Music or Medicine? A Note That I Found Hard to Swallow

There it was flashing in my mind like a neon billboard sign in New York City. "Raspberry Keytones" it said on the label. I was simply scrolling through Facebook posts at the end of the day, and saw it right there presented to hundreds of people on a friends page. I couldn't believe my eyes. I couldn't believe the person didn't realize what they were promoting and that it was a horrible mistake that their direct-to-consumer sales company had probably spent thousands of dollars on. Did I comment? No! Why? Because when you are a healthcare professional you carefully select what you get involved in and what advice you give to those who are not in your direct care. I just shook my head and had to walk away. I later realized that I just couldn't ignore the problem and wished to do something in ways that might reach more people. Thus, this article and it's content.

So what's the big deal? Well, raspberry keytones printed on the label should correctly be printed raspberry ketones. I thought, at first, that I was reading it wrong and saved it to my desktop to remind myself that I wasn't in a peri-menopausal fog. Keytone? Don't they mean Ketone? Yes, I resolved in my mind, they should have put ketone. OK people, it's medicinal and not musical. It was a hard note for me to swallow. Literally!! I couldn't believe that a company with some magical product for weight loss would not know how to spell ketones. It actually made me quite angry that people, in the general public, would actually consider taking something for weight loss when the makers didn't even take the time to review their product label and get it right. And the problem didn't stop there. The other ingredients were also listed, and spelled appropriately (bonus!), but as a highly trained professional, I realized that there could be dangers and contraindications for someone consuming such a thing without professional advice.

I then went to the next step in my fury and used a professional and restricted nutritional database to review each of the ingredients just for my sanity and to make sure I wasn't too far off base. Nope, I wasn't! The specific ingredients could cause unwanted issues for those with asthma, gastrointestinal disease, blood disorders, and so on. I sadly realized that someone would jump on board the weight loss wagon, ingest the product, and not know the ramifications of something that seemed so safe. They simply wanted to lose weight, but didn't realize that they could gain a host of other problems as a result of taking the product.

The label is the bread and butter of the product. It's the attention grabber. It's the thing that sucks you in and makes you want to use it. But, I can tell you as a professional that "claims" have to be carefully written and reviewed before sending something out to the masses. In fact, I am hired as a consultant to get involved with manufacturers and product makers who want to give solid information to patients before they ever swallow or consume anything they didn't intend to. It's very important and to me is a huge deal breaker. And, if it's not even spelled right, do you think I'm going to put it in my mouth and swallow it? No way!!

Claims really can't be trusted in my professional opinion, but instead, the list of ingredients can serve as a better guide. I'll give you an example. Dirt is "naturally occurring" and "organic". I have the capability and special equipment to scoop up an unlimited supply of dirt from my back yard and formulate it into capsules that would look similar to many products on the open market. Would it harm someone? Likely not, and especially if I used a small amount. And while on that note... since this all started with "keytones"... no pun intended (smile), I think the quantity of an ingredient is important. Is it a standardized pharmaceutical grade component with appropriate strengths? Is it safe to take in that amount? Not sure? Then ask someone who truly knows and is trained to understand the details of the product ingredients. To the "naturally derived" dirt, I could even add some inert ingredients as fillers, or add some ingredients to make it break down a certain way in the GI tract, but it doesn't change the fact that it's dirt and it needs to be reviewed by the consumer. Never take anything that you haven't researched for yourself and talked to your personal healthcare provider about. Physicians, Pharmacists, and Naturopathic Doctors are specifically trained to consider side effects, contraindications, and other disease states before giving their stamp of approval on anything that might harm someone. First do no harm! It's a creed that embedded within the minds of those professionals that really have your best interest at heart. Trust them before you trust the untrained friend of family member who doesn't realize the full scheme of things to the body as a whole. And who doesn't even realize that their favorite product label, that's going to provide them extra income if they sell a lot, has a misspelling. Okay, I'll stop since we already covered that little tidbit of information which started this whole thing.

I hope this helps you understand the importance of a personal relationship with a healthcare provider that you know and trust. Opinions do matter, but the source of the opinion means all the more when it comes to taking medicines, supplements, and herbal products. It pays to know the smallest of details to help you live better, feel better, and look better. I want you to end on a good note.

To your good health,
Dr. Sonja O'Bryan

Dr. Sonja O'Bryan is a highly trained medical professional with a keen interest in helping patients live better, look better, and feel better. Providing natural and complimentary supplements in addition to formulating pharmaceutical grade custom formulations for diseases and health problems is where Dr. Sonja serves full time in her consulting and compounding pharmacy practice in Bolivar Missouri. Dr. Sonja also teaches to physician, community, and women's groups across the nation on the topics of anti-aging, natural medicine, and lifestyle. To book Dr. Sonja O'Bryan for your upcoming event, visit http://www.onpurposewomen.com/ or call 417-770-3111. Customized programs are available.

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I Need Help Losing Weight! How I Found Help Using Science and Bangle Bracelets

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota

Why did I keep doing things that made me miserable, even though, deep in my heart, I didn't want to do them and had been doing them for over 20 years? All I could think of was, I need help losing weight!

Seriously, why would I gobble up that second helping at dinner, drink that extra glass of wine, or scarf down that big giant mud pie when I l clearly knew I would regret it? Why would I pile a mound of peanut butter and jelly into a bowl and have at it with a spoon late at night or make a dish of "buttercream icing" to eat secretly all by myself?

Yes, I did all of that and more. The next day, when I wanted to crawl under the covers and never come out, I always said to myself, "I need help losing weight!"

It Wasn't That I Didn't Try

When I topped the scales at 192 pounds, after having weighed 133 for years and years, I was shocked and desperate. I had tried everything. We could play "name that diet" and I have tried every one you can name. And yes, I can do anything for 17 Days, but "Whoa, Momma!", after the 17 days, I just couldn't do it any more.

I didn't put on more weight, in fact, over ten years, I'd taken off ten pounds and kept it off. But that took ten years! And, at 182 - I was still obese. Once again, all I could think was, "I need help losing weight."

Science Clears Up a Mystery

I found it. The 4,376,924th book I read, desperately searching for help, actually did help!

It explained that research has discovered what happens in your brain when you are stressed, angry, or frustrated. Most of us know that when we are in extreme danger, our body dumps adrenalin into our system which gives us the strength to get to safety. When you read about a 98- pound grandma who lifts a car off of her grandson, that's adrenalin at work.

Who's In Charge Here?

Recent brain research, has discovered that, when you feel stressed, frustrated, or angry a chemical (not adrenaline, but just as powerful) is released in your brain which tells you to get rid of that bad feeling, NOW! For those of us who have turned to food to get that "calming feeling", we automatically, and unconsciously reach out for something to eat.

You Don't Have to Be a Slave to Your Brain, But It Helps to be Aware

Kowabunga! That was amazing to me. It's like I was being ambushed by my own brain. It's hard to fight something you don't even know is there. Now that I knew what was happening, I had to find a way to prevent myself from unconsciously sabotaging myself. I needed a way to remind myself of what I really wanted and not be tempted by a momentary pleasure. I did not want to live feeling quietly tortured by that anguish that permeated my life. I wanted to feel good about myself and it just wasn't happening when I pigged out.

A Simple Solution Solves a 20 Year Problem

At first, I thought, maybe plastering a picture around of how I wanted to look all around the house, or writing out a description pasting it to my forehead might help. But those just didn't work for me.

Then, I hit on the idea of wearing 5 bangle bracelets on my right arm and, every time I ate something I shouldn't, I would move one bracelet over to my left arm. That would do two things.

It would remind me.It would stop the "what the heck, I've blown it. Might as well keep going."

It might sound simple or silly. But it worked. I got down lower in weight than I had been in 20 years. The scientific knowledge of what was happening in my brain, gave me the power to stop being a slave to my thoughts and feelings.

That small, subtle reminder of the bangle bracelets, kept the knowledge and my goal in front of me better than anything ever had. There were times when I had to move one of those bracelets, but it never got to all five.

So now I don't have to say, "I need help losing weight," because I have found that help.

Have you ever said to yourself "I Need Help Losing Weight". You are not alone. One of the most important points in losing weight is how to handle a "Slip". How you deal with it can either send you off on another eating binge or get you right back on track. To find out how to handle a slip effectively along with two other proven methods for losing weight and loving yourself, please click on this link: http://www.habitsrus.com/weight-loss-success-tool/

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