Looking For a Magic Pill?

Spoiler Alert: There isn’t one.

It is very rare that I will sit on the couch and watch TV. I am the type of person who needs to be constantly busy. If I sit down for any length of time when the sun is still up,  I start to think about all that needs to get done and I cannot relax. With that said, when I get hit with a horrible flu bug or some other ailment, of course, I have no choice but to take it easy.

Last year, when I had the flu, it was, in part, exciting (I’ll explain this in a minute) but mostly it knocked me off my ass! I was stuck on the couch for a few days with such bad nausea that all I could do was chill (very unlike me) and I watched regular TV with – *gasp*- commercials. It is amazing how many drug commercials there are these days. One in particular struck a chord with me.

I remember seeing a commercial for a  new weight loss drug out there called Contrave (clever name). The pill claims that it works on two areas of the brain to control your craving (pleasure center) and to make you feel fuller longer (hunger center), albeit with possible side effects of depression and suicide. The commercial shows women working together to form a brain and shows women in restaurants refusing dessert. Why is this such a big deal? Why is this so frustrating for me?

There are a few key points this ad is leaving out about what exactly this pill is doing to your brain. Any time you take a medication there is going to be some effect. As long as you are taking this pill,  you will be stifling your pleasure center in your brain , the area that makes you feel good, and the area in your brain that tells you are hungry. By clogging those receptor sites in your brain,  you’ll also be blocking your natural production of the hormone leptin,  as well as the hormone ghrelin. These are known as the  “hunger hormones,” leptin and ghrelin. Leptin is a hormone made by fat cells, that decreases your appetite. Ghrelin is a hormone that increases appetite, and also plays a role in body weight. If you block your own body’s production of these two hormones,  you will never be able to control your cravings and therefore weight gain.

You cannot block these hormones without having some seriously negative repercussions. Forget about blocking the pleasure center of your brain (the one this drug claims will help you stay away from French fries and ice cream), but what else are you going to be blocking? It’s no wonder the two biggest side effects are depression and suicidal thoughts. Don’t mess with your brain, people. Our body knows exactly how to heal itself, it knows exactly how much to eat and when to stop. There are other problems at play here and there is no magic pill to cure them. Especially not if you want long-term results. You cannot take a drug to cure cravings.

If you or someone you know is seriously struggling with an uncontrollable appetite or cravings and uncontrolled weight gain, please know there are bigger things at play and there is no one pill. Get yourself a coach, or call me and we can work on it together. Please let me know if I can be of any help to you. My goal for you  is for lifetime success and longevity!

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