May 16, 2008 4:00 pm US/Eastern
Health: Pink Patch
PHILADELPHIA (CBS 3) ―
Time to pull out the skimpier clothes for summer
has many thinking about losing weight. Medical Reporter Stephanie Stahl has
details on one product that's making big promises.
The ads are everywhere, "get skinny with pink" and "be young and have fun with the body you always dreamed of."
"I've seen it on the internet. Just like someone modeling the patch like that," said Brittany Speights of Philadelphia.
Just like the nicotine patch and so many other prescription patches, makers of the Pink Patch says it uses time release technology with powerful herbal extracts being absorbed through the skin. Herbs, the company claims, will control cravings and get you skinny.
The Pink Patch is heavily advertised on sites like Facebook and Hotmail. With slogans like "cute little dress approved" directly aimed at teen girls, despite a warning that it shouldn't be used by anyone under 18.
"Sold, target to young women," said Dr. Arthur Grollman, an expert in the clinical pharmacology of herbal medicines. He says there's nothing in the Pink Patch that's proven to work.
"There is no herb that has ever been shown to be weight loss," said Dr. Grollman.
He says herbal supplements are completely unregulated and can be sold without studies to prove safety or effectiveness.
"You're putting on a mixture of chemicals. Some of those get through the skin and some of those do not. No one measures what gets through and what doesn't, so really you don't know."
The Better Business Bureau has been flooded with dozens of complaints about the Pink Patch.
The Pink Patch website says results vary and recommends for best results to use the patch as part of a low-calorie, low-fat diet and exercise program.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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