Does it Work?Unsure if the latest product or service lives up to it's claims? From popular products to the latest scams, discuss it here before you buy!
Has anyone here heard of or tried Relacore? I have never heard of it and saw someting about it on another site. I think it claims to reduce the stress hormone(Cortisol?) thus helps reduce belly fat. It is also good for energy, which I defently need.
Hi, Viv, I was curious about this too. I also see these ads for Cortislim which is the same type of thing where it works on reducing cortisol levels. I haven't tried these products but I'm guessing they are expensive because they never give you the price on the ads. There is a question on this on p. 91 in the new July issue of Prevention Magazine in the "ask Dr. Weil" column. I don't know if I'm allowed to quote him here, but he says they "aren't scientifically proven to help you lose anything, with the possible exception of hard-earned cash." He suggests doing breathing exercises to relieve stress and this should help with the cortisol levels. If you read the threads here, pills are basically a waste of money. Sorry.
Well, any time I hear about a magic pill or device that is supposed to make you lose weight, particularly in only one body area, I get suspicious. I'd never heard of Relicore, so I went to their website, a virtual plethora of inconsistencies and misleading statements. Surprisingly none were blatantly false, though. These buggers are getting sneaky with the FTC breathing down their necks.
These types of companies generally use a language with undertones of "we're skewing the facts to laughable proportions but these words/phrases will cover our asses so we don't get sued" - I've bolded them in these excerpts. The italics are my own personal debunking
Here's what I found at first glance:
"[government studies have shown] stress is the likely cause of stubborn belly fat. No, studies have shown that increased stress hormones can result in increased fat accumulation around the abdominal organs - this is not the same as post-pregnancy pudge or beer bellies - that is subcutaneous fat. Yes, technically the abdomen is the belly, but when people think of belly fat they think the subcutaneous "pudge", not the fat surrounding their intestines. It's not an entirely untrue statement, but it's meant to mislead. Fat around the organs will be noticeable in weight, but generally not in appearance except in the morbidly obese. No peer-reviewed study that I know of shows that stress hormones are a direct cause of excess subcutaneous fat around the belly. There may be some, and that's where the word "likely" comes in - caveatspeak for "well, we think so". Stress may cause one to overeat, that overeating leads to weight gain, and as a result of stress hormones some extra fat accumulates around abdominal organs. Where you gain your subcutaneous fat and the majority of your "organal" fat is based primarily on genetics.
"[product is the] Most significant weight control advancement in a decade!" Honestly, how many products have claimed this in the past decade? Many others have pointed this out, and I'll repeat it - if it was that damn good Pfizer would be all over it. It's not. And it's quite an objective claim - they do not claim to be the most effective, that would be subjective, and false. The "significant" claim is a matter of opinion, but tends to rope the consumer into the mindset of "it must be really good, it's the most important thing...", when in fact they're just touting their own product because they want to sell it. Nothing wrong with that, but watch the language for things like this. It's the marketing strategy to get around being held liable for making erroneous claims. They make you think they're saying one thing when the phrase, interpreted literally, means something else.
In their "Expected Results" section:
"Although results will vary due to metabolic and hormone individuality, people who have used Relacore in conjunction with proper diet and exercise have experienced a reduction in overall stress levels and an improvement in mood in as little as a few days...noting a visible reduction in belly fat within two or three weeks..." Imagine - people who begin proper diet and exercise programs have less stress and lose weight! How frigging revolutionary!! No, we've known that for years. Bottom line is the pill does not help, it's basic body chemistry. Give yourself, and your body, some credit on things like this. Also, by stating that the "results will vary" they lend themselves more credibility by not stating quite such a dubious claim; that it will work for everyone. Typical CYA strategy. Notice how they use very simple language and then jump into "metabolic and hormone individuality" when saying "people react differently" would suffice. The former is common language to you or me, but the average American has a 6th grade reading level and when they come across a word with more than 7 letters they'll just skip right over it. The company knows this; it's a selling strategy. Also, reduction of fat all over the body (yes, including the "belly") will result from proper diet and exercise without pills, so of course consumers who "use as directed" will get results. As I said, that is just basic biochemistry - it has nothing to do with the pill
"Helps balance hormone levels that cause stress-induced overweight and encourage overeating." No, the proper diet and exercise does this; again, basic body chemistry and not a magic pill. Also, anything that affects hormones so drastically as to have a systemic effect is going to be available only by prescription. You cannot control hormones to any great extent with OTC medications. Of course, in the following statement we get the clarification. It "helps" - it does not "do". Another CYA statement that says one thing and implies another. Even if a trial determined the product entirely ineffective on a biochemical level, the mere presence of a placebo effect will make their claim of "helping" true.
"...reduces anxiety-induced cortisol production by helping to minimize stress." Do you see the circular argument? "It reduces cortisol which is produced under anxiety by reducing anxiety". It never, once, says on the website that the "drug" affects stress HORMONES. It implies the **** out of it, but statements like this are meant to imply while also subtly stating the truth - that the pill does not work. It is life-style changes that reduce anxiety and stress. It claims to minimize stress - how? By cleaning your house and babysitting your kids? No. Again, it's a circular argument meant to imply that it works hormonally when it actually states that it does not.
And last but certainly not least:
"No known side effects." Could that be because no one has studied the damn thing?! Not one clinical study was cited or even claimed for this product. They didn't even make an effort to say "an independent study concluded ______" (independent study meaning unqualified scientists performing a study on company's payroll), which honestly disappointed me. I like debunking "studies" that are claimed by these sites. The word "known" is another CYA strategy - "we didn't know it would cause explosive diarrhea and testicular hypertrophy, so we can't be held liable". That kind of thing. Also, nowhere in my (admitedly limited) search of the site did I find product ingredients. How can they make claims about effectiveness if they don't even have a listed active ingredient? They can't - and technically they don't. Just try to think of pills etc. like food - if you don't know what's in it, don't eat it. Same goes for hotdogs, which IMO should not even be considered food .
All in all, it's the same as any other magic pill out there. Save your money, make some time for yourself and improve your diet and exercise. You'll not only lose weight, it will go a long way towards helping you manage stress. No pill can "reduce stress" and it's an erroneous claim when you think about it - utterly impossible. Proper life style and, if necessary, prescription medication, can help you manage it better. Hope that helped
I have been using CortiSlim for almost a month. Of course, I am also on a program of diet/exercise. What I notice is that I don't crave carbohydrates in the evening so much, and that's helpful in staying on my program. But CortiSlim is not exactly cheap. It was buy 2 and get 1 free for about $100 via the website.
Congrats on staying on your program! When you increase your exercise and adopt a healthy diet your insulin levels tend to decrease, leaving you less vulnerable to carb cravings, so you can give yourself credit for that Glad to hear it at least helped you get started. Sometimes we need that extra "push" for motivation - don't want to let $100.00 go to waste so you'd better exercise! Anyway, I'm glad it helped to motivate you, but you can probably save your money now that you're on a good program and sticking with it. Keep up the good work
I've actually tried Relacore, not sure why as it's not the kind of thing I normally do, but it looked safe and I was stressed. It was a year ago. The price is the same now as it was then ... about $50 per bottle ... can't remember how long that was supposed to last. I honestly don't think it's bad as a vitamin supplement, the ingredients are listed on the label. That said, it didn't do a thing for me as far as reducing stress or weight and $50 is too much for a bottle of vitamins.
I hate the way products will put ingredients on containers but not on websites etc. - they're basically saying "we won't tell you what's in it until you buy it"... just so sneaky isn't it? Just out of curiosity, what were the ingredients? Just standard vitamin and mineral compounds? Are there any herbs listed? If it's just vitamins, you're right, it's awfully expensive, LOL. I am just wondering where the whole "stress relief" theory comes from - maybe it has extra B-complexes? I know it was over a year ago you bought it, but I'd be interested to know if you can remember
Biogeek - I couldn't have said it any better myself!
I've found though, if you hunt around enough, I've managed to find those 'elusive' ingredient lists. Like you said, generally it's the same stuff all the other pill pushers use. A few years ago it was the ECA stack (Ephedra/Caffiene/Aspirin), now with Ephedra banned, it's green tea extract and bitter orange. What cracks me up about Cortislim is the same thing as so many of these others - they make up fancy-schmancy names for their 'proprietary blends' of the basic ingredients, generally names that imply that those pounds will just melt off faster than an Eskimo Pie in Death Valley. Like "Leptiplex", "Cortiplex", "Relacortin" and yada yada...
One BIG reason I would NEVER buy Relacore is simply because it's made by Klein-Becker, a major player in these type of 'miracle fat burning products'. They're the ones who came out with all those other wonderful, high-priced products like Anorex (probably one of the most TASTELESS names for a diet pill EVER), Leptoprin (made famous by the high price of $153 - of course it's the same as Hydroxycut or Xenadrine which you can get on eBay for, um, $20 or so) and Cutting Gel (you rub it on your butt and it makes the fat disappear...or more truthfully, for around $100 per bottle, it makes your wallet thinner anyway!).
Mrs. Jim-
Is the agent in bitter orange that "promotes weight loss" an ephedra analogue of sorts? I thought it was - seemed like it would be banned for use in herbal substances along with Mao Hung and all the rest, but the laws seem to be slow catching up with the scams. Where are you finding the ingredients list? Just through general searches? I love debunking - it's a hobby Any recommended sites would be greatly appreciated
Okay, I tried to sleep but I just can't with things running through my head trying to recall what all these things are and what they're supposed to do and now I'm obsessed with it because I just like this stuff so much and I know it's dorky but that's just me so please don't laugh at me
Huge, huge, huge amounts of B-vitamins and Vitamin C. Here's the thing - no supplementation of the B vitamins nor Vitamin C (or any vitamins for that matter) have any positive effect on your body unless you are lacking them. In that case, it uses what it needs and gets rid of the rest. Not to mention B-vitamins are primarily responsible for metabolism and cell repair/growth and have very little to do with mood other than if you have a deficiency you'll feel like crap and probably be very pissy. With all of the fortification of foods these days it is very unlikely that anyone has a deficiency of B-complex vitamins or Vitamin C, especially Vitamin C because ascorbic acid is a very popular preservative. These are also water-soluble vitamins, so when you ingest these large amounts you are, quite literally, pissing your money away.
In racking my brain and some limited internet research I found no documented effects on the human body in regard to: Magnolia
Perilla Pinella (tuber, starchy and probably some B-vitamins but little else) Poria (sporing fungus of "puff ball" variety - nothing more than a few trace amino acids and very few minerals - how nutritious are mushrooms, honestly?)
On the following I found some preliminary evidence for minor effects:
Jujuba - some evidence for "pick me up" effect primarily due to sugars and electrolytes in the whole fruit, certainly not found in an extract.
Panax Ginseng - May have beneficial effects on metabolic function and mood only cumulatively and in larger quantities than found in the subject mixture
Scuttelaria - reported act as a relaxant in the case of tension from fever-inducing infections or autoimmune inflamations such as arthritis. No known in-depth studies to support any evidence for such an effect in healthy individuals - thought to act primarily as a minor immune suppressant.
And here's what I know about the rest:
Passion Flower - Preliminary scientific study suggests minor central nervous sedative effects, but effects are cumulative and only seen at high dosage of active derivatives.
Niacinamide - is exactly what it says; Niacin (Vitamin B2) with an acyl (R-C=O; radical) replacing hydrogen, thus making it an amide instead of an amine (vitamins being amines), which must then be converted back to an amine to be used by the body - so essentially just more Niacin.
DHEA - Steroid hormone (think androgens and estrogens) produced by adrenal glands - very little is known about it and no study (as far as I know) has even determined exactly what it does in the body - zero evidence for stress relief or weight loss, or even for suspicion of such effects. The only connection between this and Cortisol are that they are both hormones and are produced by the adrenal glands.
Phophotidylserine - Clinical study was performed on this by the National Institutes for Mental Health in Alzheimer's patients. Seems to produce some restorative effects in age-related memory loss. One study indicates that it may have the same effects in young people but the results have not been reproduced as of yet. Also, several studies have determined effective dosage at 300 mg per day with 100 mg per day maintenance dose after 12 weeks, so it has a cumulative effect. Any effect it may have will not be replicated in this substance considering the whole of their "complex" is only 266 mg.
So, what, one substance actually has some evidence of a sedative effect, and only two that may improve mood and/or memory? And in such small quantities as must be present in their complex even those substances are not going to be present in any amount to have effect.
It just blows me away that people are allowed to do this stuff. Of course, technically they're not making any real claims, but it's so deceptive. Not really causing anyone harm at this point with this substance, but how do these people sleep at night? Ugh, makes me sick.
Okay, so it's crap. We all knew that and I'm beating a dead horse - but it made my brain work and it's fun. I said no laughing.
Thank you , thank you, thank you to all that resoponded. I have not bought this, nor will I, but I needed some honest opinions on this. THe other web site (low-carb) just raved on about it. I tend to look at gimmicky things, and sometimes buy. When will I ever learn it is not a pill that will cure obesity-hopefully today. Thanks again for so much honest information.
Vanessa, Thanks so much for your encouragement! It means a lot.
There are two schools of thought on vitamin supplements. One, which seems to be where you're at, is that taking more than you need is a waste of money as it all just gets eliminated from the body. The other is that in some cases higher doses affect metabolic pathways in a positive way that standard doses don't. In the case of vitamin C, there is plenty of evidence that more C can help and doesn't harm. The danger is that we can't generalize to other vitamins or food supplements--for example, vitamin A in high doses is toxic. I imagine that the truth lies somewhere in between the two points of view.
As for me, I'm willing to go to any lengths to lose weight at the moment, and if my program says take extra C, I'm going to do it--having done some checking on my own, of course, and found out C is OK. The CortiSlim does seem to be helping me at the moment, and it appears to true from my own research (outside of product websites!) that cortisol results from stress, and that dieting is stressful. Could the same thing be accomplished by taking a yoga class or using other stress-reduction approaches? Why, probably so! And probably for less money! And yes indeed, there is no magic pill that will solve a weight problem.
Relacore
I smell Bull****
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Thanks Starprincess 
It was buy 2 and get 1 free for about $100 via the website.
Congrats
Glad to hear it at least helped you get started. Sometimes we need that extra "push" for motivation - don't want to let $100.00 go to waste so you'd better exercise! Anyway, I'm glad it helped to motivate you, but you can probably save your money now that you're on a good program and sticking with it. Keep up the good work 
Any recommended sites would be greatly appreciated 
