FREE OBESITY AWARENESS CAMP BY STAR HOSPITALS

Owing to the urban lifestyle, chaotic work-life balance and ill organized daily routine, people have become susceptible to numerous fatal ailments. Obesity being one of them tops the list. With a gracious intent of educating people and making them aware of various new methodologies to deal with chronic obesity, Star Hospitals had organized a free medical camp this weekend on Saturday.

Lead by Dr. B. Narasiah, Senior Consultant Surgeon at Star Hospital, the medical camp was a prolific informative session. The primary objective of the camp was to present the latest technological advancements which has enabled us to get rid of excessive weight in a most efficient way and also to shed light on critical consequences of ignoring obesity.

While there are myriads of root causes of obesity, the most common ones includes,

• Genetics
• Physical inactivity
• High Fat Content Food
• Frequency of eating
• Psychological factors
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Besides significantly affecting our daily life, Obesity is associated with numerous health hazards.

• Heart disease and stroke
• High blood pressure
• Diabetes
• Cancer
• Gallbladder disease and gallstones
• Osteoarthritis
• Gout
• Breathing problems
• Sleep apnea

The occurrence of heart problems, hypertensions are directly correlated with waist circumference. Waist circumference more than 94 cm in men and 80 cm in women and waist to hip ratio of more than 0.95 in men and 0.8 in women are associated with increased risk for heart attacks. Waist circumference of 102 cm in men and 88 cm in women indicates very high risk for cardiac problems and diabetes and needs definite treatment.

A person with a BMI (Body Mass Index) of 25-30 is referred to be overweight and if it is over 30 is generally considered to be obese. The situation of overweight can be easily managed with proper diet control, exercises and physical activities. But in severe cases where BMI is over 30, it is often difficult to minimize and reduce the weight. Bariatric surgery is an ideal option in such situations

The surgery makes the stomach smaller and sometimes changes the small intestine. Bariatric surgery can improve many health problems related to obesity, such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, unhealthy cholesterol levels, and sleep apnea. Surgery also may lead to improved physical function and mood, and better quality of life

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The department of Bariatrics / Obesity Care at STAR Hospitals is well equipped with state-of-the-art operating rooms for Bariatric surgery and other facilities to provide quality care to different sections of the society. Dedicated before and after care teams look after the patients throughout the patients’ weight loss journey, from making that first decision, to providing ongoing weight loss support and advice long after surgery. The department works as a multidisciplinary unit along with nurses, physicians and dieticians.

Dr. B. Narasiah, Senior Consultant Surgeon at Star Hospital is the pioneer in the field of Obesity Care & Bariatric Surgery. He is one of first few surgeons who introduced laparoscopy in India and has performed over 28000 surgeries. Under his clinical guidance, Star Hospital has become a Bariatric hub in the recent times and has been successfully accomplishing numerous critical cases, providing relief to the patients from excessive weight.

In their endeavour to spread the good word and enhance the quality of life, Star Hospitals aims at organizing many such camps in near future.