Health Fraud Scams – Be Smart, Be Aware, Be Careful

Posted on November 23, 2011 by Hoodia Advisor

Here´s a great video produced by the FDA, showing a few simple ways to avoid internet health scams by being smart, aware and careful.

Many internet companies try to make us believe in fast cures for obesity, aches, pains, memory loss, sexual problems and so on. Some of these false marketers also target people with more serious problems such as cancer, altzheimers or HIV. They know that ill and desperate individuals can be easy to convince to go for that cheap miracle pill. For those who need hope, it is very tempting to believe these claims of fast cures.

The video warns about the use of cheap internet solutions instead of serious appropriate cures. And it is not just about throwing money away. Buying things that do not work can cause you to miss that window of opportunity to diagnose and treat a serious disease. Also, you never know if the new pills you bought off that pakistani internet pharmacy might interfere with your prescribe medication.

Visit fda.gov/healthfraud.

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When Not To Use Hoodia Gordonii

Posted on July 29, 2011 by Hoodia Advisor

Hoodia scammers and people only looking to make money all have the focus set on selling huge volumes, and making a profit. Many of these bad Hoodia websites have very little information on the risks of using these products when suffering from certain illnesses.

Talk to your doctor before ordering Hoodia Gordonii (or any other fat loss tablet) if you:

  • Take medication to control you blood sugar or have diabetes.
  • Are having heart problems, or are taking heart medicine.
  • Are having a blood clotting disorder, or are taking a medicine to increase or decrease the clotting of your blood.  These medicines can warfarin, heparin or beaspirin.
  • Are suffering from an eating disorder like Anorexia and similar. If so, you need help to control your problem. Get help.

We wish all manufacturers or sellers could write this directly on their order page. Extra caution must be used when ordering a pill like Hoodia, a pill that has not been tested enough so far. There are no regulated manufacturing standards in existance, so – awareness is very important!

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The San People Are Mentioned In Hoodia Ads. Who Are They?

Posted on October 30, 2010 by Hoodia Advisor

Quite often, the San people are mentioned in articles about Hoodia Gordonii. The are said to have been using the herb for thousands of years, to be able to survive during long hunting expiditions in the wild. You have probably read a similar story on the last Hoodia site you visited. But, who are they really?

The San reside in the southern part of Africa, and territory spans most of South Africa, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Mozambique, Swaziland, Botswana, Namibia, and Angola. Up to the 1950s, they were living as hunters and gatherers. The San made the transition to farming due to extensive government mandated modernization programs. The nomadic hunter lifestyle had become problematic as the population grew after the second world war.

The South African Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) patented Hoodia in 1998, without contacting the San people. After some initial difficulties, an agreement was made between the CSIR (who had licenced development of the P57 molecule to Phytopharm) and the San organization the Working group of Indigenous Minorities in Southern Africa (WIMSA). This deal means that the San will get royalties from the sale of P57 extract. So far, no money has been paid because the P57 has still not yet been legally developed and sold on the market.

The San bushmen were unknown to the western world as late as the 1950s. Women have a high status in this family oriented society. The social structures themselves are quite democratic as many decisions are made by consensus.The Bushmen’s Y-chromosomal DNA haplogroup making them one of the oldest existing populations in the world. Sadly, the San risk getting absorbed into the rest of the african population.

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Hoodia is protected Under the CITES Convention

Posted on October 7, 2010 by Hoodia Advisor

CITES – the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, is an international agreement between several countries. The idea behind this organisation is to make sure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival. Hoodia Gordonii is on the list of protected species.

CITES does not mean an international law. Instead, the idea is to function as a framework, and that every state should make up their own laws to protect these species. Laws differ between the various countries in the convention. Canada and New Zeeland require licences for importing Hoodia Gordonii products, while the US does not.

We believe that any company involved in the manufacturing and marketing of Hoodia supplements should make absolutely sure that they and the industry won´t hurt the survival of this important species.

Only buy Hoodia Gordonii products from serious companies that use material obtained through controlled harvesting and production in collaboration with the CITES Management Authorities of Botswana/Namibia/South Africa.

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P57 Molecule – The Active Hoodia Ingredient

Posted on September 30, 2010 by Hoodia Advisor

The P57 molecule, the active ingredient in Hoodia, was discovered by British company PhytoPharm. According to wikipedia, P57 is thought to be “the main active constituent from this plant that may be responsible for the possible appetite suppressant activity of Hoodia extracts”. PhytoPharm licensed it to Pfizer, who in turn sold it to the Unilever company.

The P57 is what makes Hoodia Gordonii such an effective appetite suppressant. Studies has shown that it is ten thousand times stronger than glucose at suppressing appetite.

What about synthetic P57?

Pfizer discovered that producing synthetic P57 in industrial quantities wasn’t economically feasible. So, real true Hoodia cactuses has to be grown and harvested, and the demand is very high because of the effectiveness of the herb. This makes Hoodia pills with high doses of P57 expensive. Most cheap Hoodia brands therefore contain fillers, binders, additives or even saw dust. These are true hoodia scams and must be avoided.

I do not want to be scammed. How do I know if a Hoodia brand is effective or not?

  • Price can well be an indicator of the quality of a certain brand. The plant is rare, is difficult to grow and has a slow growth rate. So, he price is quite high for the real true unaltered Hoodia.
  • Also, you must find a reputable source with a guaranteed return/refund policy. This is very important! Are they confident in their own product? They must be.
  • Make sure that the Hoodia Gordonii used in the pills comes from South Africa! Hoodia is nowdays also grown in China and Mexico. These plants have different characteristics than the real deal. The climate is different, resulting in a product that differs a lot from the real thing. Even if the seeds are real. The best Hoodia still comes directly from the Kalahari region of South Africa.
  • Do NOT buy an extract! Extracts are a cheap alternative to the real pure Hoodia powder. The scientific studies you read about on weight loss review sites are all about the powder and NOT the extracts. This is a major point.

We will discuss the powder vs. extracts issue in detail in coming articles here at hoodia-scam.com. In the meantime, please bookmark this website by pressing ctrl+d.

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NCCAM on Hoodia Safety

Posted on September 13, 2010 by Hoodia Advisor

NCCAM on Hoodia Gordonii safety

NCCAM, National Center For Complementary and Alternative Medicine, writes that Hoodia Gordonii is marketed as an appetite suppressant for weight loss. It is widely sold, but there is no real evidence in existance to support hoodia’s use. No scientific studies of the herb has been published so far.

They also have the following to say about the side effects and cautions of using Hoodia:

  • It´s potential risks has not been the subject of reliable studies. We do not know enough to draw safe conclutions yet. Science does not know how Hoodia Godronii will interact with prescription medicines.
  • It is of outmost importance that you tell your doctor about your use of Hoodia, when consulting him over other issues. This gives him or her a better picture of your situation and helps in the coordination of your care.
  • Quality of different Hoodia Gordonii brands vary a lot. This is important and we will cover this in future posts here at hoodia-scam.com. You need to make sure that the brand you are buying is the real deal and not dangerous.

The above comes from NCCAM Publication No. D387, updated in June of 2008. It is worth noting that the herb can be very effective. We believe that a good non scammy Hoodia brand can be beneficial for fat loss. The success of Hoodia is probably not down to just marketing. But, you must be careful when buying the product. Take NCCAM:s words seriously.

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Buy from A Secure Hoodia Webstore

Posted on August 26, 2010 by Hoodia Advisor

To keep your sensitive credit card information safe from crooks and scammers is, of course, very important. A website that handles your card data should have encryption! Otherwise they are just sending your data in “plain text” between you, them and the bank. You want them to have a so called SSL certificate – Secure Sockets Layer.

A webstore with an SSL-certificate encrypts the data sent. This means that the bad guys can´t get it. 99% of all sites handling sensitive data such as cards are using SSL today. It is not expensive for the site to use it. So, how can we tell if a Hoodia store has encryption?

  • Check the URL, the web adress – it usually starts with an http:// at the beginning. With SSL it starts with an https://. Note the new “s” at the end.
  • Also, keep an eye out for the small lock icon. It is mostly located in the lower right corner of  browser.

If these two signs are present, you know that they have an SSL in place. This is the basic check – a thing you shouldn´t forget when you are ready to buy from a merchant. If things go wrong anyway and you get billed the wrong amount, you get unwanted recurring billing or if the goods never turn up, you can always get a chargeback issued by the bank. This means that they can reverse the funds, from the merchants account at the bank back to you. This is the very last step to take – serious sellers always try their best to solve customer support issues. Never charge back without a good reason!

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Hoodia Gordonii – A Very Effective Appetite Suppressant

Posted on August 26, 2010 by Hoodia Advisor

Almost every dieter is talking about Hoodia these days. For the last few years, the Hoodia pill has been one of the best selling weight loss supplements. A lot of people have found it very effective, and word has spread about its benefits.

Hoodia Gordonii pills are made from a rare South African cactus. The tribesmen have used this herb to be able to go out on long hunting trips in the wild without eating for days. The Hoodia simply made them feel full and they could work harder. It is also used by the Sans tribes to treat infections and to help with stomach problems. Western scientists got interested in this, managed to isolate the active ingredient in the cactus and put it in a diet pill.

The main ingredient that helps with suppressing appetite is a molecule called P57. The P57 makes the body believe that the stomach is full and that there is no need for more food. This, in turn, makes it a lot easier for most dieters to avoid all eating between their meals – a major concern whan it comes to fat loss. Also, they of course tend to eat a lot less during lunch and dinner. The result is a rapid weight loss. Hoodia users have a better chance to get a lasting weight loss effect than traditional dieters.

Appetite suppressant supplements such as Hoodia makes the transition to a healthier lifestyle a lot easier. Many dieters fail within the first two weeks of their diet – Hoodia makes the hunger go away and you get that early weight loss result that can be so motivating for most people.

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Welcome! We Will Show You How To Avoid Getting Scammed When Looking For Hoodia

Posted on August 25, 2010 by Hoodia Advisor

In a moment, this site will be filled with serious information on how NOT to get scammed when searching for good Hoodia Gordonii pills on the internet. There are many, many scammy Hoodia brands out there, and we will guide you through everything you need to know.

Stay tuned for quality information on the herb itself, safe shopping procedures (including how to protect CC numbers, passwords, browser security anti virus programs and much more), dosage, good & bad marketing and what to search for on the ingredients label. We will guide you through everything you need to know.

Bookmark Hoodia Scam with ctrl+d and come back.

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