"I can make you thin."

I happened to catch part of this show last night while channel surfing. I think the title is kind of appalling. I mean "I can make you thin." It sounds like a gimmick, honestly, one that many people could obviosuly be enticed into watching. After all, we are a nation of wanting to get results quickly. I think the worst thing is that this show is on TLC, "The Learning Channel," part of the discovery channel network. TLC used to have some really interesting stuff. They still do have some interesting shows, it just seems to have veered off a bit from what I remember as a child.

Anyway, this show is hosted by Paul McKenna. He is a hypnotist out of the UK and has written several best selling self-help books which have apparently sold in millions in the UK. The premise behind the show is supposedly lose weight through the television. By that I mean, he shows the audience and people he works with how to stop emotional overeating, curb cravings, increase metabolism, etc. through the use of a "tapping technique" which looks essentially like "EFT," or "emotional freedom technique." The idea behind EFT is to tap into various accupuncture meridian points. The proponents of this method say it works for pain disorders, allergies, ocd, eating disorders, phobias, and a number of other issues. The tapping technique for this weight loss is supposedly going to change your brain patterns and how you think. Personally, I sit on the fence with this. I think the power of suggestion can do a lot more than people realize.

I think the other thing about this show or anything similar (National Geographic's "The Dog Whisperer" comes to mind) is that it just makes people buy into something without expertise. Even with this show, the host says how people need to eat "consciously," eat when they're hungry, stop when they're full, etc. How is that any different from what we have all heard about weight, hunger, and eating? Isn't it just common sense masked by the addition of this new, miraculous tapping technique?

Maybe I'm a bit too skeptical or research oriented or want to make sure I know my facts before jumping into anything, but this worries me in general. I guess it'll be interesting to see where the show goes.