My hormone test results came back last week and I met with a consultant yesterday. Several of my hormones are really high, especially the cortisol and DHEAs. While the consultant tossed around terms such as fibrocystic tumors, cancer, and PCOS, I sat there wondering how much of her "flipping out" on my levels was a sales pitch. (I hope she doesn't read this board, because I really like her, but she IS a salesperson... and apparently the best one at my center.) Of course it was an opportunity to push more supplements.

I'm making an appointment with my doctor and taking the results with me. I am just wondering, did you do the hormone test? I'd be curious to know how your experience was when you got the results.

I'm glad you made an appointment with the doctor. I'm curious as to what he/she will say. I didn't get the hormone test, but I'm sure if I plateau, they'll want me to.

Whoops. Sorry

Are you on birth control at all? My consultant told me that I would have to go off of my birth control for 3 months before they would be able to get an affective reading. I decided not to do it! You made the right choice by going to your doctor!

You mean she suggested high levels could lead to that? I hope she didn't indicate that you might have that or be headed there. She is NOT a doctor. This hormone thing really bugs me. They are absolutely not doctors and are totally unqualified to give any type of medical advice whatsoever. Their "training" is very limited and not even medical in nature.

It's good for your own peace of mind at least to have your doctor check it out, but to answer your question, yes, I think it's a sales pitch, and I would bet your doctor will back that up. The "supplements" they sell are herbal, some not fda approved, and some proven ineffective. Why do you think the cortitrim bottle says you can't take it if you're under 18?

I'm highly suspicious of the supplements. I have taken them (one bottle of cortitrim and one of mrc-6) when I did the diet a couple years ago, but I didn't notice any difference at all and never bought more. Aside from not noticing a difference, I don't like to take anything I don't have to if I don't really know what's in it, don't NEED it, and it isn't coming from a doctor/pharmacist or isn't widely accepted in the medical community.

Okay, rant over. That said, if you need hormone adjustments, those can and should come from your doctor, NOT from a salesperson (albeit a nice one) who has no medical training. Good for you for making an appointment with your doctor and not buying right off the bat.

No need for birth control here. :-)

Believe me, I feel the same way! She used the word cancer pretty freely, but didn't come right out and say she thinks I have it.. she did, however, say, "I bet you have PCOS!" (I VERY highly doubt it.)

I completely agree with your rant and before I even went in to discuss the results, knew the hormone test was nothing but another opportunity to push supplements. I'm past due for my annual exam, anyway, so this is a good reason to stop procrastinating and go ahead and see what my doctor's professional opinion is of the results. (I kept a copy to take to the doctor.)

Good for you. If you wouldn't mind posting it, I'd love to hear what your doctor has to say about it. If she really believed you have PCOS, then she should be referring you to your doctor anyhow, not pushing supplements. I haven't gotten the results for mine yet, but I'm very curious now. I'm going to ask about it at my next WI.

My doctor is the one who referred me to Metabolic. But before I even went, he did a full blood work up and even tested me for PCOS because it does cause obesity. Everything was fine and I didn't have PCOS. Even though I didn't do the saliva test, I didn't feel I needed to. I told the center I would go to the doctor and have him test my levels. They said it wasn't the same because they usually just take blood which isn't as accurate as the saliva testing. I said if I thought there was an issue, I would go see my doctor. They haven't pushed it since.

I keep getting asked about the hormone test by the same consultant (who I've seen the last three times I've gone in!) and I'm getting tired of it. I did the questionnaire thingy when I signed up and everything I checked off, I could attribute to the thyroid issue I recently discovered I have and to being overweight in general. But this one consultant tells me she considers herself an "expert" on the hormone testing and I should consider it and blah blah blah. I love this program and am taking plenty of supplements, but I'm just not buying the hormone testing push!

tdktara - My doctor's appointment isn't until November 22nd (!!) - but I will definitely post about it. When you get your results, I'm very interested to know what yours are, if you don't mind posting about it.

Shannon - I had to look over and see where you were from, because this consultant also referred to herself as the hormone expert at my clinic! Wonder if the clinics just choose someone and give them that title.

definitely a push to sell more supplements!!! they get paid on how many supplements they can sell. i got suckered into taking the saliva test...haven't got results yet and who knows if they EVEN will give me results? paid 299 ($100 off coupon) and he told me the saliva test was included. then i find out later that's it's $100 and i could have joined for $199 w/ the coupon! (that's what they quoted my co-worker) i didn't buy the HNSs or any of the supplements, just followed the diet plan and lost 6 lbs the first week- they told me i am required to buy the HNSs and i told them no one told me that. i take multi vit, fish oil, calcium, b-12 and they told me their vit. were better and clean. ordered the HNS's from Dietdirect - could get the large powder containers cheaper and it's protidiet brand. they told me it isn't the same even though i showed them the label - in the food instruction class instead of talking about food, all she pushed was the list of supplements and HNSs and priced out a list and took people's charge cards to ring them up!! i don't want to be on 10 pills a day...kinda funny they say not to eat canned veggies, etc. but push the liquid supplements. anyway, i'm losing but they're not very happy w/ me becuz they can't push me to buy everything. one counselor said she spends over $150/mth for just the HSNs -not to be a downer but can't believe how pushy they are...hardly even congrat. me on my loss...just told me i need to buy more stuff. i'm sure when my saliva tests come bk they will tell me to buy all kinds of supplements!!! i almost had my dog salivate in the vials just to see what that would show. haha!!

bigdog-- I always wondered if it was in the contract to buy supplements or not. i used to buy about half of mine from dietdirect, but I never told them that, lol. You're brave to be so blunt with them.

This time I'm a re-enroll, and I had probably forty boxes between what I had leftover and what my mom had leftover, so I'm probably good for the rest of my program. I told them that, and they've left me alone. You also have to state firmly that you aren't interested in supplements. Some centers are very pushy. Mine is not, thank goodness, but I've also been very assertive from the beginning. If I do run out of HNS, I will be buying them from diet direct. The only thing that's not as good as MRC brand is the cocoa, IMO.

They did not give me an option of not buying a program with the saliva test included (I did ask). However, I was happy with the price, so it didn't matter to me anyhow. I paid $279 for 17 weeks, but long story short, they gave me extra weeks for having stopped when I got pregnant before, so I really get 23 weeks total.

Also-- out of curiosity. Can anyone tell me what the packaging is like now on the protidiet HNS? Are they about 2.5x3.5", or are they closer to 2x4"? The reason I ask-- they used to be almost square packages (both protidiet and MRC), and I just bought a MRC blue raspberry to try, and the packages have changed to a longer rectangle. I've always wondered if they were made by the same manufacturers. If both packages have now changed, that's a pretty good indication that they're exactly the same.

My center isn't pushy at all. Well, most of the consultants aren't. There are one or two (like the hormone test "expert") who seem to be trying to sell me something every time, but they pose it in such a way as to seem as though they are only educating me.

And ginpea, you made me laugh with your suggestion on the expert. Maybe the draw straws to see who it gets the title?

I looked at diet direct last night and didn't see that they were any cheaper. I was looking at the concentrates, though, not the powders. And I think I've read here that they have specials and sales sometimes? I hope someone posts about the next sale they have so I can stock up!

Tara, I don't know what the old packages look like but the current ones are pretty square, I think. The pomegranate is a longer rectangle.