Want to lose weight but afraid to go under the knife? Listen up. Your long-time battle with the bulge will end for good with one solutiongastric bypass surgery. It involves changing the digestive system to change your appetite; that way, you eat and digest less amount of food. Aside from the significant weight loss, the surgery also helps minimize the risk of developing obesity-related diseases.

Also called the Roux-en-Y surgery, the procedure primarily entails making a walnut-sized pouch at the upper stomach and putting a bypass around a portion of the small intestine and the stomach. Consequently, the food you eat bypasses most of the stomach and restricts the ability of your digestive system to take in calories. Hence, the term bypass surgery. Surgeons perform this operation using a small tube called a laparoscope that creates small incisions in the abdomen.

A small video camera is attached on the instrument, and this device enables the surgeon to see the inside of the abdomen. The laparoscopic technique is generally preferred over the traditional open bypass surgery that makes large incisions in the abdomen. Compared to the open bypass surgery, the laparoscopic technique is less risky and less painful because of the small incisions. Also, it results in shorter recovery period.

The procedure starts with the stapling of the patients stomach at the top to seal this area off from the rest of the stomach. As a result, the sealed portion or the pouch will be able to contain only an ounce of food. Separated from the entire stomach, the pouch is then connected to a small part of the small intestine. To be able to achieve that, the surgeon cuts a small part of the small intestine and sews it onto the pouch.

The surgery is not for everyone, though. There are certain risks involved; and a prospective patient must understand them before undergoing the surgery. If you plan to undergo the weight loss surgery, consult a surgeon and ask all your concerns regarding the procedure. Usually, the surgeon explains the things you should expect during and after the surgery.

Before the surgery, you will be given anesthetics to keep you asleep during the operation. The anesthesia is usually in the form of an intravenous (IV) line or analgesics. During the procedure, the surgeon inserts a tube into your nose down to the top of the stomach. To heal the staple line on the stomach, the tube is joined to a suction machine that empties the stomach pouch after the surgery. The surgery lasts for about two to four hours, but you will need to stay in the hospital for around three to five days for recovery.

Expect some diet and lifestyle changes after the weight loss surgery. One to three days after the procedure, you will not eat anything to allow your stomach to heal. Then, for about three months, you will follow a diet that starts with liquids, progresses to soft and pureed foods, and lastly to regular foods. You will have to be cautious with your food intake because eating huge meals can cause extreme pain under the breastbone and vomiting.

Also, you will notice some changes in your body and behavior three to six months after the gastric bypass surgery. These include dry skin, hair thinning, fatigue, body pains, and mood swings. These will be your bodys reactions to the quick weight loss resulting from the surgery.

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STAY HEALTHY AND YOUNG
Hifzur Rehman

Yes, it is possible for the people of all ages to keep themselves healthy, physically fit and young looking throughout their whole lives. Just take the following three steps and enjoy a healthy, happy and a long life.

1.Eat Balanced Food

Its OK to eat for taste or for fun and eat whatever you like most but only occasionally. Remember, if you develop bad eating habits then you would have to pay its price in the shape of bad health and illness. Hope you are wise enough not to play with your health.

Eat a wide variety of foods containing a good balance of carbohydrates, vitamins, food fiber and minerals, which are essential elements of a healthy diet. Eat simple and natural foods that are easily digestable and promote good health. Fruits, vegetables, green leaves, grains, whole grain breads, fish, poultry, low fat dairy products, honey, nuts etc. are good and nourishing food. Limit you intake of full-fat milk, full-fat yogurt, cheese, chocolate, ice cream, milk shakes, cakes, eggs, all kind of fried foods, red meat, sugar and salt.

2.Exercise Regularly

A simple way of living a healthy life is to exercise regularly. Regular exercise keeps your body in good shape, physically as well as mentally. It increases your stamina, builds and tones your muscles and energize your whole body. It also reduces the chances of having heart attacks, colon cancer, diabetes and high blood pressure.

Engage yourself in some kind of regular exercise of your own choice; brisk walking, jogging, hiking, swimming, dancing, cycling, skiing, climbing, aerobics or yoga. These are good exercises. Choose one or more exercises which you like most. Do it regularly. Give top priority to your health. Put it in your agenda. Make it a part of your goal.

3.Get Rid of Negativity

If you are a person with negative approach to everything then nothing will work for you. Even eating the balanced diet and taking part in regular physical activity will not show any sign of recovery in your body if it is charged with negativity. Get rid of negative feelings about yourself and others. Think positive, feel positive, be friendly with positive people, read a lot of self improvement and motivational material and charge your body with positive currents. Depression, stress, tension and anxiety are the products of negative thinking about life and thus increases your chances of having a heart attack and other diseases like colon cancer, high blood pressure, indigestion problems, gastric troubles, body pains, headaches etc. Find the reasons of depression and try to address them through positive thinking and a sensible approach to day to day problems. Learn from your mistakes and try your best not to repeat them. Get rid of negativity and enjoy a healthy life!

Hifzur Rehman is the owner and editor of a wonderful website http://www.selfimprovement.ch which offers a lot of useful and interesting information on various aspects of human life.

[email protected]

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Exercise for a Healthy Heart
Louise Roach

Do you exercise every day? If you want to live a long, healthy life, maybe you should.

A recent study by Timothy Wessel, a physician at the University of Florida, indicates one of the strongest risk factors for developing heart disease is inactivity even more so than being overweight. During the four-year study of 906 women, Dr. Wessel documented those who were moderately active were less likely to develop heart disease than sedentary women, no matter how much they weighed. The study concluded: These results suggest that fitness may be more
important than overweight or obesity for cardiovascular risk in women.

In January, the updated U.S. Dietary Guidelines strongly urged that everyone should take part in at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity on most days, above whatever activities they do at home or work. To loose weight or to avoid gaining weight as we age, 60 minutes of daily moderate to vigorous exercise is recommended. And those who have already lost weight and are attempting to keep weight off need 60 to 90 minutes of daily exercise.

A study of 9,611 adults by the University of Michigan Health System, found that people in their 50s and 60s who participated in daily exercise were 35 percent less likely to die within the next eight years than their inactive couch potato counter parts.

Convinced that its time to add exercise to your day?

The Basics — Make Exercise a Life Priority:

– If youre not use to exercising, check with your doctor before beginning any strenuous fitness routine.

– Start slow. If 30 minutes of exercise is too much, start with 15 minutes and add a few minutes each day.

– If you dont have time for 60 minutes of exercise, break it up into two 30-minute sessions throughout the day.

– Schedule a specific time to exercise everyday then keep to your schedule!

– Take part in more intense activities that can improve your heart health, such as: running, dancing, swimming, cycling, and climbing stairs.

– Find exercise that you enjoy. You will be more likely to continue and improve your daily performance if you look forward to a favorite activity.

– Wear proper clothing and footwear. This has two functions. Clothing and shoes that are suited to your activity will enhance performance and offer the right kind of support for your body and feet. They will also place you in a better frame of mind for exercise. When you wear your favorite running outfit and slide into your special running shoes, your mind says its time to get out the door and put my feet in motion!

– Add everyday activities to increase your overall fitness level, such as gardening, housework, walking to the store, take the stairs instead of the elevator, and raking leaves.

– Always drink lots of water.

– If you feel discomfort or pain after an activity, use ice therapy immediately to reduce swelling and numb pain. Always have a cold pack in your freezer, ready and waiting. Most aches and pains attributed to exercise respond well to icing and will melt away within 24 hours after applying ice for several 20-minute sessions. Using cold therapy reduces down time, getting you back on schedule fast. (If the pain does not lessen within 48 hours after using ice therapy, is intense or becomes worse, see your doctor.)

Exercise every daytake care of your heartlive long!

Disclaimer: This information is not intended as a substitute for professional medical treatment or consultation. Always consult with your physician in the event of a serious injury

About the Author

About the Author: Louise Roach: health and fitness editor,
marketing specialist, product development consultant. Helps others find pain relief through the use of SnowPack Cold Therapy products. Learn more about the benefits of cold therapy at http://www.snowpackusa.com/ Sign up for *free* health/fitness e-newsletter at: http://home.netcom.com/~newsflash/

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Someone once said, “Health is wealth.” This statement is true given that there are more teens obese today than it was 20 years ago which could lead to various problems in the future such as diabetes and heart disease.

The best way to lose those extra pounds is by working out and going on a diet. Unfortunately, a lot of teens find it difficult to balance the time, which is why many have turned to weight loss pills.

Weight loss pills are designed to make a person lose weight by suppressing one’s appetite. The only drug approved by the FDA for use on teens between the ages of 12 and 16 is Xenical, which was once only used by overweight women.

When teens decide to eat food, the main ingredient, Orlistat blocks the absorbing of fat and releases this out through the intestine as waste. In a comparative study done between those who took the drug and those on a placebo diet, results prove that the people here lost an average of seven to eight pounds, which is much higher than the other group.

Since the body needs fat, teens are advised to compensate for the losses by having this replenished during the three regular meals of the day.

The test group did not just take Xenical to get the results. These people also had to follow a strict diet plan and exercise to maintain the weight that was lost. One of the things to also watch out for are the side effects such as gas pains, nausea and wet stools that will prompt the person to frequently go to the toilet.

Xenical is a prescription drug. This means that the parents of the teenager or that person cannot just buy this off the counter. It is only after a thorough medical examination has been conducted that the doctor will allow the patient to use this kind of medication.

Will someone who takes this get the same results like those in the test study? The answer is no. This figure could be higher or lower which really depends on the patient’s metabolism.

Patients are advised to discontinue the use of Xenical if there are no signs of improvement after six months. Doctors may have to try something stronger such as the next one called Meridia.

Meridia is a diet pill that sends a signal to the brain making the person think that the body is already full after eating only a few servings. The ingredient that makes this happen is called Sibutramine. It works much differently than Xenical with the same objective of losing the excess weight.

There are two other diet pills that the patient may take. These are namely Bontril and Didrex. These ingredients of these two drugs are different and the doctor may increase the dosage if there are no signs of improvement.

Unlike Xenical and Meridia, both of these pills have certain ingredients that are quite addictive so this can only be used for a short period of time. A gradual decrease in the dosage is also done to prevent withdrawal symptoms.

Diet pill such as those mentioned are only used for teens that are obese. Those who are overweight will have to go on a diet and exercise given that people at this young age can still engage in strenuous activity unlike people two or three times that age.

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