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

Be proactive and do your research!

To check out a product, FDA health fraud coordinators suggest:

Talk to a doctor or another health professional.
Talk to family members and friends.
Check with the Better Business Bureau or local attorneys generals' offices to see whether complaints have been made about the product.
Check with a health professional group (American Heart Association, American Diabetes Association, National Arthritis Foundation, etc).
Contact the FDA office closest to you, or go to www.fda.gov/ora/fed_state/dfsr_activities/dfsr_pas.html.



http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/1999/699_fraud.html
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Diet danger? How the FDA feels!

FOX News released an informative video on December 23, 2008, regarding the FDA investigation of over 30 weight loss drugs containing hazardous ingredients. Click here to view!

Dr. Robert Ashton warns consumers of weight loss pills that the “ingredients in a lot of these dietary supplements that seem to be coming out of China but it's not actually listed…They can cause problems especially for people with heart related illnesses. So, the bottom line is: Do not take any dietary supplements for weight loss without a doctor's prescription and under his care. Zero. No question about that."

These weight loss pills are often called the natural fat busters and that sort of thing and people think, “Oh, if it's natural it's got to be good for me and not even dangerous."

"Well a lot of things are natural – we always talk about how marijuana and cocaine are natural substances but I don't think they're good for you. So, the answer is the only natural dietary supplement that I recommend is water. Drinking water instead of calorie juices and drinks is probably the best weight loss. Any dietary supplement that has weight loss attached to it, do not take without consulting a doctor.”
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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
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