September 4, 2023 — Health systems seem adept at denial of care for the most prevalent chronic disease in America, obesity. To understand this, just look at the hurdles a patient must clear to receive that most effective treatment with the longest track record: metabolic surgery. The goal is to pick the people for surgery who will have the […]
September 1, 2023 — At IFSO 2023 in Naples, it was clear the people are keenly aware. Change is afoot in obesity care. New obesity medicines are starting to produce clinical outcomes that approach the outcomes people see with surgery So the recurrent question at the meeting was all about what might be on the horizon for metabolic surgery. […]
August 30, 2023 — This comes as an early morning post of anticipation. Right now we are in a dark plane over the North Atlantic, anticipating two things. First we anticipate two intense days that will begin with a jolt as we land in a bright (and possibly wet) morning in Naples, Italy, for the IFSO meeting that started […]
August 24, 2023 — Let’s start with a few simple facts. Obesity causes cancer. Not every kind of cancer, but for at least a dozen types of cancer, obesity can clearly play a causal role. Scientists attribute between four and eight percent of all cancers to obesity. It is also true that, for now, the most effective single treatment […]
August 16, 2023 — “If you thought that GLP-1 agonists would replace bariatric surgery you are wrong.” Neil Floch is not alone in saying this and new research adds to the reasons we suspect that he is right. In JAMA Surgery, Jessica Mok and colleagues tell us that one plus one equals three with the combination of bariatric surgery […]
August 5, 2023 — Often in scientific research we find a tension between answering a question and telling a story. A recent study of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) after metabolic surgery offers a case in point. The scientists who designed this study wanted to answer a simple question. Does CBT improve the the clinical outcome of weight reduction? Or […]
June 30, 2023 — At the ASMBS Annual Meeting this week, a new study of major bad outcomes in people with both obesity and sleep apnea reminds us why metabolic surgery remains an important option for comprehensive obesity care. The risk of death, heart attacks, strokes, and other major bad cardiovascular outcomes is 37 percent lower if a person […]
June 21, 2023 — We’re packing our bag for San Diego and the 83rd Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association, which starts on Friday. This is not a meeting that has been a regular habit for ConscienHealth. But this year it seems ADA2023 will be another milestone in the ongoing diabesity merger. That almost too clever term first […]
May 31, 2023 — Plenty of people have strong feelings about metabolic and bariatric surgery (MBS) for young persons. The idea that it might even be an option for youth can inflame the passions of people who are happy to dictate what medical care should and should not be available to other people. This response drew a lot of […]
May 25, 2023 — Are we ready for a re-think of obesity and metabolic health? Ready to change the conversation about obesity medicines and bariatric surgery? Sergio Santoro, Scott Shikora, and Ricardo Cohen certainly think so. Writing in Obesity Surgery, they say it’s time to say goodbye to bariatric surgery and move on to the framework of metabolic surgery. […]
