ADVANCES IN OVERCOMING OBESITY

Advances in Overcoming Obesity: Is There a Future for Bariatric Surgery? by retired surgeon Tom Taylor comprehensively addresses many of the causes, complications, and treatments of obesity for the lay public. Despite billions of dollars per year being spent on diets, weight-reducing products, and techniques, few understand the fundamental nature of the problem, its complications, or the strategies available to overcome obesity. These challenges may recently have been radically changed with the emergence of new effective medications, not only for obesity, but for diabetes and other related health problems. Dr. Taylor tackles the issues of energy intake and expenditure, while describing in detail the most popular diets, such as the South Beach Diet and Weight Watchers. He also explores the psychological and physical constraints of losing weight, related socio-economic factors, and the different types of surgical treatments and their possible effects, outcomes, and complications. Although large amounts of weight can be lost following surgical treatment, for the first time ever, a group of drugs is now available that has been shown to also provide large weight loss, thereby presenting a challenge to surgical treatments. Dr. Tom Taylor has performed over 1,000 weight-loss surgical procedures, but was always concerned about the risks facing this vulnerable group of patients. There may now be alternative methods that are potentially safer than and as effective as major surgery.