The weight loss patch is what my dad would call too good to be true.

With all of the inroads that we’ve made in science over the last decade, you’d think they would have come up with a way to lose weight that is better than the "old fashioned" way of simple diet and exercise. And with the weight loss patch now being sold by several companies, it seems like they finally have, right?

But how real are their claims?

And is the foolproof weight loss patch method the best way to lose weight?

To make things worse, the companies that sell weight loss patches claim that it can do everything but the dishes.

The benefits include:

• Boosts energy

• Elevates mood

• Improves your immune system

• Lowers risk of breast and ovarian cancers

• Lowers cholesterol

• Curbs your appetite

• Oh, right - helps you lose weight!

You’d think it would have been the news story of the year. When you read the instructions they seem eerily similar to what you should do with a normal diet:

• Drink at least 64 ounces of water per day.

• Exercise every day.

• Eat healthy every day.

Gee, that sounds like a diet! Could it be the placebo effect at work here? Because the old fashioned way mentioned above includes those things, also. It’s just that so many people don’t want to visit the basics, opting instead for a quick fix to the problem of being overweight.

Another disturbing aspect of the weight loss patch are the lists of ingredients. Some manufacturers don’t even name the ingredients; choosing instead to state that it is based on "this herb" or "that herb." And then they go on to sell super patches, which contain 50 percent more of these mystery ingredients.

If I don’t know what I’m signing up for, how do I know I want 50 percent more of it?

The sites that do explain their ingredients more explicitly do make some legitimate claims; however, they neglect to mention the dose required to feel these benefits, as well as the dose that is included in the weight loss patch. Again, there seems to be a bit of smoke and mirrors involved in the disclosure.

The thing they do not mention at all are the side effects weight loss patches can cause, like nausea or vomiting. This is plain bad business sense - so much so, that the Federal Trade Commission has sued manufacturers of weight loss patches because of their claims.

When it comes down to it, the weight loss patch is nothing more than another scheme to part people from their hard-earned money. What’s particularly disturbing is that they are marketing the weight loss patch on sites and other venues frequented by young women who might already feel vulnerable about their weight.

The only thing that will get the weight off is eating a healthy, low-calorie diet and exercising every day, even if it’s just walking. There is no magic pill, powder or patch that will make the extra pounds go away.