Before You Spend $26,000 on Weight-Loss Surgery, Do This

Rhetorical Analysis:
Before You Spend $26,000 on Weight-Loss Surgery, Do This
Bianka Cristina Bullon
University of Texas at El Paso

Before You Spend $26,000 on Weight-Loss Surgery, Do This

2

On September 10, 2016 Hallberg and Hamdy wrote the article Before You Spend
$26,000 on Weight-Loss Surgery, Do This directed to the 29 million Americans suffering from
diabetes, the 89 million with the condition pre-diabetes, and the millions of obese and
overweight adults in our country. These two authors argue that instead of paying thousands on
weight loss surgery to lessen the effects of diabetes, one should rely on a low carbohydrate diet
as the standard treatment for the illness. The article has a matter-of-fact tone, and uses a
deliberative genre of rhetoric since it is trying to persuade the readers to open their eyes and
actively seek other options. They use the rhetorical strategies of ethos, logos, and a slight amount
of pathos.
Hallberg and Hamdy begin their credibility with medical facts and reputable
sources/testimonials. They successfully cite convincing facts, and appeal to the readers emotions
(pathos) by bringing up the grotesque, newly FDA approved Aspire-Assist, which is a weight
loss surgery that implants a tube from the stomach to the outside of the abdomen and is able to
purge your stomach contents into the toilet. The fact that this article was written right after the
approval of the Aspire-Assist was highly kairotic of the authors. Also, recently 45 international
medical and scientific society called for bariatric surgery to be the standard go-to option for
people with diabetes. The article starts out quite appealing because the authors were able to
subtly and effortlessly blend pathos and kairos. Throughout the article their point remains strong
as they push the readers to actively seek other options before scraping up 26 grand on surgery.
Hallberg and Hamdy have an amazing amount of ethos backing them up. One of the
authors, Sarah Hallberg, is a medical director of the weight loss program at Indiana University,
professor at the school of medicine, and director of nutrition-based medical interventions. She is
an active member at the American Board of Obesity Medicine and was recognized by the
National Committee for Quality Assurance for providing the highest level of diabetes care (IU
Health). Dr. Osama Hamdy, the second author, is the medical director of the obesity and diabetes
programs at the Joslin Diabetes center. He was the co-investigator of two landmark studies
including the Action for Health in Diabetes and the National Diabetes Prevention Program. He
discovered that obese adults who lost 7% of their starting weight had a tremendous improvement
in their vascular function. He came to the conclusion that this improvement may eventually
prevent the growth of atherosclerosis and the risk of coronary artery disease and stroke (Joslin

Before You Spend $26,000 on Weight-Loss Surgery, Do This

3

Diabetes Center). On top of that, he is also an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School. The
ethos of these well renowned authors sends the articles credibility through the roof.
The logic that Hallberg and Hamdy use in their argument is strong and supported by a
great deal of medical and statistical facts. The authors used a bit of pathos when they described
in graphic detail on how this procedure is done, the cost of it, and the possible, gruesome
aftermath post-op. This type of surgery involves, ...stapling, binding, or removing part of the
stomach...It costs $11,500 to $26,000 which many insurance plans will not cover...And up to
17% of patients will have complications which include nutrient deficiencies, infections, and
intestinal blockages (Halberg and Hamdy). They try to persuade their readers by stating that, It
is nonsensical that they have to prescribe this surgery with its risks and costs when there is a
better and way cheaper method to treat this illness. A diet low in carbohydrates is the golden
ticket according to them. They use common sense to back up their argument. In an almost
patronizing way they explain to the audience the definition of what happens to someone when
they have diabetes. It is when the one cannot make sufficient insulin to process the sugar in the
bloodstream. To lower these levels of glucose, diabetics shoot themselves with insulin. Insulin
does not come cheap, and sometimes it takes more than one medication to get the job done right.
After providing us with this basic, general knowledge they respond with, Yet theres another,
more effective way to lower glucose levels: Eat less of it. This statement almost makes you
want to hit yourself on the head and whisper to yourself of course!. After they break it down,
Halberg and Hamdy hit you with solid, reputable facts. After a clinical group of subjects with
type 2 diabetes when on a low carb diet there was a 75% insulin and glucose stability.
When it comes to the website, it is very well put together. This article was found in the
Op-Ed section under Opinion on the New York Times website. The website is accessible, free
of ads, and the minimalism of the site causes the reader to focus on the content itself. The header
and sidebars are not distracting to the viewers. The only popups you would ever encounter is a
little, silent notification on the top when there is breaking news. The article is filled with
hypertext, and with only one hyperlink at the bottom. The hypertext served to be very helpful in
defining and elaborating certain words and phrases. When you click on the hypertext bariatric
surgery an entire fact sheet is brought up explaining exactly what it is. When the authors
mentioned the survey about the 1 in 3 Americans who will be diagnosed with diabetes by 2050,

Before You Spend $26,000 on Weight-Loss Surgery, Do This

4

there is a helpful hypertext that takes you to the CDC website with a detailed description of the
clinical trials made that supports the theory mentioned.
This article puts into perspective and makes us see it as the medical societys harmful and
desperate attempt to decrease the escalating scale of diabetes and obesity in our country. Instead
of relying on surgical means of treatment, there is an alternative called a low-carb diet.

Before You Spend $26,000 on Weight-Loss Surgery, Do This

5

References
Hallberg, S., & Hamdy, O. (2016). Before You Spend $26,000 on Weight-Loss Surgery,
Do This. Retrieved September 17, 2016, from
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/11/opinion/sunday/before-you-spend-26000-on-weight-losssurgery-do-this.html?_r=0
"Sarah J. Hallberg, DO, MS, DABOM." IU Health. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Sept. 2016.
Retrieved September 17, 2016, from http://iuhealth.org/find-a-doctor/physician/63319/
Conason, Dr. Alex. "Aspire: Medically Sanctioned Bulimia? - Dr. Alexis Conason." Dr
Alexis Conason Aspire Medically Sanctioned Bulimia Comments. N.p., 05 Mar. 2015. Web. 21
Sept. 2016. Retrieved September 17, 2016, from http://drconason.com/aspire-medicallysanctioned-bulimia/
"Osama Hamdy, M.D., Ph.D., F.A.C.E." Hamdy, Osama, M.D., Ph.D., F.A.C.E. N.p., n.d.
Web. 21 Sept. 2016. Retrieved September 17, 2016, from http://www.joslin.org/diabetesresearch/Osama-Hamdy-MD-PhD-FACE.html