CONSUMER GUIDE.

GOING ON A DIET? YOU CAN LOSE MORE THAN JUST WEIGHT. PT 1.

No doubt, most all of us have worried about those extra pounds that add unwanted dimensions to our bodies. This seems especially true the older we get.  However, to often people are unwilling to put in the Time, Effort or Discipline it takes to trim down, and add muscle to replace fat.  That is a dilemma the Con- Man has been willing to exploit for generations.  As has happened throughout the years, a new group of aging adults is falling for the same type of Hocus- Pocus their Parents and Grandparents fell for. 

Unfortunately, sometimes we see things as they could be, and ignore what they actually are.

First lets look at some common Terminology you may encounter.

Dietitian vs Nutritionist-  A Dietitian is a Licensed, Board Certified and Formally Educated Individual Legally recognized as an expert in their field.  A Nutritionist is required to have no specific education or training.  This does not mean that a Nutritionist is completely unqualified to advise you, just be diligent and check Background and Accreditation.

Cleansing Diets -  You can dress it up any way you want, but these diets are just another form of FASTING. Eliminating or Drastically cutting back the intake of Foods, and replacing them with Water, Special "Drinks", Pills etc are Decades old Lures that differ only in the Names of the Products and Diet Plans being offered for sale.

Naturopathy-  Lies in the category of Alternative Medicine. It is not based on evidence that passes scrutiny using the Scientific Method, and seems to rely only on Faith and Belief.  Any assertions made by those practicing Naturopathy have no basis in reality, because they have not been accurately tested and studied under proper clinical conditions.

"All Natural" or "Organic"-  If you find a claim that is emphasizing either of these two terms as a reason for success, don't buy in.  They are Buzzwords that have nothing to do with weight loss, and are used for Marketing purposes.

Look for PT 2.

GOING ON A DIET? YOU CAN LOSE MORE THAN JUST WEIGHT. PT 2.

When looking for supplements to help you lose weight, be aware of common words and slogans used to promote products.  In many cases they sound plausible and useful, but close inspection reveals that they are just more marketing jargon. They

are often just meaningless or misleading attempts to confuse the consumer.

QUALIFYING WORDS-  How often do you hear or read the following;

- "MAY  help in the..."

- "COULD  lead to..."

-  "In CERTAIN cases..."

-   "....POSSIBLE benefits are..."

What do these often used words indicate? Absolutely nothing.  They are used to IMPLY that the product advertised does what is claimed, without providing any real evidence that such a thing is true.  This is a Tactic used by companies in the business of pushing fad diet products, where the time, effort and cost of proper clinical trials cuts into the profit margin.  It doesn't matter whether the product actually works or not: THE BOTTOM LINE IS GETTING THE TARGET CONSUMER GROUP TO ACCEPT THE CLAIMS ON FAITH ALONE.

The important thing to remember is that TERMINOLOGY is often the key to evaluating the plausibility that a product will be effective, and how trustworthy the company selling it is.  This is a grey area, but remember deceiving someone is not the same as lying to them.  You can attempt to convince a person of the value in purchasing a product by using language that points the consumer in a certain 

direction, without asserting anything that is True, Real or Guaranteed.  Consider the following two sentences:

  - "FAT AWAY, used twice a day, will result in the average person losing 5 pounds in the first week of use."

  - "FAT AWAY, used twice a day, can help the average person to lose 5 pounds in the first week of use."

See the difference?  The first example is an assertion of fact, which would require evidence that satisfies government regulations to be legally used in marketing campaigns.  The second makes no such claims, so it violates no regulations and can be used without penalties.             

     

Along the same line, be very careful when you hear or read that a product was proven effective by Trials or Studies.  There is a major difference between those done in a manner that satisfies legal requirements, which allows conclusions and claims to be made without sanctions by government agencies, and those that do not.

Look for PT 3.

GOING ON A DIET? YOU CAN LOSE MORE THAN JUST WEIGHT. PT 3.

( This Post deals with U.S. Law.  Readers in other Countries should research similar legal guidelines within their own Criminal or Civil Codes of Law.)

Here is a tip that everyone should know, especially if their looking to start a new Diet and/or Exercise regimen.

How many times have you opened a Magazine, or turned on the T.V., and were greeted by ADs that said things like;

-  "The Ancient Weight loss secret."

-  "The Super Fruit that melts fat away."

-  "Drink the pounds away."

-  "The Diet THEY don't want you to know about."

"The secret of staying slim, used by HOLLYWOOD STARS, NOW AVAILABLE TO YOU."

Sound familiar?  How lucky we are to live in an era where Fitness and Weight loss are just a phone call away or,  just a trip to the Super Market.

However, have you ever looked closely at the bottom of the page or screen, and read the following:

"The statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.  This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease."

Just a simple disclaimer right?  Wrong.  This is required to be placed in every single advertisement,

THIS ALSO INCLUDES ANY ANECDOTAL TESTIMONY PROVIDED BY THOSE WHO "TESTED" THE PRODUCT.

To put it more bluntly, there is no reason to believe these products can do anything at all.  The secret of these products success, in sales, is to quickly get them before the public, with a slick marketing campaign that promises nothing of actual value, but encourages the consumer to act quickly.

Haven't you wondered why these "BREAKTHROUGH" PRODUCTS disappear after a number months.  It is simply that "WORD OF MOUTH" has spread, and the average consumer realizes that they do nothing of real value.  Often, they are gone for good, other times they are repackaged as "NEW AND IMPROVED" or "MAXIMUM STRENGTH."  Doesn't this imply that this "ADVANCED FORMULA", is the real deal, and previously the buyer had purchased and used an inferior product? 

However, there are even more "SALES STRATEGIES", that play on the gullibility

of a society desperate for the "EASY WAY OUT."

LOOK FOR PT 4.

HOMEOPATHY- MEDICAL ADVICE FROM THE IRRATIONAL. PT 1.

With Affordable Health Care now becoming available to every American, there is one industry that is facing the loss of tens of millions of dollars.  Because adequate medical treatment will be a positive improvement on the lives of millions, the desire to seek out "Alternative" treatments from dubious or even bogus sources will be dramatically decreased.  Perhaps, this will mean the end of one of the greatest medical travesties in history- HOMEOPATHY. 

This is not a case of a fringe theory with results that are hotly debated by the Medical community.  How anyone with a minimal ability to reason and understand the choices that affect their lives would want to follow this lifestyle is astonishing. Homeopathy lacks, in every way, the bare minimum to be called a valid choice when dealing with medical conditions in human beings.

Homeopathy, as it is practiced today, is still basically the same as it was two hundred years ago.  The basic theory is that all disease is not caused by outside sources, but from imbalances within the body itself.  To check these imbalances, one must take a diluted mixture of the poison harming the body.  In the beginning 

these "dilutions" were small, but enough toxins were present in the "remedy" to cause harm to the individual.  To solve this problem, Homeopathic Practitioners came up with an unusual solution.  The answer was to dilute the substance many times over, even to the point where there is no molecular identity of the "Active Ingredient" within the "Remedy".  To put it another way, the so called treatment has no trace of the substance that is supposed to heal the body. 

(Look for pt 2 in a future edition.)

Date- 11/9/2013.

HOMEOPATHY- MEDICAL ADVICE FROM THE IRRATIONAL. PT 2.

What is really incredible about the practice of Homeopathy, is the lack of any reasonable explanation on why or how it could possibly be of benefit to anyone. (Apart from the Placebo Affect.)

To illustrate, let us examine a core belief that is part of the Homeopathic System.

Law of Similars- That once a person exhibits the symptoms of a certain illness or disease, they should be administered a small dose of the toxin that caused the sickness. Such treatments are claimed to result in a "Cure", that will return the patient to good health.

This is often compared to the inoculations that are administered today.  However, there is no comparison. Properly prepared vaccines deliver a very small dose of the toxins that cause the malady.  This is done to stimulate the human bodies immune system to build up resistance that will eliminate susceptibility to the given disease. This procedure is done to prevent someone from contracting the illness.

This is the exact opposite when receiving Homeopathic Treatment.  Modern acceptable medical procedures are geared to preventing one from falling victim to disease.  Homeopathy treats the illness AFTER IT HAS BEEN CONTRACTED BY THE INDIVIDUAL. 

Not only have Homeopathic Practitioners failed to produce testable results that show that such a practice is beneficial, they also cannot provide a reasonable explanation on how the treatment could possibly be effective.

HOMEOPATHY- MEDICAL ADVICE FROM THE IRRATIONAL. PT 3.

One of the most enduring and improbable "Truths" that are part of Homeopathy, is the "Law of Infinitesimals".  This basically claims that the greater the dilution, the more likely a cure for the given illness or disease.

Chemically, any substance diluted to a certain extent will become unidentifiable in Lab tests. This can be found on Homeopathic Products that list dilutions greater then 24X. 

Even if we were to accept that certain prepared concoctions  containing measurable amounts of the curative substance could be of some benefit, how could the lack of any identifiable molecular presence within the remedy possibly help anyone? 

Well, Homeopathy has the answer, and it is ludicrous.  By properly agitating, mixing or stirring each stage of dilution, the original substance contained in the initial solution will imprint an "essence" of its' original chemical identity upon each new "Cure."  This means that each subsequent remedy has a "Memory" of a substance that cannot be measured or identified.  Further, that each time this is done, a positive outcome becomes even more inevitable.

In other words,these Homeopathic products are "POSSESSED" by the spirit of the original substance meant to treat a particular Disease or Sickness.  I am not making this up.

I could go on, but explaining every irrational idea put forth by Homeopathy is beyond the scope of this article.

For a much more in depth explanation of Homeopathy and its history I recommend the Internet site- Quackwatch- Stephen Barrett, M.D. Article- Homeopathy: The Ultimate Fake.