Black Market Version Poses Grave Dangers 

Every celebrity has one, an amazing "secret diet" that allows them to eat whatever they desire, forget about exercise and still lose and keep off all the weight they want.

Unfortunately for anyone who has tried one of these secret diets, the results are less than star studded especially when it comes to keeping off the weight.

We all know that weight loss can be a daunting undertaking.  While a lucky few seem to be able to shed extra pounds with minimal effort, the vast majority must struggle to rid unwanted fat.  And the older one gets the more difficult weight loss becomes.

However, there is an exciting new weight loss treatment now available.  For many HCG (Human Chorionic Gonadotrophin) is the weight loss answer to their prayers. 

HCG, a naturally produced hormone, coupled with a low-calorie diet, can help patients lose an average of 1 to 3 lbs per day. Clients tend to feel more healthy and energetic with the HCG weight loss plan than they have in years.

HCG has been used safely for years.  Manufactured in a sterile environment there is no risk of spreading disease through its use and it can be beneficial to both men and women.

HCG is administrated by a qualified doctor through a series of injections and the patient's strict adherence to a very specific diet that changes throughout the treatment period.

Patients who need to lose 15 pounds or less require 26 days treatment with 23 daily injections.  In fact, patients who only desire to lose 5 pounds or less are never given less than a 26 day treatment as gaining back the lost weight is much more likely if the full regimen of injections is not given.

However, no matter what the weight loss goal, patients are never administered more than 40 injections as past that point they can begin to show signs of HCG immunity.  After 40 injections it takes about six weeks before this immunity is lost and HCG again becomes fully effective. 

Any potential candidate for HCG injections must first fully understand and accept the fact that the prescribed diet that accompanies the treatment must be followed to the letter.  Any variation, even the slightest indulgence, can completely destroy the positive effects of the treatment.

Patients are given very specific details on their diet for each day of the treatment with the goal of coaxing the body to use its "abnormal" reserve of fat, rather than the normal reserves, such as the structural fat which fills the gaps between various organs (like packing material) or on the bottoms of our feet which enable us to walk.  The second type of normal fat is the normal reserve of fuel upon which the body can freely draw when necessary.

The abnormal reserve of fat is unlike the normal reserves in that it is locked away, unavailable for use by the body in a nutritional emergency. 

It is possible to force the body to burn these abnormal reserves.  However, the patient must "starve" himself to lose the normal fat reserves.  After that he will start to burn structural fat and only as a last resort will the body give in and use up its abnormal reserves.  Unfortunately, by the time this happens the patient is so weak and hungry that will power disappears and the diet thrown out.

Quite simply put, HCG convinces the body to immediately burn off these abnormal reserves of fat, delivering astonishing results in a relatively short period of time and with minimal effort by the patient compared to more traditional weight loss treatments.

As you can see, many consider HCG a weight loss panacea, an easy way to shed pounds quickly and safely.

However, a doctor supervised HCG treatment is not inexpensive.   Typically, a full regimen of treatments can cost $750.00 and is not covered by most insurance plans.

Therefore, it is no surprise that a black market for HCG has arisen placing those who take these illegal drugs in great danger.

HCG is made from human placenta.  It must…and I stress "must"…be manufactured in the most sterile environment to the highest standards of safety.

And like any prescription drug, it must be administered carefully by a qualified physician who understands all of the intricacies of the drug, its interactions with other drugs, and its potential side effects based on each patient's unique medical history and current state of health.

Disturbing news has surfaced that black market HCG is being manufactured using feline placenta instead of human.  Even laymen can see that this is a serious problem. 

Additionally disturbing is that this substance is being self-administered by users who know nothing of the drug's potency and potentially lethal side effects.

As far as weight loss is concerned, without a supervised strict diet based on each patient, little success can be anticipated with rapid weight gain after the course of the injections most likely.

There are so many aspects of an HCG treatment that those using the "street" version of the drug never learn.  For example, most users of black market HCG do not know that the medication needs to be immediately refrigerated.  They do not know the correct dosage or the side effects.   They know nothing of the weight plateaus that they will experience (if the black market treatment even works) and the possibility that HCG, if not administered correctly, can actually cause weight gain.  Also, there is a marked decrease in blood pressure when taking the HCG injections which must be closely monitored by a doctor.

We are all painfully aware of the increase of illegal drug use around the world.  But what may be surprising is that no drug is immune to the black market.  The allure of easy, quick weight loss is a drug in itself and the promise of HCG is too much for many to pass up.

Fraudulent HCG websites have arrived on the web offering cheap, totally unregulated and potentially very unsafe versions of the drug.  Some are even simply scam sites – customers send their money but never receive the drug.  In a strange way, these are the lucky ones…they have been at least temporarily saved from the risk of taking these dangerous knock offs of HCG.

Yet, determined customers aren't usually so easily dissuaded.  If they want underground HCG, they will find it.  Hopefully, the more information we can spread about the dangers of black market HCG, these desperate people will learn the truth.

If you have questions regarding HCG or any cosmetic procedure, we welcome your call at the Smith Plastic Surgery Institute of Las Vegas where we are offering genuine, supervised and safe HCG treatments for our clients.