Mando Clinics: A Non-Surgical Solution for Obese Kids?

What if the answer to solving the childhood obesity problem came from re-learning how to eat? Mandometer Clinic founder and CEO Cecilia Bergh hopes to help kids drop major pounds with a non-medicated training approach that helps people feel satiated without overeating.

When I met with Bergh near the site of the soon-to-be Mando New York City clinic, scheduled to roll out later this month, she showed me the machine that makes the magic happen. The Mandometer device graphs how you eat -- an approach the Mando Clinic has been using since 2003 to treat anorexia and bulimia patients in Sweden, Australia, and as of 2004, San Diego -- with a success rate of over 90 percent. Based on this, Bergh and her team have spent the past seven years at Karolinska Institute in Sweden and University of Bristol in England researching an effective treatment for obesity.

While the New York City clinic will treat eating disorders, it is the first to be focused on obesity -- specifically, childhood obesity. "We expect many obese patients [at this clinic]," said Bergh. Currently, the center in Sweden dabbles in fighting the obesity epidemic by treating pre-bariatric surgery patients to help them learn how to eat, especially so that they can exercise portion control and are able to maintain their post-surgery body.

The concept is for patients to train their bodies to eat at a certain rate to better sense when they're full. The machine doesn't calculate calories, but instead measures grams of food. The goal is to eat around 350 grams of food in 12 to 15 minutes.

"Generally when you are on a diet, you feel hungry constantly and can't stick with it to lose weight," said Bergh. While the Mandometer Clinic may require that you cut out snacks, when it comes to type of food patients can eat, there are no "diet" foods. "Nothing is forbidden," Bergh said. "You eat less food, but feel just as full."

The first time a patient goes to the clinic, they leave with the Mandometer (scale and computer) and over the next week they eat as many meals as they can using it; the computer uses all of this data to come up with an individualized program for them. At the end of the week, the patient brings the Mandometer back to the clinic and discusses the program with the Mando team. At Mando New York, obesity treatment will be available children and teens with a BMI of 35 and over and requires a commitment of 35-40 sessions annually (about once per week for a year).

See the Mandometer in action. Story continues after the video.



For parents who already have a tough time getting their kids to eat healthy, convincing them to stop snacking, eat a controlled diet and tote around a Mandometer may seem unrealistic. "You cannot tell a child that they can't have ice cream or a small chocolate bar," said Bergh. "But by using the Mandometer, children notice that they are satiated while they are losing weight. This makes them more inclined to be active." After much testing, Bergh and her team have also determined that kids (surprisingly) respond well to integrating the Mandometer into their lives, and have zero problem toting it to the school cafeteria, a friend's house or out to eat.

While this healthy eating method, which doesn't require drugs or surgery, certainly holds appeal, the price tag may be a deal breaker. The device and annual sessions cost "about the same as bariatric surgery," said Bergh, which can range anywhere from $18,000 to $40,000 and upwards of $50,000 in California. While Bergh said that surgery can sometimes be a more effective option for an obese teen than diet and exercise alone, she understands that this is an extreme measure. Her hope? That for the same price, parents will instead choose the Mandometer to nip obesity in the bud.

What's your take on the Mandolean Treatment? Do you think parents should seriously consider it as an alternative to surgery for overweight kids? Or, should more parents focus their attention on healthy eating habits from early childhood?

As this Swedish method to keep patients satiated takes off, find out how the French fight obesity with cooking classes!