Not All Natural Weight Loss Aids Are A Good Idea
By Dr. George Best
There are numerous products that are promoted as being natural, but just because a product is natural, it may not be safe, and it may not even be effective in the long-run. The fact of the matter is, certain types of natural aids not only have some serious potential risks associated with them, but they often cause hormonal reactions in the body that can result in weight gain in the long run, even if they stimulate at first.

The biggest problems are with the natural aids that contain stimulants. Natural aids that contain stimulants work very much like stimulant drugs, and they have the same risks.

The main ingredients that act as stimulants that are found in natural products are ma huang (ephedra), guarana, caffeine, yerba mate', and kola nut. These are all extremely strong stimulants. Their effects are quite similar to those of drugs such as amphetamines. While many people recognize that taking amphetamines can be risky, some may mistakenly assume that a natural product is safe.

I strongly recommend that you avoid using any stimulant, natural or otherwise, to promote for two very good reasons. First, all of these products carry the risks of elevated heart rate, sleep disorders, high blood pressure, and stroke. The other reason is that even though stimulants can temporarily promote weight loss, in the long run they produce a hormonal imbalance that will actually cause weight gain.

Early on when taking stimulants, the effect is an increase in the production of adrenaline. Adrenaline is a hormone produced by the adrenal glands that essentially speeds up the body by increasing heart rate and respiration and elevating blood pressure. An increase in adrenaline will speed up the metabolism and cause an increase in fat burning. These effects will only last for a short time though. In a matter of a few weeks, the body's ability to produce adrenaline will become burned out, and as adrenaline levels start to fall off, the metabolic rate and fat burning will begin to slow down.

The fall in adrenaline levels is not the only problem, though. Stimulants cause the adrenals to produce another hormone

in large quantities, called cortisol. Cortisol causes you to gain weight and accumulate fat in the lower abdomen. Cortisol production in the adrenals can be kept up for much longer than adrenaline production. A first, the adrenaline production will overcome the fat-storing effects of cortisol and fast occurs. Over time though, cortisol production will overcome the declining effects of adrenaline, and weight gain is the inevitable result.

If you stop taking stimulants during the stage when adrenaline can still be produced, the cortisol effects will typically outlast the adrenaline effects, so rapid weight gain often follows sudden discontinuation of stimulants. One way or the other though, if you use stimulants to promote weight loss, sooner or later the effects of cortisol will win out over the effects of adrenaline and will stop and weight gain will begin.

Although the promise of fast may be a tempting reason to use natural aids containing stimulants, in the the long run these products will only increase your weight problems and could cause other adverse health effects as well. Do yourself a favor and avoid the use of stimulants for weight loss, whether they are natural products or not.

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Dr. George Best is a holistic healthcare provider in San Antonio, Texas. For more information, please visit his website for ways to have a safe and effective natural plan.