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Phosphatidylcholine Injections for Localized Weight Loss
If you can’t lose the weight on the belly and thigh area, many studies show localized weight loss from injections of phosphatidylcholine, which is NOT the same as mesotherapy.
Mesotherapy is essentially a delivery mechanism for a ‘cocktail’ of substances. There is little or no scientific data supporting mesotherapy (in fact, I could not find a single study supporting it). What typically goes into the mesotherapy cocktail is aminophylline, isoporotrenol, ephedrine, pyruvate, carnitine, T3 and Caffeine.
There are 8 well known studies regarding Phosphatidylcholine injections for localized weight loss or fat reduction. All of these studies show positive results. To quote some of the outcomes they range from “vast majority of patients had reduction in fat thickness” (Hexcel), “Improvement occurs in all subject…no recurrence in treated areas unless weight gain by patients” (Rittes) “clinically apparent fat reduction on multiple sites (Duncan and Hasengschwandt). Here is what you need to know about localized weight loss from phosphatidylcholine injections.
Phosphatidylcholine is the primary fat molecule the outer cell wall of every cell in your body is made of. Inject able phosphatidylcholine is made in Europe under the name Lipostabil. Treatments with phosphatidylcholine go under names like Lipotherapy, Thinjection, phospholipon and Lipolight. This is a fuzzy area with the FDA. Physicians usually make their own mix by combining phosphatidylcholine with deoxycholate, a bile salt.
This localized weight loss technique was first presented in 1988 at the Congress of Mesotherapy in Paris. Initially it was used mainly to treat fat pads under the eyes, most often with very good results.
When you get injected with phosphatidylcholine for localized weight loss there is an immediate burning sensation that subsides in about 30 minutes. There may be some edema or mild swelling that can last several weeks. The typical dose is 2.5grams. It’s possible to experience some nausea or stomach pain.
Safety concerns:
Before you rush out looking for an MD who advertises Thinjection or Lipolight, you need to understand the safety of phosphatidylcholine injections for localized weight loss or fat reduction are not totally understood. Recently, at the Brazilian Congress of Dermatologic Surgery, a study was presented on six pigs treated for 10 weeks. One pig developed a version of hepatitis. The others showed things like hematomas and mucousal bleeding. While this should not be taken as definitive since animals can produce specific antibodies to phospholipids that people do not, it does raise a caution flag.
More recently, clinical evidence has been building that deoxycholate is really the active ingredient that does the actual fat reduction, but further studies are needed to be definitive.
Histamine Blockers and Weight Loss
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Millions of Americans regularly take some form of Histamine blocker, either for nasal congestion or for acid reflex. New research suggests that targeting Histamine receptors could lead to a new generation of anti-obesity drugs.
To date, several studies exist demonstrating that cimetidine, the main ingredient in Tagamet, when used intermittently with diet and exercise, contributes to weight loss.
Before you run out and buy some Tagamet to include in your weight loss routine, what you should know is that the latest research indicates Histamine is a powerful neurotransmitter acting on energy regulation and feeding behavior.
Research indicates Histamine acts as a mediator on the hormone Leptin.
Leptin is a hormone that acts on the hypothalamus to inhibit appetite.
In clinical studies histamine deficient mice have been show to be prone to diet induced obesity. Other studies show mice given histamine knockout or suppression protocols are more susceptible to obesity from a high fat diet.
The latest research gives reason to pause before thinking taking a Histamine blocker is a great way to accelerate weight loss. The data seems to indicate that blocking Histamine may be associated with problematic feeding behavior.
Part of the explanation why Tagamet seems to accelerate weight loss while knocking out Histamine in animal studies leads to obesity is that there are several different types of Histamine receptors. Many animal studies have been conducted on the H1 Histamine receptor. Tagamet works on the H2 Histamine receptor.
Additionally, research with anti-depressant drugs, some of which act on Histamine, has shown many can create weight loss when used short term, but weight gain with long term use.
Ultimately, our goal in this article is not to advocate the use of Histamine blockers for weight loss, but to suggest you exercise CAUTION in the use of Histamine blockers in general.
There is still much we do not know about the role of Histamine and it’s long term manipulation. Blocking Histamine seems to both stimulate weight loss and weight gain, depending on the receptor and site of action.
Using Visualization to Beat Food Cravings
In this article, we look at how to use mental imagery to abate food cravings.
First, some background.
Over the last 2 years there have been several studies with respect to cravings being the product of mental imagery. The studies have focused on how vividly imagined sights, sounds and smells seem to drive cravings. These studies began with cigarette smoking and have recently applied the same rational and methodology to food cravings.
With respect to food cravings, the latest research gives weight to the notion cravings seem to have a very strong visual and olfactory component. In other words, you crave chocolate because you picture chocolate in your mind and recall the smell of it. This seems to be the strongest component driving cravings according to research.
Before we go any farther, it’s important to distinguish cravings from hunger. Hunger is a physiological response driven and controlled by hormones such as Ghrelin and Leptin. Cravings are a stimulus/reward transaction. In the research, the approach used is identical to that of drug use, in fact, it adopts a drug use model with the reward being food instead of drugs (I’m not calling anyone a drug user if they love pizza. I’m simply explaining the mechanism researchers use to distinguish hunger from cravings)
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE RESEARCH:
The very latest research on cravings and imagery is out of Adelaide University in Australia.
In a series of experiments with 90 women or normal weight aged 18 to 35, experimenters looked at the use of mental imagery techniques to lessen cravings for things like chocolate (In fact, research indicates chocolate is the single most craved food)
The experiments essentially focused on using distraction. The subjects were asked to create very vivid mental pictures of things such as favorite place, and vividly recall scents and sights.
The results showed a strong decrease in cravings with the use of these techniques.
A weakness of the study that the authors point out is that the cravings were induced in a lab setting. These cravings may not be the same as what we experience in the real world where cravings often have a strong stress component.
HOW TO USE IMAGERY TO LESSEN CRAVINGS:
The basic idea with using mental imagery to abate cravings is to take the mental bandwidth you are using to imagine whatever you crave and use it for something else that equally vivid in terms of sight and smell.
Drawing from the research, here are 3 practical steps you can utilize to lessen cravings.
-Create a strong mental image of a place or an experience.
-Vividly identify specific sights and scents from this mental picture.
-At the onset of cravings, take at least one minute to draw upon this mental image and viscerally experience the sights and scents in the picture.
That’s basically it.
Let’s keep in mind that we are taking something that works in a lab and trying to apply it to real world situations. I think there is value in keeping track of how well this works so we will begin a forum on this topic and you can rate your experience if this technique is helpful or not. The real world user feedback will be of good value in seeing how well this translates from lab to life.
Frequent Eating and Weight Gain Pre and Post Menopause
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If you are post menopause and worried about your weight, you may try not eating as frequently. This is the conclusion of a study from The Department of Nutrition and Dietetics from Harokopio University in Greece.
The study examined 65 pre-menopausal women and 50 postmenopausal women to see if eating frequency was associated with weight gain.
In the pre-menopausal women, there was no association to eating frequency weight gain while the post-menopause women; eating frequency was shown to be a good predictor of weight gain.
While this study definitely brings up a topic worth keeping an eye on, it also leaves a lot of questions unanswered.
Generally, more frequent, smaller meals are a good way to increase your weight loss. I think what this study points to is something touched on in the forums, which is physiological decline and weight gain.
The study shows only a correlation with menopause. It does not make clear that age related physiological decline unrelated to menopause may or may not be the cause. As we age, our production of energy at the cellular level wanes. This happens apart from menopause.
Also, there are other factors to consider. It may simply be that younger women have a more physically active lifestyle. There may even be cultural dietary differences at play.
This will be an interesting topic to keep bringing back as more data comes about.