A Word Of Caution About Hoodia Patches

No doubt there are a lot of hoodia products on store shelves today. Hoodia gordonii has become such a popular weight control product that overzealous manufacturers have been quick to create unique products hoping to distinguish themselves from increasing competition. One result of this quest for uniqueness in hoodia has taken a page from nicotine aides – the patch!

Makers of the hoodia patch claim that their product is more effective than any hoodia pill. The concept behind the patch is that it allows you absorb hoodia gordonii directly into the blood stream through your skin. Like its nicotine cousin, the hoodia patch gives you a slow, controlled release throughout the day instead of taking all your hoodia at once.

This is supposed to be better because the hoodia bypasses the process of being dissolved and digested by your stomach and goes straight to the bloodstream. Skipping out the digestive process allows you to get the benefit of hoodia faster. Or, that's the claim.

Now, this might sound reasonable at first. After all, other patch products have been on the shelves for years. We're used to them, and the explanation of how a hoodia patch works seems to make sense. However, there is a big difference between hoodia and nicotine (hoodia is a food, not a drug), and hoodia and the birth control patch (hoodia will not prevent you from becoming pregnant – do I really have to express that?)

Unlike the nicotine and birth control products, there is no clinical evidence that a hoodia patch actually works. In fact, research on the extent of hoodia's effectiveness is still ongoing. Products like the birth control patch require a prescription, while hoodia does not. This is very important to note. Why?

Prescription products are required to undergo extensive study. They are also subject to strict review and regulation by the Federal government and claims of effectiveness must be substantiated before the product is allowed to reach the public. Because hoodia products patches do not require a prescription, they are not subject to the same rigorous review or oversight as other patch products. In other words, manufacturers don't have to prove they work before they sell them to you.