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. Texas has 2 practicing bariatric doctors. Broken out by city, bariatric medicine doctor density in Frisco is 1 and in Spring is 1.

Texas achieved statehood in 1845, and its capital is Austin. Houston is home to the Johnson Space Center with its world-famous NASA Mission Control. Texas offers a multitude of outdoor activities: you can visit a ranch or a rodeo, or go hunting, fishing, hiking, biking, or canoeing. Popular sites are the Alamo in San Antonio, the Modern Art Museum in Fort Worth, the Natural Bridge Caverns in San Antonio, or the Padre Island National Seashore in Corpus Christi. Famous Texans include former presidents Lyndon B. Johnson and Dwight D. Eisenhower, actors Tommy Lee Jones and Joan Crawford, and musicians Janis Joplin and Buddy Holly.

According to 2005 Census estimates, Texas has a population of 22,859,968. Of this population, 6,219,854 are under the age of 18 and 2,258,423 are at or above the age of 65.