"Alternative Medicine" and Weight Loss
I'm often asked about weight loss options that can help support the lifestyle effort of reducing calories, managing stress, and being more physically active (so familiar to all of us!). Many people ask about "alternative medicine." I prefer the terms "integrative" or "complementary" medicine, which is the new name of this category, since this supports, but does not replace a lifestyle effort. That's the topic of my Today Show segment (scroll down for the video).
The mind-body connection is key to long term weight loss, and any way to support that connection is a plus, as long as there is no potential for health risk. So, choose wisely, and seek out certified and credentialed practitioners (including many MDs) for techniques like hypnosis, acupuncture/acupressure, and meditation. These treatments have some growing evidence that can help some people, and could be worth a try.Ingesting compounds can put you at risk, as the herbal supplements are not tested nor regulated by the FDA, and can interact with other medications you are taking. There is no guarantee of safety, purity, or efficacy for most of these products. Always check with your doctor before trying any other these. Plus, avoid products claiming weight loss without lifestyle change, and look for a website and 800 number to call for further information about purity of the compound. Be an informed consumer!
Also, fasts and extreme food restrictions can be health damaging if done without medical supervision. The "detox" described for many products can lead to fatigue, cramping, and dehydration. The body has natural "detox" organs - including the liver, skin, and lungs!
I'll be talking about:
- hypnosis
- acupuncture
- meditation
- herbal supplements
- detoxification plans
Check out the video and let me know what you think!
Comments
The discussion on health food products today.....the doctor was right, the FDA does not approve these products, but that is because they do not approve ANY PRODUCTS that are preventative or enhancing.....only "curative" meds. The right thing to do as with ANY medication is do the research, check out if the company is reputable.
Extremely BIAS-
As a patient/consumer,I am expected to discuss this with an M.D. in that 5.2 minute timeframe and with a person who has little or no nutritional education.A large physician base was polled by the same NIH mentioned and as little as 15% of that base had ANY knowledge of herbal/ supplements.I first noticed this in 1978 when as a dental student, I had more nutrition hours than my med school counterparts(ratio 9hrs:0hrs).
There are many qualified credentialed nutritional practitioners who recommend products that have valid clinical research behind them.
While there is good and bad to the current system, adding the FDA will add tremendous costs to the consumer and for the companies with good products- not improve the efficacy of their product.
I am suggesting that you have someone on your program who is not "medical model" bias. Please don't underestimate your impact- I spend a great deal of time undoing the effects of these type programs.
I look forward to your thoughts on Meditation + Weight Loss (take a look at this: www.mediheaven.com)...
BTW you said: "avoid products claiming weight loss without lifestyle change" -- that is so critical! yes!
Best, Pete
Although this is great exposure, I agree with the posts already made on this site. I am a licensed acupuncturist and there is rarely anyone on the show coming from the other side on these matters. You should always be an educated consumer, ALWAYS. What they don't mention either is how more people die or have serious side effects from "FDA" approved medications than from herbal supplements. You certainly need both so be smart when making your decisions.
If anyone needs someone to speak on any shows I am more than willing. Please email me.
Best Wishes and Health
Dominic
I enjoyed your health interview, it was very informative, intellegent unbiased.
Thanks, Ms. Dawn
I am a Licensed Acupuncturist and herbalist and I am doing doctoral research on weight loss and acupuncture. I agree that it is not a magic bullet and I agree that people should avoid diet supplements. I disagree about herbal medicine ,minerals and other supplemention. I believe that there are many qualified healthcare practioneers that can guide consumers safely through the process of what is right for them. Many acupuncturists,herbalists,nutritionists,chiropractors and others spend more time with their patients and have more knowledge of herb/drug interaction than most doctors.Please don't plant unwarranted fear into the public who could benefit from safe and cost effective health support. Thank you.
Hello,
I would like to share with your readers a few facts about Hypnosis. I am a Clinical Hypnotherapist certified by the American Council of Hypnotist Examiners which is the world's largest and most respected certifying board. Everyone of normal intelligence with an IQ of 70 or higher can easily be hypnotized. In fact, hypnosis is a natural yet altered state that we go in and out of all throughout the day. It's the alpha brain wave state. In regards to losing weight with hypnosis- Yes, you can have successful weight loss results because your focus will shift to healthy eating and exercising behaviors- and the hypnosis will help you determine whether you are physically hungry or if your an emotional eater. There's a saying- "it's not what you're eating, it's what's eating you" emotionally speaking. With hypnosis we can uncover patterns at a subconcious level and help heal the past and instill new healthy thoughts and behaviors. Thank you. Mindy Ash of AskforHypnosis.com
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Techniques for keeping a strong mind-body connection can be so rewarding after a very hard physical workout, but I've always wondered how a medically supervised, calorie-restricted eating plan is ever effective. Yeah, it'll get you immediate weight loss results, but in the long run, you're just going to put the weight and more back on. How is this healthy? I can't ever see a calorie-restricted diet, supervised or not, ever being a healthy or successful option. It's basic science. Anybody have any thoughts?
Exercise can foster the changes to the mind/body system to improve digestion, matabolism and hormones. Suppliments can assist with this, but diet is the primary reason for weight change in three ways.
1)Everything we eat will have good and bad things for our body. Our organs do their best to keep the good and get rid of the bad. Sometimes weight gain is our bodies defence to store toxins in fat as they can not removed by the kidneys or colon.
2)Milk and beef will have cow-hormones and suppliments fed to the cow during it's life and when you ingest it you get these additives. The industry is interested in heavy cows and that will bring about heavy consumers.
3)Pestisides, genetic modification and market demand have changed the fruits and veggies. Most people enjoy these improved items, but they too place demands on our body and the body responds.
Exercise is key to substained weight loss. As the body wants to minimize the costs carying extra weight, or store energy during times of plenty and rest
Ran out of space.
Supervised medical weight loss will produce weight loss, but without sustained life style changes you will gain it back.
Suppliments I referred to are to replace the stuff we no longer eat normally. Many of the things we ate just 50 years ago contained everything we needed for nutrition, along with physical work kept us lean.
Search the web for apple cider vinegar, baking powder, cayenne pepper and honey. The ACV will help the body maintain the proper level of stomach acid. The BS will improve the bloods PH level preventing bone loss, cateracts and joint pain. Cayenne pepper will increase the motabolism. Honey instead of sugar in any man-made form will keep blood sugar leveled.
Lentels with a some animal protein will provide better nutrients than Lentel alone.
Eating steak and potato is the very worst thing you can do. The spud will trick the body into storing the steak as extra fuel.
Ice water solidifies some foods and oils and therefore reduces digestion.
The FDA does approve preventative meds- Tamoxifen for breast cancer, & blood thinners for strokes, are 2 that come immediately to mind. I often recommend ginger for nausea, & accupuncture or hypnosis for some injuries. They help, & do no harm. What people don't realize is that herbs ARE meds & the distrusted FDA-regulated meds are mostly DERIVED from plants & herbs, & have the benefit of research, quality control, & accurate titration, unlike herbal supplements. The danger of unregulated herbal supplements is there is no way to know exactly what you are taking, the concentration, or the effective dose, if there even is one. Many herbs, when studied, are proven to be useless (echinacea) or harmful(yohimbe, aristolochic acid). Quality control of production is abysmal. Why trust unregulated herbal meds, & not those which are regulated? To enhance your health, eat well & excercise. MDs are indeed informed about nutrition (med school has changed since 1978) & would much prefer to prevent illness than treat it.
"I've always wondered how a medically supervised, calorie-restricted eating plan is ever effective. Yeah, it'll get you immediate weight loss results, but in the long run, you're just going to put the weight and more back on. How is this healthy? I can't ever see a calorie-restricted diet, supervised or not, ever being a healthy or successful option."
Yes, dieting by itself is pointless.
It can temporarily fix the results of poor habits, but unless you change those habits, they will produce the same results again. (It's crazy to repeat the same behavior over and over & keep expecting a different result.) People need to examine personal behavior & the behaviors & attitudes of family & friends.(Therapy can help.) Self-sabotage & sabotage from friends & family is common. Emotional support is crucial. It takes a lot of work, & the emotional work it takes is MUCH harder than the physical. I ask people if they want a different body, or a healthy life. Unless you want both, dieting is an unhealthy waste of time.
very very very very very very very very bad bad bad bad bad
There was a program on -Discovery Health, I believe - called "I Lost It" and it was true stories of people who lost weight. 9 times out of 10, they had some kind of emotional upset that precipitated their obesity: death of a sibling/parent; abuse; etc. People who are overweight must get to the bottom of their emotions: it's not what they're eating, it's what's eating them. Try the Bach Flower Essences to restore emotional balance.
Also, overweight people are often toxic and malnourished; have food allergies, and - as others have said here - ingest chemically laden food. Look for whole, unprocessed food and avoid high-fructose corn syrup like the plague.
I underwent hypnosis hoping to drop my last 10 'vanity' pounds. It worsened my weight 'problem' and now battle 50-60 pounds that now need to come off for health reasons.
It's not hypnosis that caused you to gain 50 to 60 lbs, it's you. And you can definately change it! Just be strong.
I have studied NLP and because we deal with trance states where a client can "Change their minds to change their lives" I believe anyone can be hypnotized. Medical hypnosis is really about the client hypnotizing themselves. Results are truly amazing because it can be one time only or over a period of time. Herbals really took a hit on the TV show and I don't understand why the scare tactics when many are FDA approved, pure and do just what they say they will do. If someone is on meds to start with, they would ask thier doctors to monitor them.
Cleansing (detox)impurities from the body is a centuries old activity for health purposes. There is a product system available which is nutritionally sound, nourishing for the body, has quality controls in place and FDA approval. a side effect of this nutritional cleanse is fat loss because the impurities that are harboured in the fat cells. It supports and/or builds leans mass, reduces stress and provides energy and better sleep patterns.www.darelenehanan.isagenix.com
Sometime ago there was an article which spoke about the need to switch-off the T.V whilst eating .After some thought I realized that switching off negative thoughts is more important.I guess it's got to do with stress and the effects which are at times harmful because of the toxins that are produced.Hypniosis and NLP are definately helpful to combat and reduce stress.There is nothing to lose by trying to calm down and reduce stress if you are trying to shed weight.Dieting&exercise are no doubt primary prerequisites for weight-loss.
Furthermore the connection between depression ,euphoria and overeating is an established fact.Euphoria is equally dangerous as compared stress when on a weight-loss resolution.So, if your trying 'scale-off' it helps to be organized which reduces stress.
Gain confidence and your sure to lose weight
Does everyone trust the FDA after meds they have approved turn out to be a hazard? I am not worried about herbs but a change in diet and lifestyle is essential, for weight loss.
The FDA approves drugs that kill 350,000 people a year. That's equivalent to about a jumbo jet a day crashing. If planes did that, they would be outlawed!
I've had fewer cravings and snacking urges since taking whole fruit mangosteen juice
PLEASE show me a health insurance plan that is going to cover the cost of hypnosis,acupuncture, or herbal supplements. There is a direct relationship in this country between socio-economic levels and obesity. The uninsured cannot afford these luxuries. Many of us in the so-called middle-class cannot afford these "complementary medicine" alternatives. Meditation does not come easily if your mind is cluttered with thoughts of "How am I going to pay my rent this month?"!
Well, first of all I like to say that I agree with the idea that everyone should be a safe consumer; however, many will buy products without FDA approval, and use them, when something bad happens they're looking for someone else besides themselves to blame. Everyone needs to take responsibility for themselves. Now truly, many FDA drugs are given and then pulled from the market due to side effects or long-term effects. However, these drugs, as with any, are given to the consumer with a huge list of warnings and POTENTIAL side effects. They don't always happen, but sometimes they will, it's a risk that every consumer takes. Unfortunately, the people who bash the FDA, as well as countless physicians and scientists who have at least 10 years of research on any drug, will look for someone else to blame when something goes wrong! People need to take responsibility for themselves. As for complimentary medicine, I think it's useful and wonderful; but be careful and beware consumers, it also has it's "side effects".
We used to have a FDA that actually tested new drugs not allowing the drug companies to just sumit there data This is what happens when republicans like Ronald Reagan get in office and deregulate everything
The FDA = Fatal Drugs allowed.
I recently heard one of the chemists that created tamixophen said that a side effect of it was that it caused cancer.
Insurance is put in place so that lower income folks are forced to take the FDAs toxic drugs!
More folks die of side effects from drugs than from alternative choices. THE FIX IS IN.
Vaccines are bad too!
My face & lip on the right side are swollen.
I recently increased my vita D intake from 400 to 1000.
What are the symptoms of an overdose?
Most people who are overweight have one problem manifesting into many different problems. I eat because I am hungry, I eat because I am sad, I eat because its time to eat, I eat because I am bored.
The truth is that you need to look at your patterns and see why you are doing what you are doing. I am a former fat man. I have gained and lost 10 times my body weight and when I start gaining weight I can always link it to something else happening in my life. You dont need herbs, you dont need magic. Just replace some feelings with positive action like walking. Take a half hour a day and walk. You would be amazed what it does to your mood and your life. Get up and move on commercials. Take a weight and lift it everytime you are watching TV. Get out and move yourself into a different direction in life and the changes will come.
to all readers,
its a few answers to your many questions. Discipline, dedication, control, focus and enjoy the changes to the fulles so you could maintain your system. it's proven.
Responding to Mindy Ash...
The ACHE (ache) is not the largest hypnosis organization and in fact is highly disrespected because of the bullying techniques and "clintoness" inappropriateness of Gil Boyne.
There are no Federal certifying boards of hypnosis/hypnotherapy as the AMA or APA, etc.
Anyhow, it's all about lifestyle changes and no "mind-sorceer" is going to help.
