Weight loss surgeries seem, to many, to be a quick and easy solution to being overweight or obese. But along with the surgery come complications - over sixty of them - including diarrhea, depression, infections and weight regain. The list of complications has become so long that many primary care physicians are looking for alternatives to weight loss surgery.

"On October 18th, at the University of San Diego and on October 22 at the University of California, Los Angeles, [Laurel] Mellin and colleagues will launch a nationwide series of conferences for health professionals on a method that was developed at the University of California, San Francisco and which equips patients with the developmental skills to nurture and set limits from within, easing stress and enhancing joy. Research on its use with both adult and childhood obesity has supported its effectiveness."

Most attribute the rise in childhood obesity to fast food and video games, but Mellin and her colleagues have found that the availability of these new coping mechanisms is only effective because we've forgotten how to cope with negative emotions in healthy ways. Their seminar helps people learn to be more aware of their emotions and gives them five tools to help them not only cope, but move their stress level from a five down to a one. Margaret Suddeth, a program graduate, lost 60 using the method.

Labels: alternatives, pediatricians, weight loss surgery