"I have always felt insecure about my body, but I never felt strange about that. All the women I know feel insecure about their bodies”, NOW intern.
“Whenever I come home for a visit from college, the first thing my dad comments on is whether or not I have gained weight, as if that is what matters the most. I try not to pay attention to it, but it has made me feel pretty self-conscious about my body," NOW intern.
…13-year-old girl…crying herself to sleep, "I'm so fat…my stomach sticks out! I know people aren't supposed to judge you by the way you look, but they do! They always do!"
Are there miracle weight loss drugs? If you are the maker of Metabolife, a “miracle” weight loss pill, who made approximately $93 million in three years, or Glaxo, the maker of Alli, who anticipates $1.5 billion in sales, your answer may be a positive one. And it's no wonder...Weight Watchers posted a $57.4 million dollar profit during the first quarter of 2008 and Jenny Craig posted a $20.1 billion dollar profit during the first quarter of 2007. There's a lot of money to be made when we feel bad about ourselves.
Being overweight carries with it a terrible stigma. And when overweight people are the target of endless, merciless jokes, it’s no wonder that “miracle” weight loss drugs are making obscene profits. For example, a lawmaker in Mississippi in 2008 proposed a bill prohibiting overweight people from dining out in restaurants. Newsweek published on an article dated May 18, 2008, “Global Warming: It’s Fat People’s Fault”. When someone is overweight, even if by a few pounds, most will do anything to lose the weight, even if it damages one’s health. In 1998, Fen-Phen was known to damage heart valves yet continued to sell as a weight loss product. A 41 year old woman took Fen-Phen for about 3 months, she was diagnosed with primary pulmonary hypertension years later after discontinuing the drug.
http://www.lawyersandsettlements.com/articles/00286/fen_phen.htmlThe challenge with weight loss drugs is that they are not regulated like prescription drugs. This means that that many of these products can put additives in their products that may not be listed on the label, hence causing unseen damage. The Mayo clinic lists some of the ingredients that are commonly found in miracle weight loss drugs, what they’re from and what they do to the body. Both nurses and consumers need to be aware of these issues regarding weight loss drugs in order to ensure safety and well-being of one's health.
Thankfully, there are ways to lose weight safely and web sites that support this. Weightlossforall.com provides good advice for people who want to safely lose weight. The FDA has published an on-line guide on their web site about losing weight safely and effectively.
Are there really “miracle” weight loss drugs? Unfortunately, the answer leans towards no. The most effective way to lose weight is through lifestyle change: exercise and eating a healthful diet.
In this blog, we discuss the issue of miracle weight loss drugs in detail - the who, what, where, when, why, and how. Why is this a hot issue? How did it begin? Who should care? Who is involved? What is the big controversy? What are the news sources and experts saying about this issue? Why should nurses and consumers be educated? We have done thorough research from scientific journals (both older and recent) on the UTA Library Database as well as the FDA website so that you could get the entire scoop over the issue of miracle weight loss drugs.
http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2008/NEW01933.htmlhttp://www.fda.gov/opacom/lowlit/weightls.html.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/weight-loss/HQ01160.
http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2008/NEW01933.htmlhttp://junkfoodscience.blogspot.com/2008/01/no-fat-people-allowed-only-slim-will-be.htmlhttp://www.blog.newsweek.com/blogs/labnotes/archive/2008/05/16/global-warming-it-s-fat-people-s-fault.aspxhttp://www.fen-phen-injury.com/texas.htm
To check out a product, FDA health fraud coordinators suggest:
So many people just start taking drugs without checking with a health professional, and this is just dangerous. I think posting an article telling people to do their research is very wise.
ReplyDeletea lot of ppl can't see past the glory of finally finding an easy quick weight loss drug. they're totally consumed by the fraud and can't see through it, and so they can't see the truth because they're just looking for a miracle.
ReplyDeletePeople need to gather all the accurate data and make a sound decision about whether or not to buy the pills. A lot of consumers get carried away with their emotions when making a purchase, and this can cause such enormous harm.
ReplyDeletedude, these weight loss companies use so many tactics to swing our emotions to what they want us to believe. I’m one of the “persuadees.” It’s pathetic that these companies value money over health.
ReplyDeleteAre people that desperate that they don’t research the weight loss drug before purchasing it?
ReplyDeleteI know people who have started taking one diet pill, then another and another, investing tons of money into pills that never worked and they never looked into any possible side effects, and even when the pills made them sick they wouldn't stop, they just kept taking them because they were so desperate to lose the weight.
ReplyDeleteIt’s hard to resist and easy to fall for all the advertising because the drug companies make the commercials so attractive.
ReplyDeleteResearch is very important regardless of what you're buying.
ReplyDelete