Weight Loss Pills: Miracle Drugs or Money Wasters?

Losing weight is a lifelong commitment. It takes patience and self-discipline to stick with a weight loss program and wait for the end results. Many people want to find the magic shortcut that will make the process just a little shorter and less difficult. Many over-the-counter and prescription pills are purchased for just this purpose. They are available from pharmacies, natural health food stores, and even online. But are these weight loss pills the miracle drugs they claim to be? Or are they just a waste of money?

How Does A Weight Loss Pill Work?

Prescription weight loss pills work in one of three ways. Most of the pills on the market simply suppress the appetite and help you eat less. Others aim to increase your feeling of fullness after eating. Some of the newest weight loss pills on the market work by inhibiting the absorption of fat. Over the counter weight loss pills usually contain a stimulant that helps to decrease your appetite. The only complete weight management system which I approve of is the ?Slimirex?? system.

Who Should Take Weight Loss Pills?

Weight loss pills are most often recommended for people who are medically obese?people whose weight is causing serious health concerns. Even with weight loss pills, the treatment of obesity involves exercise, counseling, dietary changes, and behavioral modifications. But weight loss pills are not only used by obese people. They are also sought after by people who want a quicker way to achieve the weight goals they have set for themselves. As long as men and women continue to compare themselves to the select few beautiful, skinny models on TV screens and magazine pages, there will be a strong market for weight loss pills.

Could Weight Loss Pills Be Dangerous?

Weight loss pills are a medication just like any other type of drug. You need to be very careful about the ingredients of any medication that you place in your body.

ALWAYS Consult Your Doctor

Work in consultation with your natural health care provider if you decide to try a over the counter weight loss pill to help you lose weight. Your doctor can assess your overall weight management goals and he or she can help you monitor the success or side effects of the medication. Be very cautious about the weight loss pill you decide to try. Try visiting www.weightlossobesity.com for general information and recommendations.

Know Your Source

Weight loss pills purchased over the internet may be coming from the garage of a t-shirt salesman (this actually happened!) If you decide to buy your weight loss pills online, make sure you research the company you are buying from so that you can be sure they send you the appropriate supplementation.

Read the Ingredients Some weight loss pills contain the ingredient ephedra (also known as ephedrine and ma huang.) This stimulant has recently come under a lot of scrutiny from the Food and Drug Administration for its links to illness and side effects. Ephedra has been shown to cause heart attacks, seizures and strokes. It is a powerful and dangerous stimulant that can damage the central nervous system and the heart. The most complete system available is the Slimirex system scheduled for release in April 2005.

Watch Out For Dependency

Weight loss pills that contain amphetamine or other stimulants may cause withdrawal symptoms when you decide to discontinue the medication. You may become addicted to these types of pills and be unable to stop taking them. The long term use of weight loss pills may increase your chances of developing serious side effects. Stimulant based weight loss pills can cause Adrenal Burnout Syndrome, which can take years to fix.

The Bottom Line On Weight Loss Pills

1. ALWAYS check with your health care provider. Make sure he or she knows which pill you are going to try and arrange for your progress to be monitored.

2. If your doctor prescribes a weight loss pill for you, make sure you follow the instructions he or she gives you. If you decide to purchase an over the counter weight loss pill, be sure to use Slimirex. DO NOT OVERDOSE to try and gain faster results.

3. Use weight loss pills (Slimirex) in combination with behavioral modifications, dietary changes, and an exercise program to ensure that if you do achieve weight loss results with the pill, you will be able to discontinue their use without hampering your progress.

4. Monitor yourself carefully while you take the weight loss pill. Record your progress as well as any side effects you may be feeling. And be sure to report both to your health care provider.

5. Unless your doctor advises you differently, plan to take the weight loss pill for a maximum of six to eight weeks. These products are not meant for long term usage and side effects can occur.

6. If you are not losing weight, stop taking the weight loss pills. Consult with your health care provider on any lifestyle or medication changes you can incorporate to achieve results.

To learn more visit http://www.weightlossobesity.com.

To order Slimirex visit http://www.slimirex.com.

Dr. Group, the founder/CEO and clinical director for the Global Healing Center, heads a research and development team producing advanced, new, natural health protocols and products. To learn more visit http://www.ghchealth.com.

Available Treatment Options for Bipolar Disorder A Free 7 Part Series

Welcome and thank you for showing your interest in this free series which will explore the different treatment options available for bipolar disorder. In this series you can expect to discover:

Part 1 - What is bipolar disorder and how is it treated.
Part 2 - What medications are effective in treating bipolar disorder.
Part 3 - Effects of nutrition on bipolar disorder, psychotherapy and other treatments.
Part 4 - Co-occuring illnesses and genetics research.
Part 5 - Brain imaging and what does it show.
Part 6 - Treatment research
Part 7 - Where to find help

Let's get to it :)

Introduction

Bipolar Disorder is a mental illness that causes people to experience extremes in moods from high to low, sometimes within a single day or week. As of 2005 there is no known cure for the condition previously known as manic-depressive illness. But scientists, researchers and physicians are optimistic as they work to improve the prospect of a reasonably normal life for sufferers and those they love. The general public must become more aware of this illness in order to take action early, thereby avoiding damaging consequences. Patients themselves ought to pay heed to whatever therapy is recommended by their physician, whom they should know well and trust. Only in this way will people be in the position to successfully manage this potentially devastating illness.

Early Treatment is Important Contrary to the hopes of many parents, Bipolar Disorder cannot be diagnosed at birth. Symptoms usually appear in adolescence or early adulthood. Unless the sufferer is treated, those symptoms will recur throughout the course of life. Some people pug up with bipolar disorder much longer than they should, only because they do not realize they have the illness. If patients are not diagnosed early, and cared for, Bipolar Disorder becomes more difficult to treat. The longer a person continues without medical attention, the higher the risk of alcohol and substance abuse, suicide, and serious issues at home, work and school. Proper treatment is very important so that the bipolar disorder patient can begin to stabilize his or her moods. Exaggerated mood swings are at the heart of this illness, and in many ways define it.

So How is Bipolar Disorder Treated?

Bipolar Disorder is treated through a combination of medication and psychological treatment and oftentimes, nutrition. As with many conditions or illnesses, a collective approach tends to be most effective.

A medical doctor (most often a psychiatrist) with expertise in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders generally prescribes medication. Treatment should be ongoing, and not on-and-off. Even with continuoustreatment, mood swings may happen, but if a doctor is notified, he or she can adjust the treatment plan to suitthe patient?s need. It is critical that patients work very closely with their doctor, communicate openly and honestly regarding questions or concerns, and feel comfortable discussing treatment options.

Many bipolar disorder patients record their daily moods, their treatments, sleep patterns and life events on a chart. By charting their day, sufferers and their loved ones become more aware of possible triggers. As a consequence, they can effectively guide the treatment process.

In the next issue we'll explore the different medications used to treat bipolar disorder.

Copyright 2005 LifeWithBipolar.com

Wishing you a full and joyous life,
Derek Barlow

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If you would like to receive the remaining issues in this
free 7 part series, please visit us at
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Maximum Potency Aloe Vera and Its Benefits

Aloe Vera is a wonderful, necessary supplement for good health and well being. It's anti-inflammatory, blood sugar balancing, anti-pathogenic, free radical scavenging, and immune modulating. As such it's extremely effective in bolstering and balancing the immune system.

There are many forms of immune system supplements on the market today including pills, liquid, aloe juice, and freeze dried soluble powders. If you do your due diligence and seek information you will reach the obvious conclusion that freeze dried aloe is by far the most effective way to absorb the benefits into your system.

21st Century Aloe Vera makes the most potent product on the market today for two reasons. Firstly, they produce their freeze dried product only from the gel. Secondly their product has the highest range of molecular weight possible. The more complete the molecular weight, the more complete the healing properties will be.

AIDS is a bell weather disease regarding the immune system because the HIV virus launches a direct attack upon it.. Any product that positively effects the symptoms of this disease can certainly positively effect any other attack on the immune system.

Because of it's potency in terms of it's purity and absorption into the body, a product called 21st Century Aloe Vera repairs the immune system in a universal fashion. Using this product as the universal foundation for fighting and preventing disease will result in the reversal of countless number of conditions and diseases. If a powerfully destructive disease like AIDS can be reversed with a natural treatment that repairs the immune system in a universal fashion, then literally all disease will benefit from this type of treatment.

By hand filleting the gel off the Aloe leaf and combining other proprietary extraction and mixing techniques 21st Century Aloe Vera freeze dried powder contains all the healing advantages of the fresh plant in a concentrated form. 7-8 gallons of fresh gel make 1 ounce of this product. The biggest whole leaf juice competitor contains 97% of it's molecular weights under 150,000 Daltons which makes it almost useless in terms of healing properties.

Other more advanced freeze dried competitors do better with 99% of it's molecular weight up to 1,000,000 Daltons. But they use alcohol in their antiquated freeze drying process while 21st Century uses none. 10% of 21st Century HGH has molecular weights from 1,000,000 to 2,500,000 Daltons. You can't find a more complete or potent aloe vera product anywhere.

In the rest of the aloe vera industry there are not very many products that actually offer anything more than 150,000 Daltons in molecular weights, a long way off any meaningful healing result. 21st Century aloe vera goes way past that by containing Acemannan. This term, assigned by the United States Names Council of the US Government, describes the long linear chains of MPS from Aloe Vera that exceed 750,000 Daltons which bolster and balance the immune system. This means that 21st Century Aloe Vera has a much higher concentration of Acemannan for immune system health than any other product in the world.

Only the gel from aloe vera should be used for human consumption and not the whole leaf. All whole leaf products contain broken down MPS (Mucilaginous Poly Saccharide) molecules and therefore no real healing properties. Even worse than this is that whole leaf supplements contain caustic minerals and enzymes that are very hard on the stomach. The freeze dried product from 21st Century is made only from the gel and is very soothing and healing to the stomach.

MPS from the aloe plant stands for Mucilaginous Poly Saccharide, which is the sticky portion of the plant. It is a long sugar molecule arranged in long linear chains. The longer the chain, the more MPS weighs. The MPS molecule ranges from 10,000 to 2,500,000 Daltons. For all the healing effects to be available in an Aloe supplement, all the molecular weight ranges need to be there. 21st Century Aloe Vera is the only product on the market today that achieves this complete molecular weight.

Unfortunately, there are not very many aloe products on the market that actually offer anything more than a few thousand Daltons in molecular weights of the MPS molecule. By hand filleting the gel off the leaf, freeze drying with a proprietary method of mixing the powder including the vast and complete range of MPS molecular weights, 21st Century Aloe Vera contains all the healing advantages of the fresh plant.

Michael Harvey is a retired professional athlete who has been in the nutritional industry since 1995. The most informative website on Aloe Vera can be found at http://www.1st-aloe-vera.com.

Smoking: 4 Reasons of Why You Should Quit

Knowing the reasons of why you want to quit is an important fist step. Being clear about your reasons, can be a very powerful tool. You have probably seen many articles, telling you how to quit smoking, but without a proper motivation, they are useless. That is why instead of telling you what to do, I will tell you why you should do it and after that, it will be up to you to find the right way.

These are the 4 reasons of why you should quit smoking.

1. it kills
2. it harms people around you
3. it makes you age quicker
4. it is expensive

1. Smoking Kills.

Did you know?
-Each year, smoking kills 5 million people worldwide.

These are some dangerous chemicals that can be found in cigarettes:

Nicotine
Nicotine is a stimulant drug. Like any drug, nicotine can be very addictive. Nicotine inhalation stimulates the central nervous system, making a person more relaxed and less sensitive to pain, but in large doses nicotine acts as a depressant. One drop of nicotine can kill a horse.

Tar
Tar transports chemicals to your bloodstream. Tar gets collected in your lungs and also, stains your teeth. Tar has proven to be the major cause of lung cancer.

Acetone
Acetone is an extremely dangerous substance, it can be found in nail polish removers. Acetone is also used to make fibers, plastic, drugs and other chemicals. A long-term exposure to acetone can cause kidney and liver damage.

Mercury
Mercury is a chemical element, also called ?quicksilver?. Mercury is a toxin, easily absorbed through the skin; it attacks the central nervous system, also Mercury affects gums and teeth. A long-term exposure to this chemical, can cause brain damage and death.

2. Smoking Harms People around You.

Your smoking can harm others. None-smokers, exposed to second-hand smoke are at risk of many health problems related to direct smoking.

Did you know?
- When you smoke in public, people around you could experience: dizziness, nausea, headaches, sore throat and eye irritation.
- Passive smokers have an extremely high risk of heart disease and lung cancer.
- Each year, 20% of people dying from lung cancer worldwide, are passive smokers.
- Children of smokers have a 70% increased risk of respiratory illnesses and middle ear infection.

3. Smoking Makes You Age Quicker.

Smoking makes you look older by narrowing the small blood vessels in your skin. Your skin loses its elasticity and shininess; instead, it will look dry, old and wrinkled.

4. Smoking is Expensive

Not only does smoking damage your health, it is also expensive. Depending on where you live, smoking a pack of cigarettes a day can cost you up to $4000 dollars a year. It is a lot of money that you could spend on something more important in your life. If you think, that $4000 a year is a lot, try to calculate, how much drugs and medical care services would cost you, to get rid of all of the side-effects and illnesses caused by smoking.

So, to sum it up:

Smoking kills you, harms people around you, makes you age quicker and costs a lot of money.

WellnessWorx.net markets quality, weight-management, nutrition and personal health care products created by WellnessPro leading industry experts. For more articles, please visit our article section at: http://wellnessworx.net/articles.htm

What Causes Restless Leg Syndrome?

Restless legs syndrome or shortly RLS, is a health condition in which legs feel very uncomfortable while sitting or lying down, especially at night. Usually it makes one feel like getting up and moving around. When doing so, the unpleasant feeling of restless legs syndrome might go away, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. Restless leg syndrome affects both, men and women and can begin when you're young or as you get older. Restless legs syndrome can disrupt sleep thus leading to daytime drowsiness.

So, what causes restless leg syndrome?

Nobody actually knows the real cause for restless leg syndrome. Some research has been done and the researchers suspect it might be due to an imbalance of the brain chemical called dopamine. Dopamine sends messages to control muscle movement.

It has also been noticed that restless leg syndrome runs in families and that stress tends to make things even worse. If there is any changes in hormonal balance, that may worsen restless leg syndrome symptoms. Also, some women experience restless leg syndrome during their pregnancy and it disappears soon after the delivery.

However, restless leg syndrome is not related to some serious medical problems, but sometimes it accompanies other conditions and some of them are peripheral neuropathy. Peripheral neuropathy damages the nerves in hands and feet and sometimes it is due to chronic diseases such as diabetes and alcoholism. Also, iron deficiency might cause restless leg syndrome, it might cause or worsen restless legs syndrome.

Researchers assume that kidney failure might be the cause too, at least to some degree. This is when the kidney does not function properly, iron stores in blood can decrease and cause some of the rls symptoms. All these and some other changes in body chemistry may cause or worsen restless leg syndrome.

Some other, known causes of restless leg syndrome include muscle overexertion, prolonged sitting, dehydration, decreased potassium levels, neuromuscular disorders, such as Parkinson's disease, certain medications, such as albuterol, niacin, diuretics, and some calcium channel blockers and antipsychotic medications, also alcohol use.

If you find this article helpful, but need more information, you are welcome to visit this very informative website, where you can find a lot of information about restless leg syndrome and help yourself with this annoying health condition. There are many different ways to combat restless leg syndrome and you can find some excellent information about restless leg syndrome, simply by visiting the website below.

Sam Jackson owns very informative weblog, where you can find lots of useful information about restless leg syndrome.

Early Diagnosis Is Critical For Effective Treatment of Mesothelioma

Cancer is one of the most fatal diseases nowadays. It doesn?t choose its victims. Men and women alike, old and young die of cancer. Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer that affects the mesothelium, specifically the Pleura (membrane that surrounds the lungs) and the Peritoneum (membrane surrounding the abdomen). Both Pleural Mesothelioma and Peritoneum Mesothelioma are primarily caused by the inhalation or exposure to asbestos, an incombustible fibrous mineral of impure magnesium silicate used in various industrial products. About 30 to 50 per cent of the total Mesothelioma cancer patients had not been exposed to asbestos, yet they have acquired the disease. Cancer specialists continue to study this rare kind of cancer so as to provide the public clear and exact information with regard to its cause, nature and cure.

Like many other forms of cancer, Mesothelioma has different stages. The earliest stage is still curable since only one layer of the pleura is affected. Surgery is the number one option for patients with Stage I Mesothelioma. The doctor removes the part of the lining of the lungs or chest (in case of Pleural Mesothelioma) and the lining of the abdomen (in case of Peritoneal Mesothelioma). In Stage II Mesothelioma, surgery can still be executed although some lymph nodes may have already been infected by the malignant Mesothelioma cancer cells. The diaphragm may also be removed; in severe cases, the Mesothelioma patient has to sacrifice one of his lungs.

Usually, surgery comes with systemic treatments, which include radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Through radiotherapy, Mesothelioma cancer cells are killed; however, only the cells in the treated area die. High energy rays used in radiotherapy or radiation therapy may either come from an external machine or from thin plastic tubes positioned into the tissues where Mesothelioma cancer-stricken cells are found. Inside the plastic tubes are radiation-emitting materials that kill the malignant cells. The use of an external machine is called external radiation therapy while the other is called internal radiation therapy. Also, a radioactive substance such as radiolabeled monoclonal antibody is circulated around the body during radiotherapy.

Chemotherapy is the use of anti-cancer drugs to kill the malignant cells. In treating Mesothelioma, the anti-cancer drugs are usually given to the patient through intravenous injection (within the vein). Oncologists are still studying the possibility of treating Mesothelioma through intracavitary chemotherapy (within the chest or abdomen). Some Mesothelioma patients also undergo Photodynamic therapy, a kind of cancer therapy that combines the use of drug (photosensitizer) with a specific kind of light. The photosensitizing agent when exposed to the light produce oxygen that destroys nearby malignant cancer cells. The drug is injected into the bloodstream and is absorbed by the cells.

In order to relieve the symptoms of Mesothelioma such as the pain in the chest or abdomen due to the build up of fluid, a physician drains the fluid by using a needle. The procedure is known as thoracentesis (removal of fluid in the chest) or paracentesis (removal of the fluid in the abdomen). To prevent further accumulation of the lubricating fluid in the membranes of the chest or abdomen, drugs are given through a tube in the affected organ.

Although the said treatments to Mesothelioma have been proven effective, chance of recovery and survival still depends on the size or extent of the cancer. Chances are higher when Mesothelioma is still in its early stages. Surgery is only advisable only up to the second stage of the Mesothelioma cancer wherein only one part or smaller portions of the membranes are affected. A patient diagnosed with stage IV Mesothelioma (diffuse Mesothelioma) has only about 4-24 months to live. Furthermore, the age of the patient and his general health condition is also crucial to his recovery. Older patients do not respond well to certain cancer treatments such as surgery because their tissues, organs and other body parts are more delicate.

David Arnold Livingston is passionate about Health and suggests you visit, as a resource: http://www.newmesothelioma.com/

Hiatal Hernia A More Dangerous and Hard to Detect Form of the Common Illness

Hiatal hernia is not as widespread as inguinal hernia which is the most encountered form but it is the second most common type of hernia so you should know what it is and how it manifests in order to know if you are suffering from it and what to do in this case.

Most hernias occur in the abdominal area. Hiatal hernia appears in the upper parts of the abdomen, at the diaphragm. A simple definition of hernia is that it is a disease that appears when a certain part of the body loses its resistance, because it gets old in most cases, and another part of the body that is in contact with the first one slips through a small hole that appears in the first part. Depending on the body parts involved in this hernia can be divided into more types.

Hiatal hernia involves the diaphragm, which is the first 'organ' from the situation above, the one that gets weakened, and the stomach, its upper side in most cases is the second one. The stomach is supposed to stay under the diaphragm (the muscular membrane that separates the abdomen from the lungs), but the diaphragm has a small hole in it through which the esophagus passes. The area around the hole weakens and a part of the stomach passes through it and slides inside the chest cavity. There are two forms of hiatal hernia, sliding hiatal hernia, when the stomach slides through the opening in the diaphragm between the stomach and esophagus as mentioned above, which is the most common form, and rolling hiatal hernia, less encountered, when the stomach slides along the esophagus not between it and the stomach.

Unlike other forms of hernia you can't feel the bulge that appears because the stomach slides inside the body, so in order to detect it you need to pay close attention if any of its symptoms show up, which is not that easy because in most cases it shows no easy-to-see symptoms! It usually causes heartburn, a warm feeling in the chest, because of the acid in the stomach that re-fluxes backwards in the esophagus. Most people feel symptoms after eating and lying down, they start feeling bad, especially if they eat hot spicy foods.

If you experience any of the mentioned above try paying a visit to your doctor and ask for a control. These symptoms also appear because of indigestion so don't get alarmed until you receive diagnostic. It's important to detect hiatal hernia early because if it's left untreated it may lead to severe complications that include heart-attack! So periodically visit your doc and pay attention to the symptoms to avoid complications, but don't panic as soon as you get a little heartburn because there's a long way from that to a heart-attack.

If you want to find great information on different hernia subjects check out this links. You can find great content regarding hiatal hernia, inguinal hernia and many more at http://www.hernia-guide.com