333: Dr. Kendra Pearsall On The Low-Carb Way To Naturopathic Health

Written on February 11, 2010

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Hello and welcome back to The Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb Show With Jimmy Moore!

In today’s interview, Jimmy speaks with Naturopathic Physician, Dr. Kendra Pearsall. Dr. Pearsall has written four books with Dr. Joseph Mercola and creator of Enlita.com, a naturopathic health and nutrition website. In this far-ranging discussion, Jimmy and Dr. Pearsall discuss Homeopathic HCG, why walking is a poor exercise for weight loss, special treatment for emotional eating and much, much more!

LINKS MENTIONED IN EPISODE 333
- Visit our sponsor: LO-CARB U
- Dr. Kendra Pearsall bio
- Enlita.com
- Dr. Pearsall’s YouTube videos

Alternative Medicine, Low-Carb Lifestyle, naturopathy, Physiology, Satiety

13 Comments - Leave a comment!

Amber

Loved this episode on HCG! I was stuck on the low carb diet after my second child, just could not loose the weight. I went to a local naturalpath who got me off all artficial sweetners and one course of HCG. I switched to stevia and with the help of HCG I took off nearly 30 pounds in a month. I went back to my normal low carb lifestyle (although now I am as organic as I can afford) and now I do not have to be quite as strick as I was before. I found HCG along with the Stevia tip made a huge difference for me. I am four months out from the program – no weight gain!
http://www.livinlavidalowcarb.com/blog Jimmy Moore

Interesting Amber! THANKS for sharing.
http://www.speedweightlossbook.com Jeff Thiboutot

Dr. Pearsall had a couple of good things to say, such as eat real whole foods, look at the many variables that can affect weight, walking will not help much, if at all, with weight loss. However, there are some things that she discusses that have little or no quality evidence to support them. I think this is ironic because she likes to point out that there are a lot of “scam artists”. Well, some of the things she said and have very little or no quality evidence to support them. I don’t know what you call that, but it is not a good thing. The information about HCG and the HCG diet is what is most egregious.
Here are a few things that I disagree with:

She states “Pathological brown fat”
Brown fat is actually a very useful, health promoting fat; see Cannon, B & Nedergaard, J. (2004). Brown adipose tissue: Function and physiological significance. Physiol Rev; 84: 277-359.

She states; “To begin the HCG diet you need to ‘build up your fat stores”
Really, a person that is 50, 75 or 100 lbs overweight (over fat) needs to build up their fat stores. What is this 50+ lbs of fat called? So pigging out for 3 days will help you lose weight? I would love to see the evidence for this recommendation.
HCG protects you from famine. Again the evidence for this is lacking.

She talks about food sensitivities and candida, both potential problems for some people. Each can have a negative effect on digestion, food cravings, and of course your health, I agree so far. She also feels that these are very important things to fix before weight loss can occur or why a lot of people are not losing weight. I currently don’t think these are big impediments, due to the lack of quality clinical trials connecting these problems and the inability to lose weight. However, my real problem with her statements about these factors is if these are so important how does putting someone on the HCG hormone going to fix these problems?

With respect to food sensitivities and weight loss, the book she mentioned; Your Hidden Food Allergies are Making You Fat by Rivera and Deutsch has some good information. However, the connection of food sensitivities and weight is based almost solely on a single study done at Baylor in 1996 and published in The Bariatrician. The intervention group did do better that the control group, but there are some problems with the study. The main one was the lack of good control over the diet of the control group, the paper states; “Subjects in the control group were asked to pursue a weight loss program of their own choosing” (p.21). Additionally, both the control group and the intervention group “self-reported” their diets. Self reporting nutrition information is always fraught with reliability problems.

The worst problem is the suggestion that homeopathic HCG is as good as or better than the real hormone that is injected. There is NO quality evidence that this is true. The use of the real HCG itself is lacking in quality evidence to support its efficacy in weight loss and the other benefits that are suggested by its advocates. My colleague Matt is currently updating our report on HCG. A preliminary view of it is posted on the forum for this website. Please read this and our earlier report before you make your final decision about using HCG.

One final thing, based on the key homeopathic philosophy of “like cures like” how does HCG fit into that belief? Can HCG also make you fat at higher amounts, but lower amounts or the “energy” of HCG can make you lose fat? I would love to get a response from a practitioner who uses homeopathic HCG to explain that one to me.
Ailu

Both my husband & I lost 70 Lbs each on Simeon’s HCG Protocol, and we haven’t gained it back. It was an amazingly easy way to lose weight, no hunger and the fat literally came pouring off. Plus our blood panels came back excellent afterwards.

However, I have a problem wrapping my head around “homeopathic” HCG. HCG is a hormone, and in order for a hormone to activate certain functions at the cellular level, it needs to have a molecular structure. Thus I can’t see how the “memory” of HCG could have any effect. If anyone can show me studies where people have used homeopathic birth control pills successfully, well then maybe I’ll reconsider. But until then, I’d certainly recommend going with the real thing.
Kristina

FYI, her site isn’t the only place to order homeopathic hcg. She says she doesn’t know of any others, but there are lots. A visit to hcg message boards or even ebay unveil literally dozens of companies. The big question is whether the homeopathic really works as well as the real thing.
http://pagan-hayes.tumblr.com/ Pagan Hayes

Hoo boy.. Perhaps the reason that homeopathic hcg has no side effects is that it’s water. Pure water.

I admit to having real antagonism to homeopathy – after all, if we can be cured by “like cures like” and the more a homeopathic solution is diluted the more powerful it becomes, to the point where not a single molecule of the original compound/sample remains ( the reason they can sell a ‘hormone” without doctor’s prescription) then we should all get well by simply drinking stream water – after all, the water has in it’s long cycle been in contact with pretty much everything on Earth and its’ now incredibly diluted….

“Actually, the laws of chemistry state that there is a limit to the dilution that can be made without losing the original substance altogether. This limit corresponds to homeopathic potencies of 12C or 24X (1 part in 1024). Hahnemann himself realized that there is virtually no chance that even one molecule of original substance would remain after extreme dilutions. But he believed that the vigorous shaking or pulverizing with each step of dilution leaves behind a “spirit-like” essence—”no longer perceptible to the senses”—which cures by reviving the body’s “vital force.”

from
http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/homeo.html

Her program is probably very useful to people as it provides an excellent structure for people who need externally imposed order – but the homeopathic claims really cast a shadow over her overall professionalism.

Mona Townsend

As a 63 year old computer science PhD, I can tell you this much as a fact. I lost 60 pounds on Dr. Kendra Pearsall’s homeopathic HCG. I did it in 3 months. I have been trying to take off weight for 10 years (I am diabetic with gluten/casein intolerance). I have tried every diet, conscientiously and did not lose weight like I did on her diet. I’m grateful to her and don’t care who knows it. I’ve been dieting for 10 years. If I’m going to have to always diet, I would rather be thin and dieting than fat and dieting. I’m now in the process to see if I keep it off. By the way, as a side to the HCG, I’m now off all diabetic medication; my A1C is 5.5. See why I’m grateful to Dr. Pearsall?

TMS

This woman came off like a scam artist to me. I don’t trust Mercola either, her former boyfriend. He’s always selling something. And Kevin Trudeau is a well known scam artist. Do a Google search for Kevin Trudeau and scam and you’ll find dozens of articles. I think you may need to start doing some vetting of your guests, Jimmy.

You don’t have to trust my guests, TMS. But if you don’t agree with them, then move on. Not all the information is for everyone, but somebody is gonna benefit from hearing this information. I highly respect Dr. Pearsall and know here well. THANK YOU!

–Jimmy
TMS

Just be careful who you side with Jimmy. It may come back to bite you.

Having someone on my podcast and being on their “side” are two mutually independent things, my friend. My job is to put information out there and let people decide for themselves what to think. THANKS for sharing your opinions.

–Jimmy
Laurence Whitehead

After roundly (and correctly) criticizing doctors who ignore scientific evidence in the fat vs. carb debate on your show (i.e. the show with Alan Watson) it is disappointing to have you highlight a doctor who is selling homoeopathic remedies. How does she defend this practice when it is well documented that homeopathy is not even mathematically possible (see the link on Pagan Hayes’ post above). Putting homeopathy along side the rigorous science of your other guests lowers the credibility of the information you are trying to provide.
stephanie

kendra is a scam artist and her website enlita.com is breaking quite a few laws. I’m sure the DEA will find out about her scams and drug trafficing.

I wouldn’t buy from her in a million years. I would do like others say and search google “pounds and inches” its the original HCG Diet book and its free to find on the web.

If you feel it is “breaking quite a few laws,” then I encourage you to contact the authorities about it. I have a neutral position on HCG right now because there’s not enough scientific information out there for me to make a judgment about it one way or another. I appreciate you sharing your concerns and I welcome others to chime in with their opinions as well.

–Jimmy
honeybee

A lot of people reflexively bash homeopathy without ever having tried it.

My husband and I have been successfully treated by homeopathic doctors for long-standing chronic medical conditions that conventional medicine could not help. I would add that I was a nurse for 20 years. I know the conventional medical system inside and out, and I trust my homeopath over any conventional doctor.

I find it amusing and curious that some of the same people who revile conventional wisdom regarding diet, exercise, weight loss and the like, are very quick to condemn homeopathy. It seem very hypocritical, to say the least!

I encourage all to keep an open mind. And, do not criticize or condemn homeopathy until you have tried it, prescribed, of course, by a real homeopath.

Thanks, Mr. Moore, for keeping an open mind and broadening the horizons of your listeners!
honeybee

I also want to add that here in Europe, homeopathy is very well established and respected and it is on a par with conventional medicine. Homeopathy and conventional medicine are not at war here.

Homeopaths here on the continent are MDs who specialize in homeopathy and homeopathy is a reimbursed medical expense.

Several years ago, I had major knee surgery in Germany, and most of my post-op meds against inflammation and bruising were homeopathic — so even surgeons know how well homeopathy works.