Weight Loss Pills

We are forever trying to find the cure to obesity. Instead of realizing that a cure is available, right here, right now; we, as a society, focus on the simple fix. That simple fix comes in pill form.

First we had the stimulant methamphetamine, which, while people would lose weight; thay also became highly addicted to it and then this became illegal for doctors to prescribe. Many doctors wound up in jail for the prescribing of this drug for weight loss purposes.

Then came the Phen-fen, or was it Fen-Phen combination of pills docs started prescribing for weight loss. I remember giving a lecture while I was a resident about the success people were having using this combination of pills. Only trouble was that this combo of drugs was causing a condition the literature referred to as primary pulmonary hypertension; an irreversible side-effect of taking this combination of pills.

Primary pulmonary hypertension is a condtion which affects the pulmonary arteries, increasing the pressure within these vessels and subsequently causing right sided heart failure. This eventually leads to death. Is this the price our society will pay to lose a few pounds?

When phen-fen was removed from the market a new drug Meridia appeared on the scene. We ocassionally see it being used, but it, too, fell by the wayside.

So I wake up this morning to the morning news espousing now a new drug to treat obesity. I forgot what they called it, but it is a combo of a drug we use to treat anxiety, bupropion; along with naltrexone, a drug used to treat alcohol addiction. The medical doctor commentating on this as yet to be released pill, was extolling the virtues of yet another pill to treat obesity.

The thing that frustrated me the most was that the studies reported that a weight loss of up to 17 poinds was seen in the first year of using this new pill.

17 pounds!!?? Are you kidding me!!??

Starting a low carb lifestyle can easily take 17 pounds off of someone, sometimes in as little as one month. I have seen this happen time and time again. Oh yeah, the story from the people who refuse to accept that a low carb lifestyle is for everyone will claim that's just water weight.

Well, while I'll agree that some of it is indeed water weight as starting low carbs does have a natural diuretic effect; when you've lost 50-60-100+ pounds on low carbs-come on-will you stop with the water weight malarkey already!

We are a lazy society. We want a quick fix. The drug companies create the fix, and unfortunately we doctor's keep the drug companies in business due to our continued ignorance of the biochemistry of nutrition.

The obesity epidemic is not because we are eating too much in the way of saturated fat and cholesterol containing foods. This epidemic is continuing due to our ignorance that we need to eat MORE staurated fat and cholesterol containing foods---not less.

What to do; what to do.

I know what I'm doing. I am just going to continue to tell everyone the correct way to eat. I have to stop this blog, I am getting myself all worked up....Time for my afternoon burger :-)

Dr Jim

Read the first ten chapters of my book for free at DrJamesCarlson.com