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If you ask 35-year-old Vicki Joseph what motivated her drastic measures, she'll probably say it was her young son. That motivation almost led her to Mexico two years ago to seek an affordable option for weight-loss surgery. Almost. At 5-foot-2 and 280 pounds, Joseph was morbidly obese. "My health was deteriorating," she said, recalling more desperate times. "I had high cholesterol, pain in my feet. ... I was getting injections in my feet (to relieve the pain)." A final diagnosis of sleep apnea pushed her to get deadly serious. The condition caused her to stop breathing up to 50 times an hour and raised her cardiac death risk. She figured she had to do something or she wouldn't be around to see her son graduate high school. At her practitioner's urgings, Joseph eliminated any thoughts of going to Mexico.
Bariatric Partners, Inc. Begins Construction of New JourneyLite Facility in Cincinnati
Bariatric Partners, Inc., headquartered in Charlotte, NC, announced today that it has begun construction of its newest specialty ambulatory surgical center in Cincinnati, Ohio. The new center will operate under the brand name of JourneyLite of CincinnatiSM. .
Government restrictions on weight loss surgeries limit access for poor, underinsured patients
DALLAS � Oct. 30, 2007 � Thresholds limiting bariatric surgeries to high-volume centers disproportionately restrict access for poor and underinsured patients, populations which are among the most in need of them, an analysis led by UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers shows. Government-imposed restrictions currently mandate a 125-case annual threshold for facilities permitted to perform bariatric surgeries under Medicare and Medicaid because some studies have identified better outcomes for centers performing large volumes of bariatric surgeries. But most bariatric surgeries for the poor � about 60 percent � are performed in low-volume centers. �Restricting surgeries to high-volume centers has the effect of limiting bariatric surgery as an option for many poor and underinsured who rely on Medicare and Medicaid,� said Dr.
Toning up with electronic stimulation
A new wave of treatment to help busy people tone up and lose inches off their body has come to Prince Albert. My Time for Tone Time opened at the beginning of the month. Owner Wendy Pellegrini said Eurowave treatments are quick, easy and safe. Getting an 18-minute treatment on stomach muscles is the equivalent of doing 200 situps, she said. "If you came once the results can last five to six days and you can lose a half to one inch. On rare occasions people have lost five inches in one session," said Pellegrini. During a session, a person is hooked up to a machine that delivers electronic muscle stimulation. Muscles need stimulation to become stronger. The treatment contracts muscles for the person, which tightens and tones them. When a person works out at the gym they are working superficial muscles, said Pellegrini, but the Eurowave stimulates the deep muscles that are often hard to work.
Community Calendar
American Can: American Can Retirees meets on the first Wednesday of each month at noon in the Steelworkers Hall, 540 Dundalk Avenue. The next meeting is Nov. 7. Info: Denise 410-808-3835. Computer 101: The North Point library, 1716 Merritt Blvd., presents the following computer classes, free of charge. Sign up starting one week in advance of each class as space is limited. Info/sign-ups: Miguel Vincente 410-887-7255. A hands-on lesson about the Internet and how it works is presented on Thursday, Nov. 15, 2 p.m. The library's computer room is open to the public on Thursdays from 4 p.m.-7 p.m., and on Sundays from 1:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m. Make reservations in advance. Feral Cats: The Maryland SPCA, Maryland Feline Society, Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter, and Alley Cat Allies are developing free community outreach and humane education programs, and will offer low-cost spay/neuter clinics for outdoor stray and feral cats.
Obesity Drugs Work — Modestly
You probably don't need a scientific study to tell you there's no such thing as a magic weight-loss pill. But a paper published today on BMJ.com shows exactly that: Taking federally approved anti-obesity medications, such as Xenical and Acomplia, leads only to modest weight loss an extra 6 lbs. to 10 lbs. (2.7 kg to 4.7 kg) a year and it's not likely to radically trim down bulging waistlines. "People have to understand it's very difficult to lose weight," says lead author Raj Padwal, an assistant professor at the University of Alberta. .
Experts say obese women should be refused fertility treatment
A fertility organisation in Britain is saying that severely obese women should be barred from having National Health Service fertility treatment until they have lost weight. According to new guidelines from the British Fertility Society (BFS), obesity reduces the chances that a woman will conceive naturally and decreases the possibility that fertility treatment will be successful. The society says that those who are judged obese rather than severely obese should be "encouraged" to slim if they want fertility treatment and obese women could be banned from IVF until they lose weight. The BFS says obesity increases the risk of complications during fertility treatment and pregnancy and endangers the health and welfare of both mother and child. The society says it aims to work with patients to improve their chances of becoming pregnant with minimum risk to their health and that of their child and wants to see more resources for supporting and helping women to lose weight to improve their chances of conceiving.
New lease on life
For Mary Connick, there is joy in losing. The 63-year-old Mobilian has lost 156 pounds -- from 311 to 155 -- after undergoing gastric bypass surgery three years ago. She then took up speed-walking to stay in shape and keep the weight off. "I was overweight for so many years, but now I have a new lease on life," Connick said. "After being in a race for the first time, I was addicted to it and I want to be in every race." Connick plans to compete in Saturday's Food World Senior Bowl Charity Run despite nursing a pulled hamstring suffered at the Habitat for Humanity Race in Fairhope. There will also be plenty of inspiration to keep Connick going. Her two sons -- Joe, an assistant principal at Murphy High, and Jimmy, a member of the Mobile Fire Department -- are accomplished triathletes.
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