>>>
>>> WELCOME BACK IN. HEALTH LINK
HEALTH LINK TONIGHT, ROUGHLY 30 MILLION
PEOPLE, 10% OF OUR REPUTATION,
HAS TYPE 2 DIABETES.
HEALTHCARE
HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS ARE DOING WHAT
THEY CAN.
THEY CAN.
THEY CAN. AND STILL THIS DISEASE
CLAIMS 80,000 PEOPLE EVERY
YEAR.
YEAR.
>>
>> IT
>> IT WAS
>> IT WAS INVENTED BY A FRIEND OF MINE.
OF MINE.
OF MINE. >> Reporter: DR. DAVID CUMMINGS
TALKS ABOUT TWO WAYS TO FIGHT
DIABETES.
DIABETES.
DIABETES. >> RISING DIABETES
>>
>> Reporter: HE'S TRYING TO GET THE MEDICAL COMMUNITY TO LOOK
AT
AT
AT TREATMENT IN A VERY DIFFERENT
WAY.
WAY.
WAY. >>
WAY. >> THERE ARE AT LEAST A DOZEN
DIFFERENT NEWLY DISCOVERED,
WEIGHT-INDEPENDENT
WEIGHT-INDEPENDENT ANTI-DIABETES
ANTI-DIABETES MECHANISMS.
MECHANISMS. >> Reporter: GASTRIC BARIATRIC
SURGERY DEVELOPED AND USED
PRIMARILY TO HELP PEOPLE LOSE
WEIGHT GENERALLY DELIVERS
POSITIVE CHANGES TO THE MANY
HEALTH PROBLEMS THAT COME WITH
BOIFLT.
BOIFLT.
BOIFLT. >> ENDOCRINOLOGISTS LIKE ME
THINK OF DIABETES TYPE 2 AS A
CHRONIC, PROGRESSIVE,
CHRONIC, PROGRESSIVE, RELENTLESS
RELENTLESS DISEASE.
DISEASE.
DISEASE. WHERE OUR GOAL IS JUST
TO STAVE OFF THE TERRIBLE
COMPLICATIONS LIKE BLINDNESS,
AMPUTATIONS, HEART ATTACK,
STROKE, DEATH.
STROKE, DEATH. WE SELDOM THINK
YOU CAN ACTUALLY GET RID OF THE
DISEASE.
DISEASE.
DISEASE. >> Reporter: UNLESS YOU
CONSIDER THE CHANGES THAT TAKE
PLACE IN A PATIENT AFTER
METABOLIC SURGERY.
METABOLIC SURGERY. >> BARIATRIC OPERATIONS ARE
DESIGNED FOR WEIGHT LESS AND
ARE
ARE
ARE TREMENDOUS AT THAT.
BUT WE IN
BUT WE IN
BUT WE IN THE FIELD EMPHASIZE ITS
BENEFITS
BENEFITS
BENEFITS ON DISEASES LIKE DIABETES,
CHOLESTEROL, ETC.
CHOLESTEROL, ETC. >> IT WAS FILLED ON JULY 24TH,
2018.
2018.
2018. THAT'S THE LAST TIME I
FILLED DIABETES MEDICATION.
>> Reporter: RON LENS IS A
HUSBAND, GRANDFATHER, AND
FORMER
FORMER
FORMER DIABETIC WHO HAD A LIST OF
SERIOUS AILMENTS.
SERIOUS AILMENTS. INCLUDING
INCLUDING
INCLUDING CARDIOMIOPATHY, WHICH WAS
LEADING TO A HEART TRANSPLANT.
LAST YEAR HE WAS TAKING 28
MEDICATIONS A DAY.
>> MY INSULIN MEDICATION ALONE
WAS AROUND $17,000 ANNUALLY.
>> Reporter: RON HAD A GASTRIC
SLEEVE PROCEDURE IN SEPTEMBER
OF
OF
OF 2018.
2018.
2018. BEFORE SURGERY, HE WEIGHED
327 POUNDS.
327 POUNDS. HE WAS WASN'T VERY
MOBILE AND HAD A SHORTENED LIFE
EXPECTANCY.
EXPECTANCY. THE PROCEDURE WAS TO
PREPARE HIM FOR A HEART
TRANSPLANT.
TRANSPLANT. IT WOULD TURN HIS
LIFE AROUND.
LIFE AROUND. >> I WALKED WITH MY
GRANDCHILDREN, I PLAYED WITH
THEM, TOOK THEM TO THE ZOO.
I
I
I COULDN'T DO THAT UNTIL AFTER I
HAD THIS PROCEDURE.
>> Reporter: RON HAS LOST 70
POUNDS SO FAR.
MORE IMPORTANTLY,
MORE IMPORTANTLY, HIS OVERALL HEALTH HAS GREATLY
IMPROVED.
IMPROVED.
IMPROVED. >> AT LEAST 70% OF PEOPLE WITH
TYPE 2 DIABETES WILL ENJOY
COMPLETE REMISSION AFTER
METABOLIC SURGERY.
METABOLIC SURGERY. >> Reporter: THE DOCTOR
BELIEVES
BELIEVES
BELIEVES THE GUIDELINES TO QUALIFY FOR
METABOLIC SURGERY ARE TOO HIGH.
HE'S WORKING TO CHANGE THAT.
BUT
BUT
BUT THERE'S ANOTHER REASON KEEPING
THE PEOPLE FROM GETTING THE
PROCEDURE.
PROCEDURE. >> A LOT OF THIS HAS TO DO WITH
OBESITY BIAS.
OBESITY BIAS. IN OTHER WORDS,
INHERENT AND EXTERNAL.
INHERENT
INHERENT
INHERENT IS I'M GUILTY, I KNOW THAT MY
INTOIFT MY MY INTOIFT MY OWN
FAULT.
FAULT.
FAULT. AND INTERNAL IS OTHER
PEOPLE BLAMING THAT YOU ON.
OBESITY
OBESITY MY MY OBESITY MY OWN FAULT.
FAULT.
FAULT. AND INTERNAL IS OTHER
PEOPLE BLAMING THAT YOU ON.
>>
>> THEY
>> THEY HAVE BEEN ADOPTED IN MANY COUNTRIES IN INDIA, JAPAN,
KOREA, SOUTH AMERICA.
BUT THEY
BUT THEY
BUT THEY HAVEN'T COME TO THE UNITED
STATES YET.
STATES YET. >> Reporter: RON WANT WALKS
FOUR TO FIVE MILES A DAY.
HE'S
HE'S
HE'S ACT
HE'S ACT WIF HIS GRAND KIDS AND HAS
A
A
A POSITIVE OUTLOOK ON LIFE.
>> I CAN GO WHEREVER I WANT TO
GO.
GO.
GO. I
GO. I CAN
GO. I CAN DO WHATEVER I WANT TO
DO.
DO.
DO. I
DO. I DON'T CAKE ANY INSULIN
WITH ME.
WITH ME.
WITH ME. I DON'T NEED IT.
I'M
I'M
I'M ABLE
I'M ABLE TO DO THINGS WITH MY
GRANDCHILDREN THEY COULDN'T DO
TWO YEARS AGO.
>> Reporter: THE DOCTOR SAYS
GASTRIC BYPASS AND SIMILAR
OPERATIONS ARE MORE EFFECTIVE,
LONGER LASTING AND LESS
EXPENSIVE THAN CURRENT
MEDICINES, DIETS AND EXERCISE.
IT'S ALSO VASTLY SAFER WITH THE
USE OF GASTROSCOPIC TOOLS.
LESS
LESS
LESS THAN
LESS THAN 1% OF TOOLS WHO QUALIFY
HAVE THE PROCEDURE.
HE HOPES
HE HOPES
HE HOPES WITH MORE WIDESPREAD
UNDERSTANDING, DOCTORS AND
PATIENTS WILL THINK OF THE
SURGERY AS MORE THAN JUST