There is no doubt that gastric bypass surgery is an extreme form of weight control and is reserved for those patients for whom weight loss is a life or death situation. However, it carries with it significant risks and consequently researchers are always looking for new things to do that will be as effective without the risk. Now lap band procedures are being performed as well and thus far, seem to carry much less risk.
Doctors however, are playing with a new method. . .snipping the vagus nerve in hopes that doing so will trigger additional weight loss. The vagus nerve starts in the brainstem and extends all the way down into the stomach. The nerve is often snipped in gastric bypass surgery because doing so helps minimize a very unpleasant side effect of the surgery: acid build up that causes severe heart burn.
Doctors really don’t know how much of a difference snipping the vagus nerve makes although they do believe that it would not lead to as much weight loss as more drastic measures like gastric bypass. However, doctors are hoping that it will become considered a rational alternative to the many, many patients who find themselves in the middle of the road.
These are patients who are morbidly obese which means they are obese enough to experience serious health problems because of their obesity but they are not obese enough to qualify for the risky gastric bypass procedure.
Experts have said however, that snipping the vagus nerve along with the lapband procedure has shown to be more effective than the lapband procedure alone. Could this be a viable alternative for weight loss procedures.
I feel obligated to say that while gastric bypass surgery saves the lives of patients who desperately need to lose weight–it is not the easy route towards weight loss. I’ve spoken to several people who have had the procedure and it takes hard work to maintain the weight loss and it comes with risks. Hopefully however, this will be a good alternative in the future for those who really need the extra boost.