Anti-Bariatric Surgery Rant

Please, if you are in a delicate state of mind with regard to bariatric surgery (i.e., you or a loved one just had it and are scared), don't read this. I won't be pulling any punches.

If you are thinking about having bariatric surgery please do read this.

Recently, I went on this forum
http://junkfoodscience.blogspot.com/...sus-facts.html

and found a link to this study
http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content...ct/294/15/1903

It makes me want to cry. Medicare went back and studied all of their fee-for-service benificiaries who received bariatric surgery between 1972 and 2002. That adds up to 16 155 (sixteen thousand one hundred fifty-five) people.

4.6% of those who had the procedure died in the year following.


4.6%? 4.6!!! That's nearly 1 in 20! Especially considering that this is an elective surgery.

As junkfoodscience says:
"Risks of dying from obesity: Actual mortality rates according to body mass index among a 40-year study of 1.8 million people, found the very fattest 0.2% of women at age 35 had an annual risk of dying of 0.18% (compared to 0.13% for "normal" weight women). So, by having a bariatric surgery even the heaviest woman increases her risk of dying about 45-fold."

WHY IS THIS NOT BEING SCREAMED FROM THE HILLTOPS?! Why is this still allowed to continue? Why? Why? Why?

Clearly, obesity surgery is not about getting healthier. It's cosmetic. The patients may not know it, but now the doctors know that this is a cosmetic surgery, and a cosmetic surgery that will certainly kill 1 in 20 people who have it done.

That doesn't even count the others who have brain damage and other quality of life issues because of the surgery, or the people who die long, lingering deaths of malnutrition.

Please, if you are considering bariatric surgery...think again.

Get therapy. Join a support group. Join (or start) a group to combat fat prejudice.

Get the facts. Read

http://junkfoodscience.blogspot.com/

Read the articles and the studies Sandy Szwarc sites in that blog. Yes! You can learn to read a scientific study! It just takes a little practice. And DO NOT trust the media to do your reading for you.

Watch this youtube video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUTJQ...elated&search=

Learn to be healthy. Learn to love yourself. Do not count your self-worth in pounds (or kilograms, or stones, or whatever).

Throw away your scale! Buy a nice pair of walking shoes to put in its place.

I know it's easy just to say it. Western (and much of Eastern) culture has an incredible amount of prejudice against fat people. And why? Because it's unhealthy? Because it's bad for the person who's fat?

NO! Because Americans (and many other groups) have been taught that the best way to love themselves is to hate another group of people. What do you think daytime and reality TV is all about? Watch Jerry Springer, or Judge Judy, or Wife Swap/Trading Spouses, or the early weeks of American Idol. What is the appeal of all of these shows? Do we really want to learn the inner workings of the court system or the recording industry or dysfunctional families? NO! The main appeal is that we get to sit in our living rooms and hate/put down/feel superior to spoiled soccer moms; deadbeat dads; cheating girlfriends; and agressively whiny, talentless singers.

STOP IT! JUST STOP IT! Refuse to hate anymore. Even if they deserve it. Because you don't deserve it. You deserve to grow out of your prejudices, to understand that you can be a wonderful, beautiful person without taking anything away from others.

And because it leads to ugly, horrible things. Because the celebration of any hatred leads to the proliferation of other hatreds. Because 4.6% is far too high.