The dream of everyone in need of losing a
few pounds: a pill to pop or a patch to attach
that will magically make those flabby pounds
disappear overnight and without effort. Catering
to that dream is big business, and hundreds
of companies offer products that suggest
(if not outright promise) that they are that
miracle.
Recent publicity about the serious
side effects
of some weight loss remedies
(for example,
those containing Ephedrine) have
raised awareness
that some chemicals can be quite
harmful.
Nutritional supplements, a category
of drugs
that includes many diet drugs,
are in a loosely
regulated area that does not
receive the
same level of scrutiny as medicines.
Just
because a product is "natural"
or "herbal" does not
make it good.
Indeed, that is a lot of "natural"
mold and mildew growing around,
but we know
better than to start chomping
on that unless
we'd like to see the inside of
an emergency
room.
So, to pervert a common expression,
pick
your poison wisely. Understand
what active
ingredients a pill or patch (which
is just
a different way for dispensing
a drug) contains.
Understand how they work (do
they suppress
hunger? do they increase the
body's burn
rate?) and if in doubt, talk
with your doctor.
And remember, the least expensive
and best
performing solution for weight
control is
the truly natural mix of sensible
eating
and moderate exercise. |
