Has anyone heard anything good, bad, or ugly about Dr. Francisco Contreras? I am considering having him do my Lap Band procedure. However, I have not seen much threads about him.

Has anyone had him as a surgeon for the Lap Band procedure or know of anyone has had him as a surgeon?

I am a little bit skeptical about going to Mexico to have this procedure done.

Now I'm confused. What clinic is he with now?

==Welcome to Five Star Weight Loss Center, LLC==

No, that is not the same guy :tongue:

Dr. Contreras Guarista performed my surgery at Versalles Center in Tijuana, Mexico. His CV and other credentials can be seen on Weightloss Management Clinic - Home

I have information regarding all that. I did my search. Exist in Tijuana two Dr. Francisco Contreras one is a cancer surgeon and the other one is a laparoscopic and bariatric surgeon. One is older and the other one is young (My surgeon), the only thing is I don't know if they are parents or relatives. They look familiar. Maybe. But Oasis Hospital is a big Hospital for Cancer. I will ask to my surgeon if he also works there. What I know Dr. Contreras Guarista (www.weightlossmc.com) works alone, and he perform surgery in any hospital in Tijuana.

Kelly.

Waiting for Feb 4th 2008.

Hi just wanted to add my two cents. I went to Betancourt and had many complications in fact when the complications became life or death I could not get ahold of them. I had a wonderful doctor take me on and remove my band which had eroded into my stomach due to a port infection going up my tube to the band. The doctor who orginally did my surgery tried to fix a probem with my port but instead of putting a new one in after pulling out the old one he put in the same one after it was exposed to the air thus causing my infection and ultimately the removal of my band. I am missing my band terribly and have gained 45 pounds since removal. I liked having the device help me to say your full. The damage done to my stomach is so sever I can't get rebanded again. So please look into other doctors before going to Betancourt or Dr. Contreras. There are several much better surgeons.

I have information regarding all that. I did my search. Exist in Tijuana two Dr. Francisco Contreras one is a cancer surgeon and the other one is a laparoscopic and bariatric surgeon. One is older and the other one is young (My surgeon), the only thing is I don't know if they are parents or relatives. They look familiar. Maybe. But Oasis Hospital is a big Hospital for Cancer. I will ask to my surgeon if he also works there. What I know Dr. Contreras Guarista (www.weightlossmc.com) works alone, and he perform surgery in any hospital in Tijuana.

Kelly.

Waiting for Feb 4th 2008.

The Oasis hospital is a big scam, do a google search and you will find some interesting links.

There is also a link on the Oasis Hospital site to the lapband clinic. Coincidence?

See:

Scared to death - Erika Zelem was told she had breast cancer.

Subject: Letter to the Editor Re: Alt-Med Cancer Treatments

Date: Fri, 09 Apr 1999 12:08:28 -0700

To: Editor John G.Craig, Jr.

34 Blvd of the Allies

Pittsburgh, PA 15222

Editor Craig:

Thanks to the Post-Gazette for the front page story of Patti Davis's

terrible experience with alternative cancer therapy at a clinic in

Tijuana, Mexico (P-G 4/9/99). Given the popularity of such unproven

treatments, her tragic story is but one of hundreds of similar cases

going totally unreported in the nation's alt-med-entranced media.

It is ironic that just two weeks earlier the Post-Gazette Your Health

section ran an advertisement for a lecture by Dr. Francisco Contreras,

the Chief-of-Staff of a similar alternative medicine cancer clinic in

Tijuana. The clinic is cynically called "The Oasis of Hope Hospital".

As I explained in a prior letter to the Post-Gazette's Health Editor,

Francisco Contreras is the son of Dr. Ernesto Contreras, one of the

perpetrators of the Laetrile (apricot pit oil) cancer cure hoax of the

1960s and 1970s. As a result of meeting Dr. Contreras, other desperate

Pittsburghers no doubt have just this past week been enticed to pursue

"hope" in Tijuana.

Contreras was invited to Pittsburgh by Chiropractor Martin Gallagher to

speak March 27 at a seminar given by Three Rivers Health and Nutrition.

Gallagher, a constant presence on regional radio and TV, has, in my

opinion, built his career on undermining public confidence in mainstream

medicine. He even markets his own book on what he calls "21st Century"

medicine.

The Federal Trade Commission has recently begun cracking down on false

and misleading health advertising. Perhaps it is time for the

Post-Gazette to begin monitoring its own advertising policies for the

sake of the public's health. The media should be doing its utmost to

expose dangerous quackery, instead of promoting it for a few extra

advertising dollars.

Thank You,

E. Patrick Curry member National Council Against Health Fraud