When does “getting bigger” help people with weight problems?
That’s not a trick question, and the answer, according to Dr. Patrick Domkowski, is “right now,” as he and his partner Dr. Jason Radecke expand their weight-loss surgery center to include non-surgical options for getting rid of unwanted and unhealthy pounds.
“We are happy to announce the start of our medical weight-loss program,” beams the affable Domkowski. “We want to be a center that isn’t exclusively surgery.”
In other words, Domkowski’s practice is getting bigger so his patients can get smaller.
“We want to be able to offer people other options,” says the Georgetown University Medical School graduate. Options which, frankly, are sorely needed.
The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases at NIH reports that in this country “more than two in every three adults are considered to be overweight or obese, and one-third of children between six and 19 share the same problem.”
The Centers for Disease Control adds “weight- and obesity-related conditions include heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer,” which are among the leading causes of death nationwide.
And while Domkowski and his partner, Dr. Jason Radecke, have built an impressive track record performing over 1,200 minimally invasive or “laparoscopic” gastric bypass and gastric sleeve procedures with what Domkowski calls “excellent patient outcomes,” they are also aware that some people will do just about anything to avoid any kind of surgery.
Just saying the word “surgery,” says Domkowski with a smile, “makes them want to run to the door.”
Fortunately, there are several new non-invasive weight-loss options available, including some relatively new FDA-approved drugs.
“Prior to a couple of years ago,” Domkowski explains, “there hadn’t been a new FDA-approved weight-loss medication in over a decade. Now there are several new ones. One is Osymia, another is Belviq and a third is Contrave.”
That decade-long dearth of new anti-obesity drugs can be blamed in part on the infamous “Fen-Phen” or Fenfluramine-Phentermine weight-loss drug. Introduced in the 1970s, it was later pulled from the market amid much negative publicity when it was shown to cause serious heart-valve and pulmonary hypertension problems.
This new generation of medication, according to Domkowski, has been proven in clinical trials to be much safer.
“They’re actually medications that have been used to treat migraines and depression,” Domkowski explains, “but when used in combination with other agents, they have an appetite suppressant and metabolic-enhancing activity” which helps medically supervised patients safely lose weight.
Safety is the top priority, says Domkowski, who also wants to be sure his patients get the biggest possible bang for their buck.
Marjetdata Enterprises, a research firm specializing in consumer spending habits, says Americans shell out more than $60 billion a year trying to lose weight. Sadly, most of those dollars are lost while – in the majority of cases – weight is not.
There are also thousands of diets and a whole host of TV-advertised weight-loss plans, but as Domkowski points out those are “purely calorie-based food-restriction diets which, while you’re on them, work just fine [but] when you come off, it doesn’t work. You don’t incorporate a lot of other changes into your life.”
Medically supervised weight loss seeks to change lifestyles and behavior as well as the numbers on the bathroom scale.
But perhaps the most appealing element of Domkowski’s weight-loss program is what he says next: “I’m not asking you to restrict calories. You can eat what you want. We may ask you to monitor your calories and your protein intake, but we don’t put you on a restricted diet. That’s the beauty of it. We still want you to eat pretty much what you want.”
There is one fly in the ointment for people who enjoy alcohol: “One martini,” says Domkowski with a knowing smile, “is fine. Four are not.”
While olive growers and bartenders might cringe at that statement, patients’ wallets won’t be left high or dry. According to Domkowski, “the cost of the drugs is between $175 and $200 a month,” and insurance usually picks up the tab.
To help accommodate this expansion of their Riverside Surgical and Weight Loss Center in Sebastian, Domkowski and Radecke are beefing up their staff with new specialists and even considering a possible expansion into the Melbourne area.
Dr. Patrick Domkowski is at Riverside Surgical & Weight Loss Center. He is also the surgical chief at the Sebastian River Medical Center. His offices are at 14430 U.S. Hwy. 1 in Sebastian. The phone number is 772-581-8003.
