What makes the dieting industry so huge? If you think about it, there are ways in which the industry that sells weight loss techniques bears a certain resemblance to the industry that sells ageing management and beauty. Two out of three people in this country are overweight in one form or another, and there is a whole spectrum of industry-approved ways of addressing the problem. As long as they have been around, people are beginning to see that fitness programs and diet books are just old-fashioned and laborious. The personal responsibility these methods require in your participation can easily seem a little old-fashioned for its time. New generation weight loss pills are beginning to take up a great deal of the attention of the overweight – in a way that more hands-on methods were accepted at one time. Let’s try to evaluate the claims made for these remedies.

The thing is, the advertising claims they make for weight loss pills are often more sophisticated than the product they sell; the unnatural assumptions they make, often just barely keep on the right side of the law, and can often appear to promise much more than they could possibly deliver. What they don’t tell you is, is that weight loss pills only make for a great supplement to your regular and diet and exercise regime. They are not a substitute for real effort by any stretch of the imagination.

Let’s look at how a few of the most recently approved over-the-counter obesity drugs promise you something for nothing. To begin with, these aren’t for people who are just a few pounds overweight, and are looking for a quick fix. For the most part, weight loss pills are for the truly obese  – people with a body mass index that goes higher than 25, or even 30. You have to have a serious problem on your hands to need a solution as serious as a weight loss pill.

Let’s start with the popular drug Meridia. This is a formulation that belongs to the class of weight loss aids known asappetite suppressants. What it does is, it makes you feel quite full – even when you’ve only a little food. It affects the way the brain looks at the amount of food on your plate, and in you. As in crazy as this sounds though, for almost all people who try Meridia, they lose no more than 6% of their body weight. And of course, there are the side effects – you get a nasty case of high blood pressure when you use this. And like every other appetite suppressant, Meridia will have you twitchy and on edge all day in addition.

The next one up is Alli. These weight loss pills don’t suppress your appetite in any way. You could eat as much as the want; but the fat in your food is something Alli will make sure your body will never actually see. When you take these over-the-counter weight loss pills, or even Xenical, the industrial-strength version of this drug, right before a  meal, your body succeeds in treating the fat in your food somewhat diffrently. It makes your body reject the fat and drain it out. How successful is it? Half of all people who try this drug, and who also exercise and diet properly, notice some improvement. But it isn’t a big enough one that you would want to drop everything right now to get this drug. So where does all this fat you eat actually go, if Alli makes your body not absorb it?

It goes out the backdoor of course; but all this fat on its way out is kind of an unnatural thing, and your body will react with anal leakage. Of all the weight loss pills there are out there, this one icould qualify perhaps, as the safest. It doesn’t do anything to the brain to achieve its results – it only deals with the body. But while it stops the body from absorbing fat, an unfortunate side effect this has, is where it starves the body of all the vitamins it needs too. So you’d need supplemental multivitamins to go along with it.

Conjugated Linoleic Acid is another over-the-counter approach, that claims to put you in your thin pants before long. It claims to succeed at burning up your body fat to help build muscle.

All these drugs use a way of tricking the body into doing something – for its own good. It’s a sad commentary on human nature, that we would rather choose to trick the body, than take responsibility for more healthy approach to life.

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Separate attention should be given to women’s health. It is obvious that men and women are different. The major health concerns of men are not the same for women. Moreover, women’s bodies and systems also respond differently to various treatment approaches.

Alternative Medicine for Women

First of all, it is crucial to understand that conventional medicine is always a major option. Women, like men, can decide to undertake major invasive surgical procedures or to ingest lab tested synthetic medicines. There are however a lot of women who now choose to go for alternative medicines and treatments instead.

As the term implies, alternative approaches are meant to substitute conventional methods and use nature based, systems, procedures and elements in disease treatment.

There are many women’s concerns that alternative medicine can be used on. Concerns can range from cosmetic conditions such as cellulite to life-threatening ailments like cancer. The more common concerns however involve female hormone management and mental health especially during menopause.

Choosing Alternative Medicine

It’s easy to imagine why a lot of women look for alternative options for women’s health issues. The major complain about conventional medicine is that it does put women at risk of experiencing side effects and complications. This is especially true of highly invasive surgical procedures and hormone manipulating medications. This is only one reason though for the growing appeal of alternative medicine. Some alternative procedures are seen as even more attractive because of the promise of well-being and the additional physical and mental nourishment that they bring.

Alternative Medicine Concerns

Just because alternative approaches come from nature, it doesn’t mean that they always have an advantage over conventional counterparts. A number of doctors and other medical experts are not always enthusiastic over alternative options. One of the major points they warn their patients about is the want of consistent moderation over the use or manufacture of alternative approaches. There are also some alternative options that are clearly unsupported by extensive scientific research and testing. There is therefore no way to determine if the various options available are 100% effective and safe for human consumption or use.

Treatment Choices

There are various ways to use alternative medicine. Of course, the most well known approach is to simply take plant extracts and herbal preparations in liquid or pill form. A second alternative approach involves some form of body part manipulation such as those performed in various massage techniques. Women can also opt for the mental based approach involved in yoga and meditation.

There is no direct prohibition against alternative medicine. It is quite possible therefore that some approaches may truly have positive effects on some women’s health issues. Do not forget though that women do have intricate systems and conditions. Make sure you know everything there is to know about the alternative approaches that you choose. You should also at least inform your health practitioner of your decision to use an alternative approach.

One of the advantages of reaching midlife is that we are finally finished with all those issues that make childhood and adolescence such a pain in the neck, such as needing set bedtimes as well as  regular dental and eye checkups; having to worry about using protection during sex and about cigarette smoking; getting all those shots to prevent diseases and wearing helmets to prevent sports injuries; needing to eat all our vegetables and avoid sugar as well as not missing gym class. What a relief to let these issues fade right along with our memories of tetherball on the school playground!

Not so fast. Would it surprise you to know that you still have to be aware of each and every one of the above so-called “child/adolescent” health issues?  

For instance, what about set bedtimes? The obvious reason that we needed enforced, regular  bedtimes each night was so that we would get enough sleep. Being tired and sleepy the next day in school caused everything from lousy concentration to crabby moods. Now that we’re in midlife, many of us believe that sleep is no longer an issue. This is not the case at all. It’s still essential to our health and wellbeing. Recent studies have shown that not only do sleep disturbances often indicate a serious health problem, but that lack of sleep can actually cause health problems, such as weight gain. Polls have shown that nearly two thirds of adults over the age of sixty-five have sleep complaints, but that less than 15 per cent of them have been formally diagnosed with a sleep problem. Why? Because we don’t mention sleep problems to our health care providers. Our mothers were right — we still need to be concerned about our bedtimes.

Once we’ve gotten the glasses we need and all our baby teeth are gone, we no longer need to get regular eye and dental checkups as we did in our younger years, right? Again — no. Although our vision does remain stable from young adulthood until we need bifocals, there are common eye diseases that begin to occur in midlife, and that can lead to blindness if not diagnosed.  And even though we no longer have our baby teeth,  other dental issues take the forefront upon reaching midlife, such as gum inflammation which has been shown to be associated with diabetes and heart disease. So, continued regular dental and eye checks are as important as in our younger years. 

And what about sex at midlife and beyond?  We’ve moved from groping and being groped in the backseat of the car to more sophisticated maneuvers in a comfortable bed, and finally, finally no longer have to worry about pregnancy. So we don’t need protection; or so many of us think. Although it’s true that once menopause arrives one can’t get pregnant (warning: make sure you have completed menopause before assuming this as diagnosing menopause can be tricky),  protection is still needed during sex because of sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Yes, we can still get those, and in some cases are even more prone to becoming infected after menopause, even after a hysterectomy. And even though we’re past the childbearing years and our reproductive organs seem to have no further use, we still need regular pelvic exams and Pap smears. It is also important at that exam to discuss with our healthcare providers the need for testing for STIs; if there is a new partner or the worry that the current partner is not monogamous, this testing is a must.

STIs are not the only threat held over from our adolescent years; so is cigarette smoking. Many women in midlife think that there is no reason to stop smoking cigarettes at this age, since they wrongly assume that the damage is already done from all the prior years of smoking. This is not the case. No matter how many years one has smoked, stopping can prevent further damage to the heart, blood vessels, and lungs, and in some cases can reverse some of that damage.  

Also relevant to the lungs is the fact that asthma can begin in midlife, where once it was thought to only begin in childhood.  The two major causes seem to be occupational exposure to substances that damage the lungs, and the recreational exposure to air pollution by adults who run predominantly outside. So, a new onset of shortness of breath at this age — even if it occurs only with exercise — does not necessarily mean heart disease; remember that we can develop asthma now.

Did you think you were finished with all those horrible shots you had to have in childhood and adolescence? Sorry, you’re not. There is a recommended immunization schedule for adults in midlife and beyond, just as there are for children. At certain ages over 50 and at certain intervals, you’ll need shots against the flu, certain types of pneumonia, tetanus, and in some instances, shingles and hepatitis.  Ask your primary care provider about these.

And did you pack away your helmet when you gave away your bike with training wheels? Probably ok to have done this since now you will need a bigger size helmet. But you do need a helmet. A recent report by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission stated that sports-related injuries in the Baby Boomer population was on the rise, with over 1 million injuries in this age group in 1998 alone, most of the injuries being due to bicycling and basketball.  The same report said that the many head injuries associated with bicycling were probably due to the fact that Baby Boomers use helmets less than younger people do.

The fact that exercise and proper nutrition are as important in midlife and beyond as in childhood may not come as a surprise. Regular exercise at this age has been shown to increase longevity and wellbeing, postpone and possibly prevent dementia, strokes, heart disease, and diabetes, and aid in the treatment of depression. Important to know as well is that several different types of regular exercise are recommended at this age, including aerobic (cardio) exercise, weight-bearing exercise or strength training, and exercises to improve balance and flexibility.

What we eat as we get older is every bit as important as it was in our younger years. One particular healthy way of eating, the Mediterranean diet, has been shown to stave off dementia, prevent heart disease and diabetes, maintain a healthy cholesterol level, and improve longevity. One study showed that this diet even improved sexual function in certain women! This diet is exactly as expected given its name: lots of natural whole foods, like vegetables, fruits, and nuts, lots of fish and olive oil, moderate amounts of wine, and limited amounts of foods containing refined sugar. Controlling the portions of the foods we eat is even more important at this age. Our metabolic rate decreases with age, making it easier to gain weight while eating the same amounts of food as in our younger years.  

So, as you are rummaging through your mother’s attic looking at your old dolls, baseball bat and Ouija Board, and breathing a sigh of relief that you no longer have to worry about being picked for a baseball team or that your best friend copied your paper doll’s dress, don’t get lulled into complacency about your health. Although you once may have thought that taking care of yourself  health-wise would get easier as you get older, you know now that that’s not true. Make your appointments for regular checkups, get more than 5 hours of sleep a night, use protection when having sex, particularly with a new partner, stop smoking no matter how old you are, get the recommended immunizations, be careful and wear your helmet and seatbelts, and exercise regularly and eat well. Your mother’s recommendations from your childhood continue to apply!

©2008 Janet Horn, M.D.

Author Bio
Dr. Janet Horn is Board Certified in Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases, with training in Obstetrics and Gynecology. She spent many years on the fulltime faculty of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, where she published articles in medical journals on her research interests, including sexually transmitted diseases, AIDS, and women’s health. She was also the primary author of several chapters in medical textbooks.  She started her solo private practice in 1990 while continuing to teach as an Associate Professor of Medicine on the part time faculty at Hopkins. She has been selected by Baltimore Magazine as one of the “Top Doctors in Baltimore” and by the Maryland Daily Record as one of the “Top 100 Women in Maryland.”   She is included in the books Consumer’s Guide to Top Doctors (in the US) and Best Doctors in America, Southeast Region.  She is the co-author of The Smart Woman’s Guide to Midlife and Beyond, which will be available this September from New Harbinger Publications.

When you think of heart disease, you probably think of a risk of death for men. However, since 1984 more women have died from cardiovascular disease than men. While more men are at a greater risk of having a heart attack than women, women are only half as likely to survive a heart attack as a man. The risk factors and symptoms of heart disease may be different for women. That’s why women’s health information on the topic of heart disease is so important.

Risks and Symptoms

For anyone, smoking is makes heart disease more likely. While women’s health information shows that premenopausal women have some protection against artherosclerosis because of the presence of estrogen, that protection isn’t enough to cover the added risk of smoking or diabetes. Atherosclerosis is a condition in which blood vessels become clogged and narrowed because of the buildup of fatty substances.

The resulting decrease of blood flow causes the symptoms of coronary heart disease. High levels of cholesterol are a risk for heart disease. Especially bad are high levels of LDL cholesterol. Diabetes is as great a risk for a heart attack as heart disease is. A woman with diabetes has the same risk of heart attack as a woman with heart disease.

According to the best women’s health information, diabetic women should manage their blood sugar and get aggressive treatment with LDL cholesterol lowering drugs. The leading cause of death for women with diabetes is cardiovascular disease.

A woman’s risk of atherosclerosis rises over the age of 55. Family history can be a risk factor if a woman has a brother or father diagnosed with atherosclerosis before the age of 55 or if she has a sister or mother diagnosed before the age of 65. The latest women’s health information shows that obesity makes a woman much more likely to develop heart health problems.

Problems linked to obesity include coronary heart disease, stroke, congestive heart failure and heart disease related death. According to women’s health information, metabolic syndrome is the combination of abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, pre-diabetes and high cholesterol. Metabolic syndrome is associated with an increased risk of heart disease.

When a woman is the strong one in the family, she may be less likely to complain about small aches and pains. This can lead to missing early signs of heart disease. According to the best women’s health information, silent ischemia is a result of atherosclerosis that doesn’t cause pain or any specific symptoms.

A woman who is at risk of heart disease should have an EKG to rule this out. Women need to look to women’s health information to learn about their risk of that man’s disease – cardiovascular disease.

If you are sexually active you need to know about the different sexually transmitted infections that you can get when you engage in a physical relationship. There are many different infections, some of which are easily cured and others which are not. There are two infections which are easy to treat but impossible to cure. They are genital warts and genital herpes.

The two diseases are both caused by a virus but there is where the similarity ends. Genital warts are caused by the human papilloma virus and genital herpes is caused by the herpes simplex II virus. They have different symptoms and ways of being transmitted and it is important that you learn these differences.

It is also important that you understand what each of these conditions looks like so that if you are confronted by a sexual partner who is infected you have a better chance of knowing what they have. Sexually transmitted infections can be embarrassing and many people will prefer not to say that they have them. Because of that you need to know how to protect yourself.

Genital warts generally appear as small fleshy lumps in the genital and anal region. They can be found in areas other than those covered by a condom. Because they are small and fairly painless they can often go unnoticed for quite some time. They may itch and burn but, more often than not, they are totally hidden and hard to notice. You want to be careful of sleeping with a partner who has genital warts so knowing what they look like can be an important preventative method.

One of the first things that you need to know about genital warts is that it is possible to be contagious and not have any symptoms beyond a slight itching or burning sensation. You also need to know that they can be so small that they are not visible to the naked eye. That is one way that can make it so easy to transmit.

The treatment usually involves getting rid of the warts using creams or surgical methods. This is very different than genital herpes treatments that work at keeping outbreaks from happening. Genital herpes treatments also involve treating the active sores and preventing the outbreaks which do happen from being as bad or taking as long to heal up.

Genital herpes treatments have several negative side effects. They can cause headaches, nausea and vomiting among others. Genital herpes treatments may help to prevent the spread of the virus however; you do need to know that it is possible to spread the virus even when you do not have active sores.

Taking the time to learn about genital warts and about genital herpes and genital herpes treatment can be important so that you can stay as healthy as possible for as long as possible and be able to avoid many of the negative side effects that you can experience. Education is critical to making sure that you are capable of protecting your own health for as long as possible.

Knowing the symptoms, causes and treatments methods for Genital warts is important to prevent the spread of the virus. To know more about genital warts and Genital herpes treatment, check out Warts Cream.

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