Tuesday 21 April 2009

Adult Nappies

Hurray for GlaxoSmithKline and their new 'anti obesity wonder drug' ALLI, which the FDA have approved to be sold over the counter. No longer will we have any weight issues in the world, all we have to do is pop three tiny pills a day and hey presto all our fat issues will be solved once and for all. Really, they claim it's that easy.

One slight problem is that if you take these little miracle pills you may experience a few side effects, but then isn't that to be totally expected, and accepted, with conventional medicine anyway. After all, who's suprised when they get thrush from a course of antibiotics - you just take more pills to get rid of that don't you?

But the side effects with ALLI are a little less socially acceptable than thrush - namely flatulence and rectal discharge. Yes, you heard, rectal discharge! For goodness sake, are they going to give away free adult sized nappies for us all to wear too?

I'm gob smacked, outraged and horrified that in the name of making an extremely large profit, these people who must have SOME intelligence between them think it's ok to sell such shit (excuse the pun) to the general public. Many of whom are so desperate for a quick, lazy, easy way to shift their blubber they will try anything.

I heard a girl interviewed on the radio today who said when she took ALLI she had to take three outfits of clothes into work with her because she kept having 'accidents', and another who said ALLI caused her so much embarrassment during her first relationship with a guy.

What is wrong with the world when we expect our lives to be made better, and our body's to look and feel better by taking three little pills a day. Most people who are overweight have emotional issue that go with it, which pill popping will NOT cure, and with side effect like the ones mentioned you'd have to be certified crazy to even contemplate having a go.

We have become a nation of 'quick fixes' - we want and expect everything yesterday, and weight loss if no different. But if we have any respect for our bodys whatsoever, even a tiny, weeny, little bit we might think about what is actually happening inside them when we pop these weight loss pills.

The science behind them is that they reduce fat absorption, so it's transported quickly out of the body with no fuss - other than some soiled clothing (yuk, yuk, yuk). But, and it is a big but - our body's NEED fat.Our brains need it to function efficiently, we need it for hormone production, we need it for insulation, we need it for our nerves to fire, we just NEED it.

The right sort, of course, not hydrogenated, trans fats which are in so many processed foods now but ALLI doesn't differentiate between types of fat, it lumps it all together and rushes it through with no time to enjoy the ride. It deprives our bodys of one of the vital nutrients, and that's a good thing?! Absolutely not!

It's time to get a grip - you can probably tell I am really really incensed by this one. The likes of Lighter Life and Sure Slim and Celebrity Slim and all those other miracle diets have nothing on this (side effects from these by the way - just gallstones! That's ok then.); ALLI gets the star prize.

What the hell is wrong with upping ones physical acttivity and reducing the amount of food one stuffs into ones mouth without thinking about the consequences. Yes this may take a little longer to produce results than ALLI but at least your clothes will be stain free, and your body will be absorbing the good fats it so desperatly needs.

Do I have a minority view here? Please, please lets have some comments!

Todays Tip : change one thing about your diet for the better each week. You know you can. RX

5 comments:

Unknown said...

Well GSK are indeed selling a questionable product I have to agree with you. Having said that I question the validity of homeopathic remedies and Metabolic Typing which have even less science about them and arguably may have side effects which have not been checked or even recorded for people to be aware of.

You say people may have emotional problems which are linked to their weight. I think that is rather a broad sweep of the brush. The same can be said about many things including people with shopping/gambling/exercise regimes. In many cases addressing those base issues may still have no effect upon their particular problems.

So in answer to your final question "are you in a minority?" I would say yes you are and no you are not depending on what the context is in which you ask the question.

Ultimately I support your general healthy regime but not some of the iffy science behind it.

Will you post this or ignore it I wonder.

Ruth said...

Lucy,
have just read Bad Science by Ben Goldacre who looks with equal objectivity(?) at the major pharmaceutical companies, questionable nutritionalists and complementary therapies.

I found it fascinating but ultimately take a view that it's whatever works for you as an individual after weighing up the pros and cons.

Homeopathy works for me, and my children, as does metabolic typing - I can see the childrens 'type' emerging naturally making me believe in the 'science' behind it even more.

And, based on this I blog about my beliefs for you and others who read to take out of it what you choose to.
Keep reading! RX

Unknown said...

Are you religious? You seem to have a lot of faith in something with such little evidence. For me anecdotal evidence is just not enough. Accepted there is so much we just don't understand but there is nothing about homeopathy that I can make fit into any system. Rather like hypnosis it is my view you need to believe in it for it to have any benefit or effect. Which leads me to believe it to be entirely psychosomatic.

Also, are you experimenting on your kids with this snake oil!!!

Ruth said...

Religious, me err that's a no in the conventional sense although I like to think Angels are all around us.
I use Japanese homeopathy alongside acupuncture. My acupuncturist is getting on in years, has never used or been exposed to 'conventional' medicine but uses good unadulterated food, homeopathy, sleep, exercise and acupuncture to stay disease free. I have faith in her, and her beliefs, in spades and yes I expose my children to all of this too, and will contnue to do so.
Lauren and Ben are suffering from hayfever just now, and I have been recommended antihistamines for instant relief by well meaning friends. I refuse to give my children something that I believe deals with the symptoms only and may cause them problems later on in life. Chemicals for me are not the way forward as the body has to detox them, and this adds to the overall physiological load.
We can have these debates about every blog I write if you like, I'm happy to - as it appears to me that we are singing from totally different hymn sheets the majority of the time!! RX

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