If you haven't heard the hype by now, you're probably living in a bubble.  The latest weight loss rocket booster comes in a liquid homeopathic form called hCG (human Chorionic Gonadotrophin).  HCG is a hormone produced only by pregnant women.  The studies on this hormone and its intriguing effects on weight loss were done by a British Physician in Italy back in 1954.  His name was Dr. ATW Simeons.  He devoted his life to researching various patients suffering from obesity and its ongoing side effects.  What his work showed was when he used hCG along with a very low calorie diet (VLCD), his patients would lose weight as well as their typical symptoms such as headaches, hunger pains, weakness, inability, etc.  His studies used actual hormone injections at the time. Technology has brought us to a place where hCG is now available over the counter as a homeopathic remedy.  A homeopathic is a highly diluted preparation of a substance that some alternative health providers believe to handle specific health concerns.  So in the case of homeopathic hCG, it is basically the frequency, wavelength, or energetic substance of the hormone, not the actual hormone itself.  I have had so many people asking my opinion on homeopathic hCG and weight loss that I decided to write it all up.  (I preface this to say that I do not personally recommend or distribute any homeopathic products).  What research is showing is that this little portion of the brain called the hypothalamus is basically in charge of your metabolic set point.  When the delicate mechanism of the hypothalamus is fed nutrient deficient foods and toxicities for many years, it loses its ability to do its job properly.  Thus, metabolism begins to shut down.  Eating a nearly perfect diet and exercising will eventually help, but can take up to two years of near perfection to start seeing lasting results.  This ends up being extremely hard for some people and many eventually give up.  That is where this interesting solution comes in.  Have you ever wished you could just push your own reset button?  Looking at ongoing studies on hCG, when it is PROPERLY FORMULATED, it seems to do just that.  Once the button is pushed, the metabolism is reset and recharged.  The little hypothalamus' light bulb turns on and it says 'Oh yeah, now I remember!' and it immediately gets back to its job the way it was originally supposed to do it.  Once this realization occurs, it starts to work VERY fast.  As the hCG protocol is followed, the body begins to burn nearly 3500 calories of old stored fat daily.  This brings the overall need for nutrient intake down drastically and this is why a VLCD is necessary.

Now, here are the warnings:

Because toxins are fat soluble, fat cells are plump full of toxins.  This produces a danger to your organs due to the fact that when weight is lost quickly, your body is flooded with very high toxicity levels.  When doing an hCG program, it is imperative to handle the toxic load at the same time.

2.  The FDA does not regulate homeopathic remedies.  If purchasing a homeopathic over-the-counter, or via the internet, you are taking a big risk.  Many times the product purchased has added fillers or may not even have the right amounts or dosages needed in your case.

3.  There are very specific nutrients that the body must have during a process like this.  Trying to do this alone without a properly trained healthcare provider will not only cause you to gain back the weight quickly, but in my opinion can be dangerous and detrimental to your health.

4.  If you decide to start a program with a trained professional, you should still consult your doctor as well.

HCG could be a great next step in a weight loss solution, but please do your due diligence and don't make yourself vulnerable to certain risks by not knowing the facts.  If rapid weight loss is something you're interested in learning more about, look into what I consider a very safe and effective alternative to hCG.