Many people, when hearing of a “new magic-bullet,” don’t want to hear anything other than how it can help them and where they can they can get it. The emotional turmoil of struggling with weight-issues blinds many people to the obvious fallacies propagated by those selling the new cure, as well as the many risks associated with invasive attempts to alter their appearance.

If you want to take a risk with a new diet remedy, that’s your decision; but there are at least two-things you should know about HCG first: For starters, it’s not new; and, it’s never been conclusively shown or proven to cause or increase weight-loss – not even by the guy who suggested this “new” method of dieting over 50-years ago. In 1954, A.T.W. Simeons, a British physician, introduced this new method of dieting in which a reduced-calorie diet was coupled with injections of a pregnancy hormone – HCG. Simeons himself said that patients would not lose more weight with HCG than without it; he simply indicated that the HCG could help dieters sustain the diet and possibly cause the weight-loss to target specific areas (e.g. hips, belly, and thighs).

In studies conducted since the introduction of this approach, all weight-loss has been attributed to the 500-kCal/day diet; and no difference in weight-loss or body proportion has been evident between those using HCG and those not using HCG. Thus, HCG has been repeatedly shown to be ineffective for increasing weight-loss and is “largely rejected,” by authors of these studies, for administration for weight-loss. The bottom-line is that HCG should not be used for weight-loss. Now for the really good news – if you use HCG, your buoyed hopes and emotions may make the 500-kCal/day diet easier to tolerate. But what’s the point? We all know that diets simply don’t work; and as soon as you stop starving yourself, your body will replace what it’s lost with a vengeance. In other words, your body will regain the lost weight and add even more weight to provide a buffer should you decide to starve yourself again.

We’ve all seen this “rebound” phenomenon time and time again. A 500-kCal/day diet is difficult for a reason; the HCG – in some cases – simply makes it a little easier to do something that you shouldn’t do – something you know doesn’t really have lasting positive effects and something that will probably backfire anyway. And at what cost are we continuing to trick and manipulate our bodies? What example are we setting for our children?

Here’s a list of some of the possible negative effects of HCG:

•Ovarian Hyper-stimulation Syndrome (OHSS) – which is a life-threatening condition

•Arterial Thromboembolism – another potentially life-threatening condition •Blood clots

•Risk of multiple pregnancies (twins, triplets, quadruplets, etc.)

•Abnormal enlargement of breasts in men (gynaecomastia)

•Over stimulation of the ovaries causing production of many ova (eggs) in women

•Acne

•Tiredness

•Changes in mood

•Irritation in area of use

•Excessive fluid retention in the body tissues, resulting in swelling (edema)

•Hair loss

•Prostate hypertrophy

Bottom line: HCG does have negative effects – some of which are potentially life-threatening. Besides the fact that there is a huge black-market for HCG, and there’s a very large risk of getting a “substandard,” or “impure” product from an unknown source or manufacturer; there are very real health risks associated with this particular hormone. Even if you get it from your doctor, you still only know the source of the prescription – not the drug itself. And, depending on what type of HCG you use, and how you use it, the chances of experiencing one of the negative effects (which obviously range in severity) vary from 30% to an insane 45%. That’s like tossing a coin with your health knowing that you’ll either win and get no real, lasting benefit, or lose and possibly suffer greatly – or maybe even develop a life-threatening condition for the chance to lose some weight by starving yourself. Some people have been lucky with HCG; but some haven’t — and long-term studies have proven very disappointing for those hoping for a “permanent” cure. If you decide to toss this particular coin – good luck.