As the number of gastric bypass procedures have surged, so have reports about all the dangerous side effects. Another alarming problem associated with gastric bypass, gall bladder and gastrointestinal surgeries: They could leave you more prone to eye problems as you get older.

Researchers at Houston's Baylor College of Medicine discovered the latest link after reviewing the medical histories of four patients found to be deficient in vitamin A. Overall, three patients had developed ocular problems stemming from surgeries conducted up to 36 years earlier, and two had gastric bypass procedures.

I'm not surprised in the least about this latest side effect, considering many patients don't get enough vitamin A. A reminder: Your best sources of vitamin A are natural ones, including cod liver oil, raw egg yolks and raw dairy products.

As for gastric bypass and balloon procedures, all of them provide permanent and very problematic solutions to a condition that can be more safely treated by making better lifestyle decisions. Among them:

• Eating the foods your body burns best according to your body's unique nutritional type.
• Start an exercise plan, with the knowledge you must treat it like a drug that must be prescribed precisely to have the optimal effect.
• Treat the emotions that contribute to your poor health by learning an energy psychology tool like the Emotional Freedom Technique.

British Journal of Ophthalmology, Vol. 90, No. 8, August 2006: 955-956

British Journal of Ophthalmology, Vol. 90, No. 8, August 2006: 931-932

Yahoo News August 21, 2006