Q: What is HCG and how does it work?
A: HCG is the acronym for Human Chorionic Gonadotropin, a substance produced by the placenta during pregnancy in huge amounts. It was discovered by Ascheim and Zondek in the urine of pregnant women, back as 1927. After its discovery, scientists tried to find a name for this substance, and when they observed that the administration of hCG helped to provoke ovulation in experimentation animals, they named their discovery Gonadotropin, that means it has an action on gonads (testicles or ovaries) and Chorionic because later it was found was produced by the Chorium of the placenta.
Q: Is it safe to use HCG?
A: HCG is very safe. Women experience extremely high levels during the nine months of pregnancy and have multiple pregnancies without ill effects. The small amount used for weight loss has NO side effects.
Q: If HCG works so well for weight loss, why don’t pregnant women lose weight?
HCG works to mobilize fat for utilization by the body only when there is a significant decrease in calories and fat. A starvation state must exist for HCG to work. For weight loss, we use a very low calorie diet to trigger HCG to help rid the body of fat.
Q: Why do we use a “pregnancy” substance for obesity treatment?
A: This was the great discovery from a British Physician, Dr. ATW Simeons. The first report on the use of hCG for the management of obesity was published in 1954 by the late Dr. ATW Simeons, a British Physician practicing at the Ospedale Salvatori Mundii in Rome. Working in India, he noticed that the so-called “fat boys,” who showed Adiposogenital dystrophy improved their undescended testis when they were treated with hCG. But he also observed that body fat distribution modified during the treatment course. Therefore he hypothesized that if those children were concomitantly submitted to a very Hypocaloric diet they could reduce their body weight, consuming the “fat on the move”. Later on, he extended his investigations to patients showing different degrees of obesity, and concluded that hCG might be useful for the treatment of obesity because (424-425).
- Patients tolerated a Very Low Calorie Diet without suffering headaches irritability, weakness, so common to this approach for weight reduction. Maintenance period after treatment was more effective when compared with simple dietetic procedures.
- Weight reductions were more satisfactory than those obtained with Standard Hypocaloric Diets
- Patients lost more body fat (measured in centimeters) from those regions where adipose tissue accumulations were more conspicuous.
- He hypothesized that hCG acted at diencephalic level, modulating hypothalamic regulatory Centers, which were in turn responsible for the excessive fat accumulation as seen in obesity.
Q: What are the functions of HCG during pregnancy?
A: HCG is the biggest glycoproteic substance (we do not like to call it hormone, see below) present in human beings. Its molecule contains over 300 amino acids, and despite some of its functions have been well described, many of them are poorly understood. One of the functions is to protect the embryo to be rejected : genetically 50% of the embryo belongs to the father, and since those genes act like a foreign body to the mother, the organism could reject the embryo. In fact, when an abortion menace is present, blood levels of HCG abruptly decrease .During pregnancy, and grossly speaking, the placenta takes the control of nearly all the mother’s metabolic functions , and in certain sense acts like the hypophysis gland. HCG is one of the substances that regulate metabolism during pregnancy.
Q: Will my insurance company cover the cost of HCG therapy?
A: Whether or not your insurance company will cover the costs depends upon your coverage, though it usually is not covered. Although HCG Medical does not directly bill insurance companies on behalf of patients, we will supply you with the necessary insurance codes and with an invoice so you can properly submit a claim. Medicaid and Medicare do not currently cover these expenses.
Q: Why is it necessary to get updated medical information and tests?
A: Even if you used to be a patient with a different weight loss clinic, our physicians need to be certain the information they have is accurate and current. In this way, we can create the program that will be most likely to bring you success without taking any unnecessary medical risks.
Q: Will my metabolism slow down if I’m on a very low calorie diet?
A: Normally when we cut back our calories and fat, our bodies store fat and our metabolisms slow down. This happens because fat is really a life-saving source of stored energy. When a very low calorie diet is employed with HCG, the body is signaled to use the fat that is stored for energy or for elimination.
Q: Wouldn’t I lose the same amount of weight eating a very low calorie diet without HCG?
A: You can lose weight by simply eating fewer calories and fat, but because the body stores fat during times of deprivation, you will most likely lose muscle and bone before fat. This causes cellular metabolism to slow down, so in the long run, it would make gaining weight easier.
Q: The HCG diet is very low calorie, will I get hungry?
Because HCG mobilizes fat and makes it available to the body as an energy source, it naturally reduces appetite. So, even though, you are taking in fewer calories, your body is able to access the energy you have stored. Most people have plenty of energy and feel good while on the program.
Q: Will HCG interfere with any medications I am currently taking?
A:No, Hcg does not interact with any medications and there are no side effects.
Q: Will I experience any changes in my menstrual cycle taking HCG?
A: No, there are no side effects from the very low amounts of Hcg that we give.
Q: Are there other benefits from using HCG for obesity treatment?
A: Yes. Patients feel in a good mood throughout the treatment period. They do not report irritability, weakness. They look fine. Sleep improves. Also, patients notice a decrease in the size of their body circumferences, referred as “Clothes fit fine, better than any other regular diet”. A very important remodeling of body contour is observed (due to the fact that hCG+diet decreases body fat better than any other obesity treatment).
Q: Why are some people calling Hcg the “Hcg-Cure”?
A: HCG is also being call the “HCG-Cure” because after taking it for weight loss, it works to re-program your body to use stored fat for energy when calories are reduced for some period of time. Or put another way, it helps you maintain and not re-gain the weight you have lost.
Q: How much weight can I expect to lose on the program?
A: On average, our patients lose around 20 lbs. per month. Many times 10 to 12 lbs are lost in the first week.
Q: Does the weight loss slow down after the first month?
A: Often times what we see is a large weight loss in the first month, then we will see a plateau. This does not mean weight loss has stopped. Usually we still see inches being lost continuously and then we will see another large drop on the scale. Weight loss is achieved in stair-step fashion.
Q: Any clinical complication from the method?
A: Provided the procedure is performed by a trained doctor, none.
Q: Will I test positive for a pregnancy test?
A: Yes, it will a “Positive” result, as the HCG dose is similar to that found in women who are in their 14th day of pregnancy.