The HCG Diet - What you need to know, Part 1

The HCG Diet is being touted as one of the best ways to lose weight and reset the body's weight to a healthier level.  In this series I will talk about what hCG is and how it works.  This week we'll be looking at hCG basics.

hCG: Weight Loss Panacea

hCG is usually injected

Certainly you have heard of hCG lately; it has all but become synonymous with weight loss success.  Weight loss programs touting hCG have become increasingly popular in recent months.  When it was first introduced, I was not comfortable offering it to patients at my clinics; not enough documentation was available, long-term side effects were not well  known. However, in the past year or two, I saw patient’s utilizing it and they were experiencing overwhelming positive results with virtually no side effects. During that time, I spoke with other physicians around the country that were  using the protocol, I poured over every piece of documentation I could find to study the results and see if there were any reported long-term side effects.  I started  closely monitoring my patients with blood work etc,  as they followed the hCG program.  I am now a proponent of the program and I will explain why.



What Is hCG?

HCG stands for Human Chorionic Gonadotropin, a hormone produced by the placenta in large quantities during pregnancy.  In fact, the substance greatly  controls a pregnant woman's metabolic functions. It was discovered by Ascheim and Zondek in the urine of pregnant women as far back as 1927. The first report on the use of hCG for the management of obesity was published in 1954 by the late Dr. A.T.W. Simeons, a British Physician practicing at the Ospedale Salvatori Mundii in Rome. 


What hCG Is Not

It cannot be sufficiently emphasized that hCG is not a sex hormone, that its action is identical in men, women, and children. Often when people hear the word hormone, they immediately assume it must have something to do with sex functions or reproduction. Thyroid, insulin, cortisol, adrenaline, etc. are also hormones.

What Are The Hypothalamus and Pituitary Glands?

The hypothalamus gland moderates the thyroid, adrenals, fat storage, and more importantly, your metabolic rate.   The pituitary and hypothalamus communication signals most of the body’s hormones. The pituitary gland is known as the MASTER gland. These glands play an important role in obesity and weight loss.

*Next week I'll share about how the HCG Diet actually works.