Releana, HCG Injections, and the Truth Behind the Curtain

What if I told you that you could lose 40 pounds in 40 days without exercising? Is that something you might be interested in? In the overpromising and underdelivering world of pop-pseudoscience, it seems like each of the "breakthroughs" come in the areas of regrowing hair, increasing sexual potency or losing weight. No matter which of the three you want to roll the dice with, you’re almost always going to come up snake-eyes, particularly when it comes to weight loss miracles. Recently, I’ve known more than a half dozen people who have been receiving HCG injections to promote high metabolism, decrease appetite, and ultimately shed some unwanted pounds. The promises of HCG are steep, and while many of the promises are actually fulfilled, a slightly deeper examination can prove worthwhile.

One particular woman I know who weighed around 175 pounds began an 8 week program, which promised a total weight loss of 35-45 pounds, without doing any exercise. At first I was skeptical, but 8 weeks and 43 pounds later, I quite literally couldn’t believe what I had witnessed. Six days a week, she would go to a clinic near her house and receive an HCG shot. HCG stands for Human Chorionic Gonadotropin, and it is a hormone found in pregnant women’s placentas, excreted through their urine--so the body produces the hormone naturally. The particular clinic she went to was The Steelman Clinic in Oklahoma City, operated by Dr. Michael Steelman.

Being naturally curious, I went to The Steelman Clinic website, and I saw immediate red flags, but I kept in mind that the promise of losing a lot of weight in a very short time period was fulfilled for her. In the midst of links to various skin-rejuvenating procedures and health supplements, I found a section discussing both injectable and oral administrations of HCG. Oral HCG is sold under the brand name Releana.

Okay, let’s cut to the chase. After finding out that studies examining the effects of Releana and brands of injectable HCG have not discovered exactly how HCG causes weight loss, I decided to read through a few clinical trials to see what we do know. Most startling was the fact that on Releana’s main page, they have a link to clinical trials. The very first clinical trial I read measured body weight, body circumference, skinfold thickness and mood assessment. The results are really astounding, considering this study is actually posted on Releana’s website.

1. "We have tested all volunteers, screening for the p-hCG in plasma. Concentrations were undetectable in all cases." In this trial, there were essentially two different groups–one receiving HCG and a control group receiving placebo. HGC was undetectable in both groups' plasma.

2. "We do not know precisely how hCG acts on adipose tissue metabolism. However, some reports (32,84,85,83 ) suggest hCG possesses a metabolic activity on adipose tissue (i.e. decrease lipogenesis). These actions are not directly exerted upon adipocytes, since fat cell membranes have no receptors for hCG." It is commonly said of HCG that it decomposes excess fat in areas that are not normally able to be access through normal diet and exercise. This statement would suggest otherwise. HCG was undetectable in adipocytes, and what's more is that there doesn't seem to even be a way for HCG to be received by fat cells.

The ONLY scientifically measurable difference between groups receiving HCG and groups receiving placebo is described in the study as follows:

"Compared to placebo treated subjects, volunteers managed with an oral administration of HCG coped more efficiently with daily irritating situations, were in a better mood, and handled home conflicts without stepping up family discussions."

In other words, there was no recorded physical difference between the two groups, with the only emotional difference being a change in well-being, reported by self-analysis.

Now this study only incorporated sublingual HCG liquid rather than HCG injections. Not surprisingly, a quick read through the cited references pulled up this little gem. Per this study, "...there is no rationale for the use of HCG injections in the treatment of obesity." Naturally, the reasons Releana puts these on their website is that they are required to by law, and they know that no one (effectively speaking) reads them anyway.

If all that is true, where does the rubber meet the road? Why do so many people actually lose the weight they are promised to lose on this "diet?" The answer lies in the diet created by "HCG for obesity" founder, Dr. Simeons. During the 8 week HCG administration, patients are to consume only 500 calories per day. That consists of one piece of fruit per day along with a lunch and dinner that each consist of only four ounces of white meat and eight ounces of vegetables. In medical circles, this diet is referred to as a VLCD (Very Low Calorie Diet), and it has been proven to be just as effective without the use of HCG injections or liquid.

So at the end of the day (or at the beginning if you’re a morning person), you actually do have the opportunity to lose up to 45 pounds in just 8 short weeks if you take some form of HCG. It can also be said, however, that you can lose that same 45 pounds if you stick to a rigorous VLC diet and send me half of what you would've spent on those injections.