"I Lost Over 11 Inches on the Zerona Laser"

As I wrote just this week, functional medicine gets results because it treats the whole person. We just finished treating a patient who originally did not experience much fat loss using the Zerona laser. Subsequently, we performed blood testing and a hormone panel, gave her new supplements and modified her diet. Then she received 11" of fat loss. The patient, Alison Blackman, wrote about her experience at Better Body Solutions on her popular blog " Advice Sisters." She decribes her blog as Guide to Life, Success and Happiness.

Here's her post:

Monday, February 08, 2010
I Lost Over 11 Inches on the Zerona Laser

Can you really lose 11.1 inches simply by listening to your iPod or catching up on your Blackberry--I DID!

I review products and services, and I have done this for a long time. I'm used to being dubious, and looking at things with a balanced, but critical eye. I checked for complaints and found very few, but the Zerona Laser is so new that there wasn't much information to find in the first place. And, I think those who did complain the loudest had unreasonable expectations of what this Zerona Laser treatment can do. The first time I tried the laser I didn't get amazing results (after two weeks and six treatments, the average patient loses 4.61 inches, and I lost just about 1.5"). But Dr. Ungaro didn't give up on me, even though I was a reporter and he could have just said: "Sorry you didn't get the results you wanted, have a nice life."

Instead, he believed in what the Zerona Laser could do, and he dug deeper to figure out what might have caused me to not lose inches on the first go-around with the Zerona Laser (Better Body Solutions offers additional treatments to patients who don't get the results they'd hoped for within the realm of reason- the Zerona Laser treatments aren't going to change a size 14 into a size 4). But Dr. Ungaro thought I might have a cortisol issue (which turned out to be the case), and he suggested I have the specific test for this. He even paid for the tests!

Then, he changed up the nutrients he wanted me to take, and offered me six more sessions with the Zerona Laser.

I can't say that I really wanted to do it again. It's pleasant enough to lie down and relax while the laser does all the work, but this is a busy time of year, and I had to travel an hour each way to to Midtown. I already do drink water, but I had to drink much more water than my already challenged bladder, likes. I don't love swallowing pills, and the herbal supplements the gave me are large and hard (for me) to swallow. This time I took: 7-Keto DHEA Metabolite 100 mg; Integra-Lean Irvingia 150 mg; BileMin K-11); and Adaptocrine (K-2) . But these are minor draw backs. This time, the combination of the Zerona Laser, the nutrients, and my regular diet and exercise routines did the trick. It worked!

The first time I also took nutrients, drank water, and had six Zerona Laser Treatments, but are a few things I did differently this time that may or may not have resulted in this dramatic loss of inches.

After the Cortisol panel, Dr, Ungaro suggested that I eat some protein in the morning, I began doing so, even though I normally only have coffee (which I limited to one large mug a day). Dr. Ungaro says that the protein broke down slower than the carbs taking the load off my adrenals, lowering cortisol, and promoting fat burning. Drinking less coffee also lowered the adrenal load.

Dr. Ungaro says that the BileMin helped thin my bile (apparently I had markers in my blood tests related to thick bile). This helped to emulsify more fats in my diet, breaking them down for energy rather than storage. The 7 Keto DHEA I took was also supposedly helping to burn more fat too. Dr. Ungaro did suggest that I quit taking the 7 Keto DHEA however, since it can potentially cause a metabolic shift away from estrogen and towards testosterone (and I don't want to grow hair like a guy)!


I also avoided bread and starches, but not entirely. I ate a cookie or two (honestly, I felt guilty about it). And I worked out with my trainer, Carl Ditmars, three times a week as I normally do.

Other than that, I can't thiink of a single thing I did differently

It sounds amazing, but it's true. It happened to me, and I'm not exaggerating a thing. I had six sessions at Better Body Solutions, thanks to Dr. Nicholas Ungaro and now pants I couldn't zip for over a year fit me and I can see that my stomach looks flatter. I still have a long way to go if I want to get back to the way I used to look, but at least I'm on my way.

What I have learned from this experience is that sometimes, you need to "try, try again." I already know, from reviewing beauty products for over a decade, is that What Works well for someone might not work the same for someone else. We are individuals and our bodies don't all respond the same way. When Dr. Ungaro figured out what else I needed to do to make the Zerona Laser treatments succeed, they did! And, keep in mind that the Zerona Laser is a sculpting treatment, not a treatment for weight loss. It is not the same as lipsuction, where you undergo an invasive, surgical procedure to have fat cells literally sucked out of your body. But it is an amazing motivator to continue to move forward and look better than you ever thought possible...all by just lying on a table and enjoying your Blackberry or your iPod, or just a moment to be tranquil.

If you think you might like to try this too, visit the Better Body Solutions Web Site. I also suggest that you check out Dr. Unagro's blog. You'll learn lots, even if you don't do the laser treatments.