Well, for a fleeting flash at leas...

Well, for a fleeting flash at least, America's wish for a "magic pill" to thaw pounds away actually came faithful Or so we thought. This magic pill was actually a combination of pair individual drugs -- fenfluramine or dexfenfluramine (an appetite suppressant) and phentermine (a original of amphetamine) -- best known as "fen-phen." This combination did indeed deduction in dramatic weight-loss for many; however, these eventuates have carried a heavy price. According to a cogitation published in an August 1997 issue of The recent England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) this put drugs into combination can cause valvular heart disease.

The contemplation conducted at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., reported that 24 women with no history of cardiac disease who took fen-phen were originate to have developed valvular heart disease. According to a September 1997 modern York Times article, after the NEJM cogitation was published, more reports came gone out showing that patients who took the same or both of these remedys experienced heart valve damage.

relating to learning of these findings, Wyeth-Ayerst Laboratories, the manufacturer of fenfluramine and the distributor of dexfenfluramine, withdrew one as well as the other drugs from the market in answer to a request from the pabulum and Drug Administration (FDA).

While fenfluramine and phentermine were individually approved for use by the agency of the FDA, their combined use was not at any time endorsed. However, once approved by way of the FDA, doctors are permitted to prescribe put drugs intos as they see fit; in fact, the NEJM consideration reports that, in 1996, more than 18 million prescriptions were written for fenfluramine and phentermine.

Given the fact that obesity has reached as it was epidemic proportions in this political division -- over one-third of the adult U population is overweight -- it's no surprise that Americans are searching for a quick fix to master slim. However, we should know by dint of now that there is no of the like kind thing as weight loss in a pill. There are, however, certain nutrients and herbs which can help to enhance a sensible weight-loss program -- undivided which combines a healthful eating plan, rich in fruits and vegetables, with a consistent aerobic exercise program.

Here, we take a direct the eye at just a few of the many ingredients featured in about of the natural weight-loss results which fill the shelves of our natural produces stores.

Better Nutrition was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to speak with three experienced persons who shared their thoughts forward some of these ingredients. They are: Chris Kilham, an educator, industry consultant, and author of 10 main division s including the 1996 book Kava, Medicine Hunting in Paradise; and co-authors of the 1997 main division Feeling Light: The Holistic Solution to Permanent Weight Los and Wellness: holistic health consultant Wendy Shankin-Cohen, MFA, director of Holistic Health Consultants in R Bank, NJ and acupuncturist, Chinese herbalist, and Tai Chi master Shoshanna Katzman, C.A., M.A., director of the R Bank Acupuncture and Wellness Center (also in R Bank, NJ)

* St John's wort and kava: Weight los is not typically what approachs to mind when we think of these pair herbs; surprisingly, though, they are being included in a number of weight-loss formulas as of late. wherefore you may ask, would an herb known for reducing depression -- St John's wort -- and an herb known for easing anxiety -- kava -- be included in as it is formulas? Kilham explains, "Let's start with St John's wort. In a weight-loss issue it is not that St John's wort is any sort of a metabolic agent that actually helps to shed crushs but it certainly reduces the determination toward depression. Since depression is a primary motivating force in eating poorly, eating in exces and eating the immoral things, it can be a helpful agent. In the case of kava, you have the community who eat, again, as a self-defense mechanism in answer to stress. Stress-induced anxiety is single of the most difficult and vexing question s that people face in our improvement especially with the fast pace of life and remarkably very packed schedules. So the idea is that if the community can calm down a little bit, relax a little bit, they may -- and I would have to say, the jury is still abroad on this -- have a predisposition to be a little bit les reflexive in boundarys of reaching for a soda, a candy bar, a donut, a cookie, or something to satisfy them. In and of themselves, I wouldn't count upon St. John's wort and kava to be significant in bourns of helping people lose weight, although they might be in an cases. But, as complementary agents in diet formulas that also contain proven weight-reducing ingredients, I think they have a real part to play."

* Chromium: Shankin-cohen says that while this mineral is important to health, it should not be touted as a "fat burner" She explains, "The reason it is called a fat burner by the agency of some is that it does help to lessen cravings, particularly sugar cravings. This is because when you lack this particular mineral, it causes your family sugar to have much sharper up and downs; in other words, the insulin that your pancreas is producing is affected greatly by way of the amount of chromium in the bloodstream. When you take the adapted amount of chromium, it helps to regulate insulin production, normalize the pancreas, and change into sugar cravings." She adds that principally people are deficient in chromium. In fact trivalent chromium is involved in provender metabolism, enzyme activation, and regulation of cholesterol