Martha Sta. Barbara, a Filipina blogger, posted an entry about the dangers of Zhen de Shou and Ballerina. The two are diet pills from China which have become popular in the Philippines because they’re cheap and results are immediate. I’m reposting her entry with her permission.

‘I Lost 30 lbs. In 1 Month! Now I’m Dying!’ – The Truth Behind The Truth

BALLERINA, ZHEN DE SHOU, GOODLINESS, LIGHT SOME, MODELLING, BANGKOK, XENICAL, BLAH BLAH BLAH. ANO PA BA?

Shet. Ang daming diet pills. Nagkakatalo lahat. Andami ng ginawa’t naimbento. But I’ve never tried something as EFFECTIVE as Ballerina and Zhen De Shou.

In Zhen De Shou, I lost 8 pounds in a week. Yung kinain ko from june- september, nawala ng one week nung october.

SHET ANG SEXY KO!!

San ka pa diba? Exercise pa kayo diyan eh natulog at gumising lang ako ng isang linggo, payat agad ako. diba?

Pero buti na lang hindi ako tumagal sa pagte- take nitong mga ito. Kung hindi hindi lang ako payat. PATAY pa ako.

Let’s start:

ZHEN DE SHOU- This is a weight loss capsule. It promises to cut 10 pounds off your weighing scale in a matter of 7 days. Sounds interesting right? Well, it’s made up of selected and powerful herbs to make you lose weight and all.

Do I interest you now in buying a pack and trying it yourself?

Wait until you get to the site that draws you into the pit. http://zhendeshou.net/

BALLERINA- Not anyone can become a ballerina but you can achieve their beautiful fatless bodies with this pill. Guranteed to make you lose almost 20 pounds in a matter of 1 month (5 pounds in a week). Well, ain’t that long to achieving a ballerina body eh? Why don’t you try it yourself? Not yet convinced by me? Check out their site and jump into the pit. http://www.ballerina-slimming.com/index.html

I’ve tried Zhen De Shou and I must say, it really worked. One week and Zhen De Shou is all I needed to get back to my old, slim body. I had to stop because my supplier’s supplier won’t have stocks until next week so I have to wait. In the course of a week without taking the pills, I have experienced BURNING pains in my stomach and to heal the pain, I must eat so much food. And the result, I doubled the weight I gained before I took the pills. A friend of mine taking the same pill experienced the same thing. And mind you, these pains occur almost every hour! So imagine, I have to eat TOO MUCH food every hour!

Then I came across a friend who was once fat then she seemed to have lost 15 pounds off her in a matter of 1 1/2 months. She is so thin! I’m even fatter than her! I asked her secret. Then she introduced me to her friend, BALLERINA. These blue pills that look like frenzied metamphetamines. It came along with a diet plan, that I followed religiously for 2 weeks. I was advised to pop one 30 mins. before each meal. one of its effects is it will dry your throat so you have to chug down water, that would cleanse your body so you’ll shit like hell, releasing toxins, and making you lose weight.

Well, I was getting the results. In a matter of 2 weeks, my craving for food decreased, my throat is always dry, which I didn’t like. It doesn’t matter! A friend and my hubby noticed that I was shedding some pounds. YES!! These effects might be irritating but you have to make sacrifices if you want better results! In a month, I’m good in my tight fitting, daring, belly revealing clothes again!

MONDAY, 1:30 PM, CHOCOLATE KISS CAFE

I was enjoying my weight shedding. And I’m planning to continue. Right after I popped a capsule, my phone beeped, it was my mom. Here is our conversation:

Mama: Tita ***** is dying. Stop taking those diet pills. We suspect that this caused her cancer.
Me: Shet??! When was she diagnosed with cancer?
Mama: A week ago. Na-diagnose siya, tapos binigyan ng gamot. Pagbalik for her treatment, stage 4 na daw cancer nya. Multiple organ failure na.
Me: Eh ilang stages ba ang cancer?
Mama: 4. Dasal na lang ang kailangan niya.
Me: Fuc*.
Mama: You better have your liver checked. You were taking these before di ba? You don’t know, baka biglang lumabas effects niyan.
Me: Eh 1 week ako nung first brand, then 2 weeks nitong recent. So bale 3 weeks pa lang ako gumagamit.
Mama: Maski na. Baka mamaya may damage na palang na-inflict yan. Tapos kakalat. After some years, baka mamaya malaman mong mamamatay ka na pala. At gaga ka. tina-try mo pa lahat.
Me: Scary mae.
Me: When did she start taking the pills?
Mama: 3 years na.
Me: Anong brand?
Mama: Yung de su de su ata yun tsaka ballerina.
Me: Zhen de shou kasi.
Mama: Whatever.
Me: Eh ginawa na pala niyang snack yung gamot eh kaya pala.
Mama: She’s following naman daw the instructions.
Me: Ow.
Mama: Tell your friends. And wag na wag ka nang bibili nito. Ever.
Me: Ok. Send my love to tita *****. I’ll pray for her.

2:03 P.M.

Mama: A friend messaged me asking for a liver donor.
Me: Bakit daw?
Mama: May liver failure. She was using diet pills din. Ballerina daw.
Me: Talaga? Gaano naman katagal ginamit?
Mama: 6 months. Tigilan mo na yan ha.
Me: Ok.

Right after hearing their stories, it felt like I wanted to puke all the pills that I’ve taken. I opened up a Ballerina capsule and it poured out a greenish-brownish-blackish powder that smells like dry soil with a sharp smell. I was like. “What the fuck am I eating.” I took all the pills from the foil and I threw them away.

And now, I’m friggin’ afraid of getting a liver check. I’m afraid of what I might hear. Well, maybe I don’t have anything serious yet. But I always get goosebumps whenever I hear I’m going to get these medical check- ups.

But, an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure.

WHAT DO THESE PILLS DO TO YOU EXACTLY?

These are basically laxatives and appetite depressants. Ballerina, a laxative, encourages your stomach to feel full that’s why you take it before any meal. The most is 3 capsules a day. If you exceed, you’ll experience palpitation, even at the third capsule. These capsules have ingredients that make your stomach expand, making you eat less, so you lose weight. It keeps you parched so you’ll drink lots of water, which is essentially good so you’ll clean your tummy every often by taking a crap for more than thrice a day. It forces your stomach to manufacture food then the excess will become your crap. But if you only eat 30% of your 100% in every meal, what food will go to your system if it’s gonna turn almost half of it into crap? Now, think about that.

Zhen De Shou, an appetite depressant (take note, it’s not even a suppresant) encourages the body’s natural ability to curb hunger. IN AN EXTREME DEGREE. Your body can signal your brain that it’s still full so you won’t eat. But Zhen De Shou signals your body that it is always full, so you only eat really small servings for twice a day only. Well, that’s why you lose a whopping amount of pounds in the first week. What’s weird is, you get addicted to it.

The reason why I experienced tummy pains after stopping for a week with Zhen De Shou is because my stomach has finally been released from the shackles of this depressant. It sends your brain messages that “WE’VE BEEN HUNGRY FOR WEEKS!!!!! WE’RE DYING!!! WE NEED FOOD! MORE FOOD!” Then, you double the weight you gained.

What’s bothering is, they actually make you lose weight SO FAST and the fact that these are so cheap make these pills doubtful already.

I KNOW SHABU CAN MAKE YOU LOSE WEIGHT THIS FAST!!! SO BAKA MERON DIN ITONG MGA ITO.

These pills claim that they use herbs such as hawthorne, fairy leaves, pearls, polyphenols, ginseng and gingko biloba, that are medicinal, safe and effective. Well, I doubt these are all there is to it.

If herbal medicines have no side effects, how come these “herbal” slimming pills have?

Whatever chemical they put in it, It’s better that I don’t know.

BEWARE OF IMITATIONS!

Apparently, the growth of these phenomenal slimming pills have lured (daw) fakers and replicators into making business out of it. So there are already fake and original tablets. The brand that’s being famously pirated is the Zhen De Shou.

But the original distributors and makers put seals on their products so that it can be distinguished from the fake ones. (Heart seal, flower seal, gold seal, blue seal, etc.) But unfortunately, even the seals are copied so it would be really hard for a consumer to distinguish the real from the fake. Check this out:



I think, these original creators put high- end herbs and dangerous chemicals in it, while the imitators use low- end chemicals plus herbs they got from somewhere because they’re cheaper and they sell it for a lower price.

BUT IT DOESN’T MATTER! THEY ALL CONTAIN HARMFUL CHEMICALS ANYWAY!

THESE CHINESE SLIMMING PILLS CONTAIN MAO HUANG (CHINESE EPHEDRA; EPHEDRA SINICA), ORIGINATING FROM CHINA, HAVE DIFFERENT VARIETIES IN MONGOLIA AS WELL. EPHEDRINES CAN CAUSE FATAL INJURIES TO ORGANS AND CAN LEAD TO LONG TERM DISEASES. APPARENTLY, THERE ARE SEVERAL TYPES OF MAO HUANG THAT ARE CONSIDERED AS HERBAL MEDICINES FOR THEY ARE STRONG LAXATIVES (A POSSIBLE CURE FOR CONSTIPATION IN THE OLDEN TIMES) AND ARE USED IN DIETARY AND WEIGHT LOSS SUPPLEMENTS, BUT ARE ALREADY BANNED DUE TO ITS LETHAL EFFECTS. CHECK THESE SITES FOR MORE INFO ON THESE BOTANICALS:

LAW AGAINST THE USAGE OF MAO HUANG BY THE US GOV’T.: http://www.fda.gov/ora/fiars/ora_import_ia5413.html

FACTS ABOUT MAO HUANG:
http://healthlibrary.epnet.com/GetContent.aspx?token=e0498803-7f62-4563-8d47-5fe33da65dd4&chunkiid=21697

THE KILLER EFFECTS OF MAO HUANG:
http://health.yahoo.com/alternativemed-therapies/ma-huang-ephedra/healthwise–d04525a1.html

ARTICLE ABOUT MAO HUANG BY JEFFREY HOARD:
http://www.cherylsherbs.com/abuse_of_ma_huang.htm

FACTS AND CONTROVERSIES ABOUT MAO HUANG:
http://www.maxlabs.com/max-ten/max-ten-ma-huang.htm

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Well, take my stories as warnings. Losing weight might be hard but good things come if you work hard on it. If you plant a seed, it doesn’t turn into a tree and bear fruits the next morning. If you have a mannerism and decided to stop tonight, it doesn’t mean you have completely abolished your mannerism from your system tomorrow. Hard work and effort is all you need to achieve successful outcomes.Or else, you will learn your lesson the hard way.

I have gained weight. But a less than my weight when I first entered UP. Hey, after my practicum, I’ve had all the time and food in the world to eat. I just don’t deprive myself of food. And if you always get the chance to eat at places like cyma, fish and co., people’s palace, som’s, oody’s, cafebola, chateau, the lobby at the peninsula manila, max’s fried chicken, italianni’s, chealsea’s, conti’s, polu kai, abe, new orleans, texas roadhouse, coldrock, haagen daz, krispy kreme, ababu, king’s kebab, kulinarya, the rockefeller, old chang kee, superbowl and all the expensive and fine restaurants in the city, ALL EXPENSES PAID , I bet you’ll gain weight like me. Don’t say no. Because you’ll be a hypocrite if you do.

I just told myself I needed the food from these places after a year and a half of eating nothing but casaa, katag, mcdo, jollibee and most especially, aladino’s. I just needed to cleanse my system and liven up my tastebuds once again.

Well, I can get back to my old shape if I wanted to. I just needed a bit of willpower to do it. I’m back on my tracks, I’m jogging and basically doing a lot of walking exercises to shed off pounds everyday, altering my eating habits, already there at eating more healthy foods, abolished overeating, cutting down on sweets and carbs (number one weight gainers), and watching the foods that I eat.I won’t get results in a matter of a month but at least, I’m doing it the right way.

Hey, Ive come to realize that I’d rather see myself around april to may back in my old skin again rather than seeing it in a matter of 7 days then finding myself having organ failures or any kind of sickness that’s sure to stay with me for life.

I don’t mind what other people think and say. Of course, they want my old shape back. Well, this is what I’ve become. And if you don’t like my body or you hated me in some way, I don’t care, it’s not as if I’m gonna die tomorrow because people hate me. As long as I know that I’m not the fattest in the world, I AM COMPLETELY FINE.

I have more concerns to look into. I’m sure you have. So if you have some spare time and you don’t know where to spend it on, don’t look at me and forever curse me and insult me for how “fat” I’ve become. Instead, grab a mirror, stare at yourself then see if your acne wonderland face has gone a bit better, check if your walis hair has responded to the treatments you’ve been getting. Ask yourself if you’re getting enough confidence and self- esteem by wearing platform shoes that’s so out of style and if you think it’s practical to wear 5- inch heels in a rocky and big place like UP Diliman. Smile in front of the mirror and ponder on getting braces or replacing that chipped tooth. Oh! Don’t forget to check your breath to see if your halitosis is becoming a threat to humanity already.Or if you feel that you don’t have any of these physical imperfections, try staring at a bigger mirror. Look at yourself then think if you are a good son or daughter, ask yourself if you have been worthy enough of the blessings you have. Or better yet, try pondering on the relationship you have so you’ll realize why men or women can’t stand you that’s why your longest relationship lasted for a week only. Or talk to God and realize how far you have drifted away from him already. Make a “REALITY CHECK” so that you’ll know that you’re not the greatest person in the world, or you can hold everyone by their necks, and you are all- knowing and all your works are great. Ask yourself if you are worthy of the position you have or the role you have received. Are you making the most out of it or you’re just plainly enjoying it because you got it the easy way?

Just try these things. Maybe you’ll realize that your problem is waaay too BIGGER than mine,

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TO THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE STILL INTO THESE PILLS (WHATEVER SLIMMING PILLS IN THE MARKET ESPECIALLY FORM CHINA), STOP TAKING THESE THINGS ALREADY. IT’S NOT WORTH RISKING YOUR LIFE FOR SOMETHING THAT YOU CAN GET IN A GOOD AND SAFE WAY.

GOD BLESS YOU GUYS. THANKS FOR READING MY BLOG.

ATTENTION: ZHEN DE SHOU AND OTHER CHINESE- MADE SLIMMING PILLS ARE ALREADY BANNED IN THE USA AND SINGAPORE!!!

CHECK THESE LINKS FOR FACTS, TESTIMONIALS AND INFORMATION ABOUT THESE SLIMMING PILLS.

http://www.bryanboy.com/bryanboy_le_superstar_fab/2007/06/ballerina_bryan.html

http://au.answers.yahoo.com/answers2/frontend.php/question?qid=20061023023248AA6jLzr

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070922053052AAHXShY

http://malaysia.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080212042549AAdlXC9

http://anafilibini.blogspot.com/2007_02_01_archive.html

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