 months to get ready for the winter holiday season. So, what can you do to ensure you do not steadily put on weight during the autumn and then put your weight gain into overdrive from Thanksgiving to New Year? Here is the skeleton of a plan:
Prepare Your Mind For The Onslaught of Gluttony
Put against the perspective of the whole year, keeping to a sensible diet through the holiday season should not seem so difficult. Ask yourself, why on earth should you change so drastically over a few short weeks, especially over the Christmas holiday? Is it not possible to maintain a good diet through the whole of the winter, without spoiling your Christmas? Of course it is.
Much of any potential weakness will come from habit, peer pressure, boredom and stress. All of those things can be dealt with comfortably by a steady programme of meditation and relaxation. Inevitably, you will not be so encouraged into outdoor activities once the days cool down and the nights lengthen. From September, plan a regular yoga session, or other form of relaxation and meditation, that will help strengthen your resolve, and set you apart from peers in terms of individual mental strength. You will slowly assert your individuality in a way that will help you sail through the holiday season without succumbing to external pressures. You will be asserting control, which you can then apply to anything.
During meditation sessions, give regular attention to your diet. Not just your short term diet but long term, beyond Christmas. See yourself happily on a healthy diet all year; not just healthy, but a diet that you enjoy. Your Christmas diet can then just merge into that; the holiday season can be similar to the rest of the year without taking away from your enjoyment.
Get To Know Your Favourite Diet Foods
Being on a diet does not mean all enjoyable foods are out; that is just not so. It will depend of course what sort of diet you are on, but even if you are calorie counting, as the weeks pass you can prepare in your mind, or even on paper, all the treats that are a normal part of Christmas festivities yet very healthy. Here are some that come to mind:
1. That Christmas turkey is not off the menu in most cases; lean white meat is likely to be acceptable. And is turkey not the symbol of Christmas lunch in some countries?
2. All the vegetables that go with the turkey can be delicious if you buy good quality and cook them well. Why not set your mind on organic vegetables only for the holiday season? That may seem an indulgence cost wise, but better to indulge in that than junk foods.
3. Fresh salmon is great for special occasions; how about fresh Scottish salmon delivered to your door. A treat, but one that should not damage your diet.
4. In the months leading up to Christmas, experiment with your own salad dressings, and try different olive oils. Salads with a difference can be healthy but still a treat.
5. Aim to have plenty of fruits around the house during the Christmas period. Want to indulge as it’s Christmas? What about your favourite fruits, something you regard as a treat? Can they not be fitted in to the Christmas spread?
6. There are a variety of nuts which make delightful snacks. In fact, my favourite food of all, and always a Christmas treat in England, is cashew nuts. Are you a cashew addict too? Keep lots of nuts around the home too over the holiday period.
7. As the evenings get darker, try finding some recipes for snacks that are within your calorie range but a little bit different, so they are special for Christmas. Select the best, and have them on hand over the holiday.
Really, there is an enormous amount of scope to make your holiday food a treat for you and those around you, without overflowing the tables with fattening foods. Mix in your mental preparations with the food selection, and over the next couple of months you will have a vision of a non-gluttonous, non-fattening Christmas indulgence. There is no need to indulge in quantity; just in the variety and quality.
Keep Up Summer Activity Levels
Without thinking about it, you have probably been more active physically in the summer months than you would normally be in the winter. Be aware of that fact, and plan regular exercise sessions throughout the winter. Visiting the gym twice a week would be great, but you can also build walking and swimming into your routines. Walking part of the way to and from work, or to the local stores, or taking the dogs on longer walks; all these things can contribute to your weight control, and make you feel better. If you feel better, coupled with your mental strength, keeping your weight down over Christmas will not be as difficult as you might have thought.
Technorati Tags: christmas, food, weight, healthier, healthy, alternative, options, ideas, tips, organic
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December 2nd, 2007
