2012Media Placements ~ The Abbi Agency

Date Publication Title

12/3/2012 Northern Nevada Business Weekly Three Features Of A Sucessful Workplace Wellness Program

11/25/2012 Reno Gazette Journal Bariatric Weight Loss Lecture11/20/2012 Lahontan Valley News Diabetes Treatment Shifts Toward Surgery11/4/2012 Reno Gazette Journal Weight Loss

10/23/2012 US News Understanding Childhood Obesity10/22/2012 Reno Gazette Journal New University Family Clinic Open House Is Today10/9/2012 Lahontan Valley News Renown Holds Seminar On Weight Loss Procedures

10/4/2012 Reno Gazette Journal Ackerman Joins Dr. Kent Sasse

9/24/2012 Northern Nevada Business Weekly People

9/6/2012 Reno Gazette Journal Free Health Seminars Offered In September

7/30/2012 Daily Sparks Tribune FDA Approves Weight-Loss Drug Qsymia

7/10/2012 Health Your Way Being Run Ready By Dr. Kent Sasse

7/2/2012 Daily Sparks Tribune Celebrate Freedom From Soda

7/2/2012 SF Gate Pyramid To Plate: New Food Guidelines

6/11/2012 Monica Jay Show NY Ban on Soft Drinks3/13/2012 HealthYourWay Spring Break Family Fitness by Dr. Kent Sasse3/4/2012 The Monica Jay Show Health and Obesity

2/29/2012 KRNV iMetabolic2/20/2012 2 News Ask the Doctor: Diabetes2/17/2012 Monica Jay Show Health2/2/2012 Lahontan Valley News Defeating diabetes with lifestyle changes

1/20/2012 The Jamie Kalicki Show iMetabolic

1/5/2012 KOLOTV.com Expert Adive On Holiday Weight Loss: Focus On The Future

Kent SasseTable Of Contents

Understanding Childhood Obesity By Len Saunders October 23, 2012

Childhood obesity has become so epidemic in this country that kids today risk having shorter life spans than their parents. The American Heart Association reports that about one in three American kids is overweight or obese. Those statistics have nearly tripled in about 50 years. As a result, many young children today are plagued with risk factors for heart disease, including high cholesterol, elevated blood pressure, high triglycerides, raised insulin, physical inactivity, and obesity. Many also suffer from low self-esteem and depression. Is there a solution in sight?

First, we need to understand that there is not one magical formula to fix every single overweight child, since gaining weight can be environmental, emotional, physical, or inheritable. Simply put, every child is different and needs a unique plan of action to maintain a healthy weight. Ad campaigns, support from government officials, and even the enthusiasm from First Lady Michelle Obama are all notable, but dramatic change will take place at the grassroots level. Each individual child needs support, consistency, motivation, mentors, tough love, and education on a healthy lifestyle.

According to Sarah Armstrong, a childhood obesity expert at Duke University Medical Center, "Solving childhood obesity is a directive that will require unprecedented levels of cooperation between multiple sectors" from schools and public health agencies to businesses and families. "What is lacking currently is a universally-recognized understanding that childhood obesity is not the sole responsibility of the parent—or, worse yet, the child—to fix."

Sometimes, just monitoring a child's environment for a short period of time can be a helpful tool in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Keeping a journal for one week to record a child's diet, physical activity, sedentary time, sleep patterns, and how they hydrate can help a parent decide if any changes are needed. "The top cause of childhood obesity around the world is a shift to an 'obesogenic' environment," says Kent Sasse, a bariatric surgeon based in Reno, Nevada. "This means that our genes have not changed, the environment in which children are living today most certainly has."

Over the last 25 years, there have been numerous contributors to this new environment. Among them: For example:

• Fewer children walk to school.

• Greater amounts of homework lead to sedentary lifestyles.

• Technology now entices children more than physical activity.

• The availability of 24/7 T.V. shows for kids encourages increased sedentary time.

• Parents work longer hours, causing kids to make unhealthy food choices in their absence.

• Kids increasingly eat heavily processed foods.

It would be unfair to lay the blame on one factor, as different environmental factors affect each child in distinctive ways. "There's no one top cause," says Sarah Hampl, medical director of weight management

at Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics in Kansas City, Mo. "We cannot pinpoint or blame one single contributor, nor can one single intervention wipe this epidemic out. We have to work together with usual and unusual partners to solve it."

In the meantime, we know that small changes to a child's environment can help significantly.

Here are nine points to consider when helping children embark on a healthier lifestyle:

1. Baby steps: Rome was not built in a day, and losing weight doesn't occur overnight. If a child has long-term expectations right from the start, he or she won't be discouraged as easily.

2. Watch the liquid: Many children consume too much "liquid candy" throughout the day. Sugary drinks can easily make up 20 percent of a child's daily calories. According to the Mayo Clinic, cutting 100 calories a day from liquids can help one lose about half a pound after six months.

3. Increase physical activity: Yes, it's obvious, but often, it just doesn't happen. Squeezing in a 30-minute brisk walk each day is a giant leap in the right direction.

4. Offer healthy choices: Often, kids can grab whatever they want from the pantry. Try clearing the shelves of processed, fatty foods, and stock up on healthy choices. If they're hungry, they will eat it.

5. Plan family activities: Parents are children's primary role models. If a parent is sedentary or eats junk food all day, his or her children will likely follow suit. If mom and dad are active and follow a nutritious diet, children will likewise emulate their behavior.

6. Cut back on technology: It's wonderful—it's helped us with advancements in medicine, communication, and entertainment—but it's also contributing to a generation of couch potatoes.

7. Increase fruits and veggies: Make them part of every meal. Fruit is nature's candy, and eating vegetables can actually be fun. You can encourage a reluctant child by dipping veggies into low-fat chocolate pudding or yogurt. Slowly wean him or her off of this strategy over time. Veggies are important because they're rich in vitamins, minerals, complex carbohydrates, dietary fiber, antioxidants, and water content. They also help school performance, by improving memory, focus, and concentration.

8. Control portion sizes: Remember, children aren't mini-adults. Give them meal portions appropriate for their size.

9. Get enough sleep: Research shows that getting adequate sleep each night helps stabilize the hormones related to appetite so the body knows when it's full at meal time.

A little effort goes a long way. Change doesn't happen overnight—but with love, support, and guidance, the current generation of children will lead long, healthy lives. "Children who maintain a healthy weight not only have less risk for obesity-related problems, but are more likely to avoid obesity later in life," says Lloyd Werk, chief of general pediatrics at Nemours Children's Hospital in Orlando, Fla. Just as you put money in the bank to invest in your child's financial future, put a nutritious diet and physical activity into your child's life to invest in his or her health.

New University Family Clinic Open House Is Today 11:32 PM, Oct 22, 2012 Meet the staff and providers of the University of Nevada School of Medicine’s patient-centered family medicine clinic during an open house at 6 p.m. today.

This new clinic focuses on improving primary care by focusing on organizing medical care around the patient, working in teams and coordinating and tracking care over time. The clinic is at 1664 N. Virginia St. Details: 775-682-8200.

SEMINAR ON MOVING WITH MEMORY LOSS

“Moving a Loved One with Memory Loss: Choices, Challenges and Considerations” is a seminar for caregivers from 9-10:30 a.m. Thursday at the Neil road Recreation Center, 3925 Neil Road.

The seminar is designed to help caregivers with think through the many issues involved in making the decision to move a relative into a residential care facility. Cost: Free. Details: Dori at 775-786-8061, 800-272-3900 or Dori.Ward@alz.org.

FLU SHOTS FOR KIDS

Saint Mary’s Health Enhancement, 1625 E. Prater Way, Suite 102, offers flu shots for children ages 6 months to 35 months at 9 a.m. Wednesday. Call 775-770-7100 for more information or to schedule an appointment.

Cost: $30 for children ages 6 to 35 months, $28 for children ages 3 and older. FluMist is also available at $32 per dose for children ages 2 and older. Details: 775-770-7100.

LEARN ABOUT WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY

Dr. Kent Sasse is is offering two sessions for those who want to learn about minimally invasive surgeries for weight loss. The first is at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday; the second is 6:30 p.m. Nov. 6. Both will be held in Mack Auditorium at Renown Regional Medical Center. Cost: Free. RSVP requested. Details: 829-7999.

FDA Approves Weight-Loss Drug Qsymia by Dr. Kent Sasse

Overweight individuals will soon have a new weapon in the struggle to lose pounds. Medically

supervised weight-loss clinics were awaiting the decision this month on the new weight-loss drug

originally called Qnexa, now Qsymia.

The FDA previously declined Qsymia for full approval to treat obesity. Qsymia is a combination of two

drugs that currently have a limited role in treating obesity, Phentermine and Topiramate. Phentermine

is an appetite suppressant with decades of use in producing real, if modest, weight loss. It acts as a mild

stimulant for many people, similar in effect to caffeine while suppressing appetite. Topiramate has

decades of use in treating migraines and seizures, but also it is used for treating binge-eating disorder.

In the largest clinical trial Qsymia produced significant weight loss over a 56-week period as reported in

the Lancet. The average weight loss for the patients who completed the entire study ranged from 22 to

28 pounds. The percent of weight loss at 56 weeks was 7.8 percent of body weight for the mid-dose and

9.8 percent weight loss for the top dose of the drug, compared to 1.2 percent for the placebo group.

This large study, involving 2,487 patients, was reported in April 2011, and all patients participated in a

medically supervised weight-loss program with calorie reduction and treatment of comorbid conditions.

The patients enrolled all had obesity, hyperlipidemia, high blood pressure or Type 2 diabetes. The

average body mass index (BMI) in the study population was 36.6 kg/m². A BMI of over 25 is considered

overweight, and a BMI of 30 or greater is considered obese.

Many physicians who treat obesity in a medically supervised clinical setting are heartened that the FDA

approved the drug this time around. The FDA at first cited theoretical risks of birth defects and increased

heart rate as a concern for Qsymia in its preliminary ruling. But advocates for obese patients have voiced

concern that the FDA has inappropriately viewed these drugs as “diet pills” and not as potentially

lifesaving interventions for the treatment of diabetes, obstructive sleep apnea, hypertension, heart

disease and other obesity-related complications. That attitude appears to be changing.

In 2011, the FDA approved the Lap-Band device for patients with a BMI of 30 or greater who have an

obesity-related health condition, substantially lowering the weight requirement. In June, the FDA

approved the drug Belviq for obesity treatment. Now, since the FDA approved Qsymia, it will add yet

another tool that physicians can work with to help their patients lose weight and prevent or resolve the

complications of obesity that shorten lives.

How best to use Qsymia and Belviq is a matter of some debate. Most experts agree that the drugs

should be given to patients who are enrolled in a medically supervised weight-loss center with regular

monitoring and follow-up. How to optimize the weight loss with these drugs is also a matter of debate.

No one believes either of these drugs is a “magic bullet” that will cause pounds to melt off effortlessly,

but there is great optimism that we are moving into an era in which doctors have more effective

treatment options. The best approach is always going to be one in which an individual exercises, cuts

excess calories, reduces carbohydrate consumption, seeks coaching and support and weighs in regularly.

Ultimately, the FDA rulings and the new treatments available reflect a sober reality that obesity is the

No. 1 killer in the country today, leading to diabetes and other disease in a high proportion of

individuals. For future generations, the solution will rest with obesity prevention through diet changes

and increased awareness among young people. But for the millions already struggling with obesity, new

low-risk and minimally invasive treatments are available that are proven to help. Not taking action to

treat obesity may be the biggest risk of all.

Kent C. Sasse, MD, is the founder and medical director of the childhood Obesity Prevention Foundation,

and oversees a comprehensive, integrated medically-supervised and surgical weight-loss center in Reno.

Being Run Ready by Dr. Kent Sasse July 10, 2012

It is the time of year when the temperature encourages

people to lace up their sneakers and every weekend boasts

a run (or two.) Planning to run a marathon, half marathon,

or even a 10K requires training and proper maintenance

for your body. For beginners it is especially important to

begin a regimen and educate yourself on best habits.

Listen to your body. It is not how fast you run today, or

even how far; it is about how many years you can enjoy

running. For older runners or those with injuries, don’t

run if it hurts. Give your body a chance to heal. Take

advantage of the days you feel good and go on longer

runs, push yourself, and seize the opportunity.

Run with a partner that can encourage and motivate you. Training with others with a similar

interest and passion for running means you can train for events together, swap training

techniques, engage in a little friendly competition or maybe even participate in a relay as team.

Hydration. Water is obviously integral to successful and healthy running, but even more so in

extreme conditions of heat and altitude. Hydrate before your runs by drinking water right before,

hours before, and even days before. You will recognize hydration by (almost) colorless urine.

Drink water consistently rather than consuming more than 16 oz. before a run itself. Drinking

enormous amounts of water prior to a run can cause issues so hydrate often rather than in huge

doses. If water stops are not on your runs- and even if they are- supplement with a water belt.

Food Intake. Eat your normal balanced breakfast a couple hours before a strenuous run;

normalcy is easier for your body to digest. Stay away from heavy meals, and opt for oatmeal and

bagels and bananas. Don’t forget a dose of protein as well to keep those muscles happy.

Dr. Sasse founded Western Bariatric Institute and iMetabolic. He is also the author of numerous

books and a featured speaker nationally in the field of weight loss.

Celebrate freedom from soda by Dr. Kent Sasse

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has taken

a stance against obesity by proposing a ban on sugary

sodas larger than 16 ounces in the city’s restaurants

and stadiums, which could go into effect in March

2013. His résumé boasts other public health

initiatives, including a ban on smoking in New York

City bars. He has since received accolades as well as

objections from different groups on the soda ban.

Looking beyond the polarized situation is a positive:

Bloomberg has forced the topic of obesity to be

discussed from family dinner tables to national

publications.

He believes obesity is “the single biggest public

health issue in the country,” and the statistics agree

with him. The government’s Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention (CDC) notes that over one-

third of U.S. adults and 17 percent of children are

obese. That is almost tripled from 1980. Because of

the adverse health impacts (e.g., stroke, some

cancers, heart disease, Type 2 diabetes) medical costs

directly associated with obesity were approximately

$147 billion in 2008. On a financial level, no other health condition has the reached deeper into

our society’s pockets than obesity.

These numbers show that the prevalence of obesity has reached epidemic status in America.

Unfortunately, obesity is impacting our children’s health and future, not just our own. This is the

first time in two centuries that the current generation will not outlive its parent’s generation. Life

expectancies are decreasing due to obesity. A child with obesity can expect to have breathing

problems, fatty liver disease, high blood pressure and Type 2 diabetes. Fortunately, obesity is a

preventable health condition; unfortunately, preventing childhood obesity presents formidable

challenges. Instead, the focus is on “treating” the effects of obesity, such as diabetes, as opposed

to solving the initial cause. Simply stated, obesity is the number one health problem in America,

and it will not disappear without action. Deciding on that action is mandatory to leaving a

healthier generation behind.

All eyes are on the decision New York City comes to. It will set the course on how other large

cities and states will handle the same dilemma. We should take notice that New York was the

first major city to ban artificial trans-fat in restaurant cooking. Is NYC pioneering the soda ban,

or is it overstepping the health boundaries?

As adults — parents, teachers, business owners, political leaders — we are collectively,

unmistakably failing our children. With millions of obese children in America, the solutions rest

with all of us: parents changing attitudes, teachers educating about the deadly epidemic,

community and business leaders raising awareness and putting resources forward and, yes,

governments implementing paternalistic policies to try to reduce the epidemic of childhood

obesity. The government requires us to put seat belts on our kids. The risk to our kids from the

slow killer of childhood obesity is much, much greater. The news in New York prompts us to

think about how we can do more to prevent childhood obesity in our own state. Some have noted

that taxing these ridiculously unhealthy excess portions of sugary drinks would at least shift

some of the financial burden on to the individual and might reduce consumption. Whether we

favor grass-roots approaches or top-down government interventions, we can all agree that our

children deserve better from us. Allowing the current situation of escalating childhood obesity,

diabetes and shortened life expectancy is just not an acceptable option.

Dr. Kent Sasse is a nationally recognized bariatric surgeon and author. He founded iMetabolic

and the Obesity Prevention Foundation to provide northern Nevada with the medical

information and resources they need. He completed his medical education at University of

California, San Francisco and earned two master’s degrees from the University of California,

Berkeley.

Read more: Sparks Tribune - Celebrate freedom from soda

Pyramid to Plate: New Food Guidelines by Wendy Rose Gould, Demand Media

Overview

In an effort to disseminate new information gained from research on nutrition and eating, the U.S. Department of Agriculture makes adjustments to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans once every five years. In 2010, though, the standard food pyramid received a complete make over. "These changes were made to reflect the changes in our understanding of nutrition and metabolism," notes Dr. Kent C. Sasse, founder of the Obesity Prevention Foundation. "They also clearly represent the reflection of the obesity epidemic and the fact that the old guidelines simply weren't working."

A New Face

One of the first things you'll notice about the food pyramid, now referred to as "MyPlate," is that it looks completely different. Gone are confusing and cluttered tiers and in their place is a simplified plate. "Using a plate in place of a pyramid builds on an image that is familiar to people," says Bethany Thayer, MS, RD, and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Five Simplified Groupings

MyPlate consists of five easy-to-understand groupings: fruits, vegetables, grains, proteins and dairy. The original food pyramid had groups such as oil, technically a component of food, and desserts, which are now referred to as empty calories. "Using just the five food groups helps consumers focus on what they should include," Thayer notes.

No Serving Sizes

The new graphic does not mention actual serving sizes. Instead, MyPlate emphasizes portion control and allows comparisons of servings. "The overall emphasis makes much more sense," Sasse says. "It emphasizes whole grains, a portion of protein, and then half the plate is fruits and vegetables. A glass of milk rounds out the meal."

Exercise Information Omitted

The depiction of physical activity was omitted on the new graphic, Thayer notes, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't continue exercising. The goal was to de-clutter the food guideline graphic. Children and adults should still exercise daily.

Fruits and Veggies the Star

Appropriately, fruits and vegetables should make up roughly half of every meal you eat. Consume a variety of fruits and vegetables daily and always strive to buy fresh, local and organic produce.

Reduced Carb Recommendations

"The biggest change is the marked reduction in the huge portions of carbohydrates that used to be recommended," Sasse says. The pastas and breads and grains that served as the foundation of the pyramid no longer exist. Now, carbohydrates should make up less than a quarter of your entire meal.