Hoodia Hoopla

[Guest guest]

I got asked the other day what I knew about Hoodia. I had never

heard of it. Evidently this is the lastest in a long line of magic

pills to help with weight loss. It is supposed to be an herb from

South Africa that suppresses appetite. I looked on line and there

is a lot of controversy on this herb and it seems very little

research. Doc or Zeb or anyone else, have you heard of this herb?

Do you know what chemicals it is stimulating or suppressing in the

brain? I haven't seen any information on safety of this product but

have seen a lot of warnings on potency. Obviously, caveat emptor,

but I wanted to see if anyone had any good information on this

before I get back to my friend who asked about it.

 

Thanks!

 

Elaine

[Guest guest]

I'd like to bump this back up. I've been reading about it as well.

I'm curious too. What I hear is that you have to be careful where

you buy it and that the tincture works better but is expensive.

 

Anybody else know anything about it?

 

 

herbal remedies , " Elaine " <horseaholic@s...>

wrote:

>

>

> I got asked the other day what I knew about Hoodia. I had never

> heard of it. Evidently this is the lastest in a long line of magic

> pills to help with weight loss. It is supposed to be an herb from

> South Africa that suppresses appetite. I looked on line and there

> is a lot of controversy on this herb and it seems very little

> research. Doc or Zeb or anyone else, have you heard of this herb?

> Do you know what chemicals it is stimulating or suppressing in the

> brain? I haven't seen any information on safety of this product but

> have seen a lot of warnings on potency. Obviously, caveat emptor,

> but I wanted to see if anyone had any good information on this

> before I get back to my friend who asked about it.

>

> Thanks!

>

> Elaine

[Guest guest]

Don't know much about it other than it's a type of cactus like plant. Now it "sounds" fine but.... Well when you study about diets you find that there is no "one" thing that works. There is no "miracle cure".

 

My personal thought process went like this: Africans used to use this... if so what else did they supplement their diets with. Well they probably ate organic food since they didn't have chemicals manufactured by huge corporations etc down in Africa at the time. The probably had an excellent protein source not solely based on meats. Hmmm.... How often did they take it (from what I could find they took it only on long treks that they needed to conserve their food on) and how much did they use and truly for what purpose. Not to lose weight. But to save on food.

 

See their bodies had everything they needed to get through the rough period of no food. They were temperate with the herb/food/plant. Is taking these everyday something they did as a part of their diet (I tried to find this out and not one place does it mention taking it regularly unless on these long trips they went on).

 

So in conclusion I would say, fix your regular, everyday, garden variety, 70% organic fruits & veggies diet. Once this is in place you won't need to look for an "easy" out.

 

Does this answer the question for you?

 

Sincerely,

 

Zeb Sims

Office Manager

Moderator

 

-

Elaine

herbal remedies

Saturday, March 19, 2005 7:09 AM

Herbal Remedies - Hoodia Hoopla

I got asked the other day what I knew about Hoodia. I had never heard of it. Evidently this is the lastest in a long line of magic pills to help with weight loss. It is supposed to be an herb from South Africa that suppresses appetite. I looked on line and there is a lot of controversy on this herb and it seems very little research. Doc or Zeb or anyone else, have you heard of this herb? Do you know what chemicals it is stimulating or suppressing in the brain? I haven't seen any information on safety of this product but have seen a lot of warnings on potency. Obviously, caveat emptor, but I wanted to see if anyone had any good information on this before I get back to my friend who asked about it. Thanks!ElaineFederal Law requires that we warn you of the following: 1. Natural methods can sometimes backfire. 2. If you are pregnant, consult your physician before using any natural remedy. 3. The Constitution guarantees you the right to be your own physician and toprescribe for your own health. We are not medical doctors although MDs are welcome to post here as long as they behave themselves. Any opinions put forth by the list members are exactly that, and any person following the advice of anyone posting here does so at their own risk. It is up to you to educate yourself. By accepting advice or products from list members, you are agreeing to be fully responsible for your own health, and hold the List Owner and members free of any liability. Dr. Ian ShillingtonDoctor of NaturopathyDr.IanShillington

[Guest guest]

Hoodia is supposed to work by tricking the hypothalamus in to

believing that there is a sufficient level of glucose in the blood so

that the hypothalamus will tell your system that you have had enough

food. I recall a study a long time ago where they removed the

hypothalamus from rats. The rats never got the signal from the

hypothalamus that they were full. So these rats literally ate

themselves to death. I have often wondered if this is the same

mechanism involved in Prader-Willey Syndrome, in which people never

get the signal to stop eating.

Anyway, a simple dieting trick is to eat a tiny amount of a

carbohydrate about 15 minutes before sitting down to eat a meal. The

reason for this is that carbohydrates consumed in the absence of

large amounts of protein will stimulate the release of tryptophan in

the brain, which in turn converts in to serotonin, killing the

appetite. Proteins block this process. In fact it is not the

tryptophan in turkey that makes you sleepy after Thanksgiving dinner.

This is a persistent myth. The high amino acid content from the

protein in the meal poses several problems. First of all amino acids

compete for receptor sites. Larger amino acids will block the

absorption of smaller amino acids. In short, larger amino acids

sharing the same transport chains, such as phenylalanine, can block

the absorption of the tryptophan. And as mentioned before, most of

any tryptophan that manages to get absorbed will not readily convert

in to serotonin due to the blocking action of the proteins in the

meal. What makes you sleepy is that a large meal is hard to digest,

especially when it is high in protein, which is harder to break down

than carbohydrates. So the body diverts blood away from the brain,

down to the stomach to aid in digestion. Though the reduced blood

supply to the brain makes us tired.

Anyway, back to hoodia. Hoodia has the same appetite suppressing

effect as glucose, though it is considered to be thousands of times

stronger in this action.

There are over 20 species of hoodia, though the one used for an

appetite suppressant is Hoodia gordonii. I have heard that this

species is not very common so many manufacturers are only using tiny

amounts of hoodia mixed with other ingredients.

 

 

herbal remedies , " Ginger " <vleonard@m...>

wrote:

>

>

> I'd like to bump this back up. I've been reading about it as

well.

> I'm curious too. What I hear is that you have to be careful where

> you buy it and that the tincture works better but is expensive.

>

> Anybody else know anything about it?

>

>

> herbal remedies , " Elaine " <horseaholic@s...>

> wrote:

> >

> >

> > I got asked the other day what I knew about Hoodia. I had never

> > heard of it. Evidently this is the lastest in a long line of

magic

> > pills to help with weight loss. It is supposed to be an herb

from

> > South Africa that suppresses appetite. I looked on line and

there

> > is a lot of controversy on this herb and it seems very little

> > research. Doc or Zeb or anyone else, have you heard of this

herb?

> > Do you know what chemicals it is stimulating or suppressing in

the

> > brain? I haven't seen any information on safety of this product

but

> > have seen a lot of warnings on potency. Obviously, caveat

emptor,

> > but I wanted to see if anyone had any good information on this

> > before I get back to my friend who asked about it.

> >

> > Thanks!

> >

> > Elaine

[Guest guest]

Are there any reputable studies out there that show whether it

works? Any reputable dealers? I know that one of my problems is

that after about 4 bites of any meal, I feel full but if I wait a few

minutes that feeling goes away and I eat again. I'm trying pay

attention to the feeling and stop eating but honest to goodness, it's

only after about 3 or 4 bites and I'm thinking that's just not enough

food because 20 minutes later I'm feeling hungry again.

 

 

 

herbal remedies , " hveragerthi "

<hveragerthi> wrote:

>

>

> Hoodia is supposed to work by tricking the hypothalamus in to

> believing that there is a sufficient level of glucose in the blood

so

> that the hypothalamus will tell your system that you have had

enough

> food. I recall a study a long time ago where they removed the

> hypothalamus from rats. The rats never got the signal from the

> hypothalamus that they were full. So these rats literally ate

> themselves to death. I have often wondered if this is the same

[Guest guest]

My son does have Prader-Willi Syndrome.It is rare, happening 1:12,000-

15,000 births. You are right that the hypothalamus does not function

properly in PWS. It is caused by a deletion on the 15th chromosome 75%

of the time or a duplicated 15th chromosome 25% of the time(called

uniparental disomy) and the rest are due to imprinting errors. The

hypothalamus also controls temperature and behaviour. They also have

slow metabolisms and low muscle tone. They are restricted to daily

diets of 800-1,000 cals. My son would eat himself to death if controls

were not in place.They never feel the sensation of being full. To

prevent this he needs constant supervision and we do have to lock all

access to food. I have purchased Hoodia to see if it can help. I'm not

holding my breath though. I'll let you know if it works.If we could

find something to control the appetite, many of these people could live

on their own.Their IQ's can range from developmentally delayed to

normal. My son is high functioning. Uncontrolled PWS used to only live

until late teens or early 20's due to obesity related problems.

 

Susan

 

herbal remedies , " hveragerthi "

<hveragerthi> wrote:

 

Hoodia is supposed to work by tricking the hypothalamus in to

> believing that there is a sufficient level of glucose in the blood so

> that the hypothalamus will tell your system that you have had enough

> food. I recall a study a long time ago where they removed the

> hypothalamus from rats. The rats never got the signal from the

> hypothalamus that they were full. So these rats literally ate

> themselves to death. I have often wondered if this is the same

> mechanism involved in Prader-Willey Syndrome, in which people never

> get the signal to stop eating.

>

[Guest guest]

That was very educational. Thank you very much.

 

Zeb

 

-

hveragerthi

herbal remedies

Saturday, March 26, 2005 5:42 AM

Herbal Remedies - Re: Hoodia Hoopla

Hoodia is supposed to work by tricking the hypothalamus in to believing that there is a sufficient level of glucose in the blood so that the hypothalamus will tell your system that you have had enough food. I recall a study a long time ago where they removed the hypothalamus from rats. The rats never got the signal from the hypothalamus that they were full. So these rats literally ate themselves to death. I have often wondered if this is the same mechanism involved in Prader-Willey Syndrome, in which people never get the signal to stop eating.Anyway, a simple dieting trick is to eat a tiny amount of a carbohydrate about 15 minutes before sitting down to eat a meal. The reason for this is that carbohydrates consumed in the absence of large amounts of protein will stimulate the release of tryptophan in the brain, which in turn converts in to serotonin, killing the appetite. Proteins block this process. In fact it is not the tryptophan in turkey that makes you sleepy after Thanksgiving dinner. This is a persistent myth. The high amino acid content from the protein in the meal poses several problems. First of all amino acids compete for receptor sites. Larger amino acids will block the absorption of smaller amino acids. In short, larger amino acids sharing the same transport chains, such as phenylalanine, can block the absorption of the tryptophan. And as mentioned before, most of any tryptophan that manages to get absorbed will not readily convert in to serotonin due to the blocking action of the proteins in the meal. What makes you sleepy is that a large meal is hard to digest, especially when it is high in protein, which is harder to break down than carbohydrates. So the body diverts blood away from the brain, down to the stomach to aid in digestion. Though the reduced blood supply to the brain makes us tired.Anyway, back to hoodia. Hoodia has the same appetite suppressing effect as glucose, though it is considered to be thousands of times stronger in this action.There are over 20 species of hoodia, though the one used for an appetite suppressant is Hoodia gordonii. I have heard that this species is not very common so many manufacturers are only using tiny amounts of hoodia mixed with other ingredients.herbal remedies , "Ginger" <vleonard@m...> wrote:> > > I'd like to bump this back up. I've been reading about it as well. > I'm curious too. What I hear is that you have to be careful where> you buy it and that the tincture works better but is expensive. > > Anybody else know anything about it?> > > herbal remedies , "Elaine" <horseaholic@s...> > wrote:> > > > > > I got asked the other day what I knew about Hoodia. I had never > > heard of it. Evidently this is the lastest in a long line of magic > > pills to help with weight loss. It is supposed to be an herb from > > South Africa that suppresses appetite. I looked on line and there > > is a lot of controversy on this herb and it seems very little > > research. Doc or Zeb or anyone else, have you heard of this herb? > > Do you know what chemicals it is stimulating or suppressing in the > > brain? I haven't seen any information on safety of this product but > > have seen a lot of warnings on potency. Obviously, caveat emptor, > > but I wanted to see if anyone had any good information on this > > before I get back to my friend who asked about it. > > > > Thanks!> > > > ElaineFederal Law requires that we warn you of the following: 1. Natural methods can sometimes backfire. 2. If you are pregnant, consult your physician before using any natural remedy. 3. The Constitution guarantees you the right to be your own physician and toprescribe for your own health. We are not medical doctors although MDs are welcome to post here as long as they behave themselves. Any opinions put forth by the list members are exactly that, and any person following the advice of anyone posting here does so at their own risk. It is up to you to educate yourself. By accepting advice or products from list members, you are agreeing to be fully responsible for your own health, and hold the List Owner and members free of any liability. Dr. Ian ShillingtonDoctor of NaturopathyDr.IanShillington

[Guest guest]

Hi Sally,

 

That would be really interesting to see your results. I have only

seen one case of PWS in all of my years in medicine. She was 4 years

old when I met her. Unfortunately that was a long time ago, and I

don't know what happened with her. But it would be handy infomration

for future reference.

 

herbal remedies , " susanjbfree " <stjames5@s...>

wrote:

>

>

> My son does have Prader-Willi Syndrome.It is rare, happening

1:12,000-

> 15,000 births. You are right that the hypothalamus does not

function

> properly in PWS. It is caused by a deletion on the 15th chromosome

75%

> of the time or a duplicated 15th chromosome 25% of the time(called

> uniparental disomy) and the rest are due to imprinting errors. The

> hypothalamus also controls temperature and behaviour. They also

have

> slow metabolisms and low muscle tone. They are restricted to daily

> diets of 800-1,000 cals. My son would eat himself to death if

controls

> were not in place.They never feel the sensation of being full. To

> prevent this he needs constant supervision and we do have to lock

all

> access to food. I have purchased Hoodia to see if it can help. I'm

not

> holding my breath though. I'll let you know if it works.If we could

> find something to control the appetite, many of these people could

live

> on their own.Their IQ's can range from developmentally delayed to

> normal. My son is high functioning. Uncontrolled PWS used to only

live

> until late teens or early 20's due to obesity related problems.

>

> Susan

>

> herbal remedies , " hveragerthi "

> <hveragerthi> wrote:

>

> Hoodia is supposed to work by tricking the hypothalamus in to

> > believing that there is a sufficient level of glucose in the

blood so

> > that the hypothalamus will tell your system that you have had

enough

> > food. I recall a study a long time ago where they removed the

> > hypothalamus from rats. The rats never got the signal from the

> > hypothalamus that they were full. So these rats literally ate

> > themselves to death. I have often wondered if this is the same

> > mechanism involved in Prader-Willey Syndrome, in which people

never

> > get the signal to stop eating.

> >