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.

Doctor density varies by specialty and location. South Carolina has 3 practicing bariatric doctors. Broken out by city, bariatric medicine doctor density in Beaufort is 1, in Columbia is 1, and in Greenwood is 1.

South Carolina’s capital is Columbia, and its population is 4,255,083. South Carolina became a state in 1788, has a rich cultural history, and is a popular vacation spot. You can visit the Cypress Gardens in Charleston, the famous Hilton Head resort area, or the Riverbanks Zoo and Botanical Garden in Columbia. Famous people from South Carolina include former president Andrew Jackson, baseball great Shoeless Joe Jackson, fighter Joe Frasier, and music legends James Brown and Chubby Checker.

According to 2005 Census estimates, South Carolina has a population of 4,255,083. Of this population, 1,010,133 are under the age of 18 and 532,834 are at or above the age of 65.