OVERCOMING OBESITY
Despite spending 33 million dollars a year on diet foods, half of all Americans are overweight. One-third need to lose 100 pounds or more. If you're like most people your mind is willing but your stomach is weak. Now there may be a way to convince your tummy to give up the goods.
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TRANSCRIPT
"I had done the NutraSystem. I had done the Jenny Craigs, the Weight Watchers."
"I did the Phen-fen, Lindora."
"I've tried Jenny Craig. I've tried NurtraSystem. I've tried Weight Watchers.".
THIS IS WHERE YOU COME WHEN YOU'VE TRIED THEM ALL WITHOUT SUCCESS, A ROOM FULL OF PEOPLE WHO KNOW JUST HOW YOU FEEL.
Kathy Cannon
Battling Weight Problem
"You feel like if I don't do something now I'm not going to live long enough to see my kids graduate.
HAIR STYLIST NANCY CRUZ MAY HAVE THAT "SOMETHING" TUCKED AWAY INSIDE HER TUMMY.
Nancy Cruz
Trying To Lose Weight
"This is really going to work. I just have this complete faith that it is."
NANCY'S HOPE RESTS ON A NEW DEVICE CALLED A GASTRIC STIMULATOR. IT'S SMALL ENOUGH TO FIT IN THE PALM OF YOUR HAND AND WORKS LIKE A HEART PACEMAKER. DOCTORS IMPLANT IT UNDER THE SKIN BELOW THE RIB CAGE. A WIRE SENDS ELECTRONIC SIGNALS TO THE STOMACH, STIMULATING THE MUSCLE. THE PATIENT FEELS FULL.
A COMPUTER CONTROLS THE SIGNALS. DOCTORS DOUBT IT WILL EVER BE AS EFFECTIVE AS THE WIDELY-KNOWN GASTRIC BYPASS SURGERY, BUT IT'S LESS RISKY.
Milton Owens, M.D.
Bariatric Surgeon
Coastal Center for Obesity
Chapman Medical Center
Orange, CA
"The gastric bypass surgery is a medium risk abdominal operation like a hysterectomy or gallbladder removal, whereas this would be at least as safe as a hernia operation."
NANCY KNOWS THE RISKS. THE STIMULATOR MAY DISLODGE, MIGRATE, OR SIMPLY NOT WORK. FOR THOSE WHO ARE LOSING WEIGHT BY OTHER MEANS, IT'S STILL OFFERING HOPE.
THE GASTRIC STIMULATOR IS BEING TESTED IN PEOPLE ONE HUNDRED POUNDS OR MORE OVERWEIGHT. DOCTOR OWENS SAYS IF SUCCESSFUL, IT WILL LIKELY WORK BEST FOR PEOPLE WHO NEED TO LOSE THIRTY TO EIGHTY POUNDS.
BACKGROUND: According to the National Center for Health Statistics half of all Americans are
overweight and one-third are obese. Obesity is defined as being 20 percent or more over ideal weight. A
rule of thumb often used by physicians to calculate ideal weight is to allow 100 pounds for the first 5 feet
of a woman's height and 5 pounds for each inch over 5 feet. For men it is 106 pounds for the first 5 feet
and 6 pounds for each inch thereafter. Among lifestyle-related illnesses, only cigarette smoking takes a
higher toll. According to the World Health Organization, each year 300,000 Americans die prematurely
from obesity-related complications. Being overweight can trigger other kinds of illnesses including
diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, respiratory illnesses, and varicose veins. People who are
100 pounds or more overweight have life expectancies 10 to 15 years shorter than the rest of the
population.
PACEMAKER FOR THE STOMACH: Gastric bypass surgery is often a last resort for obese patients who
cannot lose weight. Now doctors say a new device could help patients lose weight without stomach-
altering surgery. The gastric stimulator is similar to a pacemaker that regulates the heart, except this is
used on the stomach. Under general anesthesia, the stimulator is placed in the wall of the stomach. It's
made up of three parts, the gastric stimulator, the lead and the programmer. The stimulator is a small
metal box with electronic circuitry that generates electronic pulses. The lead is a thin, insulated electrical
wire, which carries the signals from the GS to the stomach. The third part is the programmer, a computer
that is connected to a hand-held wand. It checks how the GS is working and changes the electrical
signals. The electrical signals stimulate the stomach into thinking it's full which decreases the patient's
appetite. A double blind, placebo controlled study is being done on 100 patients at 10 investigational
centers nationwide. Patients will be followed for a minimum of one year after implant to see if they lose
weight.
CANDIDATES: Candidates for the surgery during the research phase must be 100 or more pounds
overweight and between the ages of 18 and 50. They must have a history of five years of obesity with a
failure to maintain weight loss with non-surgical weight control. If the GS is successful doctors say it won't
be on the market for 2 to 3 years and will probably work best for people who need to lose 30 to 80
pounds.
WHERE ELSE: Other centers involved in the study:
- New England Medical Center - Boston, MA: (617) 636-9244
- Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center -- New York, NY: (212) 305-9506
- Surgical Weight Control Center -- Las Vegas, NV: (702) 385-5150
- University of Kansas Medical Center -- Kansas City, KS: (913) 588-6003
- Morristown Memorial -- Morristown, NJ: (973) 285-4333
- St. Charles General Hospital -- New Orleans, LA: (504) 899-5511
- Cleveland Clinic -- Cleveland, OH: (216) 444-6668
- Emory Dunwoody Medical Center ñMarietta, GA: (707) 479-5941
FOR MORE INFORMATION
For more information, please contact:
Milton Owens, M.D.
Coastal Center of Obesity
2617 E. Chapman Ave., #311
Orange, CA 92869
1-800-554-9544
www.coastalobesity.com
Copyright © 2001 Ivanhoe Broadcast News, Inc.
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