Natural Medicine for Weight Loss

What’s the best natural medicine for weight loss? There are thousands of products out there and, if you believe the hype, every one of them is the best or the most effective product ever created.

While there are a number of natural herbs used for weight loss, some of which may be very effective, individual ingredients may not be right for everyone.

People are different and the way their bodies react to changes in glucose levels and caloric intakes varies. In short, programs or supplements that are touted to work for everyone in reality don't.

If you visit your general practitioner for advice about losing weight, he or she will usually pull out one of the traditional low-calorie diet plans or make recommendations about reducing or eliminating certain food groups from the diet.

If you continue to have problems with your weight, a GP may prescribe anti-depressants or appetite suppressants. Depending on how much you weigh, surgery is sometimes recommended.

If, on the other hand, you visit a Naturopathic Doctor, he or she will take a different approach. There is effective natural medicine for weight loss, but it is a complete plan for long-term weight control. An ND will evaluate your personal history, genetics, food sensitivities and allergies, as well as a number of other relevant factors, in order to come up with the right plan for you.

An ND may prescribe green tea, ginseng or other natural herbs used for weight loss, but not without first considering how you could react to that supplement. Over time, an ND will help you monitor your successes and failures. He or she will provide support, counseling and education.

Studies have shown that about 90% of people who lose weight by following a low-calorie diet regain the weight in a short period of time. Often, this becomes a repetitive or yo-yo pattern, with 10 or 20 pounds lost and regained over and over again. We have learned that this “yo-yoing” leads to long term health problems like heart disease and type II diabetes.

One of the keys to breaking the yo-yo cycle and achieving long term weight control is support. About 92% of people who receive long-term support maintain their weight loss for long periods of time. Support, then, is an important part of natural medicine for weight loss, but of course, support alone is not effective.

There are several steps involved in effective natural medicine for weight loss, each of which is important in its own way. The first step is a consultation with a Naturopathic Doctor.

During the consultation, you will talk about any prescription meds or any natural herbs used for weight loss or other purposes. You will also go over diets and exercise programs that you have tried. You may be asked to keep a food diary for a week or two.

So, the initial consultation may be quite a bit longer than you are used to, but the goal is to identify problems related to when you eat, what you eat and how much.

Regular physical activity is another important part of natural medicine for weight loss. Botanicals and natural herbs used for weight loss may also be part of the plan. They may be added to the diet or taken in supplement form.

For example, cayenne pepper helps to stimulate digestion and increase metabolism. Seaweed or kelp has a similar effect. Nettle, too, can be helpful. Hoodia gordonii is a plant that, when eaten, acts as an appetite suppressant. The most important thing to remember is that the herbs may help you lose weight and some may become a regular part of your diet, but once you’ve lost the weight, you still have more to do.

A Naturopathic Doctor will help you transition to a diet that you can stick with for life. It takes time for your metabolism to readjust. You may need to learn to “think” about food differently.

Evaluation, diet, supplements, exercise and long term support all combine to create effective natural medicine for weight loss. An ND can provide all of these things and help you maintain your weight and your overall health for life.

Indeed, as a Naturopathic Doctor myself, I personally take on clients one-on-one to help them improve their health through education, which includes losing weight naturally. I currently practice in East Lansing, MI and Ann Arbor, MI.

Please contact me below if you are interested in my services as a Naturopathic physician and I will contact you back ASAP.

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