Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Why Virtual Gastric Band Hypnotherapy Makes Slimming So Easy

Recently the BBC led with the headline, "Ten-fold rise in gastric bands". The unprecedented rise in people seeking weight loss surgery took place between 2000 and 2007. And the number of people choosing gastric banding is still rising quickly in 2010. Many top celebrities, such as Fern Britton, have raised the profile of this approach by having the treatment. Hypnosis offers many advantages compared to gastric band surgery: one of the cutting-edge approaches I pioneered in my clinical practice is Virtual Gastric Band Hypnotherapy.

Before we look at the benefits of having an imaginary "virtual" hypno band fitted, it is important to look at the dangers of having gastric band surgery.

"Gastric banding" is designed to reduce the size of the stomach. A silicone band is tied around the top part of it, in order to "shrink" the belly. As a result, the stomach is divided into two parts. The smaller part at the top forms a separate "sac". When food is eaten, it gathers in this upper chamber. Because it is around a quarter of the size the stomach used to be, a person feels full much faster.

There is a small gap so the food can slowly "drop through" to the main part of the stomach to the lower "sac" or chamber.

Having a gastric band fitted might sound like a good idea, and can be effective in reducing appetite. However this surgery has well-documented side-effects:

Vomiting and nausea are common for most patients who undergo surgeryPatients can't eat a large meal anymore, and some people have become depressed or felt more isolated socially as a resultInfections are a risk of any surgeryDiarrhoea is commonFainting from not getting enough nutrition is common because patients struggle to eat as much as beforeConstipation

One study on post-operative gastric band patients saw an increase in suicides. The author, Samantha Scholtz, says that patients need the right post-operative care. Many patients were disappointed that they did not feel better or have a better "body image" after surgery.

Another challenge with Gastric Band surgery revolves around the reasons why a person is over-eating. Often it is not because they are excessively hungry, but because they are desperately unhappy. Going through the mechanical motions of having a gastric band fitted simply does not address deeper psychological or emotional issues. It will not necessarily change habits or ways of thinking.

So how does having Virtual Gastric Band Hypnotherapy compare?

One of the real benefits of hypnosis is it allows clients to get negative emotions handled. In my clinical hypnotherapy practice in Cardiff, I have worked with hundreds of clients to lose weight. The main challenge almost all of them face is some form of "comfort eating".

The other problem is that in comforting themselves with food, they have been over-riding the signals that tell them when they are full. Hypnotherapy is a powerful way to help a person comfort themselves without the need for food.

Hypnosis is the fixation of attention. Anytime you have been absorbed in something like watching a favourite TV show, you have been in trance. You know what it is like when you are in a "TV Trance" and no one can disturb you. Or perhaps you remember driving from one place to the next and can't even remember the journey: you were experiencing "Highway Hypnosis".

All of us go into trance-like states all day long. Anytime we are trance-fixed on one thing to the exclusion of all else: you're in a trance. Hypnosis is a natural and very powerful way to relax a person. In a trance state, it is possible to simulate the sensations of having a stomach tightened, as if having surgery.

As a result, you start to feel fuller and more satisfied. Another benefit of the Hypno Gastric Band is that you start to slow down the rate you eat. That means you have more chance to stop when you feel full.

Trance is a perfect way to help a person start to feel better about themselves. One of the greatest setbacks to a person getting slimmer is believing, "I will feel happy and good about myself when I lose 5 stone and I am at my ideal weight." The problem with this is it means they get to be miserable every step of the journey there. And an unhappy person is very unlikely to stick with a regimen long enough to see results.

So using Hypno Band Hypnotherapy to fit an imaginary gastric band means your body will start to re-set its "satiety signals" back to normal. This is a proven and safe way to lose weight. As long as you are motivated to stick with your sessions, slow down your rate of eating, and listen to an Advanced Hypnotic Weight Loss recording, then you will notice benefits very quickly.

There is also the huge benefit of not requiring anaesthesia or an actual operation. You don't have invasive surgery to recover from. Hypnosis is natural, and there is no danger of infection or dizziness.

For a person who has not addressed the emotional side of their eating, having a physical Gastric Band fitted can be stressful. By contrast, hypnosis specifically deals with emotions as part of installing a Virtual Gastric Band. There is plenty of opportunity to give lots of positive suggestions of self-worth, self-acceptance and to leave behind that feeling that drives so many people to over-eat: boredom.

Gastric Band Surgery currently costs around ?7,000 (over $11,000) to have. It also carries the risk of it not working or a host of physical side effects and possible infections. Worse, the psychological root of over-eating is not addressed.

Many folk who have gastric bands end up despondent and disappointed by the result. There is also about a chance of death in worst cases. The UK-based newspaper 'The Daily Mail' carried a warning in its headline in August 2009, "Gastric band killed 18st mother desperate to be thinner for her daughter".

Virtual Gastric Band hypnotherapy is safe, proven and has no side effects. It works and can be a great alternative for someone who wants to change and feels ready to try therapy. It means a person can get to the core of what is really keeping the weight on. As long as the client feels ready to let go of what is holding them back and is motivated to have different results, then hypnosis can speed up this process.

Weight Loss Surgery - Weighing the Surgical Options for Obesity

The number of patients undergoing weight loss surgery has risen sharply. Over the last ten years, the amount of bariatric surgeries performed each year in the United States has gone from less than 30,000 in 1999 to more than 200,000 in 2008. Yet this represents only a small percentage of the Americans who medically qualify for bariatric surgery and who can benefit from surgical intervention for extreme obesity.

Extreme obesity, which is generally 80 to 100 pounds or more overweight, is a chronic health condition that is very difficult to treat. According to the National Institutes of Health, bariatric surgery is considered the only permanent treatment for individuals who are morbidly obese.

With obesity reaching epidemic levels, the rising popularity of bariatric surgery is not expected to slow any time soon. However, the widespread obesity levels are not the only factor behind the increase in surgical weight loss treatment. A significant portion of the growth can be attributed to the development of safer surgical techniques and the availability of less-invasive bariatric options.

Surgeons first began to experiment with various intestinal and gastric bypass procedures for weight loss back in the 1950's. Some of the earliest bariatric procedures were successful in terms of weight loss results, but they also led to serious health problems, including protein-calorie malnutrition, diarrhea, kidney stones, severe arthritis, and liver failure.

Through their attempts, surgeons learned more about the effects of altering various parts of the digestive system and made improvements to their methods. Although it took many years of trial and error, it was in the early 1990's that bariatric surgery finally began to benefit patients more than it hurt them.

The most successful bariatric procedure over time has been the Roux-en-Y (RNY) gastric bypass surgery. The RNY gastric bypass was first performed in 1967 using open surgery methods, and laparoscopically in 1993. This procedure reduces the functional volume of the stomach and alters the body's response to food through rerouting of the small intestine.

Almost four decades later, the RNY gastric bypass is still the most common type of weight loss surgery performed in the United States. It results in rapid weight loss and improves or resolves many obesity related health conditions. Gastric bypass patients are required to make lifelong changes in their eating habits and take nutritional supplements to minimize the risk of vitamin and mineral deficiencies.

It wasn't until 2001, with the FDA approval of the LAP-BAND System, that there was a significant bariatric option other than gastric bypass surgery. More recently, the Swedish Adjustable Gastric Band, which is marketed in the United States as the REALIZE Band, was approved by the FDA in 2007. Both gastric band systems have been available worldwide since the mid 1990's.

Laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB) is a less invasive option to gastric bypass surgery with similar long-term weight loss results. This method does not require surgical alteration of either the stomach or intestines. Instead, a medical implant is placed into the body to restrict eating and control hunger. Gastric banding does not cause nutritional deficiencies as gastric bypass, and can be adjusted or reversed if medically necessary.

While gastric bypass surgery and laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding are the two most popular bariatric options, two other lesser known bariatric options, the gastric sleeve and duodenal switch, may be the preferred treatment option in certain situations.

Choosing to undergo a weight loss procedure is not the easy way to weight loss, but for some individuals it may literally be a life-saving step.

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Will Insurance Cover Bariatric Lap-Band Surgery?

Bariatric Lap-Band surgery is one of the safest surgeries to help with weight loss, but it can also be expensive too (as with most any type of surgery). For this reason, many insurances (such as Blue Cross (in some states), Humana, One Health, Medicaid, First Health, Tufts Health Plan, United Healthcare, Oxford Health Plan, and American Family Insurance) have been known to cover for bariatric care. If covered, insurances will either cover for complete care or partial care.

If you are not covered by your insurance company, it may not hurt to talk to your employer. Lots of times it is the employer that decides what will or will not be covered for their employees. It is usually not difficult for an employer to make a change in an employee's insurance package. It is, however, very difficult for an employee to make a change since it is the employer that purchases the insurance packages in bulk and therefore, already has a deal set up with the insurance company.

Not even bariatric centers can get insurance companies to change a policy that is already written, no matter how qualified the person is for getting a bariatric procedure done. However, it will be much easier for your employer to change your insurance policy if you do qualify for bariatric procedures because of medical reasons.

Even if your insurance won't cover for bariatric care, there are other options that are usually available. Many centers have "out-of-network" benefits you can take advantage of, and financial plans through third parties that will help allow you to pay. Bariatric centers will generally try to work with you and your financial needs.

Weight Loss Surgery: Bad Diets and Diabetes Connection

Numerous studies demonstrate that in the scenario that your (BMI) is over 35, weight loss diet is inefficient. A person's weight issues have become chronic and the possibilities of lasting weight reduction are very lackluster indeed.

In the situation where your BMI is above 35, you have been evaluated to have diabetes, and you are in fact greater than forty years of age, you may qualify for an obesity surgical treatment. This surgical treatment targets to bypass a majority of the abdomen and small intestine, distributing meals immediately down the colon. The consequences are beneficial as people lose around sixty-to-seventy percent of their surplus weight.

An accidental side-effect is that sufferers also receive are being cured of type 2 diabetes in only 24 hours. The majority of type-2 diabetics are obese. The insulin has to guide the blood sugar into the muscles starts to function badly when you're immensely overweight. So long as there is an excessive amount of sugar in the blood following a meal, which is in fact how we contract diabetes, the pancreas will have to work hard in a valiant effort to lead the sugar into the muscle groups, tissue and organs. If this situation is not controlled properly, the pancreas in the end gives up and is unable to develop insulin any longer. As soon as that happens, it becomes less likely that weight loss surgical treatment will be a successful treatment the patient's elevated sugar levels. But when the surgical procedure is performed earlier than that situation coming into play, in no time at all the patient is nearly always cured of diabetes.

Gastric Banding Helps Cure Diabetes When Obese
A gastric band is a silicon ring that is inflatable and can be positioned across the upper a part of the tummy, making a small commencing to the rest of the stomach After in your frame, the gastric band controls the amount of meals required to fill you up and the velocity at which food passes from the pouch for your stomach.

A gastric band is valuable at generating weight reduction as it enables you to feel more glad on smaller portions of meals, so you'll be able to feel complete for longer on a smaller amount calories - stimulating your frame to drop some weight. A gastric band procedure must be a direct and simple surgical procedure with out the desire for a health center stay, which we bear in mind can make sufferers feel fearful and from time to time forestall them from taking that each one vital move to a new, lighter and extra enjoyable life.

Weight Loss Is Not Just About Shedding Pounds

Most individuals that are overweight have one goal in mind and that is to shed those excess pounds. Of course whenever there is a weight issue this is the priority.

Often though after one has reached their goal, and lost the weight they hoped to, they are still not pleased with their overall appearance. This is often due to the aftermath of having been overweight, and it is magnified according to the length of time that the person has been dealing with their weight issues.

The biggest problem is sloppy muscle control and sagging skin. This is understandable when the muscles and skin have been stretched beyond the norm with having to deal with the excess fat that they were subjected to. So really losing weight is not just about watching the pounds disappear, it is about taking positive action to put that once gorgeous body of yours back in shape.

Hopefully you utilized some type of exercise regime to help you lose the weight and this will have assisted you in some of the toning up of your body. It has to go beyond this though, and often many weight losers will stop at this point. They believe they have reached their goal, and what they have is about as good as what they are going to get. This is not true however. Now it is time to continue the damage control. This means continuing not only with the proper diet but the proper training to strengthen those weakened muscles and tone up the skin. It must be approached by utilizing methods that are going to work from the inside out and the outside in.

This requires a proper diet not only to maintain the proper weight but to enhance the firming and toning process. In addition to this it requires some extra tender loving care for the skin to rejuvenate it.

So basically a true weight loss program has to treat the body as a whole. By looking after all the physical requirements it does wonder for the psychological outlook as well.

Weight Loss Is Dangerous, Slimming Down Is Not

Weight loss-look closely at those words. Is there an image in your head now? Go back to your own body. You likely know that most diets do not work, or perhaps you have discovered diets DO work, but they work in reverse. A well known doctor had a problem-he had patients coming to him to get help gaining weight. Yup, they were not only too skinny; they could NOT put on pounds.


For years he had seen patients ride the roller coaster of loss and gain-it suddenly occurred to him. He put ALL his patients who could not gain weight on a diet-when they lost 3-4 pounds and started to eat normal again, they gained 5-7 pounds back. They went on a diet again and lost 4-5 pounds, only to eat normal again and gain 7-9 pounds back. Diets do work, they work in reverse!


The general term "lose" is the challenge to attack. Do you all want smaller muscles? That could be part of the "loss" if you are not careful. We want to burn FAT, and GAIN muscle for sure. All of us have different bodies too. Trying to look like someone on a magazine cover may simply not be possible-AND it may be unhealthy. Hopefully you all know skinny is not an equivalent to health. Just because someone is "rich", or has stuff, they are not happy either! It is our goal to help you melt some fat and build some muscle. To do this you need blood flow. Exercise and movement are important. All movement is not created equal. What I mean is, will exercise unclog your arteries if they have plaque build up? In most cases, NOT. We all likely know some thin person who jogs all the time who died of a stroke or heart-attack. My uncle did at 52 while physically fit, running to the store for ice cream.


Hydrogenated oils are artificially processed oils that never appear in nature. They are created by food producers for the convenience of food producers - primarily to add shelf life and consistency to foods so that those foods not only taste great, but can sit on the shelf for months at a time without going bad.


The growing body of literature suggesting that HFCS (high Fructose Corn-Syrup) affects body weight and some obesogenic parameters.


Meanwhile, despite two decades of public health initiatives, stricter government dietary guidelines, record growth of farmers' markets and the ease of products like salad in a bag, The New York Times is now telling us something that, in truth, we already know: Americans still aren't eating enough vegetables.


Today, the Times said, only 23 percent of American meals include a vegetable (note: French fries don't count). And in restaurants, a mere 5 percent of patrons order salads as a main course. In an effort to make vegetables more attractive, growers are trying all kinds of tricks to get us to eat them, including the baby carrot industry trying to position the product as a junk food.


It is my intention is to help you THINK, not just react to life. You have been lied to many times by "experts". Doctors are misinforming you. THINK, a doctor gets ZERO education on nutrition in 8 years of school. The doctors license ONLY allows them to give you prescriptions-they "treat" your SYMPTOMS, not heal your problems. They are not allowed nor do they know how. Period. The AMA, (American Medical Association) reports doctors are responsible for almost 2 million deaths a year for either misdiagnosis, or conflict medications. That is when your prescriptions you take may have an adverse reaction if combined with herbal tea-like death.


You have been lied to thinking your weight is "hereditary". It is "habitary". Genetics and DNA do NOT work that way. Listen, I KNOW, our whole lives we have heard this garbage-centuries ago everyone was told if you sailed too far, you would fall off too. All your weight issues are likely environmental-if the parents are big; the kids are eating at the same dinner table or fast food restaurant. I Googled a load of different web sites on reducing plaque in the arteries-they all say the same basic thing-you can help yourself through NUTRITION. Nitric Oxide will do this for you immediately as soon as you take the formula developed by part of the 1998 research team that won the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1998-the doctor was named "Father of the Year" by the 2008 Diabetes Association and determined he has saved more lives than any living physician.

Weight Loss For Women Age 40 Plus - Getting That Perfect Body Back

Weight loss for women age 40 plus can be tough because of your slowing metabolism and changing hormone. This can lead women down a destructive weight loss path that is artificial. Instead of looking for the best weight loss for women 40 plus they choose plastic surgery or liposuction. These options are temporary the weight will just come back in another place. This is why women of 40 and over should go with natural weight loss.


Weight loss for women age 40 plus should consist of a diet that will boost their metabolism to burn calories and fats more efficiently. They can use flushes that will help her body to rid itself of calories and fats too. your diet needs to be regulated so your hunger will make you over eat. There are options like colon cleansers and acai berry extracts that will help older women lose weight and keep it off with little exercise needed.


Diets with acai berry extract will help boost a woman's metabolism and rid her colon of toxins and keep it clean. That will help her lose weight. These actions will also help diminish an older woman's weight by causing her to be less hungry and get her metabolism regulated again. You can also reduce your blood pressure and lower your cholesterol with these types of cleanses.


To get the best weight loss benefits, females of all ages needs to drink lot and lots of water and make sure you are getting the sleep your body needs. To lose weight naturally women over the age of 40 needs to drink at least three to four liters of water each and every day, if not more. She should get plenty of sleep, a minimum of 8 hours a night. Yoga and meditation is another great option an older women can benefit from.


If you are age 40 plus and are looking to lose weight, this is the place. Are you looking to get back the body you had in your twenty's or trying to keep the body you worked so hard for. Would you like to walk down the street and turn heads again or just feel good about your self. It's not to late. If you go to: femalefatlossoverforty.com it will change your life