Dr. Feiz received his Medical Degree from New York Medical College, with Honors. He completed his internship and residency in Surgery at the world famous Los Angeles County+USC Medical Center. He continued subspecialty Fellowship training at Cedars Sinai Medical Center where he received specialized training in Bariatric and Minimally Invasive Surgery.
We have many extraordinary patients who have successfully lost weight with gastric sleeve surgery at the offices of Dr. Feiz & Associates, and October's Patient Ambassador Robert Berganio truly stands out among them. What truly makes Robert an incredible patient is the way he has embraced the lifestyle change that is necessary to be successful in losing weight, and just taking a quick look at him proves that! He has shed 85 pounds and 8 inches off his waistline since his procedure on June 13, 2013, and now he is living a happier, healthier life where he is in control of his hunger, rather hunger controlling him.
Dr. Feiz & Associates October Patient Ambassador, Robert Berganio, before and after
Gastric sleeve surgery involves the removal of approximately 85 percent of the stomach, with the remaining segment stapled off and fashioned into the shape of a small banana, or sleeve. Patients not only have a smaller stomach capacity, they also experience much less hunger when the part of the stomach called the fundus is removed. The fundus produces "the hunger hormone," called ghrelin, which increases when we feel hungry decreases when we're satisfied. With lower levels of ghrelin, patients like Robert don't experience cravings and feel full after eating much small quantities of food.
Robert recommends board-certified bariatric surgeon Dr. Michael Feiz, saying: "I love the man, any questions or any concerns I had, I would call him and he would be the one to call me back right away." Robert added, "I'm just really happy with Dr. Feiz and his staff, I have no regrets."
More and more information is becoming available on bariatric procedure, especially as obesity-related research continues to gain in popularity. Dr. Michael Feiz, weight loss surgeon known for operations like the gastric sleeve and lap band in Los Angeles, keeps his ear on the ground when it comes to these developments. Knowing the recent news on bariatric surgery allows Dr. Feiz to offer more comprehensive health care to his patients, especially when they are undecided between different weight loss procedures.
One recent study was done on whether weight loss procedures could be effective for patients with lower BMIs. Usually performed on people with BMIs over 40, the study discussed those with BMIs over 35 and an obesity-related condition such as diabetes. It, like many other studies coming out of hospitals and universities around the world, revealed that weight loss surgeries like the sleeve gastrectomy alleviates factors like type to diabetes, high blood pressure high cholesterol, sleep apnea, and more. Dr. Feiz strongly believes in bartiatric surgery as a tool for bettering the health of his patients.
Research on post-bariatric patients may even prevent surgery in the future. Scientists study how the body changes after a weight loss surgery and then they try to figure out how to copy those results chemically. For example, the gastric sleeve reduces the production of the hormone that causes hunger by removing part of the stomach, but tests have also shown that gene expression changes after surgeries as well. Scientists can eventually figure out how to chemically reproduce these effects and reduce this hormone, known as ghrelin, through medication or other ways. Dr. Feiz places his faith in these scientific innovations and can't wait to offer them once they become reality.
