FT. MYERS, Fla. (June 6, 2012) – Two randomized clinical trials published in The New England Journal of Medicine demonstrate bariatric surgery is the most effective treatment for type 2 diabetes in obese and morbidly obese patients, and suggest surgery should be considered sooner and more often for patients battling the twin epidemics of diabetes and obesity.
Local bariatric surgeon, Dr. Moses Shieh of Surgical Healing Arts Center has performed surgery—including sleeve gastrectomy, gastric bypass, and biliopancreatic diversion—on multiple patients, which resulted in getting them off their diabetes medications.
One patient, Robert Merchant, had a sleeve gastrectomy in October 2011. At the time, he suffered with extremely high blood pressure, high triglycerides and type 2 diabetes, and was on medication for each. Today, he is completely off his medications, and his diabetes is in remission.
“I went from daily shots and medication for my diabetes to no medication at all,” said Merchant. “The surgery totally changed my life and my health.”
According to the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS), these ground breaking studies will have a major impact on the future of diabetes treatment as clinicians, patients, government officials and insurers absorb the data and its implications.
“While bariatric surgery proved more effective than medical therapy for type 2 diabetes, the real winner is patients, who may now gain greater access to a safe and proven treatment that has been denied too long to too many,” said Dr. Shieh.
Surgical Healing Arts Center offers a comprehensive approach to weight loss. Dr. Shieh is experienced in major weight loss surgical procedures including sleeve gastrectomy, LapBand™ or RealizeBand™, and gastric bypass, which enable patients to choose the best surgical option for their specific needs and goals. He is also one of the few bariatric surgeons in the country skilled to perform revisional bariatric surgery, a surgical procedure that is performed on patients who have already undergone a form of bariatric surgery and have either had complications or failed to lose adequate weight.
In addition, for individuals who currently have a LapBand™ or RealizeBand™, Dr. Shieh and the staff at Surgical Healing Arts can help resume the weight loss process or continue the ongoing management of weight loss.
Dr. Shieh is a board certified general surgeon and board eligible in cosmetic surgery. He is fellowship trained in both laparoscopic bariatric surgery and cosmetic surgery, and offers post-massive weight loss body contouring. He received his medical education at Des Moines University in Iowa and completed his residency at Mount Clemens Regional Medical Center, an affiliate of Michigan State University.
Surgical Healing Arts Center specializes in medical and surgical weight loss, body contouring surgery after weight loss, advanced laparoscopic and endoscopic surgery and general surgery. Their new offices are located at 6150 Diamond Center Court #1300 in Fort Myers. For more information, call 239-344-9786 or visit www.SurgicalHealingArts.com.