Dr. Oz Recap 1/31/2013: 5-HTP And Botox Injections As Weight Loss Supplements

Dr. Oz, January 31, 2013, says he has found some new Natural Weight Loss Supplements that will get your cravings under control and help you lose weight. So what causes hunger pains? Oz says it can be stress, hormones, and crashes from a sugar high or lots of caffeine. He goes on to say that these factors send signals to the brain. Controlling how these signals are processed is a key to controlling your hunger.

There is a substance called 5-HTP that Oz says is the best natural way to get your hunger under control. Dr. Tasneem Bhatia and Dr. Denise Bruner are on the show and they say this chemical is naturally in the body. It helps stabilize our because it helps in serotonin. Serotonin makes us feel happy and happy people are less likely to overeat.

Bhatia says that people who are emotional eaters have the biggest benefit from 5-HTP. Emotional eaters use food to compensate for feeling bad and leveling out your moods will help you eat less. Dr. Pina Loguidice says that 5-HTP also helps you sleep better and we all know that getting a good night’s sleep is a big factor in how our body deals with food.

5-HTP is slow working and Bhatia says that people usually lose about 1/2 a pound a week. Oz says women in a study ate about 100 fewer grams of carbs a day than women who were not taking it. Slow weight loss is the best way to get in shape and all the doctors on the panel say it is a key to keeping the weight off long term.

Oz says we need to try this for about three to four weeks before stopping as most patients say it takes about three weeks to notice a change in their appetite. So how do you know what kind of 5-HTP you need to buy?

1. You can get the supplement in any grocery store or drug store and it should cost around $15 dollars for a months supply.
2. Look for pure 5-htp or the words Griffonia Simplicifolia on the label and make sure it has no binders, additives, or fillers.
3. Take 50mg about 20 minutes before each meal and wait 3 months before you change the dosage.
NOTE: If you are on SSRI or MAOI medications you need to check with your doctor before using this supplement.

Dr. Bhatia says there are some side effects from using 5-HTP. The only bad one was nausea or abdominal pain. Others include a better moods that doesn’t change easily, better sleep, and some patients say they were sleepy during the day (This is a sign you need to take a lower dosage). Loguidice chimes in that 5-HTP is not Tryptophan and it is perfectly safe to use.

Now Oz has Dr. Tony Kalloo on the show and he says that using the wrinkle fighter Botox as a way to lose weight is a promising treatment. He says that Botox is known to relax muscles and that is why you have less wrinkles when you inject it into your skin. Of course, he forgets to mention the many women who can’t even crack a smile anymore since they have gotten so many of these treatments.

Injecting Botox into the stomach will relax it and reduce the contractions. When the stomach contracts, we get hunger pains. It also slows down the digestive process so people will feel full longer and eat less. The results here are a little disappointing. People only lose about 20 to 30 pounds over a 6 month period and if you don’t change your lifestyle, then you will just gain the weight back.

Oz points out that this is just an experimental procedure and may not be available yet. Oz didn’t seem to impressed with this treatment as a long term solution to your weight.

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.