Peace and Fitness

To Cut or Not to Cut…That is the Question

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I am trying hard to understand and wrap my brain around the news that gastric bypass surgery is also being called diabetes (type 2)  surgery.  News reports (based on a study at the Cleveland Clinic) say that studies on patients immediately after the surgery show such great improvement in their glucose numbers that the surgery is being recommended as a treatment (even a cure) for some,  for this disease and that weight loss through diet and exercise is NOT at all as impressive in terms of treating this disease.

Call me crazy, call me skeptical…it certainly wouldn’t be the first time.  Though the thought of being able to cure this rampant disease is exciting, I am just not buying into it so quickly.  Where are the LONG terms studies?  Surgery itself always causes big changes in all our numbers.  First, we have to consider the fasting that goes on before the surgery.  That alone would positively impact numbers dramatically, especially if you are used to eating thousands of calories a day.  Secondly, if you don’t change someone’s brain they probably will figure out a way around the surgery and like my friend Joyce who has been through it  (and gained back a lot of the weight lost) find ways to eat often, even if you can’t eat a lot at one time.   Surely if one gains back weight, that is bound to increase the glucose numbers once again.  This whole thing, sorry to say, makes me think it’s simply a way to get insurance to cover these costly surgeries and who wins?  The surgeons.  Sorry.  I would need to see many more studies,  MUCH more proof and year after year follow-up studies, to believe this can really be THE answer to type 2 diabetes.  I will be following this one for a long, long  time.  All this said, IF a patient has the surgery and learns to eat healthfully and exercise regularly, the surgery might be an answer.  Statistically, this is NOT the case for most that undergo weight loss surgery.   I also can’t help but say that many studies, short AND LONG term, prove over and over again that a plant-based diet also reverses type 2 diabetes without the surgery, without the downtime from work, without the scars, without a recuperation period, without the many, many thousands of dollars spent, and without so much more of the negative aspects of major surgery.

Surgery
Surgery (Photo credit: Army Medicine)

People really do need to change their brains in order to overcome eating disorders.  I am in the middle of taking a really interesting home study course in just that—eating disorders.  It is kind of sad to learn just how many people are effected by anorexia and bulimia.  We live in a society obsessed with perfection, yet we all know perfection is NOT possible.

My suggestion….count your calories, get some daily exercise, avoid the animal products as much as you can and practice some peaceful disciplines like yoga, Pilates and/or meditation because they will absolutely let you find more peace in your body and soul.  This is a prescription for overall good physical and mental health and a way to help realize that perfection is illusive.  Of course, this is just my humble opinion.  I would love to hear yours!

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