Month: June 2014

Random Ramblings

Duped by Dr. Oz – But, it’s my own damned fault!

Liana
Duped by Dr. Oz - But it's my own damned fault!
By jesadaphorn, courtesy of freedigitialphotos.net

I’ve had trouble with my weight since puberty. So what else is new. I’m like a million other women with the same challenge. This year, I’ll be turning 50 and as part of this turning of the half-century event, I am also going through symptoms of menopause. Struggle as I have with my weight, I’ve always been all-over large. Gaining weight in the same places over the years as I yo-yo’d up and down on various diets and what-not. But now, I’m gaining weight in places I hadn’t before. Diet and exercise, other than helping to maintain general good health, has done zippo for the weight gain.

So, when I saw a tweet (can’t forget who promoted it and couldn’t find it afterwards) boasting a weight loss supplement endorsed and recommended by #DrOz, I thought, “Well, if Dr. Oz recommends it, it MUST work.”

Yes, I was duped.

The product I fell for (among others I have since learned about) is Garcinia Cambogia. I guess it was the mood I was in but I immediately clicked the link embedded in the tweet with the full (and clearly mindless) intention of  purchasing the product. I realize my credibility with you, the reader, is in question here but please believe me when I tell you, I simply do NOT do this.

The website I was taken to had all the typical visual bells and whistles but also had Dr. Oz’s photo as well as his, and many other people’s testimonials. This was not just a miracle supplement, but it was also guaranteed to help you lose weight (10-30 lbs) within 30 days. I did do a bit of research on Cambogia on the internet; plant based diet supplement, fat blocker, ya da ya da – then decided, what the hell, right? Nothing else is working… and, Dr. Oz says….

After I made the purchase (from my smart phone), with promised delivery within 7 days, I received an email confirming my purchase. I waited until I got home to check the order from my laptop. When I clicked the embedded link to view my order – DUPE # 2!… my laptop’s anti-virus security software detected malware, warning me of it with a big red warning and several exclamation points.

Oh HELL no!

I replied to the email immediately to cancel my order. I tried phoning. I tried going to their website and clicking “chat”. NADA. The one saving grace was that my product, after 3 weeks, had not arrived. I called my credit card company and told them about my experience. They were able to trace the company/shipper to China! Needless to say, there was no mention of China on this seemingly American-based product website (even had the little American flag at the top-right of the screen). In any case, my credit card company immediately reversed the charge. I got my money back. *Whew*. Case closed.

About another 2 weeks later, I got another email from said company saying the product had shipped. I checked my credit card to ensure I hadn’t been charged again. All was clear. Sure enough, another 2 weeks later, I got a bottle of Garcinia Cambogia in the mail. I kept checking my credit card for charges. None made.

Well, I thought, I have the bottle, I might as well try it. I read the label and checked the ingredients and potency and all that. Seemed ok. I started taking 1 capsule per day… and awaited my miracle. In a part of my mind I still held some hope out for what Dr. Oz had claimed. (And in your mind you’re thinking, “Is this chick stupid, or what?” More like a bit desperate.)

Besides giving me incredible gas and loose stools, Garcinia Cambogia failed to do one damned thing that it claimed to do.

The intelligent, professional woman in me calmly states, “Not at all surprised.”  The overweight, low-self-esteem woman in me simply shakes her head and says, “You brought this upon yourself, you idiot.”

Until this past week, I had no idea that Dr. Oz was under scrutiny at a U.S Senate hearing. In a way, while humbled by my own stupidity, I was happy to hear that I wasn’t alone in believing in Dr. Oz enough to purchase a product based solely on his emphatic endorsements. On the other hand, I’m angry as hell and delighted to see him squirm in front of the U.S. Senate.

I was duped by Dr. Oz. It was my own damned fault for being so naive, I know that. Still, where do I sign up for a class action suit against this guy?

Anxiety

Anxiety Never Forgets

Liana

I had my first anxiety attack when I was around ten years of age. I didn’t know that was it was at the time. I woke very early in the morning out of a dead sleep. It was summer, the sun was up but it was still only 5:30-ish in the morning. I wondered why I couldn’t fall back to sleep, since I had never had a problem with that before. My heart began to race and I became inexplicably… scared! I remember going upstairs, opening the front door and sitting on the front step where I proceeded to calm myself. I distinctly remember the warm, morning sun on my face… paired with utter confusion as to what had just happened to me.

By Stuart Miles, courtesy of freedigitalphotos.com
By Stuart Miles, courtesy of freedigitalphotos.com

It wasn’t until years later and several hundred anxiety attacks later, that I was diagnosed with anxiety disorder.

I’m 49 years old and am happy to say that I haven’t had a full blown anxiety attack for about eight years.

But the truth is that, anxiety never forgets. It never really leaves you alone.

This week, I traveled to Malta (small island in the Mediterranean) to visit my sister who lives here. It takes anywhere from 13 to 18 hours to get from Ontario, Canada to Malta but I’ve made the trip a few times before. We lived in Malta when I was little (between the ages 6 and 9), went again in 2007, 2011 and in January 2014. My point, I suppose, is that I was used to the trip, the jet lag, the fatigue and the excitement. What I wasn’t prepared for was the anxiety attack I had a few hours after I arrived.

My anxiety attacks have presented themselves in several different forms throughout my life. More recently (8-ish years ago), my anxiety presented itself as a burning fire beginning deep inside me and traveling throughout my body to the very tips of my fingers and toes.

Standing in my sister’s guest bathroom, organizing my toiletries, I felt the familiar and most unwelcome fire in my core. My heart began to race, my breathing quickened. I knew exactly what was happening but couldn’t fathom why! I had to remind myself that anxiety never forgets. I had to dig deep to find some of the coping skills that I’d happily buried over the years that I’ve been anxiety attack free.

The attack passed within a few minutes, blessedly. But, since that first attack, I’ve had a few smaller attacks. It this the start of another phase of my anxiety? While I know it is related to brain chemistry (fight or flight chemicals), I still have to wonder, why?

Why, after all these years, did my brain chemistry misfire?

Who bloody well knows?

I’ve said it several times during this blog. Anxiety never forgets. Anxiety may sit dormant, as it did for me. But what is most important, what I learned about myself, is that the coping skills never go away. I remembered them. I recognized the anxiety as it was starting and was able to kick start my coping skills right away.

Some of these anxiety coping skills are:

  • Breathe; slow and deep. Do not hyperventilate.
  • Positive self-talk; remember this is an illness. Brain chemistry can misfire at any time.
  • Stay calm; there is a thin line between anxiety and panic. Try to distract yourself.

I still have ten days on the island of Malta. I’ve had one major and two minor anxiety attacks. While I hope this isn’t the start of several anxiety-riddled years, I know that I can cope, no matter what.

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