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Thursday, December 07, 2006

Obesity-Fighting Nasal Spray Granted Patent


Could a nasal spray REALLY be the weight loss miracle of the future?

It's yet another day in this crazy, mixed-up world we live in, so who's gonna step up to the plate with a proposed solution to solve one of mankind's greatest problems--OBESITY--today? Gee, what a surprise! Why, it's a pharmaceutical company, of course, with their pie-in-the-sky promises to find a "miracle" drug that will cure the "disease" of weight gain forever. Yaaaawwwwn! Wake me up when this is over. Er, oh, um...really, I can't wait to hear about it!

First there were the anti-obesity pills. Then we had a vaccine that was going to wipe obesity off the planet forever. Now we have the latest and greatest obesity-fighting measure that's ever been created--A NASAL SPRAY!

That's right, folks, like a bad cold that just won't go away, obesity is SOLVED with the use of a couple of squirts up the sniffer each day. Oh, but this isn't just any old nasal spray, mind you. It's one that has now been issued a patent (#7,138,107 if you want to look it up!) for the Boston, MA-based drug manufacturer Compellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., who brag about creating "innovative medicines for obesity, diabetes, and hypertension." Yippy freakin' skippy!


Compellis is all giddy over being granted a patent for their nose spray

The name of this dubious nasal treatment for obesity is the rather robotic-sounding CP404. That sounds like something you'd see walking around in a Star Wars movie to me! Actually, it's ironic they use that number sequence after CP (Compellis Pharmaceuticals) because "404" on the Internet is an error message that means "server not responding or file not found." Hmmm, is this an omen of things to come for Compellis--their nasal spray "not responding" to obesity? Ya gotta wonder these things because eerie coincidences like this don't just happen out of the blue. Be afraid, be VERY afraid!


CP404 could be one big "error" by the time all is said and done

Describing their nasal spray invention as a "therapeutic platform for treating obesity" by producing "significant weight loss" in animals, Compellis expects to begin human testing in 2007. Company president and CEO Chris Adams is tickled pink at this "significant milestone" with the issuance of a patent to further develop this nasal spray expected to be used to "block olfactory activity and reduce food intake" using a calcium channel blocker.

"It seems so simple - blocking the sense of smell and taste," Adams wrote in an e-mail to The Boston Globe. "But it has never been used to treat obesity, and it really does work. Our bodies do not crave what we cannot smell or taste."

Has this Chris Adams character EVER been obese a single day in his entire life?! What fantasy world is he living in if he thinks preventing the ability to smell or taste is going to keep people from craving food? That's the problem with all these supposed "cures" for obesity. They don't address the root problem which is usually eating too much of the wrong kinds of foods for NO APPARENT REASON AT ALL!

Obesity isn't all about the taste and craving for food, Mr. Adams. Take it from this former 400-pounder! Sometimes you just wanna eat because it makes you feel good, to have something to munch on while watching CSI, to cheer you up when you're depressed, or even something as insane as to fight boredom! In other words, you don't need to be hungry or have a need to eat to consume food when you are fat. YOU JUST DO IT!


Oh my gosh, it works! I'm healed from my obesity now!

If I wanted to prevent my nose and tongue from experiencing the pleasure that comes from smelling and tasting food, then I could simply stuff a bunch of cotton balls up my nostrils like in that picture of me above! That cuts off all sense of smell and everything would taste pretty bland. Is THAT a permanent lifestyle change that YOU could live with for the rest of your life? That's exactly what Mr. Adams and his CP404 nasal spray is trying to fool people into believing.

Oh, but, it will only be used to help you lose weight, it's not meant to last forever, they'll argue back. So, then what happens after you lose the weight, hmmm? What will keep you from gaining it all back once you stop snorting this stuff up your nose for a year or so that will produce God only knows what in side effects to your body and overall health?! I've got some MAJOR, big time issues with this drug as I am sure many others who care about people who desire weight loss do as well.

After utilizing several different versions of their nostril-clogging spray on various animals, Compellis believes they have found the one (CP404) that will be "well tolerated in humans" and can quickly and easily be mass produced to start fighting obesity in very short order. The drug has already been used on humans for other ailments already, Compellis contends, so they naturally think they have a winner that will give frustrated overweight and obese people a fighting chance to overcome their weight problem. I'm not so sure about that.

Call me cynical and skeptical, but this CP404 miracle weight loss nasal spray from Compellis is in my estimation yet another shameful attempt by a pharmaceutical company to try to make a buck off of a desperate group of people--the obese! Obesity is a VERY real problem that warrants solutions that don't insult the intelligence of those who are looking for help. Stuffing the noses of people with a mist or spray is NOT going to make people thin! I think we can all agree on that point.

I e-mailed Chris Adams at Compellis just three questions to answer for me:

1. How much more weight as a percentage can people expect to lose taking CP404 compared with those taking a placebo?

2. Your therapy for treating obesity seems to be centered on altering the sense of smell to discourage dieters from overconsuming food. How does CP404 help people deal with emotional eating and other non-nutrition-related diet issues?

3. Why does Compellis believe it is necessary to provide a pharmaceutical answer to the problem of obesity rather than attempting to educate the general public on the wide array of effective all-natural weight loss solutions that are already available to them instead?


I have a lot more questions than this, but so far he has not even responded to these questions. If he does, then I will gladly share with you his answers. But for now these are the first questions I have for him about this new drug that he wants to widely distribute to Mr. & Mrs. Obese. He will need to "compel us" (get it, Compellis) with solid answers to ALL of these questions before we're convinced.

We need to stop trying to create silly little weight loss gimmicks like a nasal spray that is allegedly designed to trick and fool our bodies into not desiring food. Food itself is meant to be enjoyed and savored (especially when you are livin' la vida low-carb!), but that means REAL whole foods and healthy foods that your body can use.

If people would just stop consuming junk food like fast food, high fructose corn syrup-laded soda pop, white flour, heavily processed vending machine snacks, table sugar, and even high-starch foods like potatoes, then those simple actions would go a long way towards resolving this obesity epidemic we face in a non-invasive, all-natural way that does not require the use of an expensive drug from a power-hungry, money-grabbing pharmaceutical company looking to make a quick buck on a product that may or may not work.

Be smart people! Start educating yourself about those things you CAN do for yourself and then DO THEM! If staying stuck on a low-fat or low-calorie diet forever leaves you feeling like a failure in your dieting efforts, then how about trying livin' la vida low-carb for a refreshing and delicious change of pace? That's what I did on January 1, 2004 and it has helped me shed nearly 200 pounds WITHOUT the use of any drug. I'm healthier than I've ever been in my entire life and I'll never go back to my old ways of eating again.

Best of all, my eating habits have all been radically altered for the better because of my lifestyle change. Therein lies the key to finding permanent and lasting weight loss success. It's tempting to get caught up in the hype of a new drug that supposedly is the "miracle" you've been looking for regarding weight loss. But don't fall for it! There are MUCH safer and MORE effective long-term ways to lose weight without putting yourself at risk. And they say low-carb is "dangerous?" HA!

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2 Comments:

Blogger Science4u1959 said...

Buz lowb carbz iz dangerouz, Bimmyz! *POP* OMG my nose just fell off!

What will they think of next? A well-aimed whack in the neck with a piece of carefully selected hardwood? So you'll pass out for a week and hence can't eat? At least that "methodology" will be cheaper...

Sigh. What a crazy world...

12/07/2006 11:53 PM  
Blogger TESS said...

My sense of smell and taste is nearly gone due to allergies. It has been my experience that I actually eat more because I can't smell or taste it so i keep shoveling it in in the hopes I will eventually. This led to a huge weight problem so I don't see this as a solution, rather it will probably make things worse if my experience is anything to go by.

12/08/2006 7:18 AM  

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