Nicholson Clinic

Obesity in teenagers is becoming a rapidly growing problem in the United States. Just like their adult counterparts, teens who are obese face a long list of potential health complications. This is compounded by the fact that teens’ bodies are still growing, hormones are raging and social stigmas that might make adults cringe tend to be even more amplified at this age. Considering all the potential ramifications of obesity on younger people, it’s not uncommon for families to seek out safe, healthy ways for their teens to address obesity head on. Research is showing that weight loss procedures can help teenagers address serious obesity, but it’s important for parents and teens to understand the option isn’t a panacea. A number of studies have found that teens who lose weight using procedures like the gastric bypass can and do shed a tremendous amount of their excess body fat. Other studies have found that procedures can have long term benefits while also helping teens lower their risks ...

Obesity has long been connected to problems related to cardiovascular health. Risks for heart disease, hypertension and high cholesterol are all known to rise right along with weight. New research indicates that people who undergo bariatric surgery to address obesity are likely to discover very good news on the cardiovascular front. Researchers have found that patient lipid profiles dramatically improve in the months following surgical intervention to address weight. That finding came out of an analysis of 178 other studies that included surgery’s impacts on lipid profiles. All told, records related to more than 25,000 patients were reviewed. Researchers found that overall patients undergoing any type of bariatric surgery benefited from significant reductions in total cholesterol levels, low density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglycerides. Patients also showed a significant rise in high density lipoprotein cholesterol, which is considered the “good” cholesterol. Researchers did ...

Anyone whose weight loss journey has taken them down the bariatric surgery road knows that exercise is a critical plank in postoperative care. After all, the surgery isn’t meant to be a replacement for diet and exercise. All it does is make it easier for these things to be effective. Exercise after surgery can be a real hard habit for some to develop, but it’s a critical one. Perhaps one of the best ways to work this into the routine is to make sure it’s fun and enjoyable. That means getting up, getting out and enjoying the great outdoors for many. There is simply no reason to resign to days spent indoors in a boring gym when outdoor activities do, in fact, count as exercise. Here are just a few of the benefits that can go along with incorporating outdoor exercise into the postsurgical routine: • Improved mental health – Taking exercise outdoors can still produce the positive benefits that go along with working out in the first place. Research has shown, however, that outdoor e...

As obesity reaches epidemic proportions in the United States, medical scientists have been searching for new, effective and less invasive ways to help people safely shed pounds. A relatively new procedure that involves the placement of a balloon is offering a great deal of hope on this front. Called the Orbera gastric balloon, this procedure is meant to help promote weight loss in those who might not be candidates for more permanent procedures like gastric bypasses or the sleeve gastrectomy. Orbera involves an outpatient procedure that takes roughly about 45 minutes to perform. During this time, the balloon is inserted into the stomach through the mouth and then inflated once in place. The medical-grade balloon is filled with simple saline solution to take up some of the stomach’s holding capacity space. Intended to be fully reversible, the balloon remains in place for about six months and then is removed in the same fashion as it was inserted. Orbera is meant to be performed in c...

Type 2 diabetics who are obese may find surgical intervention to reduce weight has a strong and positive impact on their blood sugar levels. For some, symptoms may even be reversed entirely. One of the mechanisms behind the reversal may involve the reduction of triacylglycerol evidenced in the pancreas following weight-loss surgery. Numerous studies have shown that surgical weight loss procedures can help type 2 diabetics shed pounds and better control symptoms. For some, the intervention results in the total reversal, especially if weight is shed during the first few years after onset. New studies are now shedding light on the role pancreatic triacyclglycerol may play. Researchers have found weight loss may reduce levels of this substance while improving insulin response in type 2 diabetics. Obesity is estimated to impact about a third of all adult Americans. For many, this condition gives rise to type 2 diabetes. This chronic condition is can become a progressive disease that may gi...

Obesity is strongly linked to heart disease and other life-limiting conditions. Losing weight can help take stress off the heart, but researchers are finding one particular method for shedding pounds seems to have a greater impact on overall heart health than another common option. When it comes reducing levels of high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I, bariatric surgery tops lifestyle interventions significantly. Those findings come from a study conducted at the University of Oslo in Norway. It was focused on learning which weigh loss method would more readily reduce troponin levels. Cardiac troponins are used to help diagnosed heart injury and to confirm if a heart attack has occurred. Its presence may also indicate low-grade damage in patients who have yet to fully develop cardiovascular disease. To uncover which method for weight loss might have a greater impact on troponin levels, researchers tracked troponin levels in a surgery group and a lifestyle intervention group. After 12 mon...

Many people understand that obesity can shave years off their life expectancies courtesy of a host of negative medical conditions it can promote. From increasing chances for the development of diabetes to rising cancer and heart disease risks, carrying around extra pounds just isn’t good for the health. It’s been long established that losing weight can help lower those risks, but can losing it courtesy of bariatric surgery help, as well? Studies have indicated a strong link between bariatric surgery and longer-term survival rates for both men and women. Most recently, researchers at the University of Washington School of Medicine dove into the topic by conducting a study involving 2,500 patients and 7,500 matched controls. The study group involved mostly men (74 percent) and mostly older people with a median age of about 52. While previous studies focused on younger women, researchers wanted to see if bariatric surgery had positive lifespan effects on older people, many of which alr...

Weight loss surgery can produce tremendous results for patients who have struggled their entire lives to keep the pounds in check. This process, however, isn’t necessarily a simple one and it most certainly shouldn’t be undertaken lightly. That’s why the best bariatric surgeons go above and beyond to ensure patients follow a relatively slow and steady path from diagnosis to the operating room. If you’re considering bariatric surgery to help get a handle on weight, assist with keeping diabetes in check or for any other host of reasons, here’s what to expect to occur before you even make it into the operating room door: • An initial consultation – Before the process can even begin to get started, you’ll need to work with a doctor to find out if bariatric surgery is indicated in your case. Chances are you’ll also want to work with your doctor’s staff to make certain any recommended procedures are covered by your insurance. • Testing – Once your doctor meets with you for the firs...

Making an appointment at a weight loss clinic is a big step toward a healthier, leaner life. That doesn’t mean the step is easy to take or that you’ll walk through the door entirely sure what you’re getting yourself into. If you’ve decided you just can’t go it alone with losing weight, a weight loss clinic might have the right solution for you, but it can help if you know what to expect during your visit. The best weight loss clinics offer patients a host of weight loss options. While surgical procedures are, of course, part of those options, good doctors will want to make 100 percent sure you are ready to commit to everything weight loss surgery entails and what it means going forward in your life. That’s why your doctor might, for example, request   that you attend educational seminars to learn more about bariatric surgery and what to expect from life going forward following surgery. A good doctor will want to make sure you are 100 percent informed and understand your op...

If you’ve made the decision to have weight loss surgery, you likely understand the details about the procedure you’re about to undergo including the preparation, the surgery itself, and the recovery process. What is crucial for weight loss surgery patients to understand, however, is that the road to weight loss does not begin and end with the surgery itself. The surgery is a tool to help patients lose weight. But what they do with that tool is up to them and will ultimately determine if they are successful. What you do following weight loss surgery is as important as the surgery itself and it’s important for patients to understand what they need to do to support weight loss following surgery including: *   Diet. Obviously food intake is paramount to weight loss. This does not change following surgery. Weight loss surgery only changes the amount of food that a patient is able to ingest at once. But listening to your body about portion control and making healthy food...