Methods for controlling obesity using minimally-invasive procedures including introducing embolic crystal particles that are naturally occurring and mostly non-toxic salts into the arterial capillaries feeding the sections of the stomach where the appetite inducing hormone, ghrelin, is produced to limit the blood flow to the region reducing appetite; introducing a virus vector or antisense oligonucleotide to inhibit the production of ghrelin and reduce the appetite; and introducing a soluble embolic particle with a virus vector or antisense oligonucleotide which will inhibit the flow of blood initially and then dissolve and release the inhibit vector to the region, generating ghrelin to control the appetite.