So, cutting through all the hype and marketing double-speak, is there any one diet or strategy to make weight loss easier? Surely one of the books that sell in their millions, must have some value? Well, if weight loss was easy, no-one would be overweight. No matter who you are, where you live or what your lifestyle, shedding unwanted pounds is a challenge. The most interesting piece of research came out in February, 2009. It allocated a large group of people to four diets with different levels of fat, proteins and carbohydrates. Each of the four diets was nutritionally sound and offered healthy outcomes to the cardiovascular system. People were followed over two years and encouraged to keep the diet going for as long as possible. There were no significance differences in the results. Everyone lost an average of 7% of their body weight regardless of the diet followed. So here is a message from someone without a book to sell. People who follow a calorie-reduced diet lose weight regardless whether that diet is high- or low-carb, high- or low-fat, high- or low-protein.

The biology could not be easier to describe. We store fat in our bodies against the need for energy when there is no food to eat. At that time, we burn the fat to give us the energy we need. An effective diet tricks the body into burning the fat. It’s the equivalent of a famine. The lower the calorie intake, the faster you burn the fat, but the more hunger you will feel. This is where a drug like meridia becomes so important. This is one of the leading appetite suppressants, sending a message to your brain that your stomach is full. If you stop feeling hungry, it’s easier to keep to the diet. Over time, your stomach will naturally contract and you genuinely will be full when you eat smaller portions. Meridia helps you lose weight safely.

In accepting massage in its hospitals, the US healthcare service is opening itself to the increasing body of scientific evidence showing massage as an effective treatment. Until a few years ago, the medical profession resisted holding clinical trials to test “alternative” remedies. Such studies as existed in other countries were treated with some contempt. Massage was nothing more that an indulgence in high-priced spas. Now the manipulation of the soft tissues by a skilled therapist is acknowledged to reduce physical pain, relieve stress and bring down blood pressure. The methods differ depending on the purpose of the treatment. In general, the therapist will press, manipulate and rub the relevant parts of the body. Most techniques rely on the use of the hands and fingers, but others use the forearm, elbow and, in a few cases, the feet. The pressure may be light and involve gentle stroking. Or it can involve the use of significant pressure to knead and reach down to deep layers of muscle.

If you are experiencing muscle spasms, i.e. an involuntary contraction like cramp that persists, the combination of massage therapy and the use of a muscle relaxant like skelaxin has been found particularly effective. This most commonly occurs in the back, buttocks and legs. It may be from a physical cause such as a herniated disk or sciatica with pain radiating from the nerve. The manipulation of the disk can rapidly reduce pain and improve mobility. As the more acute symptoms are relieved, the drug will ease the problems in the muscles and reduce the risk of further spasms. In the case of sciatica, more aggressive treatment may be required in the use of steroids or, if the pain does not subside, surgery. But, in all this, the therapist will be able to guide you through the process of relieving the acute symptoms and planning a rehabilitation regime to reduce the risk of the problems recurring. At this time, it is most useful if your doctor and the therapist work as a team. That gives you the best advice on the use of prescription painkillers and drugs like skelaxin, while receiving comprehensive physical therapy. It delays treatment and can lead to misunderstandings if you constantly have to move between different hospital or clinic departments.