High Tech Bulimia=The Future of Dieting
Date: January 9, 2013Category: Author: Infinity Dental Web
A breakthrough has been made in the world of surgical weight loss procedures. Inventor Dean Kamen teamed up with a group of doctors at Aspire Bariatrics of Philadelphia to create the AspireAssist Aspiration Therapy System. It’s an alternative to the gastric bypass procedure to solve the problem of obesity in patients, in that is “minimally invasive and completely reversible at any time.”
It’s also horrifying. Just watching the demonstration video should be enough to turn anyone away from choosing the elective surgery, which consists of installing a tube into your stomach that leads to a port on the surface of the skin, somewhere near the belly button. Here’s how the weight loss works: 20 minutes after every meal (during which you can eat or drink anything you desire) you connect a pump to the port and suck out a portion of the contents of your stomach before the food has traveled to the intestines and you have absorbed the calories. The process is called ‘aspiration therapy’ which essentially means ‘draining’ or what more accurately looks like syringing each meal out of your stomach.
Here’s the demo video. Don’t worry, it’s not graphic.
https://youtu.be/WfBE_DIR2Jo
There are so many things about this that make me uncomfortable I’m not sure where to begin. First, the total calories you can avoid consuming through aspiration is only 30%, which is not enough to warrant getting this tube inserted in your abdomen. Then there’s this alarming note from the Aspire Bariatrics website: “The AspireAssist is used in conjunction with a lifestyle modification program, and requires careful and comprehensive medical monitoring.” I’ll say—the health complications that could arise are numerous: “infections, leakage, lack of nutrient absorption, depression and suicide, severe hypoglycemia, extreme thiamine deficiency, anemia, osteoporosis,” to name a few. Aspiration therapy also messes with metabolism so that when the system is removed, the person might gain back even more weight, and faster.
Of course a “lifestyle modification program” has to be implemented—in what normal, convenient circumstances does someone excuse themselves to the bathroom for an extended period of time twenty minutes after each meal? The whole thing is starting to sound more invasive, at least in one’s daily life, than originally claimed.
And it doesn’t even sound like the thing works. (Warning: this is gross) Customers have complained that ‘large foods’ get clogged in the tubing, and as a result there is a need to avoid “broccoli, cauliflower, Chinese food, stir fry, snow peas, pretzels, chips, and steak.” What’s the point then, if you truly cannot eat what you want?
Sadly enough, the AspireAssist has received the CE mark of approval in December 2011 in the EU and is available for purchase in select regions of Europe. It is still awaiting U.S. patent approval.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Dean Kamen is the inventor of the Segway, also known as the guy who found a way to stop people from walking. I never understand why you see overweight people taking sightseeing tours on Segways—what’s wrong with walking? It’s one of the easiest, most enjoyable and efficient forms of exercise. I hope this information encourages those contemplating AspireAssist Therapy to drop what they’re doing, go for a walk, and avoid ‘aspiring’ at all costs.
Dr. Mike Malone and his team practice expert cosmetic dentistry in Lafayette, LA. Dr. Malone is the former president and current accredited member of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. He is also the official Cosmetic Dentist of the Miss Louisiana USA and Miss Louisiana Teen USA pageants. Check out his website for more information.