How Did this Program Begin?
I am a board certified Doctor of Oriental Medicine and Homeopathic Physician. I have practiced in Sarasota, FL since 1998. The focus of my practice, until recently, has been integrative oncology. I am a 18-year cancer survivor and supplemented my own surgical, chemotherapy and radiation treatments with acupuncture, herbs and homeopathy. I learned first hand their profound, positive impact.
My weight loss specialty came about in an unusual way. I was invited to participate in training at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in Manhattan in their integrative oncology department, where over 1400 cancer patients per month receive acupuncture with their chemotherapy.
During this training, it was brought to my attention the importance for recovering cancer patients to maintain a healthy weight. This is mainly because fat generates estrogen and stores toxic carcinogens from food and the environment. Both can trigger the growth of cancer cells. I glanced down at my hideously expanded waistline and realized they were talking to me! I needed to get rid of this fat – FAST! I did some calculations and if I kept gaining 3-5 pounds a year, I would weigh 255 pounds by the time I was 75! I began to think of excess fat tissue as a life-threatening tumor, making it easier to become proactive. If you have had cancer in the past, are diabetic or suffer from heart disease, you should adopt that same healthy fear.
With research, I discovered a weight loss program created by an English endocrinologist who used a natural hormone that affects the metabolism. This hormone sends a signal to the hypothalamus to release large amounts of nutrients stored in fat. The hormone was administered with daily injections and combined with a very specific, low calorie, nutrient dense, 26-day detoxification diet. Patients lost an average of .5 to 1.5 pounds daily. The hormone is human chorionic gonadotropin. It naturally breaks the feast and famine fat storage cycle, and kicks the body into fat burning mode.
I studied the protocol in depth and found the concept brilliant and intriguing. The only problem was that these hormone injections are not FDA approved for weight loss in the United States, have potential negative side effects, and the presence of hormones frightened me because of my cancer history.
My next thought was “Would a homeopathic version of the hormone work?” I have used homeopathy successfully in my practice for 15 years. However, in my search for a trusted source, I was surprised to find dozens of websites and even discount stores selling what was labeled as the hCG hormone, but was not certifiable or authentic. No thanks!
