Tag: obesity

“Over the Rainbow”-and a volcano in Hawaii

This post reflects on Israel Kamakawiwo’ole’s rendition of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” emphasizing his unique voice and connection to Hawaiian culture. It highlights his struggles with obesity and early death at 38, while contrasting Hawaii’s beauty with his legacy. I share my personal experiences in Hawaii, encouraging future adventures.

updated December 6, 2025

israel kamakawiwo’ole somewhere over the rainbow

The first time I listened to this song, I had never heard of the artist. I was captivated by his calm, smooth voice, as well as his unique version of an iconic song.

In case you’re not old enough to remember (I’m not either), the song Over the Rainbow was written for the movie The Wizard of Oz in 1939. As Dorothy from Kansas became stranded in Oz, the late actress Judy Garland sang the song which won an Academy Award and is “one of the greatest movie songs of all times.”

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IZ- THE SINGER

Unlike Dorothy, Israel kamakawiwo’ole was not from Kansas, far from it. He was a native and lifelong resident of Hawaii. (I have been to both places; they could not be more different.)

He was a popular and beloved citizen and celebrity and his music represented and extolled the island’s geography and culture.

Unfortunately, he developed morbid obesity. At a reported height of 6’2” (1.88 m) and weighing 757 pounds (343 kilos), his body mass index (BMI) was 97. (BMI over 30 is defined as obese).

I have discussed BMI and obesity in a previous post What is obesity and why does it matter?

Due largely to his excess weight, his health suffered from lung and heart problems, eventually causing his untimely death at only 38 years old. All of Hawaii mourned his passing.

Fortunately, he left for Hawaii and the world a wealth of music to enjoy.

HAWAII- THE BIG ISLAND 

Several years ago my husband accompanied me to Hawaii to attend a medical conference. (If you have to sit and listen to medical lectures all day, that is definitely the place to do it)

Hawaii, the 50th state added to the United States of America,  is made up of 6 major islands.  The conference was on the Big Island, which is also called Hawaii.

One of the largest and most active volcanoes in the world is there at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park,  so it is a must-see. And we did.

couple , flowers, waterfall
leis (flowers) around our neck upon arrival

Exploring the volcano

  • man standing on black rocks
  • a volcanic crater closer view
  • woman at a volcano crater in Hawaii
boats, dock, water
On an island, you’re never far from water and boats
luau drums-Hawaii
musicians at the luau (feast)
dancers in grass skirts-Hawaii
It wouldn’t be Hawaii without grass skirts and hula dancing.
a hammock stretched between palm trees on the beach makes for a relaxing vacation.
Hawaii is often called a paradise for good reason

Thanks for sharing my memories of Hawaii, I hope you can go there too.

Where are you planning to go on your next adventure? What will make it a memorable experience for you and your traveling companions?

Exploring the HEART of health

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a world globe with two crossed bandaids

Doctor Aletha

Update on weight management options

There is an update to this post at this link

approaches to weight loss.

First and always are lifestyle changes involving food choices, and eating habits.

Along with that, one needs to start or increase physical activity.

There are many different ways to achieve these, from books, videos, group activities, online programs, counselling and many combinations of these.

For those folks who still can’t reach goal, the next options are weight loss medications, and surgery.

someone standing on a scale
New weight loss options are good news.

Now there are FDA approved options which do not involve drugs or invasive surgery. These medical devices aid weight loss by affecting the amount of food that gets eaten and/or absorbed into the body.

The ReShape Integrated Dual Balloon System was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in July 2015. . Candidates for the device are

  • Adults
  • BMI 30-40
  • At least one obesity-related condition- hypertension, diabetes, elevated cholesterol

It is a device placed into the stomach by going through the mouth and down through the esophagus through a tube called an endoscope. It takes about 30 minutes and requires on a mild sedative, not general anesthesia. Once in the stomach the “balloons” are inflated; by taking up space in the stomach it can trigger a feeling of fullness.

Patients still continue to follow their eating and exercise plan and the device is removed in 6 months.

Like any medical procedure, there are potential adverse effects including headache, muscle pain, and nausea from the sedation and procedure; in rare cases, severe allergic reaction, heart attack, esophageal tear, infection, and breathing difficulties can occur. Once the device is placed in the stomach, patients may experience vomiting, nausea, abdominal pain, gastric (stomach) ulcers, and feelings of indigestion.

The Orbera Gastric Balloon works in a similar way, with a single silicone balloon. Potential adverse effects are similar to the ReShape.

The Maestro Rechargeable System is implanted under the skin; an intermittent pulse generator delivers an electrical signal to the vagus nerve in the abdomen. The vagus nerve controls stomach action; when slowed down, one feels full sooner and theoretically will eat less.

 

Another interesting device is AspireAssist.

This is a tube inserted into the stomach, from which a portion of the stomach contents can be “aspirated” (removed) after eating.

This device helped 10 out of 11 people loss 18% of total body weight in one year.

An application has been submitted to the FDA but it has not been approved for use in the United States.

People lost weight with all of these devices largely due to the intensive counseling and support they received along with use of the device.

tape-403591_1280
Obesity is defined using BMI, body mass index, but waist circumference is also important and may be more accurate.

A success story

After gaining weight with her pregnancies, one woman , J.T. ,successfully lost weight with gastric bypass surgery.

Read about the lifestyle changes she made at this article from American Family Physician journal. 

 

IN THE NEWS- BIG LOSSES, BIG GAINS

Many news sources have reported  a recently published study about contestants in “The Biggest Loser” weight loss contest. In this contest, severely obese people have lost huge amounts of weight with strict diets and vigorous exercise.

Unfortunately, the study found that most of them gained most of the weight back over time, due to what the scientists called “metabolic adaptation”, popularly called slowed metabolism. This is discouraging news.

However, they also point out that even though the contestants regained a “substantial” amount of weight in 6 years post competition,

“they overall were quite successful at long term weight loss compared with other lifestyle interventions.”

Even though they regained weight, they still weighed less than when they started.

If you want to read the full report with all the graphs and statistical analysis, here is the link

Persistent metabolic adaptation 6 years after “The Biggest Loser” competition

statues of athletes jumping
Contestants in the Biggest Loser competition exercised several hours daily but did not continue this after it ended.

Finf other posts about weight management at these links (info current as of the publication date)

Obesity and BMI defined

How we should view excess weight 

How effective are weight management programs? 

A success story; how a doctor helped her patient lose weight

When diet alone doesn’t work

How my friend lost weight and inspired others with her example

 

Dr. Aletha