Child weight-loss surgeries on the rise

It's kind of a sad day in American history when weight-loss surgeries are being prescribed for...children. Yes, there are some conditions that would warrant this kind of undertaking for some kids -- but for most, controlling one's diet and getting a decent dose of exercise each day would be kind of a better deal.

I don't want to suggest that the medical industry is profiteering off these surgeries -- but where there is money, there is sure to be a "market" of some sort. This one, if there is a market here, rather disgusts me though.

Instead of leaving diet control to the individual (who can't control it, apparently, in some cases), some hospitals now have approval from the FDA to test how teens fare with a procedure called laparoscopic gastric banding, where an elastic collar installed around the stomach limits how much someone can eat.