Balloon procedure helps reverse obesity

Simcoe.com September 22nd, 2010

BARRIE - Sticking to a weight-loss program is easier when you feel full after a few bites, says a local clinic.
It also helps when there’s the support of a counsellor, dietician and personal trainer available.

That’s the concept behind the Jump6 Program now being offered at the Lakeview Surgery Centre in Barrie; one of four clinics in Ontario currently offering the two-year-old program, and the only place residents can locally access the intragastric balloon procedure.

"We've researched the literature on the Jump6 gastric balloon program, and we're confident that it is both effective and safe in combating obesity, especially when the target weight loss is between 20 to 60 pounds," said Dr. Emad Guirguis, the clinic’s medical director.

The 10-minute procedure has doctors inserting a balloon into the patient’s stomach through the mouth and filling it with sterile water, which is coloured to provide a heads-up in the unlikely case of leakage.

Patients feel full, eat less and, in turn, lose weight, according to program founder Mario Cortis, CEO of Canadian Gastric Balloon Inc. (CGBI), who is currently enrolled in the

“Working long hours, I tend to forget to eat properly and miss out on exercising on a regular basis,” he blogged. “So I thought—why not try what our patients are experiencing, and lose the weight at the same time?”

The balloon is intended to stay in place for six months and be complemented with diet, exercise and psychological support, which continues for an additional six months.

The clinic won’t put a balloon in unless a person is making a commitment to see a nutritionist during the six months. Gastric balloons are already being used across Europe, South America and Australia, according to CGBI, which is the only entity to offer the procedure in Canada.

To qualify for the $8,000 all-in Jump6 program, patients must be 18-years of age or older with a body-mass index (BMI) of at least 27 per cent – which includes most of the population in Canada and the U.S.