The New Life Surgery Center in Beverly Hills and the Valley Surgical Center in West Hills have stopped performing Lap-Band surgeries while they conduct a top-to-bottom review of the medical procedure. These two California clinics are affiliated with the 1-800 GET THIN marketing company and the move to stop procedures comes after Irvine-based Allergan’s announcement that it would stop selling the Lap-Band device to companies affiliated with the ad campaign.

The 1-800 GET THIN marketing company has been targeted in state and federal investigations in recent months. The Lap-Band is an adjustable ring that is surgically placed around the stomach in obese patients to reduce the amount of food eaten to spark weight loss. 1-800 GET THIN actually markets to those that need to lose weight and allows them to call or go to the web site to find a Lap-Band provider in the California area. The company offers insurance verification, orientation and will answer any questions you have about the surgery. Basically, this company advertises and markets Lap-Band surgeries through billboards and other traditional advertising methods.

The FDA has recently issued letters of warning for misleading advertising to 1-800 GET THIN and all eight of the California surgical centers affiliated with them. There is a class action lawsuit pending as well for anyone that responded to advertisements by 1-800 GET THIN for surgery. While these ads highlighted and glamorized the benefits of Lap-Band surgery, they didn’t address some of the drawbacks of the procedure.

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There may be some negative preconceived ideas about weight loss surgery, the thinking being that it’s an easy way out or that it’s giving up on yourself. No matter what your views are on the subject, there’s one thing for sure: it saves lives.

According to a new study from Sweden, obese people who have gastric bypass surgery performed are less likely to die from heart attack and stroke than those who take part in conventional treatment for their weight issues. The 4,000 Swedish patients who participated in the lengthy study were recruited between 1987 and 2001.

One of three weight loss surgeries were performed: They either had gastric bypass, banding, or vertical banded gastroplasty. Taken together, they all lost between 16 and 23 percent of their body weight over the time of the study.
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1-800-GET-THIN Advertisement

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is taking action against eight surgical centers that perform LAP-Band surgeries in California. The FDA says the clinics, along with the marketing firm 1-800-GET-THIN LLC, are misleading consumers  with an ad campaign on highway billboards and advertising inserts. The agency says that the 1-800-GET-THIN ads do not properly communicate the risks associated with gastric surgery and for making inflated weight loss claims.

The ads feature thin women and slogans like “Your New Years Resolution Now!” and “Lose Weight With The LAP-Band.” The company is also offering complementary insurance-checks.

The LAP-Band is an adjustable device which is implanted around the stomach of obese patients, effectively creating a smaller stomach pouch and helping patients feel full more easily. The FDA warns that individuals should thoroughly discuss the benefits and drawbacks of this kind of invasive surgery. “It’s particularly troublesome when advertisements don’t communicate the serious risks associated with medical devices,” said Steve Silverman, director of the Office of Compliance in the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health in a statement.

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Not everyone who struggles with their weight is a candidate for weight loss surgery. Let’s say you are considered a viable candidate. If so, you need to consider the pros and cons that come with each surgical option.

There are three primary “restrictive” weight loss surgeries, meaning those procedures that restrict the amount of food a patient can eat at one time: laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy and laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding.

Even though all three procedures are restrictive, there are significant differences, each with its own advantages and disadvantages.
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“Listen, if you’re one hundred pounds overweight at age fifty, you have the same mortality rate as if you have a solid cancer. Would you operate for cancer? Yeah. So if you cannot lose that weight, get one of these procedures.”

USA Today recently reported on Dr. Oz’s advocacy of gastric bypass surgery, and stance that is causing quite a bit of buzz.

The subject of gastric bypass is a sensitive one. It’s risky and it’s not always supported as a wise choice by doctors. In Dr. Oz’s interview he made bold statements in support of bypass surgery. While his take is more bold and direct in it’s delivery than most, is he alone in his beliefs? Experts weigh in.

Dr. James Early, M.D. is the Medical Director of Via Christi Weight Management in Wichita, KS. He also was a collaborator with Dr. Oz on his book You on a Diet. On a daily basis, Dr. Early is dealing with over weight and obese patients and their struggles in health. While he did agree with Dr. Oz’s stance, he was clear to express that, “it’s very important that each patient is individually assessed.”

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