Gastric Band Hypnosis As An Alternative To Weight Loss Surgery

Obesity and type II diabetes has reached epidemic proportions worldwide. Our sedentary and "fast food" ways contribute to this skyrocketing phenomenon. It's exacting a heavy toll on our individual health and contributing to an explosion in medical costs.

For those struggling with diet plans and desperate to lose weight their thoughts can eventually turn to weight loss surgery. This can include gastric band and bypass surgery. This is not a risk-free alternative. Any operation carries a risk but bariatric surgery involves much discomfort and the results have not been stellar.

Gastric Band Hypnosis is a relatively new procedure developed as an alternative to Gastric Band weight loss surgery. The procedure is available in many countries and goes under a number of names such as Virtual Gastric Band, Gastric Mind BandTM (GmB) and Hypo-BandTM.

While each procedure brings its own techniques and focus, they fundamentally work the same. Using hypnotic suggestions a gastric band is "installed" in a person's stomach and thereby shrinking it to the size of a golf ball. The result is the individual becomes fuller quicker and satisfied on smaller portions of food which lead to weight loss.

The "tightening" of the band can also take place under hypnosis in a subsequent session if the patient requires some additional assistance with their weight loss goals.

Procedures such as the Virtual Gastric Band offers all the benefits of the surgery but because no operation takes place none of the risks, discomfort and recovery time of real surgery. The hypnotherapy technique was developed in Europe where it's enjoying widespread success and is now available in North America.

Using hypnotherapy to simulate surgery is not new but is pioneering specifically in replacing weight loss surgery. The Virtual Gastric Band uses techniques to convince the subconscious it has undergone the surgery without being wheeled into an operating table and actually having the surgical procedure performed. The techniques can include activities to simulate the sounds and smells of a hospital to add to the effect on the subconscious.

Candidates for weight loss surgery include people who weigh more than 100 pounds over their ideal body weight, have a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or more, and/or type 2 diabetes. These people are candidates for a Gastric Band Hypnosis procedure. Anyone who has struggled with weight gain can also benefit from the procedure.

Results and trials so far of Virtual Gastric Band treatments have been promising with some hypnotherapists reporting patients who've received the treatments have experienced a 74% - 95% success rate and losing and maintaining the loss of significant amounts of weight.

The average number of sessions required for this hypnotherapeutic procedure is four to six. The sessions incorporate a variety of treatment techniques. Besides hypnosis they involve NLP (neuro-linguistic programming) and behavior therapy. These techniques are used in conjunction with the hypnosis to encourage the patient to rethink their relationship with food and their eating habits.

The cost of the hypnosis procedure is significantly less than gastric band surgery. The sessions after the "fitting of the gastric band" educate the patient about food in a manner that'll improve their health and not hinder it. It discourages the idea of dieting to drop pounds but instead consume right size portions.

Procedures such as Virtual Gastric Band could greatly improve the health and lives of individuals needing to lose significant weight without the risks inherent with surgery.

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