The big question is, what can you do regarding the hCG diet now that the FDA has begun to shut down the hCG drops industry? Two key things to know are what the FDA actually did and what is still available.
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FDA vs. hCG Diet

Keep in mind that the official purview of the FDA is to approve definitions of diseases and to approve drugs to treat them. The unofficial, yet operational, role of the FDA is to be the enforcement arm of the pharmaceutical industry.

Obesity is defined as a disease. Any substance that is claimed as a treatment for it, or for overweight, is by definition a drug treatment for a defined disease. This generally does not include diets per se, unless accompanied by a substance that can be defined by the FDA as a drug.

This is what happened recently when the FDA ruled against homeopathic hCG. (See: More Homeopathic HCG Paranoia at the FDA.) The ruling was not against the hCG diet, or against the hormone hCG. It was against homeopathic hCG. This was based on too many claims that homeopathic hCG causes weight loss, meaning treating overweight or obesity. That is a drug claim, and homeopathic hCG is not an approved drug.

Excuse me if I seem to be repeating myself here. I just want to make it clear what the FDA actually did. The newspaper article that was widely circulated and quoted on this ruling was itself very vague, misleading, and sensationalized, which is typical of modern journalism.

What Does This Have to Do With hCG Drops?

The form of entry – drops, pellets, tablets, gel caps, skin creams or gels, etc. – is irrelevant. Unfortunately, the association of ‘hCG drops’ with ‘homeopathic hCG’ is so common that they seem to be one in the same. However, they are not. Homeopathic medicines can be formulated in any of these forms. Approved drugs can, too. The key target of the FDA was not the form of entry, it was homeopathic hCG regardless of the form of entry. If you are confused, your confusion probably stems from confusion at the FDA itself. We are, after all, not talking about a federal agency that is known for critical thinking and clear expression.

What is Still Available?

Legitimate clinics and other sources of real hCG, as measured in International Units (I.U., not homeopathic dilutions) still offer the hormone for weight loss. Even this is an illegal use. HCG is not approved for weight loss. Folks at the FDA choose to ignore all of the evidence that it works, up to and including recent research in molecular biology that is starting to explain how it interacts with leptin receptors in the same areas of the hypothalamus (brain). Leptin is our ‘master fat hormone’ that communicates between fat cells and the brain. It is a fascinating story that continues to unfold.

The position of the FDA on this research leans more toward pharmaceutical companies that are looking for ways to make the leptin pathway work better. This means new drug development, of course. Keep tuned in to this topic, then when the new drug appears, run as fast as you can the other way. The history of FDA-approved weight loss drugs is a lesson in failure, disaster, and danger to human health.

With the latest hCG diet update,

Dr. D