Bariatric medicine deals with the causes, prevention and treatment of obesity. A bariatric medicine physician, or bariatrician, may treat patients with diet and nutrition, exercise, behavior modification or medication. The bariatrician may also coordinate patient care with a bariatric surgeon, who may perform surgery. Bariatric or gastric bypass surgery, also known as roux-en-Y gastric bypass, creates a small pouch of the stomach that bypasses part of the intestine. When the size of the stomach is reduced by surgery, it allows less food to be ingested, resulting in weight loss.

Obesity is damaging to one’s health: some of the negative effects of obesity are heart disease, diabetes, some forms of cancer, hypertension, asthma, obstructive sleep apnea, arthritis; and obesity has been known to shorten one’s lifespan.

Missouri is bordered by the Mississippi River on the east and the Missouri river on the west. Missouri became a state in 1821, and its population is 5,800,310. Jefferson City is the capital of Missouri, though Kansas City is the largest. When in St. Louis, take a ride up the Gateway Arch, enjoy a riverboat cruise, or visit the unique International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame. Two presidents are from Missouri: Ulysses S. Grant and Harry Truman, and scores of famous people, such as Walt Disney, Vincent Price, Brad Pitt, writer Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens), outlaw Jesse James, frontierswoman Calamity Jane, baseball great Yogi Berra, and musicians Chuck Berry, Sheryl Crow, and jazz musician Charlie “Bird” Parker.

According to 2005 Census estimates, Missouri has a population of 5,800,310. Of this population, 1,344,902 are under the age of 18 and 768,463 are at or above the age of 65.