Many natural weight-loss supplements are formulated with herbs, or from parts of plants. The better quality herbal supplements will be “standardized,” which means the products have been processed to ensure a uniform level of one or more isolated active ingredients from bottle to bottle.
To standardize a product, the manufacturer extracts key active ingredients from the whole herb, measures them, sometimes concentrates them, and then formulates them in a base with other nutrients, including the whole herb.
Standardization is a good indicator that the product contains the exact amounts to produce the desired results. To check whether a product carries this assurance, you must read the label and look for the ingredients that have been standardized. For example, the label on a bottle of hydroxycitric acid (HCA) might read: “Two capsules provide 2,000 mg standardized garcinia cambogia extract [the herb that contains HCA] supplying 1,000 mg of hydroxycitric acid.” Or the label might give a percentage: “Two capsules provide 150 mg of St. John’s worth standardized to 0.3% hypericin [the active component in St. John’s worth].”
Additionally, you’ll need to familiarize yourself with the names of the various active ingredients that are extracted. This book will help you do that.
Standardized products tend to be more expensive than whole or bulk herbs. Still, it’s best to buy standardized products so that you know what you’re getting. Ask doctor, or your pharmacist. Visit www.ShopPharmacyCounter.com where they sell worlds best weight loss supplements including phentramin d, fastin, lipodrene, stimerex es with ephedra and more. There is also information on the Internet; however, a lot of “cyber” information outside of www.shoppharmacycounter.com web site is product promotion. Purchase natural weight-loss supplements from well-known, reputable companies.
Read the label on any diet supplement you buy. Make sure you know what each ingredient is and what effect it has on the body. Don’t buy the supplement until you have learned all you can about its ingredients and its potential side effects. If you’re considering an herbal supplement, purchase a “standardized” product. (See the box below, “Buying Standardized Products.”)
Tell your doctor you are taking a natural diet supplement, especially during an illness or before surgery. If you don’t, you’re taking the chance that your doctor may unwittingly prescribe something that will interact dangerously with the supplement.
Communicating with your doctor about supplements is sometimes hard to do. But there are ways to overcome this. For example, when asked what medications you’re taking, include supplements, as well as any successes you’ve had with them. Also, report any unusual symptoms or allergic reactions you may experience.
Follow the manufacturer’s or doctor’s suggestion regarding dosage and diet. Also, pay close attention to any warnings or precautions that appear on the supplement label.
Supplements may react negatively with foods, alcohol, or drugs, including prescription medications. Check with your doctor to make sure there are no adverse interactions between supplements and medications.
As with medicines, regard supplements as potentially harmful to children, and keep those supplements safely out of their sight and reach.
Natural weight-loss supplements work best in combination with a healthy, low-fat diet and a regular exercise program. Permanent lifestyle change is still the best way to lose weight.
Don’t let diet pills and supplements natural or otherwise become a long-term crutch. You can fall into the trap of thinking, “If I’m not taking a pill, I won’t lose weight,” and get psychologically addicted to pill popping for weight loss. Diet drugs and supplements aren’t required for weight loss. But long-term habit change is. You can lose weight without drugs and supplements as long as you set your mind on doing so.