Gail Helen Bremner

An American Disease

Posted on May 18th, 2007 by gail helen.
Categories: Personal, Omnia Vanitas, Sponsored Posts.

The American Obesity Association notes that “64.5 percent of adult Americans (about 127 million) are categorized as being overweight or obese. Each year, obesity causes at least 300,000 excess deaths in the U.S.”  I myself once had a BMI that had edged over from being overweight to obese.  Even now, I’m probably at least 20 - 40 lbs heavier than I should be.  I’ve struggled with my weight long enough to know that it is a pervasive problem that can be almost impossible to overcome.

For some people, bariatric surgery might be the solution, but I’m not sure how I feel about it.  A Houston Lap Band Surgery Facility, Journey Lite,  almost makes it sound like a walk in the park: “The LAGB or the LAP-BAND procedure offers a number of advantages over other weight-loss surgery options. This procedure is the least invasive weight-loss surgery available. It is adjustable and, if the need should arise, completely reversible. The LAP-BAND doesn’t require cutting, stapling or rerouting of the stomach or intestines and as such provides lower risks with the surgery and less serious long term complications. The procedure can be performed in an outpatient (day surgery) setting and offers a shortened recovery period.”  Of course, this is a wonderful development for people whose very lives are threatened and whose daily existence is one of intense suffering due to their size.  But I can’t help thinking that the easier and more accessible these kind of procedures become (not just for weight loss but any level/type of self ‘improvement’), the more strenuously we will object to people who are physically ‘flawed’ — the assumption that surgery can bring us closer to perfection may end up with us simply placing the bar farther out of reach.  Sickeningly, I’m not sure I’d turn the procedure down if it was an option for me.  Where does our society draw the line between a choice for health, and a choice for vanity?

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