UnaSource Comprehensive Weight Loss Center Information

We offer Nutrition Education through private sessions with our registered dieticians and by means of group nutrition classes and cooking demonstrations. Spouses and significant others are encouraged to participate in these activities and their attendance is always welcome. Psychology Services are another important option for UnaSource weight loss patients. While psychological assessment and counseling is required for all bariatric surgery patients, it is available to non-surgery patients as well, according to their individual needs and desires. At UnaSource we emphasize behavioral therapy in assisting our patients in achieving their weight loss goals. This is available through group classes or private appointments with our psychologist. Other psychological approaches are offered on a case-by-case basis, including addiction therapy, stress management, medical hypnosis, and binge eating disorder group therapy. A bariatric surgery support group is also available at UnaSource for our gastric bypass and lap band patients. At UnaSource we emphasize lifelong Exercise as an indispensable component of any effective weight management program. We offer initial exercise guidance and advice as well as compliance monitoring. When needed, we refer our patients to a variety of exercise specialists and trainers within the community. These same trainers periodically offer special group demonstrations at the UnaSource Clinic. Weight Loss Medications are prescribed sparingly at our center. However, some of the available drugs can occasionally be useful adjuncts to diet, exercise, and behavioral therapy. More commonly, we may recommend substitution of "weight friendly" medications for other drugs, known to contribute to weight gain, taken by our patients for other medical conditions. Weight Loss Surgery options are also available at UnaSource. Our clinic, in conjunction with Beaumont Hospital, has been designated a Center of Excellence by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. This designation is a requisite for Medicare to cover our patients referred to William Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak, for bariatric surgery, reflecting the high standards of care our patients receive before, during, and after the procedure. Both laparoscopic roux-en-y gastric bypass and laparoscopic placement of an adjustable gastric band (Lap Band) are available through UnaSource in collaboration with the highly skilled surgeons and superb surgical support services at Royal Oak Beaumont. Plastic Surgery services are also available through UnaSource via referral to one of several outstanding Beaumont plastic surgeons. Special plastic surgery informational seminars are offered periodically at our center. These presentations focus on topics of special interest to the bariatric patient, including abdominoplasty (tummy tuck), liposuction, body lifts, mammoplasty, and procedures to address excess skin in the arms and legs. ...Individuals with an "apple-shape" fat distribution are at substantially more medical risk than those with a "pear-shape".