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Many fads come and go.

There are two notable ones: one dietary, one a drug. Both of them are dangerous. The drug is ephedra, contained in the Chinese herb ma huang. Ephedra is a potent stimulant that can raise blood pressure; its use has been associated with stroke, heart attack, and death. It is found in many weight-loss products and does promote weight loss. In my opinion, however, it is not worth the risk.

Another Chinese herb, sida cordifolia, contains a different stimulant, synephrine. This substance is newer to the market and less information is available; however, I would view it with extreme caution as well. In the 1960s, the saying “speed kills” was popularized to dramatize the danger of using stimulants.

High-protein diets keep coming back to haunt nutritionists.

The latest versions are trumped up in pseudoscience suggesting that excess carbohydrates cause the body to become resistant to insulin and that this causes obesity and diabetes. The solution is to replace carbohydrates with protein. This theory is not based on scientific evidence and overlooks the fact that practically every society has always gotten most of its calories from carbohydrates.

For example, Asian diets are based on rice. If the carbohydrates-cause-obesity theory is correct, Asian cultures should be rife with obesity and diabetes, but of course they are not. The average Asian rice eater is slender. So much for the theory behind high-protein diets; These diets contradict all the advice given by good professional groups with science to back up their recommendations:’ groups including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Heart Association, the National Cancer Institute, the American Diabetes Association, and so on.

MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT HERBAL AND NATURAL SUPPLEMENTS

One misconception people have about these words is that they mean a product is safe. Many herbs, vitamins, and other natural supplements are powerful substances. Any substance should be taken according to prescribed or recommended dosing directions. Taking more than the recommended dosage may result in unpleasant or serious side effects. Ephedra is one such example.

Many people also incorrectly believe that manufacturers of herbs, vitamins, and other natural supplements are required to adhere to the same strict guidelines that producers of overcounter and prescription pharmaceutical products must follow. This is not true. The lack of regulation of natural products can make it difficult to identify quality herbal ind natural remedies.
To help ease the uncertainty, the federal government passed the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act in 1994. This act offers some consumer protection by requiring that manufacturers label their supplements with specific information about the ingredients

Ephedra, also known as ma huang –  This herbal product has been linked with more than 60 deaths and over 800 medical complaints. Many states now ban or restrict the sale of ephedra or products containing it.

Phen-Fen

If eating too much is the result of changes in the reward, learning, and habit circuits of the brain, then medicines that act on those circuits really should modify behavior and help manage this impulse of overeating. That is precisely what a mix of two drugs-phentermine and fenfluramine, typically referred to as phen-fen-seemed to do.

Phen-fen turned out to be hazardous and was pulled from the market in 1997. Occasionally, it developed serious and quite often life-threatening unwanted effects in the heart. While no one should use this pharmaceutical mixture today, we can learn a lot about the biology of overindulging by analyzing the way it worked on the brain’s reward circuits. Many physicians say phen-fen was the most efficient drug therapy they ever endured for the treatment of obesity.

Phen-fen acted in a complicated means on two brain chemicals: serotonin and dopamine.

The drug combination improved the amount of serotonin, which shuts down the act of dopamine and decreases activity in the reward pathways. The complete impact was to reduce the drive for reward.

Studies have revealed that serotonin can also tamp down the satisfying value of drugs of abuse, for example cocaine. By way of example, a test animal which has been trained to press a lever to get cocaine will minimize doing so after receiving pharmaceuticals that promote serotonin release. This might be an aid to describe reports in psychopharmacological journals that phentermine and fenfluramine reduce drug use.

If the same pharmacologic therapy reduces the power that both food and drugs of abuse can gain over the body, then they are in all probability engaging the same regions of the brain. Which means the reward circuits targeted by highly palatable food are also the reward circuits targeted by drugs.

Rewarding foods tend to be reinforcing, meaning that they keep us coming back for more. I put an M&M in my mouth, it tastes good, and I return for another. The sugar and fat in the candy reinforce my desire to keep eating it.

Scientists ask two questions to determine whether animals find a substance reinforcing:

Are they willing to work to obtain it?

Do they respond to other stimuli they’ve learned to associate with the substance?

By these criteria, sugar, fat, and salt are clearly reinforcing. One decisive piece of evidence is exquisitely simple. French researchers first allowed one group of animals to eat freely while restricting the diet of another group. Next they measured the speed at which each group ran for chow compared to Choc and Crisp, a German chocolate-flavored cereal high in sugar and fat.

There have been many studies on animals especially mice that confirms the fact that sugar, fat, and salt are clearly reinforcing and the animals are willing to work hard to get these foods.

My own look at a vanilla milkshake confirmed the reinforcing value of sugar and fat and helped me better understand what matters most.

The power of the vanilla milkshake and other high-sugar, highfat foods is further amplified as cues become associated with them.

When we put food rich in sugar, fat, and salt in our mouths, we stimulate neurons, which are the basic cells of the brain. Neurons are connected in circuits and communicate with one another to create feelings, store information, and control behavior. They respond to rewarding foods by firing electrical signals and releasing brain chemicals that then travel to interconnected neurons. We say those neurons are “encoded” for palatability.

The neurons in the brain that are stimulated by taste and other properties of highly palatable food are part of the opioid circuitry, which is the body’s primary pleasure system. The “opioids,” also known as endorphins, are chemicals produced in the brain that have rewarding effects similar to drugs such as morphine and heroin.

Stimulating the opioid circuitry with food drives us to eat.

A significant number of patients try to take low-calorie diet, weight-loss drugs and stimulant based fat burners, but they experience weight loss only for a short period of time. After a year or two, they return to their original size and shape without even knowing it. That is because it is not weight loss itself which is difficult; it is maintenance. And maintenance can only be achieved by behavior therapy.

If one is to start to change something, it is not diet or exercise plan; it is behavior. Behavior dictates one’s lifestyle, which in turn affects one’s health. For example, high stress can lead to overeating. People who are in a period of emotional turmoil (such as the loss of a loved one) often eat to cope with their problems. Thus, beyond dieting and physical activity, stress-reducing techniques and learning how to cope with emotional problems (with the help of a support group or counselor) are necessary steps to losing weight. All of these behavioral changes can lead to an improved weight management.

The doctor plays a major role in achieving the patient’s weight loss. The said professional has to assess the patient’s motivation for losing weight. And aside from that, he or she has to suggest ways on how to actually lose those extra pounds. The doctor’s motivation and encouragement are the key components to the program.

Moreover, the doctor has to understand the patient’s weight problem (when and how he or she puts on weight). He or she must be aware that most of the patients he or she is handling are victims of shame and hurtful comments from others. He or she must also be knowledgeable of the possible health risks that go along with being obese. Realizing these things can help the doctor motivate and encourage the patients to achieve his or her weight goals. The patient, in his or her part, must realize, however, that losing weight is a commitment that he or she must work at to be successful.

Sometimes the person on a weight loss program finds that he or she is not losing weight. There are several questions that can be asked to a person in this situation to understand what may be happening. Has the person been under stress? Did he or she sustain an injury that interferes with or prevents exercise? Has the person become bored with his or her routine? Answering questions like these can help a person make adjustments that will help him or her achieve his or her goals. Sometimes, a person limiting his or her caloric intake feels deprived and eats more, especially fat-filled foods. Making dietary changes that are small and easier to adopt (for example, eating with a smaller plate than usual) may be a possible solution.

Behavior therapy with low-fat diet, reduced caloric intake, and increased physical activity comprise an effective weight loss program. All of these combined is what makes the patient more likely to maintain his or her weight loss. Changing one’s behavior, certainly, is the first step that must be taken to achieve the final goal. Weight loss drugs and surgery must be pursued only when necessary. This helps eliminate unwanted side effects or harm on the body. As a conclusion, willpower, learning how to lose weight safely, and understanding that the weight loss process has its ups and downs are all needed for successful weight loss and management.

1. Learning how to read nutrition labels. This can help a person determine how many calories a particular food item has and also understand how much fat, carbohydrate, and protein is contained in a food.

2. Learning new strategies for purchasing foods (for example, buying low-calorie foods).

3. Learning methods for food preparation that incorporate lower amounts of oil and fat (for example, using margarine instead of butter or oil to prepare fried chicken, or baking instead of frying).

4. Drinking more water. People— even those who are not trying to lose weight—should be in the habit of drinking 6 to 8 8-ounce glasses of water every day.

5. Learning how to choose correct portion sizes.

6. Learning to substitute low-calorie snacks to help curb the appetite (for example, eating celery and carrot sticks instead of filling up on potato chips).

7. Avoiding alcohol consumption, because alcohol (beer, wine, and other hard liquors) is high in calories.