Falcons DT Jackson sues manufacturer of diet pill

Grady Jackson

Atlanta Falcons nose tackle Grady Jackson on Monday filed a class-action lawsuit against against the manufacturer of a diuretic that reportedly led to his four-game suspension from the NFL.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that Jackson, who is appealing the league's suspension, filed the suit in Superior Court of California against Nikki Harrell's StarCaps diet pills.

The lawsuit also names Balanced Health Products, the maker of StarCaps. Jackson is seeking restitution and damages for false advertising and unfair business practices against the company and retailers of StarCaps.

The company acknowledged the lawsuit in a message posted on its web site, StarCaps.com.

"We've received notice of a problem with an NFL player," the statement read. "We have referred the matter to our counsel and are taking all necessary steps to ensure that our customers receive product that is safe and effective. We have temporarily suspended shipping of StarCaps pending the results of our investigation."

Jackson is among a handful of NFL players who reportedly tested positive for Bumetanide, a diuretic which is on the NFL's list of banned substances.

Defensive tackles Pat Williams and Kevin Williams of the Minnesota Vikings and a trio of players with the New Orleans Saints - running back Deuce McAllister and defensive ends Will Smith and Charles Grant - have been identified in multiple media reports as testing positive for the drug.

Bumetanide is a diuretic which can mask the presence of other substances, including steroids.

Nationalpost November 14, 2008

McAllister said last month that he was not surprised to learn of his inclusion on the list, although he insisted he always has tried to play by the rules.

What can weight loss pills do for you?

The results of weight loss programs that include Xenical or Meridia are best described as modest. The average weight loss is around 20 pounds in a year. You may want to lose this weight in a shorter span of time but remember the keywords here are long term. The weight loss is gradual because the program is meant to minimize health risks rather than get you ready for the beach.

Basically there are two type of diet pills available in the market which is Prescription diet pills and non prescription diet pills. Prescription diet pills are intended for long term use. If you are obese and would like to work on your health rather than your looks, they are worth asking your doctor about.

Diet pills are showing amazing results. As technology improves so do their formulas. There was a time when these pills were mere pills to suppress hunger. Today, these supplements do more than that. Let’s have a simple diet pill reviews and see what weight loss pills can do for you!?

What can weight loss pills do for you?

1. Appetite suppressant. Some weight loss supplements can trick the brain into thinking that you are full. Once your brain believes your body is full, you lose your urge to eat. The less you eat the fewer calories you have to store or use. If you increase your physical activity, you will be using those stored fats.

2. Increase metabolism. Some weight loss pills can increase your metabolism. They make the transport of fat on a cellular level more efficient. A common symptom experienced by people who take these supplements is an increase in their body temperature.

3. Block fat. Some supplements prevent the body from absorbing fat. What they do is they inhibit the fat from being absorbed and deliver it directly to the large intestines for excretion. It can be a bit messy but it is effective.

4. Prevent carbohydrates from being stored as fat. Newer generations of best diet pills claim to prevent the body from storing carbohydrates and converting them to fats. Instead the carbohydrates are transported directly to the muscles for burning.

Simple Tips for manage and control weight

Persons who are overweight, especially those who are obese, are more prone to weaken their immune system, develop dangerously high cholesterol and triglyceride blood levels, leading to accelerated hardening and blockages in their arteries to the heart and brain, kidneys and legs, resulting in high blood pressure, heart attacks, stroke, and even leg gangrene. They are also more likely to develop diabetes.

To manage and control weight, one does not need to spend a fortune buying weight loss pills, juices, diet foods, herbals, laxatives, or undergo chelation treatments, which is baseless and a scam. Besides, those expensive regimens are also unsafe and can cause more harm to the entire body.

Our weight is a function of how much calories we take in and how much calories we expend: calorie in, calorie out. If we take in more calories in a day than what we burn that day, obviously, we will gain weight, and vice versa.

Besides food intake, doing high-energy exercises (brisk walking, swimming, aerobics, like dancing, tai bo for 30 minutes a day), will also help burn the calories. The best guide is by weighing once a week, at about the same time of the day, preferably naked. If the weight is still above the targeted weight, cutting down the food intake, especially carbohydrates (pop drinks and sweets, rice and bread, etc), which is the No. 1 culprit that leads to weight gain and added inches to the waistline, will scale one down to the desired weight. A diet primarily of fish and veggies, and some fruits, will work wonders in weight management and over-all health maintenance. Drinking a tall glass of water before each meal will also help.

Weight Loss Pills In The News

Health concerns and desire to look attractive are two major factors that are driving the weight loss industry. Some people are tempted to use OTC medications and weight loss pills to achieve fast results. It should be realized that there is no magic formula or magic wand for losing weight. Healthy eating, low-calorie foods and regular physical activity are the effective ways to lose weight and keep it off.

Remember that even if you take weight loss pills it will be necessary to consume low calorie diet. Also remember that taking pills forever for controlling weight is neither practical nor safe.

Here we shall look at some of the popular diet pills presently in the news:

Clenbuterol
Alli
Xenical
Ephedra
Ma Huang
Bitter orange
Hoodia

Clenbuterol
This drug has been in the news recently under its nickname Size Zero Pill or Size 0 pill. It has earned the nickname because of the extremely undernourished and starved look of some of the fashion icons in Hollywood who have been using this pill. This drug is not meant for human consumption; it is a FDA approved drug for treatment of horses. This drug increases heart rate and body temperature thus help burn fat; it suppresses appetite for as long as nine hours after its consumption. It is an extremely unsafe drug.

Alli
Alli is not a medicine; it is a fat burner or fat blocker. It is a FDA approved OTC weight reduction product. Weight gain is caused by excess calorie intake, and consumption of fat is the main cause of excess calorie intake, Alli blocks about 25 % of the fat consumed from being digested; the undigested fat passes through the body in the natural way. Since the fat is prevented from being digested, Alli is effective in weight loss.

When you use Alli you are required to limit your meals to 15 gms of fat each, failing which you are likely to have extremely unpleasant side reactions such as bowel movements, loose stools, very frequent visits to “loo”, “farting” with oily discharge, etc.

Since even a popular burger exceeds Alli’s limit of permissible fat content, it is a serious limitation the dieter has to contend with.

Xenical

Alli and Xenical are similar; their composition is the same so their limitations and usefulness (!) will be similar.

Ephedra

Ephedra (ephedrine alkaloid) used in dietary supplements suppresses the appetite. Many popular products used for weight control were found to be using Ephedra at one time. However, it has now been totally banned due to safety concerns. In spite of the ban many ephedra products are still sold on the Internet.

Many athletes considered Ephedrine as a performance-enhancing drug. Due to safety concerns it has been prohibited in most competitive sports.

Ma Huang

This is the Chinese name for Ephedra. It also has been banned in USA.

Bitter Orange

This non-prescription OTC product is claimed to increases the number of calories burned and thus help weight loss. It is being sold as a substitute for Ephedra. It may also cause health problems as Ephedra does. Its long term effects are not known.

Hoodia

This is an extract from a cactus-like succulent plant from deserts of South Africa. It is being sold as natural appetite suppressant. This has not been evaluated for safety, effectiveness, or purity by the FDA and it is a potentially risky product for weight loss.

Are you happy with your weight?

There is a great benefit acquired from losing weight. Though losing weight is not easy, the long term effects brought by it would probably be of help to anyone considering to shed those unwanted and unhealthy pounds.

Studies show that if you are overweight, losing just 10% of your weight can make a significant improvement to your life satisfaction. Beside helping you look and feel better, 10% weight loss will also reduce your risk of diabetes, heart disease, stroke and cancer.Result from survey show that people with an oversized waistline are more likely to be satisfied with their life and hence, are less happy.

Proven Health benefits with weight loss of 10% in obese patients
Diabetes related mortality -30%
Blood pressure -10mmHg
Total cholesterol levels -10%
LDL-C -15%
Triglycerides -30%
HDL-C +8%

Health Sciences Authority (HSA) : Adulterated diet drug causes adverse reactions

• HSA advises consumers who have been taking this
  particular product to stop taking it immediately and to
  discard it. -- PHOTO: HSA

Two persons were hospitalised after taking the product which contains Sibutramine, an undeclared potent substance.

THE Health Sciences Authority (HSA) has detected an undeclared potent substance in a 'dietary supplement' which is sold over the internet, after two persons here developed serious adverse reactions after taking it.

The two, a man and woman in their early 20s, suffered symptoms of psychosis including hearing voices, hallucinations, confusion, anxiety and raised heart rate. They were hospitalised but had been discharged.

HSA found the adulterant 'Sibutramine' in a product marketed as, and claiming to be 'Relacore'. The two patients said they had bought it over the Internet.
Sibutramine, an undeclared western drug ingredient, can cause severe adverse reactions, including symptoms of psychosis, hallucinations, confusion, anxiety, increases in blood pressure and heart rate. It is a prescription drug used as an appetite suppressant to combat obesity.
HSA said in a statement on Wednesday that it should only be used under proper medical supervision.vPatients with heart problems, in particular, should not take it.
HSA advises consumers who have been taking this particular product to stop taking it immediately and to discard it. If they experience any adverse reactions or feel unwell, they should consult their doctors immediately.

The product taken by the two patients is promoted and sold over the Internet as a 'dietary supplement' which contains a 'stress mitigating compound' for 'belly fat and stress control,' said HSA, adding that the packaging of the product does not match fully with that of the Relacore that is sold over some Internet sites.

HSA is trying to establish if the product taken by the two patients could be a counterfeit version of the product 'Relacore'.
Said Ms Chan Cheng Leng, Assistant Director, Pharmacovigilance at HSA: 'This case clearly shows that pills sold over the Internet are often from a variety of sources and many are dubious.'
Given the borderless nature of the Internet and the ease with which this product could be bought and sold in different countries around the world, HSA has alerted its international network of enforcement counterparts to be on a lookout for the adulterated product and where appropriate, to act against websites selling this product within their respective jurisdictions.
HSA advises consumers to buy from licensed sources such as registered clinics and approved pharmacies. When in doubt, they should consult a doctor or pharmacist prior to self-medication.

They can also refer to the HSA advisory guide at : http://www.hsa.gov.sg/online_purchase_guide.pdf