Thun is another Swiss1Surgery site

The need for professional services in obesity surgery is increasing. Also in Thun and the surrounding area. And so it was only a logical step that the clinic of Dr. Naef in Thun now became part of the network of specialized facilities of Swiss1Chirurgie. You can learn more about this in the article.

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The truth about morbid obesity – A lecture by Prof. Dr. Jörg Zehetner

Swiss1Chirurgie and bariatric surgery specialist Prof. Dr. Jörg Zehetner invited the public to attend the lecture “The truth about morbid obesity”. Not only people affected by obesity but also relatives and interested people who want to know what morbid obesity is really about and what treatment options are available are invited to attend.

Dr. Jörg Zehetner was able to make an essential statement right at the beginning of his interesting lecture: Obesity is a widespread disease that can have many causes. In addition to changes in diet and exercise habits, there are also pathological processes in the body that favour significant overweight and cannot always be combated with diets and changes in lifestyle habits alone.

Obesity as a widespread disease

The fact that obesity is no longer an isolated phenomenon became clear when concrete figures and predicted developments regarding obesity were used as arguments. Less exercise in everyday working life, stress and above all an overabundance of food are the obvious causes of obesity. And the development in the USA shows where the path could also lead in Europe if no clear and timely countermeasures are taken. However, these facts and insights are of little use, especially to those currently and acutely affected. For these people it is important to get real help beyond good advice and helpless stigmatisation. And such help is found in many cases in surgical interventions that clearly break the spiral of overweight suffering.

The image of the fat, lazy overweight person must be corrected

Especially when it comes to morbid obesity, those with a BMI over 30 feel exposed to widespread prejudice and downright mantras. Eat less, move more, do without a lot and strengthen your self-confidence. These are all suggestions that overweight sufferers get plenty of. The actual development and especially the psyche of those affected are neither changed nor strengthened by this. What remains is endless suffering full of diets, setbacks and ultimately giving up.

This can be changed if a real impact on nutrition, weight development and self-esteem is offered with appropriate medical services. Appropriate obesity surgery is in many cases of morbid obesity the best and only means to actually stop the downward spiral. It is clear that it is not only the surgical intervention itself that provides help. Changes in lifestyle habits and strengthening the psyche of those affected are also part of the process.

Swiss1Chirurgie can help with morbid obesity

With several locations in Switzerland, Swiss1Chirurgie is one of the largest private practices in Switzerland, which has also addressed the issue of obesity surgery, among other things. The internationally highly recognised specialist in obesity surgery, Dr Jörg Zehetner, has placed the problem of morbid obesity at the centre of his work and offers actual help for morbid obesity in the Swiss1Chirurgie clinics and the Centre for Bariatric Surgery (ZFBC). The start of a successful treatment is always the patient’s understanding that something has to be done. This is followed by detailed information and advice about the medical options. If the conditions are right, surgery is often the best option. However, this process will only be successful and individually satisfying if the important follow-up care and help in changing lifestyle habits is also offered afterwards. And in this area, too, Swiss1Chirurgie shows itself to be a professional partner at the side of patients.

App facilitates information and accompaniment

For overweight people, going to the doctor is not easy. After all, many have already gone through a real odyssey and the fear of repeated failures is growing. It is precisely at this point that comprehensive and thorough information is the first way to learn about new options for treating morbid obesity and then take the right further steps. The actual situation is such that many of those affected no longer want to go straight to the doctor and like to inform themselves in advance on the internet. Not all offers are serious, let alone medically useful. Dr Jörg Zehetner knows this too and has set up a special offer for interested parties and patients with a special Swiss1Chirurgie app.

The app makes it possible to obtain comprehensive information on the various topics and, if interested and required, also to contact the attending physician directly. The convenient app accompanies patients before, during and after surgical treatment and not only provides important information and advice on general processes. Individual counselling is always possible, which is precisely geared to the conditions of the individual patient. The Swiss1Chirurgie app thus becomes part of the professional treatment of morbid obesity and makes it easier for patients to take the right steps.

You can simply download the app via https://m.swiss1chirurgie.ch . Then, among other things, you will also have the opportunity to watch the lecture “The truth about morbid obesity” in a summary or in full length.

Quick BMI calculator for the health conscious

The new BMI calculator from the Centre for Bariatric Surgery (ZfbC) and swiss1chirurgie combines a high level of convenience with the best tips for any treatment needs.

If you want to know your weight, you stand on the scales. But if you want to know a little more about your physical condition, you can now use the new BMI calculator from the ZfbC/swiss1chirurgie. Without long calculations, the digital BMI calculator determines the body mass index quickly, reliably and with only a few entries, which provides important information about whether the body weight is a health risk.

Just by stating the current weight, height and age, conclusions can be drawn as to whether the values are within the norm or above it. These personal details can be supplemented by the desired weight, details of physical activity and any efforts to achieve weight loss.

The more information is provided, the more concrete the calculations and also the statements on whether there is an urgent need for action and how and under what time frame the weight can be positively influenced under the given conditions.

The new BMI calculator of the Centre for Bariatric Surgery Bern is available on the website of the ZfbC https://www.zfbc.ch/bmi/   and swiss1chirurgie https://www.swiss1chirurgie.ch/bmi/ as well as in the newly developed app https://m.swiss1chirurgie.ch#/module/5784837 and can be used immediately. In this way, health-conscious people can in fact check their current status at any time and from anywhere, even with their smartphone, and make decisions to optimise their body weight in terms of health. The link between the BMI calculator and the medical tips for the prevention and treatment of morbid overweight (obesity) is extremely interesting. Causes, correlations and effects are presented here just as comprehensibly as the treatment approaches of the ZfbC.

The BMI calculator of the ZfbC/swiss1chirurgie has the potential to cause a sensation not only in Switzerland but also internationally. The new BMI calculator will therefore also be presented by Prof. Dr. Jörg Zehetner at a congress to be held soon in the USA, CHINA, MIDDLE EAST, EUROPE and ASIA. There, the digital BMI calculator will be able to show directly what it can really do. The interest of the experts is just as great as the need of the population. After all, the USA is one of the countries in the world where morbid obesity is one of the main causes of secondary diseases such as high blood pressure, heart disease, musculoskeletal disorders and diseases, heart attacks and strokes due to obesity. This also includes the psychological and social impairments that are often associated with being significantly overweight.

With the convenient BMI calculator of the ZfbC, the way to an easy digital calculation of the Body Mass Index is opened for medical laymen as well as for medical specialists. Although BMI alone is not a definitive measure of treatment options, it is an important indicator of whether treatment is needed and under what circumstances the best treatment outcomes can be achieved.

To the swiss1chirurgie BMI calculator

Current: Focus on bariatrics

The success of obesity treatment is decided after the operation

Severe obesity with all the possible secondary diseases such as type 2 diabetes is one of the widespread diseases in the developed industrialised countries and the number of cases is increasing. Not only in the USA, but also in Europe, morbid overweight (obesity) is rampant. Both in Germany and Switzerland, more and more clinics are specialising in the medical and, above all, surgical treatment of heavyweight contemporaries. Accordingly, surgical procedures are performed more frequently in obesity surgery than they were a few decades ago. Stomach reduction, tube stomach or gastric bypass are the keywords for operations related to obesity. While in Germany, according to current surveys, there is an almost complete lack of professional aftercare, in Switzerland, for example, the Centre for Bariatric Surgery (ZfbC) also sets a good example in the aftercare of patients.

Without lifelong follow-up, the success of bariatric surgery is at risk

A stomach reduction, in whatever form, is the only way out of the vicious circle of obesity, secondary diseases, lack of exercise and even more obesity for many obese patients. In Germany, but also in Switzerland, clinics have specialised in surgical interventions for obesity and provide patients with at least short-term hope for change. However, in Germany in particular, this hope remains a mere expectation. Because even more important than the success of the actual surgical intervention is the subsequent aftercare. And in most cases, this will be necessary for a lifetime. Postoperative care for obese patients is by no means limited to the control of small scars or wound healing in the gastrointestinal tract. More importantly, after such an operation, patients have to change their whole life decisively. This starts with a new form of nutrition, continues with controlled nutritional supplementation, for example with vitamins, trace elements and protein, and ends with a new way of learning sensible exercise. Only a corresponding change in lifestyle habits can ensure the success of bariatric surgery in the long term and thus make the lives of overweight patients better.

All experienced medical specialists, nutritionists, physiotherapists and psychotherapists agree on this. However, there is a lack of concrete implementation of such follow-up treatment and further care in Germany. As the Norddeutscher Rundfunk NDR recently revealed in a contribution to the health magazine “Visite”, the concept of follow-up treatment is poorly neglected in Germany and virtually not established at all. One of the reasons for this is that the health insurance companies neither include such a lengthy to lifelong care for patients in their cost catalogue, nor do they seem to be interested in it. Anyone who has managed to get an overweight operation financed by German health insurance funds at all is often left alone and downright to fend for themselves afterwards.

Accordingly, few patients then find their way to nutrition counselling and further care. Until the body again sounds the alarm and all short-term successes of bariatric surgery are acutely endangered. Those who are financially well off will treat themselves to the necessary aftercare if they have sufficient insight and self-discipline. Those who are less well-off or do not even know how important further care is, do not act at all at this point due to ignorance or lack of financial mass and thus endanger not only the success of the overweight operation, but their health in general.

The German health system clearly has a duty here and must find ways to ensure that bariatric surgery does not turn into an odyssey through the clinical pictures of accompanying secondary diseases.

Switzerland sets a good example

It’s different in Switzerland. Here too, medical centres such as Swiss1Chirurgie, together with the Centre for Bariatric Surgery in Bern, have dedicated themselves to surgical interventions for morbid obesity. Unlike its German neighbours, however, the focus here is on the protracted nature of such interventions from the outset. Only patients who are willing to receive lifelong counselling and support are even considered for bariatric surgery. This is already addressed in the initial talks and is also consistently enforced after the interventions. Of course, always with the cooperation of the patients and all the professionals needed for this.

This methodology is also supported in principle by the Swiss health care system. Here it is clear that anyone who has to undergo bariatric surgery will need the support of the relevant specialists such as internists, nutritionists, physiotherapists and psychotherapists for a long time afterwards, if not permanently. This is the only way to ensure the long-term success of obesity surgery, which ultimately not only benefits the health of the patients, but also significantly minimises the follow-up costs due to a lack of follow-up care.such as internists, nutritionists, physiotherapists and psychotherapists.

It remains questionable whether this insight will be reached in Germany in the near future. While the health care system there mainly works on apparent undesirable developments and deficiencies, most obesity patients remain on their own, with or without bariatric surgery.

We have provided more information on the “Visite” report by NDR here http://bit.ly/ndrnachversorgung.

Dr. med. Michèle Gasser
Dr. med. Claudia Meier
Dr. med. Yvette Ottiger
Dr. med. Stefan Schäfer
Dr. med. Rudolf Steffen
Dr. med. Jörg Zehetner

Seilerstrasse 8
3011 Bern
Schweiz
Tel.: +41 31 310 15 99
Fax: +41 31 310 15 98
E-Mail: bc@hin.ch

Dr. med. Jörg Zehetner
Professor (USC)
MMM, FACS, FEBS (hon.)

PD Dr. med. Rudolf Steffen
Specialist FMH for Surgery

Dr. med. Alejandro Metzger
Specialist FMH for Surgery

Schänzlihalde 1
CH-3013 Bern
T +41 (0)31 312 61 12
F +41 (0)31 312 61 11

SINA LARK – Sina Gossweiler on her way to the top

It is a long way

The Centre for Bariatric Surgery (ZfbC) and Swiss1Chirurgie specialise, among other things, in patients who are seeking comprehensive medical help with accompanying care due to a serious and morbid obesity problem. Prof. Dr. Jörg Zehetner, as the leading mind behind the ZfbC and Swiss1Chirurgie, knows that the path from severely overweight patients to a happier and fulfilled life is not an easy one. For decades, he has treated and cared for patients who nevertheless take this long journey. Clear progress can be seen just as much as an occasional relapse into old habits and the difficult fight against obesity and the prejudices associated with it.

Sina Gossweiler has embarked on a long journey

Dr Jörg Zehetner has also been able to count Sina Gossweiler among his patients for several years. Many people know the young woman from the show “Deutschland sucht den Superstar” (DSDS), where the Wattenwil native was able to convince with a magnificent voice, and also got into the recall, but not further. The young singer is also known for her fight against obesity, which she finally took up with the professional help of the ZfbC after some back and forth and repeated self-diets.

 

 

A gastric bypass operation  was finally the right and appropriate way for her to move into a weight-wise and also psychologically lighter future. It was clear from the beginning that this journey does not end with the surgical intervention, but in fact requires follow-up care in a professional environment throughout life. Sina has fought this battle successfully so far and now feels visibly more comfortable in her own skin. In addition to learning healthy eating habits, as well as exercise and sport, she has now reached a healthy weight.

When Sina Lark was also successful in the music business

And in terms of music, too, the signs are pointing to success. Even though the DSDS recall almost exactly a year ago didn’t lead any further, the likeable musician is now standing there with her head held high. With their first single “Everything I Want To Be” they got off to a great start in the charts. As Sina Lark, the self-confident young woman makes her commercial debut in the music business and can already enjoy a great deal of attention.

Not only did her new song run for the first time as Song of the Day on SRF 3 at the beginning of February 2020, but a live performance on 14.02.2020, between 19:00 and 20:00 on the station will also show how consistently and with what passion Sina is looking for the way to the top and has now perhaps even already found it. Then she will present two songs live on the SRF 3 programme “Punkt CH”. Her new single will also be presented as “Hit of the Day” on 14.02.2020.

Listen to the song now!

A long road brings many challenges

If you take both the gastric bypass operation and the musical path together, it becomes clear that Sina Gossweiler has already taken the long road very successfully as Sina Lark. This gives the soon to be 21-year-old woman from the canton of Bern even more strength to continue on her path now more than ever. On the one hand, this path leads downwards when it comes to weight. On the other hand, it is also the ascent into a new life that Sina has paved for herself with her musical talent. The fact that both directions always involve a lot of effort, challenges, stamina and also the odd setback is impressively demonstrated by Sina Gossweiler’s still young story.

In the end, it is up to each individual to decide how to deal with his or her own problems. Getting the best help at the right time also proved to be a real stroke of luck in this particular case.

04 March is World Obesity Day

Every year at the beginning of March, there is a day dedicated to the topic of obesity as World Obesity Day. Certainly, this is not a holiday for those affected, but at least it is the day when there is a good reason to think about obesity in general and the stigmatisation associated with it in particular.

This year the focus is “Male Obesity”. This cannot simply be categorised as “gluttony” or “self-indulgence”. Male obesity has as many causes as it has manifestations. It primarily affects men from middle age onwards, who (like women) are undergoing a particular type of metabolic change.

Particularly as we get older, the body strives to store food reserves as fat reserves for developmental reasons, in order to provide for possible shortages. Especially for men who consume fewer calories than they take in due to their occupation or limited exercise, this quickly leads to unwanted excess weight. Organic processes in particular play an important role here, which cannot be “switched off” so easily.

In a special video, I personally addressed the importance of World Obesity Day. This is also due to the fact that obesity is now more common worldwide than malnutrition. The actual problem is mainly to be observed in the western industrialised countries, since it is precisely here that there is an ever-increasing surplus of food – practically at all times.

The obesity rate in the USA, for example, is around 35-40 percent of the population, which is a fact that should not be underestimated. This means an overweight of at least 20 kilograms, or a BMI of 30 or more. This is also the case despite the surgical intervention options, although these methods in particular can now be classified as very safe and successful. Nevertheless, the rate of surgical interventions needed in this particular area is far too low.

World Obesity Day is not simply about informing the public and professional colleagues accordingly. Rather, I see it as important to educate people about the modern treatment options of bariatric surgery. The primary aim is always to help patients according to their individual starting situation.

Information on the topic of obesity

It is important to understand that obesity is always associated with concomitant diseases. Diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnoea, high cholesterol – all these manifest themselves in the environment of obesity. But there is also another aspect that has emerged, especially in recent years. The point is that people who are overweight are simply stigmatised. At school, at work and even in private life, overweight people are described as lazy, fat, greedy, careless and lazy about exercise. This puts additional stress on those affected and does not help to tackle the problem in a targeted and conscious way. Significant overweight has been defined as a disease since 2013 at the latest. This puts morbid obesity in the same category as diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure and many other chronic diseases.

The stigmatisation of obesity is extremely dangerous for patients, as they then withdraw and cannot address their actual problem in a targeted and active way. Professional treatment, counselling and support is the surest way out of obesity.

World Obesity Day can help break down prejudices

Everyone is challenged to exercise some restraint in their contact with morbidly obese people, both in their choice of words and in their behaviour. To this end, World Obesity Day can create better awareness. The problem should not only be addressed on this day of the year. But such a day can help to create more sensitivity for the problems of overweight people instead of leaving them to their fate with stigmatisation and devaluation.

Why specifically “men who are overweight”?

Yes, women also suffer from morbid obesity. But men do it in a special way. There are now “curvy models” for women, but not for men. And men by nature already tend to eat the slightly larger portions, even if that seems to be gradually declining. The world view was and still is such that a belly is always subconsciously associated with prosperity. Also in modern industrial societies. The dangers are usually conscious, but are only realised when they are actually there.

In addition, after a certain stage of life at the latest, men do not have this special view of their appearance that many women have. The actual problem is not recognised, or is recognised only very late, and is then gladly accepted as natural. This means that they don’t have to go to the doctor and the obesity surgeon is an unknown quantity for many of those affected. Therefore, men in particular must be sensitised to actively face this problem. World Obesity Day provides an excellent opportunity to do this.

The first Swiss1Chirurgie magazine is here

With its first magazine, Swiss1Chirurgie addresses all patients and those hungry for information who want to learn more about the topics of morbid obesity or about reflux disease.

We work our way forward in interesting articles on these topics and also provide interesting information about our clinics and the Centre for Bariatric Surgery (ZfbC).

You can find out more about the magazine itself and the contents in detail in the detailed article.

You can pick up a printed copy of the magazine in the Swiss1Chirurgie clinics. Those who can no longer get a copy or prefer to read online can obtain the magazine via the following link: https://v.calameo.com/?bkcode=006115199635078f16024&mode=mini&clickto=embed&autoflip=4

We hope you enjoy reading and look forward to your feedback or meeting you in person at one of our locations in Brig, Bern or Solothurn.

Your Swiss1Chirurgie

Dr. Jörg Zehetner

The first edition of the Swiss1Chirurgie magazine is out. The magazine is now available as a printed copy in our clinics in Brig, Bern and Solothurn. For those who prefer to read the first Swiss1Chirurgie magazine online, it is also available for download via the Swiss1Chirurgie app or on the Swiss1Chirurgie website.

To the contents

We are happy to inform you now, more or less in advance, about the thematic focal points of the magazine in the March 2020 edition.

Morbid obesity, a widespread affliction

A major focus is morbid obesity. From stigmatisation to treatment options, you will learn a lot in the magazine that is worth knowing, new, interesting and particularly informative for those affected. In this way, we do not simply want to disseminate scientific findings, but above all to show the individual path to change. In an easily understandable yet correct form.

To this end, we have approached this still very difficult topic in the magazine with various articles, statements, reports and testimonials. We hope that this will pave a new way for overweight people in particular to get informed and ultimately take the right steps to treat their morbid obesity.

At this point, the reports by and about Sina Gossweiler, also known as Sina Lark in the music scene, should be of particular interest. The young woman is not only known from the show “Deutschland sucht den Superstar” (DSDS), but has also been fighting against morbid obesity for a long time. Obviously with success.

Reflux – When acid regurgitation becomes a torment

Another main topic in the first Swiss1Chirurgie magazine is reflux disease. Persistent, chronic acid regurgitation is not only unpleasant and annoying, it can also have real medical significance. Especially when the oesophagus is attacked by the constant confrontation with stomach acid. Consequential symptoms can extend to oesophageal cancer.

Here we also take the opportunity to present different medical and surgical procedures for the treatment of reflux disease in a little more detail.

Portrait of our locations

The first issue of the Swiss1Chirurgie magazine also gives us the opportunity to present our locations in Brig, Solothurn and Berne in more detail. You will not only learn interesting facts about the clinics themselves, but also about the doctors who are there for you every day.

We will also focus on the Centre for Bariatric Surgery Bern (ZfbC) and show you how the scientific work is being further developed there. A number of different specialist papers and support for bariatric surgery worldwide shows the expertise with which this centre is equipped.

New app makes access to specialist medical services more tangible

We would also be pleased to introduce you to the new Swiss1Chirurgie app. Many people already know them and may also use them to read this article. Anyone who is not yet familiar with the new Swiss1Chirurgie app is expressly invited here to download and use it free of charge.

A wealth of information, a direct line to the medical specialist and support before, during and after treatment are just some of the many benefits that you can enjoy with the Swiss1Chirurgie app.

Take advantage of this opportunity and simply pick up your print copy of the Swiss1Chirurgie magazine in the clinic or download the online version to your device.

I hope you enjoy reading

Your Swiss1Chirurgie
Dr. Jörg Zehetner

The COVID19 virus and obesity – a dangerous combination

Since the beginning of 2020, and probably even before, the COVID-19 virus, which is considered dangerous, has been rampant throughout the world. The pandemic development summarised under the collective term Corona crisis has far-reaching consequences for all life in the world – also in Switzerland. Even if the infection figures and the number of deaths caused by COVID-19 are currently declining, the virus has not gone away. It is still there. And in many countries there is and growing fear that a second high wave of infection can be expected in autumn at the latest.

Evaluate risk groups correctly

In principle, it can be assumed that almost anyone can be infected by the Corona virus. Across age groups, social boundaries and income groups, the virus can affect anyone. Protective measures such as social distancing, wearing mouth and nose masks and maintaining good hand hygiene can significantly reduce the risk of infection, but not eliminate it.

With the statistical collection and evaluation of data on the course of the Corona pandemic and its spread, certain risk groups have been defined whose risk of infection is clearly and measurably above average. Currently known risk groups include

  • in principle, all persons aged 65 and over
  • People with high blood pressure
  • Adults with chronic respiratory diseases
  • Diabetics of both levels
  • Men and women with diseases and therapies associated with a weakened immune system
  • all people with cardiovascular diseases and
  • Cancer patients.

Many of these diagnoses also apply to severely overweight people who have a BMI of over 40 and are thus classified as severely obese.

Obesity and corona form a dangerous combination

Interesting and at the same time worrying is the combination of obesity and an infection with the COVID-19 virus. After all, chronic obesity is often associated with risk factors such as high blood pressure, fatigue, diabetes, a weakened immune system, cardiovascular problems and a lifestyle that is accompanied by little exercise in the fresh air.

In this constellation, very overweight people are particularly often found in the risk groups for corona infection. This means that significantly obese adults in particular are at substantially greater risk of infection.

What we recommend to patients with obesity

In the dangerous connection between obesity and the risk of corona infection described above, we recommend that people who are significantly overweight receive accompanying advice and care from a specialist, for example from the obesity surgery doctors in the Swiss1Chirurgie and Centre for Bariatric Surgery (ZfbC) clinics. Here, people are aware of the entire problem of obesity, especially in connection with the COVID19 virus, and can give the decisive tips.

In addition, affected patients are advised to seek treatment at the Swiss1Chirurgie obesity centres before the expected arrival of the second wave of infection. In addition to thorough diagnosis and advice on individual treatment options for morbid obesity, the specialists at Swiss1Chirurgie and ZfbC offer comprehensive advice on preventive options for sufferers with regard to possible COVID-19 disease.

Focus on dietary and lifestyle changes

Given the particular vulnerability of overweight people with a BMI of 40 or more, it is strongly advised that they immediately change their entire diet and lifestyle to a healthier option. What is so easy to put into words here poses great challenges for most of those affected.

Therefore, specialist counselling and care is an option that should definitely be used, not only with regard to the risk from the COVID19 virus. This is because overweight people in particular often have an accumulation of risk factors that favour both infection with the corona virus and a comparatively more problematic course of the disease.

Irrespective of the current corona pandemic, we strongly advise overweight people to seek specialist advice, treatment and care, for example in the Swiss1Chirurgie obesity surgery clinics. Not only does this effectively counteract the risk of a severe course of COVID-19 infection, but it is also a promising first step towards a healthier future overall.

Grade III obesity as a risk factor for a more severe course of COVID-19

is officially on the list as of today: Annex 6 of COVID Regulation 2, adaptation of 14 May 2020, item 7.

Communication from: Eidgenössisches Departement des Innern EDI Bundesamt für Gesundheit BAG Direktionsbereich Öffentliche Gesundheit Sektion Prävention in der Gesundheitsversorgung

Medical expertise and expert advice on Radio Bern1

People are more interested in their health and use different sources to inform themselves about healthy lifestyles but also about diseases and their symptoms as well as treatment options. Especially widespread diseases such as obesity (morbid overweight) or reflux diseases (for example chronic acid reflux) are moving further into the focus of public interest and thus also opening the doors to media such as radio or television.

Swiss1 Surgery, led by Prof. Jörg Zehetner, has long been committed to professional public relations and welcomes all measures and ways to promote social awareness of such diseases. Jörg Zehetner sees the stigmatisation of affected women and men as a problem that prevents many patients from undergoing appropriate medical examinations. Ultimately, this leads to a vicious circle, which is associated with a long path of suffering and rarely leads to an improvement in the lives of those affected, usually not at all. Old but also new widespread diseases are not only a problem for those affected themselves. The economy and society as a whole are also affected when rising case numbers lead to more incapacity to work, occupational disability, disability to work and, ultimately, rising health insurance costs.

With a lot of commitment, Jörg Zehetner has therefore now spoken out on the radio as part of his efforts to be heard more in public. On 17 August 2020, as part of the podcast series “Medical Knowledge”, the topic of oesophagectomy (resection of the oesophagus) was a focal point on which the specialist physician at the Hirslanden Klinik Beau Site positioned himself. When and why an oesophagectomy may be indicated was explained very clearly by Jörg Zehetner in just two minutes.

The very next day, 18 August 2020, Jörg Zehetner could be heard again on Radio Bern1. This time on the topic of obesity, which is becoming more and more important as a disease in Switzerland and all other highly developed industrialised countries in the world. Here, too, Jörg Zehetner took a clear position on those affected and, with his many years of experience as a visceral surgeon, spoke about the classic methods of treating morbid obesity.

Here too, Jörg Zehetner impresses with his ability to present the essential treatment options in just two minutes.

Listen to the two podcast contributions from Radio Bern1 in full length here:

https://swiftcdn6.global.ssl.fastly.net/projects/5f3e31531d258/index.html?cb=abhioqr529cv93v8xj8x8

It should be noted that these short podcasts cannot replace a comprehensive and thorough diagnosis and counselling. If you think you are confronted with one of these two problems, contact one of the Swiss1Chirurgie clinics. A visit to the website www.swiss1chirurgie.ch can also be helpful. Extensive content on the subject areas is offered here. In addition, all contact details for Prof. Jörg Zehetner and the Swiss1Chirurgie clinics can be found there.