Arguments for More Inclusive Weight Loss Surgery Standards Underline Bariatric Medicine's Benefits, says Dr. Feiz and Associates

LOS ANGELES, July 10, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- A June 27 article on Ohio State News reports on advocacy by medical experts to expand the number of patients who are eligible for weight loss surgery by making qualifications for the procedure more inclusive. The current standard says that candidates must have a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or higher, or have a BMI of 35 or higher in addition to potentially life-threatening comorbidities such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, or hypertension. Experts argue that, in light of the countless studies establishing the benefits of weight loss surgery, the problem with this current standard is that someone who has a BMI of 34 with type 2 diabetes would likely be denied insurance coverage, and would, therefore, be at greater risk of becoming disabled or dying prematurely due to the countless health risks associated with blood sugar problems and obesity. Beverly Hills-based weight loss clinic Dr. Feiz and Associates says that more and more experts are coming around to the idea that weight loss surgery's safety and benefits are so well established a greater number of patients should be encouraged to consider the procedure.

The weight loss clinic agrees with another point experts are making: that weight loss is not so much a willpower issue, but instead relies upon bodily processes that make achieving and maintaining a large weight loss extremely difficult. The clinic explains that those attempting weight loss may initially find great success with a healthy diet and exercise regime, in a few cases actually achieving their goal weight. The problem is that obese bodies tend to make more hunger-related hormones compared to people without weight problems. Dr. Feiz and Associates explains that, when patients start to lose weight, reactions that once might have saved an individual's life in a famine will make it increasingly difficult to maintain a weight loss as hormone production goes into overdrive. Agents such as ghrelin can induce hungry sensations powerful enough to rival the urges related to smoking and drug addiction – with the cruel distinction that obese people can't simply stop eating and urges only worsen over time. The clinic notes that the statistics on weight loss without a surgery are grim and the large majority of dieters regain their lost weight, sometimes with an unfortunate "bonus."

Dr. Michael Feiz, the clinic's chief surgeon, has long argued that weight loss surgery such as a sleeve gastrectomy may be as effective as it is because it significantly hampers the production of ghrelin by removing the portion of the stomach responsible for its production. The experts cited in the Ohio State News article point out that doctors are not typically forced to wait to treat other life-threatening conditions, notes Dr. Feiz and Associates, and it may no longer make sense to do so with obesity and its associated ailments.

Readers can learn more by visiting https://www.drfeiz.com/ or by calling Dr. Feiz and Associates at (310) 855-8058.

SOURCE Dr. Feiz and Associates