Tell me about HcG Diet Doc K.

Sure, I'll tell you about it.  Its a load of bollux.

To me it feels like a scheme to simply get a few more bucks out of people who 1) do not do their homework, and b) are gullible to believe anything which comes out of the pop-culture machine (Please see Adkins, South Beach, Master Cleanse, etc...)

The Science:  hCG stands for human chorionic gonadotropin, a hormone produced during pregnancy by cells that form the placenta.
The quick history: in 1950 Dr. A. Simeons came up with the idea to start utilizing HcG injections combined with a strict 500 calorie a day high protein diet.  This Simones' Method became more and more popular by the 1970s with clamis about rapid weight loss with little hunger issues (1).  


Well, some smarter people said, "wait a tic," and did some meta-analysis which concluded by saying, " [T]here is NO scientific evidence that HcG is effective in the treatment of obesity..."(2).  Not only that, after some concurrent clinical trials started noting that weight loss occurred because of the strict diet and NOT because of the HcG injections, the Simeons' Method started falling out of favor.

Now, despite the ever mounting evidence against the efficacy of HcG (3), this weight loss program has had a recent flare up in popularity.  Which reminds me of the ever popular 'cleanse' called the "Master Cleanse" which was not only a fallacy in science but also a dangerous cleanse.  

The American Society of Bariatric Physicians, in a 2010 press release, finally horned in stating, "[O]ffically not recommending.." HcG injections for weight loss.  Thus pointing out and adding to the growing number of studies and professionals who are screaming the failure of HcG injection efficacy (4,5)

Lastly, on my rant about HcG,  The FDA and FTC has filed joint action against many companies of whom are selling over the counter HcG products.  Not because there were selling them, but because they were falsely and ILLEGALLY claiming to promote weight loss.  

The only FDA approved usage for hCG injections is for a treatment of female infertility.  Making such claims such as weight loss is a violation of federal law.

Who are these companies warned?  Check the list in the references below.(6)

So now what Doc K?   Well, any diet, and I mean ANY DIET, with a restriction to 500 calories per day will produce the same amount of weight loss.  Even they can be potentially hazardous.  Consult your medical provider, or come see me and we can discuss far more safe and effective ways to loose those pounds.

Stay healthy my friends!


~ Doc K

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References (1)

1. Simeons AT. The action of chorionic gonadotrophin in the obese. Lancet. 1954;267:946-947.
2. Lijesen GK, Theeuwen I, Assendelft WJ, Van Der Wal G. The effect of human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) in the treatment of obesity by means of the Simeons therapy: a criteria-based meta-analysis. Br J Clin Pharmacol. 1995;40:237-243.
3. Hamilton M, Greenway F. Evaluating commercial weight loss programmes: an evolution in outcomes research.Obes Rev. 2004;5:217-232.
4. American Society of Bariatric Physicians press release regarding the use of HCG in weight loss programs. Denver, Colorado. March 1, 2010.
5. American Society of Bariatric Physicians. ASBP Position On Use of HCG in the Treatment of Obesity. November 2010. Available at:http://www.asbp.org/siterun_data/about_asbp/position_statements/doc5858839311268715587.html Accessed May 17, 2011.
6. 
   

   Manufacturer/Distributor Name	Product Name
   1. HCG Diet Direct LLC	HCG Diet Homeopathic Drops
   2. The hCG Drops LLC	Homeopathic HCG
   3. HCG Platinum LLC; RightWay Nutrition	HCG Platinum HCG Platinum X-30 HCG Platinum X-14
   4. Nutri Fusion Systems LLC	HCG Fusion 30 HCG Fusion 43
   5. www.resetthebody.com; www.theoriginalhcgdrops.com	Homeopathic Original HCG Homeopathic HCG
   6. Hcg-miracleweightloss.com	HCG Extra Weight Loss Homeopathic Drops
   7. Natural Medical Supply	Alcohol Free hCG Weight Loss Formula

   
   

Your foot pain may be from you being too heavy for them!

Article that came across our desk in regards to foot pain and obesity.  See our input at the end for what we prescribe for our patients to help on both of these aspects.

The article is as follows:

Increased body mass index (BMI) is strongly linked to nonspecific foot pain in the general population and chronic plantar heel pain in nonathletes, according to a systematic reviewpublished online April 13 in Obesity Reviews.

Researchers led by Paul A. Butterworth, associate lecturer and PhD candidate at the La Trobe University Department of Podiatry in Victoria, Australia, used 5 electronic databases (Ovid MEDLINE/EMBASE/AMED, CINAHL, and the Cochrane Library), in addition to reference lists from relevant papers, to identify 25 relevant papers.

Four cross-sectional studies indicated a strong association between increased BMI and nonspecific foot pain.

Of note, a large population-based Danish study (n = 2179) reported significantly higher BMI in people with foot pain; obese men were 3 times more likely to have foot pain than those with normal BMI (odds ratio [OR], 3.1; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.6 - 6.1).

These findings were supported by age- and sex-adjusted data from a large Australian population-based study (n = 3206) showing that people with foot pain (after adjustment for age and sex) were nearly twice as likely to be obese (OR, 1.9; 95% CI, 1.57 - 2.31).

A smaller third study of individuals with high-arched feet (n = 130) found an increased BMI (in the obese range) for those with pain in 3 locations (forefoot, midfoot, and rearfoot) compared with that in patients with pain in 1 or 2 locations (P = .049).

The fourth study investigated disabling foot pain in 176 retirement village residents and found a significantly higher BMI that was not independently linked to foot pain after pain in other parts of the body were included in a regression model.

Plantar Heel Pain

With respect to chronic plantar heel pain, researchers identified 12 relevant studies (9 matched case-control and 3 cross-sectional). Eight of 10 studies specific for nonathletes linked heel pain with significantly increased BMI or obesity; 6 studies showed the effect size as "large" or greater.

Only 1 of the 9 case-control studies failed to find a difference in BMI between groups, which the authors attribute to small sample size (n = 20).

Although the evidence supports an association between an increased BMI and chronic plantar heel pain in nonathletes, the authors note the possibility for reverse causality, in which heel pain leads to decreased activity and obesity. Another limitation is that many of the studies did not control for potential confounders.

Can Weight Loss Improve Foot Pain?

Researchers also attempted to find a connection between weight loss and reduced foot pain. They identified only 2 relevant studies, both of which revealed significant improvement.

In 1 of those studies, a prospective cohort study, 24 patients achieved a 67% improvement in foot pain on the Western Ontario McMaster Osteoarthritis Index score for pain, stiffness, and function after weight loss with bariatric surgery and physical exercise (mean [±SD], 150 ± 75 vs 49 ± 51; P < .001).

The second study simply described the outcome of weigh loss after bariatric surgery on musculoskeletal conditions (n = 105; 21% with foot pain), in which only 1% of those afflicted continued to experience pain.

The authors note that the evidence on the relationship between BMI and hallux valgus, tendonitis, osteoarthritis, and flat foot is inconclusive.

"Considering that the prevalence of obesity is increasing world-wide, the incidence of musculoskeletal foot disorders is likely to increase," write Butterworth and colleagues, noting that the potential role of weight loss in addition to existing treatments for foot disorders warrants further investigation.

Mr. Butterworth is funded by an Australian postgraduate award. Another author is currently a National Health and Medical Research Council senior research fellow. No other sources of funding were provided for this review. The authors have disclosed no relevant financial relationships.
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Can we help your persistent foot pain, heck yes we can.  But it is a relationship we both need to give 100% on.
After we adjust you, we have to work together to bring your weight down.  We usually prescribe a cleansing system to aid in a healthy weight loss plan.
Loosing weight will not only help reduce the amount of foot or knee pain you suffer from, but also reduce your risk for many other complications.  Complications such as: diabetes, high blood pressure, asthma, chronic bronchitis, heart disease, plus many others. 

Now who wouldn't want to get healthy?

Stay healthy my friends.

~ Doc K

Congratulations!!  If you are reading this that means that you have successfully fought the weight war and won!..... Well mostly.  Still have those last lingering areas giving you grief?  Do not fret!!

Plateaus in weight-loss are expected!!

Let me drop a few extra suggestions your way to help you stay on the path!

1.  Exercise

You should already be exercising, but now adding extra programs.  Adding weight bearing exercises will help strengthen bones, build lean muscle, and help burn that extra fat.  Keep in mind that when you build muscle AND lose fat, there may be an equal balancing out on the scales.  So shoot your scale and trust your body.  

2. Gonna eat bad, eh okay - just make better bad choices!

I'll admit it, I love fast food!  LOVE IT!  Do not beat yourself up or lay thick the guilt if you decide to indulge.  Make better choices such as, just a single patty burger rather than the double-double.  Get the sandwiches made with no mayo.  In & Out has a secret burger one needs to ask for called the "Protein Style" where there is no bun, but the burger is wrapped in lettuce instead.  Small changes here can really help in the long run.

3. Snack Right

Snacking right is like eating fast food you have to make the right choices.  Avoiding high-calorie, nutrient empty foods is the attack plan here.  Our office's nutritional program has several snack options: such as Snacks and their decedent IsaDelight Chocolates, Yum!

4. Avoid Sugary Drinks

Remember the nutrient empty foods I spoke about early?  Well, these drinks fall right into that category.  Fruit juices or purified water are far better drinks to start with.  Sport drinks such as Powerade or Gatorade are okay, but really meant more for when you are working out rather than just a thirst quencher.

5. Our friend, fiber
Other than keeping you regular, which is a good thing, fiber will help keep you satisfied longer!  The National Fiber Council recommendation is roughly about 25-30 grams daily. These Slim Cakes are not only have 5 grams of fiber but a healthy dose of deliciousness.  

6. Nancy Regan says, "Just say NO to bad Fats" (well not really, but she should have!)

There is a whole separate blog coming about this one topic, so I'll just make some big pointers.  Bad fats are those who say, "saturated," or "trans" in the name.  More and more studies are coming out which are showing that an increase of dietary omega-3 fatty fish oils are not only great for your heart but also for lowering and sustaining body weight.  Look for high-quality, high-potency fish oils supplements and start to see the myriad benefits one can get!

So keep at it true believers!  Stay on the path and and enjoy your new life!


Stay healthy my friends!


~ Doc K

5 Reasons your diet is not working

The CDC has put out a staggering number for the obesity epidemic in America.  64%, 64%, of Americans are either overweight or obese.  Sadly, due to diet failure, lack of results, or other setbacks, most of these people will abandon their efforts to lose or control their weight.
Here are a few tips and reminders about how to stay on the path and diet correctly.

#1.  Too many calories
Calorie consumption is a key factor in weight loss.  One must burn more calories than you consume regularly to have any effect.  This can be difficult due to liquid calories, snacking, and changes in portion size.  It's nearly impossible to track and gauge without looking and checking food labels.  The failure can come from people guessing or gauging just how many calories they eat.
Look at food labels for everything you eat or cook with and write it down in a log for a week.  It can be very surprising at the resulting number.

#2. Working out: Either not enough or too much
In order to create an adequate calorie burn/deficit to make weight loss successful, one needs to work out the correct amount.
This link will take you to the Mayo Clinic calorie calculator which will give you a rough estimate of how many calories you will need in a day to maintain your current weight.  Utilizing this caloric base line number, create an accurate daily calorie goal.  It takes a calorie burn of roughly 3,500 calories to lost 1 lb of weight.  Thus, if you reduce your caloric intake by 500 calories a day, you can lost about 1 lb a week.
So using my own personal numbers for example:  my daily calorie load is  2500 calories.  If I eat 2300 calories in the day, then burn of 300 more via exercise, my net daily intake is 2000 creating a deficit of 500 calories.

#3. Toxins in the system
Toxins in our everyday lives, be it in the air, water, or food we eat.  Even our daily stress releases free radicals into our systems.  All these toxins break down healthy cells, slows down our metabolism, and disrupt our body's natural fat-burning process by blocking our hormone which aid in losing weight (such as testosterone).  
Flushing these toxins from our system will not only benefit us in a weight loss manner, but in a better health manner. Our Isagenix system, Cleanse for Life, is designed to safely and effectively rid your body of these toxins.

#4. Not working out correctly
Any activity is good activity.  However, when it comes to weight loss, one needs to use more effective types of exercise.  Combining cardiovascular and strength training is a fantastic way to shed weight.
Cardio exercises is the most effective type of exercise to burn calories.  These calories come from fat NOT from lean muscle tissue.  To hit this cardio zone correctly you need to focus on your target heart rate, which is usually between 50 and 85% of your maximum heart rate.  How do you find this?  Easy, subtract your age from 220.  (So using myself as an example, I'm 35.  So my max heart rate is 220 - 35 = 185.  Thus my cardio zone is 92-154.)  Now keeping this number in mind, work out for at least 30 minutes within your target heart rate zone.  This will maximize your results!
Strength training is equally as vital to weight loss.  Do not assume that this means you have to pump iron, but do some simple strength training  will help restore lean muscle tissue.  Additionally, muscles burn more calories than fat, which means: the more lean muscle one has in their body, the more efficient one's body will be in burning calories.

#5. Not snacking right
In our battle of the bulge, snacking produces two major goals: first, it helps keep your metabolism up, and second, it keeps you from being hungry throughout the day.
Snacking right involves getting a balance of nutritional groups like carbs AND protein as well as limiting your calories.
Our Isagenix system also has SlimCakes available which are not only delicious but also fit this snacking need perfectly.  With 20 grams of carbs, 2 crams of protein, 5 grams of fiber, and 90 calories - they curb your hunger all while keeping it a heart and waist healthy snack.

So at the end of the day here, what I'm trying to say here is that, do not give up on your goal of weight loss.  No matter how much you want to lose, for what ever reason you want to lose it.  Keep your nose heading straight, these 5 tips in mind, and your goals will be met.
Never hesitate to ask questions or concerns with either me or who ever your health care provider is.

Go check out my IsaGenix website for more products and videos!

Stay healthy my friends!

~ Doc K