I found this seminar being held in Salt Lake City.

It caught my eye, because I thought it might be a good way for people to learn how to lose weight. Weight Watchers could teach their entire plan in two days, I’m sure of it, so I thought this might be a reasonable alternative.
The first thing that shocked me was the price. Two thousand four hundred and ninety-nine dollars?!! At that price, you could attend Weight Watchers every week for FOUR YEARS!!! Why do they think they can charge so much?
It’s sponsored by ELITE Aesthetic Medical Training, so maybe it’s for doctors…
Yeah, it looks like it’s geared toward healthcare professionals. In particular, it appears to be for plastic surgeons. What do they recommend as “sensible” weight loss at this seminar? Here are a couple of things mentioned in the advertisement:
- Learn how to treat obesity (and not just localized fat) by developing a comprehensive weight loss protocol, including detoxification practices: Detoxification practices has been said to be a questionable practice: “Detoxification” with Pills and Fasting
The detoxification theory can enable con artists to gain great power over their customers by diagnosing and curing “potentially fatal” (but nonexistent) illnesses. “They have to invent the idea of toxins,” says Peter Fodor, president of the Lipoplasty Society of North America, “because that gives them something to pretend they can fix.”
- Learn how to develop an individualized nutrition program based on the client’s blood chemistry: This is a theory made popular by Peter J. D’Adamo, N.D. Here’s what Quackwatch has to say about this theory:
D’Adamo, unfortunately, offers little in the way of scientific evidence, relying instead on a collection of anecdotal reports and case histories. His speculation that the one gene responsible the ABO blood type could exert such a dominant influence over everything else is unable to stand on its own merits. In the end, D’Adamo adds the caveat that individual variations still occur within blood types, so you shouldn’t expect all of his recommendations to apply to you.
It’s no wonder that some people get some outrageous advice from doctors. Do you think it’s worth $2499 to get advice like this? The next time you’re tempted to attend a seminar about weight loss, think again.