Do you hate looking at yourself in the mirror everyday? You think, ‘ If only I could lose those extra pounds, everybody will love me.’ Watching those pretty, slim young things on TV simply rubs your nose in the fact that you’re not thin and never will be.

Every one has felt like that at some time in their life. Being overweight increases our risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea, and even some cancers. You feel tired, frustrated and vulnerable. And then someone tells you about this wonderful new ‘diet pill’ or ‘fad diet’ guaranteed to make you lose weight
People who are otherwise perfectly normal become convinced of the “phenomenal” properties of ‘diet pills’ or ‘ fad diets’ advertised on TV.

Obese and in denial: That’s most people. We’re a country desperate for a ” miracle cure’ to weight-loss, and that desperation can blind us to reality. And we’re subjected to plenty of seductive advertising from the diet industry to lure us to try these silly products. Don’t be fooled by,’ guaranteed success’,’clinically proven’ and ‘revolutionary breakthroughs’.

According to the Federal Trade Commission and The Partnership for Healthy Weight management, false claims for weight loss products and diets have increased over the last ten years despite stringent law enforcement methods.

Watch out! False claims could destroy your health. How can you be on the safer side?•
If you really want to try any of the new products being advertised on late-night TV,
first screen the product through the FDA consumer site, which has a detailed list of all products and their effects.
• Read the Nutrition Label carefully. Some of these products may contain potent herbs and minerals like ephedra, bitter orange and chromium, which cause weight loss by increasing the metabolic rate, but have been banned by the FDA because of potentially deadly effects.
• Avoid products, which have not been manufactured in the US and which claim to have a large range of quick cures and results.
• An excess of personal testimonials should immediately alert you to a fraud product, as personal testimonials are extremely difficult to prove.
• Many diet pill companies claim that they are not being allowed to sell their products as doctors and other weight loss procedures would lose business. What rubbish! Would people in the health-care field block treatments that could help millions of sick patients, some of whom could be family and friends?
• Meaning less medical jargon like ‘Hunger Stimulation Point (HSP)’ should alert you to a health fraud.

Government efforts.
In the ongoing war against health fraud, federal and state government organizations have created an Operation Cure.All, to crack down on dodgy advertisers who prey on the consumers.

In June, Operation Cure.All, announced enforcement actions against six companies that fraudulently marketed health product on the Internet. Five of the companies have decided to settle the charges by removal of false claims for products, warnings about potential risky interactions with some medications, offers for a full refund, and payment of fines for consumer complaints.

Do you feel that the Government is not working hard enough to check out all the new products coming on to the market? After all, these products can’t be all bad. What do you think? Let me know.

Lost faith in your regular Doctor? Tired of shelling out big bucks for painful and intrusive diagnostic procedures? Fed up of the side effects associated with almost every type of regular medication?

You’re not the only one. No doubt, Western medicine is making significant strides in analysis and management of unusual diseases, but quite a few people are now waking up to the effects of that same medicine on the human body.

Nothing comes free, if ya want the treatment ya got ta lump the side effects.

So if a choice is available promising better results with lesser side effects, I’ll probably jump at it. And that’s just what’s happening. According to The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), the number of Americans using alternative therapies rose from 60 million in 1990 to 83 million in 1997.Quite a few of these therapies were used for centuries, but lost popularity with the dawn of modern medicine.

So why are they now recapturing favor?
We’ve lost faith in conventional medicine due to rising health care costs, secondary hospital infections, Physician and hospital negligence, and malpractice.
However, complementary medicine works on the principle that prevention is the key to a healthy body. So many complementary and alternative medical care practioners guide patients on lifestyle changes, dieting and exercises, which are aimed at strengthening the body and encouraging the natural healing processes of your body.

What are the types of alternative and complementary medicine available?The National Institute of health uses five categories to classify types of CAM therapy:
• Healing systems like ayurveda, naturopathy, homeopathy and traditional American -Indian, Tibetan, Chinese and Asian healing practices.
• Mind- body connections of biofeedback, prayer, meditation and yoga.
• Dietary supplements and herbs
• Manipulation and touch therapies of osteotherapy and acupressure.
• Energy therapies of Reiki, magnet therapy, polarity therapy and light therapy.

So what’s the catch?When you fall sick, its sometimes difficult to get well. Sometimes there is no treatment available especially for incurable conditions like cancer and AIDS. And people will try to take advantage of your fear.
Complementary medicine, like yoga, may improve your health, but they’re not a bunch of magic beans. Beware of conmen promising
• secret formulas
• amazing breakthroughs or miracle cures.
• easy weight loss
• quick, painless, or guaranteed cures.

So are you willing to be the manufacteres guinea pig in the hope of finding the cure for a disease.Or is the entire range of CAM simply a Health scam taking advantage of your fear of disease?

With their capacity to supply good-tasting, cheap meals in a rush, fast-food restaurants changed the eating habits of millions of Americans. But most of the foods were high caloric, high fat as well as super sized, while being low in nutrition. The world has finally woken up to the fact that bingeing out on fast food is not healthy.

So is fast-food bad for you?
Some experts say fast food is one of the reasons why America is in the middle of an obesity crisis. It’s high in calories, fat, and sugar, and low in fiber and important nutrients resulting in obesity, high cholesterol, diabetes and a range of other diseases. But it’s difficult to completely stop eating something, which smells and tastes so good.

Marketing hype?
Fast food chains are also jumping on the health food bandwagon to lure customers. Take a look at what fast food chains are willing to do to draw consumers,
• McDonald’s adult version of the Happy Meal is equipped with a salad, an exercise booklet, and a pedometer to encourage walking. McDonald’s also announced that it would also begin working with Oprah Winfrey’s personal trainer, Bob Greene, to help give diners a waistline-friendly option.
• Applebee’s and Weight Watchers have tied up, in which the popular restaurant chain will offer a menu of leaner fare.
• PepsiCo alerted the media when it removed Trans fats from its Fritos and launched a new line of organic chips.
• Campbell Soup’s reminders to “eat smart” with its 31 soups containing fewer than 100 calories per serving.

Do these low fat alternatives work?Not really, most consumers considered low fat and healthy food as tasteless. This resulted in slumping sales of the healthier alternatives offered by most food chains. Although the perception has now changed, sales of healthy alternatives are still down.

The bottom lineThe truth is fast food is popular and here to stay. Food chains have the right to offer both high calories food as well healthier alternatives. After all, for them it’s a question of profit. But the food you put in your mouth is entirely your choice.

So choose: Low fat or high calorie

Do you feel that fast food is the reason for the current obesity epidemic? Are consumers right in suing food companies like McDonalds, Burger King and Kentucky Fried Chicken for the health problems they face because of fast food consumption? What do you think? Share your opinion.