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

Thursday, March 19, 2009

When big was in...

Q: When did the idea that being thin was in and when was the "revolution" of weight suppressants?
A: The early 1960's and 1959 respectively - whether it was the change in individuals perception of themselves or it was the development of the first approved appetite suppressant, phentermine, weight has never been the same. There was a time when carrying extra weight was a sign of prosperity and that of being attractive. In fact, thirty years ago, the Chinese thought of "plumpness" as a sign of prosperity. Additionally, chubby babies were were thought to be symbols of good luck while those individuals who were thin had a difficult time finding someone to marry.

It wasn't much different here in the U.S. Females of the 1950's were curvy with larger busts and hips with the notion that "perfect" was for bust & hips to equal one another. WAIST and BUST were the focus of advertisements and not how much they weighed. Think Marilyn Monroe or Sandra Dee - definately curvy, busty and vivacious. It wasn't until the '60's that Sandra Dee became concerned with her "heaviness" and such, the desire to be thin starts. Who do you think is responsible? My opinion is everyone - from the media, government, consumers, drug companies, everyone! Yet there are few that will stand up to make a change. If we as a whole would take a vested interest and begin education early on of what is "healthy" versus what is "perceived expectations" then and only then might we make a difference.

http://web.mit.edu/lipoff/www/hapr/fall01_health/prosperity.pdf
http://home.att.net/~boomers.fifties.teenmag/1950_history.html
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7 comments:

  1. AnonymousMarch 20, 2009 at 12:44 PM

    oh how the world has changed! i was just at the getty museum in california and not one lady in the painting, sculptures- any piece of art was "thin". my boyfriend even asked me, "why is it that none of these women are skinny?" and i told him, "back in the day, if you were plump it meant that you had enough money to eat comfortably". now, if you are plump, it means that you're unhealthy..

    i've even heard critics calling heidi klum "too heavy for the runway"!! if that isn't the most ridiculous thing you've ever heard!

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousMarch 21, 2009 at 9:26 AM

    I don't think it's attractive to be extremely thin like the models you see nowadays. It's nice to have curves and some meat on your bones! Being overweight is a different story though.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousMarch 22, 2009 at 11:42 AM

    Wow, society has really changed! I mean, parents put their own daughters in beauty pageants from such a young age, so all the girls grow up learning that beauty is better than being educated and healthy!

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  4. AnonymousMarch 22, 2009 at 6:13 PM

    If any of you have seen Jennifer Love Hewitt, she's got a beautiful body with great curves...! I love how she handled rude remarks about how people thought she was "gaining weight"... she stood up for all the females out there. Celebrities need to take a stand about these types of issues... Perhaps only then will the population learn something.

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  5. AnonymousMarch 23, 2009 at 9:34 PM

    I am very small in size and sometimes wish that I had nice curves. Those that have curves (and are NOT overweight) wish they didn't. Why can't anyone be happy with their body?!?! People, including myself, need to be satisfied with the way they look because everyone is unique.
    Overweight people need to lose weight mainly because of health issues.

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  6. AnonymousMarch 24, 2009 at 10:09 AM

    It's true that "big was in" back in the day, but that doesn't mean they were healthy on the inside.

    ReplyDelete
  7. BloggerDecember 23, 2016 at 1:42 PM

    Proto-col Slim-Fizz is a distinct appetite suppressant which contains the ground-breaking fibre Glucomannan, which is a natural dissolvable fibre derived from fresh Konjac.

    ReplyDelete

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