How Much Does Lap Band Weight Loss Surgery Cost?

Anyone considering lap band surgery will probably have a long list of questions and fairly high up on that list is going to be the question of cost. Sadly, while this may seem like an easy question, it is not quite so simple to answer.

The cost of having lap band surgery will depend upon many things but first you have got to ascertain whether or not you qualify as a candidate for surgery. Making up your mind that you need or want weight loss surgery is all well and good but when it comes to paying for surgery whether or not you meet the requirements of the National Institutes of Health (NHI) is a crucial factor.

As a rule, if you have a body mass index of 40 or more then you will meet the requirements of the NHI. You can also qualify if your BMI is between 35 and 39 provided you are also suffering from a serious medical condition that is directly related to your weight. The list of associated medical conditions is lengthy but will include such things as diabetes, high blood pressure or high cholesterol.

If you fail to meet the NHI requirements then you will need to meet the full cost of lap band surgery yourself.

The next thing that you must look at is whether or not your health insurance will pay for all or some of the cost of surgery. It is frequently thought that insurers will not pay for weight loss surgery but this is not so and insurance companies are increasingly meeting either some or all of the cost of lap band surgery. Your health insurance company will however only meet the cost if you meet the requirements of the NIH and your doctor certifies that surgery is medically necessary.

Okay, so what is lap band surgery going to cost?

The cost of lap band surgery is complex because you need to work out not simply the price of surgery itself but all of the associated costs which will vary widely depending upon where surgery is carried out and by whom. Costs will include such things as pre-surgical tests, fees for your surgeon and hospital charges. Also, there will be various post-surgery charges for services such as follow-up medical visits, nutritional counseling and psychological support.

Where surgery is done in the US then you might expect it to run from $17,000 to $30,000 for surgery and post-operative care provided you do not encounter any complications. Although major complications are uncommon they do occur every now and again and the cost can then increase dramatically.

Where surgery is done outside of the US then the cost will be lower and you might expect it to run between $11,000 and $16,000. Lap band surgery has been performed for some considerably time in Australia and Europe where results have been very good and is also now being performed increasingly in countries such as Brazil, India, Canada, Mexico and the Far East.

If you are contemplating going overseas for surgery then you will need to factor in the cost of travel and post-surgical care which can considerably increase the total cost but still be less expensive than undergoing surgery at home. You will also have to check with your health insurance company if applicable because it is unlikely that your insurer will fund the cost of any surgery that is done overseas. Finally, you will need to note the fact that you might well have very much less legal protection should anything go wrong with surgery outside of your home country.

In most cases having surgery at home is likely to be your safest choice but if the cost difference is big enough in your own case then you might well consider that it is worth the risk.

Weight Loss: Dangers of Using Laxatives For Weight Loss

One popular weight loss supplements available in the market today take the form of tea. Stores all over sell slimming tea, dieter’s tea and others but all of them are actually the same. They may appear to be effective, but what is not seen may actually harm you.One of the effects of drinking dieter’s tea is frequent bowel movement. This gives people the feeling of body cleansing. These people may get toxins out of their body but it isn’t exactly the only thing that slimming tea actually does to the body. Slimming tea contains herbs which are natural laxatives. These include aloe, senna, rhubarb root, cascara, buckthorn and castor oil. These are products which are derived from plants and are used since the ancient times because of their potency in treating constipation and to inducing bowel movement.Cascara, castor oil and senna are substances which are recognized as laxatives available over the counter and are also regulated as drugs. Scientific studies show that diarrhea induced by laxatives does not absorb significant amounts of calories taken in the body. The reason for this is that laxatives do not act on the small intesines where most of the calories are absorbed. Instead, they work on the large intestines. If taken in large amounts for prolonged periods, it can affect fat absorption of the body. This may lead to greasy diarrhea and loss of weight. Abuse of laxatives is common practice among people who suffer from bulimia and anorexia nervosa. While weight loss can be guaranteed by overdosing on laxatives, it may also cause permanent damage to the gastrointesitinal tract and the weakening and softening of the bones, a condition known as osteomalacia. Drinkers of slimming teas may actually patronize the product because they are less axpensive and taste better than other laxatives sold in the market. Other people, such as those with eating disorders like bulimia and anorexia nervosa drink dieter’s tea because they work fast and produce watery stool and having loose consistency.Women may even be more susceptible to the effects of slimming teas. Although they may are not known to interfer directly with the woman’s menstrual cycle and fertility, they should watch out if drinking them causes them to rapidly shed off weight. It is also not safe for pregnant women to be taking in laxatives of any kind. Wise and reponsible herbalists also discourage the use of senna and other herbal products with laxative properties for pregnant women and women who are trying to conceive. One should be wary about these findings because the labeling of slimming teas in the market today can be absolutely misleading. For instance, they commonly refer to the laxative qualities as “natural bowel cleansing properties” and not specifically use the word “laxative”.Some even use the term “low-calorie” on their labelling. These products in fact, contain essentially no calories nor nutrients whatsoever; unless of course, if they are sweetened.Adverse effects of misusing laxatives in the form of slimming tea generally occur when taken in more than or longer than recommended. These include nausea, stomach cramps, vomiting, diarrhea, fainting, rectal bleeding,electrolyte disorder and dehydration as well as injury and worse, death. It was also reported that excess use of stimulant laxatives cause severe constipation and pain for long periods (as much as for decades) due to the colon losing its function. It eventually led to surgery removing the colon.

A Quick Look at Some of Today’s Most Effective Diets

The idiot-proof diet is all about calorie shifting. That is, in this diet, you shift your food intake throughout the day instead of eating just 3 meals a day. The diet is popular because it’s actually very easy to follow and there are hardly any restrictions when it comes to the types of food you can eat.

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The Idiot-Proof Diet

The idiot-proof diet is all about calorie shifting. That is, in this diet, you shift your food intake throughout the day instead of eating just 3 meals a day. The diet is popular because it’s actually very easy to follow and there are hardly any restrictions when it comes to the types of food you can eat.

The ‘calorie shifting’ model takes place because you eat every two and half hours. The theory is that because your body is consuming calories (energy) constantly throughout the day, it’s always in ‘burning calories’ mode instead of the ‘saving calories’ mode.

When you sign up for the diet, you get access to a diet handbook, an 11-day diet-plan and a diet calculator. You get to pick what foods you like to eat so don’t think that you’ll be tarving in this diet!

NutriSystem

The NutriSystem way of dieting is all about proper meal planning. People love this diet because it takes away the burden of trying to figure out what to eat during their dieting phase. You see, a lot of people actually get confused as to what they can eat when they want to lose weight. That’s not really surprising because there’s so much information out there and for every yay sayer, there is a nay sayer so it’s really tough to know what to eat.

However, with NurtiSystem, they do all the meal planning and portion controlling for you. You just need to sign up to any of their diet programs (e.g., Women’s Program, Men’s Program, Vegetarian Program, etc.) and order a multi-day (usually for 28 days) diet program.

After you choose your diet program, a menu is presented to you and you simply choose what you want to eat. The meals are then delivered to your doorstep at various intervals during your diet program.

The South Beach Diet

The South Beach Diet is popular because the name alone conjures bikini-clad bodies! Add to that the fact that it was founded by a cardiologist, Dr. Arthur Agatston, then you have a sort of ‘doctor recommended, doctor approved’ seal on the diet as well.

At first glance, the South Beach Diet looks a lot like the Atkins Diet in the sense that it restricts carbohydrates during the initial phase of the program (there are 3 phases). The first phase (14 days) encourages ‘normal eating’ in the sense that you can pretty much eat whatever you want but you must NOT eat bread, rice, potatoes, pasta, or baked goods. Fruit is also not allowed. No sugar. No alcohol.

The second phase allows you to SLOWLY introduce these items back into your diet but at lesser levels that you consumed them before of course. The third phase is more about general maintenance.

Weight Watchers

Probably one of the longest running diet programs out there is Weight Watchers. It believes in the overall approach where food, exercise, behavior and support are addressed.

Weight Watchers is known for advocating a point system for foods. Using this system, one calculates the calorie intake of the foods he or she eats. The number of points you can have in a day varies depending on your weight. The beauty of the program is that there are no gut-wrenching food restrictions so you never feel deprived of anything. However, the point system teaches you how to balance your meals so that even if you indulge on one food item, you don’t go overboard and consume too much in a day.