If weight loss were as simple as just popping a little pill a few times per day, everyone would be fit and flaunting the perfect weight. Unfortunately, it does not always work this way, and diet pills can often do more harm than good if they do anything at all.

Diet pills are either prescribed by a doctor, or they can be purchased at major retail stores, drug stores, or online. There is a distinct difference between the two, namely that prescription diet pills are given to patients who doctors deem to be seriously overweight. These pills might help, but that does not mean that they are completely fool proof, or that there have not been health concerns with prescription diet medications in the past.

Some weight loss pills contain something called ephedra that can cause irregular and rapid heart beat, and can sometimes result in death. Try to avoid any pills that contain ephedra if possible.

Each type of weight loss pill offers a different benefit. For example, some pills claim to increase metabolism, while others might block fat consumption or suppress the appetite. Decide on which kind of weight loss plan you want to engage in, and use that as a guide to help you find the right pill. Do not allow the pills to serve as an excuse to continue eating an unhealthy diet.
Often people think if a pill claims to “block fat” that they can eat whatever they wish and as much as they wish, as long as they keep taking the pill; in reality however, this is simply NOT the case.

Also, keep in mind there are often side effects with diet pills including headaches, nausea, and sometimes difficulty absorbing certain vitamins and minerals. Remember that all nutrition should come from your diet, so avoid any pills that claim to serve as a substitute for a meal.

Do your homework and read about several different weight loss pills before you decide on one to try. Look at the statistics, read the reviews, and check out the kinds of results people are getting from the diet pill of your choice. Be wary of any pills that make miraculous, unrealistic claims.

Keep in mind that weight loss pills are really designed to just help you jumpstart the process, not act as a miracle worker. These pills can be costly and usually people end up disappointed. Don’t spend a lot of your hard earned money on weight loss pills without knowing as much as possible about your choice.

Looking to make a change and lose some weight? I have reviewed the top diet on the internet and you can go and read over 200 comments people have made about why this diet has worked well for them, as well as some of the problems.

Tags: headaches, miracle worker, nausea, retail stores

We have always heard, and I have written a few times about the difference between good an bad carbs. I have just run across an article on “Thats Fit” website by Liz Neporent on the difference between good and bad carbs. Here is an excerpt from the article

Good carbs are good for you because they tend to be broken down more slowly by the body. Whole grains, for instance, include the three parts of the grain: Bran, sperm and endosperm. The body needs more time to process them so they enter your blood stream in a steadier, more controlled way which keeps your blood sugar and energy level more consistent. They’re high in fiber too, so they’re more filling and help push things along the digestive tract. They also tend to be relatively low in calories and fat while high in vitamins and minerals. Studies show a diet that contains lots of good carbs can offer some protection against cancer and other “lifestyle” diseases.

Bad carbs typically deliver a megadose of calories without adding much in the way of nutrition to your diet. They tend to come in large portion sizes and, though they may taste good, typically aren’t very filling or satisfying. You usually wind up eating way more than you intended because your brain takes a moment to realize what’s happening down in the old stomach. Bottom line: Studies have linked diets that contain an excess of bad carbs to obesity, heart disease and a whole array of other major health headaches.

Tags: cancer, energy level, headaches, heart disease, Liz Neporent, obesity

These days, people are so crazy about losing weight as quickly as possible that they are looking for the latest and greatest shortcuts. If a program promises to help them lose ten pounds in three days, they would choose that over the one which promises to help them lose ten pounds in ten weeks, even if the former might involve the use of unhealthy weight loss techniques. But does such a choice really help them in the long run?

Keep in mind that when it comes to weight loss, being ’short-sighted’ is not good. When you try to lose weight by using these weight loss ’shortcuts’, more often than not you will gain back the ‘lost’ weight pretty quickly. A simpler way to lose weight is to follow healthy and natural weight loss methods. What is the best and most natural way to lose weight? Obviously following a healthy diet and exercise program is the key to lose weight healthily and permanently.

Here are the two old but simple weight loss methods that you should follow to acquire a slim and fit body easily and naturally. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: aches, grievous injuries, headaches, muscle injuries, obesity, sleeplessness

Detoxification diets are specially-developed with the main purpose of sanitizing and cleansing the body by flushing out toxins and other synthetic chemicals. Detox diet plans are proven to have good beneficial effects on the over-all state of health of users. However, some scientific studies have revealed that detox diets can harm the body, especially to young people.

What are Detox Diets?

It is common knowledge that detox programs involve fasting. There are various versions of fasting: full, moderate, and maintenance. The full version requires complete absence of solid foods during the detoxification period. The moderate fasting allows only fresh fruits and vegetables with the detox diet. Lastly, the maintenance version set aside one day of full-version fasting every week-which is a diet of no-solid-all-liquid.

The general idea of eliminating waste materials from the body is very good. Who want to store toxins inside their bodies? Cleanliness, inside and out, is very much desired by users of detox diets; even though they have to suffer from several side effects during the cleansing period. Most people experience headaches, dizziness, vomiting, and fatigue. These are negative reactions shown by the body while getting detoxified. It is not surprising that body systems are shocked while massive amount of harmful substances passes through on their way out. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: body systems, dizziness, energy levels, flushing, headaches, pain, synthetic chemicals, vomiting

If you’ve ever been treated for severe pain from surgery, an injury, or an illness, you know just how vital pain relief medications can be.

Pain relief treatments come in many forms and potencies, are available by prescription or over-the-counter (OTC), and treat all sorts of physical pain— including that brought on by chronic conditions, sudden trauma, and cancer.

Pain relief medicines (also known as “analgesics” and “painkillers”) are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Some analgesics, including opioid analgesics, act on the body’s peripheral and central nervous systems to block or decrease sensitivity to pain. Others act by inhibiting the formation of certain chemicals in the body.

Among the factors health care professionals consider in recommending or prescribing them are the cause and severity of the pain.

TYPES OF PAIN RELIEVERS

OTC Medications
These relieve the minor aches and pains associated with conditions such as headaches, fever, colds, flu, arthritis, toothaches, and menstrual cramps.

There are basically two types of OTC pain relievers: acetaminophen and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).

Acetaminophen is an active ingredient found in more than 600 OTC and prescription medicines, including pain relievers, cough suppressants, and cold medications.

NSAIDs are common medications used to relieve fever and minor aches and pains. They include aspirin, naproxen, and ibuprofen, as well as many medicines taken for colds, sinus pressure, and allergies. They act by inhibiting an enzyme that helps make a specific chemical.

Prescription Medications
Typical prescription pain relief medicines include opioids and non-opioid medications.

Derived from opium, opioid drugs are very powerful products. They act by attaching to a specific “receptor” in the brain, spinal cord, and gastrointestinal tract. Opioids can change the way a person experiences pain.

Types of prescription opioid medications include

• morphine, which is often used before and after surgical procedures to alleviate severe pain
• oxycodone, which is also often prescribed for moderate to severe pain
• codeine, which comes in combination with acetaminophen or other non-opioid pain relief medications and is often prescribed for mild to moderate pain
• hydrocodone, which comes in combination with acetaminophen or other non-opioid pain relief medications and is prescribed for moderate to moderately severe pain

FDA has recently notified makers of certain opioid drugs that these products will need to have a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) to ensure that the benefits continue to outweigh the risks.

Affected opioid drugs, which include brand name and generic products, are formulated with the active ingredients fentanyl, hydromorphone, methadone, morphine, oxycodone, and oxymorphone.

FDA has authority to require a REMS under the Food and Drug Administration Amendments Act of 2007.

Types of non-opioid prescription medications include ibuprofen and diclofenac, which treat mild to moderate pain.

USE PAIN RELIEVERS AS DIRECTED

Pain medications are safe and effective when used as directed. However, misuse of these products can be extremely harmful and even deadly.

Consumers who take pain relief medications must follow their health care professional’s instructions carefully. If a measuring tool is provided with your medicine, use it as directed.

Do not change the dose of your pain relief medication without talking to your doctor first.

Also, pain medications should never be shared with anyone else. Only your health care professional can decide if a prescription pain medication is safe for someone.

Here are other key points to remember.

With acetaminophen:

• Taking a higher dose than recommended will not provide more relief and can be dangerous.
• Too much can lead to liver damage and death. Risk for liver damage may be increased in people who drink three or more alcoholic beverages a day while using acetaminophen-containing medicines.
• Be cautious when giving acetaminophen to children. Infant drop medications can be significantly stronger than regular children’s medications. Read and follow the directions on the label every time you use a medicine. Be sure that your infant is getting the infants’ pain formula and your older child is getting the children’s pain formula.

With NSAIDs:

• Too much can cause stomach bleeding. This risk increases in people who are over 60 years of age, are taking prescription blood thinners, are taking steroids, have a history of stomach bleeding or ulcers, and/or have other bleeding problems.
• Use of NSAIDs can also cause reversible kidney damage. This risk may increase in people who are over 60 years of age, are taking a diuretic (a drug that increases the excretion of urine), have high blood pressure, heart disease, or pre-existing kidney disease.

With opioids:

• Use of opioids can lead to drowsiness. Do not drive or use any machinery that may injure you, especially when you first start the medication.
• The dose of an opioid pain medication that is safe for you could be high enough to cause an overdose and death in someone else, especially children.

KNOW THE ACTIVE INGREDIENTS

A specific area of concern with OTC pain medicines is when products sold for different uses have the same active ingredient. A cold and cough remedy may have the same active ingredient as a headache remedy or a prescription pain reliever.

To minimize the risks of an accidental overdose, consumers should avoid taking multiple medications with the same active ingredient at the same time.

All OTC medicines must have all of their active ingredients listed on the package. For prescription drugs, the active ingredients are listed on the container label.

Talk with your pharmacist or another health care professional if you have questions about using OTC medicines, and especially before using them in combination with dietary supplements or other OTC or prescription medicines.

MISUSE AND ABUSE
Misuse and abuse of pain medications can be extremely dangerous. This is especially so in regard to opioids. These medications should be stored in a place where they cannot be stolen.

According to the National Institutes of Health, studies have shown that properly managed medical use of opioid analgesic compounds (taken exactly as prescribed) is safe, can manage pain effectively, and rarely causes addiction.

But the abuse of opioids is a significant public safety concern. Abusers ingest these drugs orally, and also crush the pills in order to snort or inject them.

Commonly abused opioid pain medicines include prescription drugs such as codeine, and the brand-name products Oxycontin (oxycodone), Vicodin (hydrocodone with acetaminophen), and Demerol (meperidine).

Addiction is just one serious danger of opioid abuse. A number of overdose deaths have resulted from snorting and injecting opioids, particularly the drug OxyContin, which was designed to be a slow-release formulation.

USE OPIOIDS SAFELY:  3 KEY STEPS

1. Keep your doctor informed. Inform your health care professional about any past history of substance abuse. All patients treated with opioids for pain require careful monitoring by their health care professional for signs of abuse and addiction, and to determine when these analgesics are no longer needed.
2. Follow directions carefully. Opioids are associated with significant side effects, including drowsiness, constipation, and depressed breathing depending on the amount taken. Taking too much could cause severe respiratory depression or death. Do not crush or break pills. This can alter the rate at which the medication is absorbed and lead to overdose and death.
3. Reduce the risk of drug interactions. Don’t mix opioids with alcohol, antihistamines, barbiturates, or benzodiazepines. All of these substances slow breathing and their combined effects could lead to life-threatening respiratory depression.

This article appears on FDA’s Consumer Health Information Web page (www.fda.gov/consumer), which features the latest updates on FDA-regulated products. Sign up for free e-mail subscriptions at www.fda.gov/consumer/consumerenews.html.

Tags: acetaminophen, aches, allergies, arthritis, brand-name products, cancer, chemical, chemicals, constipation, cough, cramps, dietary supplements, drowsiness, fever, food and drug administration, generic products, headache, headaches, heart disease, high blood pressure, ibuprofen, kidney disease, machinery, OTC, OxyContin, pain, pains, peripheral and central nervous systems, pharmacist, respiratory depression, surgery, toothaches, www.fda.gov/consumer, www.fda.gov/consumer/consumerenews.html

Thanks to the considerable awareness about weight loss generated by experts and media alike, almost all of those so-called ‘bad foods’ now have seemingly ‘good alternatives’ so that you could enjoy your favorite foods without getting fatter. So we have diet drinks to replace fizzy drinks and diet soda to replace the original sweet soda. But how healthy are these diet alternatives? In this article we shall take a closer look at that.

Take diet soda for example. It may contain fewer calories than the original soda, but they are also loaded with lots of caffeine which makes equally harmful. In case you don’t know already, caffeine is a diuretic that makes us dehydrated by flushing out all the water from our body. The more caffeine we consume, the more our body would become dehydrated. But how would you know if your body is dehydrated or not? Here are some quick symptoms to check out.

1. Fatigue: Are you always tired? Do you feel unable to concentrate on any one thing? Do you tend to feel sleepy even after sleeping for a long while? Do you feel that you lack the energy required to perform your daily chores? Believe it or not, they are all symptoms of dehydration.

2. Headaches: We all know how annoying headaches could be. But do you know why they happen? Very often, when our brain is deprived of even a little amount of water, we suffer from headaches. Keep in mind that almost two-thirds of our brain is composed of nothing but water.

3. Difficulty in passing bowels: When water gets depleted from your body, your stool gets harder and harder, consequently making it difficult for you to pass the bowels. You would notice that almost always a patient suffering from constipation is advised to drink lots of water and fruits; while water keeps the stool soft, fiber pushes the bowels so hard that you should have no difficulty passing them at all.

4. Dark-colored urine: Do you urinate less than usual? Is the color of your urine dark? This is yet another pointer to the fact that your body is dehydrated and it needs water supply. When your body’s water level is reduced to an abnormally low level, the kidneys find it difficult to flush out the toxins and other waste products properly from our body and consequently our urine becomes abnormally dark.

5. Bad breath: If you have tried high and low and are still unable to get rid of your bad breath, consider increasing your water intake. Bad breath is caused by bacteria, and water helps flush out these bacteria from your mouth, thereby ridding you of bad breath.

As you can see, diet sodas are not a good choice because they could make your kids’ body dry as hell. If you really want to control your kids” soda intake, persuade them to drink water more often.

Tags: constipation, dehydration, energy, flushing, headaches, waste products

Pain is a feeling that all of us would want to avoid, but often end up experiencing. Be it in the form of a headache, period pain, muscle ache or joint inflammation, an ache never leaves our side for too long a time.

The method that most of us follow to get rid of a pain is to pop an over-the-counter (OTC) painkiller into our mouth. While OTC medicines are effective in treating pain, they are also associated with a number of side effects, especially if used regularly or on a long-term basis.

Though many of us are unaware of this fact, there are a number of natural pain killers that can help relieve aches, without presenting the danger of side effects. In the following lines, we have listed some of the most effective natural remedies for pain, including the herbal ones.

Natural Pain Killers

Boswellia
Boswellia is the name of an Indian herb that has been found to be effective in treating the pain occurring from rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Boswellic acids, the active constituents in boswellia, are responsible for bringing relief from the ache. This particular herb is available in the form of supplements as well as topically-applied creams. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: ache, aches, arthritis, back pain, chemicals, Crohn's disease, Dietary Supplement, Environmental Protection Agency, fibromyalgia, fish oil, gastritis, gout, headache, headaches, inflammation, inflammatory chemicals, lower back pain, migraine, migraine headaches, muscle cramps, muscle injuries, natural remedies, oil, pain, pains, peptic ulcers, rheumatoid arthritis, sinusitis, South Africa

I have been compiling info on artificial sweetners for years and there are some that are OK and some that are really bad for you but here is a bit of an overview of he dangers of using different artificial sweeteners to try to drop your calorie intake.

Aspartame

Aspartame, a dipeptide of aspartic acid and a methyl ester of phenylalanine, is approved for use in pharmaceutical products and is being used increasingly in chewable tablet and sugar-free formulations. Labels for both prescription and nonprescription products must include the phenylalanine content. The major consideration in the use of aspartame in children is in patients with autosomal recessive phenylketonuria. Although heterozygotes do not appear to have clinically significant increases in phenylalanine after ingestion of even large amounts (equivalent to 24 12-oz cans of diet beverages), homozygotes with strict dietary restrictions should avoid aspartame. Children without dietary restrictions could safely ingest 10 mg/kg/day. Dietary consumption of aspartame is typically less than 5 mg/kg/day; young children, however, could ingest considerably more. For example, a 2-year-old child weighing 12 kg consumes 17 mg/kg from drinking one 12-oz can of diet soda and one serving of a sweetened product (eg, cereal, pudding, gelatin, or frozen dessert). Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: absence seizures, affective disorders, albuminuria, allergy, American Herbal Products Association, American Medical Association, artificial chemical, artificial sweetners, aspartame, aspartic acid, bladder cancer, blisters, Brazil, cancer, chemical, dairy by-product, dairy products, depression, diarrhea, diet beverages, Dietary Supplement, dietary supplements, dizziness, eczema, epilepsy, evidence, fda, FDA/National Cancer Institute, food, food additive, Food additives, food processors, food products, headache, headaches, Hypersensitivity, insomnia, Japan, Japanese government, migraine headaches, mitral valve prolapse, nausea, neuropsychiatric disorders, nonprescription products, oliguria, panic attacks, Paraguay, pharmaceutical agents, pharmaceutical products, phenylketonuria, placebos, product, prurigo, pruritus, Saccharin, salty applications, SeaLife SL 200C 35mm Film Camera, seizure disorders, seizures, sodium chloride, Stevia, strabismus, Sucralose, tachycardia, Tagatose, United States, urticaria, vascular headaches, visual hallucinations, wheezing

You will find a free list of negative calorie foods below, but first let’s consider what this means. There is no such thing as a negative calorie – a calorie is a unit of heat and it cannot be negative. So when people talk about negative calorie foods, this just means a food whose calorie level is low enough that it takes more energy to eat and digest it than the food contains.

For example, if you consider water to be a food, then cold water is certainly a negative calorie food. It contains no calories at all and the body has to expend energy to bring it up to blood temperature. So every time we drink a glass of cold water we burn up a couple of calories and lose a little weight. But there are very few foods like this. Most foods that are on the list do not really use more calories than they add, or if they do the effect is negligible … until you remember that at the same time the body expends energy just to keep alive and breathing. Celery for example does not give us enough calories to cover both the energy that it takes to digest it, plus the energy that we expend even when we are doing nothing. So that is why people call it a negative calorie food.

Negative calorie foods are most attractive to anorexics. A negative calorie diet would obviously result in starvation in the long term and nutritional deficiencies can occur surprisingly quickly. The calories burnt usually come from muscle mass, and the result is debility and wasting.

A more healthy way to use a negative calorie diet is as a form of fasting or detox. It is something you can do for one to three days right after the Christmas season or another time when you have been eating a over-rich diet. Provided you are otherwise healthy it can be a great way to clean out the system. However it is still best to take medical advice before attempting this.

If you decide to use a negative calorie detox, keep the following points in mind:

1. It is never a good idea to eat huge quantities of one type of food, especially fruits. A lot of foods contain substances that can be damaging if consumed to excess. For example, the acid in grapefruit and pineapple can damage your stomach lining. Other foods put an excessive burden on the liver or may cause diarrhea. So try to use all the different foods in small quantities.

2. Do not spend all day eating. You will just become bloated and feel sick. If you are only doing this for a couple days, you should not feel too hungry. Plan four or five salad meals each day, and let your digestion rest at other times.

3. You will feel more satisfied if you eat slowly and chew your food thoroughly. You will also use more calories that way. So if the foods can be eaten raw, that will be more effective than cooking them. Foods like carrots and beets will also be more satisfying if you eat them grated.

4. Schedule time when you do not have any important commitments. As with fasting or any kind of detox, you may suffer some uncomfortable symptoms including headaches, tiredness, depression and irritability. If these become severe, stop the diet and see a doctor.

5. When you end the detox, plan a gradual return to normal eating.

If all the above points are checked and passed, let’s move on to the list of foods.

* Apples
* Asparagus
* Beets
* Blueberries
* Broccoli
* Cantaloupes
* Carrot
* Cauliflower
* Celery stalk
* Celery root
* Cranberries
* Cucumbers
* Eggplant
* Endives
* Garden cress
* Garlic
* Grapefruit
* Green beans
* Green cabbage
* Lamb’s lettuce
* Lemons
* Lettuce
* Onions
* Papayas
* Pineapples
* Prunes
* Radishes
* Raspberries
* Spinach
* Strawberries
* Tangerines
* Tomatoes
* Turnips
* Zucchini

Please use this free list of negative calorie foods wisely.

Tags: christmas, depression, diarrhea, energy, food, headaches, negative calorie food, nutritional deficiencies, starvation, tiredness

What is a low carb diet?

I realized that I have mentioned a bunch of times about how people should lower the amount of carbs in their diet and increase the amount of protein in their diet. This is sometimes called carb depleting but the way I look at it if you drop your carbs somewhat and increase protein you are going to be in better shape. Just so not drop the carbs too far.

Low-carbohydrate diets for weight control have been very popular. Anyone who is considering losing weight has heard about low carb diets. Key questions you may have are: What are low carb diets? Are they safe? How do they work? Can low carb diets have any negative side effects to my health in the long term?

As the number of overweight and obese people has increased, calls to overweight people encouraging them to lose weight have also increased. As a result, there are more searches for diets that can help people lose weight and keep it off.

Today, more people who are deformed and overweight are engaging in the low carb dieting for their better health and vitality; and also to prolong their lives. It is noteworthy that low carb diets have also been followed by even those who are healthy and who are not overweight; bust would like to maintain their well-being, energy, vitality and health by following the basics of the low carb diet. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Atkins New Diet Revolution, carbs, constipation, diabetes, dizziness, energy, fatigue, food manufacturers, headaches, heart disease, high blood pressure, hypoglycemia, lose weight, low carb diet, low carb diets, low carb food, low fat diets, nausea, obesity, protein