INTRODUCTION: Are there really miracle weight loss drugs?


"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.html

The 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.html
http://www.fda.gov/opacom/lowlit/weightls.html.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/weight-loss/HQ01160.
http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2008/NEW01933.html
http://junkfoodscience.blogspot.com/2008/01/no-fat-people-allowed-only-slim-will-be.html
http://www.blog.newsweek.com/blogs/labnotes/archive/2008/05/16/global-warming-it-s-fat-people-s-fault.aspx
http://www.fen-phen-injury.com/texas.htm

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Meaningful Quotes: What the experts are saying!

Sidney M. Wolfe, M.D., Director of Public Citizen’s Health Research Group, Washington, D.C.: “No diet drug has ever had any evidence of long-term benefit.” He points to previously FDA-approved drugs like Dexatrim, which were eventually yanked off the market. “We’ve always advocated that the only way to lose weight is very slowly,” i.e., about a pound a week through diet and exercise. “Unless you believe in magic, these pills or crash diets don’t work. The history of over-the-counter weight-loss drugs is pretty grim.”

Caren Feingold Tishfield, R.D., Nutritionist at Foodtrainers, New York City, NY: “Historically, weight-loss medications have helped people lose weight, but there are important caveats. “If a weight-loss drug can help someone get on track with living a healthier lifestyle, and [it is] used in the short term, then there’s a place for it.” But the drugs “can't be used in place of changing your diet and exercising.”

CHECK OUT THE ABC News VIDEO HERE ("Diet Pill Myths Debunked")!

http://www.revolutionhealth.com/articles/alli-ticket-to-slim-or-empty-promise/article.2007-06-12.9891775917?ipc=B00497&section=section_00
Posted by at

8 comments:

  1. AnonymousMarch 2, 2009 at 11:45 AM

    Listen. People don’t just gain weight overnight, so they shouldn’t expect to lose the weight in one night either. It takes time. You’ve got to be committed. There’s obviously no such thing as a miracle weight loss pill.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousMarch 11, 2009 at 6:11 PM

    I was watching “The Doctors” one day and one of the trainers from “The Biggest Loser” Jillian Michaels said how she was fat as a child but then she made the decision to lose weight the traditional way – diet and exercise. Look where that got her now!

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousMarch 12, 2009 at 5:20 PM

    Why put drugs into your body when you don’t need to? Enjoy living medicine-free because you never know how many meds you’ll be on once you’re old.

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousMarch 12, 2009 at 7:18 PM

    As with a lot of drugs, one specifically may help you lose weight, but I’m sure it eventually loses its effectiveness once you've been on it for a while (years).

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousMarch 14, 2009 at 8:12 PM

    These drugs are only one possible solution to lose weight but it is just for short term use.

    ReplyDelete
  6. AnonymousMarch 16, 2009 at 1:36 PM

    Yeah, Jillian Michaels began her career in exercise because she was considerably overweight before her teenage years (although not to the same extent as the contestants she meets on The Biggest Loser). She showed a picture of herself when she was twelve years old saying that she was 175 pounds. As a young adult, her mother enrolled her in a martial arts class, which was a new beginning for Jillian. Thereafter she dedicated herself to helping the overweight transform their lives and their bodies for the better.

    ReplyDelete
  7. SeasonApril 2, 2009 at 6:59 PM

    A lot of great information. Great site.

    ReplyDelete
  8. AnonymousSeptember 12, 2013 at 2:34 AM

    In this days all the people want to lose weight fast and for that they will take weight loss medicine.They don't ever try to lose weight with the help of exercise because it wants so many benefits.

    diet drops & hcg diet program

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)