Appetite Suppressants and Your Health

It is so easy, when you wish to lose a couple of unwanted pounds to simply pop an appetite suppressant. These weight-loss supplements can normally be bought over the counter without a prescription, or those which are only obtainable with a prescription.

General information on appetite suppressants

Although appetite suppressants may help you lose weight by suppressing your normal desire to eat, they carry a certain amount of health risks. It is strange that people will look at the side effects of prescription drugs when scripted for illness or disease, but will merrily disregard the fine print on the packing slips of the suppressants.

The reason for this rationale might be the fact that some people still think that appetite suppressant pills are not detrimental to your health. The unfortunately truth is that countless people have found out the truth behind this easy way of weight loss.

Some side effects of appetite suppressants

Dry mouth, addiction, euphoria, psychotic reactions, hyper excitability, agitation, fatigue, sleep disturbances, insomnia, anorexia, altered metabolism, hyper salivation, organ disorders, diarrhea, hair loss, depression, nightmares, cardio arrhythmia, shivers, anemia, fluid retention, impotency, dizziness, frequent urination, conjunctivitis, stomach pain, itchiness, pulmonary hypertension, headache, sweats, thirst, muscle weakness, tremors, anxiety, restlessness, heart palpitations, angina, skin rash, blurred vision.

It is very clear that anyone taking appetite suppressants, other than healthy herbal remedies, should think twice.

Losing weight

Although it may take more time to lose weight naturally, your health will not be compromised and you will not be affected by the constant yo-yo effect of losing and gaining weight. When losing weight at a constant and lesser rate, the body has more time to adjust to the lighter you, and you will look less haggard than those that went on weight loss sprees and losing too much weight too fast.

It may sound great to lose ten or more pounds a week, but this is far too much unless you are severely overweight. Crash diets can remove the bulk of excess weight, yet very seldom will they help you lose the last couple of unwanted pounds, as the body will fight this unnatural rate of losing body mass.

With this, the last couple of excess pounds, a more moderate weight loss is called for, which unfortunately will call for some sacrifice and work.

We unfortunately live in a society where people do not want to take responsibility for their own actions, where other people and companies are sued for the fact that they cannot control their own obese eating habits.

But in real life the truth still remains that you will not have a perfect body unless you are prepared to put work into your body and to watch your diet.

Natural appetite suppressant

Some herbs can help to curb your appetite, and will do so with fewer side effects and in a far more natural way. A natural folk remedy to lose weight is apple cider vinegar. One teaspoon is taken in half a glass of water 30 minutes before meals and is followed by another half a glass of clear water to rinse the vinegar from your teeth, as the vinegar could affect your teeth.

If you are suffering from a stomach ulcer you will not be able to take the apple cider vinegar on an empty stomach, and will then have to take it after eating.

To lose weight you will need to curb your food intake and start a healthy exercise program.

Good Luck!

Charles

Homocysteine Levels

What are Normal Homocysteine Levels?
by: Dr. Ray Strand

The medical literature has shown us that a homocysteine level below 6.5 micromols/L is a safe level. As the homocysteine level rises above this level the risk of cardiovascular disease will increase.

The higher these levels the greater your risk of having a heart attack or stroke. Most labs report a normal homocysteine should be in the range of 5 to 12 or even 15 micromols/L. If your homocysteine level is above 12 micromols/L, you are in serious trouble.

There are now even studies that show that individuals with elevated homocysteine levels are also at greater risk of developing several different kinds of cancers and even Alzheimer’s dementia.

The main point you must remember that the lower your homocysteine level the better. You certainly would want to see your homocysteine level below 6.5. The lower the better is the key when it comes to homocysteine levels.


Treating Elevated Homocysteine Levels

When I encounter patients with elevated homocysteine levels above 10 or 12 micromols/L, I encourage them to start high quality, complete and balanced nutritional supplements that contain at least 1,000 mcg of folic acid, 100-200 mcg of vitamin B12, and at least 50 mg of vitamin B6.

If my patients are already taking this level of these B vitamins and their homocysteine levels are still elevated, I will add Betaine or Trimethylglycine (TMG). I will gradually increase the dose from 1 gram to even 6 grams in order to get their homocysteine levels at least below 8 micromols/L and hopefully below 6.5 micromols/L.

Some physicians who understand the seriousness of elevated homocysteine levels will sometimes prescribe very high doses of B vitamins. I have not had that much success with this approach. However, I don’t mind increasing the B vitamins as long as they also are adding significant levels of Betaine (TMG).

You should have your mocysteine rechecked after 2 to 3 months on either B vitamins or Betaine to be sure your homocysteine level has come down into that safe range. If not, you need to add more Betaine (TMG) up to 6 grams daily in order to reach that goal.

(Source: Dr. Ray Strand, expert on Nutritional Medicine.)

Charles

The Path To Fitness And Health

Walking towards health and fitness is not really the hard arduous job that everybody seem to think it is. When you really think about it, the hard part is often the start. Afterwards, everything else will be easier once you really get the hang of it. All it takes is discipline and commitment.

Below are some tips on how to get a head start on your road to health and fitness. Read each one and you’ll realize that it is actually easier to undertake. You just need to take the first few steps.

1. Start small If your favorite dish is something that your doctor asked you to avoid, there is no sense in skipping it altogether and then binging on the dish when you can’t take the abstinence anymore. Take moderate steps towards the goal.

If you eat the dish everyday, try to cut down on your consumption and make it just three times a week. IF you have managed that, cut down further and make it once a week. That way, you are able to still enjoy the food and not increase your craving for it.

2. Plan modestly Set goals for yourself but that does not mean that you have to kill yourself to get it and when you don’t you’ll also kill yourself. Setting too high goals will often only lead to disappointment and frustration. When you plan, make sure that you can do it. How will you know?

Be realistic. You know what you are capable of. It is better to set goals for yourself that you know you can do. Accomplishing them will give you a sense of achievement that will make you more confident and more willing to continue with your task.

3. Have a buddy Sharing the aches and pains as well as the joys of accomplishment with a buddy will help make the process easier and more bearable. In fact, people with a buddy when doing a self-improvement project are better able to stick with their plans than those who are doing the projects alone.

This is because when you have a buddy with you, he or she acts as a support system that will help keep you on track and prevent you from giving up. Besides having a friend with you experiencing the same things makes the process more fun and more enjoyable.

4. Have discipline This is one of the few things that will make or break your plans to finally live a healthy lifestyle. In order to really stick to the plan, you need to develop self-discipline especially when it involves things that you really want to do or things that you are used to doing.

Temptations along the way will be many and you need to be prepared to face all that!

5. Do it for yourself A lot of people start to live a life of health and fitness when they are trying to get a new guy to notice them or when they want to impress a lover.

Although these are valid reasons, sometimes, they are not enough to see you through the entire process. It is better that you do it for yourself because you want a healthier and better you than do it for other people’s approval. After all, the only approval that you will ever need is your own.


Charles