Question
I am one-and-a-half stone overweight, no matter what I do I cannot lose weight, so I have decided to try a herbal dietary supplement.
The shop assistant has advised me to try half the recommended dosage for now as I have small build. I am 19. Will it interfere with my contraceptive pill? Do you think they are dangerous to use?
Answer
It is quite difficult to answer this question because I don't have any details of the herbal remedy that you have bought. There is no standardisation of the contents of herbal medicines or supplements so unless you can tell me exactly what is in it I cannot give you a very definite answer.
In general terms, however, it is very unlikely that this herbal supplement will interfere with your contraceptive pill. I think that the assistant advised you to start on a lower dose because she was also unsure of the effects of the supplement and was 'playing safe'.
Just because someone works in a herbal medicine shop doesn't mean they know all about the products they sell! Also generally speaking herbal supplements of this nature are not dangerous, but you do need to be careful of interactions between some medications and certain herbal products such as St John's wort.
I would be wary of Chinese herbal preparations, which sometimes contain powerful drugs such as steroids.
As far as your weight is concerned, you are obviously struggling to lose it. I imagine you have tried all sorts of diets, but have you tried making a big effort to increase the amount of exercise you take? That can sometimes make all the difference, as you are then actively burning off excess calories as well as trying to reduce the number of calories that you take in.
Exercise also makes you feel healthier and better in yourself, and can then motivate you to make more of an effort with your diet.
Don't forget that even a herbal supplement is not going to work any miracles. You will still need to restrict your calorie intake. If such a remedy was so wonderful, everyone would be using it! That is why there are hundreds of things you can buy to help you lose weight - it is because no single one of them can be guaranteed to work.
Good luck with losing those pounds, and do think about that exercise.
Yours sincerely
Dr Keith Barnard, GP
Article Source : http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/ate/weightandnutrition/207499.html
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