Weight Loss Glossary

[cmcgilvrey]

Hyperparathyroidism:
Too much calcium in the blood. This can cause bone to dissolve and leave calcium deposits in the kidneys.

[Anonymous Bot]

[cmcgilvrey]

Hyperglycemia:
A condition in which there is too much sugar in the blood.

[cmcgilvrey]

Hypoxia:
Inadequate supply of oxygen in arterial blood and insufficient delivery to cells and organs so that normal function cannot be maintained.

[cmcgilvrey]

Ileum:
The last part of the small intesting extending from the jejunum to the large bowel.

[cmcgilvrey]

Implantable Gastric Stimulation System (IGS):
A pacemaker for the stomach. A small implantable battery pack is implanted under the skin and a wire extends to the vagus nerve of the stomach. It provides electrical stimualtion to the nerve which is said to lessen hunger signals. It is undergoing clinical trials in the United States in 2004 but is widely available in Europe. Manufactured by Transneuronix.

[cmcgilvrey]

Insulin Resistance:
The diminishd ability of cells to respond to the action of insulin in transporting glucose from the bloodstream into muscle cells. It is as if insulin is "knocking" on the door of the muscle. Normally the muscle hears the know and lets the glucose in. With insulin resistance, the muscle cannot hear the knocking of the insulin and cannot utilize the glucose for energy. The pancreas makes more insulin and causes a louder "knock". Eventually the pancreas produces far more insulin than normal, the muscles are still resistant, and blood glucose levels are constantly in the hyperglycemic range.

[cmcgilvrey]

Insurance Policy Exclusion:
A denial of insurance coverage due to a specific exclusion. Sometimes listed for weight loss efforts and surgery. This is the most difficult insurance denial to fight unless it can be proven that the insurance company buried or failed to list this exclusion in its policy.

[cmcgilvrey]

Iron Deficient Anemia:
Lack of iron in the blood. Iron is necessary to make hemoglobin, the key molecule in red blood cells responsible for that transport of oxygen. In iron deficient anemia, the red blood cells are small and pale. Recommended amounts of iron are 15 mg per day for women and 10 mg per day for men.

[cmcgilvrey]

International Size Acceptance Association:
A society dedicated to eliminating sizism, dieting, weight loss surgery and any other practice that places obese persons in a different category than the norm. They believe that persons of all weights should be accepted for who they are.

[cmcgilvrey]

Jejunum:
The second part of the small intesting extending from the duodenum to the ileus.

[cmcgilvrey]

Jejuno-Ileal Bypass (JIB):
The orginial "stomach stapling" performed in the 70's and 80's in which the person's stomach was stapled so that a smaller amount of food could be eaten. Is also encompassed bypassing all of the small intesting except for one or two feet. There was a high mortality rate and a high percentage of patients suffered from severe side effects such as malnutrition and diarrhea. Patients often developed fatal liver disease.

[cmcgilvrey]

Laparoscopy:
Surgey done without an open incision. Small incisions are made that allow surgical instruments and a slender illuminated optical or fiber optic camera into the body cavity. Surgey is done by remote control.

[cmcgilvrey]

Lean Muscle Mass:
That portion of the body consisting of muscle, organs, skeletal system, blood vessels, lymphatic system, etc. minus body fat. Most accurately determined by hydrostatic (underater) weighing.

[cmcgilvrey]

Lipectomy:
The process of surgically removing fat tissue from the body by cutting it off.

[cmcgilvrey]

Liposuction:
The process of removing fat tissue from problem areas of the body using a vacuum system and small incisionsof 1/4 to 1 inch.