Category: Weight Loss Exercise

Ususally I am not to impressed with CNN articles as they seem to be a bit fluffy or alarmist but there is a great article about the FDAs warning against giving kids 6 or under certain cold medicines

FDA: Stop giving cold, cough meds to toddlers – CNN.com

I know that most parents are very nervous about kids having colds and I have always been one of them as well. The first real sign that my kids have a cough and I reach for the kids cold medicine, I guess maybe not anymore.

Here are some highlights of what the FDA has to say about cold medicines for kids:

“The basic question is, why should a product be so relentlessly marketed when it’s not safe or effective?” said Dr. Joshua Sharfstein, Baltimore health commissioner. “It does not make sense, in the absence of information, to say ‘consult a physician,’ because they do not have superhuman powers. They cannot make a product safe or effective.”

And even more alarming is that there are deaths caused by the use of pseudoephedrine in kids cold medicine. Yes if you look on the bottle you will see that the adult versions cold medicine has pseudoephedrine as an active ingredient.

An FDA review of side-effect records filed with the agency between 1969 and September 2006, found 54 reports of deaths in children associated with decongestant medicines made with pseudoephedrine, phenylephrine or ephedrine. It also found 69 reports of deaths associated with antihistamine medicines containing diphenhydramine, brompheniramine or chlorpheniramine.

An Australian study on acupuncture has shown stunning results in the effect of acupuncture in suppressing apptetite and as we know many people have a problem with appetite and that causes them to fail on diets. Why not try to lose by suppressing your diet with acupuncture. Most people are scared to try acupuncture for anything because of course no one wants to be poked with needles. From everything that I have heard the needles used in acupuncture do not hurt at all and there is so much history and success with this method of health treatment that we should really be taking this more seriously.

Objective of acupuncture and appetite suppression study

Many over people are aware that diets can help with loss but have difficulty in suppressing their appetite. Acupuncture stimulates the auricular branch of the vagal nerve and raises serotonin levels, both of which have been shown to increase tone in the smooth muscle of the stomach, thus suppressing appetite. The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation of specific auricular acupuncture points on appetite suppression.

Testing method for acupuncture and appetite suppression study

Sixty over subjects, randomly divided into an active and a control group, used the AcuSlim device twice daily for four weeks. The active group attached the AcuSlim to the acupuncture ear points shenmen and stomach, whereas the control group attached the device to their thumb where there are no acupuncture points. The goal of a 2 kg loss was set and changes in appetite and were reported after four weeks.

Results of acupuncture and appetite suppression study

Of those who responded, 95% of the active group noticed suppression of appetite, whereas none of the control group noticed such a change. None of the control group lost the required 2 kg, with only 4 subjects losing any at all. Both the number of subjects who lost and the mean loss were significantly higher in the active group (p 0.05).

Conclusion of acupuncture and appetite suppression study

Frequent stimulation of specific auricular acupuncture points is an effective method of appetite suppression which leads to weight loss.

So there we have it. This seems to be a great study in showing that acupuncture is indeed a great way to help you perhaps lose weight. Why not book an appointment with the needles and find out if it will work for you.

Last night on the Biggest Loser I found that the over arching theme to the show seems to be that people were working out harder than they ever had before. Actually some of the people did not even know how hard that they could push themselves.

Our mind is very slow to adapt when it comes to diet and exercise. If you live a sedentary lifestyle of years and then begin to work out your body will think that it can run let’s say 100 feet. So you run 100 feet and your chest is sore and you are out of wind. Now let’s say you do this every day and after two weeks you finish this ‘workout’ of running 100 feet and you are still winded and your chest is sore. Your mind thinks that you are just as strong but really you could push yourself a lot harder.

Discomfort is a trigger to the brain telling you that you have pushed yourself to hard and no one like to be in discomfort. Most trainers know that you have a sticking point in your own mind where you think that you cannot go any farther or harder. This is just a psychological sticking point that is not real but just a level that you are not comfortable going past. The trouble is that this is the level where all of your gains come from.

I am a victim of this lack of pushing myself as easily as anyone else. The thing that helps is to remember before your workout that you are setting low levels of limits on yourself and to set goals every single time that you workout.

Another way that you can make yourself work out harder on a regular basis is to read and see success stories. I am sure that this is the reason that I watch the Biggest Loser and also the reason that success stories are always so popular in the sports sections in newspapers be it home run kings or the greatest quarterback this week kind of stories.

Stop looking at how hard you are working as being the hardest that you can work out. There is always a step farther, a pound more, a minute quicker. Try today to make sure you have great goals and you will make greater improvements in your health and fitness endeavors.