The United States Food and Drug Administration is the federal agency charged with, among other responsibilities, ensuring the safety of most foods, the safety and efficacy of all prescription drugs and the safety and proper labeling of dietary...
One of the ways in which the berries of the hawthorn tree may help to lower your blood pressure, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center, is through dilation. It appears that flavonoids and oligomeric procyanidins, nutrients in...
Traditional, complementary and alternative medicine are all on the same page when it comes to the benefits of fish oil. While some people follow the dietary recommendations to eat fish with a high-fat content twice a week, others are supplementing...
In food or in your bloodstream, fat usually takes the form of a triglyceride formed from a long chain of carbon atoms. This molecule is called a triglyceride because it terminates with a three-carbon glycerol unit. According to the American Heart...
Niacin, a B vitamin, helps the body maintain a healthy nervous system and digestive system as well as healthy eyes, hair and skin. Niacin also helps the body turn carbohydrates into energy. This B vitamin can lower unhealthy LDL cholesterol levels...
Echinacea is considered an herbal supplement that is touted as a natural remedy for colds, the flu and other infections. But since echinacea is characterized as a supplement, it isn't regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, and is therefore...
Although diet pills may be appropriate in situations where weight poses a significant health threat, the risks associated with diet aids generally outweigh the benefits in those with less severe weight issues. Not all weight loss supplements have...
Red yeast rice has served as both a source of nutrition and medicine in China for thousands of years. It contains chemical components similar to statins -- a commonly prescribed class of medications used to treat elevated cholesterol levels....
Live organisms, or bacteria, that are similar to the healthy bacteria that live in your gut are called probiotics. According to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Lactobacillus acidophilus is one strain of probiotics...
The Ready Clean Detox consists of one bottle of liquid infused with a blend of herbs, vitamins and fiber. This cleansing detox takes only one day, and unlike other detox programs, it requires no fasting. The makers of Ready Clean suggest that...
Coenzyme Q10, or CoQ10, is a dietary supplement that has been used as an adjunct treatment for Alzheimer's disease, HIV/AIDS, asthma, cancer, macular degeneration and cardiovascular issues, such as high blood pressure, angina, heart failure and...
Prescription drugs are medications available only when prescribed by a doctor or other authorized health care providers. These drugs include a variety of medications used to treat specific medical conditions, and they are regulated by the federal...
NyQuil is the trade name for a line of over-the-counter products used to treat symptoms associated with colds and flu. Different NyQuil products have different ingredients with varying effects including fever reduction, pain relief, cough...
Bloodroot is an herb used in alternative forms of medicine to treat an array of maladies. It has been use in small doses to remedy bronchial problems and throat infections, as well as to combat plaque and gingivitis and in the treatment of...
If the allure of finding the latest "magic pill" has you anxiously perusing the supplement aisle in the supermarket--you may want to do a little fact-checking before you buy. According to MayoClinic.com, most over-the-counter weight loss pills...
Cholesterol is a substance in your blood necessary for proper digestion and hormone production. There are two types of cholesterol in your blood -- high-density lipoprotein, or HDL, cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein, or LDL, cholesterol....
The U.S Food and Drug Administration regulates dietary supplements under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act, signed into law in 1994. Before this time, supplements were governed by the same regulations as foods. Unlike...
Ayurvedic medicine is an Indian medical system that is thousands of years old. Today in the United States, it is well known as a complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). Based on their philosophy, Ayurvedic practitioners prevent illness and...
Oxygen supplements can be life saving or a marketing scam. When provided in the form of supplementary oxygen gas, as in an emergency medical situation, oxygen supplementation is vital for survival. When provided as a recreational activity in an...
There are several ways that diet pills work. One way is to act as a fat blocker. These diet pills reduce the amount of fat the body absorbs. Prescription Xenical is an example of a fat blocker, and it prevents your digestive tract from absorbing...
A diet pill that makes you magically thin is akin to the Fountain of Youth; everyone wants to find it, but it probably doesn't exist. While some diet pills are approved by the U.S . Food and Drug Administration, they aren't magical fix-alls to...
People struggling with weight loss that do not respond to diet and exercise modifications might benefit from diet pills, according to the Mayo Clinic website. Most pharmacies offer nonprescription pills but it's difficult to know which products...
Crystal Light is a low-calorie, artificially sweetened flavored drink mix. One of the most popular flavors of Crystal Light is lemonade. As an alternative to sugar-laden sodas, Crystal Light can be part of a low-calorie diet program when consumed...
Coenzyme Q10 -- or CoQ10 -- is a vitamin-like substance produced naturally by our bodies to help cells perform properly. Important for creating energy in the cells, CoQ10 is found in foods such as fish and meats or may be taken as a supplement. It...
If you fall into the 60 percent of Americans who are overweight, you may be considering use of a dietary supplement, such as hoodia, to boost weight loss. The herb Hoodia gordonii, or hoodia for short, is purported to have appetite suppressant...
Taking diet pills for weight loss could damage your liver. Diet pills on the shelf at the store or prescribed by your doctor are not always safe. Although diet pills contain known dietary ingredients or have approval from the Food and Drug...
Diet pills come in two principle forms: over-the-counter varieties, which almost always use herbal or other dietary supplements that are not subject to FDA regulation, and prescription varieties, the drug components of which are subject to FDA...
Cytomel is the commercial name for liothyronine sodium, a synthetic form of the thyroid hormone triiodothyronine, or T3. Cytomel is a synthesized sodium salt. In the bodybuilding and weight-loss worlds, the Cytomel diet purports to burn fat....
The thyroid is a small gland in the throat that regulates the body's temperature by secreting hormones that affect how quickly the body burns calories. The most common thyroid problem is hypothyroidism, which occurs when this gland does not...
