Hmrecovery.org - Health Care Information

It is very normal for some people to quit smoking and then experience weight gain at a later time. This is quite common but is definitely avoidable. Weight gain post quitting smoking can be attributed to several reasons like metabolism changes, increased urge to eat etc.

Nicotine works as appetite suppressants for smokers and ex smokers experience symptoms like energy loss, headache if they have to wait long before taking meals. Cigarettes containing nicotine do suppress hunger and keep weight under control but at the cost of causing cancer, heart problems, and a hell lot of life taking health issues. Also, after smoking cessation, a person keeps on eating now and then whether he or she is hungry or not.

Among many alternatives to keep control on weight, one is to improve diet habits. It is about regulating your appetite and eating foods which burn more calories like carbohydrates (fruits, vegetables, rice, pasta, potatoes etc). Reduce the intake of sweets and go for sugar free solutions.
Another strategy to keep off the weight gain after you quit smoking is to start with a regular exercise program which will not only help to improve your appetite but will also reduce stress level which is often faced by many ex smokers.

Last but not the least, keep never say die spirit. Don’t let weight worries overtake the joy of quitting smoking. Quitting smoking not just help you have a better sense of well being but actually give you a key to control your life.

Reductil Sibutramine is one of the most popular and frequently prescribed drug for weight loss. Reductil Sibutramine was first approved for sale in EU in 1999. But as Reductil reported to increase the chances of heart attacks or strokes in patients, Eurpean Medicines Agency have asked doctors in Europe to stop prescribing Reductil anti obesity drug. This decision was taken to avoid any furher health complications if the drug is continued.

Detailed News:http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/jan/22/reductil-banned-in-europe

Have you become conscious about recent weight gain since you have become pregnant? Are you planning to lose weight with help of diet pills to get rid of baby fat? There is only one advice, “NO”. It is never recommended to lose weight during pregnancy with the help of diet pills or some other ways of losing weight. There is no such concept of “safe diet pills” for pregnant women. Unborn baby inside mother needs lots of nutrition from food. Consult your doctor if you are concerned about your weight to avoid complications for the baby.

There is some amount of weight gain during pregnancy but being obese during the pregnancy can be dangerous. If you are among obese women, you should try to lose weight before pregnancy.

For the mothers who are breastfeeding, your baby would need certain amount of breast milk every day. To breast feed the child, mother needs extra nutrients and calories every day. Sllimming pills can affect the secretion of milk in breast feeding mothers which can affect the growth of child. Losing weight with the help of diet pill can adversely affect your and your child’s health. You can plan for weight loss after breast feeding period is over. You can maintain optimal weight after breastfeeding by eating regularly but having smaller meals.

Also, if you are among those women, who has become mother of new born baby child who has gained lot of weight and just can’t wait to get back into shape, single piece of advice would be to relax and take it easy. Trying to lose weight too fast can put you in trouble.

Obesity refers to a medical condition in which an excessive amount of body fat is accumulated in the body. It is a serious medical condition as it may lead to high blood pressure, high cholesterol, stroke, arthritis and various other medical problems. To calculate the level of obesity in a person, experts have devised a formula called the body mass index (BMI); the BMI compares weight and height. BMI equals weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared (BMI = kg/m2). Based on the BMI calculation, medical experts categorize people as underweight, overweight or obese. Given below are BMI categories for adults:

• BMI below 18.5 = underweight
• BMI between 18.5 to 24.9 = normal weight
• BMI between 25 to 29.9 = overweight
• BMI between 30 to 39.9 = obese
• BMI greater than 40 = extremely obese

Though BMI is an important indicator of obesity, it has certain limitations. For instance, as the BMI is entirely dependant on the net weight and height of the individual it does not take into account the distribution of muscle and bone mass. In addition, the BMI also does not differentiate between body fat and muscle mass. This often results in misleading results. With the BMI indicator there is always the potential risk of overestimating ‘fatness’ in individuals with high muscle mass, such as body-builders. Besides, the BMI underestimates the fat deposits in those with less lean body mass, such as the elderly. For this reason, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has indicated that in Caucasians waist measurements of 94cm or more in men and 80cm or more in women may result in adverse effects on health, with increased risks at 102cm or more in men and 88cm in women.

Obesity is growing at an alarming pace, especially in the developed countries such as the UK and the US, where the majority of people have irregular or sedentary lifestyles combined with unhealthy eating habits. Like adults, children also eat more and more junk food, which is considered unhealthy. Obesity is spreading fast to many parts of the world, as about two-third of men and women in 63 countries are either overweight or obese, thus giving rise to global obesity epidemic also known as ‘globesity’.

The obesity levels of people are determined with the help of Body Mass Index or BMI and their waist circumference. In one of the surveys conducted about a couple of years ago, it was found that 7% of people in Asia are obese as compared to 36% in Canada, 38% women in Middle Eastern countries and 40% in South Africa.

The average BMI levels of people in Northern Europe were 27 for men and 26 for women, thus putting them in overweight category. In Australia, average BMI was 28 for men and 27.5 for women whilst in Latin America, the average BMI was under 28.

In the UK, obesity is one of the major health issues for the government, as the majority of people are either overweight or clinically obese. It’s also one of the leading causes of preventable deaths in the UK every year.

Controlling obesity
It’s a challenge to control the epidemic growth of obesity not only for health experts in the UK but throughout the world. The governments in the respective countries need to take some drastic steps to control this epidemic. It can be done at grass root levels by sponsoring weight loss plans and cutting down on the availability of unhealthy food items including junk food. In addition, it’s the responsibility of each and every individual to adopt a healthy lifestyle with regular physical exercise and healthy eating habits.

People who have already gained considerable amount of body weight can consider weight loss pills that are easily available on the market. Most of the weight loss pills that are available over the counter of local pharmacies contain unproven ingredients. Therefore, we suggest that you buy weight loss pills only after a proper consultation with a medical practitioner or your GP.

Some of the popular prescription-only weight loss pills are Reductil and Xenical. Reductil is an appetite suppressant that acts on the brain to reduce your hunger whilst Xenical is a lipase inhibitor that acts on the dietary fats and blocks about one-third of fats from getting absorbed in the body. Both these prescription pills have side effects as well as contraindications. Therefore, you should learn about their important information before taking any of these pills for obesity treatment. These drugs are helpful for controlling obesity up to an extent, so you shouldn’t depend solely on weight loss pills and try to adopt healthy lifestyle like more physical exercise and healthy diet.

One of the effective drugs for obesity treatment is Xenical, which is available only on a prescription from a doctor. It’s prescribed to people who are very obese with a Body Mass Index or BMI equal to 30 or more and with additional risk factors such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and high blood lipid profile. Body mass index is a standard measure of obesity used by the doctors worldwide

The key ingredient in Xenical is orlistat, which works as a lipase inhibitor. It blocks about one-third of dietary fats from getting absorbed, which pass out of the body through normal bowel movements. Xenical works by targeting dietary fats only unlike appetite suppressants that work in the brain by reducing hunger.

Strength of Xenical
Xenical is available in the strength of a 120mg capsule. Each capsule of Xenical contains orlistat and some inactive ingredients such as microcrystalline cellulose, sodium starch glycollate, povidone, sodium lauryl sulphate and talc.

The dosages of Xenical should be taken exactly according to the doctor’s recommendations. You must swallow the whole capsule with a glass of water at the recommended time. Do not open the capsule or try to break it into half, as this may damage it.

Side effects of Xenical
Although a useful drug for obesity treatment that can help you reduce considerable amount of weight, Xenical can cause some possible side effects. Some of the common side effects of Xenical are related to digestive or stomach problems because it acts there only. You are likely to experience side effects such as increased flatulence, abdominal pain, urgency to have bowels, oily or fatty stools and oily discharge from the anus. These side effects normally continue up to few weeks after starting the treatment with Xenical and then go away. However, you should report to a doctor if these side effects don’t go away and continue for long.

In some rare cases, Xenical may also cause side effects such as nausea, dyspepsia, headache, and unusual tiredness or weakness.

Contraindications of Xenical
You shouldn’t take Xenical:

• if you are allergic to orlistat or any other inactive ingredient in it
• if the doctor diagnoses you with chronic malabsorption syndrome (deficiency of important nutrients)
• if you have pancreatic problems
• if you have a blockage of your bile duct
• if you are pregnant or breast feeding woman
• if you have kidney stones or a peptic ulcer
• with drugs such as cyclosporin, amiodarone, acarbose or other weight loss medicines

Before taking Xenical, you should learn about its all important information, including its side effects and contraindications. You can also read about how to buy Xenical online, as there are many websites that provide useful information about this obesity treatment drug. However, while buying Xenical online, you should choose only reliable sources that conduct online consultation of patients before selling the drug

Reductil is an effective prescription-only weight loss drug. The medicine should however be taken with caution only after consulting a doctor. And while discussing Reductil, it is imperative to inform the doctor about your medical conditions and the medicines that you might be taking. This is because Reductil is not meant to be used in conjunction with certain medicines or by people who suffer from certain medical conditions. Below, we also discuss conditions in which Reductil should no be taken by people.

Do not take Reductil if you:

• Are over 65 years or under 18 years of age
• Have a BMI lower than 30
• Have known sensitivity to any of the ingredients in Reductil
• Are pregnant or breastfeeding
• Have an eating disorder such as anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa
• Have a history of psychiatric or mental illness, such as manic-depression or if you have had seizures (epilepsy or convulsions)
• Have hyperthyroidism
• Have high blood pressure that remains uncontrolled by drugs
• Have severe liver or kidney disease
• Have heart disease caused by poor blood flow in the blood vessels of the heart (e.g. angina)
• Have changes in heart rate or if you have had a stroke
• Have a swelling of the prostate gland that makes it difficult to pass urine
• Have narrow angle glaucoma
• Have a history of drug, medication or alcohol abuse
• Are taking any medicine for depression
• Are taking another medicine to lose weight including over-the-counter medicines or herbal products
• Are taking a medicine that affects your alertness e.g. tranquillisers, antidepressants or tryptophan

Side effects of Reductil
Like all other medicines, Reductil slimming pills too comes with certain side effects. However, most patients experience either no or very moderate side effects. Besides, most side effects may only last for a few days until the body adjusts to the medication. Some of the most commonly reported side effects of Reductil include headache, dry mouth, constipation, loss of appetite and difficulty sleeping. Less common side effects of Reductil include an increase in blood pressure and increase in heart rate. It is suggested you get your blood pressure monitored by your doctor regularly when taking Reductil Sibutramine. If you find that any of the side effects have become severe or if they last for 5-7 days, then stop the treatment and get advice from your doctor.

Studies conducted on the swine flu or H1N1 virus epidemic that recently struck various parts of the world, particularly US has shown that obesity may aggravate swine flu complications. Though the studies have not been concluded, doctors have been alerted to treat obese patients more aggressively, if required by doubling the dose of Tamiflu (oseltamivir) to prevent life threatening complications from the swine flu.

The startling trend of a higher risk of swine flu complications among obese was noticed by the researchers from the University of Michigan Medical Center. The researchers studied 10 swine flu patients admitted to the hospital who were suffering from severe swine flu complications. It was found that nine out of the 10 patients were obese while seven of these patients were morbidly obese with a Body Mass Index (BMI) greater than 40.

These patients suffered from serious complications like multiple organ failure, severe respiratory distress syndrome, blood clots in the lungs and kidney failure. While three out of the ten patients have died, others have reportedly been unable to recover from these conditions.

The results of the study are striking because so far the researchers have never found a link between seasonal flu complications and obesity. Experts are also worried that if obesity is indeed a risk factor than a high percentage of the population is at a greater risk since obesity affects millions of people across the world.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States is considering putting obese patients at high priority for swine flu treatment along with other high-risk patients. When the swine flu vaccine becomes available, obese people would be given priority along with other high-risk patients.

While some doctors believe that people with morbid obesity are more severely affected by swine flu complications others believe that overweight people are also adversely affected by swine flu. Some health officials say that the trend may be because overweight people are more likely to suffer from asthma and other conditions that make them more susceptible. Experts are still analyzing the statistics and have not yet confirmed the link between obesity and swine flu complications.

Water is extremely essential for our body. Drinking adequate amount of water everyday helps to keep our body function smooth and also helps in our efforts to lose weight. When we do not drink water for a long time, our body starts misinterpreting thirst for longing of something sweet, so we tend to drink sugary drinks or any other beverage that we like. This adds on to calories and makes us gain weight. Experts believe that if we drink sufficient water we can eliminate need for caffeine, soda, alcohol and sugary drinks and save ourselves from consuming unwanted calories. Excess sugar in the body is mostly followed because of an urge to drink sugary liquids; hence, drinking water helps as a natural weight loss method.

When we do not drink water our body becomes dehydrated so it starts holding on to water in the body more strongly as it wants to preserve whatever is left in there. This causes our body to become bloated and we bear extra weight. It has also been noted that a dehydrated body is not able to digest food properly, this again causes weight gain.

Body water requirement to maintain weight
Experts believe that we should ideally consume a minimum of 8 glasses (8-ounce glass) of water everyday. More if you do physical activity. Our body is continuously losing water through urine, faeces, skin and from lungs. We need to balance this loss of water continuously by drinking water.

Water helps to expel toxins and free radicals out of your system that get in to your system with the junk food. By washing off these toxins, water helps to decrease the risk of diseases. Besides, when you drink water before meal it suppresses your appetite and thereby reduces your calorie intake. Further, water also works as an energy booster as it continuously helps your body to break down food.

The modern yet sedentary lifestyles are making most people overweight or obese. It means they are gaining more extra body weight than the required healthy standard weight. Moreover, the unhealthy eating habits are also responsible for it to a great extent.

If you feel you are gaining a bit extra body weight, you can reduce it by exercising more and checking your eating habits. Within days, you can get back to a healthy body shape. However, exercising and healthy diet alone won’t be adequate if you are clinically obese. You need to combine it with any suitable medical treatment drugs.

You can find a variety of weight loss drugs that are easily available on the market. Most of them are available over-the-counter and some are available on a prescription from a doctor only. The prescription-only drugs are considered more effective than many over-the-counter weight loss drugs. However, some over-the-counter drugs like Alli can be quite effective for natural weight loss.

Prescription weight loss medicines
The most popular choices in prescription weight loss drugs are Reductil and Xenical. Both are oral pills that work differently for a common goal of weight loss. Reductil is an appetite suppressant whilst Xenical is a lipase inhibitor that works in the digestive system of the body. It’s up to the doctor to prescribe the most suitable pill for your weight loss treatment after your thorough check up.

The main active ingredient in Reductil is sibutramine that works as an appetite suppressant by controlling your hunger. It alters the levels of two brain chemicals- serotonin and noradrenaline that mainly give the signals of hunger. Subsequently, you may feel less hungry and get full by eating small amounts of food unlike before when you had to eat more food. On the other hand, Xenical inhibits the activity of Lipase, an enzyme, and blocks about one-third of the dietary fats from getting absorbed in the body.

Both the above treatments have proven to be extremely helpful for people with their weight loss. These are also available online and you can also check your suitability for them online by accessing any reliable online clinic or source.