How Can You Lose Weight?
St. John Minimally Invasive Bariatric Surgery Center
Non-surgical intervention:
Many overweight people have tried and failed to lose unhealthy excess weight.
There are many slimming diets, "cures" and products that advertise success. However, numerous studies have demonstrated that diets and weight-loss aids rarely succeed in helping people achieve the desired result of long-lasting weight reduction. In fact, many people have succeeded in losing weight only to regain it when they stop dieting.
Surgery
If diets, exercise programs, and other non-surgical methods have failed to help you achieve long-term weight loss, you may want to consider an operation to artificially reduce the capacity of the stomach and to help decrease your appetite.
The BioEnterics® LAP-BAND® System's innovative surgical technology can help you attain desirable weight-loss results.
The word LAP-BAND is the abbreviated and trademarked combination of two words (LAP from laparoscopic and BAND from gastric band). The BioEnterics® LAP-BAND® System's silicone elastomer band is placed around the upper part of the stomach to create a small stomach pouch which can hold only a small amount of food. The lower, larger part of the stomach is below the band. These two parts are connected by a small outlet created by the band. Food will pass through the outlet ("stoma" in medical terms) from the upper stomach pouch to the lower part more slowly, and you will feel full longer.
One of the major advantages of the BioEnterics® LAP-BAND® System is that the diameter of the band outlet is adjustable to meet your individual needs, which can change as you lose weight. The inner surface of the band can be inflated with liquid (saline solution) or deflated to modify the size of the stoma. The band is connected by tubing to a reservoir, which is placed well under the skin during surgery. After the operation, the surgeon can control the amount of saline in the band by entering the reservoir with a fine needle through the skin.
The BioEnterics® LAP-BAND® System is a unique surgical treatment because in many cases the size of the stoma can be customized to accommodate your changing needs without further surgery.