SHAPE UP
Chasing that slim chance in alternative weight therapy

By Charles Stuart Platkin

Gannett News Service

I wish there was a magic pill or a candle I could light that would just squash my longing for a Krispy Kreme doughnut.

There are so many treatments that are not mainstream but could offer some solution.

Billions of dollars are already being spent each year on treatments such as hypnosis, aromatherapy, acupuncture, herbal medicine, meal replacements, and other assorted treatments. Something has to work, right?

Although I've heard many anecdotal stories of how these therapies changed lives (at least in the short run), the clinical research rarely, if ever, supports the claims made. David Allison, a professor at the Clinical Nutrition Research Center at the University of Alabama, looked at 18 alternative therapies for obesity. His conclusion? That the studies lack the evidence necessary to provide even a smidgen of hope that these treatments work.

Although most experts are not impressed with the effectiveness of unconventional methods for losing weight, there are still elements that might offer hope in our everlasting battle of the bulge.

Aromatherapy

This seems to be the most promising, mostly because smell is a critical component of taste, which directly relates to eating and satiety. Alan Hirsch, a neurologist and psychiatrist at the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation, started studying aromatherapy because of reports indicating that individuals who were losing their sense of smell ended up gaining significant amounts of weight (an average of 10 pounds). The logic is that if we gain weight by losing our sense of smell, perhaps we could lose weight by using our sense of smell.

Hirsch's research suggested that specific aromas can deprogram overweight people whose normal response to the smell of rich foods like chocolate, doughnuts and pizza is to become hungry and overeat. Hirsch tested the benefits of food odors to suppress appetite rather than stimulate appetite. Hirsch found that when overweight people inhaled sweet smells whenever they were hungry — scents such as banana, green apple, and peppermint — they were able to lose 30 pounds in six months.

How could scents control your appetite? Odors enter your nose and are filtered through the olfactory bulb (your sense of smell), which is connected to the satiety center in your brain. The satiety center interprets the odor and, in the case of sweet smells, informs your brain that you have eaten enough and are full. This response is direct and therefore quicker than the satiety signals your stomach sends to the brain after you have eaten.

While Hirsch's research looks like a strong case for aromatherapy, the successful results could be due to other reasons. Since people had to grab the inhaler instead of eating when they were hungry, they became more conscious of their food choices. It also reminded them not to eat; these factors may be why they lost weight — not necessarily because of the smell.

Another study, at St. George's Hospital in London, tested a skin aroma patch that released the aroma of vanilla to help reduce cravings for chocolate and other high-calorie sweet foods and drinks.

The participants lost an average of 4 1/2 pounds in four weeks. The researchers speculated that very sweet smells release serotonin — a brain chemical that makes you feel good — similar to the effects of chocolate (but without the calories).

The study also suggested that you could use vanilla-scented candles for similar effects. I attempted my own unofficial test.

I put 15 health-conscious individuals in a room with two vanilla candles and a few bags of candy to see what would happen. By the end of the session, most of the candy was gone.

Hypnosis

"Dateline NBC" profiled several individuals attempting to lose weight using a variety of different methods. One of those profiled was a Boston pastry chef who lost 40 pounds using hypnosis.

My aunt actually tried hypnosis to lose weight more than 25 years ago. Was it effective? If you ask her, she probably wouldn't even remember that she visited a hypnotist. But she's been in good shape ever since — exercising and vigilant about her diet.

The idea is that once the mind is in a "relaxed" state, the mind is open and therefore willing to "hear" therapeutic suggestions to encourage changes in behavior. It's simply a way of teaching clients a new way of thinking.

Unfortunately, after reviewing more than 30 clinical studies, I found no conclusive evidence that hypnosis is an effective method for someone to control weight.

But I wouldn't dismiss the process entirely. Hypnosis, when applied by a professional in combination with behavioral change and nutrition education, could increase your likelihood of losing weight.

Acupuncture

Acupuncture is a very popular field of alternative medicine, most often for pain relief. Very thin needles of varying lengths are inserted through the skin to attempt to treat a variety of conditions. It is a traditional Chinese practice dating back 2,000 to 3,000 years.

The theory is there are more than 2,000 acupuncture points on the human body and that they connect with 12 main and eight secondary pathways called meridians. Chinese practitioners believe that these meridians conduct energy throughout the body.

As for losing weight, acupuncture supposedly stimulates the auricular branch of the vagal nerve and raises serotonin levels, which suppresses appetite.

There is some evidence that acupuncture can help decrease pain, but no clinical support for weight loss.

The bottom line for all these methods and dieting is this: If you think something will help you lose weight, often times that is what makes it work. There's something to be said for the placebo effect.

Charles Stuart Platkin is a syndicated health and fitness columnist. See nutricise.com.